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Traveling with Li Lianhua always seems to attract trouble. Even during a peaceful stop by a rural lakeside village, something has to happen.
All Fang Duobing wants is a moment of peace and quiet after learning secrets like Li Lianhua’s secret royal lineage, the power of the karmic bugs, or in his case some evil father reveal, he just wants to forget his issues and get drunk out of his mind.
It’s his fault for letting Li Lianhua choose the restaurant they go to for dinner. It’s a nice place in the center of town and the baozi are incredible, but he has a looming sense of dread that proves itself right when a group of thugs kick down the door.
“Lao Jing! I told you I would be back!” A man with a club points it at the old man behind the front desk.
The other customers scream and run off, and Lao Jing cries for mercy, and then for help as the thugs filter into his restaurant.
Fang Duobing takes a second to watch the chaos. Internally, he kind of wishes to stay out of the commotion, hoping someone else will be the hero to stand up, but when no one does he sighs and grabs his sword.
Li Lianhua is happy to keep drinking his tea, giving one half-hearted thumbs up to him.
Fang Duobing doesn’t even unsheathe his weapon, standing between the thugs and the rest of the store.
“Oi, who do you think you are?”
He sighs again. He can tell by their stances they aren’t martial artists, just some men trying to feel big. Fang Duobing steps into the fray, working quickly to take all of them down. His mind wanders as he quickly dodges swipes at his body.
Their whole trip from the capital down the coast, Li Lianhua keeps making Fang Duobing do all the menial work since ‘he’s an old man recovering from being poisoned!’ He knows full well Li Lianhua could beat this whole group of thugs with his eyes closed, he’s just being lazy. But he’ll keep falling for it- because Fang Duobing is grateful the Bicha poison was finally cleared from his system.
It sets a bad precedent. Five, ten, twenty years from now Li Lianhua will still cite his recovery from poison to make Fang Duobing do his dirty work.
But the thought of helping Li Lianhua cleaning dishes, hanging out the laundry to dry… that isn’t so bad.
By the time the town’s guards arrive, Fang Duobing has knocked out and tied up all the thugs. With a show of his new Sigu Sect badge from Qiao Wanmian, they defer to his authority, taking the thugs away.
The restaurant owner showers Fang Duobing in praise, thanking him for the help.
“What did you do to piss them off so badly, anyway?”
Lao Jing sighs, “They were passing through town and came to my restaurant, but it was when a large group of officials were already here. No seats were left, and I could tell them to leave! So I could not let them in no matter how much they offered to pay. It earned their ire, it seems. But thank you so much young man for helping me! Your meal is on the house!”
“Thank you, thank you!” Fang Duobing bows, and returns to his seat.
Li Lianhua shamelessly asks for two more plates of pork noodles and another plate of jiaozi. At least his appetite has returned. They eat well, and they finish up around the time that Lao Jing starts to clean up. When they exit the establishment, the sun has already set. The nights are starting to get longer, soon it’ll start snowing.
Fang Duobing notes how the owner of the restaurant locks the doors, then brings out keys for two more sets of locks.
“You’re locking up the place quite fiercely. Are you worried about more thugs returning?”
The old man shakes his head, “Oh, no, it’s for other reasons….”
An itch develops at the back of Fang Duobing’s head. Ah, whenever a sentence starts like this, it’s usually the start of a new case.
Li Lianhua’s attention is evidently caught as well, “What other reasons?”
“You two are travelers not from around here, so it makes sense you haven’t heard yet- but the esteemed Cai Chunrong has been murdered!”
And that’s what it is. Always something.
===
Li Lianhua asks around for all the details, ready like a bloodhound for this new case.
Cai Chunrong, it seems, was a prominent architect who specialized in restoration and repair. From the outside he sounds like he was a simple guy, but every person they inquire about his murder has to mention somewhere how kind he was, how he repaired their roof that one summer after terrible storms for free, so on and so forth. In this rural area, someone like him was the closest they got to a celebrity. As well, no one hates this guy- so who would murder him?
Cai Chunrong’s body was found floating in the river a few months ago by this point, which is the most shocking for Fang Duobing to hear. So long, and they’re still trying to find the murderer?
“The Cai family has burned through what feels like every detective this side of the Chang Jiang!” A local informs them. “What an injustice, Lady Yue’s son was such a humble, benevolent man. The world is a worse off place with his loss.”
Fang Duobing nods along. It does sound like a tragedy, but not any of his business. Li Lianhua have plans to celebrate the Midautumn festival in one of the bigger cities, and have a few more weeks of travel on their itinerary. He planned for some buffer time knowing how derailed they can get, but they’re cutting it close now.
“Xiaobao, usually you’re jumping up and down like a puppy for the chance to solve a new mystery.”
