Page 31

·

By the time they left the police station, it was completely dark. Pei Qingyu stretched, and aches surged out of every joint. He sighed softly, stumbled a step, and leaned against Xun Yin.

Xun Yin reached out and steadied his captain by the shoulders. Pei Qingyu tipped his head back, resting it directly on Xun Yin's shoulder, and gave a relaxed sigh. "This is just the right height. A-Xun... if you get bored after you retire, would you consider being my human backrest?"

Xun Yin chuckled and slowly massaged Pei Qingyu's temples. Pei Qingyu caught his hand and curled his lips into a smile, saying with perfect seriousness, "I mean it. Reemployment after retirement. I'll pay you a salary."

"No need to wait until retirement."

Xun Yin withdrew his hand and continued massaging Pei Qingyu's temples. One of the aftereffects of chloroform was a headache. Although Pei Qingyu said nothing, Xun Yin could see that he had already pressed a faint mark between his own brows.

Though his captain looked unwell, he still had the energy to tease. Xun Yin felt considerably reassured. Picking up where he had left off, he said just as seriously, "Captain, you're already living at my place. If you want a human body pillow, at night..."

"What body pillow? I clearly said backrest-"

Pei Qingyu turned his head with a laugh. His knees were slightly bent as he leaned into Xun Yin's arms, and that turn suddenly brought them closer.

Before Xun Yin could react, his lips brushed Pei Qingyu's forehead. The warm touch stunned them both for a moment. The tips of Xun Yin's ears rapidly grew hot, and he instinctively took a large step back, crashing into the trash can behind him with a clang.

"Pfft, cough, cough..."

Pei Qingyu looked over in bewilderment, then could not hold back his laughter. Feeling both helpless and amused, he pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed, walking over to pull Xun Yin up as he coughed.

"Captain, I didn't mean to. Next time I'll make sure I hold back... no, that's not..."

"What nonsense are you saying?" Pei Qingyu flicked Xun Yin on the forehead and scolded him with a laugh. "All right, stop trying to explain. You can't explain your way out of this."

Xun Yin froze, covering his head as he looked up at Xun Yin.

Since the previous case had ended, Xun Yin had gradually realized that his feelings for Pei Qingyu were, in the end, more affection than respect. Once, Song Ranran had held a novel and talked at length about how relationships needed to develop gradually. Xun Yin had thought it over seriously all night and decided that, since he and Pei Qingyu spent every day together, there would surely be opportunities to slowly nurture their feelings.

Unfortunately, his captain was hopelessly oblivious. The closer they grew, the more Xun Yin felt that Pei Qingyu still treated him like the child who had needed looking after a few years ago. Afraid that revealing his feelings would cost him even their current closeness, Xun Yin could only carefully rein them in.

But water overflowed when it was full, and a heart brimming with affection would always let some slip out by accident.

He had just let something slip, and Pei Qingyu had told him to "stop trying to explain." Hope flickered in Xun Yin's eyes. He half lowered his gaze, only to hear Pei Qingyu say with a laugh, just as expected, "After all these years, you're still just like when you first joined the team. You can't take any teasing at all. All right, I'll stop joking."

Xun Yin fell silent for a moment, then turned and walked away without a word. Looking at his seemingly upset deputy captain, Pei Qingyu hurried after him. "What's wrong, A-Xun? Are you really angry? Hiss-"

His still-swollen ankle could not withstand the vigorous movement. Pain made Pei Qingyu stumble, and he lost his balance, pitching straight forward.

But he did not fall to the ground. Instead, Xun Yin caught him securely, scooped an arm beneath his knees, and lifted him straight up.

Startled, Pei Qingyu blurted out, "You're not angry anymore? Why did you come back?"

Xun Yin walked on with his head down. Pei Qingyu looped his arms around his neck, unable to understand why his usually steady deputy captain had recently become so fond of princess carries. He continued chattering, "A-Xun, not everyone with a foot injury is unable to walk. You can't just pick up everyone you see. Put me down and give me a hand, that'll do..."

"I don't!" Xun Yin finally spoke. Pei Qingyu paused, and it took him quite a while to realize that Xun Yin was denying the part about "picking up everyone he saw."

Pei Qingyu could not help laughing again. Irritated, Xun Yin deliberately looked away from him. Naturally, he did not notice that, as Pei Qingyu laughed, he let out a silent sigh.

-A-Xun, you're so good to me. What am I supposed to do?

·

The two reached the hospital without speaking another word. Song Sheng had already regained consciousness, and she looked toward the door in confusion when she heard it open.

"Where did you hide those two syringes?"

Xun Yin got straight to the point, bracing both hands on the foot of Song Sheng's bed and staring directly at her.

Song Sheng looked up in alarm and uncertainty. Before she could speak, Xun Yin quickly continued, "You switched identities with Song Xiao, intending to take the blame for her, then use your pregnancy to get a reduced sentence and save both of you. Song Xiao has told us how all of this happened. I'm only asking you-where are those two syringes?"

"...So you know." Song Sheng was silent for a moment before she spoke softly. "Why do you want to know where those two syringes are?"

Xun Yin frowned as Song Sheng continued unhurriedly, "Let me think... is it because you don't have enough physical evidence to secure a conviction? You must have already found the dagger used to slash Zhang Zhao, right? But the fingerprints you found were mine."

Song Sheng looked up and chuckled. "I wiped my sister's fingerprints off long ago. Only that naive sister of mine would be fooled by your mixture of truth and lies into spilling everything. Without physical evidence, you have no way to convict Xiao Xiao, right?"

The hospital room fell silent. Song Sheng watched them at her leisure, only for Pei Qingyu, who had been standing in the corner all along, to shake his head. "No, we can."

"Even if we can't secure a conviction for this case, there's evidence of other crimes. Song Xiao resisted arrest and assaulted an officer, and you're suspected of harboring a criminal. If you're actually sentenced, you'll be going away for at least a few years. But while you'll be going in, the child in your belly won't."

Pei Qingyu said softly, "He'll be sent to an

orphanage

and experience the same things you did, or even worse. Can you bear to have him relive your life?"

"No, that's not how it is..."