Chapter 147
This scene was quite unfamiliar to Lü Jiu, so much so that she was stunned for several seconds before suddenly clenching her fingers and looking at Xie Xubai with a sudden coldness.
The atmosphere suddenly turned sour, and an invisible chill filled the air.
This chill wasn't hostile; it was more like a fox leisurely grooming itself suddenly noticing someone approaching, its vulnerable belly unintentionally exposed, causing its fur to stand on end and it to hiss in protest.
It is clear that Lü Jiu dislikes losing control, and even more so, dislikes having his secrets revealed when he is out of control.
He quickly composed himself, opened his palm, and flipped it over to show his expression: "Oh? I don't see where my hand is shaking. You must be seeing things."
Xie Xubai looked up and met his gaze.
Lu Xiangcai always had a conflicted feeling towards him, wanting him to see his true character but also afraid that he would see everything. Usually, he would take advantage of his position as the creator of illusions to tightly conceal his emotional fluctuations, hiding them perfectly so that Lu Xiangcai would not delve into them.
Unless the fluctuations are too great to be suppressed and the company is on the verge of collapse, Xie Xubai will not be able to truly perceive them.
Just like now.
Seeing that Xie Xubai remained silent, Lü Jiu suddenly lost patience, pretended to stand up, and said with obvious disdain, "Look, you're spacing out and being confused again. I've warned you before not to hang out with those idiots. You weren't very bright to begin with, and now you've become even dumber."
"I heard that those foreigners have developed some kind of technology overseas that is very good at treating brain diseases. I'll ask the head of the family for permission to send you there for treatment another day, so that no one will want you in the future."
Hearing his sharp tongue, Gu Nan instantly recalled the painful past of being constantly suppressed, and wished she could rush up and bite Lü Jiu a couple of times. She complained pitifully, "Mr. Xie, look at him! He's always been so arrogant!"
Yes, that's how most people perceive Lü Jiu these days.
Right now, Lü Jiu lazily curled the corners of her lips, narrowed her beautiful, affectionate eyes, and could easily spit out insults, displaying an air of calm and composure.
But who knows that he was actually in turmoil, filled with fear and dread?
Xie Xubai used his invisible spiritual power to soothe the furious Gu Nan, his gaze never leaving Lü Jiu. He looked him up and down, his eyes finally settling on the other man's trouser leg: "You killed someone."
Lu Jiu looked down at the bloodstains on his trousers and laughed, "Young Master, it's my shift right now. I rushed over from the prison, so what's so strange about getting a little blood on me? Why are you accusing me of murder?"
"Because you fired a gun today," Xie Xubai pointed out. "There are scorch marks on your cuff from sparks, radiating outwards from an explosion. They weren't there when I saw you yesterday."
"..." Lu Jiu lifted his eyelids and slowly said, "Should I praise you for finally having sharp eyes? Yes, I just executed some stubborn bandits. Since Young Master Gu is so curious, would you like me to describe to you in detail what they looked like when they died with their eyes wide open?"
If an ordinary person were to meet his cold gaze, they would surely tremble and shut their mouth, quickly changing the subject, but Xie Xubai is no ordinary person.
He ignored Lü Jiu's warning and stood up as well: "You've had this habit since you were little: whenever you're frustrated or irritable, you either bottle it up and sulk, or you become talkative, rambling on and on, indiscriminately venting your emotions to everyone around you. Being upset over a bandit who deserved to die isn't like you. You did kill—"
Before the word "who" could be uttered, Lü Jiu suddenly turned around and forcefully shoved Xie Xubai back into his chair with a "bang!" The chair shook.
The atmosphere suddenly turned tense, on the verge of exploding.
Lu Jiu looked down at him, his elbow resting on Gu Nan's neck, and said softly with narrowed eyes, "Gu Nan, before you start being so aggressive, shouldn't you first understand who you're talking to?"
The Gu family nominally adopted him, but in reality, they never treated him as part of the family. Over the years, he had frequently been belittled and bullied from within the Gu family.
He knew that in the eyes of those high-ranking nobles, he was at best a toy to amuse the young master. Even if he was promoted to lieutenant and became a patrol captain and prison officer, he would only be promoted from a toy to a useful tool, which could be discarded at any time.
Gu Nan took him in, allowing him to briefly escape the clutches of Luofutu. Lu Jiu will never forget this kindness.
However, if the Gu family, including "Gu Nan," thinks that they can use this favor to threaten him, point fingers at him, and make irresponsible remarks, then they are sorely mistaken.
Anyone who bares his teeth at him, he will pull out all of that person's teeth.
Strangely, despite his obvious fierceness, the pampered young master below, who couldn't bear any grievances, never showed any fear.
The other person was held hostage like this, her eyes calm and gentle as she quietly looked at him. After a while, she spoke: "Am I not talking to my own brother?"
"Does this mean that if my younger brother is wronged and can't hold back his tears, and wants to confide in someone, I should turn a blind eye and pretend I don't know anything?"
Lü Jiu's hand trembled.
