Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Zhou Xu lay sprawled on the sofa in the billiards hall, staring blankly at the ceiling, his expression vacant.

It was still morning, and only the staff were practicing, the crisp clacks of balls echoing around. Someone had come over to ask if Bro Xu wanted to join, but Ding Yong, gripping a cue, waved them off, saying, "Don’t bother him, the guy’s not right in the head."

A while later, Ding Yong turned to Zhou Xu with a frown. "Damn, you didn’t even react when I insulted you. What’s wrong?"

There was a reaction, albeit a subtle one. Zhou Xu dug out a cigarette from the pack, clamped it between his lips without lighting it, and continued his zoned-out trance, one arm dangling off the leather sofa, his whole demeanor utterly dejected.

He hadn’t seen Fang Bingxue in three days.

That ungrateful little shit hadn’t even sent him a single message. The car was still parked outside, and Zhou Xu would wander over occasionally, peering through the window. The golden cabbage in the cup holder was still impossible to miss, and there was a fancy-looking bag on the back seat—no telling what was in it? Zhou Xu mused that maybe, just maybe, it was something for him.

The sandstorms kept coming, coating the car in grime. Zhou Xu covered it with a dust cover, squatting beside it to smoke, his feelings all mixed up.

This morning was no different. He was spaced out, cigarette in hand, when he caught sight of a passerby out of the corner of his eye—a woman with a slight baby bump. Zhou Xu stubbed out his cigarette and gave a half-hearted wave in the air. The woman noticed and brightened. "Hey, Bro Xu?"

"I’m family from the Riverside Police Station. We met last time!"

Zhou Xu had been out of sorts these past few days. He stood up and nodded. "Oh, right."

She didn’t mind his distracted response, smiling as she greeted him before walking away. It wasn’t until she was several steps ahead that Zhou Xu suddenly realized. "Oh, you’re that cop’s wife!"

"Yeah," she turned back, looking him over with concern. "What’s up with you?"

It was nothing. Just that Zhou Xu’s face abruptly flushed red.

Late June in the northwest was blistering hot, so hot his head felt like it was steaming. Zhou Xu went home and took a cold shower, but it didn’t help. The scent of gardenias was everywhere, unbearable.

So he ended up at the billiards hall, not sleeping, not speaking, just staring vacantly at the ceiling.

Depressed. His mind was filled with Fang Bingxue—annoyed, thinking how could that little jerk be so cruel, how could he treat him like this? But the more he thought, the softer his heart grew. Fang Bingxue was just so… beautiful. He liked him.

It was just a shame he was a cop…

But then again, that night, under the police car’s headlights illuminating the drizzle, Fang Bingxue had stood tall, smiling faintly at him—so damn handsome.

"...What’re you thinking about?" Ding Yong plopped onto the sofa beside him. "Grinning like an idiot."

Zhou Xu stopped smiling, sitting up to light his cigarette. "Nothing."

Being the good bro he was, Ding Yong went straight for the sore spot, playing with his beads on his wrist. "Did you get dumped? I remember you said something was brewing lately. What, got played for a fool?"

He clicked his tongue, reaching out to pat Zhou Xu’s cheek dramatically. "Poor Xu, our Xu finally finds love, only to wither alone?"

Zhou Xu kept the cigarette between his lips, ignoring him.

Ding Yong then grabbed Zhou Xu’s hand, talking such filthy trash the younger staff nearby burst out laughing. "Look at these calluses, breaks my heart to see…"

Zhou Xu yanked his hand back. "Fuck off."

"Seriously," Ding Yong chuckled. "If you’ve got girl troubles, don’t bottle it up. We brothers can help figure it out. You’re too green."

With that, he swiped a cigarette from Zhou Xu’s pack and lit up.

The word "naive" almost made Zhou Xu laugh, but his heart was too heavy these past few days to show it.

Ding Yong continued, "Don’t take it the wrong way. You might act all tough outside, but in relationships? One clever schemer, and you’ll be taken for everything you've got."

