Chapter 95

A kiss that was just a light touch.

But Ji Wei felt like a fish submerged in the sea, with the passionate sun warming its exposed back, dazedly blowing bubbles up from below the surface.

When the kiss ended, Ji Wei’s heart was still pounding.

“Open your mouth,” Lu Shenxing suddenly said.

Ji Wei let out an “ah,” his lips parting slightly.

The man took the opportunity to place something in his mouth with his hand. The moment it touched his tongue, a sweet and sour flavor instantly filled his mouth.

It was the lychee-flavored candy.

He didn’t know when it had been unwrapped. He had given it to Lu Shenxing, but it had made its way back around.

And he had personally fed it into his mouth.

Ji Wei felt his heart beat even faster.

Uncontrollably.

***

In the afternoon, Ji’s Father and the others made a cross-country video call.

They had signed up for a fifteen-day tour group, but for the convenience of free shopping, Mother Lu had booked the entire thirty-person Sunset Glow Tour Group.

This meant that two tour guides and four translators were serving just the few of them.

“Why not travel independently?” Ji Wei and Lu Shenxing sat on the sofa, and he couldn’t help but ask.

Mother Lu had changed into a traditional Russian Sarafan. Judging from the workmanship and details, it was probably custom-made. It seemed Mother Lu never wore ready-to-wear clothes.

She said very happily, “Of course I have to come on the tour group A-Xing booked.”

Ji Wei decided it was better not to tell her that it was actually Huang Bo who had booked it for them.

Ji’s Father was also having a great time.

“We went to the Kremlin and Red Square yesterday, and the Bolshoi Theatre. Tomorrow we’re planning to go to St. Petersburg. I bought so, so many souvenirs. Do you guys like this kind of hand-painted lacquerware?”

Ji Wei was very worried about how Ji’s Father’s suitcase would be shipped back. His shopping style was exactly the same as Ying Guanxiao’s.

Director Lu and Boss Lu also greeted them enthusiastically, saying they wanted to send them gifts.

Mother Lu shooed them away for hogging the camera, taking up the entire screen herself. She rested her chin in her hands and said, “Mommy misses you guys so much.”

“Get a little closer, let Mommy take a screenshot.”

Her tone sounded suspiciously like a top CP fan.

Ji Wei felt bad refusing, but get closer?

They were actually already very close.

He still scooted a little closer to Lu Shenxing, their arms now touching.

“Too far, get closer.”

Even closer?

Ji Wei glanced at Lu Shenxing. The man’s face was expressionless, showing no intention of moving.

He had no choice but to shift a little more in Lu Shenxing’s direction. Now they were truly pressed tightly together, without even a gap between them. He could feel the scorching heat of Lu Shenxing’s body beneath his clothes, and his face couldn’t help but feel a little hot.

“A little closer.”

But Mother Lu was still not satisfied.

Even closer…

Ji Wei was at a loss. He really didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, the man beside him put an arm around his shoulder—

Before he could react, the man kissed him on the right cheek.

“Can I hang up now?” Lu Shenxing let him go and asked the screen faintly.

“Yes, yes, you can.” Mother Lu had an expression like her ship had just become real. “Mommy loves you guys.”

The video call ended, but Ji Wei’s right cheek was still burning.

He quickly lowered his head and changed the subject. “Why did Director Lu and Boss Lu go with you?” He had wanted to ask earlier.

“My uncles,” Lu Shenxing said flatly.

Ji Wei looked up in surprise. No wonder he had felt their gazes on him were particularly intense before.

The air suddenly fell into a stretch of silence.

He paused, thinking Lu Shenxing would continue the introduction, but there were only those three words.

His idol seemed a bit indifferent to family relationships.

But he wasn’t averse to them either.

He thought to himself silently.

***

Meng Hao looked at the newspaper, thinking quietly.

Fang Miao’s wife had passed away long ago, and both his children were in Yancheng. Although his relationship with his children was not good, at least there was someone to look after things. Why did he tell him yesterday that he was going to Yu City and never coming back?

He closed his eyes, and the image of the white cloth covering the old man’s body appeared before him.

—I have two biggest regrets in my life. The first is your father’s death, and the second is a murder case from fifty years ago.

In his final moments, Fang Miao had said “I’m sorry” to him.

There was really nothing to be sorry for. His father had told him that once you put on the police uniform, you are prepared to sacrifice. His father’s death was no one’s fault.

His body suddenly tensed.

It wasn’t an apology.

It was an entrustment.

He was entrusting him with this case that spanned fifty years.

That’s why he felt sorry.

“Did he like her that much?”

Meng Hao murmured.

Liked her enough to be unable to let go of this case from when he was a junior officer until his retirement, and to pay for it with his life.

He had to go to Fang Miao’s house and take a look.

He casually picked up a book and went out.

The Fang family lived on White Birch Street in Xicheng District. It was now a complete mess.

