Chapter 41
None of them, including Shan Li, dared to continue the conversation. Pei Huai had finished his words and turned away without further ado.
Xiang Mingqi, knowing something was wrong, hurried forward to grab his sleeve, and even spoke cautiously.
"Brother, I'm sorry," he said.
But no one looked back, and no one listened to his apology.
He kept saying "I'm sorry," "I'm sorry," and he didn't hesitate to chase after her. Even though he was rejected several times, he still followed her unwillingly. The repeated entanglements forced Pei Huai to raise his hand, and in a fit of anger, he slapped her, leaving her stunned in her place.
Xiang Mingqi raised his eyelids and looked at him with the hurt eyes of a fledgling. He continued to apologize: "Brother, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have lied to you. I know I should have confessed earlier. It's my fault, please don't—" At the end, there was a hint of tears in his voice.
"Stay away from me."
"elder brother!"
He tried to step forward and try to salvage something, but was pushed aside by an elbow that followed.
Pei Huai took a few steps back and stared at him silently in the darkness without saying anything.
Until he turned his back and his figure completely disappeared under the street lights, Xiang Mingqi kept his head down, his nails digging deep into his flesh.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Brother, I'm really sorry." He muttered, turning his eyes to Shan Li, revealing only a hint of his pupils. Even his sighs carried a strange chill.
Perhaps he didn't notice the blood spreading across his abdomen. He rolled his eyes, muttered something, and when he said the last "I'm sorry," he finally let out a nervous roar.
"It's so annoying. It's so annoying, so annoying—it's so annoying! He finally cares about me a little, and is a little inclined towards me. Why do you have to interfere?"
Shan Li smiled faintly, not quite surprised by the madness and paranoia that could be concealed beneath his hospital gown. "So, do you dare to reveal your true nature in front of him? Like now? If you say 'no,' it proves that I'm right."
"Nature?" He tilted his head, his eyes wide in confusion. "For him, I don't even care about my life. For him, I endure every day, every day, every day. And you? Who do you think you are?"
Shan Li looked at his twitching jaw and the bloodshot threads extending from his cornea, and realized that this madman had fallen into emotional excitement again.
"He likes me, he likes me. My brother likes me. Yes, even if it's just a little bit, that's still 'like'." The nurse who came to stop him was obviously unable to intimidate Xiang Mingqi. He pushed the girl away and stared at Shan Li with his canthus-splitting brown eyes, his expression almost furious. "So everything can still be saved. As long as he looks at me-"
His tongue rubbed lightly between his teeth, his chest heaving violently. Panting, panting, in between continuous panting, he suddenly murmured in ecstasy.
"As long as he belongs to me alone..."
-
On a dark street, having someone honked twice for no reason didn't feel good. Pei Huai ignored them and simply walked eastward along the closed shops.
However, the car persisted and followed to the non-motorized vehicle lane, shifting into D gear.
When he turned his head, unable to bear the annoyance, the car window rolled down, and he was greeted by outstretched fingers and a face with a warm smile. Zhu Zhiyang looked at him, his elbow leaning on the car door. "Good evening," he said with a smile. "It's getting late. Handsome gentleman, would you like to give me a ride?"
Pei Huai was stunned for a moment, then turned away as if in refusal.
The other man's eyes didn't look frustrated, and he kept following closely behind the wheel. "Don't be depressed. You don't look unhappy at all. What difficulties have you encountered?" He added, half tentatively, half invitingly, "Come on board. I've been your most loyal listener for all these years. And I don't think anything will sway me."
Convincingly, he did get a look.
Pei Huai pondered for a long moment, then nodded in acceptance. He was then coaxed into the passenger seat. Zhu Zhiyang thoughtfully buckled him in, his smile widening. "We haven't been together like this in ages. The last time we were this good was when we first met. You were like a kitten caught in the rain, so tender-hearted."
Pei Huai stared at his arm as he reached down to his waist to check whether the buckle was tight, without saying a word.
The hand even tugged at the webbing carefully to ensure the retractor was functioning properly. "Okay, let me guess. Is it because your family is asking you for money again under some strange pretext? It's true, escaping the gambling cycle is difficult. We have to hope that your brother graduates soon and severs ties with our family."
"……I know."
"That's good to know. You see, you joined the Bangkok Hotel when you were fourteen. Back then, we were just starting out, with no staff quarters, and it was hard to even make ends meet. I even considered looking for a better job. But things are getting better now, aren't they? I'm the manager, and you're my best employee. Life is getting better, too. So, if you have any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to me," he said. "We've been through the hardest times together, and we can do the same in the future."
He smiled at Pei Huai, retracted his legs to the driving seat, and continued to start the car.
"No."
"What?"
"My brother is dead, Zhu Zhiyang." He buried his face in the shadow of the sun visor, making it impossible to tell what his expression was. "Suicide."
For the long drive afterwards, the atmosphere in the car was indescribably solemn. Zhu Zhiyang felt a little awkward, and after a while, he finally spoke to the silent Pei Huai: "How long ago was that?"
"One week."
"Why didn't you tell me?" The moment the question came out of his mouth, Zhu Zhiyang suddenly felt extremely stupid. He guessed that the next answer would be "It's none of your business" or even a longer silence.
Surprisingly, Pei Huai didn't even make a comment.
