In the afternoon, Lu Haochu helped clean the dishes and tidy up the table. He was finally about to leave.
As he was leaving, he held onto Professor Su’s hand and told him to call anytime if he needed him.
Lu Junchi accompanied him to the door. Lu Haochu turned around and wished Lu Junchi a speedy recovery, promising to visit him more often in the future. He couldn’t help but express how delicious the food his brother made was, as if he still wanted to come over and have a meal.
Lu Junchi told him to study hard and smiled, saying that if he failed any courses this semester, he shouldn’t think about coming over again.
Su Hui, who was standing beside them, couldn’t help but be moved by their brotherly affection.
In the afternoon, it started raining outside. It was already early autumn, and this autumn rain lowered the temperature of the entire city. The rain started heavily, pouring down like a torrent, continuously hitting the windows.
The entire sky was gray-black, accompanied by faint thunder and lightning. The afternoon felt as dark as dusk.
Today was a rare holiday, and there was still plenty of leftover food from lunch, so they didn’t need to cook again. Neither of them went outside.
Lu Junchi changed the cat litter for the two cats and finished tidying up the house. He also gave them some freeze-dried snacks, which made Aristotle keep chasing after him, meowing.
Hemingway wasn’t interested in the freeze-dried snacks. It kept following Su Hui.
When Su Hui was about to leave, the cat would be at his feet. When he sat down, the cat would jump onto his lap. When he looked at his phone, the cat would nudge his hand from below, seemingly jealous of his attention to the phone. Their expressions seemed to say, “Why are you looking at your phone and not at me?”
Su Hui was unable to resist his antics. He reached out and touched the fur on Hemingway’s back, put down his phone, and hugged the cat.
Then Hemingway began kneading on him, pressing its front paws one by one, and its mouth came closer, making sucking sounds on his clothes.
Su Hui’s clothes were soaked from the cat’s biting, feeling a bit helpless. He picked up the cat that pounced on him and said, “Little kitty, I’m not your mommy…”
The kitten blinked its eyes and looked at him with watery eyes.
Su Hui instantly softened and gave it another pet. “Lu Junchi, add some goat milk powder to their dinner…”
After having dinner and feeding the cats in the evening, both of them finished bathing. Lu Junchi called Su Hui, “Come over here, let me blow-dry your hair. Don’t catch a cold.”
Su Hui sat down, and Lu Junchi used his hands to comb through his hair while blow-drying it. Su Hui’s hair was soft, slightly long, with bangs covering a bit of his eyebrows. When held in the hand, it felt like a small and lovable creature.
After drying his hair, Lu Junchi put away the hairdryer. He walked back and sat on the bed, kissing Su Hui’s forehead. “Are you afraid?”
During the day, Lu Junchi sensed a hint of resistance from Su Hui, and he could perceive that it wasn’t just the concern of having someone around.
Su Hui closed his eyes and honestly admitted, “I’m a little afraid.”
He was afraid that he would grow old while Lu Junchi remained young. He was afraid that his health issues would burden Lu Junchi
. He was afraid that the intense love would gradually wear away due to the mundane aspects of life. He was afraid that one day, Lu Junchi would develop feelings for someone else…
He knew about his own physical condition. When he had nothing in the past, he was not afraid of those things. But once love came into his life, he realized that sometimes people have vulnerabilities because they long for a beautiful life.
Lu Junchi seemed to understand what he was thinking and pressed his forehead against Su Hui’s, saying, “But I’ve given you the best four years of my life. I can never find someone I like as much as you. No matter what happens, I’m willing to take care of you and accompany you.”
Su Hui softly murmured in agreement. He knew that Lu Junchi never spoke empty or false words. He never lied to him.
He shouldn’t be afraid. He should have enough courage. When one person’s courage is not enough, then two people should face it together.
He reached out and grabbed hold of Lu Junchi’s clothes, lifted his head, and looked at Lu Junchi seriously. “Although I’m a little scared, what I feel more is anticipation.”
He wanted to reach out and grasp this happiness.
Lu Junchi gently embraced him, pressed him against his chest, and whispered in his ear, catching the faint fragrance of his hair. He called his name, “Su Hui…”
It felt like he was trying to condense all his desires and emotions into those two words. Especially the character “Hui,” when pronounced, their lips and teeth were about to touch and then gently part.
His voice was deep and hoarse as he called him, “Poet…”
Su Hui looked at him. He liked Lu Junchi’s cleanliness, handsomeness, and couldn’t help but reach out to touch his abdominal muscles and the V-lines: “Xiao Vice Captain Lu…”
Lu Junchi caught his wandering hand and earnestly corrected him, “I’ve been promoted to captain.”
Su Hui closed his eyes and wrapped his other hand around Lu Junchi’s neck. “Hmm, Captain Lu…”
Lu Junchi deliberately asked him, “Still not right. Think about what to call me.”
Su Hui opened his eyes, turned his head to the side, and playfully bit him. “Little brother.”
