Chapter 76

In all his years of doing criminal police work, Luo Wenzhou had never encountered this kind of "assault on a police officer." He was taken wholly unawares and short-circuited on the spot, subconsciously reaching out a hand to push…and pushing empty air.

As if having anticipated his reaction, Fei Du released him after a touch, backing off a bit. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and their corners were subtly curved, brewing a trace of a smile.

It wasn't any kind of a warm and genial smile; it was rather ill-intentioned.

At this point Luo Wenzhou tasted the flavor of mint he'd left behind—not at all sweet, but rather cold, diving right through the crack between his lips, blowing through his throat, infecting his chest, riding roughshod over his clamoring heart.

Fei Du's tempo was precisely accurate. He didn't fiercely pursue with a single kiss; staying now near, now far, he gave him an interval to resist and consider. His gaze, like something physical, skipped lightly over his features, keenly hearing Luo Wenzhou's breath catch.

This seemed like a good opportunity to pursue his advantage. The next instant, Fei Du regrouped and came back stronger, grabbing the hand Luo Wenzhou had pulled him with, pressing it to the back of the seat. Like a cheetah patrolling its territory, his straight nose gracefully and unhurriedly brushed Luo Wenzhou's cheek. He deftly pried open Officer Luo's lips, not meeting any firm willpower to resist.

It was as if an immersion heater had appeared out of nowhere in the narrow car. The thick air heated with lightning speed. Fei Du's breath enveloped everything.

Luo Wenzhou wasn't any kind of man of honor to sit there calmly and be kissed. A whole day of emotional vicissitudes had critically depleted his willpower, and moreover it had been a long time since he'd encountered an expert kisser like Fei Du. With his intellect's spirit struck dumb, his impetuous body was drawn on by the trace of warmth already existing in his heart; it answered involuntarily, acting first and asking permission later, ordering him to raise his hand and press it to the back of Fei Du's neck, ready to draw him into his arms.

At this point, the icy chill of Fei Du's body called back some of his intellect. The remains of Luo Wenzhou's reason caught a breath and bawled into his ear, "What the fuck do you think you're doing!"

The veins stood out on the back of Luo Wenzhou's hand holding Fei Du's neck. Exerting the radical willpower needed to resist pepper spray and torture on the rack, he grabbed the back of Fei Du's neck and lifted him off.

Fei Du tumbled back into the passenger's seat, raising his eyebrows rather regretfully. Then, seeming not at all concerned, he casually opened the car door. Under Luo Wenzhou's gaze, about to roast him into a human skewer, he lightly wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. "I've settled my fare. I suppose I can go now, shixiong?"

His expression cold, Luo Wenzhou said, "Get the hell out. Go."

His reaction seemed to please Fei Du. The bastard unhurriedly got out of the car, then bent down and waved at him through the window. "Drive slowly on the way back. Also, the bruises on your waist are really dreadful. Shouldn't you go to the hospital to have them looked at? I couldn't bear to touch them."

Luo Wenzhou: "…"

A breeze came through the opened window, and he only then noticed that his shirt had been untucked at some point by that foul hoodlum Fei.

"But your abs really do feel good," Fei Du commented, pouring oil onto the fire. He stuck his hands in his pockets and easily turned and left, heading towards the empty villa.

There were two flames rising by turns in Luo Wenzhou's heart, steaming out of the seven apertures of his face. There was no way to reconcile them. He was simply about to explode.

Agitated, he glared at Fei Du's back in the rearview mirror, the faint bit of warmth in his heart leaking away entirely; he didn't know whether he wanted to peel off Fei Du's clothes or simply peel off his skin.

As he glared, Luo Wenzhou suddenly inadvertently noticed that the sleeve of Fei Du's trim shirt was moving without any wind. At first he thought it was some embroidery on the shirt reflecting the light, but looking closely again, he found that Fei Du himself was trembling involuntarily, as if he was freezing, or as if he'd been electrocuted.

Luo Wenzhou frowned, hesitated for a moment, then couldn't relax about it. He opened the car door and followed.

Fei Du hadn't even closed the gate, perhaps thinking the security in this wealthy neighborhood was too good. The doors stood wide open. Maybe because no one had lived there for a long time and he'd been worried it would be a problem to deal with weeds, Fei Du had had the yard covered in stone. There wasn't a single blade of grass growing; it looked flat and cold.

