159.

Inside the bedroom, the small lamp on the bedside emitted a soft and romantic light, casting gentle reflections on their faces.

Seeing Su Hui’s silence, Lu Junchi felt a bit nervous and awaited Su Hui’s response.

After a moment of silence, Su Hui lowered his head and said, “I really like it. There’s just one final question.”

Holding the headband, his slender fingers touched the cat ears, and his beautiful eyes gazed at Lu Junchi. “Should I wear it, or should you?”

Lu Junchi was taken aback by this unexpected question. He was thinking about how to answer when Su Hui suddenly smiled, patted his head, and said, “Just kidding. I’ll get you dog ears next time.”

Then, he sat on the bed and put the headband on himself.

This headband wasn’t a cheap one; it was a high-quality realistic replica.

The headband was very thin and could be easily hidden in the hair. Su Hui adjusted it to the right size, and the white inner part of the ears, tinged with a hint of pink, had long and soft fur, making them look incredibly lifelike.

With the headband on, Su Hui looked like he had grown a pair of adorable real cat ears. His overall demeanor was both cold and attractive, his tall figure relaxedly sitting on the bed. Having had a bit of wine, he exuded a sense of laziness.

With the fluffy cat ears and the long eyelashes that framed his clear eyes, he resembled a cute, enchanted puppet cat.

Lu Junchi’s first thought was how much he wanted to play with him. He had thought that Su Hui would look good when he bought the headband, but he never expected it to fit so perfectly and look so stunning.

His heart raced, and the person before him seemed like a beautifully crafted work of art.

Lu Junchi extended his hand to gently touch Su Hui’s bangs, only then realizing that it was real.

Su Hui raised his eyes and asked, “Do you think it looks good?”

Lu Junchi gently touched those ears again, then lowered his head to kiss Su Hui’s hand. “Professor Su, it looks amazing.”

Those ears were so cute that they could melt anyone’s heart. Just a gentle rub seemed like it could dispel all worries.

He really wanted to get Su Hui a semi-permanent version of this, but he was afraid of drawing too much attention. This kind of ‘cat’ was meant to be kept at home and pampered, too precious to be seen by others.

Lu Junchi leaned forward, and Su Hui’s lips met his. His lips were slightly cool, soft, and carried a faint chocolate sweetness.

Lu Junchi kissed him a few times before reluctantly pulling away. He touched the furry ears and said with a hint of regret, “Next time, I’ll get you a tail.”

He wanted to rub those ears, gently pull that tail, and run his fingers from head to tail for a long time without getting tired. He also wanted to cuddle and sleep together.

Su Hui: “…”

He never expected things to escalate this far. He squinted his eyes and asked, “Officer Lu, what are you thinking…”

Lu Junchi’s fingers reached his temple, gently brushing against the teardrop mole, until it turned slightly red. “Thinking of things we shouldn’t think about, thinking of making you cry, and then having you beg me…”

“Don’t touch.” Su Hui pulled down his hand, giving it a gentle bite and threatening, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll bite you?”

“Confiscating the weapon.” Lu Junchi grabbed his hand, “Your nails need a trim.”

Su Hui’s fingers were long and well-defined, fitting perfectly in his hand like warm jade. They had grown a bit over the past few days. Lu Junchi took out a nail clipper and began to carefully trim them one by one.

Each time, Su Hui would grip his fingers with force, as if he were about to drown, holding on tightly. Sometimes, his grip was on Lu Junchi’s back, and other times, he clenched the bedsheet. The marks left behind were another matter. Once, a nail had even split and bled. Lu Junchi felt sorry for him for quite some time after that incident.

Since then, every time, no matter how difficult it was to withstand, cutting his nails had become a necessary step.

Su Hui handed his hand to him, waiting patiently.

Lu Junchi trimmed them carefully and seriously, the nail clippers making a crisp sound.

Su Hui looked at him and suddenly said, “I used to be scared of winter.”

“Why?” Lu Junchi asked while carefully cutting his nails.

