Chapter 115 17

Chapter 115

He Lin watched Li Shang's face drain of color, his eyes gradually losing their focus, his expression dazed, and his eyelashes fluttering. After a held breath, he slumped sideways.

Seeing this, He Lin quickly stepped forward, letting Li Shang fall onto his shoulder, then naturally embraced him, supporting Li Shang's soft, limp body with his own.

"Li Shang…"

He Lin held him, his lips brushing Li Shang's ear as he whispered his name.

But Li Shang was completely unresponsive; even with He Lin's firm support, his body continued to slide downward.

He Lin struggled to hold him upright several times and eventually had to scoop him into his arms.

For those few seconds, Li Shang was utterly unconscious, as if in a deep sleep. His slender neck drooped back, and his hands hung limply at his sides, looking utterly defenseless yet heartbreakingly vulnerable.

He Lin's heart felt as if it had been pricked by a needle and then doused with lemon juice—a sharp, aching pain. He tilted his head, pressing his cheek against Li Shang's forehead, trying to warm Li Shang's cold body with his own.

There was a sofa in the conference room. He Lin first laid Li Shang down on it, then reached to check his pulse and breathing. Fortunately, his heartbeat and respiration were still normal.

After a moment, Li Shang let out a few low coughs, as if regaining consciousness.

Everyone in the office was startled by the situation, gathering around the sofa. He Lin turned to the crowd behind him and advised, "No need to crowd around. You all go ahead; I’ll stay and take care of him."

Lin Hui considered this, then nodded. He nudged the still-stunned Jin Tingrui, rolling his eyes at the latter's bewildered gaze, then signaled Fang Jue and Cheng Xiaoyi, who seemed on the verge of speaking but hesitated. The group obediently followed him out.

After everyone had left, He Lin took out his phone to call for an ambulance, but Li Shang grabbed his hand. His voice was weak and intermittent: "Don’t worry, I’m fine. Wait to call the ambulance. First, get me some sugar water..."

This had happened before—most likely due to low blood sugar.

He Lin naturally complied without hesitation, not daring to delay. He hurried to the adjacent office to ask for a few sugar packets from the coffee station, mixed them with warm water, and brought it back.

At first, Li Shang tried to struggle into a sitting position to drink on his own, but He Lin gently but firmly pressed him back down.

"I listened to you by not calling an ambulance. Shouldn’t you listen to me and not move around?"

Then He Lin sat down, letting Li Shang lean against his chest. With one arm around him and the other holding the cup, he fed Li Shang sip by sip.

Years of handling firearms had made He Lin’s hands steady. He held the cup with just the right pressure, always matching the rhythm of Li Shang’s swallowing—never letting him miss a sip or choke.

After a few sips, Li Shang seemed to improve slightly. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment, then took the cup from He Lin’s hand. Still leaning against He Lin’s chest, he finished the remaining sugar water.

Seeing his complexion finally begin to recover, He Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Shang, seemingly embarrassed by the position of nestling in He Lin’s arms, struggled several times to sit up. But every time he moved, He Lin’s arm around him tightened firmly.

After a few attempts, Li Shang simply gave up, quietly leaning against He Lin, secretly observing his profile.

He Lin, meanwhile, had been keeping a close eye on Li Shang’s condition. Seeing him finally settle down, he began reading Fang Jue’s report on his phone.

Li Shang asked He Lin, "Did they find that girl?"

He Lin replied, "Yes, they found her. Lin Hui helped talk her down. They’ve already contacted her family, and Cheng Xiaoyi is with her now."

Li Shang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Lin Hui was there; otherwise, with him falling ill and He Lin unable to leave, things would have been much harder.

Li Shang nestled in He Lin’s arms a while longer, his consciousness gradually clearing from the haze, though he still found the position very awkward.

He couldn’t help but shift again.

He Lin lowered his head, looking directly into the eyes of the person in his arms, and pinned him down. He said hoarsely: "Don't move... if you keep moving, I'll..."

