In truth, Pei Cangyu had been awake for a long time.
He simply hadn't opened his eyes.
The butler knocked politely at the door, inviting him to get up for a meal. He knocked again, inviting him to get up for school. Pei Cangyu kept his eyes squeezed shut, feigning sleep. The butler knocked several more times before saying, "Pardon me, I’m coming in."
Pei Cangyu faked sleep even harder.
The butler walked in and watched him for a moment. Pei Cangyu’s eyes were shut so tight they were twitching, and a thin sheen of sweat had broken out on his forehead. The butler turned toward the door and said slowly, "It seems he hasn't woken up yet."
A voice from the doorway hummed in response. Pei Cangyu felt a sudden shiver.
It was Bai Shi.
It wasn't until the two of them had left that Pei Cangyu finally clutched the quilt and poked his head out.
Today was Monday. But yesterday... in front of those massive pornographic tapes, his dizzy, drunken head—if he remembered correctly—he seemed to have... maybe... lost control of his bladder?
He buried his face into the pillow with a thud. The prone position immediately brought back memories of last night, and he bolted upright.
*Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.*
As expected, Bai Shi was a freak. As expected, he’d had a secret crush on him for a long time.
Pei Cangyu sat on the bed with a long face, feeling stifled and incredibly annoyed. What did Bai Shi want? What was his deal? Did he have some kind of obsession with straight guys? What was so good about him anyway? And who the hell tormented people like this? When Pei Cangyu dealt with girls, he was always accommodating; the most important thing in a relationship was being gentle. Even if Bai Shi was excited last night, he couldn't just pounce on someone. People were people, not dogs; you couldn't just find a tree and start rubbing against it... He was getting sidetracked. In short, what Bai Shi did was inappropriate—highly inappropriate.
But then Pei Cangyu remembered his own loss of composure and felt only shame. He must have blacked out, because he’d woken up in bed. More importantly, he hadn't passed out from drinking too much; he remembered passing out from the sheer humiliation. Yes, just like those victimized women on TV who fainted from shock and panic after being violated by a villain. He used to scoff at those scenes, wondering how they could just faint—surely they should jump up and fight the villain. Now he knew. You really could just faint.
*Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.*
Pei Cangyu ruffled his hair irritably and looked down at his legs. There were still spots that hadn't been cleaned properly...
He leaped up and rushed into the bathroom. He cursed viciously while he showered, and then a flash of inspiration hit him.
Maybe Bai Shi didn't like him at all. Who said a gay guy would like just any man? He had mistaken Bai Shi’s usual mild-mannered politeness for genuine goodwill, but what if that wasn't the case? What if he had offended Bai Shi somewhere along the line, and the guy was holding a grudge? What if Bai Shi was using this method to get revenge?!
He shuddered, quickly rinsed off, and ran out dripping wet to start packing his things.
Leave. He had to leave. Right now.
*Right now.*
Not bad. He’d used a phrase he’d actually learned.
Pei Cangyu gave a silly, brief chuckle.
He was in the middle of feverishly packing his schoolbag when his phone rang.
*Annoying, so annoying. Can't you see I'm busy?*
Pei Cangyu answered: "Hello!"
A cop?
Tu Ziyun?
The man with the grey hair?
A meeting?
"Please do not tell Bai Shi about our conversation for the time being."
*I wasn't planning to tell him anyway. Do we look like we're on good terms to you? Dammit.*
Pei Cangyu didn't say that, of course; he only thought it.
After hanging up, he felt even more frustrated. The detective had reminded him of a very realistic problem: he was being targeted. He had almost forgotten that in his rush to flee Bai Shi’s house. His own house had been burned down; where would he go? Besides, even if he found a place to stay, what if the people following him attacked again? Hell, those were thugs who were willing to commit arson.
*Shit.*
Nice. He’d mastered another word.
...Mastered my ass. That’s not going to be on the exam.
