Threats

Ling was often tormented by sad thoughts at night, especially when his body began to burn and desire intimacy that had been gone for a long time.

One day, as usual, Ling came to work and saw a bouquet on his desk. Thinking that the courier had made a mistake, he unwrapped the card, but when he read his name there, he was taken aback.

The handwriting was unfamiliar to him, but he hoped with all his heart that the flowers were from Wei.

Tai Bin also noticed the flowers and questioned the courier without saying anything to the young man. He wanted to know if Jiang Wei was trying to mess with his assistant's mind.

What he found out made Bin frown, but looking back at the assistant's happy face, he remained silent.

The next time Ling received a basket of sweets. The young man was beyond happy again.

"So gullible," thought Tai Bin, and questioned the messenger again.

The gifts went on for a while, and then one day, when Ling was away, a simple envelope was placed on his desk.

Tai Bin seized the moment and opened the letter and covered himself with gooseflesh.

The sender had written with mistakes and suggested in a very indecent way that the young man should make love.

All this was accompanied by pictures, which made Tai Bin's eyes begin to bleed.

"Sick bastard!" Tai Bin hissed and hid the letter in his desk.

Ling had developed a sick fan. His boss realized almost immediately that the gifts were not the work of Jiang Wei.

Doing his investigation, he learned that the sender probably worked in the building or was somehow connected to the agency. The risk was too great.

Tai Bin had arranged with the courier service to have the letters addressed to the assistant delivered personally to him.

He didn't know how to get the stalker out yet, but he didn't want to frighten Ling, either.

In addition to his friendship and admiration, he began to feel some strange tenderness toward the young man; he wanted to protect him, no matter what it took.

As usual, Ling left his car in the underground parking lot and went to the elevator. A man went inside with him, and the young man didn't pay much attention to it.

He got off on his floor; the man got off three seconds after him and looked after him for a long time. And then Ling found a letter under the door from John Doe.

First, the bell rang, and Ling yanked the knob, but the hallway was empty. Only a frighteningly white, unsigned envelope lay on the floor.

The young man picked it up and returned to the apartment. As he began to read it, he was frightened out of his wits.

"If you keep rejecting me, I might accidentally lose my temper and kill you. It would be a pity if your pretty face ended up ruined, and after all, I know so many ways to make you scream with pleasure..."

Ling locked the doors with all the locks, as well as the balcony, and checked the windows. Then, with horror, he reread the letter.

He had faced death and danger before and could not take his safety lightly.

Worried more and more, he called his only friend. Tai Bin understood from the first words the seriousness of the situation and rushed over as quickly as possible.

Pale and sweating with fear, the young man cautiously opened the door in front of him and immediately embraced him as if seeking protection.

"Are you okay?" asked Tai Bin, and mentally added, "you're very cute."

"Yes..." said Ling.

Bin made them some tea and added sedative drops to the young man's cup. Ling fell asleep on the couch, and Bin dozed beside him. In the morning he woke up first and went to make breakfast.

The sedative had a strong effect on Ling and he struggled to wake up. Tai Bin shook him by the shoulder and called out, "Bai!"

The sleepy young man shook his head and said: "I am Ling."

Tai Bin froze as if he had learned a great secret.

As they sat down to breakfast, Bin was caringly tending to the young man.

"Is your middle name Ling?" he asked casually and indifferently.

Ling didn't take the chopsticks to his mouth, his hand trembled, and the rice crumbled.

Tai Bin's suspicion became greater.

Leaving the young man at home, he went straight to his longtime buddy.

He, like Bin, had left home at an early age to start a detective agency. Most of his firm's business was collecting cream on the cheating of the rich and famous, but sometimes it did more serious assignments as well.

Entering the half-darkened building, Bin shivered as usual. His friend Zhou Lian had a weakness for horror movies and therefore liked to create an atmosphere around him that made the hearts flutter.

For a moment, Bin thought someone was following him, but when he looked around, he didn't see anyone.

Barely turning the corner, he was grabbed and pinned against the wall. His heart was jumping out of his chest, though his mind kept telling him to pull himself together.

"I can't believe who I'm seeing," a mocking voice whispered directly into Tai Bin's ear, burning him with its breath.

The man grimaced and, with an effort, broke free from the tight grip, but was immediately embraced and pressed against his broad chest.

It is impossible to escape from these strong arms.

Yes, this was the reason why Tai Bin very rarely visited his childhood friend. Fucking Zhou Lian was always putting him in embarrassing compromising situations and making fun of him.

These jokes pissed off the prim Tai Bin, and he didn't know how to react. Now he was embarrassed and confused, feeling angry at the same time.

