Qiming Chapter 56

Chapter 56

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The streetlamp stood alone, casting its light, while the clock ticked rhythmically. He held the mouse in his hand, his gaze drifting past the computer screen to the soap opera playing on the TV.

"What are you doing? You've been staring at the computer screen for almost ten minutes," Xu Chengyue finally asked the dazed captain who had been staring blankly for ten minutes.

"What are you thinking about?" Xu Chengyue leaned on the sofa with his left arm, waving his right hand in front of his eyes, his body half-leaning towards him.

"Huh? Nothing, nothing." He snapped the computer shut with a loud click, as if his thoughts had been exposed, tossed the laptop aside, and turned up the TV volume a few notches.

Even in such an ambiguous atmosphere, he maintained his seriousness.

Xu Chengyue looked puzzled. "What's wrong with you?"

"I... nothing." Yes, what was wrong with him? He felt like he was desperately concealing some emotion, constantly suppressing himself, unable to breathe.

"Is the bed you bought for me set up?"

"It's set up." He nodded quickly, paused for a moment, and added, "But it smells a bit strong, so I'll continue sleeping on the sofa to let it air out."

For some reason, when Professor Xu mentioned the bed, he suddenly felt even more uneasy.

He felt that their minds were not in the same space at all. How could Xu Chengyue be so calm? Didn't he find it strange? The trouble he stirred up, how did it turn into him feeling like he was being overly sentimental?

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he subconsciously pushed Xu Chengyue, but halfway through, his hand grabbed onto his clothes and didn't let go.

Suddenly, he thought he had become a pure-hearted teenager. Was he going crazy?

Gu Yunfeng looked up at the night sky, just as a plane disappeared into the clouds. In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, each bizarre moment making him feel like he was about to explode.

This proximity was too ambiguous.

The air was oppressive, the light was too dim.

And his thoughts were completely out of control.

It felt like an eternity had passed. He looked at Xu Chengyue and suddenly said to himself, if I'm going to go crazy, so be it.

The book in his hand fell to the floor, just as the TV happened to enter a quiet scene.

In the next second, he grabbed the collar of Xu Chengyue's shirt, cupped the back of his head with his other hand, and gave him a long kiss.

The kiss came suddenly, a result of his impulsive decision.

But the moment their lips met, he understood. All the excuses about feeling unbalanced, being single for too long, and emotional instability were just that... excuses he found for himself.

All his inner restlessness and suppressed emotions were because he couldn't forget the fleeting feeling when Xu Chengyue kissed him that day.

He liked this feeling, liked kissing him, liked him.

As their tongues touched, he opened his eyes wide and saw the deep look in Xu Chengyue's eyes, feeling as if a firework exploded in his heart.

I'm really done for, I've become foolish. He told himself, if I'm foolish, so be it. If I'm bent, so be it. This is it, face reality.

He didn't know how much time had passed, one minute, two minutes, or five. After ending this sudden kiss, he awkwardly held his forehead, feeling utterly embarrassed. Then he heard Xu Chengyue's voice, calm and unruffled.

"Captain, you're truly in love." The other party looked at him seriously.

Then, without changing his expression, calmly said, "So am I."

—————

Gu Yunfeng sat in the dark living room, holding a blanket. He stared at the night sky through the window, where the moon was missing a small piece. It was almost a full moon, just a few more days, just a few more days.

He pondered what to do next. They had kissed, and Xu Chengyue had also said he was in love. Did this mean... a declaration of love? But no matter how he thought about it, something felt off. Who had confessed to whom? What exactly was their relationship now?

So, did he like Xu Chengyue? Of course he liked him, but was this kind of liking the same as that kind of liking? He recalled the time spent with Professor Xu. It wasn't long, but he seemed to always enjoy being with Xu Chengyue. It was relaxing, straightforward, and there was a sense of tacit understanding.

So this must be that kind of liking. Otherwise, why would he kiss him? Why would he feel as happy as if fireworks had exploded?

Since he confirmed it was that kind of liking... he, being someone who valued ceremonies, felt that a confession was necessary. But a new problem arose, after confessing, should he ask, "Do you want to be my boyfriend?" or "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

The latter was impossible, but the former didn't feel right either.

In short, no matter which sentence, it sounded strange. Frustrated, he scratched his head, thinking maybe he should skip the confession to avoid awkwardness. He spread out the blanket, crawled underneath, and lay on the sofa with a long sigh, realising that new troubles would surely start after his impulsive actions.

He had acted on impulse without leaving any way out, and now he didn't know how to interact with him. They couldn't be just friends anymore, and they didn't fit the superior-subordinate relationship either. They could only be lovers.

He sighed. He originally didn't advocate for office romances, but Professor Xu's main job was as a university teacher, and he would only stay with their criminal investigation team for a year, so it didn't count as an office romance.

