Chapter 119 - The Invisible Tether
Pei Cangyu rolled over, the morning sun prickling his skin. He raised a hand to shield his eyes and squinted at the light. Waking up naturally, living a life where every need was met without lifting a finger... how should he put it? Pei Cangyu sat up, stark naked, and gave his stomach a self-deprecating pat. As he slouched, a thin roll of soft flesh appeared—a testament to his recent lack of activity. He let out a dry, self-mocking giggle.
He reached into the nightstand for a cigarette, but the drawer was overflowing with boxes of condoms. After rummaging through the latex, he finally unearthed a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and sat there, puffing away while casting a wary glance toward the door. Satisfied that Bai Shi wouldn't be back for a while, he relaxed into the pillows.
Outside, the chirping of birds drifted through the window.
He turned his head, cigarette dangling from his lips, and stared blankly for a moment before suddenly clutching his hair and collapsing back onto the mattress. The room was thick with the lingering scent of their tryst. The sheets were a tangled, damp mess, and his ankles were still chafed a dull red. Pei Cangyu closed his eyes in a fit of despair. *It’s over,* he thought. *There’s no going back. I’ve gone full gay.*
No, it wasn't just that. If he weren't gay, he wouldn't be spending every waking—and sleeping—hour in this bed. He sat up again, blaming his own spinelessness. One confession of love, one moment of vulnerability from Bai Shi, and he’d crumbled. Was this consensual? Or was it some twisted form of mutual entrapment?
When Bai Shi failed to return after a long while, Pei guessed he might have gone out. He quickly threw on some clothes and hurried out of the bedroom. Habitually, he tugged at the front door; it was still locked from the outside. Bai Shi’s guard was still up.
He dug out Laces’ camera and began practicing his photography against the magazines he had marked with dense notes, all while keeping a sharp ear out for any movement outside. To his surprise, the doorbell rang.
A doorbell? He hadn't even realized the house had one.
***
Satino called out to her again, his voice echoing up the stairs as he shouted Laces' name before scurrying back to the kitchen.
"I already called her!" she yelled back, leaning over the table to snag a french fry.
Her mother sighed, set down a plate, and headed for the stairs herself. Satino shrugged and pulled out a chair to sit.
Laces, meanwhile, was in front of her mirror, humming a tune and applying a new shade of lip gloss.
"Time to eat!" Her mother pushed the door open without warning.
Laces dropped her mirror and shrieked, "How many times have I told you to knock? Heavens..." She stood up and gently nudged her mother back toward the hall. "Coming, coming!"
"I’ll give you five minutes," her mother said as she walked away. "Everyone is here, waiting for you."
"By 'everyone,' you mean just Satino," Laces muttered, successfully ushering her mother out and closing the door.
It didn't matter. If she went down now, she’d still have to wait another twenty minutes for the food to actually be served. That was the family rule.
She wiped her lips and glanced out the window. Her room offered a perfect view of the gate to the Bai residence. Whenever she sat here, she habitually looked over. Mr. Bai was a family friend. When he first arrived, he had been accompanied by a beautiful woman. Back then, he had told them his name, but after he took over some mysterious business, he mostly dealt with the adults. They had switched to calling him "Mr. Bai," and now his actual name was a hazy memory.
She saw Mr. Bai walk out of the gate, retrieve a newspaper from the mailbox, roll it up, and head off. He was wearing athletic gear, likely headed for a morning jog. Had he changed his hairstyle? It suited him. To be honest, she wasn't even sure where he was from. Her older sister had harbored a crush on him when they were younger.
Laces stood up and peered out, watching Mr. Bai disappear into the distance. Then, she turned her gaze back to the house, half-expecting the other boy to emerge.
After a while, there was still no movement from the house.
Lately, Mr. Bai had been going out quite frequently, usually at night. She only knew because Cher would bark whenever he left. Laces would poke her head out and see Mr. Bai soothing the dog; once, he had even spotted her and waved.
Compared to Mr. Bai, that boy never left the house—at least, never alone.
They had asked Mr. Bai for his name, but he had simply brushed them off with, "He’s my younger brother." Laces had asked her father, but he didn't seem to know or care. No one really talked about him; when they did, he was just "Mr. Bai’s brother."
