Chapter 29.2

Since the beginning of this case, the sky over Nancheng had been consistently overcast, covered in dark clouds, with no sight of the sun. However, the rain seemed elusive, refusing to fall. The weather was damp and humid, making everything feel wet to the touch. Even breathing felt stifling.

Lu Siyu had been running dehumidifiers and ventilation systems all day, but returning home did not bring much relief. At midnight, after tossing and turning countless times in bed, he finally managed to fall asleep for a moment. His dreams were chaotic, and he couldn’t recall the specifics. Then, he was abruptly awakened by a phone call.

Opening his eyes, Lu Siyu found complete darkness. His heart skipped a beat for a moment, and he instinctively called out, “Little Wolf.” In the pitch-black room, the dog in the corner perked up its ears and responded.

Only then did Lu Siyu feel his heartbeat gradually returning to normal. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and checked his phone. It was a call from Song Wen at 3:30 in the morning. He answered, “Hello…”

On the other end, a very awake Song Wen delivered a concise directive, “Pack your things, come down. I’m waiting for you downstairs.”

“What’s wrong? Is something happening again?” Lu Siyu asked in a daze.

“No, it’s just that the time for this case is too tight. I thought about it, and if we go tomorrow morning, it won’t be enough time. I just changed the train tickets to 4:15 a.m. We can save three hours by going now, and we can make it back by noon tomorrow…”

Only then did Lu Siyu fully wake up. He struggled to get up, and on the other end of the phone, Song Wen urged him, “Hurry down to the train station, or we might not make it later.”

“Did you come in a police car?” Lu Siyu walked to the window, feeling a somewhat ominous premonition. He used two fingers to pull aside the blackout curtains and indeed saw a police car not far away, its red and blue lights flashing in the dark.

“Of course, what else would I drive? I don’t have a Cadillac.” Then Song Wen threatened, “Hurry up, or I’ll use the siren.”

Lu Siyu frowned slightly as he looked around. Song Wen entering the building had undoubtedly alerted the security guards in the neighborhood. A few security guards were watching from not far away, finding the scene unusually interesting. They were more enthusiastic about staring at the police car than they would be watching a thief. Lu Siyu could only sigh deeply. Having a police car waiting at midnight was flashy enough; if the siren blared, he feared the neighborhood might become uninhabitable in the future.

Lu Siyu hesitated for a moment at the doorway, then took out a few painkillers and swallowed them. Finally, he placed the pill bottle on the coffee table.

Song Wen waited impatiently until he finally saw Lu Siyu coming out from the doorway. Lu Siyu was carrying a bag, and his hair was disheveled, giving him a somewhat unkempt appearance. He looked thoroughly fatigued, embodying the word “exhausted.”

Lu Siyu took the passenger seat without saying a word, his attractive eyes gazing straight ahead in silence.

“Seatbelt!” Song Wen reminded him while starting the car. Then, he glanced at his slightly displeased subordinate. “Lu Siyu, do you have any objections to me disturbing your sleep today?”

Lu Siyu turned sideways to fasten his seatbelt, gritting his teeth. “Captain Song, it’s not that I have objections to you disturbing my sleep today. I have objections to you disturbing our sleep every day.”

Trying to ease the awkward silence, Song Wen consoled him with a hint of apology. “I’ll let you get a good nap once we’re on the train later.”

Lu Siyu turned his head, looking out the car window without uttering a word.

The main road was deserted, and the inside of the car was unusually quiet. To alleviate the awkwardness, Song Wen found a topic of conversation. “Ah, about what happened yesterday, Lao Jia was upset about the case, not about you. Don’t take it to heart. It’s common for the team to have disputes over a case.”

Lu Siyu hadn’t been with the team for long, and he had offended the oldest detective in the squad. Fearing that he might feel wronged, Song Wen tried to comfort him. “I don’t mind. Although Lao Jia may not look approachable, he is actually a good person.” With a wink, he added, “Just a bit foolish.”

Although Lao Jia didn’t look like a typical detective, with his unfiltered remarks, he was fundamentally a just police officer—a good person in the traditional sense. However, good people were sometimes easily manipulated, becoming puppets or pawns.

