The Growing Abyss

Things didn't go according to plan.

"How is Bai going to leave? And go where?"

Bin stared in amazement at the young man's steadfast determination and felt helpless.

He knew he had to stop him at all costs, but he only made it worse.

Quietly getting out of bed, he left the room and stood on the balcony for a long time until he froze. The cold night air sobered him up, but he still made no headway in his search for an answer.

In the meantime, Ling opened the door and looked outside. Not seeing Bin, he murmured into the kitchen. That's when he saw the boss standing on the balcony in his pajamas alone. It was quite cold and compassionate Ling couldn't stand it.

After finishing his water, he grabbed a plaid and stepped toward the man. Protecting him from the cold, he also expressed his gratitude for his care. They stood side by side in silence.

One with a burning heart and a thirst to help, and the other with a desolate and gray soul.

Finally, Bin led Ling back into the house. On the threshold of his room, the young man stopped and said:

"My real name is Shi Ling... And I agree with your plan," he nodded and hid in his room.

Tai Bin remained standing at the door. He was about to raise his hand to open the door, but instead, he stroked it with his finger and left with a smile.

Today he learned something about Ling beside his name. The young man didn't like to get anyone involved in his problems and would rather sacrifice himself than others.

Tai was sure that if trouble had happened to him personally, Ling would have gone out of his way to help. It was a blessing to meet someone like him.

Falling asleep with these thoughts, for some reason Bin remembered Zhou Lian. His vulgar antics always infuriated the man. He could hardly tell when his friend was joking and when he was serious, so he regularly fell for his tricks. If it weren't for that, Bin could tell he wanted to spend more time with him.

He respected Lian and his profession even envied him a little. He had traveled to many countries and looked so manly and experienced.

He, on the other hand, was only well acquainted with beautiful clothes and models. Although his specialization brought in a decent income, he was still ashamed of himself in front of Lian.

Could he be called manly?

Bin abruptly rolled over onto his other side and thought no more of his friend. Gradually his thoughts became light and blurry and he fell asleep.

Ling was making breakfast. Since he would soon be Bin's "boyfriend" and they would move in together, then he would at least cook.

He was more advanced in that art than his boss, though the latter wasn't bad. But since Ling's family business was a restaurant, he certainly looked better.

Setting the table made him feel much better. A surprised Bin sat down at the table and his chopsticks froze in the air, not knowing what to try first. They ate peacefully and went to work.

In the lobby, Ling met a tall man with an overwhelming aura. He recoiled and wanted to go around him, but Bin suddenly picked him up under his elbow and pulled him straight toward the stranger.

Ling stood in front of the big man, a little nervous.

The man had spent a lot of time in the gym. He was a pile of muscles that no clothes could conceal. At the same time he had a surprisingly handsome figure. For a moment the young man pictured him in an underwear advertisement and blushed.

"Lian, this is Dexin," the boss introduced his assistant.

"I got it, let's go to the office," Lian thought the stranger spoke with a sneer and frowned.

The door was closed and the men sat down in Bin's office.

"This is Zhou Lian, the detective and my best friend I told you about," Tai Bin finished the introduction.

Ling stared at the man, but immediately averted his gaze. Facing him with his gaze was no longer something he wanted to do.

He seemed to stare so piercingly that he could see right through him. It made Ling feel uncomfortable. In the meantime, Bin ordered coffee.

"You are so enthusiastic," Lian said with a tender smile, which made Ling's eyes widen at the seams, "Bin, you must admit that this whole thing with the stalker has given you a taste for life."

"What do you mean," Bin said, smiling faintly in response.

"I mean, you were born to adventure, you should have been a spy or a secret agent, you like danger and intrigue, right?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Tai said lightly, "this is your calling, not mine. There was regret in his words, and Lian raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Watching their conversation, Ling gradually relaxed. He began to suspect something, "it seems Lian... no, it can't be... or does he like... Tai Bin after all!"

But looking at their emotions and looks, it became clear that Lian yes, one hundred percent in love with his friend, and Bin was blind as a donkey.

"Oh, man!" Ling scratched the back of his head and loosened his tie. As he finished his coffee, he thought about the fact that it was Lian's idea to make him and Bin a couple, but how did he feel about it? As he thought about it, he didn't hear his name.

"Bai..."

"..."

"Hey, Bai!"

"..."

"Ling...?" Bin's voice sounded quieter, but the young man reacted instantly.

"How are you related to Lu Fei?" Lian asked Lian bluntly.

"Ahem... It's a long story..."

"Make it shorter," the detective insisted.

Ling sighed.

"It's because of my former principal, Jiang Wei. Lu Fei is playing a game against him to remove him from office and ruin his reputation. I got my hands on information that was dangerous to Lu Fei, he tried to kill me, and he burned down my mother's restaurant. Then I went to Mexico to see my boss, where he was saving his father from Lu Fei's assassination attempt.

There he tried to kill me again and burned me to the ground in the hospital I was sheltering in, but they hid me in the morgue and took me out later. After changing my name, I ended up in the States, and then I came home and started a new life. But apparently, Lu Fei knows everything and there's no reason for me to hide my name and story anymore."

"What about your boss?"

Ling was quiet for a while, picking his words.

"Lu Fei's daughter promised him dirt on her father in exchange for an engagement."

"So it's a fake engagement?" The bin couldn't resist.

"Yes, it is," Ling sat in front of them with a stone face.

"You could make a fucking detective movie out of this!" Lian shouted out, "Who would have thought you'd be involved in such a story? You look so fragile and delicate. You say someone tried to kill you, but how come you're not dead?"

Ling told the story about the secret room in the store and the Claw gang. Lian even slapped himself on the knee with pleasure.