Laces pursed her lips at the thought and began putting her things away. It felt wrong, as if he were merely someone else's property. She rested her chin in her hand, remembering the boy's face. He was exactly her type.
Her sister said he couldn't compare to Mr. Bai, but Laces disagreed. It was a different kind of aura. His beautiful eyes held a fierce, predatory glint, and his brows were often knit in a restless scowl. With his short buzz cut and slightly hunched shoulders, he looked every bit the street-tough delinquent. And he was undeniably handsome.
*Ah, a rogue,* Laces thought. Her first love had been a boy who frequently got into bar fights, though he eventually ended up in prison. Laces didn't mind; she had always appreciated that specific aesthetic—sharp yet fragile. Wasn't it? They acted like kings of the world, but the moment they saw a cop, they’d scramble. They’d climb onto her balcony in the rain, weeping and shivering, claiming the police were after them, that so-and-so had betrayed them, or that someone had stolen their money. They’d wrap her in a rain-soaked coat, hold her tight, and whisper stupid things like, "Let’s run away together..."
Laces shook her head, banishing her ex-boyfriend from her mind.
This boy, though he hadn't tangled with the law here, seemed to lose his composure whenever he saw Bai Shi. He would look dazed, instinctively falling into a state of obedience.
With him on her mind, Laces finished her meal and headed straight for the neighbor's house. She found the gate locked—strange, as Mr. Bai never locked it when he was home.
So, she rang the doorbell.
A moment later, she saw the boy’s anxious face peering through the window. Laces hopped up and down, waving with a bright smile. The boy nodded, then realized she wanted him to open the door. He spread his hands helplessly, indicating he couldn't.
Laces was stunned. She thought for a moment—was he being kept inside? Or perhaps he had some illness that required constant supervision?
But Laces wasn't a girl to be deterred by obstacles. She flashed an "OK" sign, ran home to swap her skirt for trousers and sneakers, and raced back.
She crouched down, rubbed some dirt into her palms for grip, grabbed the fence, and vaulted over in one fluid motion, snagging a thread on her pants in the process.
Inside, Pei Cangyu watched her, set down his water glass, and began to clap with genuine admiration. He nodded as he applauded, looking like an old man impressed by a youth's vigor. Laces gave a mock-gentlemanly bow, then circled to the side of the house, performing a few stretches before preparing to scale the wall.
Pei Cangyu had already run upstairs. He pushed open the window and looked down.
"Holy shit, you're incredible! You've got some serious moves, Heroine! Don't bother climbing; if you need me for something, I'll just jump down!"
Laces couldn't understand a word, but she assumed he was cheering her on. "I was a rock climber at school!" she shouted back, striking a pose to show off her muscles. "I even made the cut for the championships!"
Pei Cangyu nodded vigorously. "Nice muscles. I couldn't tell with the long sleeves. You want me to show mine too? I’d be embarrassed to show off my meager skills, but here goes."
As Laces watched Pei roll up his sleeves to flex, she gave him a thumbs-up. "Not bad! Is that what you do all day at home? It suits you. No need to go for bulk."
They chatted for a while, their words passing each other like ships in the night. Finally, Laces began her ascent. Pei Cangyu prepared a towel and a drink for her, rhythmically tapping on the wall to cheer her on.
Laces gave a modest wave of her hand, signaling that the fan's cheers had been received.
After ten minutes and one final, exhausted effort, she tumbled through the window into the room, collapsing onto the floor and panting heavily.
Pei Cangyu ran over with the towel to wipe her brow. "Was all this really necessary?"
Laces downed the drink in one go and tapped the empty glass. Pei scurried off to get her another.
Once she caught her breath, they looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter. Then, a silence fell; they didn't know what to say, and there wasn't really a reason for her to be there.
Pei Cangyu felt a bit awkward and scratched his head.
Laces reached out, took his hand, leaned in, and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Pei was visibly startled.
Laces pulled back, her eyebrows arched in a playful grin. Pei scratched his head again, looking flustered.
Laces stood up and gave him a playful kick, teasing him. She puckered her lips as if to kiss him again, just to watch Pei Cangyu scramble around the room to avoid her.
"What are you doing?" Laces asked when they finally went downstairs, not expecting a real answer.
Pei Cangyu led her over to the maps and the magazine from before, which were covered in markings. They sat down together. Pei seemed to be cross-referencing the map with the magazine; since he could only judge by similar shapes, Laces was able to help him calibrate the locations.
