Lipstick

Beneath the dripping raincoat, a pair of iron handcuffs swung under the light, glaringly bright.

"Don't move! You're under arrest! Put down what you're holding and come with me!"

A pitch-black gun barrel pointed at Zhao Ke. Beneath the raincoat, the man's face gradually came into view. Under his thick stubble, the corners of his mouth curved upward in a faint, inconspicuous smile.

"Boring! How old are you already, still fooling around like this?"

Looking at the same old prank before him, Zhao Ke's mouth twitched. He rolled his eyes at him and paid it no mind at all, but his expression quickly darkened.

Two huge black footprints stood out glaringly against the bright floor. Zhao Ke's face went black. He grabbed the skimmer beside him and hurled it at the man's head, the curse seeming to squeeze through clenched teeth. "Get the hell out! My floor!"

The man had still been joking around at first, but when he saw the skimmer flying at him, his pupils suddenly contracted. He swiftly ducked, and a fierce gust of wind swept past his ear. With a loud bang, the skimmer slammed into the wall.

"Fuck, you were serious!"

When he turned back to look, the man sucked in a cold breath. If that had hit his head, it probably would have given him a concussion.

Zhao Ke's expression remained blank, but inwardly, he could not help breaking into a cold sweat. In his burst of anger, he had forgotten that he was now twice as strong as before.

But seeing that the man was still alive and kicking, he immediately relaxed. Without responding, he picked up the rag beside the table and lightly tossed it over.

"There are slippers in the shoe cabinet on the left, and a clothes rack on the right. Clean up the floor."

"Am I not your real brother anymore?"

Looking at the rag in his hand, Lei Ke looked at Zhao Ke again, clutching his chest with a heartbroken expression.

"We're having bear paw tonight. If you want to eat, clean the floor." As Zhao Ke spoke, he raised the bear paw in his hand for Lei Ke to see.

When he saw the bear paw in Zhao Ke's hand, nearly as big as a washbasin, Lei Ke froze. Then he stomped his foot and cursed, "You little bastard, which zoo did you wreck this time? I'm telling you, if you keep this up, I really will send you to the station."

Lei Ke cursed with his mouth, but his hands moved quickly as he took off his raincoat and kicked aside his leather shoes.

His face looked as if it had been carved with a knife, its features sharply defined. Especially those bright, piercing eyes—even with a smile in them now, they still gave off a keen edge. Standing there, he was like a bayonet drawn from its sheath, sharp and deadly, radiating righteousness that made people afraid to look directly at him.

Yet this intimidating man was now honestly bent over the floor, quickly wiping it clean. Then, with a single stride, he rushed to Zhao Ke's dining table and stared fixedly at the pair of bear paws Zhao Ke was preparing.

"Top-grade!"

Lei Ke smacked his lips and could not help praising it. Clearly, he was an expert when it came to food as well.

Zhao Ke took out a new set of knives from the drawer and began skinning the bear paw, cutting along its thick joints. The blade slid gently through the meat, exposing distinct red-and-white marbling beneath the pink flesh.

Skinning, deboning, removing the tendons, stuffing the filling—he completed the movements almost in one fluid sequence. Sitting in the chair, Lei Ke took out a cigarette and put it to his lips, then picked up the pistol he had pulled out earlier and squeezed the trigger.

Click!

A flicker of flame spurted from the muzzle. The gun in front of him was nothing more than a lighter.

"Hiss!"

Lei Ke took a satisfied drag, blew out a smoke ring, and kept his gaze fixed on Zhao Ke's long, well-shaped hands as they worked on the bear paws.

Compared to eating good food, he actually preferred enjoying the process—watching a delicacy come into being.

"I quit my job."

Zhao Ke's hands paused. He looked up at Lei Ke, but contrary to Lei Ke's expectations, Zhao Ke merely nodded, without the intense reaction he had anticipated.

"Hey, I'm not joking."

"I know. It's for Pei Pei."

Lei Ke took a deep breath and nodded. Although Zhao Ke gave him money every month without fail, Pei Pei's later treatment costs had only grown higher and higher.

Even though Zhao Ke was willing to help bear the burden, out of a man's pride, Lei Ke had decided that he needed another job.

He pulled a file folder from his chest and placed it on the table. Seeing Zhao Ke's calm expression, Lei Ke gave a strange smile. "Aren't you going to ask what I plan to do?"

But Zhao Ke did not answer him. His eyes stayed fixed on the wok. Once he saw that the bear paws had developed a golden, crisp skin, he quickly scooped them out, placed a piece of comb honey on each paw, and put them into the steamer together.

Then he glanced at the file folder by Lei Ke's side, shook his head, and took a card from the cabinet before handing it to Lei Ke.

"Take this money. There's probably still 1.6 million in it. The password is six sevens. Call me if you need anything."

Zhao Ke did not want to ask what Lei Ke was going to do. If Lei Ke wanted to tell him, he naturally would. If he did not want to say it, asking would be pointless.

But no matter what Lei Ke did, Zhao Ke would not stop him. They had grown up together in the orphanage, and Zhao Ke knew Lei Ke's temperament well.

If Lei Ke wanted to be a tree, then even at the risk of being struck by lightning, he would become the biggest and tallest tree. His pride was fierce; other than Pei Pei, no one could make him lower his head.

Looking at the bank card Zhao Ke handed him, Lei Ke did not stand on ceremony. He was badly short of money right now, and his relationship with Zhao Ke was no different from that of real brothers. Politeness was not his style. He could only remember this kindness in his heart.

