Chapter 60

"childish."

"Okay, okay, I'm childish. I don't know who couldn't stand losing and pushed the other person into choking on the water... It hurts, it hurts, my ears are about to be pulled off, spare me, spare me!" Xiang Mingqi was still nagging him at the convenience store. Pei Huai reached out and twisted his ear hard, and he finally calmed down.

Since I didn't bring a change of clothes—who knew this guy would drag me into the pool?—I grabbed a new set from Xiang Mingqi's bag. It was a bomber jacket from a reputable brand, with the usual plaid and team crest design. While this guy didn't look fabulously wealthy, everything he wore, head to toe, was expensive.

Glancing at his senior's face from the side, he could tell he was in a bad mood. Xiang Mingqi begged him into the convenience store and treated him to sports drinks and boxed ice cream. He rested his head in the dining area, legs swinging, and watched him sip each sip.

"Brother, are you feeling better now?"

Her hand scraped up a spoonful of frosting from the edge of the carton, and she answered him with a slight suck of her lips.

"What's that? Why are you still so stern after accepting my kindness? Handsome, I advise you to face reality, let go of your reserve and make peace with me quickly. Otherwise, I'll come begging you." He pulled the chair and walked around to look at the other person's face, but found that the spoon paused at the groove of Pei Huai's lower lip - he was observing out the window. "What's wrong?"

He leaned over to look, his hand on the edge of the table, squeezing Pei Huai's shoulder sideways. "It's pitch black outside, I can't see anything..."

Pei Huai curled his four fingers and swung the paper box to his left shoulder to prevent someone's hair or sleeves from ruining the food. Xiang Mingqi then circled around to his left, looked back around the store, and found that a row of shelves blocked the clerk's shy gaze towards Pei Huai. He leaned over and sucked his lips vigorously.

"Sweet." He was about to sigh when a hand clamped his chin firmly, and the kiss deepened. The hand was bony and thin-skinned. When it grasped him, veins popped and blood vessels throbbed. The force was tight enough to crush bones.

When they parted breathlessly, their tongues still sticky, Pei Huai pulled his face away from the ensuing kiss, unfolded a tissue, wiped his lips carefully, and sat back in his chair. It was as if the passionate kiss just now was just an interlude, and the tongue kiss he had forced upon him was an illusion.

Xiang Mingqi pouted and put his baseball cap on him: "Okay, Brother Pei Huai, be happy."

He pulled the door handle with a gentlemanly air and walked in front of the left, seemingly escorting the other person, but actually taking the opportunity to hold hands and put his arm around her waist. Just as Pei Huai smelled the smoke and locked his eyes on the alleyway not far to the side, a flash of fire appeared, and something flew by like lightning as the firing pin was fired. His reaction time was less than a fraction of a second.

Almost at the same time as the gunshot, he kicked Xiang Mingqi on the back of the knee and tilted his head. The bullet swirled in an extremely stable and violent airflow, which passed by his neck and went to the back, hitting the wall.

But the gunfire continued, pouring down densely on them.

Xiang Mingqi realized then that he had been knocked into a trash can by the kick. He threw the banana peel aside and leaned out, only to find Pei Huai had already rushed into the alley, grappling one of the attackers by the neck with his back arm. He lowered his waist and, using his upper body to swing his wrist, threw him forward with incredible speed, breaking his cervical vertebrae. He overturned the barrier, seized the gun, and retreated into cover, ejecting the pistol magazine as soon as it was released. His movements were breathtakingly fast.

"Brother, are you okay? I can understand if I raped you. You're so handsome that I feel itchy inside, but why did you start to kill people? Killing people is illegal." The younger generation came trotting over with the lid of a trash can on their head. Their clothes were so dirty that Pei Huai moved a few centimeters to the side in disgust.

"Fifteen people. There's another one right behind them, the commander. It looks like they had a plan." He turned his gun and pointed at the entrance of the messy alley. "You, stand over there."

"??? Then I would have been shot to death?"

"Um."

"This isn't a question of 'yes or no', brother—" He was elbowed into the alleyway, several stray bullets practically nailing him to the ground. Figures moved behind the wooden grille, likely reloading. Pei Huai raised his hand and pulled the trigger, blood splattering all over the wall.

