Chapter 76 15

Chapter 76 15

He Lin was still stunned.

Li Shang shouted toward the doorway, and a toolbox slid along the floor, stopping not far from them.

Moments later, several SWAT team members rushed in, dragging the handcuffed Shi Luoxin away.

Xie Liner was sobbing continuously, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face: "Don't worry about me anymore, just leave me... Tell my mom I love her..."

This was the last chance to evacuate.

Should they abandon the girl before them?

He Lin couldn't bear to watch her die.

He stared intently at the countdown bomb on the girl's chest, and a memory surfaced in his mind.

He had defused a similar bomb before; the design wasn’t complex.

He was highly confident he could do it and decided to gamble on it...

He Lin made his choice in a split second.

"There's still time, don’t say a word! Don’t move!" He Lin reassured Xie Liner while turning to take tools from the toolbox. He loosened the screws with a screwdriver and began disassembling the remaining components of the bomb one by one.

Although He Lin wasn’t a professional bomb disposal expert, he had participated in the international SWAT all-skills competition, which included a bomb disposal module. He had studied it systematically, had a strong interest and talent for it, and later, He Yuan had even taught him some methods.

The initial disassembly phase went smoothly. The disassembly was almost complete, and he could already see the internal structure of the countdown bomb.

At the same time, the countdown was winding down—less than two minutes left.

He Lin worked swiftly. The earlier steps had gone well, but he hesitated as he looked at the maze of wires. Which ones should he cut?

This was the most critical step in bomb disposal.

The wires in this type of countdown bomb were of three kinds: power, timer, and trigger wires. Color-coding was the least reliable method; one had to study the internal structure.

Cutting the wrong wire could set off the bomb.

He Lin’s scissor-holding hand began to tremble. Sweat beaded on his brow as he stared intently at the complex wires, his lips pursed tightly.

He’d trained years earlier, and later, due to a head injury, he had suffered partial memory loss.

At this critical moment, his mind went completely blank.

He couldn’t tell them apart...

The wires before him swam before his eyes. He Lin pressed fingers to his temple; his brain throbbed with pain.

"I studied this... He Yuan taught me..." He tried to calm himself, breathing deeply to regulate his emotions, but the more he did, the more his head felt like it was about to explode.

The seconds ticked down. It was out of time! It was almost too late!

Xie Liner began sobbing quietly again.

Panic surged through him, his heart hammering out of control.

As he turned to grab a tool, he suddenly saw Li Shang still standing there.

He Lin had assumed Li Shang had evacuated with the SWAT team, but he had actually been standing not far away, quietly watching him.

He Lin’s heart twisted sharply; the feeling was worse than knowing he might die.

He yelled at Li Shang, "What are you still doing here? Get out!"

"Leaving now is too late." Li Shang acted as if he didn’t even see the bomb.

He walked over and sat down beside him, his voice as calm as ever. He analyzed the situation with extreme rationality: "This isn’t complicated. You’ve almost finished disassembling it; only the final step remains."

He even gave He Lin a smile: "Whether we live or die, I’ll stay with you."

It was indeed too late to go downstairs now. His back injury had flared up, making it hard to move quickly enough to retreat.

Moreover, he couldn’t abandon He Lin.

At a time like this, he hoped even more that He Lin could save the girl in front of them.

Staring at Li Shang’s smile, He Lin didn’t understand how the man could remain so composed in the face of life and death.

He also didn’t know why Li Shang had made such a decision. This wasn’t a task he needed to take on, yet he had chosen to enter this study room and stay.

Was it a sense of duty as an officer, or was there some other reason?

He Lin wanted to calm down and carefully analyze Li Shang’s behavior, desperately wanting to know what reason could make such a rational person make such an irrational decision.

But he had no time left; the bomb’s timer was ticking away second by second.

He Lin’s hands trembled slightly unconsciously. He couldn’t—he couldn’t let anything happen to Li Shang.

Just then, Li Shang took his hand. He Lin could feel that Li Shang’s hand was cool but steady and strong. He said, "Calm down. There’s still time. It’s just about cutting the wires. You can do this."

