CH 72

on the way back to the sub-bureau, lu ye leisurely bought a box of new hongtashan cigarettes and then took out his phone from his pocket, pressing the power-off button again.

after returning last night, lu ye thought for a long time and felt that he shouldn’t continue to muddle through with qi yanbai like this. although qi yanbai’s “conditions” were generous and tempting, lu ye believed that he didn’t have a fondness for watching his loved one grovel and play the submissive role. instead of both of them disguising their true feelings, it would be better to be straightforward and clear things up sooner.

however, given qi yanbai’s suspicious nature, even if lu ye told him face-to-face, “i no longer care about the things you did and can accept your dark side,” qi yanbai probably wouldn’t believe it. he would likely feign just the right amount of surprise and continue to tread carefully, playing the role of the “perfect lover” while occasionally testing the boundaries like a young cat, probing lu ye’s limits.

although lu ye wasn’t afraid of qi yanbai’s tricks, he also didn’t want their future love life to be consumed by mind games and guessing each other’s intentions. so, after tossing and turning all night, he finally decided to take a more aggressive approach at the right opportunity, forcing qi yanbai to reach his breaking point.

however, rushing things could also mess things up, so lu ye decided to tease qi yanbai a bit first and gradually administer the “vaccine.”

after turning off his phone, the gps signal was also cut off. lu ye removed the sim card from his phone and inserted it into a spare one. then, he called for a taxi and headed to the sub-bureau.

the sub-bureau was quiet on the weekend, with only a few young men and women who had just finished mediation walking out of the lobby. lu ye bypassed the crowd and was about to go upstairs when someone called him from behind.

“officer lu.”

the voice that called him was a very pleasant young woman’s voice, with a hint of familiarity.

lu ye couldn’t recall ever hearing this voice before and turned around in surprise, only to find a delicately featured woman sitting in the corner of the waiting room.

this woman had exquisite makeup and a striking beauty. she had a well-proportioned figure and was wearing a red dress that showed her figure. her snow-white ankle peeked out from under the hem of her dress, revealing intricate and beautiful tattoos.

seeing lu ye turn around, the woman raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled. she casually picked up a coat that was lying nearby, stood up gracefully, and walked towards lu ye.

while she had appeared composed while sitting, as she moved, her enchanting aura seemed to come to life in an instant. every gesture she made exuded an effortless and seductive charm.

this woman’s aura was extraordinary, and her looks were stunning. lu ye was sure he had never seen her before, so he took a cautious step back, creating some distance between them.

“hello,” lu ye said professionally. “may i ask what brings you here? are you here to report a case?”

“a case?” the woman blinked her eyes slightly and said with a smile, her tone tinged with a hint of familiarity, “no, i’m here specifically to see you, officer.”

she shrugged and continued, “i was a bit worried that it might not be working hours in the country on the weekend, but fortunately, i ran into you. it seems i’m lucky.”

the woman’s eye makeup was skillfully done, accentuating her facial features. as lu ye looked at the slightly coquettish curve at the corner of her eyes, he suddenly felt that her smile resembled someone.

“looking for me?” lu ye asked in response. “i don’t think i know you.”

“ah, my mistake.” the woman widened her eyes slightly and seemed to have an epiphany. she smiled and said, “i forgot to introduce myself. i’m ashley, qi yanbai’s mother.”

lu ye: …

the faint sense of familiarity finally found an answer, and lu ye looked at ashley in shock, momentarily at a loss for words.

when qi yanbai had mentioned his parents, he had only said a few vague words about his “mother.” lu ye knew that she was a carefree woman who didn’t pay much attention to qi yanbai, but he hadn’t expected her to… look so young.

furthermore, she seemed completely different from qi yanbai. qi yanbai appeared gentle and refined, even if he had a mischievous side, it was carefully concealed. in contrast, the woman in front of him exuded a wild and confident aura, almost permeating her every breath. she was the opposite of qi yanbai in every way.

initially, he had no favorable impression of her due to his preconceived notions about qi yanbai’s family, and her appearance didn’t do much to change that impression. however, out of respect for her status, he reluctantly put on a polite demeanor.

but facing this woman’s face, it was difficult for him to address her as “aunt.” fortunately, ashley quickly sensed his discomfort, ran her fingers through her hair, and smiled, offering him a way out.

“just call me by my name,” ashley said. “that’s what yanbai calls me too.”

“alright,” lu ye breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t immediately use her name. instead, he changed the topic and asked, “i’m not sure why you’ve come to see me. if you’re looking for qi yanbai, i can give you his address right now.”