He didn't even turn his head. He picked up the gun, removed the silencer, and fired a burst of shots at the second-floor window. He dodged the falling corpse sideways. He probably didn't care that Xiang Mingqi would be injured by a stray bullet.

Pei Huai casually pulled down the scaffolding, dismantling the firepower. He hooked one hand on the balcony railing, raised his knees, and swung up with a crisp crunch. The moment he landed, he crushed the gunman's five fingers and fired a shot at each of his limbs.

As he dragged the heavy body over for cover, his cell phone rang. He lifted his shoulder, clamped it to his ear, answered it, and raised his arm to the west and east corners, pulling the trigger repeatedly. With perfect accuracy, the flames in both locations ceased to light up. Xiang Mingqi's screams could be vaguely heard from the other end of the receiver: "Brother, help me, help me, help me! They're just coming at me, I can't take it anymore, I've tried everything, do you have any solution? Handsome brother, please!"

"Got it." He moved his thumb over and hung up.

Perhaps having noticed Pei Huai's presence, they began to concentrate their firepower forward. This time, he was certain the enemy's primary target was Xiang Mingqi. Half-kneeling, he lifted his left knee to draw the claw knife from the side of his boot.

He placed his right hand on the corpse's shoulder, securing his position, and without moving, he counted the bullets pouring down upon him as he fired the fifteenth round.

He stood up and fired a burst of shots, ducking over the broken railing and leaping over the men's heads, emptying his magazine. He landed between two or three fallen bodies, hunched over to cushion the impact on his calves. Then he dropped his gun and drew his sword, taking a quick step and sprinting straight towards the commander's front.

It was a figure wearing a black coat. In the dark alley, I couldn't see his face, but I instinctively felt that he was an extremely dangerous person.

As they approached, the dangerous aura became increasingly intense. Pei Huai ducked his head to avoid a sudden shot from below his waist, then twisted his wrist to slash away the miniature gun.

But the distance was too great, and he couldn't cut off the man's fingers in time. The man retreated several steps, only to be met with a relentless barrage of clawed blades, each one closing in and tearing at him. Each strike was brutal, each one deadly. This man was no pushover, and while he was at a disadvantage with his bare hands, he wasn't defeated.

He clenched his knuckles and swung his fist in counterattack. Pei Huai leaned back to avoid it, and the brim of his hat was rubbed by the ring and fell to the side. Pei Huai didn't notice that his face was exposed. He was relying on his strong waist strength to maintain his supine position, and his thigh twisted towards his throat.

The man was stunned for a moment at this fleeting glimpse. But at that moment, he had already grasped the man's ankle, using the weight of his upper body to grab him and throw him to the ground. In the critical moment, he used his arms to protect Pei Huai and pressed him tightly into his arms.

The action freezes.

The man knelt in a half-embracing position, his hands wrapped around Pei Huai's shoulders, pressing him from above. The back of his neck felt strangely cold. It was a knife—he noticed the young man's right arm slipping under his arm and reaching for his vascular neck.

The face that made his heart beat faster just stared at him from below without any emotion. He felt like the wolf king had bitten his throat, and this beast, born for domination, power, and oppression, was about to tear out his intestines and enjoy them.

It can be said that if it weren't for the sudden action just now, he would have been drained of blood.

But he didn't care. His fingers caressed Pei Huai's cheek like a fascinated man, and he called out softly and gently: "Ah Huai."

The knife stopped.

"Ah Huai." Rough and hot, like gravel. The doting, yet incredibly familiar male voice finally fell, and he held his ear bone in his mouth and licked it gently, "My Ah Huai, don't cover your face. I almost hurt you."

Hearing this voice, Pei Huai's eyes widened in shock.

"you……"

"Long time no see." The man seemed to enjoy the shock. He picked up his hand, leaned over and kissed his knuckles. "Ever since my good child ran away from home and didn't want to come back, I knew you must be angry with me."

Pei Huai gritted his teeth and waved him away. At this moment, Xiang Mingqi's extremely shrill cry came from behind him: "Ah, brother, I'm not dead yet, I'm still breathing! Don't pay attention to that uncle who came out of nowhere, I am the main wife! The living main wife!"

"This kid is no simple matter. My men have been chasing him for quite some time, but he always escaped. He's quite cunning." The "uncle" who was named chuckled and sighed, "You have poor taste in men. That kind of bastard is not worthy of you."

