Chapter 112: Love Game (13)

Chapter 112: Love Game (13)

◎ [Two in One] Even if it means a thousand cuts, he would willingly endure. ◎

The corridor leading to the rooftop was sealed off, but with surveillance as evidence, in the eyes of the public, this was a "suicide" case. Auntie Li indeed fell minutes after the debt collectors had completely left the building, and there were no signs of binding or abuse on the body.

The impact of suicide versus homicide is entirely different. The former might cause fear or concern about property values dropping among those superstitious of ghosts, but the latter would create panic throughout the entire apartment complex.

Therefore, life in the apartment continued with little disruption, apart from shock and sorrow. People still went to work and school as usual.

At this time, the hallway was mostly empty.

From Auntie Li's apartment on the first floor to Huo Xu's on the fourth, Shi Youqing and Bo Huai walked the entire corridor and staircase together.

There were surveillance cameras in the hallways, but none in the stairwells.

Each floor’s hallway was clean, but the stairwells tended to accumulate things like cardboard boxes and discarded items, especially on the third floor where there was an abandoned wardrobe.

Shi Youqing inspected the wardrobe carefully, finding nothing but a few moldy newspapers.

Returning home, Feng Bin and Hao Tianyu were discussing this matter in the living room. Hearing Shi Youqing’s return, they both looked over.

After closing the door, Bo Lai sat down, his gaze fixed on Hao Tianyu: “Are you sure, according to the surveillance, that the doors of Lu Yuzhe and Bai Minglang were not opened from the time of the incident until the police knocked for questioning?”

Hao Tianyu confidently asserted, “I’m sure. And regarding Yan Chuan and Huo Xu, they didn’t come back at all before the incident.”

Shi Youqing nodded, speaking evenly: “There’s an abandoned wardrobe in the stairwell on the third floor that could hide a person. But according to what you said, none of these four had the opportunity to hide there.”

It was a difficult situation, but the young man’s demeanor gradually relaxed as he sank into the sofa. Smiling at Hao Tianyu’s puzzled face, he asked, “Can you get the surveillance footage from these past two days?”

Without hesitation, Hao Tianyu replied, “Yes!” Continuing, he added, “The police have already contacted Aunt Li’s son. He’s a terrible person, always hiding abroad. But now that his mother died, supposedly because of him, he has to come back. He’s expected to arrive tomorrow…”

The room fell silent, each pondering how exactly Aunt Li was murdered.

Apart from Shi Youqing, the other three, including Bo Lai, had individual tasks and couldn’t stay long. Before leaving, Bo Lai suddenly asked in a low voice, “Are you going to Bai Minglang’s band performance today?”

Shi Youqing looked up, smiling: “You just reminded me, it’s today, isn’t it?”

Even though he was aware of it, he still seemed apprehensive. Bo Lai gave him a glance, then a brief look at the opposite door before leaving silently.

Shi Youqing didn’t leave the apartment all morning. When he went to the balcony for some fresh air, Lu Yuzhe was also there, looking lost, staring blankly at the ground below.

Lu Yuzhe didn’t even notice Shi Youqing approaching.

“You’re here too?” Shi Youqing greeted him first.

The man seemed startled, turning his head abruptly to look at him.

Shi Youqing looked puzzled: "What's wrong?"

“Sorry… I got startled when you suddenly appeared.”

Shi Youqing, understanding that heavy thoughts can make one oblivious to their surroundings, asked, “What’s bothering you? It’s not about Aunt Li’s incident, is it?”

The man tensed up, nodding after a long pause: “I didn’t expect her to suddenly jump… She always seemed like an optimistic old lady.”

Shi Youqing followed his lead: “With such a son, it’s indeed a hard life…”

Lu Yuzhe fell silent.

Shi Youqing looked at him and said, "At first, when I heard about Auntie Li’s fall, I thought it was a homicide."

His gaze immediately shifted over.

Shi Youqing brushed his disheveled hair back, a look of contemplation on his face, "In fact, I heard yesterday that Auntie Li's son had debts. When I heard about her accident today, especially with the creditors' visit, I thought she had been killed by them... Only later did I learn that wasn’t the case."

"I heard too. Auntie Li fell after those people left the apartment," Lu Yuzhe said somberly, "I never expected such a thing to happen."