Song Wen sighed, “They all think it was Guo Xiao, but we are still suspecting Lin Wanwan…”

Lu Siyu curled up in the corner. The police car seat was uncomfortable, designed as if it were made for criminals. He whispered, “I want to sleep…”

His voice sounded pitiful, weak, innocent, and full of vulnerability. Glancing at the time, Song Wen said, “You seize the time. You can catch a quick nap.”

Lu Siyu’s upper and lower eyelids were in conflict. Just when he was about to fall asleep, Song Wen jolted him awake. “Hey, hey, wake up. We’re here. Get off, and go into the station. You go ahead, and I’ll park the car.”

Only then did Lu Siyu realize that the car had arrived, parked at the entrance of the station. Feeling like he had sleepwalked through the journey, he turned to ask Song Wen, “What about you?”

Song Wen said, “I’ll go to the parking lot, you go in first, don’t wait for me. The boarding time is only about ten minutes, too tight.”

Lu Siyu nodded vaguely, still half-asleep. He got out of the car, and Song Wen was a bit worried about him. Lu Siyu seemed as if he could fall asleep standing, and Song Wen wondered if he had understood anything.

This trip was somewhat impromptu for Song Wen. The ticket he rescheduled was already tight, and picking up Lu Siyu along the way had caused a slight delay. As they entered the underground parking lot of the train station, Song Wen worried about time. After finding a parking spot, he took the elevator up. To his surprise, the waiting hall was nearly full. The train station, always bustling, never lacked people.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!” Song Wen ran all the way to the ticket checkpoint. Looking up, the green text indicating the open gate turned red. With only five minutes left until departure and the gates about to close, Song Wen felt a sense of urgency. Holding his ID in his hands, he braced the ticket-checking machine with both hands, crossed the barrier, and rushed through before the gates could close, leaving the station staff astonished.

The gatekeeper, a young girl, tried to shout, “Hey, hey… it’s dangerous…”

Song Wen waved to her, saying, “Police investigation, just making things convenient.”

The girl wanted to say more, but Song Wen rushed in like a gust of wind, and she couldn’t stop him.

Song Wen sprinted about a hundred meters to reach the platform. When he got there, the train was about to enter the station. Seeing that he had caught the train, he slowed down. As he walked forward, he realized he was in carriage six, but their tickets were for carriage eight.

As he walked, a staff member in the distance suddenly waved and shouted, “The passenger in black, please step back behind the safety yellow line!”

Song Wen looked up and saw Lu Siyu standing on the platform not far from him. This train was a long-distance slow train, just passing through, and the platform had few people late at night. Lu Siyu stood there alone, head down, wearing a hood, staring blankly at the tracks. His gaze was extremely focused, body slightly forward, eyes unmoving, as if watching something fascinating.

Not far away, the train finally entered the station. Song Wen felt a rumble behind him, accompanied by a gust of wind.

In the glow of the train’s lights, Lu Siyu, not far away, appeared particularly slender. In that instant, Song Wen’s heart tightened. Lu Siyu’s posture seemed like he was about to leap and jump down onto the tracks. Without thinking, Song Wen shouted Lu Siyu’s name and ran forward.

Lu Siyu seemed to hear someone calling him. He raised his head, looking confused as he glanced at the bright lights. In the night, the silver-white light illuminated the platform, and the wind tousled his hair. His face was pale, his beautiful eyes slightly red, resembling someone who had just cried. Yet, his entire demeanor was cold and calm.

Song Wen, sensing something wrong, rushed ahead of the slowing train, reached Lu Siyu, and extended his hand to pull him back abruptly.

Lu Siyu was led away from the yellow line by Song Wen, pulled in a half-circle, and then firmly embraced by Song Wen. Suddenly, the two were very close, close enough for Lu Siyu to feel Song Wen’s heartbeat and the warmth of his embrace. The roaring train passed behind them with a buzzing sound, gradually slowing down and coming to a stop.

“Captain Song, what’s wrong?” Lu Siyu seemed to wake up at this moment, looking at Song Wen, a bit dazed. At this point, he looked innocent, as if he hadn’t just stood on the platform with a righteous demeanor, seemingly ready to jump on the tracks.

“Do you know how to spell ‘dangerous’? You were standing so close. Didn’t you hear the announcement calling you out on the loudspeaker just now?” Song Wen released him, panting. Lu Siyu’s actions just now had frightened him, causing cold sweat.

Only then did the station staff rush over and ask, “Hey, are you okay?”