His words seemed to carry a magical power. He Lin’s head no longer felt like it was splitting open, and his rationality slowly returned.

Li Shang gently squeezed his fingers, his clear voice like a calming chant entering He Lin’s mind: "Don’t be nervous. He Lin, you should remember."

"Don’t be afraid, He Lin. I’m with you."

It was as if something had finally pierced through the fog.

In that moment, He Lin closed his eyes, and He Yuan’s casual voice echoed in his ears: "This type of bomb may look complicated, but it’s actually the simplest..."

"No matter how complex its structure seems, the principle remains the same. The most important part is the power line—it’s the main energy source. First, confirm there’s no backup power or other devices. Cutting it is safe. The timer line connects to the timing chip..."

The countdown bomb before him overlapped with the image in his mind...

He Lin closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. Sweat dripped from his forehead, the blur before his eyes fading away, replaced by clear, distinct wires.

He took a deep breath and quickly moved the scissors in his hand.

He Lin focused entirely, selecting a few wires and decisively cutting them one by one.

The scissors made a clicking sound as they met the wires.

The red numbers flickered and stopped at three seconds.

Three.

Two.

1.

The study room was dead silent; the three people present hadn't moved a muscle, not even the light and shadows showed the slightest change.

No explosion came.

He Lin's shoulders finally dropped, as if he could finally breathe again. His cold sweat had long soaked through his clothes. He thumped his chest a few times, and his heart found its rhythm again.

Li Shang calmly spoke into the radio: "Time's stopped... the bomb has been successfully disarmed. SWAT team, move in for cleanup. Also, get the bomb squad moving—further dismantling is still needed."

Cheers erupted from the other end of the radio.

A minute later, bomb squad members in heavy protective suits entered the study room.

Xie Liner let out a choked sob of relief after surviving the ordeal.

He Lin felt like he was dreaming. Gasping, he staggered to his feet. Once steady, he yanked Li Shang up beside him and asked impatiently, "Why didn't you get out earlier?"

Li Shang looked directly into He Lin's eyes, appearing both weary and gentle: "Because I thought you could do it."

At that moment, He Lin's scattered wits finally returned to him, but he was also stunned by Li Shang's answer. He hadn’t even believed in himself—why was this person so confident in him?

Seeing that the situation was resolved, they moved back to the stairwell together. After a while, Xie Liner was rescued.

Finally out of danger, He Lin let out a sigh of relief and asked Li Shang, "How'd you get here from the bathroom earlier?"

Li Shang turned sideways, his entire figure shrouded in shadow, and did not answer his question.

He Lin glanced at him and only then noticed that Li Shang's face and lips were as pale as silk paper. His brows were slightly furrowed, his dark eyelashes trembling faintly, as if he was fighting through something.

He Lin quickly realized that Li Shang wasn't right. Startled, he called out cautiously, "Li Shang?"

Li Shang's slightly trembling voice replied, "I'm fine, my back's killing me..."

Before he could finish speaking, the person beside him sagged silently. In that final moment, He Lin only had time to catch him and pull him close.

At the sight, He Lin's heart started hammering, even worse than during the bomb disposal.

Li Shang's brows were furrowed, his eyes tightly shut, his breathing shallow and ragged, sweat beading at his temples, but he was still conscious.

Seeing how pale he was, He Lin asked urgently, "Is it just your back? Are you feeling unwell anywhere else?"

Li Shang shook his head slightly. He tightly held onto He Lin, pressing his forehead to his shoulder, closing his eyes for a moment as he waited for the wave of pain to pass.

Previously, He Lin had accompanied him to see Dr. Song and had briefly learned about his condition—knowing there was shrapnel embedded in his spine. It was like a time bomb planted in his body.

He Lin didn't dare move him, worried he'd make it worse.

Li Shang's eyes remained closed for a moment before he opened them and gripped He Lin's arm: "Don't worry... it's much better."

He hesitated before adding, "Can you..."