Shi Youqing turned and sat in the rocking chair, asking over his shoulder, "I heard you’re a university lecturer. Don’t you have classes today?"

Lu Yuzhe gazed into the distance, "I took a few days off after my family’s disturbance. I’ve been feeling troubled lately... thought I’d take a break."

Shi Youqing made a sound of acknowledgment, rubbing his eyes as he felt sleepy in the rocking chair.

After dozing off for a while and regaining his energy, the man on the neighboring balcony had already disappeared.

Shi Youqing looked up at the updated character page, noting that Lu Yuzhe’s favorability had increased by 5 points.

He had been watching the numbers above Lu Yuzhe's head before nodding off and knew the increase happened while he was asleep in the chair.

He must have been mistaken for a dead person in his sleeping position!

Shi Youqing got up with mixed feelings and went back inside.

Bo Huai couldn't return for lunch, so he ordered a signature dish from a nearby restaurant for him.

It was his favorite flavor; he enjoyed the meal thoroughly. Then Bai Minglang came knocking, informing him the performance would start in the afternoon and they needed to leave in an hour.

"Alright, I got it."

Bai Minglang, seemingly unaffected by Auntie Li’s death, left cheerfully.

Shi Youqing ate an apple in the living room and had a milkshake, feeling a bit full. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

After walking for a while, he opened the door and walked down to Yanchuan’s room at the end of the hall.

He tentatively knocked on the door.

The door swiftly opened.

Inside, it was pitch-dark. Yanchuan appeared to have been catching up on sleep, looking haggard with dark circles under his eyes. He wasn’t particularly surprised to see him, "You looking for me?"

Shi Youqing got straight to the point, "Were you the one who saw Wang Fan off the day he left the apartment?"

Yanchuan furrowed his brows and remained silent.

Shi Youqing pressed, "Was it you?"

Yanchuan stared at him, taking a deep breath, "If you think it was, then sure."

Shi Youqing: "..."

He hadn’t expected to get a straight answer from Yanchuan. With their differing alignments, if this information was crucial, Yanchuan would be even less likely to divulge it.

However, his expression had already given Shi Youqing an understanding.

This matter probably wasn’t as significant as he thought.

At three in the afternoon, Shi Youqing and Bai Minglang went to the pub to watch the band perform.

Knowing they would take the subway the entire way, Shi Youqing felt more at ease.

The pub owner seemed to be Bai Minglang's friend and warmly welcomed Shi Youqing after Bai Minglang introduced him.

Bai Minglang went backstage to prepare with his teammates.

Once seated, Shi Youqing accepted a cocktail from the owner, listening as he chatted away.

Several of Bai Minglang’s acquaintances were around, all quite talkative. In such situations, Shi Youqing didn’t need to initiate conversation; he just listened attentively.

In the midst of the laughter, the pub owner glanced at Shi Youqing with a teasing look, "Honestly, young man, are you Minglang's boyfriend?"

Shi Youqing was taken aback, feigning surprise, "Boyfriend?"

The others, who had been excitedly awaiting his response, looked somewhat disappointed.

Their reaction clearly indicated they had no idea Bai Minglang was gay.

"Sorry about that," the pub owner said awkwardly, "I didn’t realize you were just friends... I just assumed since he hasn’t brought any new friends here except for that Wang Fan... I thought..."

Shi Youqing got exactly what he was looking for from this conversation: "Wang Fan? Was he Bai Minglang's ex-boyfriend?"

"It's a bit complicated to say..." the owner sipped his drink, "We all thought he was his boyfriend at first, but then we found out..."

"Found out he never caught up!" chimed in someone, flush with drink and slurring slightly, "Wang Fan had someone else in mind... Bai Minglang was really down about it for a while. But he must have truly liked Wang Fan; he even learned to swim because Wang Fan liked it, despite being a complete novice himself..."

Swimming?

Shi Youqing continued to listen intently.

"Stop talking nonsense when you're drunk," the owner chided, playfully slapping him, "Be careful or Minglang will hear you and punch you."

The man just hummed and shifted to another topic.

Shi Youqing maintained a polite smile throughout.

The drunken man’s words seemed genuine. Although the owner told him not to talk nonsense, it was clear he meant not to speak at all.

Those words effectively contradicted Bai Minglang’s narrative, presenting a starkly different picture.