“no need. i haven’t told him i’m here,” ashley squinted her eyes slightly and said with a smile, “i came specifically to see you. officer lu, do you have some time to go out with me and have a private chat somewhere quiet?”

perhaps it was his instinctive resistance to qi yanbai’s unusual family or perhaps it was because ashley herself appeared quite dangerous, but lu ye instinctively wanted to decline this invitation.

“i’m sorry,” lu ye said, “i still have some work to finish. if there’s anything you’d like to discuss, we can do it here.”

“in that case, forget it,” ashley said regretfully, shrugging her shoulders. surprisingly, she didn’t insist and instead opened her hand, smiling. “it seems like we were not meant to meet.”

just as they were talking, li zhiwen had just finished lunch and returned from outside. when he entered and saw lu ye standing in the lobby, he couldn’t help but call out to him.

“why are you still here instead of going upstairs?” li zhiwen’s gaze swept over ashley standing nearby, and he asked in confusion, “are you on duty?”

“hello, officer,” ashley turned around before lu ye could respond and smiled. “i wanted to ask officer lu about something, but it seems like bad timing since he’s still working.”

lu ye’s sexual orientation was widely known in the public security division, so even after seeing ashley’s face, li zhiwen didn’t jump to any conclusions. hearing ashley’s words, he turned to lu ye and asked in puzzlement, “a civilian has something to discuss with you? then go ahead. you only have the report left to finish, and that’s not due until tuesday.”

lu ye didn’t get a chance to refuse, as his boss had intervened. after a moment of hesitation, he glanced at ashley, who was standing nearby.

honestly, lu ye didn’t want to get involved with qi’s family, but at the same time, he was curious why qi yanbai’s mother had come all the way from abroad just to see him.

if it were normal parents and they heard their child was in a relationship, especially with another man, it would be normal for them to be concerned. however, considering the qi family’s hands-off parenting style, lu ye found it hard to believe that they would come all the way to “check on” their son.

ashley sensed his dilemma but didn’t rush him. she simply changed her posture lazily, shifting her weight from her numb right foot to her left.

“alright,” after a few seconds, lu ye seemed to have finally made a decision. he nodded to li zhiwen and then gestured to ashley, saying, “let’s step out and talk.”

ashley had made ample preparations to meet lu ye. she had reserved a private room in an upscale teahouse near the police station and pre-ordered their special full-course tea service.

delicate pastries filled the small table, and a qipao-clad waitress efficiently prepared the first pot of tea before leaving a service bell on the table. she silently exited the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

as the door closed, ashley withdrew her gaze from the window and got straight to the point. “actually, i didn’t have any other intentions in coming here, officer lu. i just wanted to meet you.”

“meet me?” lu ye smiled and responded with a hint of humor. “i’m not exactly a celebrity. i don’t think it’s worth the overseas airfare.”

“to be honest, i wanted to see what kind of person could captivate little yanbai to the point of obsession,” ashley said matter-of-factly. “and also because elvis, that boy, called me a few days ago.” she must have sensed lu ye’s lack of enthusiasm, so she asked directly, “he said that you and yanbai broke up?”

lu ye’s eyebrows twitched, thinking to himself that this was unexpected. she had actually come all this way for qi yanbai’s love life.

it all sounded too absurd. lu ye even briefly considered whether she was sort of sent by qi yanbai. however, he quickly dismissed that thought. given qi yanbai’s relationship with his parents, even if he had mustered the courage to seek help, they wouldn’t necessarily come to his aid so wholeheartedly.

something about this situation didn’t add up, and lu ye couldn’t quite figure out ashley’s intentions. so, he responded cautiously with a non-committal sound, not providing a direct answer.

“i know you’re wary of me—perhaps because you have a negative impression of me, or maybe because yanbai has done a lot of things that crossed the line with you,” ashley said. “but—”

“how do you know that he did things that crossed the line with me?” lu ye interrupted.

“because i know him,” ashley replied without minding the interruption. she continued in a subdued tone, “i know what kind of person he is.”

ashley paused for a moment, then took a slender cigarette box from her coat and gestured toward lu ye. he shook his head to indicate that he didn’t mind, so she extracted a long, slender lady’s cigarette from the box and lit it using the small tea warmer that was already burning nearby.

“several months ago, i had a conversation with little yanbai,” ashley began. “at that time, his father asked him to come home for an exhibition, but he refused. since that conversation, i knew that you two would eventually reach this day.”