He wanted He Lin to help him remove his gear. He was still wearing his tactical vest, with firearms and communication equipment hanging from the tactical belt around his waist. These items might not seem heavy, but carrying them all was a real strain.

If he could move, Li Shang would never ask for help, even if it was He Lin. But now, his back hurt so much he couldn’t even lift his arms, and he simply couldn't muster the strength to remove the gear himself.

Although Li Shang didn’t explicitly say it, He Lin seemed to get what he wanted and offered, "If you're feeling a bit better, let me get that gear off you first."

He had wanted to help Li Shang earlier but was afraid any movement might affect his back injury.

Seeing Li Shang nod, He Lin got to work. As soon as the buckle of the tactical belt was released, the pressure around his waist eased immediately.

He Lin had nowhere to put it for the moment, so he hung the belt and equipment on himself. Then, he helped remove the smaller pieces one by one.

When it came to the vest, Li Shang cooperated by lifting his arms and wrapping them around He Lin's neck. He was almost using his arms to hold onto He Lin, whose body was strong and kept him upright.

He Lin supported Li Shang's waist with one hand and used the other to work the zippers and fasteners on both sides of the tactical vest.

Li Shang raised his arms, and as the vest came off, he sagged against He Lin.

Their bodies were pressed close together, the gesture far too intimate.

Reason told Li Shang he should quickly pull away from He Lin.

But pressed against He Lin's chest, feeling his body heat and his strong, steady heartbeat, and having just survived a life-and-death situation, Li Shang found himself lingering in this warmth. Feeling He Lin's breath against his neck, his face grew warm, and he slightly turned his head.

He Lin noticed that Li Shang's inner clothes were soaked with sweat and saw him burying his face against his chest, thinking he was in extreme discomfort.

He removed the radio from Li Shang's ear and, seeing it was still on, asked urgently, "Are the medical personnel on scene yet?"

Startled, Li Shang immediately pushed himself upright and quickly stopped him: "No... it's not necessary." He took the radio and reminded Captain Liu, "Have the medical staff check on the girl who was trapped earlier." Then he promptly ended the call.

He Lin didn’t dare take it lightly but couldn’t argue with him, so he supported Li Shang's waist and confirmed again: "Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?"

He Lin's palms were large, his fingers long. He felt the waist in his grasp was so slender, as if it might break with a little pressure.

Li Shang shook his head: "No, I just got out a few days ago."

He pressed a hand to his lower back and assessed the sensation—there was still some soreness and swelling, but the tearing, severe pain had passed.

Li Shang said softly to He Lin, "Help me downstairs to sit for a while. Resting for half an hour should do the trick."

Once downstairs, He Lin fetched his police uniform from the car and draped it over Li Shang, letting him sit on the edge of the flower bed by the entrance.

Then He Lin discussed the situation with Captain Liu, instructing SWAT to detain and guard the suspect.

Li Shang held his waist, and visibly, the paleness on his face gradually faded, replaced by a touch of color.

His thinking remained quite clear, and he helped He Lin by filling in a few gaps.

Just then, Fang Jue arrived and immediately rushed forward as if to hug Li Shang and cry.

He Lin grabbed him and held him back: "Be careful with your movements, and don’t bother Brother Li."

Fang Jue, ever adaptable, turned and hugged He Lin instead: "Oh my god, Captain He, you have no idea how scared I was! Do you know how Brother Li got from that window upstairs to the tenth floor?"

As he spoke, he gestured: "He climbed partway from the eleventh floor and then jumped down... He was just hanging on the tenth-floor windowsill. My heart almost stopped when I saw it..."

Hearing this, Li Shang called out from the side: "Fang Jue!"

Fang Jue suddenly realized he might have spoken too much again. Looking up, he saw He Lin's extremely grim expression. A strong sense of self-preservation made him quickly decide that this was not the place to stay, and he hurriedly said, "I’ll head back to the station with the car then."

Fang Jue's departure seemed to take all the noise with it, leaving the atmosphere between the two men eerily quiet.