After convincing himself that their relationship didn't involve any moral corruption, he finally fell asleep, satisfied. In his dream, he saw his father, who, upon hearing that he was in a romantic relationship with a man and had pledged himself for life, chased him with a feather duster. Despite being in his fifties, he ran like the wind and was about to catch him.

Then he tripped and got beaten by Gu Tao with the feather duster, who kept lamenting that he had raised such an unfilial son, and that he felt too ashamed to face his sister and mother, imagining how heartbroken they would be if they knew.

As he spoke, his sister's and mother's faces appeared before him, accompanied by a chilling breeze from an unknown source.

The feather duster was indeed very solid, and the beating hurt quite a bit, causing him to wake up abruptly. He found himself having fallen off the sofa at some point, lying on the cold floor, shivering slightly. He rubbed his tailbone, which was a little sore from the fall, glanced at the dark, star-speckled sky outside, clapped his hands, and climbed back onto the soft, warm sofa. Reflecting on the thrashing from Gu Tao in his dream, he decided that for now, the team and his father didn't need to know about this exciting news. He would tell them later.

For now, he decided to sleep well. Maybe when he woke up, he would realise it was all a dream. Maybe when he woke up, life would return to its peaceful state, and all the awkward ambiguity would disappear.

—————

Wang Kun was awoken by the morning sunlight. He turned over, intending to continue sleeping, but suddenly realised there was light coming in because the curtains had been opened.

He opened his eyes slightly and indeed saw an unfamiliar, older police officer sitting beside him, looking down at him.

He turned over, using his arm to block the light streaming in through the window, and frowned. Perhaps "looking down" wasn't the right term, the police officer's gaze was simply higher than his. Since yesterday, these plainclothes officers had been watching him day and night, leaving him no chance to escape. This was quite troubling because if the police couldn't find any evidence, they had no reason to arrest him, but being constantly watched was equally annoying.

He didn't have long to live and was stuck in the hospital.

There were still many things he wanted to do, most of them involving Lin Xiangrong. They wanted to see mountains and seas together, cross rivers together, and calmly face the countdown of life together.

"What's the situation now?" Hearing a familiar voice, Wang Kun turned slightly and saw Gu Yunfeng. He then resumed his original position, pretending to sleep, closing his eyes and saying nothing, as if he couldn't hear anything.

"He completely refuses to cooperate with treatment, not even interested in chemotherapy, basically in a state of waiting to die," Qin Wei said, spreading his hands helplessly.

"I can't help either, my abilities are limited, I can only watch him, I can't provide psychological counselling."

Gu Yunfeng quickly waved his hand, saying there was no need for psychological counselling, thanking the heavens if he didn't end up making things worse. After speaking, he sat down next to Qin Wei, both of them staring at Wang Kun, who had his back to them.

The curtains were fully opened, sunlight poured in, and the whole ward was instantly bright. Wang Kun remained motionless, facing the light. Everyone knew he was pretending to sleep.

Pretending was futile. If he was guilty, no matter where he fled, he would be brought back to face justice.

Wang Kun's lack of cooperation made Gu Yunfeng feel a bit awkward. He exchanged glances with Qin Wei behind Wang Kun, and called out "Dr. Wang" a few times with no response. He pushed back his chair, stood up swiftly, and took a few steps forward, intending to be a bit more forceful to break Wang Kun's act, when his phone started buzzing in his pocket.

Seeing the caller ID, it was Ying Xizi. He hesitated, pointed outside to Qin Wei, and quickly left the ward to find a less crowded spot to take the call.

"Miss Ying, what is it?" He greeted her in surprise, only to be bombarded with a slew of questions.

"Do you have your ID card?"

"Yes..."

"What about your medical insurance card?"

"I don't think so..." He pulled out his wallet, checked inside, and was surprised to find his medical insurance card in a hidden compartment.

"Ah, I do have it."

"Do you have cash?"

"Yes."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a long sigh of relief from the other side, followed by Ying Xizi saying unceremoniously, "Captain Gu, bring your ID card, medical insurance card, cash, and yourself, and come to the physical examination centre next to the inpatient department immediately."

"I know you're in the inpatient department," she added, her tone carrying a hint of smugness.

"What do you want?" Gu Yunfeng rubbed his eyes, bought a bottle of sugar-free Sprite from a convenience store as he walked out of the inpatient department, and listened to the girl on the other end say with some dissatisfaction, "Chengyue is having a physical examination today, come and accompany him."

Ah, so that was it. He acknowledged, hung up the phone, and after a while, found it increasingly strange. Why would he need to accompany Xu Chengyue for a physical examination? Could it be that Ying Xizi knew something?

When he reached the entrance of the physical examination centre, he suddenly realised: Xu Chengyue was having a physical examination today? Why didn't he tell him?

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

"He liked this feeling, liked kissing him, liked him." ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚(⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝)💭

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: August 4, 2024 by Angel

Edited: October 12, 2024 by Angel