“Because it felt bare, cold, like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t warm up. It felt so difficult to endure…” 

Back then, winter was a constant shade of gray, and sometimes he felt like it was endless, as if he wouldn’t make it through.

Su Hui spoke softly, “But not anymore. I’ve realized that winter can be warm, and bright.”

After having warm food, feeling the heat from the radiant floor, and holding his partner’s warm hand, Su Hui realized that winter could be different. The person before him was brave, handsome, gentle, and kind. He could feel the warmth of love surrounding him. With Lu Junchi by his side, he no longer felt cold.

Su Hui remembered something and lifted his chin, asking, “In the afternoon, I stood at the door and listened for a while. You guys were talking about cats, weren’t you?”

Lu Junchi chuckled, “What did you think we were talking about?”

He suddenly understood why Su Hui’s face had been slightly flushed at the time.

Lu Junchi lifted his head and said, “When you stood at the door, you looked like a little kitten eavesdropping.”

And now, he looked even more like one.

Lu Junchi couldn’t help but rub his ears again. “So adorable.”

Su Hui said, “You asked me to wear the ears, and I wore them. But wait, you have to listen to me now.”

As he spoke, his fingers traced over Lu Junchi’s strong nose bridge.

Lu Junchi put down the nail clippers and agreed without hesitation, “Sure.”

Su Hui pulled him to lean against the headboard, taking out an eye mask and telling him, “I won’t say to take it off, so you’re not allowed to take it off.”

This turned out to be an interesting game.

After putting on the eye mask, Lu Junchi’s world suddenly turned black, completely different from his usual experience. However, this gave him more room for imagination.

Lu Junchi knew that Su Hui, with the cat ears so close, looked even more handsome than usual.

He wanted to see, but he couldn’t see anything.

The sensation was like countless soft pink paws scratching at his heart.

In the midst of complete darkness, Lu Junchi heard the rustling of clothes, heard Su Hui’s breathing, felt his body’s touch, and could sense the soft ears brushing against his neck.

He caught a whiff of the fragrant candles, as well as the faint scent of red wine from Su Hui.

Dexterous fingers started undoing the buttons of his collar, one by one.

Lu Junchi could imagine Su Hui’s handsome face, his slightly pale wrists, his prominent collarbone, slender ankles, and his flexible waist.

The air in the room was warm.

Lu Junchi really wanted to remove the eye mask.

However, Su Hui held onto his hand, preventing him from moving.

“Officer Lu, be obedient…” he said softly.

Then, a kiss landed.

He was definitely getting strawberries on his neck, more than one.

Lu Junchi seriously started wondering if Su Hui was actually part cat.

Su Hui used his slightly cool fingertips to trace Lu Junchi’s palm, as if feathers were lightly teasing his heart.

Next, his hand slipped through the gaps between Lu Junchi’s fingers, their fingers intertwining and holding each other firmly.

The sensation was so pleasurable that it made him shiver; it felt like their hearts were connected.

He always managed to hit the softest spots in his heart.

Lu Junchi wanted to respond, so he reached out and pulled Su Hui’s waist.

Su Hui smoothly sat on his lap and whispered by his ear, exhaling gently.

Lu Junchi could even sense the flutter of Su Hui’s long eyelashes against his face, like butterfly wings softly unfolding.

In the midst of the darkness, the person in his arms was his star.

He thought of him wildly, loved him like his life depended on it.

With a hoarse voice, Su Hui used the tone he usually employed when reasoning, “Officer Lu, let’s now discuss a crucial topic in criminal psychology: the original sin of humanity.”

This statement was like striking a match, igniting a fierce fire.

“Teacher Su.” Lu Junchi could no longer restrain himself, “Then, let’s have an open and in-depth discussion…”

He was willing to put it into practice, to bear all the consequences of taboos.

Outside the window, the Christmas night was somewhat chilly. With the arrival of darkness, the festive atmosphere gradually faded, and pedestrians on the road became scarce.

Even a few sparse snowflakes began to fall from the sky, small white specks of snow.

The tiny snowflakes landed on the asphalt road, melting immediately and leaving the road slightly damp.

On such a night, most people would stay at home, but there were exceptions.

