Proofreader: Sandra

Chapter 159

Hundreds of miles away from Nancheng, on Nansha Island, the sky gradually darkened, and the sound of rolling waves was unceasing.

In the luxurious room on the third floor of the Happiness Inn, the curtains had long been drawn.

Under the dim lighting, Song Wen leaned over, looking at Lu Siyu. He gently caressed his delicate face, this person who was like a lonely star in the sky, shining alone in the dark night.

Lu Siyu also looked at Song Wen. He had walked all the way from hell, piercing through darkness and fog, with crimson stains on his path.

But now, he was no longer surrounded by cold corpses, dismembered organs, darkness, and schemes. Instead, he was enveloped by warmth, love, and the beauty of the world—things he had never dared to hope for.

Life and hope seemed to blossom at his cold fingertips, leaving trails of fiery warmth wherever they touched.

“Song Wen,” Lu Siyu softly called out his name. He reached out, stroking Song Wen’s hair, tracing down from his forehead along his nose, finally resting his finger on Song Wen’s lips.

“I’m here,” Song Wen replied, taking Lu Siyu’s cool fingertip into his mouth.

Lu Siyu closed his eyes and called him once more, “Xiao Liang…”

As he softly uttered the name, he felt as though his once-empty heart had finally been filled. The warmth of Song Wen’s hand in his, fingers intertwined, made him acutely aware of the other’s heartbeat, even amidst the storm.

Song Wen lowered his head, pressing his forehead against Lu Siyu’s, “Siyu.”

Lu Siyu responded with a soft “Mm…”

In the past, he had never imagined there would be a moment like this in his life.

As the undercurrents surged, Lu Siyu realized that pain, too, could be something one could become addicted to, and desire could make one never want to leave.

A madness that made one want to immerse in it completely.

The winds and waves, death and sorrow, all seemed to recede.

The world outside was chaotic, but at this moment, everything felt as though it was shut out by that door, by those windows. On this sparsely populated island, it was just the two of them, warming each other…

Lu Siyu had gotten seasick on the boat today, and after meeting with Wu Hongyou, memories of the past kept swirling in his mind, weighing him down. He spent some time with Song Wen in the afternoon, and afterward, began to feel a bit feverish. However, he couldn’t stop thinking about the diary Wu Hongyou had left behind, feeling compelled to photograph it for the record.

Song Wen promised to take care of everything for him, finally coaxing Lu Siyu into bed.

He didn’t want Lu Siyu to look through the diary any more than necessary, or rather, if he could prevent him from looking at it even once more, he would.

Song Wen knew how painful the facts recorded in that diary were for Lu Siyu, who had lived through them—each entry was like a knife stabbing at his heart, each cut drawing blood.

Around five o’clock, Lu Siyu finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes and saw Song Wen sitting by the bed, with paper and pen placed on the nightstand.

Seeing that he was awake, Song Wen turned to him, his gaze gentle.

Lu Siyu instinctively covered his face with his hand, peering at Song Wen through his fingers. “How long have you been here?”

“A while,” Song Wen replied. “I’ve already finished organizing everything.”

Thinking about how Song Wen had watched him sleep for quite some time, Lu Siyu whispered, “You could have worked at the table.”

Song Wen looked at him and said, “You’re very quiet and look nice when you sleep. Working beside you is more efficient.” With that, he handed Lu Siyu a detailed report.

Lu Siyu took it and looked it over. Song Wen had organized everything meticulously.

The report highlighted several robbery-murder cases orchestrated by Bai Jing, most of which the police had not previously connected to the 519 case.

Now they had finally confirmed that these cases were also masterminded by Bai Jing.

The method of the crimes was like a fingerprint—getting closer to Bai Jing required a deeper understanding of him. These cases would need to be compiled and reviewed once they returned.

After reading through most of it, Song Wen called out to Lu Siyu, “Let’s go. The rain isn’t too heavy right now; we should head out for dinner.”

Lu Siyu responded with a soft “Mm,” placed the report on the nightstand, and then blinked at Song Wen, tilting his head to ask, “Is there still no signal on the phone?”

Song Wen nodded. “I’ve refreshed it over a thousand times.” As he spoke, he walked to the bed, reaching out to pull Lu Siyu out of the covers.

