They settled on a sandalwood bracelet. Lu Hui wrapped it around his wrist a few times. He rolled up his sleeves halfway, revealing half of his forearms. The warm tone of the little sandalwood bracelet combined with Lu Hui’s cold gloom made him seem much more refined and indifferent.
The next morning, Lu Hui woke up early, halfway put on his slippers, and shuffled into the bathroom to scrub himself down from head to toe. He walked out of the washroom, a bath towel hanging around his neck and steam flowing out the door. On the other bed, Ji Fanyang blearily opened his eyes, stared blankly at Lu Hui for a while, then went back to sleep.
Lu Hui didn’t mess with him. He combed out the bird’s nest on his head, carefully shaved his beard, changed into his new outfit, and wrapped the bracelet around his wrist. Only after he finished did he go over and prod Ji Fanyang: “Ji Fanyang, Ji Fanyang.”
“…Mmm?” The young man forced his eyes open, his gaze completely unfocused, “What is it?”
“Your…cologne. Where did you put it?” Lu Hui asked.
“…” Ji Fanyang blinked, “In the small bag at the bottom of the trunk. You can look for it.”
“Mm.” Lu Hui squatted next to the trunk and reached his hand into the bottom layer of the trunk. He pulled out a sea-blue glass bottle, pulled off the lid and spritzed his shirt and wrist a couple of times. The faint scent of sea salt and lemon dispersed through the air, filling the entire room.
Ji Fanyang rubbed his eyes and sat up. His eyes widened as he looked at the brand-new Lu Hui. He opened his mouth: “My God.” He held his breath and reached out to grab his phone from the nightstand. He opened his camera and took a picture with a click.
“I’m charging for pictures.” Lu Hui said with a smile, but did not move to stop him. He’d probably only dress this well once during his lifetime.
Ji Fanyang pretended not to hear, and with a series of clicks, he took several photos. Only when he was perfectly content did he put his phone away. Just wait until they returned to Linhua City and he passed these around to the other teams; their jaws would drop, for sure.
Lu Hui lifted his head and looked at the clock hanging on the wall: “Get up, we’re leaving in half an hour.”
Ji Fanyang rolled out of bed and washed up quickly, putting on his clothing and outerwear. He looked at Lu Hui, who was only wearing a fleece coat, and raised an eyebrow: “That’s all you’re wearing? It’s the middle of winter.”
Lu Hui was someone who was scared of the cold. A week ago, when they had gone to the forest in Gaotao County, he had bundled himself up like a hibernating bear. However, he gritted his teeth and shook his head: “I’m wearing this.”
Ji Fanyang grabbed a glass cup and filled it with warm water, then wrapped the glass in a towel and stuffed it into Lu Hui’s hands: “You’ll have to make do with this.”
Lu Hui nodded as he held the glass. The two of them left the room.
They checked out of the hotel and returned the key card. Lu Hui swiftly walked to the car and sat in the driver’s seat. He cranked the heat up to its highest setting, then rubbed his frozen face and clutched the glass even more tightly. When Ji Fanyang opened the door, a frigid wind blew into the car, making Lu Hui shiver. Ji Fanyang quickly closed the door: “Let’s go.”
The car left the hotel and headed for the Zhongchuan Public Security Department.
Ji Fanyang thought that they were going to head in through the Department’s entrance—well, technically they did go through the main entrance, but instead of heading into the building, Lu Hui bypassed the building and parked in a corner by the security wall. The wall was covered in dry, twisting vines of ivy.
Lu Hui got out of the car, then instructed Ji Fanyang: “Wait here.” He shut the car door and walked to a place not too far away where a pretty woman was waiting.
From Ji Fanyang’s point of view, Lu Hui’s was frozen stiff, his movements a bit unnatural.
Lu Hui walked up to the woman, his hands tucked into his pockets. He pursed his lips and said: “Long time no see.”
The woman was one meter seventy and wearing a cream-colored scarf. Her face, which was beautiful and carried an intrepid air, was drawn into a scowl: “You’ve still got the guts to contact me?”
“…” Lu Hui hesitated for a moment, then said, “I need that case file. It’s very important to me.”
The woman’s eyes grew a bit red. She pulled out the case file folder: “You went through the effort to dress up. Was it for me or the file?”
“I…” Lu Hui’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He decided it was best to be frank, “For the file.”
“You…” The woman clutched the case file. She raised her hand.
“Pah.”