He Lin took several deep breaths before looking down at Li Shang, who was sitting beside him, and asked, "Is what he said true?"

Li Shang shook his head and said, "Don’t listen to his nonsense. I used a rope to descend. What, do you think I’m Spider-Man or Superman?"

He Lin looked up at the window above, then down again, lost in thought.

Li Shang, afraid he might suddenly catch on, quickly added, "Anyway, everything's fine now, don't dwell on it."

After finally waiting for the bomb to be transported out, the building's order returned to normal. The police tape was gradually removed.

Once things were mostly handled, Lao Wu and Fang Jue were sent back to the city bureau with the SWAT team. He Lin came over to Li Shang and asked, "Can you get up now?"

Li Shang could move, but he was worried about re-injuring himself and hesitated before saying, "Let me sit a little longer."

When they had arrived, they were frantic to prevent the explosion.

But now, Li Shang was in no hurry.

He rarely had the chance to rest so leisurely; this moment was something he had risked his life for, and he intended to make the most of it.

Sitting there, feeling the breeze, watching the pedestrians and vehicles coming and going on the street, waiting for the pain in his waist to gradually fade—this feeling of being alive felt real and beautiful.

He was usually tense, but now, his mind was free of thoughts as he quietly observed the bustling world and the flow of people.

He Lin brought him a bottle of water from somewhere: "Want some? It's just a bit cold."

Li Shang didn't say anything, reaching out to take it.

But He Lin hesitated. Just as Li Shang's fingertips were about to touch the bottle, he pulled it back: "Never mind, it's too cold—it might upset your stomach. Wait a bit, I'll warm it up for you."

He tucked the water bottle inside his jacket, against his chest and abdomen. The cold made him shiver involuntarily, and He Lin gasped but pushed the bottle further up a little.

Seeing this, Li Shang withdrew his hand, hanging in mid-air, and silently pulled the collar of the police jacket tighter.

He hadn't seen He Lin wear this jacket before; now it seemed to have become his to wear.

The two sat quietly for a few minutes without speaking. Then He Lin took out a pair of earphones, plugged them into his phone, and offered one earpiece to Li Shang: "Want it?"

Li Shang nodded. Before he could reach out to take it, He Lin placed it directly on his ear.

A slight vibration accompanied the music, relaxing his body even further.

He Lin sat beside him. After a while, figuring the water was warm enough, he pulled the bottle out from his clothes and handed it to Li Shang.

Li Shang took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a few sips. The water still carried He Lin's body warmth.

He Lin gently nudged Li Shang's shoulder and said with a smile, "Today, we've pretty much been through life and death together."

Then he looked at Li Shang beside him, his eyes full of gratitude: "If you hadn't been by my side today, I might have died." Even now, he still felt a surreal feeling of having cheated death.

Li Shang drank the water unhurriedly: "I didn't do much. You were the one who disarmed the bomb, and you saved that girl."

He Lin disagreed, softly objecting, "Without you, I couldn't have done it."

As he said this, He Lin's eyes were filled with sincerity. Li Shang met his gaze for just three seconds before feeling his face flush, and he took two more gulps of water to hide his embarrassment.

He Lin either didn't notice or pretended not to see. After a moment, he asked Li Shang, "Did you hear Shi Luoxin's motive earlier?"

Li Shang nodded: "I heard some of it."

He Lin said, "Shi Luoxin must have been disillusioned, but I think Lian Xuan is completely different from him."

Li Shang replied, "Life is like a little horse crossing the river. Everyone can only decide their own life and make their own choices. He hadn't even graduated yet but was trapped in the illusion of his own imagination. I really feel bad for Lian Xuan."

At this, He Lin sighed and continued, "He had the courage to kill but not the courage to live properly."

"Life is about the process, isn't it? Not everyone can become wealthy, but in modern society, as long as you're hardworking and willing to endure hardship, you can always put food on the table."

"Life holds countless opportunities and possibilities, many turning points. As long as you move forward and keep living, there's hope. You never know when or where something might happen that turns things around."