Lu Siyu sat on the bed, and Song Wen handed him his clothes, feeling as if he were taking care of a child. He ruffled Lu Siyu’s hair.

The two of them changed clothes, put on their raincoats, and headed downstairs, following the curved staircase to the hotel lobby.

By the time they reached the lobby, the three students and teacher from the school had already gathered near the sofas, apparently also getting ready to go out for dinner.

When Qiu Lan saw them, her eyes widened slightly, probably not expecting the two of them to be so in sync.

Jiang Jiang had anticipated everything. When she saw Song Wen and Lu Siyu arrive, she asked, “By the way, handsome guys, do your phones still have a signal?”

Song Wen shook his head. “No, it’s been out since we checked in.”

Qiu Lan sighed. “So it’s the same for everyone, huh? I restarted my phone several times, thinking I might’ve run out of credit.”

At this moment, Uncle Wang, the owner of the guesthouse, appeared from somewhere and explained to them, “I’m sorry, but the base station on the island is down. I received a notification earlier that someone is already checking and repairing it. However, with the typhoon approaching, I’m not sure if it can be fixed before the storm hits. We have mahjong, card games, and can also show movies. If you need anything, just let me know.”

After thinking for a moment, Uncle Wang added, “Oh, and the broadcast is down too. From what I’ve heard, the typhoon is expected to pass through between 8 PM and 2 AM. Although the cake shop is close by, it’s best to come back early after dinner.”

After hearing the owner’s kind reminder, the group acknowledged it and headed outside the guesthouse. Since the typhoon was approaching, the rain came in bursts, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, and it was flying sideways. Fortunately, this time everyone was prepared, wearing raincoats. After walking for about two minutes through the wind and rain, they reached the Eden Cake Shop, just a few dozen meters away from the guesthouse.

The cake shop appeared to be quite spacious. Outside, there was a small courtyard, but due to the typhoon, some wicker chairs and umbrellas had been put away and stacked in the yard. On a sunny day, one could probably sit in the courtyard, enjoying the sea breeze and eating cake.

As they walked through the courtyard and reached the entrance, they saw the cake shop’s red sign and the various colorful lights shining.

A small sign hanging on the door read “Open,” so the group pushed the door open and went inside.

As they entered, the clear sound of a doorbell chimed.

Despite being on a small island, the place was beautifully decorated. The main hall was about a hundred square meters, with white tables surrounded by pale pink and blue sofas. The walls were covered in square, macaron-colored tiles. From the ceiling hung several strings of pendant lights, which were lit, resembling a sky full of stars.

In a side glass cabinet, there were various cake models on display, and a small blackboard behind the cashier listed the prices of some light meals.

As Song Wen was looking at the menu on the wall, Qiu Lan excitedly said, “I was wondering why I didn’t see you guys earlier. Turns out you were here all along!”

Following her voice, Song Wen turned around and saw that behind the entrance hall, there were a few private rooms. The door to the first room was open, and Amy and Chen Zui were sitting inside.

Lu Siyu frowned slightly. He hadn’t seen such a setup in a cake shop before—those private rooms with dim lighting resembled something you’d find in a bar.

Amy greeted them and explained, “We were bored this afternoon, so we came here early. We’ve already had dinner and are waiting for dessert now.”

Qiu Lan said, “You came here specifically for the cake, so you must be regulars. Do you have any recommendations?”

Amy thought for a moment and replied, “The red velvet is worth trying. The blueberry cheesecake is also pretty good. If you like light meals, the seafood pasta here is excellent. There are some other nice options too, but you’ll have to discover them yourselves.”

As she spoke, Jiang Jiang glanced at Chen Zui, and they exchanged a smile.

Jiang Jiang tugged at Qiu Lan’s sleeve and whispered, “Wait until you see what they order, then you’ll know.”

Just as they were finishing with their raincoats, a man emerged from the back.

Song Wen turned to look. The man appeared to be around thirty, with fair skin and a lean physique. He had narrow eyes and a smiling mouth, and he wore a white chef’s uniform, looking like a cake maker from the shop.

Song Wen immediately noticed that the man had very beautiful hands—long fingers with well-defined joints.

As an artist, Song Wen enjoyed observing the details of people’s appearances. He had seen many people with beautiful hands, including Lu Siyu, who had slender, bony hands.