Song Wen released Lu Siyu, saying, “We’re fine.”

The staff member holding the loudspeaker looked at the two of them, one rushing off the platform, and the other seemingly about to jump on the tracks. If it weren’t for the shortage of staff in the middle of the night, he really wanted to detain them. “You young people! The spot you were standing just now, if you slipped, you could have lost your life. It’s too dangerous!”

“Sorry.” Lu Siyu became a bit embarrassed and apologized sincerely. “I was too tired and lost focus. I didn’t pay attention.”

Song Wen quickly showed his police badge. “We’re police officers in a hurry for a case, so we were a bit rushed. Thanks for the reminder, we’ll be more careful in the future.”

Seeing them bowing their heads in acknowledgment, the staff member couldn’t stay angry. “Forget it, forget it. Being a police officer is not easy. It’s good as long as nothing happened. Get on the train quickly; the train will only stop for two minutes at this station.”

Expressing thanks, Song Wen pushed Lu Siyu toward the train. He felt like he was taking care of an unreliable child.

This train was one of the few remaining long-distance trains, running for more than a day, connecting the north and south. After this stop, the train had been running for over ten hours. They still had three hours before reaching Lin Wenwen’s hometown—Qincheng.

As soon as they boarded the train, Lu Siyu frowned, covering his mouth. The air inside was hot and stuffy, even more so than outside. The whole carriage was messy, passengers sleeping in all sorts of awkward positions. The air was filled with exhaled breath, and the predominant smell was the scent of people. If the train hadn’t started moving slowly, Lu Siyu might have considered getting off.

Song Wen, aware of his discomfort, patted him on the back, saying, “It’ll be better soon.”

Lu Siyu shook his head with an unpleasant expression, closed his eyes, and tried hard to swallow the saliva, saying, “This smell makes me want to vomit.”

Song Wen suggested, “Do you want to go to the restroom? Shall I accompany you?”

Lu Siyu waved his hand, indicating refusal, and swayed there on his own.

In less than a minute, Lu Siyu returned, looking even worse than when he left.

Song Wen asked him, “Did you finish vomiting?”

Lu Siyu covered his mouth, his face even paler than before, shaking his head. “The restroom was too dirty, and I couldn’t vomit. Do you have a plastic bag?”

“I thought you could endure it for a while. The air quality on this train isn’t great, but you’ll get used to it.” Song Wen handed him a bag, thinking that Lu Siyu just wanted it for backup. Unexpectedly, Lu Siyu opened the bag and immediately buried his face, vomiting directly.

Song Wen hadn’t anticipated that Lu Siyu was so sensitive. He felt a bit flustered, watching Lu Siyu retching violently, not knowing how to help. In the end, he patted Lu Siyu’s back and said, “Hey, are you okay?”

Lu Siyu felt like he had turned his stomach inside out, and he continued retching until there was nothing left. He took the water cup Song Wen handed him, rinsed his mouth, tied up the plastic bag, and breathed a sigh of relief, tears welling up as he caught his breath, his face turning even paler.

Seeing him preparing to get up with the bag, Song Wen, with a hint of disdain and helplessness, took the bag from him. “Let me throw it away for you. Don’t go to the restroom and vomit again later.”

After this ordeal, they finally managed to clean up. Song Wen washed his hands and returned to his seat. Just as he was about to rest for a while, he saw Lu Siyu clutching his stomach, leaning over the table. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and his face was so pale it was nearly transparent. Song Wen was startled, asking, “What’s wrong? Stomachache?”

Song Wen rarely got sick throughout the year, almost never visited a pharmacy, let alone carried medicine with him. If Lu Siyu were to have a stomachache on the train, it wouldn’t be a trivial matter.

Looking at Lu Siyu, Song Wen suddenly remembered a childhood memory. When he was in elementary school, he raised several guinea pigs, and one day, a pregnant female guinea pig was about to give birth. Unfortunately, none of the adults were at home. Facing the weakened guinea pig, he felt as helpless as he did now. Even back then, he had an aura that animals didn’t like, and when he tried to help, the guinea pig squealed, crawled forward, and struggled, leaving behind a pool of blood. Fortunately, the little creature’s vitality was strong, and it eventually gave birth on its own. But the incident left a deep psychological scar on him.

