【”Who-who are you?”
“Lu Hui.”
“Are you Xiao Yang’s classmate?”[1]Yu Feiyang’s, not Ji Fanyang’s
“Yes.”】
“Chief Lu? Lu Hui?”
【”Don’t kill me.”】
“Lu Hui!”
【”You’re a murderer!”】
“Lu Hui, wake up!”
【”I’m begging you, please don’t kill me.”】
“Lu Hui!”
“Stop being so noisy.” Lu Hui forced his eyes open, the young man’s anxious face appearing in his line of sight. He softened his tone, “What’s wrong?”
“This is a two-person bed.” Ji Fanyang gestured to his own location, “And you kicked me off.”
“…You’re the one who insisted on squeezing in with me.” Lu Hui passed the buck effortlessly. He retracted his long arms and legs, leaving half the bed to Ji Fanyang.
“You can’t leave the TV on all night.” Ji Fanyang said, “We can’t afford the electric bill.”
“So you sacrificed yourself for the gayness[2]舍身为GAY lmaoooooo, lit. giving your life to be gay.” Lu Hui rubbed his chin, “How devoted.”
Ji Fanyang propped himself up on his elbow, then yawned: “Whatever you say.”
“Take out or cooking?” Lu Hui tilted his head and asked. His dark eyes and messy hair made him look ten years younger.
“Today is a holiday, we’ll cook.” Ji Fanyang looked at Lu Hui’s eyes, then teased, “You’re looking at me like that again. Maybe you’re actually bending.”
“A reward for a lifetime of cooking for me. Happy?” Lu Hui said, smiling.
“Dong dong dong”
“Dong dong dong”
“Is someone at the door?” Ji Fanyang looked down at his phone’s screen, “It’s only nine.”
“We’ve missed breakfast time.” Lu Hui nudged the young man along, “Go open the door.”
With extreme reluctance, Ji Fanyang trudged out of the bedroom. As he passed through the living room, he bent at the waist to pick up a blanket Lu Hui had tossed on the floor last night, then went to open the door: “Oh…Hi.”
“Morning.” A woman was standing at the door, smiling warmly, “I hope I’m not disturbing you all.”
“Disturbing…what? You’re not, you’re not.” Ji Fanyang took a couple of steps back to let her in, “Are you looking for…” He pointed behind himself, “Him?”
“No, no, I’m here for both of you.” The woman hurriedly waved her hand, like she was afraid of Ji Fanyang misunderstanding her, “I didn’t know you two were a couple before. I came to ask if there was any news about him…”
“Who’s here?” Lu Hui called, “Babe?”
“…” Ji Fanyang’s eyebrow twitched. He sighed, “How about you come in and sit down for a bit.” He rushed back into the bedroom and shut the door, whispering, “Are you done?”
“Have to put on the full show.” Lu Hui shrugged, “If you’re capable, go out and explain to her that we aren’t a couple, and the reason we lied to her is cause I don’t want her to pester me and you’re a soft-hearted messiah.”
“…” Ji Fanyang was silent. He turned around and opened the door, “Go out and entertain the guest. I’ll go cook.”
“Okay, darling.” Lu Hui put on a random T-shirt, stood up, and walked out of the bedroom, a hypocritical smile hanging on his face, “Hello. I’m sorry, you are…?”
“I’m Yu Xinyu[3]于心雨, different ‘Yu’s’, I live on the fourteenth floor.” The woman smiled bashfully, “I didn’t mean to ask your boyfriend about you…”
“Oh, he didn’t tell me.” He feigned confusion. His eyes curving into a smile, he sat on the small sofa, “He always gets a bit jealous[4]吃醋 eat/drink vinegar, meaning being jealous then forgets about it.”
“I heard that you went missing for half a month?” Yu Xinyu asked.
“I went for a trip without telling him.” Lu Hui lowered his voice, “I’m planning a surprise for him.”
“Oh?” Yu Xinyu’s eyes widened.
“I want to propose.” Lu Hui rubbed his forehead in vexation, “But the man is too sensitive. I have to do it on the down low.”
“I can help you.” Yu Xinyu replied.
Lu Hui blinked, looking incomparably honest and kind: “Really? I would be very grateful.”
“It’s the best apology gift I could give you.” Yu Xinyu said.
“The food’s ready.” Ji Fanyang called from the kitchen, “Lu Hui, come serve the dishes.”
“Mhm.” Lu Hui stood up, winking at Yu Xinyu, then walked into the kitchen, “Oof[5]onomatopoeia for a sigh.”
“What lies have you fed her this time?” Ji Fanyang asked.
“I’m proposing.” Lu Hui answered.
“To who?” Ji Fanyang poured noodles into a bowl.
“You.” Lu Hui said.
Ji Fanyang just about dropped the bowl: “What?”
“Let’s eat.” Lu Hui did not give Ji Fanyang time to react before pulling open the kitchen door and sitting at the table, “Xinyu, are you eating with us? A Yang’s[6]阿阳, lmaooo an endearing way to call JFY a great cook.”
“I made an extra serving. Xinyu, have breakfast with us.” Ji Fanyang brought two dishes out of the kitchen. He gave Lu Hui a firm look, then looked up at Yu Xinyu, smiling.
“Then…I’ll stay for a bit, then go home to bake a cake.” Yu Xinyu walked over and sat next to Lu Hui.
“Alright. I was just wanting to learn, actually.” Lu Hui picked up his chopsticks, “A Yang likes sweets.”
“…He’ll burn your kitchen down.” Ji Fanyang said, staring at Lu Hui. Why didn’t he know himself that he liked sweets.
“Is it okay if we go together?” Lu Hui turned to Ji Fanyang, his eyes bright and rounded.
Ji Fanyang cast aside the whiplash he was experiencing: “…Okay.”
The three of them finished off the noodles. Ji Fanyang and Lu Hui stood at the sink, washing the dishes.
“What exactly are you planning?” Ji Fanyang said in a low voice, “How upstanding, lying to a girl like that.”
“It’ll give us something fun to do during the holiday.” Lu Hui rinsed a plate with water, “Grow up a bit. I don’t want to watch soap operas all day.”
“Who the fuck are you telling to grow up?” Ji Fanyang exploded, “And the one who likes watching soap operas isn’t me.”
They finished washing the last dish. Lu Hui flicked the water off his hands: “Let’s go learn how to bake a cake.”
“You go first. I’m making a call.” Ji Fanyang said.
Lu Hui looked at him with suspicion: “You aren’t having an affair behind my back, are you?”
“Scram.” Ji Fanyang pushed on Lu Hui’s shoulder, walking out of the kitchen to tell Yu Xinyu, “You both should go. I’ll join you later.”
“Okay.” Yu Xinyu nodded.
Lu Hui walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel: “Be quick, I’m waiting for you.”
“…Stop dawdling.” Ji Fanyang waved a hand, watching Lu Hui and Yu Xinyu leave.
He grabbed his cellphone from the coffee table, dialed, then waited for a moment: “Hello, Sister Wu.”
“Oh…Xiao Ji ah.” Wu Lingxue’s voice came through the speaker, “What is it?”
“I want to ask about the progress of Wang Yinyin’s case…” Ji Fanyang said.
“Director Gao…”
“Director God only prohibited Lu Hui from following up. He never told me not to find out.” Ji Fanyang said.
“Then, I’ll tell you. We haven’t found the first crime scene.” Wu Lingxue said, “Up till now, we haven’t found it.”
“What do the forensics say?” Ji Fanyang asked.
“Nothing. From the particle analysis, the corpse came from the sea.” Wu Lingxue said.