Chapter 4
ZHAO YUNLAN HESITATED, but then, despite the fierce wind atop the tall building, he met Shen Wei’s eyes and saw himself in their depths—himself and, somehow, the night sky, impossibly intermingled. For some reason, looking up into those eyes, Zhao Yunlan instinctively let go and placed everything, including his insignificant little life, in Shen Wei’s hands.
He regretted it the moment he let go. Is lust rotting my brain?
In the next second, Shen Wei hauled him up by sheer force. His unimposing, scholarly appearance belied an unusually powerful grip—Zhao Yunlan’s wrist was rapidly going numb, his fingers purpling. The friction pushed his sleeve up to the elbow, scraping a layer of skin from his forearm.
Then he was being held tightly in Shen Wei’s arms as they both collapsed on the roof—tightly enough that his bones creaked in protest, as though Shen Wei were hugging something he’d lost long ago. A strange feeling stirred in Zhao Yunlan when he glanced at his wrist and saw the bruises from Shen Wei’s hold on it.
Zhao Yunlan struggled lightly, and Shen Wei seemed to come back to his senses. He released Zhao Yunlan, adjusting his glasses as if taking refuge behind a mask.
As a worldly and experienced man, Zhao Yunlan had an exceptional gift for reading even the subtlest nuances in someone’s expression. His eyes glinted. Shen Wei’s awkward reaction had betrayed that he too had felt a certain…pull.
A certain attraction…
Ah. So Shen Wei hadn’t been afraid of him when they first met. The stiff body language and reluctance to meet his gaze seemed more like unease rooted in shyness.
“You were in the nick of time. Thanks to you, I’m not swinging from the building like a pendulum for the university clock tower.” Zhao Yunlan pulled a pack of wet wipes from his pocket and handed one to Shen Wei as he wiped the blood and grime off his own arm. “Here—for your hands.”
The brush of his fingertips against Shen Wei’s could have been accidental. Shen Wei’s fingers were like a touch-me-not plant, shrinking back at the barest touch.
The burgeoning desire Zhao Yunlan had been feeling turned into a lit firecracker. It exploded spectacularly, leaving behind a sea of red paper that spelled out “love affair.” Every nerve in his body was alight. But the dance of romance was one he knew well; there was an art to its push and pull. After that delicate overture, he pretended not to notice anything.
Turning to the girl on the ground, he asked, “What’s the deal here, young lady? Going through a breakup? Got yelled at by a prof? Failed your thesis defense or an exam? Look at you brats here—your families provide for your every need, but you’re all so bored out of your skulls that—”
The girl’s sudden wail interrupted him as she burst into tears.
Shen Wei regained his senses at last. Very low, he said, “That was too dangerous.”
Zhao Yunlan continued without missing a beat. “Exactly! Do you hear your professor? Don’t you know how dangerous that was? But come on now, stop crying. We’ll talk once we’re downstairs. We’ll have the school clinic look you over, and then we definitely need to have a chat with your parents.”
Shen Wei stood and glared at Zhao Yunlan, then turned to the girl, face darkening. For a good half a minute he said nothing, only stared sternly until her sobs died down from fear, leaving her sniffling and hiccuping.
It reminded Zhao Yunlan of his grandpa, who’d passed long ago. His grandpa had also been a traditional, well-educated man who was friendly and cordial to others and always accommodating. He never would have scolded anyone by swearing or raising his voice, let alone raising a fist. But any time he’d genuinely gotten angry, that dark look on his face had been enough to bring every one of the family’s younger brats back into line.
“If someone else were hurt because of you, would you carry that guilt to your grave?” Shen Wei insisted.
Falteringly, she said, “I… I’m sorry…”
Zhao Yunlan rubbed his nose awkwardly. “Well, no harm done. But you do need to reflect on this properly, young lady. Think about yourself. Think about your parents. At your age, what’s so hard that you can’t get over it? Come on, stop crying and get up now. Let me take you to the clinic.”
He glanced at Shen Wei to see if he had anything to add, but Shen Wei didn’t react. Zhao Yunlan went to the girl and bent down, helping her to her feet. She seemed barely able to stand, so he supported her weight as they descended.
Back inside on the top floor, he saw Guo Changcheng lying exactly where he’d been left. But before the boss could say anything, Daqing eagerly ran over and landed a barrage of “Meowvenly Meteor Paw” against Guo Changcheng’s face.
The girl’s suicide attempt had alarmed a lot of people. The previously desolate hallways seemed to have suddenly returned to the realm of the living, and many of the teaching staff poked their heads out to ask what was wrong.
Under so many curious eyes, Guo Changcheng slowly came to, letting out an inhuman wail. Face covered in blood, he opened his eyes and found his boss standing close by, supporting a young lady and looking rather the worse for wear.
Pointedly, Zhao Yunlan said, “Young people like you need to exercise more. It won’t do to let your blood sugar crash so easily in our line of work.”
Under the crowd’s watchful gaze, Guo Changcheng didn’t dare make a sound. He looked down in shame.
After a moment’s consideration, Zhao Yunlan said, “How about this. I’ve still got some work to take care of, so take Daqing and look into the victim’s background. Will you be okay if you’re the only person I send?”
He emphasized the word “person,” while Daqing, off to the side, licked his paw smugly. The cat meowed annoyingly, making Guo Changcheng shudder. Zhao Yunlan gave Guo Changcheng a benevolent pat on the head and turned to leave.
Shen Wei’s expression was still dark, but he said nothing. Someone tried to ask him what had happened in a small whisper, but he only shook his head absentmindedly. It wasn’t until they were out of everyone’s sight that he subconsciously pressed his fingers to his collarbones. Something like a pendant’s outline was faintly visible through his thin shirt. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, then hurried to catch up.
As they headed down, Zhao Yunlan asked, “What’s your name?”
“…Li Qian.”
“Which department are you in? What year?”
“Foreign Languages department… First-year graduate student.”
“Are you a local?”
Li Qian hesitated before nodding, half a beat late.
“What was that all about just now?”
This time, Li Qian didn’t respond.
Zhao Yunlan glanced at her pensively. This girl named Li Qian had an unmistakable smear of heavy darkness under her eyes. Her gaze was empty, her eyes bloodshot, and her forehead ashen, as if she were knocking on death’s door. From head to toe, she radiated misfortune.
Shen Wei suddenly said, “The Foreign Languages program has a high grade requirement for students who want to take humanities electives. Have you been in any of my classes?”
After a careful glance at him, Li Qian nodded.
Shen Wei spoke like a born lecturer. His voice was low and pleasant to the ear, words coming at an easy, steady pace. He sighed and said gravely, “Life and death are of great significance. In all of my classes, I tell my students that in this world, there are only two acceptable reasons to give your life. The first is to die for your home and country, by which you fulfill your duty. The other is to die for someone who truly knows you. In that way, you fulfill yourself. Outside of those things, treating your life lightly is an act of cowardice. Do you understand?”
“I…” Li Qian’s voice trembled, but she regained control of herself and pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, Shen-laoshi. I was… I was really just acting on impulse. I wasn’t thinking clearly. The blood just went to my head, and I rushed out there and almost dragged…”
She looked at Zhao Yunlan, then hung her head again. Director Zhao was incredibly handsome and his expression appeared kind, but somehow Li Qian was still a little scared of him. When their eyes met, she unconsciously shrank back against Shen Wei’s side.