It was Bai Minglang, not Wang Fan, who had wanted to shift from friends to lovers.

Could Yanchuan's claim that Wang Fan was afraid of Bai Minglang be related to this?

Shi Youqing didn’t drink alcohol. He had brought a thermos in his backpack, occasionally eating some fruits and only drinking from the thermos when thirsty.

Initially, everyone was focused on the performance, until someone blurted out, "Damn, that's some serious health maintenance!"

After that, all eyes turned toward him.

Shi Youqing remained unperturbed, screwing the lid back on his thermos and looking up at them, "What's up?"

The onlookers, slightly embarrassed, replied hesitantly, "Nothing, nothing..."

His pale complexion was already noticeable, and when he pulled out the thermos, someone sharp-eyed spotted a pillbox inside, quickly understanding. The more they looked at him, the harder it was to look away. A few men who were close friends began whispering and started to attentively offer their help.

Shi Youqing watched Bai Minglang sing onstage intently, and in a blink, people had crowded around him.

"You're called Youqing, right? We have hot water here too. I’ll go refill it for you."

"Why drink plain water? I just had someone bring in a cup of hot milk tea for you, Youqing. Milk tea should be okay, right? I see you need to take medicine..."

"No problem," Shi Youqing replied without shifting his gaze from the stage, his eyelashes slightly lowered, "Thanks."

The others were captivated by the young man’s profile.

As the performance ended, not only did the milk tea arrive, but also a variety of snacks.

When Bai Minglang approached, he saw Shi Youqing surrounded by people, his hands filled with a cup of milk tea and assorted healthy snacks. One person was insisting, “Why let him hold all that? It’s inconvenient, let me carry them...”

Bai Minglang pushed through the crowd, “What are you doing? Bullying my friend?!”

“What are you talking about? Who would dare!” the owner chuckled, “Alright, stop bothering him, don’t scare off the new guy.”

Shi Youqing wasn’t frightened; he stuffed the snacks he couldn't hold into his bag to take home.

Bai Minglang suggested, “It’s getting dark; let’s have dinner together.”

The others immediately agreed with enthusiasm.

Bai Minglang’s teammates also joined, curiously eyeing Shi Youqing.

Bai Minglang turned to Shi Youqing, “You’re free tonight, right?”

Shi Youqing, having packed away the snacks, answered, “I’m free.”

Bai Minglang, visibly pleased, pulled him up, and the favorability meter above his head rose to 30.

“Do you have any dietary restrictions?” Bai Minglang asked.

“Just nothing too spicy.”

“Alright!”

The group left amidst laughter and chatter. As Shi Youqing walked, he suddenly felt someone staring at him from behind.

He turned his head amidst the noise.

At the farthest corner of the room, Bo Huai also stood up, expressionless or rather, forcefully masking his murderous intent... blending into the crowd, following in his direction.

Shi Youqing: "..."

The dining venue was near the pub.

Inside the private room, Shi Youqing sat inside while Bai Minglang and the others chatted and ate.

Seeing that no one was using the communal chopsticks, some of them immediately started serving Shi Youqing.

Eventually, someone couldn't hold back and quietly inquired Bai Minglang about Shi Youqing.

Bai Minglang’s expression changed almost instantly, addressing the guitarist who was probing about Shi Youqing, "What's the matter? He's not really your boyfriend, is he?"

"Stop talking nonsense," Bai Minglang was clearly displeased, "Let's just eat."

The table gradually quieted down.

Shi Youqing, realizing the awkwardness stemmed from him, was quite pleased and stayed silent, focusing on his meal.

The guitarist, feeling slighted, blurted out, "Really! If I knew it would be like this, I might as well have asked Youqing directly!"

He then looked towards Shi Youqing.

Shi Youqing responded with an innocent smile.

Bai Minglang, drinking and head bowed, looked visibly upset.

The guitarist continued, "I think you're just upset about your own love life and don’t want us to be happy... About that Wang Fan before..."

Suddenly, Bai Minglang slammed the table, his face darkening, "You dare to go on?"

Already quite drunk, Bai Minglang’s reaction was fierce, and the guitarist, not backing down, retorted, "What about Wang Fan? Can't we talk about it? You couldn’t get him, and now you’re making trouble for us? Really..."

Bai Minglang lunged at him.

Everyone was shocked, not expecting a fight to break out before the meal was even finished.

