Lu Hui placed a thick coat and two blankets on the speedboat. Despite wearing short sleeves and knee-length pants, he held a thermos cup, sat on the boat, and started the engine. The boat sailed towards the lake, heading in the direction of the cliffs.
On the side close to the cliffs, there was a dense forest with unknown small animals sharpening their claws on decaying branches, creating a faint rustling sound.
Fan Zhe, with his head covered in a bag, stumbled along with the handlers. He felt a desire to laugh, as the known death enveloped him like a long-awaited grave. All that was required was for him to lie in the pit, close the coffin, seal it, and erect a tombstone.
The two handlers guiding him were extremely cautious, not uttering a word. They simply bound Fan Zhe’s hands and feet with ropes, tightened the bag over his head, and tied a heavy stone to his ankle. At this moment, Fan Zhe knew he would be thrown into the lake behind the mountain.
The handlers stood up with deliberate motions; the sound of shoe soles rubbing against the grass was light but piercing. Fan Zhe’s heart beat like a drum as he was forcefully pushed off the cliff.
The time of the fall, whether long or short, was just enough for Fan Zhe, or rather, Ji Fanyang, to recall his twenty-eight years of life.
Ji Fanyang grew up in a happy, even somewhat indulgent, family environment. Ji Lian seemed stern but reasonable, and Ji Fanyang’s ideas, as long as they were reasonable, were generally supported by Ji Lian. As for Fan Shuqin, she was even more indulgent; she took pride in Ji Fanyang. If it were another family, she might spoil the child. Ji Fanyang was naturally gentle, and his desire for control was hidden in that gentleness, like silky tentacles probing into the secrets of the target and quickly shifting to the next.
People with secrets are treasures. Ji Fanyang subconsciously liked to approach tortured souls. His tolerance was conditional, gentleness was a prerequisite, and emotions were the currency of trade.
And then he met Lu Hui.
Lu Hui was a treasure trove, and Ji Fanyang chipped away at its corners. He needed secrets, pain, and grief to fill his boundless curiosity, his gentleness born from others, spreading further.
When he thought of Lu Hui, he simply wanted to see Lu Hui smile.
He wanted Lu Hui to live happily.
Lu Hui sat on the speedboat, the small boat nestled in the thick shadow of the cliff. Lu Hui reached out, pulling branches closer to block off more than half of the boat.
He vigilantly scanned the lake, like a wild dog searching for food.
A dark figure fell into the lake, creating a huge splash. Lu Hui took off his coat and jumped into the water.
The late spring lake water was still chilly. Lu Hui, disregarding the water temperature, swam forcefully towards the dark figure. He reached out, grabbing the constantly moving person. He took out a folding knife from his pocket, cut the hemp rope, wrapped his left arm tightly around the person’s waist, and used his right hand to untie the headgear behind the person’s neck.
Due to the heavy stone tied to the ankle, both of them sank together. Lu Hui struggled for a moment, dragging the person towards the hiding place of the speedboat. Lu Hui was quite strong; the strength of two adult men barely matched the gravity of the stone.
After a short distance, Lu Hui was breathing heavily. He pulled the person’s arm and placed it on the boat’s side, took a deep breath before diving underwater. He felt from the person’s waist to the ankle, used the small knife to cut the hemp rope binding the stone, and felt fortunate that it wasn’t tied with an iron chain, or both of them would have flipped into the lake.
Lu Hui’s head surfaced from the lake. He put away the folding knife, threw it into the small boat, and turned to drag the person onto the boat, wrapping him tightly in a blanket. He started the speedboat and headed to the lake shore.
The person huddled in the blanket remained silent. Lu Hui glanced at him, fearing that he might have died.
The speedboat docked, and Lu Hui tied the coarse hemp rope to a short post on the dock. He stood up, asking, “Can you stand on your own?”
The young man was soaked all over, looking miserable. He didn’t speak, just stared at Lu Hui.
Lu Hui sighed and bent down, placing Ji Fanyang’s arm over his shoulder to help him up. The two of them stumbled onto the shore.
“We still have two grilled fish left; let’s make do with that. Tomorrow morning, Gao Bureau will come to pick us up,” Lu Hui said.
Ji Fanyang’s gaze lingered on Lu Hui’s face. His pupils were originally light, but when he stared intently at someone, they seemed to seep deeper.
