After leaving the State Security Bureau, Lu Yanchu stood beside his car for a while, then sat down on the curb.
He looked up at the sky and exhaled, a relieved smile appearing on his lips.
For some reason, after learning the truth about his rescue all those years ago, his first reaction was not anger at being deceived, but the relief of having struggled free of a mire.
All these years, he had turned a blind eye to Ling Xi's flaws. The man was cowardly, foolishly kind, and fragile. Afraid to face his own mistakes, he often blamed his problems on other people's lack of generosity.
But Ling Xi's greatest flaw was taking the affection he received far too much for granted.
There was a kind of naivety in his recklessness. He always believed other people's feelings were immutable, that no matter how deeply he hurt someone, that person would keep chasing after him out of love.
That alone made Ling Xi unworthy of love. He was only suited to being a canary kept by someone powerful, clinging to another person for the rest of his life.
Lu Yanchu was profoundly grateful that he could hear Ji Ting's thoughts. Had he not learned the truth, that nonexistent debt of gratitude might have held him hostage for the rest of his life.
The sense of having narrowly escaped disaster stirred an impulse in his heart. Lu Yanchu took his phone from his pocket and called the person whose voice he most wanted to hear at that moment.
"Hello?"
"Ji Ting, it's Lu Yanchu."
"I know. I have your name saved in my phone."
Hearing his usual tone, Lu Yanchu's lips silently curved upward, and his emotions settled completely. "I called specifically to thank you."
Ji Ting understood what he was