Calm and collected, Shi Youqing moved to a safer distance, away from the fray, bowed his head, and started playing a game on his phone.

To the onlookers, the young man seemed frightened, unsure of what to do, awkwardly fiddling with his phone in the corner, his face pale and looking pitiful.

The others, unable to bear the sight, tried to break up the fight while scolding, "Are you guys crazy? We were just getting to know a new friend, and look how you’ve scared him! Is this how you treat friends? And you, if you wanted to know him, you should've asked yourself. Look how embarrassed you’ve made Youqing!"

The man, initially intent on continuing the fight, halted upon hearing this and hurriedly looked at Shi Youqing, who was hanging his head down. His heart softened, and he quickly got up to apologize, "Hey, don't be scared, this is my fault! I'm sorry, it won’t happen again… Please don’t cry."

？

Cry for you? Shi Youqing, perplexed, continued playing his game.

Seeing his nonchalant reaction, the man grew anxious, "You won’t hate me now, will you? Ah, I really messed up..."

While the others were busy calming Bai Minglang, the two of them were alone at the table.

Shi Youqing looked up to see the man's face flushed red, smiling sheepishly at him.

He lifted his phone, showing his number, and whispered so only the two could hear, "If you want to apologize, let's talk about it later."

The man paused, then quickly grasped the situation, jotting down the number eagerly, "Right, now’s not the time. I'll definitely apologize properly later!"

Amidst the noisy attempts to break up the fight, the staff arrived, with the pub owner stepping in to mediate.

Seizing the opportunity, Shi Youqing stood up, "You all continue. I'm full, I’ll head back."

The group gathered to persuade him to stay, but seeing his resolve, they didn’t press further.

Bai Minglang, still tipsy but lucid, followed Shi Youqing out of the room, "Let me walk you partway."

Shi Youqing declined, "No need, continue with your friends. I need to take my medication, some of which I didn’t bring."

His words, free from any hint of grievance, nevertheless made Bai Minglang uncomfortable.

"I shouldn't have acted that way. It wasn't about you. My past with Wang Fan is complicated, and those guys don’t understand, they just stir things up. I lost my temper..."

"I understand," Shi Youqing seemed very easy-going, "I think you guys should talk. Although I don’t know Wang Fan, if he was a good friend of yours, he must be a good person. There might be some misunderstandings. Meeting and talking might resolve things, maybe even mend your friendship."

Bai Minglang stopped, looking at him.

Shi Youqing continued walking.

Bai Minglang, unable to help himself, laughed and stepped in front of Shi Youqing, "Don’t you think what you just said sounds like a child?"

Shi Youqing looked up, "Friendship should be like that of children."

Bai Minglang paused, taken aback.

Shi Youqing added, "Friendships shouldn't be complicated. If they are, maybe it’s a sign you don’t want to be friends anymore."

Bai Minglang paused for a few seconds, then said, "I understand what you mean, but things with Wang Fan... they really can’t be mended."

Shi Youqing acknowledged with an 'Oh', seeing that Bai Minglang had nothing more to say, he waved and said, "I’m really going now."

Bai Minglang stood still, watching him leave.

Shi Youqing looked up at the character panel.

[Bai Minglang Favorability: 40]

A 10-point increase, not bad.

Crossing the traffic light and turning a corner, once certain he was out of Bai Minglang’s view, Shi Youqing stopped at a corner.

As he expected, within a minute, hurried footsteps approached.

Shi Youqing was about to pop out to startle him, but was instead suddenly embraced and lifted up in one swift motion.

Shi Youqing let out a low exclamation, glancing down at him.

Bo Huai held him against the corner, not doing anything else, just holding him.

The man’s breath was hot, his heartbeat rapid, his head buried in Shi Youqing's shoulder. This prevented Shi Youqing from seeing his face, which was contorted with jealousy. Bo Huai’s other hand gently brushed the places others had touched.

Coming back to his senses, Shi Youqing, still feeling triumphant, said, "I saw you at the pub."

Bo Huai hummed in response, "Youqing is always so clever."

Shi Youqing smiled, thinking Bo Huai would set him down, but instead, he continued to hold him for a while before finally looking up.

His eyes were bloodshot, but his expression remained relatively calm.

Thinking Bo Huai was tired, Shi Youqing sighed, "Did you come here after work?"