"Shan Li hired you."

"Smart. But your current boss is not as smart as you. He doesn't know the relationship between you and me. It's just out of a man's jealousy that he chose to kill his own family. Be good, I won't stop, but I won't tell anyone either. You know I love you the most." He snuggled up to Pei Huai's neck, sniffed him gently, and smiled indifferently even when he turned his head and got slapped.

He stood up and stepped back, signaling others to retreat.

"Ah Huai has grown up and has a temper." As the gunmen quickly gathered and blocked him behind, the man's smile did not fade. "But he is still the same as before... I like him the most."

Seeing him leaving, Pei Huai didn't have time to think about it. He left the mess behind and chased after him like an arrow. When he was nearing the exit, he suddenly bumped into someone.

"What are you doing?" The man grabbed him and didn't let go.

The van vanished in a flash. Abandoned Xiang Mingqi sensed something was amiss and rushed over, covered in blood. Pei Huai gritted his teeth and struggled, trying to sprint towards the receding car's taillights, but the man held onto his wrist tightly.

He turned back, angered, gnashing his teeth at the man and his silver official car—Xie Jingzhou. The presence of Shan Li's secretary completely confirmed his suspicions.

Shan Li wanted to kill Xiang Mingqi, but he didn't want to dirty his hands. For this reason, he must have spent a lot of money to invite that guy...

This is a big trouble.

"Are you dating the brother of your rumored girlfriend?" Xie Jingzhou adjusted his glasses and asked knowingly, "Isn't it unethical to tell anyone about it?"

Pei Huai stretched his left arm and twisted it behind his back. Seeing his expression change drastically, he slammed him against the car door. The thin blade pressed against the back of his neck, his tone cold and inhuman.

"Shut up."

"I know what you're asking, so I can responsibly tell you—I don't know. It was you, my immediate superior, who gave me the address and told me to wait there." He raised his right hand in surrender. "There's no need to embarrass me. The report will only mention the disliked younger brother, not you. Don't worry."

Pei Huai punched him in the ribs, tightened his grip around his neck, and leaned in close to his ear, "You're causing trouble."

He used all his strength in that punch, and Xie Jingzhou fell down on the spot holding his stomach in pain.

"Brother, who is that person?" Xiang Mingqi stepped forward from behind, put his arm around his waist and pulled him into his arms, resting his chin on the crook of his neck and rubbing it slowly. He stared at the bite mark on Pei Huai's neck without blinking, his mouth twitching, and his face suddenly became grim.

He bit Pei Huai's ear bone clip and licked from the bead chain to the cross, as if tearing away all the flavors other than his own, allowing only his own coverage and possession.

Pei Huai stared straight ahead, clenching his fists. Even after so many years, that hand, reeking of cigarette smoke, still lingered on his lips.

"Ah Huai, they treat you badly, I treat you well." Every time he found him injured, the man would hold him on his lap, blowing on the wound while disinfecting it. Seeing that he was in pain, he would comfort him with kind words.

Until one day, the man who doted on him took his hand and roughly lifted it onto his knees, his expression gloomier than ever before.

"Who are you dating?" He leaned over and sniffed the side of Pei Huai's neck, and asked in a deep voice, "You smell like him, Ah Huai. Who touched you?"

He didn't answer.

So, on a foggy morning, when the young man in a white short-sleeved shirt crouched on the edge of the ship, desperately waving toward the shore, he also waved his arms desperately, running after the freighter without hesitation. Because they both knew that after this separation, they would never see each other again.

Wait for me. He saw the lip movements and heard the fading shouts.

When the ship sailed out of the coast and he could no longer catch up, he stopped on his knees and gazed at the blue sea with a sense of loss. Suddenly, he saw someone walking from the bridge of the freighter, stepping onto the deck and raising his hand towards the seagull-like figure.

A tiny, distant, calling shadow fell to the invisible horizon, accompanied by the loud and high-pitched cries of seagulls.

He remembered the sky that day, a brilliant blue. It was the first time he had ever seen such a beautiful sunrise, with its swirling seagulls. On the water, where the sky met, sea and sky, birds and boats, everything was as bustling as ever. Afterward, there would never be another sky as clear as this one.

He heard himself say many, many years later: "A person I want to kill."