No one shed a single tear for Fang Miao’s death. Fang Miao’s two children were arguing incessantly over the inheritance he had left behind.

“What are you here for?”

Someone asked irritably.

“To return a book.”

Meng Hao entered the study. He heard someone behind him say, “The man’s dead, what’s the point of returning a book?” His hands clenched into fists, then quickly relaxed.

Walking into the study, the cabinets and drawers had already been emptied. There was nothing but books, which was why the Fang family had let him in.

The bookshelf was filled with books on criminal investigation. His gaze swept across the rows of books, finally landing on Letter from an Unknown Woman.

He remembered their conversation from yesterday.

—You like her?

—I’m not worthy.

He didn’t think Fang Miao would have the leisure for such things.

Meng Hao pulled out the book.

There were no markings on the book.

Except for the last page.

—I suspect Lin Yishan is the murderer.

—That child Ji Wei is in danger.

Meng Hao’s pupils contracted sharply. He tore out the last page.

He left the Fang residence empty-handed.

***

The official Weibo for Sun Eater released a new poster.

Everyone had low expectations for this production. After all, they were so poor they couldn’t even afford promotional marketing, so where would they get the money to design a poster? Someone commented that Film Emperor Lu taking this role should be called targeted poverty alleviation.

Then a top fan posted on Weibo.

[Xingzhi] Holy crap, the new poster blew me away. They must have spent a fortune on this.

Those who saw the new poster below were all stunned.

[Lu-Wei a Hundred Years of Harmony] ?? Where did Yao Song get the money? Did he sell another house?

[Songyan Ink] I was thinking, how good can it be? But when I clicked on it, I’m sorry, I was wrong. Sob sob sob, it’s really beautiful!

[Berlin Allergy] Is this font designed by Lan Ting! He often designs fonts for movie posters, and his prices are quite expensive. Director Yao, I’ll never call you poor again.

So, when the official account posted another Weibo, it’s no exaggeration to say that the entire Super Topic was shocked.

[Sun Eater Production Team] Thank you to this fan for writing these characters @Brother Lu’s Little Fanboy

In an instant, the number of comments exceeded a thousand.

[Lu-Wei a Hundred Years of Harmony] Holy crap holy crap holy crap! It was actually written by one of our own fans? Damn, it’s so beautifully written.

[Lemon Tea] So it was written by a fan. No wonder, I was wondering where the crew got the money.

[Emotionless Check-in Machine] I love this calligraphy. Ahhhhh, let’s follow each other.

[Jelly Cups] What kind of godly master is this? I looked at my own chicken scratch, and I suddenly feel unworthy of being a fan.

Because the contrast between the two versions of the poster was so great, it even trended on the tail end of the trending topics, saving them a sum on promotional fees.

Lan Ting had just finished a project when he saw the Sun Eater poster trending brightly.

If this wasn’t bought, he would eat his keyboard.

He had been in this industry for four or five years and had designed many movie posters, but not once had one trended on its own.

He clicked on the trending topic.

It was actually written by a fan.

To be honest, it was well-written, especially in contrast to the original poster, which made it seem even more unrestrained and free-spirited. But when he saw the comments below, his face instantly darkened.

[Yunlu] The calligraphy on this poster is so beautiful. It’s running-cursive script, right? I think it’s almost on the same level as Lan Ting.

[Your Account is Gone] Both of them write beautifully, but Lan Ting has a bad reputation in the industry. I heard Sun Eater originally approached him, but he delayed the draft, so they found a fan instead.

[A Glass of Soda] How should I put this? Lan Ting is great with Photoshop, but the fluency and spirit of his characters can’t compare to this master fan.

[Sparkling Wine] I also think this fan’s calligraphy is better.

He certainly didn’t think this fan’s writing was better than his. Otherwise, why hadn’t he seen anyone else looking for this fan? So what if he had a bad reputation for delaying drafts? Plenty of people were begging him to write for them.

Lan Ting angrily turned off his computer.

At that moment, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen.

—Jiang’s Desserts

Another one rushing him for a draft.

He answered the phone and said impatiently, “I’ll try to deliver the draft the day after tomorrow. It’s no use rushing me. Otherwise, you can just cancel the order.”

Lan Ting said this practiced line smoothly. He had always delayed his drafts like this, and it had worked every time.

However, unexpectedly, a voice came from the other end of the line—

“Then let’s cancel the order.”

Lan Ting was stunned.

What on earth was going on today? Why was everyone canceling their orders one after another?

He finally lost his composure.

***

Perhaps because it was trending, Ji Wei’s side account’s private message inbox was flooded with requests for calligraphy, some from large companies. But he had to paint recently and didn’t have time to write, so he replied to all of them with an apology.

Only one message caught his attention.

[Jiang’s Desserts] Can we commission some calligraphy? Besides payment, we will also send you new products every month.