Li Shang met his gaze defiantly and deliberately asked, "What will you do if I keep moving?"

He Lin quirked a smile, teasing him, "If you keep moving, I'll kiss you."

Li Shang stiffened, not treating this as a joke at all. He stopped moving for a moment, closed his eyes, and began thinking about the case again. Even though the investigation had reached this point, he still had this weird feeling, uneasy, as if something was missing.

Pushing through his dizziness, Li Shang thought for a long while before realizing what was making him so restless. He suddenly jerked upright, nearly clipping He Lin’s chin.

He Lin was startled but saw that even his face had gone pale and quickly asked, "What’s wrong?"

Li Shang grabbed He Lin’s hand, his voice trembling: "Evidence..."

With just those two words, He Lin understood Li Shang’s meaning. He frowned: "Yes, we have no evidence..."

In this case, after all their investigations so far, aside from the DNA the man left in Lin Wei and Wu Yuening’s bodies, there was no other evidence.

Other than that, they only had surveillance footage of those two going up the mountain with Wu Yuening and Lin Hui’s testimony.

The current chat records were incomplete and could only serve as clues, not as evidence.

Those two had been very careful.

The footprints in the tent only proved they had gone up the mountain with Wu Yuening.

There was no blood, no other eyewitnesses—there were gaps in the evidence.

Additionally, Gu Chuxi had impersonated Chen Xiao’s identity.

The man had only slept with the two girls.

If during interrogation, the two stuck to their story, even though Wu Yuening’s body was full of suspicious points, they still wouldn’t get much prison time.

He Lin thought for a moment and wrote in the group chat: "Ask Yu Sining if she has more evidence? Like chat logs or call recordings."

After a while, Cheng Xiaoyi replied: "She can’t get into the app either. There’s not much information on her phone. The call came from a public phone. There’s no recording."

She paused for a moment, then sent another message: "But Yu Sining told us the time and address of their planned meeting the day after tomorrow."

Hearing this news, Li Shang frowned and said, "Could it be that we can only..."

He Lin immediately knew what he was thinking and gently shook his head: "It’s too dangerous."

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to use this method.

They weren’t the only ones thinking about this.

Before they could discuss a solution, Cheng Xiaoyi sent a message in the group: "I can go. The other party hasn’t met Yu Sining. She and I are about the same age and height. As long as I pass as Yu Sining and get close to them, I can record their conversation and document their methods. If at the end I show that I don’t want to commit suicide, and they still try to harm me, that would be solid proof they're the murderers of Wu Yuening."

He Lin fell silent after reading this.

The group went quiet. Cheng Xiaoyi said, "You all know this is the best method right now. Even if we look for other female officers, none are more suitable or familiar with the situation than I am."

Cheng Xiaoyi added: "I'm in tech, so I don’t look tough or like a police officer—that’s actually my advantage. Every time I see you all running undercover ops, I’ve been envious. Now, it’s my turn."

Fang Jue finally typed a message: "But Sister Cheng, can you... take both of them?"

"Of course. My fitness test scores are no worse than yours. If we were to spar, you might not even beat me." Cheng Xiaoyi threw some shade at Fang Jue, then she soberly added, "I’ll do my best to feed you intel. When the time comes, you’ll rescue me, right? Captain He, Brother Li, hurry up and heal. I trust you."

They all knew that this was the safest bet for resolving the case at hand.

After a pause, He Lin replied, "The action plan, positioning device, and recording equipment will all be prepared for you. I will do my best to ensure your safety."

He Lin worked out the details with her and then turned to ask Zhou Chenlin to help prepare the equipment.

Li Shang, sitting on the sofa, suddenly remembered, "What did you say to me before I passed out?"

He Lin checked the time; it was already past 7 p.m. He changed the interrogative sentence about returning to the base into a declarative one.

He Lin stood up and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "I'll take you back to the base."