When Luo Wenzhou caught up, Fei Du had already gotten out the keys and opened the door.

Luo Wenzhou said, "Hey, are you…"

As soon as he opened his mouth, he saw President Fei, who had just been flamboyantly domineering and taking liberties, shake all over. His hand pressed down on the doorknob, as if trying to support himself, not expecting the door to open inward at this pressure. Fei Du stumbled and fell right to his knees.

The vestibule was floored in big slabs of ice-cold marble. His knees hit it without any cushioning with a dull thump that made Luo Wenzhou feel his own legs were about to give out. He quickly went to support him.

The unusual color in Fei Du's face seemed to have been used up; he was even somewhat paler than usual. There was a trace of cold sweat at his temples, and his hands and feet shook incessantly, as if twitching.

"What's wrong?" Luo Wenzhou pulled him into his arms and put a hand to his face. "What is it? Fei Du, talk to me!"

"Maybe it's…low…low blood sugar…" Fei Du groaned almost inaudibly, putting a hand on Luo Wenzhou's knee, trying to stand, but his arm went weak, and after a struggle he dropped back down.

"Low blood sugar?" Hearing this bizarre explanation, Luo Wenzhou at once irritably jeered at him, "Taking advantage of me tired you out, did it? I'm really impressed—"

Saying so, he simply picked Fei Du up.

With Fei Du's tall and slender stature, his presence was very imposing wherever he stood. Picking him up, though, Luo Wenzhou felt it didn't take nearly as much effort as he would have imagined. He could faintly feel the bones under a thin layer of flesh; evidently he was of the constitution that became skinny through lack of exercise.

Thinking about it carefully, it did actually make sense. For a young man in his early twenties to fracture a bone at a single bump, not even as sturdy as the frames of his glasses, he had to be the sort of person who relied on his youth and went out partying, always a little unhealthy. There was hardly ever any flush in Fei Du's face; sometimes when he'd partied too hard with his drinking buddies, there would be a clear lack of vigor about him. A clear case of a typical "young lord with renal deficiency."

But there was some cold and unyielding particular quality about him that made a person forget he was an attractive but useless "embroidered pillowcase."

Luo Wenzhou laid Fei Du flat on the couch, then straightened up, shifting his bruised back. "Don't die. Is there anything to eat here?"

Fei Du didn't speak. He feebly pointed at the kitchen.

Luo Wenzhou walked two steps away, then turned back and picked up a blanket from the couch, throwing it over Fei Du. He turned and went into the kitchen.

The kitchen was bright and clean, probably because someone regularly came in to clean it. The kitchenware was basically for decoration; some things still had tags on them. Luo Wenzhou opened a few cupboards, found where the condiments were kept, and got out a bag of sugar. Then he picked up a barrel of purified water, poured half a glass, and dissolved some sugar in it.

Luo Wenzhou was just about to carry it out for Fei Du to drink when he thought of something else and looked down at the barrel of water that had already been opened, thinking, "How long has this thing been here? It hasn't expired?"

He smelled the water and turned over the barrel to look at the manufacturing date, suddenly discovering that it had been bought a week before. Luo Wenzhou stared, then noiselessly opened the door of the refrigerator next to him. The fridge was rather empty. There were some cans of milk, some fruit, and a bit of not very sumptuous pre-made food. All of it was very fresh, basically enough of a reserve for a person to temporarily come and spend the night here—had Fei Du just been coming back here lately by coincidence, or did he regularly come to stay here for a few days?

As far as Luo Wenzhou understood, even before Fei Du's mother had died, he hadn't been living here permanently. He'd normally lived in an apartment near his school with a housekeeper to take care of him, coming back here every weekend. Only when he was making arrangements after his mother's death had Fei Du come back to live here for a part of a year.—His father had never been there. It had been appalling to think of a child living on his own in an unlucky abode, so Tao Ran had often come to see him then, until half a year later Fei Du had moved back into the apartment in the city, and the people who had been worrying about him, both obviously and in secret, had relaxed slightly.

Luo Wenzhou had thought that he had never sold the place only because it was hard to get rid of a house where someone had died, but now it seemed…

He thoughtfully turned his head and looked at Fei Du lying on the couch.—This place really did have the makings of a haunted house. Even though it was exquisitely decorated, brightly lit, swept so clean there wasn't a speck of dust, it still made you feel gloomy, well-suited to suicides and hauntings.

