hotel
"Hello viewers, this is reporter XX from XX TV station. At 5:38 PM today, an explosion occurred in a residential building located in Huaihua Lane, Jiangcheng. Rescue workers found a middle-aged woman inside the building, but she has been confirmed to have no vital signs. The fire is currently under control. The specific cause of the fire is still under investigation..."
Inside the hospital at this time.
Lin Xi's body, burned beyond recognition, was covered with a white sheet and, under the watchful eyes of the two men, was slowly pushed into the morgue by a nurse.
"Who are the deceased's family members?" A police officer in a black uniform stood outside the operating room, nodding slightly to the doctors and nurses who passed by.
Qi Zui seemed to be losing his balance, leaning against the windowsill behind him. His eyes were bloodshot, and he weakly raised his arm, replying in a deep voice, "I am."
Wen Xubai looked at Qi Zui with some concern and wanted to reach out to help him, but the other shook his head and refused.
The police officer glanced between the two men and then asked, "What is your relationship?"
"Mother and child..."
The sound of pens and paper rustling filled the air as the policeman quickly jotted down his notes. Looking up, he sighed and said to him, "Our preliminary investigation suggests it was a gas explosion."
"What?" Qi Zui suddenly looked up, saying incredulously, "Impossible! I left some food for my mom before I left. My mom rarely cooks at home by herself!"
"It might not have been intentional firing," the policeman shrugged, busy taking notes and not looking at them. "It could also be a gas leak, or someone forgetting to turn off the valve..."
Upon hearing this, Wen Xubai clearly saw Qi Zui, who was already unsteady on his feet, stagger even more, his eyes suddenly vacant as if lost in thought.
Sensing that something was wrong with him, Wen Xubai quickly stopped the police from asking any further questions.
Seeing the two of them like this, the policeman sighed helplessly, put away his notebook, patted Qi Zui on the shoulder, and earnestly advised, "Young man, life and death are predestined, wealth and honor are determined by fate. Try to accept it... The dead cannot be brought back to life. You should hurry up and find a good funeral home so your mother can rest in peace. Sigh..."
After saying that, the policeman told them to come to the police station to make a statement when they had time, and then left for the time being.
Wen Xubai was busy apologizing to the group when he turned around and saw Qi Zui slowly squatting down against the corridor wall, his tall body huddled up and trembling.
Wen Xubai was startled and rushed over. Just as he touched Qi Zui's back, he heard several sobbing sounds...
The man's eyes were completely red; he buried his head in his arms, seemingly unable to contain the emotions about to erupt within him, utterly vulnerable...
Wen Xubai felt a pang of pain in his heart, and his heart trembled for a moment without his mind. His body acted before his mind, and he reached out to hug the fragile figure in front of him.
The moment their bodies touched, Qi Zui froze, then suddenly reached out and pulled Wen Xubai into his arms.
A heart-wrenching sob rang in his ears as Qi Zui broke down, crying, "Chen Che, how could this happen? How could this happen?..."
It was clearly an unconscious murmur, but the questioning tone still made Wen Xubai shudder.
Their pupils flickered dimly. Wen Xubai's head was pressed tightly against Qi Zui's, the other's unique scent mixed with the smell of disinfectant, constantly assaulting their nostrils... After a long while, Wen Xubai finally raised his hand tremblingly and patted the other's trembling back, saying in a trembling voice, "This... this was just an accident..."
"No, if... if I had checked the gas before I left, wouldn't this have been prevented? If I hadn't left my mother home alone, wouldn't this have been prevented...?"
The voice, trembling with tears, made Wen Xubai's heart skip a beat.
"Qi Zui, this isn't your fault, it has nothing to do with you..."
He tried his best to explain, to tell the other person that it had nothing to do with him, but Qi Zui was clearly no longer listening to anything and just kept sobbing.
That was the first time he saw Qi Zui cry.
Whenever he saw Qi Zui in the past, he always had a carefree and smiling demeanor.
But at this moment...
Qi Zui's tears soaked through Wen Xubai's thin white shirt; the dampness was unmistakable, and the evening breeze made it icy cold, sending a chill straight to his heart...
Wen Xubai struggled to lift his head, gazing out the window at the dark clouds on the horizon; it looked like it was about to rain again…
His lips parted slightly, then he hesitated several times, the sound stuck in his throat, unable to escape. He desperately wanted to tell Qi Zui the whole truth, but... he couldn't...
He silently looked toward the morgue, the scene of Lin Xi struggling desperately before her death still vivid in his mind.
The woman, her face streaked with tears, clutched his clothes, sobbing uncontrollably; her voice was weak and broken…
"Please... that child's life has been miserable enough... if he finds out... even his mother, who he depends on for survival, was lying to him... what will he do... please... don't tell him... please..."
Wen Xubai abruptly closed his eyes, forcing himself to stop thinking about it, and subconsciously hugged the body in front of him, his fingertips feeling cold.
Even though the other person's body was warm, he felt it was burning hot...
Ke Wenxu couldn't help but lean her head closer to the other person, and finally a tear slid down her cheek.
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After leaving the hospital, Qi originally intended to part ways as before, but it wasn't until he took the first step that he suddenly realized he was... homeless.
Qi Zui's house was completely destroyed by the bomb and could no longer be inhabited. Wen Xubai's house, which was a few floors above theirs, was also affected and has been cordoned off by the police for investigation. Even if it is still habitable, it is definitely not possible to return to it anytime soon.
With no other option, the two had to find a hotel near the hospital to stay temporarily.