Lu Hui brought a chair for him, pressing him to sit down. “Okay, okay, you can talk now. Just say anything.”
“Bastard,” Ji Fanyang spat out the word, his voice hoarse. His eyes were slightly red, seemingly a bit aggrieved. “You’re a real bastard.”
“Not very creative, huh?” Lu Hui reheated the cold grilled fish over the bonfire and handed it to Ji Fanyang. “Try it.”
Ji Fanyang took the grilled fish, took a bite, and his pale complexion gained a touch of redness, perhaps illuminated by the fire. He sighed, “A bit spicy.”
“It’s just right for me.” Lu Hui picked up another grilled fish and placed it on the rack to heat. “Now, can you talk about your great plan?”
“I…,” Ji Fanyang pursed his lips, contemplating for a while before saying, “A friend of mine said that emitting a special frequency within a specific range can interfere with pacemakers.”
“You mean a 25 or 26-year-old man going to great lengths to get close to a woman, becoming her fiancé, just to induce a heart attack in the father-in-law during a gathering? Doesn’t that sound a bit mentally problematic?” Lu Hui asked.
Ji Fanyang glared at him. “You mean a 32 or 33-year-old man driving a car into a river, faking his death, and risking exposure to return to Zhu Chuan just to save a man? Doesn’t that sound like a problem with sexual orientation?”
“Fair enough.” Lu Hui shrugged. “We’re even. But you, after pretending to be good for two years, your mouth hasn’t softened a bit. That’s worth encouraging.”
“You’re talking about Liu Wei; how sad she must be,” Lu Hui handed him the second grilled fish, saying disdainfully, “Didn’t eat enough at the gathering? Why are you devouring it like a starving ghost?”
“Busy keeping an eye on Liu Kai, no time to eat,” Ji Fanyang took the grilled fish, savoring it. “Why would she be sad? If Liu Kai dies, the Liu family will be in chaos, and she’ll have the chance to seize power. She should thank me.”
“Oh, little Ji, haven’t seen you in two years, and you can’t even be bothered to wear a sheepskin?” Lu Hui teased, examining the young man from head to toe. “Don’t like your hairstyle. We’ll cut it short another day; it’s too girly.”
“You’re one to talk,” Ji Fanyang stared at Lu Hui’s hair. “Did you put on hair gel? And cologne too?”
“Character requirements,” Lu Hui raised his hand, messing up his own hair.
“In these two years, what have you been up to?” Ji Fanyang asked.
Lu Hui fell silent, reluctantly saying, “Being a teacher.”
“You? A teacher?” Ji Fanyang mercilessly mocked, “Teaching them how to bomb schools?”
“Criminalistics,” Lu Hui said, poking the bonfire with a stick, attempting to change the subject. “Had enough to eat?”
“Yeah, almost,” Ji Fanyang threw the fish skewer into the fire.
“Let’s go inside,” Lu Hui stood up, but his arm was grabbed. He turned around, patiently asking, “What’s wrong?”
Ji Fanyang let go of his hand and awkwardly smiled. “Nothing, just some oil on my hands. I’ll find a place to wipe them.”
Lu Hui looked at his sleeves and found no oil stains. He realized what was going on, so he chose to grab Ji Fanyang’s arm and walked side by side with him. “I’m here on a ‘business trip.’ Didn’t report to the school; consider it a teaching accident.”
“Are you planning to continue?” Ji Fanyang, being led by Lu Hui, stabilized his emotions.
“Of course not. Teaching is too boring,” Lu Hui said. He closed the door of the wooden house, pulling Ji Fanyang into a bedroom. “Rest here for the night, and I’ll be in the next room.”
Ji Fanyang looked at him, wanting to speak but hesitated.
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Hui said, “There’s a wooden bed here; I’ll put a blanket on it for you to sleep. I’ll sleep there,” he pointed to the bed. “It’s a double bed.”
“…Okay,” Ji Fanyang reluctantly agreed. He was convinced that he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, after all, he didn’t like sharing territory with others.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Lu Hui pondered for a moment before saying, “Ji Fanyang, this is really nice.”
“I know what you mean,” Ji Fanyang lay down on the bed, turned his head to smile at Lu Hui, “I missed you too.”