Jiang’s Desserts was a very famous national chain of dessert shops. His idol sometimes had Ying Guanxiao buy their egg tarts.

He pursed his lips, clearly moved by the offer of new products.

[Brother Lu’s Little Fanboy] Yes.

After he settled the cooperation details with Jiang’s Desserts and agreed to deliver the draft tomorrow, he turned off his phone.

When he walked out of the study, Lu Shenxing and Huang Bo were in the living room.

There was another person.

—It was Meng Hao.

He sat on the sofa without a word. Only when he saw him did he suddenly raise his head.

“Is something wrong?” Ji Wei asked in confusion.

Meng Hao glanced at Huang Bo, his eyes revealing a hint of doubt.

“He can be trusted.”

Ji Wei nodded at him.

Meng Hao retracted his gaze and got straight to the point. “The director of the Yancheng Public Security Bureau was attacked and killed today.”

“I know about that. He was stabbed in the heart with a knife by a recently released prisoner,” Huang Bo remembered. “What a pity.”

Meng Hao shook his head. “He knew he might die yesterday.”

But he still went to the train station without hesitation.

“He died while tracking a fifty-year-old murder case,” Meng Hao said after a moment of silence. “I think the deceased is related to you.”

“The deceased woman’s surname was Lin, from the most famous Lin family in South China. He believed she didn’t die in a car accident, but was murdered. The murderer is Lin Yishan.”

“Lin Yishan?” Lu Shenxing suddenly raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the answer.

“Who is he?”

Ji Wei had a faint guess that the deceased woman was his maternal grandmother. Ye Lang called her “A-Jing.” She must have been a very quiet girl when she was young.

Although there was no evidence, he felt that the one who killed his grandmother was Lin Yiqiu.

“Your grandmother’s younger brother.”

As expected, Huang Bo said concisely, “He seems like a rather timid person.”

One could imagine that after returning from Russia, Huang Bo and the others had been investigating matters related to the Lin family.

“Be careful.” Meng Hao didn’t say much more, but stood up and left.

“Thank you.” Ji Wei stood up to see him off.

Meng Hao’s footsteps paused for a moment.

He really shouldn’t have come today.

Reason told him he should distance himself from Fang Miao. Who knew if he would be the next to die? But he was worried. What if he had delayed his warning by a day and something happened to Ji Wei?

He didn’t like being indebted to others.

As he walked out of Hua Ting, he continued to immerse himself in the darkness.

After seeing Meng Hao off, Huang Bo, who was usually all smiles, frowned for a rare moment. “Could Lin Yishan have planned that incident in Kolis? He doesn’t have the guts.” Huang Bo made a definitive statement.

“What happened?” Ji Wei’s heart lurched with panic.

“You were just being followed,” Lu Shenxing said lightly.

Ji Wei looked at Huang Bo.

Huang Bo coughed, afraid of scaring Ji Wei, so he only said, “Don’t worry, Weiwei. It’s nothing serious.”

“I’ll get you the Lin family’s file later.”

Ji Wei nodded lightly and went back to his room to take a shower.

Because of the matter with Lin Yishan, he couldn’t concentrate. After he finished his shower and turned off the showerhead, he realized he had forgotten to bring his pajamas.

His head, which had been a bit fuzzy from the hot shower, suddenly cleared up.

He heard the bedroom door close and raised his voice to ask, “Could you help me get my pajamas?”

Because there was a glass door separating him from the sink area, and the bathroom door on top of that, his voice wasn’t low, but he wasn’t sure if Lu Shenxing had heard him.

Just as he was about to ask again, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

The sound of a man’s footsteps grew closer.

Ji Wei’s heart suddenly leaped into his throat. He wasn’t wearing anything.

Fortunately, the steam completely covered the frosted glass door, so apart from a blurry silhouette, nothing could be seen.

Even so, the tips of his ears couldn’t help but turn red. He said in a small voice, “You can just put the pajamas on the door handle.”

Lu Shenxing gave a flat “mhm.”

A moment later—

There was the sound of clothes being piled up.

The figure in front of the glass door also left.

He breathed a sigh of relief and finally found the courage to push open the door. But before he could get his pajamas, the man happened to walk in from outside the bathroom with a clean bath towel.

Caught off guard—

The man’s gaze fell upon his body, moving slowly downward, inch by inch.

Finally, it stopped.

He froze under the gaze, his mind going blank. He couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you say you’d just put the pajamas on the door handle?”

“Did I say I couldn’t be here?” Lu Shenxing calmly retorted.

“No…” Ji Wei was at a loss for words and shook his head.

“Come here—” The man lowered his gaze, paused, and then spoke unhurriedly, “Big brother will dry you.”

How could he…

His face immediately turned red, a blush spreading from his earlobes to his cheeks. He was about to shake his head, but who knew that the man would then ask him so gently, “Okay?”

His legs went weak on the spot.