Li Shang had passed out earlier. Even if he didn't say it, He Lin could tell he was unwell and wasn't about to let him stay alone tonight.

He asked Li Shang, "Do you live in an apartment or a dormitory?"

Li Shang was silent for a moment, then looked up and replied, "Apartment."

.

At 8 p.m., the two arrived at the apartment. He Lin entered and looked around, saying, "I feel like I've been here before."

Li Shang said calmly, "Several team leaders and instructors live in this complex. You must have seen a similar layout."

He Lin didn’t respond, not indicating whether he agreed with Li Shang’s explanation. He began poking around the apartment, took an electric kettle from the cabinet, washed it, and boiled water.

He also took out all the cups, washed them, and pressed a warm hot-water bottle into Li Shang's hands.

He Lin passed by the refrigerator several times but never once felt the impulse to open it and see what was inside. Instead, he ordered the quickest delivery with light, easy food available nearby.

After watching Li Shang eat a little, He Lin prepared hot water and gave him medicine.

As he cleaned up the takeout containers on the table, He Lin said to Li Shang, "If you’re not feeling well, go lie down on the bed. I’ll fine-tune the plan with the others."

What happened last night made Li Shang reluctant to be alone in the evening.

As it turned out, with He Lin around, the apartment felt different, as if even the light in the room had taken on a warmth.

Through the open bedroom door, Li Shang could see He Lin bustling about in the living room.

He Lin seemed to have a certain magic about him, always able to make even the most ordinary days feel lively. Even watching him do the same things every day, you'd never get tired of it.

Li Shang curled up under the covers, feeling a sense of security like he'd never known. He had intended to lie down for a while before getting up to discuss the plan with He Lin and the others, but the comforter was especially soft today. Li Shang closed his eyes and sank into a deep sleep.

Just before losing consciousness, a thought suddenly crossed Li Shang’s mind: The moonlight is so beautiful tonight.

Li Shang had a bizarre dream, with scenes flashing before his eyes like a merry-go-round of images. Every time he was about to see something clearly, the image would quickly change.

Finally, Li Shang was jolted awake by a sudden heart palpitation, ending the strange dream. He moved his arm, trying to turn over, but touched something beside him.

Li Shang opened his eyes abruptly and saw He Lin dozing against the other side of the headboard.

The sight left Li Shang momentarily stunned, even making him forget where he was for a moment.

He Lin was a light sleeper; he woke up almost as soon as Li Shang moved. Opening his eyes, he met Li Shang’s somewhat dazed gaze.

"Good morning," He Lin said, standing up and stretched his stiff body. He looked at Li Shang with a gentle smile.

Li Shang sat up immediately and asked, "Why are you sitting here?" He then noticed the faint shadows under He Lin’s eyes and frowned. "Did you not sleep all night?"

He Lin yawned, poured a cup of hot water for Li Shang, handed it to him, and showed him a photo on his phone.

"I figured you’d deny it when you woke up, so I took proof."

Li Shang took the phone. It was a photo of a thermometer, taken at 12:30 a.m., showing a temperature of... Li Shang zoomed in: 38.4°C.

"You spiked a fever last night and were breathing heavily. I didn’t stay up the whole time; after your fever broke, I lay down next to you and slept for a bit. But why were you kicking the covers? After the fever broke, you were sweating and you kept kicking the covers off."

He Lin sat down in front of Li Shang, leaning closer to him as he held the cup and lowered his head in thought.

Li Shang had no memory of what happened last night. Listening to He Lin’s description, he felt something was off but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He looked up to ask something but suddenly met He Lin’s eyes, which held a teasing glint, momentarily forgetting what he wanted to say.

Compared to Li Shang’s internal turmoil, He Lin remained calm.

"The operation is set for tomorrow. Xiao Cheng mainly needs to memorize Yu Sining’s information. Today, everyone is resting. I had some groceries delivered; let’s eat at home. You've never really had a chance to try my cooking, have you? Today, I’ll let you try it and see how it compares to your fish soup."