Now looking at Lu Siyu, Song Wen’s eyes reflected concern and a deep fear. It seemed that Lu Siyu was even more precious and beautiful than that guinea pig.

Lu Siyu was completely unaware of how he appeared in Song Wen’s eyes at this moment. He opened his eyes, shook his head, and said, “It’s okay, just an old problem. Mainly… a bit hungry.” He had a shallow stomach and a history of gastric problems. The medicine he took earlier was for pain relief, fearing that he might have a stomachache halfway. Unexpectedly, taking too much of the potent medication made him feel better after vomiting.

He now felt a dull pain in his body, bearable, but the empty feeling in his stomach was uncomfortable. Lu Siyu prayed in his heart, hoping that the medicine he took had been partially absorbed, so as not to affect the work ahead.

Song Wen noticed that Lu Siyu’s fingertips were curled, and he pulled his clothes tighter, feeling a bit distressed. “What should we do then? Did you bring any food? How about I find something for you?”

Lu Siyu weakly raised his eyelashes, his eyes looking pitiful. He continued to pose a challenge for Song Wen, “I can’t eat anything cold.”

“Well, then… Shall I find a stewardess to buy you some food?” Song Wen said, adjusting his clothes. “I’ll check the dining car.”

It was still pitch dark outside. Song Wen traversed several carriages, and further ahead was the sleeping car. After inquiring with a stewardess, he found out that the dining car didn’t provide any food at this hour. Unwilling to return empty-handed, he finally found a duty stewardess and bought a box of instant noodles. Afraid that Lu Siyu might not like it, he didn’t dare to buy spicy or pickled ones and opted for a box of delicious pork bone-flavored instant noodles.

After getting hot water, Song Wen brought it back and placed it on the table in front of their seats. After steeping for three minutes, he shook Lu Siyu and said, “Get up, eat a few bites of instant noodles to fill your stomach.” After all the effort, he felt he had been considerate enough.

Lu Siyu weakly lifted his head, reaching out to grab the cup of instant noodles. His hands were fair, slender, and well-defined at the joints.

“Ah, be careful with the hot water! Little fellow, watch out.” Song Wen stopped him and opened the cup with a fork before handing it to him. “Let me do it.”

Lu Siyu blinked, biting the fork with his teeth. Song Wen helped him peel off the cover of the instant noodles and then handed it to him.

Using the fork, Lu Siyu picked up a strand of noodles and put it in his mouth, frowning. “It’s too greasy… and a bit oily.”

“This was bought with great difficulty by me.” Song Wen glanced at Lu Siyu, who was eating the instant noodles one by one.

Lu Siyu ate about half of the noodles and took a few sips of the soup to warm his stomach. He then said he didn’t feel well and didn’t want to eat anymore, pushing the cup of instant noodles away. Concerned, Song Wen asked, “Can you hold on until tomorrow morning? The train will arrive around seven.”

Lu Siyu thought for a moment. “Can you help me buy some sugar?” Although he wasn’t hungry now, he needed to guard against the possibility of low blood sugar.

Song Wen sighed and stood up again, walking to the other end of the carriage. Suddenly, he remembered a song by Pu Shu, “I have crossed mountains and seas, and passed through crowds of people.” Walking through the various sleeping passengers, stepping over crossed legs, he had to be careful not to step on anyone’s feet.

As a conscientious “nanny,” no, a leader, after ten minutes, Song Wen finally returned, handing three lollipops to Lu Siyu.

“Why are these…” Lu Siyu was a bit surprised by the lollipops but still accepted them.

“This train has been running for a while, and there’s not much left. Just make do with it.” Song Wen persuaded him.

“It’s fine. It’s quite good. I like them. It’s just been a while since I had some.” Lu Siyu opened the lollipop wrapper, twirled it with his fingers, and looked at the crystal-clear candy. After a moment, he put the entire lollipop into his mouth. With one hand holding the lollipop stick, he licked and enjoyed it mouthful by mouthful.

Watching Lu Siyu enjoy the lollipop, Song Wen suddenly felt a bit hungry himself. Lu Siyu had taken him on several laps around the train, and he had run around a lot on the platform earlier. Now, he felt his stomach growling and picked up the cup of instant noodles that Lu Siyu had eaten a few bites of, starting to eat. Then he noticed Lu Siyu looking at him with surprise.