As he was thinking muddled thoughts, there was a knock on the door. Bai Shi walked in immediately after, wearing a refreshing, gentle smile. Even his voice held its usual tenderness.
"Are you up?"
Pei Cangyu flinched on the spot and instinctively took a step back. But then, realizing how pathetic that looked, he forced himself to step forward again.
Bai Shi didn't seem to notice his struggle, his hands resting casually in his pockets. "Come down and eat."
Pei Cangyu didn't move.
"What's wrong? Do you have a fever?" Bai Shi walked forward with concern, reaching out to touch his forehead.
Pei Cangyu’s eyes snapped wide with anger, and he swiped the hand away. "Don't fucking touch me!"
Bai Shi withdrew his hand tremulously, looking wounded, as if he had suffered a great injustice. "What's wrong? Weren't things fine last night?"
"Huh?" Pei Cangyu was incredibly agitated. "Who was 'fine' last night?"
Bai Shi looked at him. "Me."
Pei Cangyu: "Eh?"
Bai Shi added, "And you."
"...You're sick in the head." Pei Cangyu moved past Bai Shi to head downstairs, but Bai Shi reached out and grabbed him.
Pei Cangyu stopped and turned to tell Bai Shi sternly, "I’m warning you. Let go."
Bai Shi let go.
Pei Cangyu grabbed his bag in a huff and went downstairs. *Go, go, go. Forget everything else.*
But when he reached the ground floor, he saw a scene of total devastation. Shards of porcelain were strewn across the floor; even the peerless, beautiful chandelier overhead had been half-smashed. There were deep gashes in the staircase, and the tables and sofas were overturned. The courtyard was a trampled mess, and in a patch of mud, the dog lay gasping, on the verge of death.
Pei Cangyu dropped his bag and ran to the dog. There were footprints on the German Shepherd’s body, and its leg looked like it had been kicked until it broke.
He turned and shouted at the staff, "Hey! Why aren't you taking him to the hospital?!"
As he spoke, he picked up the dog. The butler stepped forward to calm him. "Mr. Pei, please stay calm. We have already called a doctor."
A veterinarian walked over and took the dog from his arms.
Pei Cangyu followed closely. "How is he? I don't see any bleeding wounds..."
The vet checked the animal over. "It shouldn't be anything too serious."
Pei Cangyu had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Bai Shi slowly descending the stairs.
He couldn't restrain himself from shouting at Bai Shi, "What the hell are you doing? What happened here?"
Uncharacteristically, Bai Shi looked helpless. He seemed to hesitate, then turned his head away.
Pei Cangyu stepped forward and grabbed him. "What are you trying to say?"
Bai Shi shook his head sadly.
Pei Cangyu lost his patience. "I’m asking you one last time. What the fuck are you trying to say?"
Bai Shi’s cold hand gripped his. "I’m afraid that if I tell you, you’ll blame yourself."
"...Me?"
Bai Shi led him toward the dining room. There was no one there, making it easier to talk.
"It was like this when I woke up this morning. I checked the surveillance; it shows a group of people—about fifteen of them—climbing over the wall at five in the morning. They smashed things for a long time and didn't leave until ten minutes later..." Bai Shi sat dejectedly at the table, covering his face with his hands. "Did you hear the noise downstairs?"
Pei Cangyu shook his head apologetically. "I’m a heavy sleeper. What about you?"
Bai Shi fell silent.
Pei Cangyu pulled over a chair and sat beside him. "What is it?"
Only then did Bai Shi speak slowly, his voice muffled by his palms. "Actually... I heard them."
"You heard them!" Pei Cangyu nearly stood up. "If you heard them, why didn't you—"
He cut himself off because Bai Shi flinched, seemingly startled by him.
After a moment, Bai Shi lowered his hands, revealing a pale smile. "I’m sorry. I’m not that brave."
His words made Pei Cangyu feel awkward. "Why are you apologizing to me? It’s your house that got trashed."
Bai Shi lowered his head in pain. "I thought... if you stayed here... I could... protect you..."