Bo Huai hummed again, not revealing the truth.

His solo mission today required a full day. Knowing Shi Youqing was going to Bai Minglang’s performance, he tried to take the day off but wasn’t successful. He later found a loophole in the employee handbook stating that an injury allowed for work to stop. He then staged an "accidental injury" in front of his boss.

Now, his palm had a nail-inflicted wound, already disinfected and bandaged. Wearing gloves, the injury was hidden from Shi Youqing’s view.

"Did you see them fighting?" Shi Youqing asked with a playful smile, "A bunch of guys causing drama; it was quite a spectacle."

Under the streetlight, Bo Huai gazed at Shi Youqing's fair neck and curved eyes, momentarily mesmerized. He then turned his head and set Shi Youqing down, "I'll carry you."

The walk to the subway station wasn't far, and Shi Youqing, accustomed to the gesture, comfortably leaned on Bo Huai's back, softly sharing the day's experiences.

Feeling the tickling sensation in his ear from Shi Youqing's close whispers, Bo Huai experienced a tingling sensation that seemed to travel down his spine. Yet, whenever Shi Youqing leaned back, Bo Huai felt an instant emptiness.

After Shi Youqing finished recounting, Bo Huai shared serious information: "The three NPCs who heard Auntie Li with me that day have been checked. They have had no prior contact with the four main characters and only arrived recently as interns."

Shi Youqing didn't suspect those interns to be accomplices. Considering the murderer's method of silencing Auntie Li, who was desperate for money, the fact that they chose to kill her indicated a distrust in anyone and a reluctance to leave any loose ends.

At that moment, his phone rang.

Shi Youqing took out his phone, accidentally brushing against Bo Huai's palm. Bo Huai paused briefly in his steps before continuing.

Shi Youqing glanced at him and then answered the call.

It was Feng Bin, reporting that Lu Yuzhe received numerous parcels, seemingly from online shopping, buying a lot of items.

"Okay, I got it."

After the call, Shi Youqing’s thoughts returned to Auntie Li’s case.

Initially, Auntie Li was gossiping with Bo Huai and three other NPCs about Wang Fan and those men...

Contemplating this, Shi Youqing turned off his phone and looked again at Bo Huai's gloved hand, "Why are you suddenly wearing gloves?"

"It’s for work today, I forgot to take them off."

Not convinced, Shi Youqing pressed, "Take them off now, then."

Bo Huai hesitated.

Having reached the subway entrance, Shi Youqing got down from his back, silently observing him.

Bo Huai removed his gloves, revealing bandaged hands. Shi Youqing frowned.

Bo Huai explained, "I got it at work, it didn’t bleed much, it’s nothing serious."

Shi Youqing inquired, "Does your work stop immediately if there's an injury?"

Bo Huai remained silent.

Shi Youqing, frowning deeply, gave him another glance and stepped onto the escalator.

Bo Huai quickly followed, supporting him from behind, "Youqing..."

"Don't do this again," Shi Youqing said firmly, lips pressed tightly together, causing Bo Huai’s heart to tighten, but then he added, "You could have just used red ink to pretend, no need to get hurt."

Bo Huai felt a mix of amusement and thrill at his words.

In his haste to follow Shi Youqing, he hadn’t considered such alternatives; besides, such minor injuries were nothing to him.

Yet, no matter how trivial, it mattered to Youqing that he was hurt.

Entering the subway car, there were no seats.

Bo Huai encircled Shi Youqing with one arm, holding onto a handrail with the other.

Shi Youqing, who had been facing away, suddenly turned and studied Bo Huai's hand, his gaze softening into a gentle smile that was impossible to ignore, "See, if you had stayed calm, you wouldn't have needed to get hurt... Does it still hurt?"

The world seemed to fall silent.

Bo Huai gazed at him, his eyes reddening intensely but his extended hands tenderly and carefully pulling Shi Youqing into an embrace.

—He never felt the pain; if it meant keeping Shi Youqing close, even a thousand cuts would be bearable.

[Author's Note]

Thanks to the angels who sent landmines: Chatting Under the Covers with Wendy, A Roll of Steel Wool 1;

Thanks to the angels who watered with nutrient solution: Disagreeing with Non-CN Author 10 bottles; Xiu Ying 1 bottle;

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!