Several kilometers away from here, in another neighborhood, Hua Jiayao, after finishing her cram school class, had missed the last bus home. She was walking while talking on the phone.

The girl attempted to hail a taxi, but two cars passed her by, both with passengers inside. She was a young girl with a Westernized appearance, dressed fashionably, and specialized in dance. She had an especially slender figure.

Unable to get a taxi, Hua Jiayao had to continue walking. She was arguing on the phone, “Mom, don’t listen to what Teacher Du said. We’re just good friends.”

“I’m already eighteen, and it’s not like I’m in puppy love. If you wait a couple more years, I’ll probably be getting married.”

“I’m not neglecting my studies. We made a deal that we’d be together if we both got into college…”

There were words spoken on the other end of the line, and Hua Jiayao became more agitated.

“Mom, it’s the modern age. Why are you so outdated? Can’t I have a bit of personal freedom?”

“So what if I wear makeup? I saved up to buy it myself.”

“Why did you snoop on my computer? I just like a boy, is that a crime?”

“He’s not the way you describe him! Mom, what are you talking about? Does falling in love mean I should die? Was I born just to study?”

“Let’s talk about this when we get home!” Hua Jiayao angrily hung up the phone.

It seemed that ever since she started repeating a grade, she had been caught in endless arguments with her mother.

Because of studying, because of life, and now, because of an early romantic relationship.

Her relationship with that boy was merely about seeking comfort in each other, sharing the struggles of their suppressed lives at home and school. It was far from the stage of being indispensable to each other.

However, her mother had depicted this kind of relationship as disgraceful, almost intolerable.

What she thought and what her mother thought were two completely different worlds.

She didn’t know why, but her mother had become more selfish and distant. Her mother no longer understood her perspective; instead, she wanted to impose an unwanted life on her.

Today, her mother had promised to pick her up, but when Teacher Du came home for a visit tonight, her mother sent her away and called her to interrogate her over the phone. She had coldly told her to get home on her own.

When Hua Jiayao answered the call, she didn’t cry. But now, tears flowed down her cheeks, filled with a sense of grievance.

She wiped her tears. Could a parent’s love for their child really disappear?

It felt as if she was no longer the little princess in her parents’ eyes.

Hua Jiayao had been walking all this time. After hanging up the phone, she realized she had walked quite a distance and found herself in an unfamiliar street.

She was about to continue trying to hail a taxi when a car slowly pulled up around her.

A man in a leather jacket got out of the car. “Where did you run off to just now? I’ve finally found you.”

It was an unfamiliar face, and Hua Jiayao was momentarily stunned.

But he started pulling her towards the car.

“Who are you? I don’t know you…” Hua Jiayao panicked.

The man’s grip was strong, holding her wrist tightly. Struggling, she dropped her phone on the ground.

On this Christmas night, there weren’t many pedestrians around. A middle-aged woman passed by, glanced in their direction, and then took out her phone…

The man threatened fiercely, “She’s my girlfriend. What are you looking at?”

The middle-aged woman’s hand trembled, and she quickly turned away and left.

“I really don’t know him…” Hua Jiayao was terrified. “Help! Help!”

In just a few seconds, she barely managed to cry out, but the man lifted and carried her into the car, and the car door slammed shut.

The man quickly got into the car as well.

“Help! Help!” Hua Jiayao cried, desperately pounding on the car window, trying to open the door.

Her makeup was smeared from crying, reflecting her frightened expression.

Hua Jiayao had always thought she lived in the safest city, but she hadn’t realized that danger was just a step away.

A single car, a man, and he could so easily take her away.

The man grabbed her

 by her hair, forcefully banging her head against the car window.

Blood started dripping from Hua Jiayao’s head, and she was close to passing out.

The car started, carrying her away slowly…

TN:

The harsh reality of society today. People turning their backs on others when they can clearly see they’re in danger. But self-preservation is human nature especially against a stronger opponent and when the victim isn’t related to you. Honestly speaking, I don’t know how I would react if I was in the woman’s situation. Would I have the courage to overcome my fear and help or would I cower and save myself?