The crisp slap startled Ji Fanyang. He placed his hand on the car door. Lu Hui turned his head and shot him a glance, signaling that he did not want him to get out of the car.
“What did you say back then?” The woman wiped her eyes, “You left without a word.”
“Special circumstances.” He took the full force of the slap. The woman did not use too much strength, so his face was only left with a pink imprint, “I’m sorry.” He lowered his lashes and looked at the ground, “Do you…have a boyfriend now?”
“Yes.” The woman passed him the files, the tone of her voice no longer as enraged as before, “You never liked me, did you.”
Lu Hui said nothing.
“Since you never liked me, why did you make me wait for you to come back?” The woman asked.
Lu Hui looked at her squarely: “Because you wanted to follow me. I couldn’t let you.”
“I like you. I want to protect you.” The woman said.
Lu Hui shook his head: “Then the both of us will be expelled from the Public Security Department and end up working in some backwater Bureau or police station.”
“Lu Hui.” The woman lowered her voice, her smile laced with a slight bitterness, “Even if it’s like that, I still want to protect you.” She took a step back, “Captain Wei.”
Lu Hui’s expression shifted: “You told Wei Congjia?”
“You can’t act alone.” The woman said, “Last time, you acted alone and killed someone. This time, you’ll be killed.”
Wei Congjia walked out from where he was hiding and stood in front of Lu Hui. He grabbed Lu Hui’s arm: “Come with me.”
“You guys are too much of an inconvenience.” Lu Hui frowned. He turned his head to look at the place where the car should have been parked—
Nothing.
“I had Xiao Ji go back.” Wei Congjia said, “He’ll go to report back to Linhua City first. You’ll live in Zhongchuan for a few days.”
“I didn’t act alone.” Lu Hui tried to persuade Wei Congjia, “Ji Fanyang can come with me.”
“Ji Fanyang is still young.” Wei Congjia refuted, “And he can’t be a part of something this dangerous.”
“Why can’t he…” Lu Hui’s question came to an abrupt halt, like he’d just thought of something. He asked, “Ji Fanyang ran away from home. Then, is his family…rich and powerful?”
“Mm.” Wei Congjia’s manner was imposing, “If something happens to him, we’ll both be in deep trouble.”
“That serious?” Lu Hui asked.
Wei Congjia’s gaze swept over Lu Hui’s lips, which were frozen through, sighed, then dragged him into the building and put him in front of the heater: “One of the four major military commanders, surnamed Ji.”
“Commander…Ji?!” Lu Hui lowered his voice, “Commander Ji’s only son ran off and he can still stay calm?”
“Being mad wouldn’t make a difference” Wei Congjia likewise lowered his voice and whispered, “His kid won’t listen to him. What’s he supposed to do, break his legs?”
Lu Hui’s gaze scoured Wei Congjia, his expression solemn: “Wait. Why are you being all concerned about me?”
“When haven’t I been concerned about you? Little ingrate.” Wei Congjia replied.
“No, that’s not right.” Lu Hui covered his freshly slapped cheek with his ice-cold hands to attempt to cool the red handprint, “Back when I was acting alone at the Public Security Department, you didn’t intervene at all.”
“Then you killed someone.” Wei Congjia said, “You shot with reason, I know. You also evaded your psychological counseling.”
“I don’t want to listen to the rambling of a therapist.” Lu Hui rolled his eyes, then continued where he left off, “You keep detaining me…You called my sister? No, you told my sister???”
“I didn’t…” Wei Congjia’s expression seemed a bit guilty.
Lu Hui raised his voice: “You slept with my sister?!” He shouted incredulously, “You bastard!”
“Shhh…” Wei Congjia really wanted to cover Lu Hui’s mouth, “Quiet down, quiet down. My ancestor[1]祖宗, lit. my ancestor/forefather, a way of showing deference, can be used ironically, I didn’t mean to…”
Lu Hui was like a lion baring its teeth: “You’d better explain yourself.”
“How about this, your sister’s coming this afternoon. Why don’t you ask her about it?” Wei Congjia’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat, “I have work to do here. I don’t have the time to chit chat.”
“My sister’s coming this afternoon?!” Lu Hui subconsciously shrank back. He drew his lips back in a simple smile, “Wei Congjia, you’re really a great person.”
“…” The Great Captain Wei gulped.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | 祖宗, lit. my ancestor/forefather, a way of showing deference, can be used ironically |
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