Though she had no idea what he was actually up to, she helped him nonetheless.
"Oh, right." Pei stopped, making a clicking gesture with his hands like a camera and pointing to himself.
Laces watched his movements for a moment before clapping her hands in realization. "A camera? You want the camera?"
Pei, unsure if she understood, simply nodded.
"Okay," Laces said, standing up to go get it, but then she heard the sound of the front door.
Pei froze. He immediately gathered the items on the floor into a pile, shoved them into the cabinet under the sink, and stared at the door with wide, nervous eyes.
It wasn't hard to guess who it was; only the owner of the house would enter so casually.
Laces watched Pei with confusion. He pressed a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Laces nodded.
However, a long moment passed after the door opened before Bai Shi actually entered the room. He didn't seem surprised to see Laces and greeted her calmly. Laces stood up and began explaining how she had gotten in, gesturing wildly as if describing a perilous journey across mountains and rivers.
Pei said nothing. He guessed that Bai Shi hadn't come in immediately because he had been scouting the perimeter. He must have understood the situation before stepping inside.
He watched as Laces grabbed Bai Shi’s arm and shook it, seemingly pleading for something.
Bai Shi turned to Pei Cangyu. "She wants you to go to the riverbank with her tomorrow. She needs you to help her take some photos."
Pei stared blankly at Laces, who winked at him.
Bai Shi asked, "Do you want to go?"
Pei swallowed hard. "Do you... want me to go?"
Bai Shi seemed satisfied with this submissive attitude. He turned back to Laces. "Fine."
The next morning, Laces was waiting at the gate early with Cher. The dog had recently become obsessed with digging, constantly sniffing the ground and clawing at the earth—even the concrete.
As Pei Cangyu walked out, Bai Shi waved goodbye and turned back into the house.
Pei watched the door slowly close, unable to believe he was actually being allowed to move on his own. Perhaps this was a test. After all, for Bai Shi, a "peaceful, normal life" couldn't involve being tethered to each other every second of the day.
Pei’s heart hammered against his ribs. He wondered if he should take this chance to seek help, but he feared Bai Shi had some hidden trap waiting. Moreover—though he hated to admit it—after spending the last two days almost entirely in bed, his mind was filled with Bai Shi’s face. If Bai Shi so much as touched him, his body instinctively wanted to lean in.
It was terrifying. Truly terrifying.
Laces waved at him, and Pei hurried over. Naturally, she handed the camera over to him.
Pei remained restless, glancing back over his shoulder every few steps, but he sensed nothing out of the ordinary. Laces was having the time of her life with the dog, running far ahead.
As they rounded a corner, Pei caught a glimpse of something in the rearview mirror of a parked car. Someone was behind them.
He spun around instantly, but saw nothing.
Laces stopped. "What is it?"
Pei walked quickly toward where he had seen the shadow. It was just an empty alleyway, with laundry fluttering on lines on either side.
The shadow hadn't looked very tall, but it was broad—a sturdy, powerful build. It didn't look like Bai Shi.
Pei felt uneasy. He wanted to investigate further, but Laces pouted and urged him on, so he had to give up for the moment.
They stopped at a crosswalk to wait for the light. Cher was spinning in circles trying to bite his own tail, driving Laces to distraction. "How can he be so stupid!" she groaned.
Pei laughed. As Cher rolled on the ground, Pei looked across the street. Two men were stepping out of a shop toward a parked car. One was tall, wearing a black suit. The other was slightly shorter, with a lean, lanky frame, wearing a deep blue windbreaker. They were just one block away.
Pei’s breath hitched.
That blue jacket... that was Fei Zuohua.
He stared intently. As if sensing the gaze, Fei Zuohua stopped mid-sentence and began to look around blankly. Just as his eyes were about to sweep toward Pei—
A figure stepped in front of him.
Bai Shi appeared before them, and combined with the flow of traffic, he completely blocked the two men from view.
Bai Shi smiled. "Actually, I know a bit about photography myself. If you don't mind, why don't we all go together?"
Laces beamed at Pei, but Pei’s face was deathly pale.
Bai Shi looked at him. "What’s wrong?"
Pei stepped back slightly and looked again. The street was empty.
"Nothing... Let's go together, then."
***
