Chapter 22

“The accumulated rain clouds that had been swirling over Black Harbor City for ten whole days finally dispersed, and the coming week will bring nice weather…”

“Chemical technology announced an increase in stock buyback plan after market…”

“…It is reported that the killer has left Black Harbor City and is on the run.”

“Ding.”

Lu Sen tuned the car’s radio to a calming classical music channel. Through the rearview mirror, he saw Bai Wei, who had already sat up in the backseat. “Darling, are you awake?”

Bai Wei looked at him expressionlessly.

Ah, the way my baby just woke up, sleepily staring at me is so cute. Lu Sen thought to himself, feeling that Bai Wei’s eyes looked indifferent, probably because his senses hadn’t fully loaded yet. If Bai Wei were to look at him, he didn’t believe his eyes would be empty.

He was also surprised at the change in his feelings toward Bai Wei. After becoming one in body and soul, he had never felt so close to Bai Wei, as if the final barrier between them had been broken. Bai Wei was no longer just his collection, his life partner, his wife; he was a part of him, someone who had shared such beautiful moments with him, someone with whom he would always share the happiest sensations.

Even as time passed and things changed, those moments and feelings were forever etched in both their lives. Every time he thought of that happiness, the first person he thought of was Bai Wei.

In short, he felt that Bai Wei belonged to him even more now. They were always meant to be one. There were other feelings, but Lu Sen couldn’t describe them. He thought he should read more books about humanity so he could learn how to express his current feelings.

Lu Sen said, “We’ve left Black Harbor City, and it’ll take another half hour to get home. On the way, I bought some chocolate and cookies; they’re in the backseat. If you want some, go ahead and get them to refuel. Do you like the music in the car? Is it pleasant? By the way, how’s your body? Do you feel better?”

Bai Wei: …

Bai Wei leaned against the seat, his expression cold and lifeless, saying nothing. Lu Sen asked, “Baby, are you feeling unwell, motion sick, or in a bad mood? Do you want to listen to some rock music?”

Bai Wei thought, I want to throw up.

He didn’t actually want to throw up, but the sudden feeling of being connected with Lu Sen made him panic.

His family shouldn’t be like this. He and his grandfather would sit at opposite ends of a dark walnut dining table, never touching, silently eating their meals, only exchanging glances after dinner. His grandfather would have the butler hand him the acceptance letter from Beidu University, and he would sit in a dark red cushioned chair, his hands resting on his cane. They would propose their needs in a logical and advanced manner. For example, first telling the butler the reason, then at the appointed time walking into the study with his grandfather, sitting across from him. He needed to stand in front of the desk, or sit in the chair his grandfather gestured to him. He would say, “Yes, grandfather, I have a proposal. I believe this will help me develop my skills, and it will be helpful to you as well. I request that you approve my request… because this is the most rational, efficient, and harmonious way for the family.”

They would stand side by side in graduation photos, sit together in the backseat on the way to the family funeral, but they wouldn’t hug, wouldn’t pat each other’s shoulders. His grandfather could enter Bai Wei’s room at any time, but Bai Wei couldn’t enter his grandfather’s room. That was family.

Not like Lu Sen… who would kiss him anytime, or not kiss him, who would rudely look at his body, mess up the bed, and stay closely attached to him for more than a week without getting up… a relationship like that.

The car slowed down. Lu Sen looked at him again in the rearview mirror. “What’s wrong, baby?”

Bai Wei noticed for the first time that Lu Sen’s eyes weren’t gray. In the sunlight, they were a very clear blue.

“I’m fine, just a little sleepy,” Bai Wei said. “Keep driving.”

He held back and told himself that his goal hadn’t changed. Before achieving his goal, all accidents were secondary. If intimacy was his weakness, then he would have to work hard to overcome it.

Though he still didn’t understand… why home had to be like this.

Lu Sen said cheerfully, “In that case, let’s listen to something light.”

He twisted the radio knob. “…Experts warn that the fugitive is extremely dangerous and may infiltrate residential areas. Please make sure to lock your doors and windows…”

Lu Sen: “Sounds dangerous… I’ll change the station.”

Light rain fell outside the window, and Bai Wei’s eyelids twitched. He couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight was an ominous night.

In the shadows, a figure grinned viciously.

At that moment, Lu Sen suddenly said, “Darling, do you feel the car swaying? It actually feels kind of nice.”

Bai Wei: ?

—-

The figure hid in the trunk, listening to the conversation between the two in the front seat. He felt a bit incredulous and shocked.

He had indeed gotten into the car of a young couple from Snow Mountain Town, but how was it that this couple was two men?