"I'm telling you, this guy is something," Lian laughed, turning to Bin.

"Yes, I can see it myself..." Bin sat down next to his assistant.

"Now seriously," Lian said in a suddenly somber voice, "the situation is much more dangerous than we thought."

Ling and Bin also turned darker, but Lian continued.

"I'll put guards outside the agency and the apartment, but Bin, prepare a place for me in your apartment. I'll move in with you too," Lian said in a voice that could not tolerate objections.

Bin sighed doomfully.

His life had become unpredictable and full of dangerous twists and turns. If Lian wanted, he could mock him wholeheartedly, as long as he lived near him. He shuddered but didn't object.

In the evening, the newly minted lovers took a table at a restaurant known for its romantic setting. They chatted sweetly and held hands. All the while, their backs were numb with cold sweat, but Zhou Lian, sitting off to the side, controlled them with a command in his headphones.

"Bin, relax, it's not me," Lian mocked. "You have to kiss his hand, come on, I got the camera ready," he urged his friend on to more madness.

"Damn, Lian, I'll kill you someday! - Bin hissed back, but leaned over and kissed Ling's hand.

"Good boy," Lian laughed, "great shot!"

"How much longer?" Ling cut in.

"Put your bracelets on," the prompter commanded, "the last act..."

Ling was not privy to all the details of their plan. Bin insisted on hiding from him that their phony relationship should become known to Jiang Wei.

The stronger his response, the better. Lu Fei wants to remove a potential rival to his daughter from the field, and Lian's plan will play into his hands in this.

It's even better than killing Ling. After all, if he dies, Jiang Wei will freak out and might hurt his bride, and if his lover betrays him and gets involved with another man, it will only break his heart.

As he left the restaurant, Bin deliberately put his arm around Ling and pulled him to him. Somewhere in the dark, Lian took a few pictures. But he wasn't the only one taking pictures of the Tai-Shi couple.

Someone else followed Ling and returned with a rich catch to his employer. Lu Fei looked at the photo and a satisfied smile bloomed on his face.

"This puppy did all the work for us, let these photos go to Jiang Wei right on the dinner table," he said, smiling predatorily.

The editor and assistant's romantic dinner made headlines on several pages. The hashtag #TaiBai even appeared at the agency and many people surreptitiously began to follow the couple.

At work, the men behaved, as usual, only occasionally showing some feelings, thus inconceivably inflaming the atmosphere in the team. There were heated arguments between employees about who had seduced whom.

Instantly, the story of how Bai spent the night in the office and cleaned his office in one night came up.

The cleaning lady instantly became the star of the ball, sputtering as she recounted how Bai, in love with his boss, had cleaned out his room.

And the security guard swore that a video from the office showed Dexin falling down on purpose to get the boss's sympathy.

The driver of the corporate car took a smoke break and said that Bai was pale as death that morning and that the boss made him go to the hospital and then visited him at home almost every day!

Their story quickly became surrounded by rumors and speculation.

Those who knew Bin well claimed that it was the boss who decided to have fun and some even placed bets on how long the relationship would last.

But suddenly a canister of gasoline was thrown into this raging flame - the boss and Bai were living together! A group specially created to discuss the couple, was regularly updated with photos taken in secret.

Only the protagonists of this story lived as usual. If Lian didn't force them to bring up their relationship, the people around them would simply have no topics to discuss.

"Hey, guys, the accounting girls are waiting for you downstairs. You should go out on the balcony and pose for a picture. Come on, let's go!"

One Zhou Lian reminded them endlessly to maintain the image of a couple in love.

Since Bin was being obtuse and Ling looked aloof, Lian decided to give a master class.

"Eh, can't help it, I'll have to show you how it's done," said Lian.

He walked over to Bin, gently placed his hands on his waist, and leaned in and kissed him. Bin immediately burst into a curse and ran out of the room. This allowed Ling to find out the truth.

He watched Lian sideways, especially his face. The man's chest was heaving with excitement, his eyes glistening. He stared at the closed door at the end of the corridor in confusion and did not notice Ling.

"It's all clear here," Ling summed up, "someone has devised a plan with their interests in mind as well. Then he went to Bin. Now was the best time to gather the cream.

When he entered Bin's room, he made an indifferent face and sat silently on the other side of the bed. The man sat cross-legged, just like Ling. He hid his face, and it was hard to guess how he was feeling.

"Do you know why he did it?" From afar the young man began.

"No," was the answer.

"It's hard to kiss someone you don't have feelings for," Ling threw a bone at the hungry dog.

Bin:...

"Exactly" - said Ling.

"What did you say?" Bin raised his blushing face.

"You're just blind if you can't see how much your friend likes you," Ling said and walked away.

The young man knew that Bin would figure things out on his own now. He went out on the balcony and let the girls film him in his "love nest."

Ling fidgeted with his phone in his hands. He didn't know whether or not to text Wei, he didn't know why he hadn't texted him himself. This whole situation made the young man very nervous.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wei opened the envelope and stared at the photo like a madman. "What does this bastard allow himself? What's with the kissing and the bracelets?" He roared and jumped up, but when he reached the door, he froze in indecision.

Any action he took would expose Ling and his feelings. Wei hid in the bathroom, where there certainly couldn't be cameras and pulled out his phone. He wanted to write a line or two, but suddenly stopped: "you can't."

This all happened because he underestimated his opponent. If he did that again, who knows how it would end? Suddenly he received a message from the Claw:

[A mercenary is stalking Ling in the guise of a stalker. Don't interfere, we'll take care of it.]

Way's hand clenched, and then he deleted the message. A little later in the evening, he received another piece of news that nailed him to the spot.

[I'm pregnant, 3 months pregnant...]