"Bin, I still can't get used to you jumping into my arms like that, you should restrain your feelings," Lian taunted his friend.

"Asshole," Bin hissed and freed himself from his embrace, "I'm here on business."

Together they walked into a rather bright office. When Tai Bin explained the situation, his friend became serious and there was no trace of his former mischief.

As he poured the tea, he mentally sketched out a plan.

"Take him back to your house, that's first. You won't be able to react quickly if anything happens to him."

Bin nodded, sipping the fragrant tea from the beautiful bowl. What else he liked about Lian was his love of fine things.

It applied to everything: dishes, accessories, the scent of perfume.

Sometimes Bin caught himself thinking that he couldn't understand why such a handsome and perfect man in every sense still hadn't met his match and was staggering around like the last bum alone.

But he was no better either. Two lonely dogs are what they called themselves in their college days.

"I'll start following your assistant and find out the sender of the correspondence. If the situation gets complicated, we'll go to the police, that's second," Zhou Lian laid out his thoughts. "Until then, you'd better pretend that you and that guy are a couple in love, that's third."

Tai Bin choked up and almost let out a gasp, coughing. Tears flowed from his eyes. Zhou Lian patted him on the back and waited for him to stop panting before continuing:

"Otherwise, how do you explain why you started living together? A stalker, or a hired assassin - clearly not a fool. You must not arouse suspicion. Your apartment is almost next door to your work. There's a much better chance of leaving safely and coming back."

Tai Bin continued to sit like a statue, unable to digest the information dumped on him.

"Just take him to a crowded cafe, wear paired bracelets there, and post a photo on the page, like love to the grave. Why are you looking at it like that? Are you trying to help a guy? What do you care about your reputation, you'd think this wouldn't be great black PR for you."

Tai Bin mentally strangled Zhou Lian. He killed him off at least a hundred times before he agreed that the idea wasn't so bad.

But to realize it, the truth about the letters would have to be told. After talking with his friend some more, Tai Bin went back to work. As he continued to think about everything he had heard from Lian, he agreed with his friend's logic.

Grabbing his pajamas, toothbrush, and food, Bin went to his assistant's house. The young man had just gotten out of the shower, his wet, disheveled hair giving him a special charm. But his face still expressed anxiety.

They ate dinner and decided to play Go. Ling went first with black, but his thoughts were in chaos, and he made the mistake of underestimating his opponent time after time.

Tai Bin, on the other hand, felt a surge of confidence and effectively seized territory in the center. Ling got a headache and made a lot of effort to finish the game with dignity, after which he quietly got up and went to his bedroom.

Bean remained seated in front of the black-and-white battlefield. The taste of winning was not at all satisfying. As he blocked Ling's stones, his thoughts returned again and again to his pursuer.

It bothered him how dangerous this sick jerk was.

Ling lay with his eyes closed in his room. When Bean walked in, he looked at him and closed his eyes again.

"I have an important conversation to have with you. Please listen to me and promise me that you will think carefully about what I say."

Ling sat down on the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees. Gradually his excitement grew, and when he saw the stack of letters, his heart pounded like mad.

He never would have thought he could be the target of stalking. No way! But the reality was proving that it had already happened.

"What should I do?" Confused Ling asked.

"Today I visited a friend of mine who runs a detective agency. He took on the case and recommended something we could do to protect you. We should pretend to be a couple and move in with me."

"What?!" Ling's reaction was harsh after all, which upset Bin a little. He's kind of sacrificing his reputation, too.

Ling thought deeply and after a while he still refused.

"You're very stubborn. There's nothing wrong with the idea. I'm doing it to help you, don't you understand?"

"I don't want to drag other people into this."

With heavy thoughts, they went to bed each in his room.

The next day the men went to work as if nothing had happened. In the afternoon, Bin received a message from Lian. He figured out the customer.

"Dexin, are you familiar with a man named Lu Fei?"

Ling flinched as if stung by a snake and stared at his boss in horror. Tai Bin leaned over the table and said:

"This scum hired another scum to kill you. All these letters are just a cover. What did you do to make him so angry?!"

Ling bit his lip and was silent for a while. The blood was rumbling in his temples and his head was melting from the flow of thoughts.

Lu Fei had tracked him down? Does he know that Ling is now Dexin?

How much does he know at all? And the engagement of Wei and his daughter? Does he know it's a sham?

Is there something this vile man doesn't know?

And who, after all, can feel safe? Maybe that's why Wei hasn't contacted him lately. Has he realized they've been exposed?

"Oh my God!" Ling clutched his head and a frightened Bin rushed to pour him some water.

After a while more, the young man pulled himself together. He smoothed the hair on his head and took a deep breath.

"I have to quit and leave town."