The shock lasted only a moment, as the figure was a seasoned assassin. Soon, he found it not so strange. After all, the leg he had glimpsed under the blanket really was beautiful—slender, straight, and white like jade, even a man’s leg could be beautiful. Moreover, the voice of the person in the backseat sounded pleasant… A person like that being a wife also seemed quite reasonable and should be highly praised…

The young couple in the front continued talking about trivial things. The husband spoke a lot and often, while the wife’s words were few and bland, making the assassin think the husband was quite a “simp.” Thankfully, they had no children or elderly family members and were newcomers to the small town. He thought it would be very easy to take them out and take over their place.

This is just an ordinary couple! Apart from the husband being a “licking dog” and the wife being indifferent, their minds are filled with trivial things like what to eat tomorrow. When they are killed, they’ll probably end up lying in a pool of blood, bored, just like those random passersby.

The car stops in the front yard. A figure quietly emerges from the trunk, rolls to the ground, and slips into the bushes. The dense bushes hide him well. The figure grips a weapon and waits for an ambush.

One shot to the husband’s head, another to the wife’s knee, dragging the bodies into the cellar, and binding the wife in the basement to take over the nest. The figure has done this many times and is quite skilled.

Five minutes pass, ten minutes pass… Wait, why haven’t the couple come out yet?

The figure, puzzled, pushes aside a few leaves and sees the car slightly shaking… Wait, what’s this movement?

Then, he hears a voice from inside the car: the cries from the backseat and the heavy breathing of the driver. A pale hand reaches out the window, only to be pulled back.

Damn, so there was something going on!

What is this, a polite gesture? Is this reasonable? The figure is stunned, realizing he has accidentally stumbled into a couple’s intimate moment… Wait, they just drove for over three hours, where do they get the energy to start this here?

At that moment, a voice drifts out of the car window: “Darling, hold on… I’ve been thinking about this since we were in the car…”

The figure: …

He feels humiliated. After more than ten years in the business, he has never seen such reckless people. But since he’s already here, crouching, he can’t back out now. He might as well stick it out and wait for an opportunity. After ten minutes, it’s time to act.

Just as he is about to close the leaves, he suddenly remembers the voice from the backseat—cold, elegant, and certainly with a unique flavor when crying… Wonder what he calls out in bed? Does he call out “husband” or “daddy”? With this thought, the figure pushes the leaves aside a little more and listens carefully.

And then, he hears what Bai Wei is saying.

“Don’t… don’t do that, I want, I want…”

“Step on it!”

“Gas pedal!”

With a loud roar, the car engine roars and charges forward like a Hummer. The figure’s body lightens, and he realizes that this is what going to heaven feels like… He is flung into the bushes across the car in the bright headlights, like a light swallow.

Meanwhile, Bai Wei curls his toes. His foot moves away from the gas pedal. Lu Sen pulls the handbrake just in time, and they avoid crashing into the wall together.

At the moment the car stops, all three of them feel like they’ve reached heaven. If there were background music, it would surely be Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.”

On the other side of the wall, there is a loud shout: “What the hell! What’s that noise!”

The voice comes from the supermarket owner who lives next door to Bai Wei. He’s been battling with a broken air conditioner. The supermarket owner is a thrifty person who divorced his ex-wife two years ago. But he always fantasizes that the house price of his property might win back his wife’s favor, and he is very concerned about the rise in community property prices. Therefore, he was very happy when Bai Wei’s house was renovated.

At this moment, he throws down his repair kit and, in an effort to redeem the house price, rushes down the stairs from the second floor.

The figure lies on the ground, stars in his eyes. He’s been entrenched in Black Harbor City for over a decade, with hundreds of lives on his hands, but never has he felt so disoriented, as if he were witnessing an absurd scene of spaghetti making a god… Though his reflexes saved his life, his left leg is broken.

“I’ve never seen anything like this…”

In his blurred vision, the two people jump out of the car, one after the other. The slimmer one is hastily buttoning his clothes, a pale stretch of waist exposed, clearly the one who was lying in the backseat. The other, strong, hasn’t even properly dressed, desperately reaching out to comfort or explain to the slimmer one.

“Darling, this was an accident—” the strong one says.

There’s a lawnmower in the front yard, already plugged in. The figure had noticed it earlier. He lies back in the grass, hearing the strong one say: “See, the car’s fine. As expected, the bushes cushion the impact…”

I was the cushion!

Before he can even protest, he watches the slimmer person start the lawnmower. Amid the loud roar of the machine, he charges forward, murderous intent in his eyes, and forcefully slams the rotating blades into the husband, who hadn’t looked back, didn’t know what was happening behind him. The husband crashes into the wall on the other side.

“Ah—!”

The figure hears a terrible scream, but he can’t tell if it’s from the husband, from him, or from the supermarket owner running towards them after hearing the noise… All three of them have reasons to scream.

Meanwhile, the slender beauty, hearing the sound from next door, drops the lawnmower. He turns and strides quickly into the house.