Pei Cangyu coughed abruptly and changed the subject. "Speaking of which, don't you have some kind of electrified gate and people who can get here in minutes? How could this happen?"
"They seemed to have bypassed those devices... But luckily, you’re okay..."
Bai Shi reached out to take Pei Cangyu’s hand. Pei Cangyu quickly pulled away and stopped asking about it. He stood up, filled a glass at the tap, and handed it to Bai Shi. "Call the police."
"Actually, that’s the other important thing I wanted to tell you," Bai Shi said hesitantly.
"What?"
"I don't know how many people know your address, but my address..." He looked up at Pei Cangyu. "I only told the police."
Pei Cangyu frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The Bai family has some resources. Because this was so unusual, I wanted to find higher-level police to handle it. Zone Z is a bit of a mixed bag, after all."
Pei Cangyu looked at Bai Shi, not quite following.
Bai Shi licked his lips and explained patiently, "Didn't I register with the Zone Z police when I invited you to stay here? Other than that, I didn't tell anyone. It is a safe house, after all."
Pei Cangyu looked incredulous. "Are you saying the people who trashed your house were cops?!"
Bai Shi almost sighed, forced a smile, and continued patiently, "Not necessarily the police. I’m just saying it’s possible the police leaked the information."
"Oh! Collusion!" Pei Cangyu slapped the table. "I’ve seen this on TV. Dirty cops, right?"
Bai Shi: "..."
"In any case," Bai Shi continued, "we’ve heard of an organization called the Dark Fire Group. It’s very likely they are connected to Bai Yinhua... I mean my brother, and his death. But for some reason, the people in Zone Z never told us about this connection. Additionally, the safe house address provided to the police was leaked. Now, I don't think calling the police is a good option—or rather, it’s better to wait until the police find the right person to handle it. What do you think?"
Pei Cangyu nodded blankly. "But... it’s not certain, right? Suspecting the police is a bit too..."
Bai Shi nodded in agreement. "You’re right. It really isn't appropriate to suspect the police. It’s just a hypothesis that there might be some bad apples. Or, perhaps..."
"What?"
Bai Shi suddenly stared at Pei Cangyu. "Did you bring anyone back? To *my* house?"
Bai Shi’s eyes were piercing as he stared at him, emphasizing the word "my."
Pei Cangyu swallowed hard, remembering his ex-girlfriend. He answered subconsciously, "No. I didn't."
Bai Shi smiled. "That’s good. I didn't think you’d do something that would put everyone in danger. After all, the dog almost died."
Pei Cangyu lowered his head, letting self-reproach and guilt wash over him.
"Oh, right," Bai Shi pointed to his bulging schoolbag. "Are you going to school?"
*No, I’m leaving your house.*
Pei Cangyu looked up to say it, but Bai Shi was looking at him with eyes full of hope and entreaty, even a hint of pitiful, tearful vulnerability.
They were... tied together now, in the same boat... And if it wasn't the police, then it was because of him and his ex-girlfriend that those people had come.
Bai Shi leaned in closer. His hand pressed down on Pei Cangyu’s. Pei Cangyu didn't struggle because he didn't even notice. Bai Shi whispered softly in his ear, "I’ll take you to school this afternoon."
Pei Cangyu gave a dazed grunt of agreement.
He turned his head and looked at the knife rack. A knife was missing. He asked Bai Shi, "Did those people steal a knife?"
Bai Shi glanced at it. "I suppose so."
Nearby, the treated dog limped toward them, bypassing Bai Shi and heading for Pei Cangyu.
Pei Cangyu’s eyes lit up. He set down his water glass and crouched to hug the dog, scratching its chin. "You really are a lucky one." Pei Cangyu looked up and asked Bai Shi, "What’s the dog’s name?"
"Madara."
"What a coincidence," Pei Cangyu lowered his head to scratch Madara’s belly. "My childhood dog had the same name."
Bai Shi’s low, raspy voice drifted over softly.
"I know."
***