After carefully observing that Zhao Ke seemed to be in a fairly good mood, Lei Ke hesitated for a while before quietly saying, "How about... you go to America and have a look? Recently... it hasn't appeared again, right?"

At the mention of it, even Lei Ke could not help becoming tense. He had personally seen how terrifying Zhao Ke became during an episode. He turned into a completely different person. That change... was bizarre. It was not conventional split personality disorder, but a fundamental shift in character.

"Mm... it seems not."

Zhao Ke thought about it. During this time, he really had not suffered another episode. Even after being dragged into that terrifying space, his condition had not relapsed.

After receiving Zhao Ke's confirmation, Lei Ke slowly let out a long breath.

The two chatted on and off. Before long, a uniquely fresh and fragrant scent filled the entire cafeteria.

"It's done!"

Zhao Ke lifted the steamer lid. Seeing his creation, the corners of his mouth rose. He opened the steamer, carefully carried out the plate, and set it on the table before them.

"Fish Sheep Bear Paw!"

The comb honey that had originally rested on the bear paws had melted into a sauce, drizzling over the golden crisp skin. Zhao Ke picked up his chopsticks and lightly poked it.

Crunch!

With a crisp sound, the outer layer gradually cracked open, revealing the translucent, reddish meat beneath, thoroughly steamed through.

"I'm tasting it first!"

At the sight, Lei Ke could not stop swallowing. Ignoring the heat, he picked up a spoon and scooped into it. The bear meat underneath was as tender as tofu, and he stuffed it into his mouth in one bite.

The instant the meat entered his mouth, Lei Ke's eyes widened. He practically wanted to swallow his own tongue.

Tender, soft, and richly fragrant—those were secondary. What mattered most was its freshness, as savory as pufferfish, paired with a texture like soybean milk.

Holding a bite in one's mouth gave the illusion of being deeply fucked.

Even though he had watched the entire cooking process, Lei Ke still could not understand how Zhao Ke had achieved this.

Of course, he would not ask about the secret. Long ago, he had tried imitating Zhao Ke's cooking methods. The result... Pei Pei had nearly beaten him to death, and even the neighbors had called the police, suspecting that he was boiling shit.

Not only had the dish failed, but he had been forced to stay in a hotel for several days until the stench faded. Apparently, during those days, several families in his building had nearly cursed him to death.

After that profound lesson, Lei Ke no longer tried to imitate Zhao Ke's cooking. Coming by for a treat once in a while was already more than satisfying enough.

Zhao Ke tried a few bites. Not bad. After all, it was top-grade bear paw. Such ingredients did exist in the real world, but the key was that he could not get his hands on them.

This bear paw should have been enough for four people, but Zhao Ke had spent so long struggling in that terrifying space that he was truly hungry. With plain steamed buns, he began wolfing it down.

Naturally, Lei Ke did not stand on ceremony with Zhao Ke either. As mentioned before, ingredients like this were far too rare. Even an ordinary wealthy person would have great difficulty getting to eat them.

As for ordinary people, they would probably only get to see pictures online for their entire lives, with no chance of ever encountering it. Besides, top-grade ingredients combined with a top-grade chef made for a delicacy that ordinary people had no opportunity to enjoy.

The two of them devoured the food. In the end, Zhao Ke cooked a serving of noodles and mixed them into the sauce. Only after their bellies were round did they collapse back into their chairs in satisfaction.

"Here!"

Lei Ke took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhao Ke. Zhao Ke accepted it but did not light it, merely holding it beneath his nose and taking a few light sniffs before casually setting it on the table.

After all, he needed to maintain his sharp sense of smell and taste. Smoking would not make him lose his sense of taste, but it would dull his sensitivity to flavors.

Lei Ke had nowhere near as many reservations as Zhao Ke. He sprawled carelessly in his chair, lit a cigarette, and took several deep drags. Then he checked the time and stood up, ready to leave.

Before leaving, Lei Ke suddenly turned back to look at the box on Zhao Ke's table, raising a brow. "You don't mean to..."

"What?"

Zhao Ke did not understand what Lei Ke meant.

Lei Ke pointed at the wooden box on Zhao Ke's table. "That urn is..."

Zhao Ke froze, then turned to look at the rosewood box on the table. The corner of his mouth twitched. At Lei Ke's words, he realized it too. This rectangular box really did look like an urn.

Immediately, Zhao Ke replied irritably, "It's for holding trash!"

"Oh!"

With Zhao Ke saying that, Lei Ke was relieved. Knowing Zhao Ke as he did, if the box were meant for Zhao Ke himself, Zhao Ke would never say it was a trash box.

Watching Lei Ke leave, Zhao Ke looked at the clock. It was already six in the morning. He went up to the attic and opened the bedroom door, where a coffin sat inside his room.

He pulled open the coffin and lay down inside. Perhaps because he was too tired, he did not bother closing the lid. Before long, Zhao Ke fell deeply asleep.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock..."

In the dim room, the hands of the clock ticked onward.

"Buzz..."

Then, a long finger gently pulled open the drawer beneath the dressing table. Zhao Ke had somehow emerged from the coffin. He looked at the time on the clock.

Looking at the thin face in the mirror, he opened his mouth as if murmuring something to himself, but no sound came out. He looked up at the mirror, and suddenly, a strange smile appeared on Zhao Ke's face. He casually took a lipstick from the drawer and applied it to his lips.