Zhou Xu exhaled a smoke ring, squinting. "Don't give a shit."

"Sometimes I can’t be bothered with you," Ding Yong sighed, as if his point was proven. "You just keep everything locked up. How long can you hold out? When are you gonna bring someone home to meet us?"

Zhou Xu shot him a silent glance, thinking, *I already did. You’ve seen him. He’s perfect. I’m crazy about him.*

But the back-and-forth banter eased the weight in Zhou Xu’s chest a little. He patted Ding Yong’s shoulder. "...Got it."

Ding Yong asked, "You sure?"

Zhou Xu: "Mhm."

"Alright," Ding Yong, slightly older, couldn’t resist teasing. "Just remember to treat us to dinner when you introduce us to your ‘wife.’ I wanna see what goddess has you like this…"

Zhou Xu stubbed out his cigarette, saying nothing.

By now, he’d figured most of it out—Fang Bingxue’s background, why he said he had to leave, the origins of his scars. The only thing left was the "martyrdom" part Fang Bingxue hadn’t explained. But Zhou Xu didn’t want to ask anyone else. He needed to hear it from Fang Bingxue himself.

Still, he was still pissed. He was mad at Fang Bingxue.

"...Really?"

Fang Bingxue stood in the courtyard, a shit-eating grin playing on his lips. "Bro Xu’s mad at me?"

It wasn’t until the evening of the fourth day that he finally appeared before Zhou Xu.

He must’ve taken a quick shower before coming. Tired red veins webbed his eyes, his freshly washed hair sticking up every which way, his shirt slightly wrinkled—clearly unpressed. A light pink one, of all things, paired with a tie that made his skin look even paler, his beauty even more striking.

Zhou Xu kept his back to him, wordlessly watering the flowers.

After a while, hearing no sound behind him, he couldn’t help but glance back.

Fang Bingxue had grabbed a handful of lychees from the table and was peeling them, looking up only when he noticed Zhou Xu’s gaze. "Where’d you get these? They’re so sweet. I haven’t seen any this good at the county supermarket."

Zhou Xu: "..."

After a long silence, he resumed watering the flowers with an almost furious determination.

Fang Bingxue had asked Lao Yan to give him a ride. That night, when he’d said, *You sleep first*, Lao Yan had overheard and taken the chance to ask, "You renting from him?"

"No," Fang Bingxue had smiled then. "Just hanging out with Zhou Xu."

Lao Yan didn’t push it, merely remarking, "That’s good. Zhou Xu’s a good guy."

Damn decent. Even this angry, he’d still prepared fruit in advance, thinking of Fang Bingxue’s return.

His heart was a mess.

After finishing the lychees, Fang Bingxue washed his hands at the nearby sink before edging closer with a grin. "Bro Xu..."

Bro Xu ignored him.

The roses on the branches quivered slightly, disturbed by the evening breeze. The sky hadn’t fully darkened yet, the horizon still tinged with last golden light.

"You’re mad at me," Fang Bingxue stood behind Zhou Xu, chin tilted up. "Bro Xu’s unhappy."

The broad back remained silent.

Fang Bingxue moved in closer, resting his forehead against Zhou Xu’s back. "Doesn't matter. You're mad, that's all. Doesn't mean you've stopped liking me."

At his words, Zhou Xu couldn't take it anymore and immediately turned around: "I—"

But Fang Bingxue didn’t let him hug him, instead, he dodged back half a step: "Oh, willing to talk to me now?"

"No," Zhou Xu’s Adam’s apple bobbed, "who wants to talk to you? Annoying."

Fang Bingxue said, "Then who are you talking to right now?"

"Talking to myself, like a dog," Zhou Xu scowled, "What’s the matter? Didn’t you say they’re all my brothers, easy to chat with?"

"Wow, someone's touchy," Fang Bingxue burst out laughing, "Man, I swear... Bro Xu, you kill me."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he’d misspoken and immediately tried to smooth things over: "Ahem, okay okay, no more teasing. I need to explain—back at the very beginning, I was with Wang Chuan…"

Zhou Xu glared at him coldly: "Who’s Wang Chuan?"