His teeth usually looked quite even, but when he bit down, he discovered that there were two small fangs on the side. That slightly sharp point actually hurt a bit. It left a row of tooth imprints, which was quite teasing.
Lu Junchi didn’t ask him anymore; he carried him onto the bed.
The belt around Su Hui’s waist came loose. His skin was porcelain-white, as if it would bruise with a slightly heavier touch. On this body, filled with scars, Lu Junchi felt a pain in his chest when he saw those old wounds.
He wanted to be very, very good to him, planting kisses on each of his wounds.
In Su Hui’s eyes, everything was hazy, as if only this person was clear in the entire world.
The rain outside the window was still falling, but it had become gentler. The sound of rain became soothing.
Su Hui reached out and adjusted the bedside lamp, dimming the room. The light finally went out, and only the sound of raindrops could be heard outside the window.
At this moment, those cases, the cruelty of the world, seemed to cease to exist.
It felt as if only the two of them were left.
Lu Junchi’s movements were gentle, but Su Hui still felt pain to the point of breaking into a cold sweat. His body trembled as he covered his mouth and clenched his teeth, enduring it.
He didn’t cry out in pain, nor did he ask for it to stop, but his breathing became unsteady.
In the moonlight, Lu Junchi looked at him. Sometimes, his brows would slightly furrow, and that tiny crease felt like something lightly poking at his heart.
Tears still disobeyed and trickled down the corners of Su Hui’s eyes. He felt like his whole being was on the verge of losing control, and he bit down on the back of his hand. Lu Junchi pulled his hand away, and his own finger took its place, and Su Hui bit down on it.
“Why are you crying?” a hoarse voice whispered in Su Hui’s ear. “How about calling me ‘husband’?”
Su Hui’s body trembled, and his fingers suddenly grabbed onto Lu Junchi’s clothes. He felt his body losing control and just wanted to tightly embrace the man in front of him. He uttered a muffled sound.
Lu Junchi didn’t hear clearly and asked, “What?”
Su Hui had never felt so aware of his own existence. He leaned against Lu Junchi’s embrace and obediently called out in a soft voice, “Husband…”
Su Hui, who usually appeared like a beauty made of ice and snow, cold and unmoved by anyone or anything, melted in that instant.
Seeing him like this, Lu Junchi couldn’t let him go even more. He wanted to keep him in his heart and cherish him.
After taking a bath, Su Hui was led by Lu Junchi to the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and then carried back.
Su Hui’s nails had grown a bit long, so Lu Junchi took out a nail clipper and meticulously trimmed them one by one. The fingers held in his palm were fair, slender, and had distinct knuckles. They were incredibly beautiful.
After clipping a few nails, Lu Junchi pinched his palm and couldn’t help but cup it in his hands and give it a kiss.
Su Hui leaned against the headboard, returning to his usual calm demeanor, although his gaze still held a hint of haziness. He hoarsely said, “I believe it now. Your injuries are almost healed…”
Lu Junchi thought to himself that he still had some strength left.
Just as he had this thought, his phone made a beep.
Lu Junchi never turned off his phone, fearing that there might be a case. Hearing the sound, he quickly picked it up and checked.
Su Hui looked at his serious expression and asked, “Is something wrong?”
Lu Junchi shook his head. “It’s nothing major. It’s the box of evidence that was in the trunk when we had the car accident. It got damaged due to the impact, but Xia Xia took care of the rest. She scanned and archived everything and sent it to my email. I’ll download and take a look.”
Su Hui nodded. He still remembered that box of items, including a photo album and that painting by Fu Yunchu.
Lu Junchi opened his computer and quickly downloaded the files. He absentmindedly clicked open the photos, flipping through them one by one. They were all from Chen Xuexian’s childhood. Suddenly, his hand paused, and then he carried the computer with him to the bedroom.
“Take a look at this photo,” Lu Junchi said.
Su Hui sat up straight, squinting his eyes to see clearly. It was an old, almost faded photo of a man holding a little girl. The little girl appeared to be a few years old, and it was evident that she was Chen Xuexian. The man was obviously her alcoholic father who had died early.
It was a rare group photo. Lu Junchi pointed at the back of the photo, and Su Hui focused his attention, where there was a vertical old-style logo partially obscured. Faintly, a few words could be discerned: “312… Institute.”
Su Hui examined it carefully and murmured, “I haven’t heard of this research institution.”
Then Lu Junchi searched on his computer but didn’t find any information about the 312 Institute.
“It’s strange. I couldn’t find anything here,” Lu Junchi said. Whether it was a search engine, map, or business registration, there was no information available. In today’s society, most things have information on the internet, so it was extremely rare to find something with absolutely no information.
Lu Junchi worried that he might be overthinking things. It was just an ordinary photo, and the other words on the sign were covered and unreadable, which could hinder the search.
“At that time, Chen Xuexian was too young. We can’t be sure if it’s related to our current case,” Su Hui said softly. He couldn’t imagine what could have happened to a young child that could lead to the consequences they were facing now. But after a moment’s pause, he continued, “Send me a copy of this photo as well.”
Lu Junchi nodded and sent him the photo.
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