"He shouldn't live for just one goal, missing all the scenery along the way. And he certainly shouldn't kill because of it."

Li Shang's gaze remained on the passing crowd as he said leisurely, "Some things, after working for a few years, you don't even have the heart to think about."

They sat a while longer, watching the sunset and realizing it was almost time to get off work.

He Lin suddenly turned his head and suggested, "How about coming to my place for dinner? What would you like to eat?"

Li Shang looked at him strangely. It wasn't a holiday or special occasion—why was He Lin inviting him all of a sudden?

He responded lightly, "Nothing in particular."

He Lin stood up and explained his purpose: "To celebrate surviving, I feel like making some dumplings, but it's no fun making them alone."

By now, Li Shang was feeling hungry too, and he suddenly found himself craving He Lin's dumplings.

In the past, when he was too tired or had no appetite, He Lin would make dumplings for him. He couldn't eat much else, but he could manage two small servings of dumplings.

The taste was so familiar that he could almost recall it with his eyes closed.

The ones he'd had at the restaurant recently weren't quite the same—not as good as the ones He Lin made by hand. The store-bought wrappers lacked the chewiness of homemade dough.

It had been a long time since he'd had them, and he missed them quite a bit.

Feeling that the pain in his waist had mostly subsided, Li Shang stood up and said, "Alright, I want pork and cabbage filling."

Before they left, He Lin ordered some groceries online. By the time they drove to his place, the items had already been delivered and were hanging on the hook by the door.

The layout of the apartment was much the same as the last time Li Shang had visited, though there were some small changes. The place had three rooms: a master bedroom, a second bedroom, and one that had been empty but now showed signs of change.

Noticing Li Shang's gaze in that direction, He Lin explained, "It's a waste to leave that room empty. I'm planning to turn it into a simple gym. I've already ordered the wooden frame for large glass panels, and the dumbbells and equipment are on their way—just waiting for the seller to ship them."

Li Shang withdrew his gaze and nodded slightly, seeming quite satisfied with this arrangement.

Given their busy work schedules, being able to work out at home would be much more convenient than going to a gym.

He Lin took the groceries and meat into the kitchen.

Watching the familiar scene, Li Shang felt somewhat nostalgic, as if everything had returned to how it used to be.

He Lin busy in the kitchen, him waiting outside to eat.

But back then, he was the leader outside and He Lin's lover inside, taking it for granted. Now though... how could he let his superior serve him like this?

Feeling too awkward to just sit in the living room, Li Shang walked to the kitchen door and volunteered, "My waist doesn't hurt anymore. Maybe I can help with something?"

He Lin thought for a moment and didn't hesitate. He gave him a simple task: "Do you know how to make dough?"

Li Shang was stumped by the question. He had never made dough before.

His parents passed away early, and for a long time, he lived with relatives. There were never moments of a family happily making dumplings together. Growing up, he was either studying or training, and the times he cooked were rare.

At the base, after He Lin had tasted his cooking a few times, he firmly wouldn't let him cook anymore.

Moreover, cooking seemed to require a certain talent, and Li Shang had to admit he probably lacked it.

When He Lin asked this, Li Shang pursed his thin lips, hesitated for a moment, and admitted, "I've seen it done."

That was a telling answer.

To be precise, he had seen He Lin mix dough before. Each time, he hadn't paid much attention, but He Lin always finished a whole mixing bowl of dough very quickly. It seemed pretty straightforward.

"It's not difficult," He Lin said, taking out a mixing bowl and handing him some flour. "Pour the flour in, mix it with chopsticks first, then add water and knead. You can get water from the island counter."

Li Shang looked at the tools in his hand, a bit hesitant. "Do you have a scale? I want to measure the proportions..."

He Lin didn’t have one at home, and at that moment, he didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation. "This isn’t baking; it doesn’t need to be that precise. Just eyeball it—a little more or less won’t matter. If there’s too much filling, I can make meatball soup. If there’s too much dough, I can make steamed buns."

Reassured, Li Shang took everything and went to the island counter.