"The one you thought was my ex," Fang Bingxue said, "Didn’t you take me to that restaurant to catch him cheating? Turns out they're married, we were just putting on a show, haha…"

He laughed for a while before finally stepping forward and burying his head against Zhou Xu’s chest: "Bro Xu, I was wrong."

Zhou Xu pressed a hand against his forehead and pushed him away: "No, you weren’t. You weren’t wrong at all."

Fang Bingxue was shameless tonight, clinging to Zhou Xu’s waist and refusing to let go. The words struck him as hilarious—*Yikes, he’s really hurt. Gotta coax him properly.*

To be fair, what he’d done was indeed pretty shady. Fang Bingxue fessed up to his mistakes, standing his ground even if it meant taking a beating, and now he was squirming like a worm in Zhou Xu’s arms: "Bro Xu, forgive me!"

The guy had absolutely no shame. While his mouth was apologizing, his attitude was anything but sincere. As he squirmed, he even had the audacity to sneak in some groping on Zhou Xu’s chest.

Zhou Xu’s ears turned red as he grabbed his wandering hands: "Fang Bingxue!"

Fang Bingxue immediately responded: "Yeah!"

Then he tilted his head up, blinking his eyes, instantly melting Zhou Xu’s resolve. He guessed Fang Bingxue hadn’t slept well these past few days—he looked exhausted, his eyes all bleary.

Zhou Xu’s face darkened. He’d originally wanted to scold him, *You’ve got no heart*, but worried it might be too harsh, so he swallowed the words, lips pressed tightly together.

"I’ll behave now," Fang Bingxue let Zhou Xu hold his wrist, smiling, "I’ll properly apologize. I’m sorry, I really was wrong. You’re the bigger man, forgive me."

His attitude finally turned earnest, his voice soft. Zhou Xu had been holding back, but the anger in his heart had long since dissipated. After a moment of silence, he reached out and pinched Fang Bingxue’s cheek: "Don’t do this again."

Fang Bingxue said, "Yeah, got it."

Then he yawned: "Bro Xu, I’m sleepy. My head hurts. I need to go lie down."

"Have you eaten? Want something light first?" Zhou Xu quickly steadied Fang Bingxue’s shoulder, "Go wash up and brush your teeth. I’ll tidy the bed."

Fang Bingxue grumbled half-asleep, still cracking jokes even as Zhou Xu nudged him toward the bathroom: "I wore my good threads today. How do I look?"

Usually, he only dressed like this for undercover missions, going undercover with perps. Today, despite being dead tired, he’d dragged himself together to look presentable before meeting Zhou Xu, hoping to earn some brownie points while smoothing things over.

Zhou Xu squeezed toothpaste onto the brush: "Yeah, handsome."

"I look best in my police uniform," Fang Bingxue said, "Back in school, my photo was always on the promotional flyers."

In the mirror, the two locked eyes for a moment—and both laughed. It was the first time tonight that Zhou Xu had smiled in Fang Bingxue’s presence.

"Don’t believe it," he handed over the toothbrush, "You must’ve been top of your class too, that’s why they picked you."

Fang Bingxue was already half-asleep, but perked up at this: "Hell yeah. Top of my class."

Zhou Xu loved this side of him—openly confident in his abilities, a bit of a show-off, but unapologetically so. No hiding it. At first, he’d pretended to be some shrinking violet in front of Zhou Xu, but it hadn’t taken long for the act to crumble, revealing his true, real bratty self.

Fang Bingxue had that kind of face, but his essence was aggressive. Even when at a disadvantage, he still grinned with wild, unrestrained boldness—just like now.

He turned, slumping against the counter, not taking the toothbrush Zhou Xu had prepared.

Instead, lazily: "Too tired. Do it for me."

Then, Fang Bingxue tipped his head back slightly and opened his mouth, like a kid at the dentist.