The sky was an intense black, filling the world with loneliness.
Fang Lele seemed not to have heard clearly. Dazed, he asked again, "What?"
The man sitting on the sofa set down the documents in his hand and leaned back, adopting a relaxed, unhurried posture. "Come here."
Three or four meters lay between them. Fang Lele hesitated for a few seconds, then turned sideways and took two trembling steps forward.
Perhaps amused by his caution, Ji Fengyao raised his brows slightly, the corners of his lips lifting idly as he lowered his voice. "Keep going."
He was like a hunter who had laid his trap, watching a fledgling take tentative, uncomprehending steps, walking little by little into his snare.
When his knees were only an inch from the cold edge of the coffee table, Fang Lele dug his nails into his palms and stopped.
All this time, he had not dared lift his head to meet those still, unruffled eyes, which seemed to hold the vast abyss of a deep ocean.
Ji Fengyao watched him impassively. After a long moment, he gave an inscrutable smile.
"I meant..."
Fang Lele's lashes trembled a few times before he slowly lifted them.
Their eyes met. The curve of Ji Fengyao's lips had already vanished. With an indifferent expression, he patted his thigh, his voice low and allowing no resistance.
"Come here."
Fang Lele's clear pupils abruptly contracted. His lips parted slightly, as though he could not comprehend what the man had said.
"Uncle..."
Ji Fengyao calmly returned his gaze, as if to say it was exactly what he thought.
Tension spread through the air. The ventilation fan kept cycling, spinning and stopping, then starting again.
The instant the minute hand pointed to a new number, Fang Lele lifted his stiff, aching legs, went