Since he'd walked through the door, Luo Wenzhou had dimly felt that there was something wrong with this house, but after all he'd last been here seven years ago; he was already doing pretty well being able to find the door. For a time he couldn't think of what the problem was.

He put the sugar water in front of Fei Du, wanting him to drink it himself, but he found that Fei Du's hands were shaking so hard he could hardly hold the glass. He could only bow to his fate, snatch the glass away, and hold it up for Fei Du to drink.

Fei Du sighed gently. "Shixiong, I'm going to love you until you can't escape."

Luo Wenzhou was so stirred up by his slightly nasal voice that his scalp went numb. Not turning a hair, he said, "Hurry up and drink. What's all the chatter for? You'll choke."

Having finished drinking a glass of sugar water, Fei Du finally had some strength. He sat bonelessly on the couch. "It's all right. I just got sick at the blood and got a little dehydrated after throwing up at the hospital. Zhou Huaijin was there, so I didn't have attention to spare for anything else at the time."

Luo Wenzhou looked him over and suddenly asked, "Do you often stay here by yourself?"

Fei Du opened his eyes at once. Though his posture didn't change, Luo Wenzhou could feel Fei Du's nerves tense instantly.

"It's far from your company, from Yan Security Uni, from the City Bureau…even from your academic advisor's house," Luo Wenzhou said slowly. "As far as I know, none of the places of entertainment your crowd of wastrels frequents are around here, either—why would you come over to stay on your own in an unlucky abode?"

"What's the problem?" After a pause, Fei Du showed him an unassailable smile. "It's my home."

While his tone was gentle, his answer was a defensive one, a needle hidden in silk floss, impossible to answer.

Luo Wenzhou was silent for a moment. As soon as he considered it, he wanted to smoke. As his gaze subconsciously searched for an ashtray, he asked Fei Du, "All right if I smoke…"

Before he'd finished, Luo Wenzhou paused. Their gazes fell simultaneously on the ashtray on the coffee table.

Fei Du reacted, his expression altering immediately.

At the same time, Luo Wenzhou's blurry memories and faint intuitions finally came together and cleared up—yes, he remembered now!

Neither Fei Du nor his father smoked. This ashtray had been used by his mother when she'd been alive.

When he'd been investigating her death, Luo Wenzhou had come to the Fei house a few times to talk to Fei Du's father. Once, just like today, he'd asked the master of the house if he could smoke, and Fei Du's father, that powerful and astute man, had pulled out a ceramic fruit bowl from under a table and offered it to him, claiming that since his wife had passed, he'd cleared away all of her things so looking at them wouldn't bring up painful associations, and he'd also moved all the furniture in the room.

He'd said then…

"I changed the position of the TV and removed the piano that used to stand there. The coatrack at the door, the vases she liked to arrange flowers in… I can't look at any of them, I've moved them all away.—I'm sorry, Officer Luo, I don't smoke. Since she passed, there are no ashtrays in the house. You'll have to make do with this."

Luo Wenzhou's gaze immediately swept the whole living room. The TV, the piano, the retro coatrack at the door, even the vases in the vestibule and living room, had all been returned to their original positions!

In the vases were extremely realistic fake flowers. They'd been specially ordered from somewhere and were made to look like fresh flowers that hadn't been changed in too long, exactly the way the floral arrangement had looked on the day when they'd first come here after the case had been reported!

Luo Wenzhou finally understood what was strange about this place. It was like a large-scale exhibit, its time fixed at seven years before—

"I'm a little tired." Fei Du tore away the blanket over him and sat up, ordering his guest to leave in a somewhat stiff voice. "I can't entertain you any longer. Have a nice weekend."

Luo Wenzhou wasn't to be gotten rid of that easily. He leaned back against the soft couch. "Hey, just now you were saying you were going to love me so I couldn't escape, kissing and groping and taking advantage, and now you've changed your mind just like that. President Fei, that's a little unfriendly."

Fei Du tensed all over, but his hands had stopped trembling as though he had Parkinson's. He concentrated and forced a smile, glibly saying, "That's all right. If you feel like you've gotten the worst of it, you're free to demand…"

He hadn't finished when Luo Wenzhou was already beside himself with anger. He leaned over and grabbed Fei Du's collar, hauling him up and pressing him into a corner of the couch. "I've spoiled you rotten—do you really think I wouldn't dare to do anything to you?"