His first step was to open his phone and desperately search for a tutorial.

To maintain his good image in front of He Lin and avoid exposing the fact that he couldn’t mix dough, Li Shang furtively checked the tutorial a few times, skimmed the step-by-step pictures, then quickly put his phone down and went to wash his hands and start mixing.

Li Shang had always been a quick learner, though—except when it came to cooking.

At that moment, his brain and hands told him he’d got it, but as soon as he started...

Nothing seemed right.

The dough had a completely unfamiliar texture, not at all what he’d imagined.

He Lin was busy in the kitchen chopping cabbage. After a while, he came out to check on Li Shang and saw him mixing a bowl of sticky, flour soup. A little more stirring, and it would turn into paste.

Seeing this, He Lin offered some guidance: "Too much water. Add a bit more flour."

He even shared a secret: "Kneading dough, here's the trick: it's all about adding flour if there’s too much water, and adding water if there’s too much flour."

Hearing this, Li Shang picked up the flour bag. It was a ten-jin bag, still mostly full since he hadn’t used it much. Without measuring, he decided to start with a small amount to test.

He tilted the flour bag and shook it, but nothing came out. He shook it again, but the flour still didn’t budge. Frowning, Li Shang tilted the bag even more, and this time, it finally poured out.

The flour erupted like a volcano, billowing into the air.

Li Shang’s back recently wasn't fully healed, and after climbing walls for so long, his hands had no strength. The consequence of stubbornly not telling He Lin was that he had to endure it himself.

In that moment, he lost control of his hands and didn’t straighten the bag up in time. White flour cascaded out wildly, covering half the mixing bowl.

Li Shang was also choked by the flour cloud in the air, coughing violently, which made his back hurt even more.

When Li Shang finally set the flour bag aside, he looked at the half-bowl of flour. It seemed like there was too much flour now, but since it was already wet, it wasn't going back into the bag. So, he decided to keep going.

He wasn’t panicked—he remained perfectly calm.

After all, He Lin had given him the trick: if there’s too much flour, just add water.

Li Shang started stirring with chopsticks.

With this much flour, two thin chopsticks were totally inadequate. The water also seemed not evenly incorporated—where there was water, it clumped together; where there wasn’t, it remained dry.

So... add more water?

Li Shang used a bowl to fetch some water from the island counter and poured it in, but it hardly made a difference.

He simply placed the mixing bowl directly under the faucet. A thin stream of water gently flowed along the edge of the bowl, quickly pooling in the low spots...

About ten minutes later, Li Shang went to the kitchen and asked He Lin, "Do you have a knife?"

He Lin, with his back turned, was busy mixing the meat filling. "Already done kneading and ready to cut? That was fast! I’ll roll out the wrappers later; you can just wrap them."

Li Shang explained calmly, "Some dough dried onto the bowl. A knife will get it off quicker."

His tone was so serious that anyone listening might have thought he was about to pick a fight with someone.

Hearing this, He Lin paused, turned around, and looked at Li Shang in disbelief, as if trying to confirm whether he knew what he was saying. It was the first time he’d ever heard such a shocking statement.

But as he turned, he saw Li Shang covered in white flour—his snow-white face streaked with it, his hands caked in dough, yet his expression was utterly innocent.

He looked like he’d just crawled out of a flour bag, disheveled and covered in dust.

He Lin got a chill, a bad feeling creeping into his heart. He walked over to check the dough in the mixing bowl.

Most of the dough in the bowl was dry clumps, while the wet parts were like mud, full of unmixed lumps.

Flour was everywhere—on the island counter, the sides of the mixing bowl, the chopsticks, Li Shang’s hands, face, and hair—but it hadn’t turned into a proper dough ball sitting obediently in the bowl.

Wow, Li Shang had almost gotten into a fight with the dough.

No wonder he asked for a knife—was he planning to fight it to the death?

Looking at the scene before him, He Lin took a deep breath. Well, indeed, heaven is fair.

He came to a realization: someone as smart as Li Shang actually couldn’t cook—not even a little bit.