It was as if the entire process of Yu Mingrui's suicide was projected on the front window. He witnessed every scene but never said a word.
The traffic light was silhouetted against the protruding nasal bone, shattering at the slightest touch. From the prominent nape of his neck to his noticeably thin waist, every inch of his curves exuded a sense of isolation.
That profile was so lonely that it was heartbreaking. Zhu Zhiyang couldn't help but reach out and gently trace the other person's temples.
Something must have gone wrong, he thought, otherwise, the young man in front of him would never have confided in him.
Ten minutes later, he safely brought Pei Huai to his rental house. Before that, this road, with few turns and a focus on straight lines, was long and somewhat agonizing.
Zhu Zhiyang turned on the late-night radio to relieve his boredom, using one or two love songs to ease the low pressure in the car. But the two of them remained silent, as if they had not yet tuned in.
That was it for today. No further development of relationships, no mutual familiarity. This boss was used to accepting everything, but before going upstairs, Pei Huai unexpectedly paused by the car door for nearly a minute.
"I'd like to apply for a change of partner." He looked at him and said.
"Now?" Zhu Zhiyang realized that there might be a big disagreement between him and the newcomer.
"yes."
"Then wait a moment." The first thing he did when he stepped out of the car was to take off his suit jacket and put it on Pei Huai's shoulders.
Outside in the cold wind, he stroked the other person's face with his thumb and walked alone to a beverage store on the right side of the narrow alley.
Pei Huai folded his arms, took out the cigarette box from the lining, picked out a cigarette, lit it skillfully, and held it between his lips.
He took a deep breath, letting his lungs sink and break free again and again. Finally, a steady and strong hand brushed away the exhaled smoke.
The owner of the hand put a plastic bag on his wrist and inserted a straw. Pei Huai looked down and saw the label on the membrane lid printed with the ingredients of some jasmine tea beverage. Since he usually had little interest in such drinks, his face was expressionless.
"Let's drink something different." Zhu Zhiyang leaned over and touched his forehead. "Pei Huai, you've done everything you should do as a brother, and you should also do everything you shouldn't do. Have a nice vacation." He reluctantly let go of the shoulder in his arms. "Go back. I'll watch you go upstairs."
Without any nostalgia, farewell or courtesy, Pei Huai turned and went upstairs.
When the iron door at the entrance was locked with a beeping sound, he turned around and took a look, then nodded almost imperceptibly to Zhu Zhiyang in thanks.
He rarely chooses to go home at four in the morning.
Even if you were called in for an outcall or faced an emergency, you shouldn't be wandering around at this hour. He stamped his foot, and the sensor light lit up nervously, flickered for a few seconds, and then quickly went out.
Less than two weeks after the last circuit repair, a new fault appeared. Pei Huai was helpless in the current situation. He returned home exhausted, but his face fell before he pressed the handle.
…Flowers again.
It is the kind of red rose that symbolizes love and passion.
A square card is pasted on the matte paper used to wrap the flowers.
Compared to the previous times, the content of this card was written quite sloppily.
The writing was red, as if hastily smeared with an index finger, and several areas were smudged with fingerprints. It wasn't as elegant and graceful as it had been when I first received it. Lines of blood-red handwriting covered both sides.
【I love you. 】
【I love you. 】
"I love you." These misshapen, repetitive, and unevenly sized characters crammed across the paper, creating a strangely moist sensation when pressed against it.
Pei Huai removed his thumb and looked at it, only to see a hint of light red on the lines of his fingertip. It was a little cold, but not yet dried.
—Ink, or blood.
This sudden thought was so horrifying that he tore off a petal of the fingerprint without even thinking about it, threw it into the trash can along with the cassette flower, and slammed the door.
The first thing he did upon entering was check the new lock.
Since the last time the lock was pried open, Pei Huai had someone install some anti-saw, anti-collision, and sensor devices. This made the door lock structure complex and difficult to use. Any prying would leave a mark on the mortise.
As it turned out, his worries were unnecessary.
As soon as he returned to the familiar environment, Pei Huai felt extremely exhausted physically and mentally.
He was very tired and needed to rest, so he wanted to find a comfortable and soft place to lie down and sleep. At the same time, he also knew that he should not think about Xiang Mingqi and the card anymore.
Because starting tomorrow, everything will come to an end.
Thinking of this, he took two sips of his jasmine tea and lost the mood to continue. He lay back on the sofa, his eyelids slowly growing heavy. Heavy, drooping, and after a brief moment of clenching, he couldn't lift them again.
After a while, consciousness also fell into the web of dreams.
I don't know how much time has passed: perhaps it was midnight turning into dawn. The key turned and the door opened a crack.
A figure walked in, took off his sneakers and jacket naturally, changed into cotton slippers, and tiptoed towards the sofa in the living room.
He lowered his head to look at Pei Huai among the cushions, turned to the bed to find a blanket, and carefully covered him with it.
With his arm propped up on the side of the armrest, he leaned over and couldn't help biting Pei Huai's lower lip and sucking it. While stealing a kiss, the intruder covered his abdomen with some effort, resting his head on the other's neck, rubbing it for a few times.
"Brother." His five fingers slipped into Pei Huai's, interlocking tightly like some kind of affectionate oath. He said, "Have a sweet dream."
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