This man’s hands were even longer than Lu Siyu’s, with flexible and strong fingers, making them very pleasing to the eye.

Seeing such a pastry chef, Song Wen could easily imagine him carefully making pastries with these hands.

At present, the man was holding a glass of water and, with his slender eyes, surveyed the customers in the shop before lowering his head to drink.

Behind the man, a woman also came out. She was in her thirties, with round almond-shaped eyes. Her figure was full, her hair a bit disheveled, and her clothes were untidy. She sauntered over to the menu, picked up a ledger, and asked lazily, “What would you like to order?”

Qiu Lan and Jiang Jiang stood at the pastry counter, admiring the array of cakes. Teacher Su looked around the quiet shop and asked the woman, “Are you the only ones here?”

For such a popular place, it seemed a bit sparse with only two people.

The woman replied, “Yes, unfortunately. Due to the typhoon today, the part-time workers left early. So it’s just us two here, and it’s a bit overwhelming. However, we do have fresh cakes in stock, so take your time to decide.”

After speaking, the woman walked to the door, took out a thin cigarette, opened the door halfway, letting the wind and rain in.

She seemed unfazed, leaning against the door with her head bowed, placing the cigarette between her lips. She pulled out a lighter from the right pocket of her coat, lit the cigarette with practiced ease, and exhaled a puff of white smoke.

The white smoke quickly dispersed in the wind.

Seeing her skilled movements, it was clear she was a seasoned smoker.

Song Wen ordered a beef noodle soup, while Lu Siyu chose a red braised beef rice. The two women and the teacher also ordered some simpler dishes.

The woman, holding the cigarette, jotted down their orders and said, “You must be new here. We don’t have a lot of food options, but all the cakes are made by our shop’s chef. They’re a specialty here, so you can try them and see if they suit your taste. If you want anything else in the future, just let us know.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the man nearby.

“We came here to try the cakes and check in, of course,” Qiu Lan said with a wink.

Jiang Jiang added, “I’ll have the red velvet, and Teacher Su, would you like to try something?”

Teacher Su looked at the various cakes and chose a Black Forest cake.

Qiu Lan was still hesitating, leaning on the counter. “These cakes look so good; I want to try them all.” In the end, she ordered three different pastries.

“Do you want to eat?” Song Wen asked Lu Siyu quietly. “On this island, we’ll just make do with what we have for now. I’ve prepared for it, and we’ll have a big meal when we get back.”

Lu Siyu hesitated for a moment and ordered the most expensive royal cheese.

Once everyone had placed their orders, and with no network available, they had to pay with cash.

At this point, Amy grew impatient. She went to the door of the private room and called out to the woman, “Yan Min, could you please hurry up with our order?”

The woman named Yan Min smiled slightly, went back into the shop, extinguished her cigarette in the ashtray, and pointed at the man nearby. “You’ll need to ask me about the orders and the bill, but for the food, you’ll need to hurry him up.”

The man who had been drinking water put down his cup and said, “I’ll be right back in the kitchen.” He then politely addressed the others, “Please wait a moment; we’ll get your order prepared shortly.”

With the man heading to the kitchen, the group found their seats. Song Wen and Lu Siyu sat at one table, while the two women and the teacher sat at a neighboring table.

The boss lady fetched a few cups, served them warm water, and then went to the back as well.

Lu Siyu sat in a sofa spot by the wall. Song Wen was interested in a few paintings on the wall, so he stood up to examine them closely. The paintings appeared to be done by children with crayon, full of childlike charm.

Lu Siyu looked over in the direction of Song Wen’s gaze. The nearest painting depicted a girl having a birthday party. The girl looked like a doll, with a large birthday cake in front of her. Next to the child were her father, mother, and a man, all with warm, smiling faces.

Another painting nearby showed the same people, all smiling, each holding balloons that floated high in the air, colorful and vibrant…

The entire shop was warm and clean, with a sweet cake aroma in the air, resembling a candy house from a fairy tale.

If it weren’t for knowing beforehand, Song Wen would find it hard to imagine that the shop’s male owner had just passed away. The cake shop seemed to be running smoothly even without the manager.

