CH 82

in the following days, lu ye didn’t make any more demands of qi yanbai.

he seemed to have become used to this abnormal cohabitation, waking up naturally every day, taking a leisurely stroll in the apartment after getting up, and deciding whether to return to the bedroom to read a book or stay in the living room with qi yanbai based on his mood that day.

qi yanbai didn’t restrict his freedom of movement within the room, but he still didn’t allow him to get close to areas with sharp metal objects. therefore, lu ye was quite conscious of this and generally didn’t venture into qi yanbai’s forbidden zones. occasionally, when he watched qi yanbai cook, he would only lean against the refrigerator near the kitchen door and chat with him casually.

lu ye’s obedience clearly satisfied qi yanbai’s hidden possessiveness to the greatest extent. along with it, his demon-like insecurity was unconsciously soothed, and his emotional state gradually returned to its normal baseline.

he no longer clung to lu ye as he did in the first few days, as if he were absorbing nourishment from him like a parasitic vine. instead, he gradually got used to this life under the same roof. occasionally, when he had things to do, he willingly left lu ye some private space.

after lunch, there was usually half an hour when lu ye would take a nap, lasting about twenty to thirty minutes, to recharge for the afternoon.

qi yanbai didn’t want to disturb him, so after making sure he was asleep, he quietly exited the bedroom, taking the opportunity to lock the bedroom door.

in the living room, an easel stood with a piece of paper already prepared with a rough sketch in pencil. the sketch consisted of messy and intertwined light gray pencil lines, and a rose emerged from a thicket of thorns, with vibrant petals but no roots.

this sketch was quite different from qi yanbai’s usual style. he picked up a pencil from the easel and thought for a moment, then erased the traces left by his hesitation.

since meeting lu ye, it seemed that he couldn’t escape his influence in his art. either he was drawing the dreamy wilderness or lu ye himself. as a result, he found it difficult to draw anything else now; it felt unfamiliar.

while he was lost in thought, his phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated, drawing his attention. qi yanbai glanced at it and realized it was a video call from ashley.

“are you in north america?” qi yanbai furrowed his brow and teased her, “aren’t you afraid of getting sunburned this time?”

“qi zhe wanted to go on vacation and explore north america, so i came along with him,” ashley explained. she looked quite sober, casually flipping her long hair and smiling, “by the way, how have you been lately?”

“don’t you have anything else to do lately?” qi yanbai raised an eyebrow and asked, “you’re actually taking the time to check on me?”

“occasionally, i do think of you,” ashley shrugged, laughing, “you seem to be in good spirits. have you been having a good time lately?”

she sounded teasing, and it seemed like she was implying something, but at the same time, not really. qi yanbai’s eyes flickered slightly, and he subconsciously wanted to look back at the bedroom door. however, for some reason, he resisted the urge.

“it’s been alright,” qi yanbai replied, “not good, not bad.”

qi yanbai could sense that he had fallen into a highly contradictory situation recently. he knew rationally that lu ye could not willingly stay here forever, and he understood that lu ye’s compliance were merely temporary measures. however, his emotions were constantly swayed by the peaceful and content atmosphere, and whenever lu ye looked at him or held him, he would inexplicably feel like he could be with him forever.

“not good, not bad?” ashley raised an eyebrow and said, “that’s not a very accurate answer.”

it had been a long time since qi yanbai returned to china, and ashley had initially thought his improved mood was due to some progress with lu ye.  however, looking at it now, qi yanbai still seemed somewhat confused.

she was curious but restrained herself from prying too much. she wanted to ask about his emotional situation indirectly, but before she could continue, she saw the bedroom door behind qi yanbai move slightly, opening just a crack from the inside.

“xiao yanbai, you—” ashley was about to make a joke about qi yanbai “locking up his lover in a golden cage,” but the next moment, she suddenly stopped speaking and furrowed her brow lightly.

qi yanbai quickly noticed where her attention was focused and turned around. he then realized that lu ye had woken up at some point, walking out of the bedroom with sleepy eyes, lazily glancing at him.

perhaps because ashley was far away across the world, qi yanbai didn’t have any reservations with her. so, he didn’t immediately hang up the call, but instead, he simply turned to block the easel, greeted lu ye warmly.

“lu ye, you’re already up?” qi yanbai asked.

lu ye responded with a vague “mm” while his gaze slid over the phone screen. he subtly exchanged a glance with ashley in the video, then seemed to act as if he didn’t recognize her, nonchalantly shifting his gaze away.