As He Lin spoke, he walked out. Li Shang tuned out his teasing and instead picked up his phone to read the plan discussed by the group after he fell asleep. He scrolled through the messages one by one, his expression extremely serious.

He Lin’s voice drifted intermittently from the kitchen, but Li Shang paid no mind, instinctively putting himself entirely in He Lin's hands.

Li Shang had little appetite for breakfast and could only manage two egg whites before he couldn’t eat anymore.

Taking advantage of the rare rest time, after breakfast, Li Shang was strongly urged by He Lin to go back to bed for a nap. When he woke up again, he felt fully recharged, eager to spar with He Lin.

However, He Lin was busy and had no time for Li Shang’s sparring invitation. For lunch, He Lin made cabbage and pork rib soup, steamed egg custard, and stir-fried greens—all light and easy on the palate.

Li Shang didn’t eat the ribs but drank several bowls of soup and ate a fair amount of egg custard and greens, making it one of the few satisfying meals he’d had recently.

Feeling overly full, Li Shang experienced some stomach discomfort and sat on the sofa, feeling waves of nausea. But he didn’t want to throw up the meal He Lin had made, so he closed his eyes and endured, waiting for the queasiness to pass.

After about half an hour, Li Shang felt much better. He opened his eyes and saw He Lin mopping the floor.

Li Shang: ...

Why does this scene feel so familiar...

"What year is it now?"

He Lin, who was mopping the floor, suddenly heard Li Shang speak from the sofa.

"What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Faced with Li Shang’s inexplicable question, He Lin grew concerned. He quickly put down the mop, walked over, and felt Li Shang’s forehead to check for fever.

Then he heard Li Shang say calmly, "He Lin, why..."

Li Shang kept his head down, so He Lin couldn’t see his expression and the sentence was left hanging. But he could sense Li Shang’s conflicted emotions.

So He Lin continued, "Why am I so good to you? Because I like you. I want to pursue you. Didn’t you... know?"

Hearing this, Li Shang looked up abruptly, staring intently into He Lin’s eyes, trying to find something different in them.

But there was nothing. They were still the same gentle, clear eyes he had always seen whenever he looked at He Lin.

Li Shang pressed a hand to his chest. He had never felt so flustered before. Even though it wasn’t the first time he had heard similar words from the same person, his heart raced uncontrollably. More than surprise or excitement, he felt fear.

When someone suddenly obtains something they’ve longed for, the fear of losing it often outweighs the joy of having it.

That was exactly how Li Shang felt. He didn’t even know how to respond to He Lin’s feelings.

"It’s okay. I’ll wait."

He Lin's steady voice reached his ears, calming Li Shang's shaken composure.

Li Shang murmured, "Wait for what...?"

He Lin replied gently, "I'll wait for whatever it is, for you to give me an answer. Li Shang, no matter who you came for, I hope you'll stay for the person I am now."

After speaking, He Lin turned back to continue mopping the floor, leaving Li Shang rooted to the spot in a daze, pondering the meaning of every word He Lin had said.

By evening, having confessed his feelings, He Lin no longer hid his intentions at all, pestering to share the same bed with Li Shang. Even when Li Shang threatened to resign, He Lin didn't move an inch, clinging tightly to Li Shang's covers and refusing to let go.

"Captain He, can't you... act a little more like a boss?"

How could he be so... impossible to reason with.

Li Shang was so angry his face flushed red, sitting up to stare at He Lin.

"A leader's demeanor..." He Lin nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Li Shang. "Alright then, listen to me—lie down and get some sleep with me..."

Li Shang: "..."

Seeing that no argument worked, Li Shang turned away angrily and lay down, simply ignoring He Lin.

He had expected to lie awake all night, but within ten minutes of lying down, Li Shang once again fell into a deep sleep.