He remembered, he remembered a few years ago, someone had embraced him and led him away from the raging inferno. The scorching heatwave rushed towards him, but was blocked by that person's slender body, leaving him unharmed. That person's eyes were like stars, deep as the sea, yet with a gentle warmth like a spring breeze. Gazing at him, that person promised to treat him like a younger brother from now on and to take full responsibility for him.
Lu Jiu thought he had forgotten—when Gu Nan did many absurd things and couldn't detect any of the hardships Gu Nan faced in the Gu family, making his past promises seem even more ethereal and empty, like a careless joke, he thought he had long since put the matter out of his mind.
"A-Jiu." Xie Xubai's hand landed on Lü Jiu's wrist, the warmth spreading from his palm. "Tell me, what are you afraid of?"
Years ago, he left a trace of consciousness on Lü Jiu, so Xie Xubai could sense what the other party did and experienced throughout the day.
This isn't the first time something like this has happened.
Luo Futu was a cunning and suspicious man. He simply did not believe that Lü Jiu would really put aside past grievances and work for him wholeheartedly.
So he always left Lü Jiu to clean up the mess last, ensuring that Lü Jiu's hands would never be truly clean, until they became in the same boat, bound together by mutual destruction.
When many innocent and guilty people, as well as undercover agents, were driven to the brink of madness and begging for death by the torture of Luofutu, Lü Jiu, with trembling hands and at great risk, used the most decisive and efficient method to give them peace and relief.
A few years ago, Lü Jiu could quickly suppress this unstable emotion, but now, at this moment, it seems that he can no longer suppress it and is about to explode.
Lu Jiu looked at Xie Xubai. The other party's voice was not loud, and his tone was neither too light nor too heavy, but there was an indescribable piercing feeling in his heart.
His emotions, which he had finally managed to calm down, surged up again. He stammered, opened his mouth silently, then suddenly released Xie Xubai, giving him a light sneer: "Do you think I'm like you, crying over being wronged? What are you thinking?"
Even in those seemingly nonchalant words, something heavy and difficult was swallowed back down by Lü Jiu.
He tapped Xie Xubai's hand holding the pipe with his finger, and drew out his words with a gloating tone: "The news should have reached the Gu family by now. Have you figured out how to explain it to the family head? Brother, brother."
As Lü Jiu had predicted, when he returned home that evening, the Gu family head indeed flew into a rage and gave Xie Xubai a severe dressing-down in his study.
Not only because this matter would ruin the Gu family's reputation if it got out, but also because he knew how terrifying those forbidden items were, capable of easily destroying a person.
While Xie Xubai was being scolded, Lü Jiu dismissed the servants, crossed her arms, and leaned against the study door to watch the show, her smiling eyes filled with indescribable interest.
He's also a troublemaker, always stirring up trouble and making a scene, which makes him incredibly irritating and deserving of a beating.
It wasn't until the Gu family head was enraged and grabbed a blue-and-white porcelain vase from the table to smash someone that Lü Jiu hurriedly stepped forward to stop him: "Godfather! Don't be impulsive, calm down. If it weren't for those young masters' malicious instigation, how could my brother have been so confused as to do such a rebellious thing? Moreover, this matter is very strange. Why did those newspaper reporters squat at the entrance of Tianxiang Restaurant right after Fourth Brother went to the banquet? It's obvious that someone deliberately framed him."
As expected, the Gu family head shifted his attention, his face darkening as he said in a hateful voice, "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! I want to know who is trying to harm my son!"
Then, pointing at Xie Xubai's nose, she angrily rebuked him: "And you, don't think you're so wronged. If you hadn't been so eager to get involved, this mess wouldn't have happened! From now on, if you continue to hang out with those shady characters, I'll break your legs!"
"Guards! Lock this unfilial son in his room and forbid him from eating for the next two days. Let him learn his lesson!"
Lü Jiu was temporarily appointed to supervise Xie Xubai to ensure that he was punished truthfully.
Remembering how Lu Jiu had taken care of the Fourth Young Master in the past, the servants waited until midnight to secretly bring him food and water, only to be stopped by the authorities.
Lü Jiu: "What, are you all deaf? Didn't you hear the patriarch's orders? Take all this food away. If this continues, the Fourth Young Master will really become too spoiled and lose his sense of reason."
The supervisors outside the door were indifferent and ruthless, while the red figure inside was extremely humble.
Faced with Xie Xubai's silent gaze, Hongying's eyebrows twitched wildly, and she was sweating profusely. She coughed lightly and asked cautiously, "Are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat?"
Since it is an illusion, one will not starve even if one does not eat. Moreover, Xie Xubai's power is close to that of a god, and he has long since abstained from grains and food.
Xie Xubai, however, calmly observed Hongying's guilty expression and sighed softly, "I haven't had a drop of water since noon today, and then I got a scolding when I got back. Originally, Patriarch Gu wanted to stop after a few scoldings, but some scoundrel who loves to watch the drama stirred things up and kept scolding me for three hours straight, without letting me eat or drink. Do you think I'm hungry?"