“mm,” lu ye said. “don’t mind me, carry on.”

he walked towards the living room, bent down to pull out a random art magazine from under the tv cabinet, let out a yawn, and then returned to the bedroom.

the sound of chains rubbing against each other seemed particularly pronounced in the room. both lu ye and qi yanbai had grown used to this background noise, but ashley seemed to momentarily freeze, as if not fully understanding.

with his back to the screen, qi yanbai watched as the bedroom door closed again, and only then did he let out a quiet sigh of relief. he turned to look at the phone screen.

“what did you want to say earlier?” qi yanbai asked.

“ah, it’s nothing,” ashley quickly adjusted her emotions, pretending she hadn’t seen the iron chain on lu ye’s foot. she bit her lip, smiled, and said, “it’s just that the painting you showed me last time was seen by your father. he’s quite satisfied and wants to know if you’re willing to sell it—price negotiable.”

“i won’t sell it,” qi yanbai refused straightforwardly. “i’ve already said —”

before he could finish his sentence, the doorbell suddenly rang in the room, abruptly interrupting him. he couldn’t help but furrow his brow and turned to look at the door.

“is anyone home?” a young male voice came from outside. “property management, here to check the safety of each household.”

ever since bringing lu ye back, qi yanbai had become extremely sensitive to doorbells and knocking sounds. he always feared that lu ye might use the opportunity to make contact with the outside world. consequently, he had grown accustomed to immediately quashing unexpected situations. he would rise almost instantly, take a few brisk steps to the door, eagerly open it, and then lock it behind him.

ashley: “…

qi yanbai even forgot to hang up the call and hurriedly walked over to deal with the stranger.

suddenly, the bedroom door quickly reopened, and lu ye probably heard the sounds from outside. it was only when qi yanbai closed the door behind him, that lu ye walked out of the bedroom, leaned against the door, and spoke to ashley.

“i thought we had already made things clear after the last time,” lu ye said calmly. “i don’t want him to have any further ties with your family.”

“don’t overthink it. i just wanted to see how you two were progressing,” ashley replied after coming back to her senses. she glanced at lu ye’s chained foot and honestly said, “i just didn’t expect… that he would actually do something so audacious.”

lu ye: “…

“he has done a lot of audacious things,” lu ye said in a calm tone. “this one doesn’t make much of a difference.”

“but no matter how you look at it, this time he went a bit too far,” ashley said with a helpless smile. “do you need me to report it to the police?”

“no, there’s no need for that,” lu ye said casually, lowering his gaze to the chain on his foot. “i did it voluntarily.”

ashley: “…

this response seemed to be beyond reason but also somewhat expected. when they parted ways at the teahouse, ashley thought lu ye was merely determined. she never expected that this man would actually be willing to sacrifice to this extent for qi yanbai she found it incredible.

ashley paused, raised an eyebrow, and smiled, “him meeting you was truly lucky.”

“you’re giving me too much credit,” lu ye didn’t accept the compliment. he lowered his head to look at the long chain on his foot and said, “in fact, he has always left room for me.”

otherwise, he wouldn’t have bought such a long iron chain. that was what lu ye thought.

it was as if his subconscious was still struggling, giving qi yanbai the opportunity to reflect on his actions while also giving him the benefit of the doubt.

the new property management intern was a young and careful person. standing in the hallway, he went on for a good five minutes, discussing gas safety and security measures, before qi yanbai managed to dismiss him.

the elevator’s up button blinked for a moment before finally stopping on the tenth floor. qi yanbai stood there for a while, making sure that the person wouldn’t return, and then turned back to enter his apartment, punching in the door code to open it.

once inside, he instinctively glanced in the direction of the bedroom. the bedroom door was still securely closed, and ashley in the video had started idly playing with her nails. qi yanbai breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his seat.

“tell qi zhe that i won’t give him any paintings, especially not that one,” qi yanbai continued with the topic he hadn’t finished earlier. “that painting contains the person i love, and i won’t give it to anyone.”

“alright,” ashley didn’t seem disappointed. she flicked a speck of non-existent dust off her nails, squinted, and smiled. “i’ll convey that.”

“mm,” qi yanbai seemed unwilling to dwell on the topic. he asked matter-of-factly, “is there anything else?”

“yes,” ashley tilted her head and suddenly said, “forget everything i taught you before, xiao yanbai.”

qi yanbai was slightly puzzled, not understanding her. he asked what she meant.

“forget everything i taught you before,” ashley propped her chin on her hand, leaned forward, got closer to the camera, and smiled at him.

“if you’ve truly fallen in love with someone, then forget everything else and love them with all your sincerity,” ashley said.