The boss lady handled the accounting and orders, the pastry chef made the cakes and meals. With fewer customers today, it was manageable, and even with a few more part-timers, the shop could continue to operate normally.

Qiu Lan and Jiang Jiang seemed to have completely forgotten about the bones found by the reef. Qiu Lan whispered, “I read in the reviews that this pastry chef is very famous.”

Jiang Jiang nodded, “I checked, and his name is Yang Ling. He used to be a pastry chef at a cake shop in Chuan City and is very well-known for his desserts. Instead of opening a shop in the city, he came here, which is a stroke of luck for this place.”

Qiu Lan said, “I also read that this place used to be an inconspicuous farm stay. It was after he came here that he suggested the owner redecorate and turn it into a cake shop. Since then, business has gradually improved. Now, this shop has become a must-visit spot on Nan Sha Island.”

Soon after, the two girls excitedly began discussing various seabirds they had seen earlier with Teacher Su. Teacher Su listened quietly, occasionally commenting, giving advice, or pointing out mistakes in their statements. With the three of them, the restaurant became quite lively.

Meanwhile, the rain continued to fall, and the sound of the typhoon roared outside, but inside the small cake shop, it was warm and peaceful.

Suddenly, a little girl came out from the kitchen.

Song Wen’s gaze followed the small figure, and he was captivated. She was a very pretty little girl, around ten years old, with a round face, large eyes, and long dark hair cascading over her shoulders.

The girl wore a white dress and a pink long-sleeve jacket, making her look like a little angel.

She walked straight to a small, low table next to the private room, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Then she opened a drawer on the table, took out some white paper and a few colored pens, and began to draw.

Teacher Su was immediately drawn to the little girl. Once she was settled, he walked over, crouched down, and asked, “What’s your name, little one?”

The girl looked up and answered with a sweet, childish voice, “My name is Li Ting’er.”

Teacher Su asked, “How old are you?”

Li Ting’er replied, “I’m ten years old.”

“Do you live here all the time?”

The girl nodded, “I live here with my mother.”

Her responses were polite and she appeared quiet, obedient, and mature for her age.

Song Wen and Lu Siyu realized that the girl was likely the owner’s daughter, and that the paintings on the wall were probably her work. The people in the paintings were likely her deceased father, her mother, and the pastry chef.

Originally, there were four people in the portrait, but now there was one less.

Teacher Su clearly liked the little girl very much. He adjusted his glasses and continued to ask her, “Little one, I want to ask you…”

He lowered his voice for the rest of the conversation, and Song Wen’s table could barely hear. All they saw was the little girl nodding and responding as she continued to draw with her head bowed.

Amy, who had been waiting impatiently in the private room, was pacing back and forth. When she saw the little girl’s drawing, she bent down and said, “Ting’er, your drawing has improved! But have you finished your homework?”

It was clear that they were regulars at the cake shop and were very familiar with the little girl.

Li Ting’er looked up and replied, “The primary school work is too easy. I’ve already passed my graduation exams.”

At that moment, the pastry chef came out from the back with a cart. He explained, “Educational resources on the island are still limited. Ting’er has passed her primary school graduation exams and is now studying middle school courses on her own. Her parents were considering whether to send her to Xinchuan to attend middle school, but she’s still too young. If they decide to send her, it would be in another year or two.”

The cart was filled with the various cakes they had ordered, and it seemed that the cakes were being brought out first.

The pastry chef placed each cake carefully and then pushed the cart towards the private room where Chen Zui and the others were.

Seeing the pastry chef bring out the cart, Amy eagerly went to meet it.

Under the light, the delicate desserts sparkled enticingly.

Lu Siyu, feeling a strong craving for sugar, quickly took a small spoon and tasted a bit of cake. The sweet cake, made with fresh ingredients, melted in his mouth.

Lu Siyu savored the cake with a satisfied squint of his eyes. However, as he turned his gaze to the cart, his expression gradually changed to one of surprise.

Song Wen followed his gaze. Besides a few bottles of alcohol and some plates of pastries, there were several small boxes on the cart. One of the boxes was partially open, revealing rows of silvery objects that looked like silver bullets or larger eye drop bottles.

In an instant, Song Wen understood what kind of shop this was and why the couple had come here…

It turned out that this seemingly warm and sweet cake shop was not as clean as it appeared on the surface.