On the way there, Qi Zui's emotions seemed to have returned to normal. He stopped crying and just stood by Wen Xubai with his hands in his pockets, head down, without saying a word.
Wen Xubai glanced at Qi Zui with concern, and just as the other was about to bump into a pedestrian or obstacle for what seemed like the umpteenth time, he suddenly pulled him back.
Each time he realized what was happening, Qi Zui would immediately apologize, but after walking for a short while, his eyes would glaze over again.
Watching the other person's unsteady steps from time to time, Wen Xubai sighed softly, but ultimately said nothing. He simply tightened his grip on Qi Zui's hand, making him stay firmly by his side.
Upon arriving at the hotel reception, Wen Xubai presented their identification documents, and the receptionist promptly registered their information.
"Hello, would you like two rooms or one room?" The receptionist's eyes swept between the two people with a hint of inquiry.
Wen Xubai originally wanted to say two rooms, but when he saw Qi Zui sitting on the sofa in the hotel lobby, lost in thought, he suddenly changed his mind.
"One room."
"Okay, here is your room key, please take it."
After receiving the room key from the receptionist, Wen Xubai suddenly realized what he had done.
He gripped the room key tightly, hesitated for a long time, and then lowered his head resignedly.
Then, under the questioning gaze of the receptionist, she pulled Qi Zui into the elevator in the lobby.
Well, he didn't have any other thoughts; he was just worried that the other person might do something foolish, so he had to keep an eye on them.
Wen Xubai nodded inwardly, and when he looked up again, the elevator had already arrived.
Qi Zui seemed completely unaware of his situation, silently being led by Wen Xubai, following wherever Wen Xubai went, his eyes always dull and lifeless.
Seeing his expression, Wen Xubai was absolutely certain that if he were to sell Qi Zui right now, the other party would never find out. Therefore, he was even more convinced that his decision was correct and resolutely opened the door.
Upon entering, Wen Xubai was dumbfounded.
He forgot to tell the receptionist that he booked a standard room...
Seeing a double bed in the room, Wen Xubai suddenly pressed his throbbing forehead.
"What's wrong?"
The man who had been standing outside the door for a long time finally spoke, his voice hoarse from crying. Qi Zui looked at Wen Xubai, who was still standing there in a daze, with a tired look in his eyes.
Wen Xubai jolted awake, quickly stepping aside and hurriedly trying to cover up his mistake, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, you can come in first..."
It's perfectly normal for two grown men to sleep in the same bed.
Wen Xubai tried to brainwash himself, then closed his eyes and shut the door.
Qi Zui, however, seemed completely oblivious, walking straight into the room and sitting down, seemingly lost in thought.
Wen Xubai felt a pang of pity and reached out to pat his head, but halfway there, he suddenly realized it was inappropriate and instead placed his hand on his shoulder, saying:
"You... go take a shower first, get some sleep, and everything will be fine tomorrow."
The man nodded and obediently went to the bathroom.
After hearing a rustling sound, followed by the splashing of water, Wen Xubai finally slumped into a chair, wearily covering his face with his hands…
Why did things turn out this way?
He clearly just wanted to find Lin Xi to get some answers and prove his guess... but he really didn't know why things ended up like this...?
Remembering the tea that had been spilled on him that day, Wen Xubai's heart sank to the bottom...
He absolutely refused to believe that Lin Xi would commit suicide. What kind of person could have made her refuse to tell the truth even on her deathbed, knowing that the other party wanted her dead?
He suddenly looked at his white shirt, which still had brown tea stains on it.
After thinking for a moment, he made a phone call.
"Tan Yu, come to the place I sent you the location."
Tan Yu moved quickly and arrived in less than half an hour. He stood far away by the motorcycle, holding his helmet and waving to him.
The incident happened suddenly, and Wen Xubai had no other clothes, so he could only go downstairs in his bathrobe and hand him the bag containing the shirt.
"Send me the test report as soon as possible," Wen Xubai said calmly.
"Got it, boss. You don't trust me to handle things?" Tan Yu grinned and held two fingers to his brow as he took the item.
After hesitating for a while, he glanced at Wen Xubai's unpleasant expression. His curiosity as a detective compelled him to ask, "Boss, what happened? You look terrible."
Wen Xubai rubbed his temples wearily and said coldly, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."
"Alright." Tan Yu shrugged helplessly, took long strides over the motorcycle, quickly fastened his helmet, and said while turning the handlebars, "Then I'm off, boss. Remember to take care of yourself!"
After saying that, Tan Yu and his car disappeared at the end of the long street, leaving only his drawn-out voice and car exhaust fumes.
When Wen Xubai returned to the room, Qi Zui was already asleep in bed, but the light in the room was still on, perhaps specially left on for him.
Wen Xubai deliberately moved quietly. After a quick wash, he climbed into bed as well. The other person was wearing the same bath towel as him, curled up in a ball, brows furrowed, seemingly not sleeping soundly at all.
In the darkness, Wen Xubai hesitated for a long time before finally following his heart, silently wrapping his arms around the man's broad waist, resting his forehead against the other's back, feeling the rise and fall of his breath, his eyes tightly closed...
Qi Zui, I'm so sorry...
As Qi Zui's breathing became even behind him, the man who had been asleep suddenly opened his eyes, gently turned around, his dark pupils shimmering in the moonlight, gazing at the beautiful sleeping face before him. After a moment's hesitation, Qi Zui reached out and pulled the other into his embrace...
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