It's almost as if they're openly admitting their resentment.
Hongying felt a chill run down her spine and a pang of anxiety. She wished she could rush out right now and order the servants to start a fire and prepare a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.
Xie Xubai: "Don't bother, I don't want to eat, I'm already full of anger."
"Don't be angry, it was my fault for being so rude at the time." Hongying approached Xie Xubai, but when he turned away coldly, she quickly ran to the other side and pitifully admitted her mistake, "I'll apologize to you, okay? Don't be angry."
Xie Xubai leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and ignored him.
Even when she first became Xie Xubai's colleague, Hongying had never been treated so coldly by him. She was instantly furious, wanting nothing more than to grab that unreasonable brat at the door and give him a good beating.
Xie Xubai only slowly spoke when Hongying was so anxious that she scratched her head and cheeks.
"You're a habitual liar, and you've fooled me more than once or twice. How am I supposed to know if your apology is genuine or not? Unless—"
Hongying hurriedly pressed on, "Unless?"
"Unless you remove the restrictions and let me sense your emotions and read your thoughts."
The red figure froze, then suddenly shut his mouth and remained silent. After a moment of silence, he said with a smile, "You are the only guest, sitting in the highest seat of the first row. This play is performed for you, and this illusion was created for you. If you want to know anything, or analyze anything, no one can stop you, and no one has the right to stop you."
Although time flows differently in the illusion than in reality, and less than an hour may have passed outside when this scene ends, the characters in the scene are truly experiencing every single day and night.
Year after year, Xie Xubai accompanied Lü Jiu through the years peacefully and uneventfully, never once urging him to speed up the process or jump to crucial plot points. Xie Xubai also rarely used the powerful abilities granted to him by his character in the play to do things his own way.
Hongying said half-jokingly, "Even when the patriarch scolded you like that just now, I almost couldn't stand it anymore. It was clearly Gu Nan who made the mistake, so why did you stubbornly let him scold you? Give them a few mental suggestions, let them mistakenly believe that the scolding and punishment are over, and who would notice anything unusual?"
He emphasized in his words that Xie Xubai should not have acted this way, and that the other party could have been superior.
Xie Xubai looked at him, then smiled faintly, his eyes crinkling: "Giving mental suggestions to the characters in the play, skipping the tedious daily routine, and using methods to forcibly break through Lü Jiu's mental defenses is indeed convenient, quick, and saves a lot of effort."
“But if I do that, I will take it all for granted as a play. Just a drama that I can skip over and control at any time, rather than the lives of many people.”
“It’s hard to truly empathize without experiencing it firsthand. Even if you do experience it firsthand, you still won’t agree,” Xie Xubai said. “I’m afraid I might be biased when it comes to the hardships and helplessness you’ve gone through. I want to get as close as possible to see things more clearly, and I’m willing to spend as much time as it takes.”
Hongying fell silent again. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but a surge of bitter emotions was pressing on her throat, and no amount of breathing could calm her down.
He looked at Xie Xubai, who was also looking at him, his eyes filled with a faint smile, reflecting his figure like a tranquil and all-encompassing night sky. This finally brought tears to Hongying's eyes, and he quickly turned away, covering his eyes with his hands, afraid that someone would see him unable to hold back his tears.
Even though he had no privacy left in front of this person, he still hoped that his image in Xie Xubai's mind could be better.
Suddenly, Hongying narrowed his eyes and seriously considered: Should he drag that kid at the door in and beat him up?
His best friend is such a good person, yet that brat dares to talk back and make people unhappy. He doesn't know how to appreciate it at all; he deserves a good beating.
Just then, a slow, deliberate knock came from the door. It was Lü Jiu. This guy was always polite enough to stop short of knocking; he knocked once and then walked in with an air of nonchalance, carrying an oil paper package in his hand.
He approached Xie Xubai with a smile and slowly peeled back the oil paper layer by layer, revealing a roasted chicken inside that was golden brown and glistening with oil.
The delicious sauce and oil blend together, and the aroma alone is enough to make one's mouth water.
“I’ve been thinking this over and over. You said you’d take me as your younger brother, but you haven’t set a good example. In that case, I might as well be the older brother.”
Lu Jiu smiled like a fox luring a rabbit out of its hole: "Look how good I am to you! Those people said they wanted to bring you food, but as soon as they heard the name of the head of the family, they ran away in a hurry. Only I was willing to risk being punished to bring the food in. Gu Nan, call me 'good brother,' and this chicken is yours to eat, how about it?"
It was at this moment that Xie Xubai suddenly heard a crisp sound.
I advise you not to be ungrateful; agree right now.
The barrier that had always stood between him and Lü Jiu, preventing him from prying into Lü Jiu's thoughts, suddenly cracked open.
The young criminal investigator's outwardly strong but inwardly weak nature was subtly revealed; he was stubborn and awkward, secretive yet resolute.
[You can refuse, but I'll still protect you for life. After all, you called me "brother."]
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