“What are you looking at? I’m not picky.” Song Wen said, stirring the noodles with a small fork.

“You should have eaten first before buying the candy. Or you can buy another box now; these are already cold.” Lu Siyu bit the lollipop, feeling more energetic. He habitually licked his lips, which now tasted sweet.

Seeing him licking his lips and enjoying the lollipop, Song Wen suddenly froze.

Seeing him stunned, Lu Siyu was puzzled.

Song Wen lowered his head and grunted, “I did it for you, didn’t I?”

After Song Wen finished the instant noodles, Lu Siyu’s lollipop was also finished. Leaning against the window, the beautiful man yawned, clearly feeling sleepy.

Song Wen said, “Anyway, it’s a short journey, three hours. I’ve set the alarm, so you can sleep. If you sleep, you won’t feel hungry.”

Lu Siyu whispered, “Next time, let’s just drive. Leader, I won’t need reimbursement for gas, and you won’t have to fix the car, really.”

Song Wen habitually rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. “Next time, I’ll buy it for the return journey.”

The train swayed, its dim lights creating a drowsy atmosphere. Lu Siyu leaned against the seat, probably feeling the lack of oxygen in the stuffy carriage. What Song Wen said was true; one just needed to get used to it. At some point, Lu Siyu unexpectedly fell asleep.

Watching Lu Siyu sleep, Song Wen, on the other hand, couldn’t find sleep. He lowered his head, looking at his phone. As the people around him fell into a deep slumber, one of them, Lu Siyu, shifted positions and laid his head on Song Wen’s shoulder. Song Wen turned his head, looking at Lu Siyu, who was now sleeping peacefully.

In the dim light of the train, Lu Siyu’s face still had a band-aid on it. His features were exquisite, and beneath the collar of his hood, a small section of his collarbone was visible. The red mole at the base of his throat gave him an alluring appearance. Perhaps due to spending a long time together, the smell of instant noodles had dissipated, and Song Wen no longer detected any unpleasant odor in the carriage. Instead, there was a faint and refreshing fragrance, not sweet like perfume but carrying a hint of freshness, reminiscent of the smell of earth after rain. Song Wen realized that the scent came from Lu Siyu.

The train gently swayed, lights swiftly passing by the window in the dark night. Song Wen lost interest in his phone, turning his head to steal a glance at Lu Siyu, who extended his tongue and habitually licked his lips. After a while, Lu Siyu closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

Song Wen lowered his head to look at his phone again, but this time, sleep eluded him. It wasn’t until his arm started to feel numb that Song Wen turned his head to look at the person on his shoulder.

In the midst of dreams, Lu Siyu’s long eyelashes trembled slightly, and his body moved gently. Song Wen took advantage of the opportunity to change his posture.

As the sky gradually brightened, it was nearly seven in the morning when the train arrived at another station. This time it was a major station, and a crowd of people rushed off, followed by another group boarding, bringing in a gust of cold air.

In the seats across from them, there was a family of three. A four or five-year-old child, awakened by the new passengers, burst into tears. The child’s mother woke up and hurriedly comforted the child.

“Captain Song, haven’t you slept all this time?” Lu Siyu, too, was awakened by the commotion. He sat up, stretching his neck. He had slept well for the past two hours, even more soundly than in his own bed at home.

“It’s fine, I’m not tired.” Song Wen said, moving his stiff shoulders.

With the flow of people, a delicate-looking girl boarded the train. She was traveling alone but carrying a large suitcase. She sat next to Song Wen, looking a bit helpless with the heavy luggage.

Song Wen stood up and offered, “Let me help.” As he spoke, he lifted the heavy suitcase and placed it in the vacant space on the luggage rack.

The girl felt a bit apologetic for Song Wen’s help. “Thank you. Is the suitcase heavy?”

“It’s okay. I’ve been sitting for a while; it’s good to move a bit.” As they talked, Song Wen was surprised to find that the little child had stopped crying. Turning around, he saw the child eating the lollipop he had bought last night. Lu Siyu, who had been frosty until now, was smiling and entertaining the child.

Song Wen almost doubted his eyes. This was the first time he had seen Lu Siyu smile. When he smiled, it was like the melting of ice and snow, making him even more attractive.

TN:
This was me when I first saw Yu Ijin smile frfr. Fell even more in love with a 2D character. I think I need help~