“Yeah, usually. I was excited when we came across that house that had seemingly magically turned completely around, or the case of the man seemingly splitting himself up to be at five places at once, and even the accounts of a supposed dead noble’s daughter being seen walking across a lake- but we’re always solving mysteries. This trip is supposed to be…” For them to spend more time together just the two of them. “Relaxing.”
“Look at you, you quit from being a Baichuan Court detective and the boy becomes corrupt. He spurns justice!”
“You’re only doing this because you’re curious. Justice means nothing to you either way,” Fang Duobing grumbles.
Is it really so wrong after everything that happened in the palace that Fang Duobing wants a break? Li Lianhua and him haven’t gotten a chance to travel peacefully since… since those first few weeks together, when Fang Duobing was nagging him about solving cases together.
Oh, how fast things can shift. Who knew one day he’d be begging Li Lianhua to not solve a case for once.
To be fair to himself, the Fang Duobing of the past was a bit of a naive fool who thought he was acting as pure and righteous, but only cared about becoming famous like his master. He’s got the achievement of ‘preventing the end of the world’ on his roster, he doesn’t need fame or acknowledgement anymore. Just a vacation!
But Li Lianhua has that look in his eyes telling him that he’s not going to rest until he’s put all the puzzle pieces together.
“Fine, let’s look into it.”
Fang Duobing faintly hopes that two random travelers won’t be accepted as detectives for the case, but as they travel to Cai Manor they can see flyers hung everywhere asking for anyone and everyone to join in on the case. The mother and widow, Yue Weiqian, offers a huge reward but even passing by folk who don’t end up finding new clues can get partial pay.
It’s a ridiculously easy case to get onto. All they need to do is show up! And he grew up in a nice home, but isn’t this being too flippant with your money?? They have to wait a bit to have an audience with the Lady of the house, but they’re brought into the estate readily by the servants.
The servants seem exhausted, but leave them with a tray of snacks that Li Lianhua readily devours. The workers in this manor have probably been seeing to many guests with the open invitation.
When looking around, it’s a glamorous home. Vivid red vases line the walls that have intricate floral designs, and he can spot many valuable items sitting on shelves or hung on the walls. He can see an elegant fan with fine calligraphy written on it, its beauty hiding the fact that the edges have inconspicuous blades. Many swords and halberds are displayed as well, probably belonging to the Old Lord Cai. It doesn’t sound like either of his sons were interested in martial arts.
Or perhaps their family just collects, letting these legendary weapons collect dust.
The door clicks open finally, revealing an elderly lady dressed finely, wearing jade and gold jewelry.
“Welcome to Cai Manor, I thank you for helping this humble, old woman solve a terrible crime. I apologize for the wait,” Yue Weiqian says, sitting across from them.
Fang Duobing bows, “It’s no problem, of course. Thank you for seeing us.”
Lady Yue doesn’t seem like the illogical type, but maybe it’s the grief that’s affecting her. Her eyes are red like she’s been recently crying and her voice cracks when she speaks.
“I’m sure you’ve heard this question a lot by now,” Li Lianhua asks, “but are there any important details we should know about?”
The old woman pats at her teary eyes with a handkerchief, “Yes. The story of finding my son at the river is well known, but the case started as a search for a missing person. When I first found his bedroom covered in blood, I still hoped, you know? A mother never wants to imagine outliving her children. We looked for weeks until… until his body was found in the river, almost entirely unrecognizable- but our dear Luo Shaowen recognized him by a distinctive birthmark over his back. Whoever could do this, I don’t know, my son was such a beloved man, he was kind and loved helping others, even to his own detriment.”
They chat for some time, gathering the details needed for the case. Fang Duobing’s heart aches for this poor woman, he really does sympathize with her- but it makes him wish even more than he could be doing something cheery with Li Lianhua.
“And you’re certain this is a murder case? Your son didn’t- say, hurt himself and fell into the river by mistake?” Fang Duobing asks.
Yue Weiqian shakes her head, “There were signs of a struggle. Please, I implore you two- find the vile person who would do this. I ask you to think of your own mothers, how saddened they would feel.”
Fang Duobing keeps a straight face, but internally- ma’am, you don’t know who you’re talking to! Both these men’s biological mothers are gone!
When the conversation finally winds to a close, Fang Duobing says, “Are there any other people you would want us to interrogate?”
“Hm, there’s my youngest son and my daughter in law. They’ve been questioned a lot already, but they both could tell you a lot about the case.”
Li Lianhua and him get up and bow to Yue Weiqian, finally saying their partings and leaving the room.
Fang Duobing waits until they’ve turned a few corners, before saying softly, “It’s a bit of an open and close case, isn’t it?”
“You already have theories in mind, Xiaobao?”
They walk down a dim hallway, taking note how late it’s gotten. Most of the residents will be asleep by now, but in places like these, there are ears everywhere.
He says, “Let’s discuss back at… our place.”
Fang Duobing’s face heats up a little. It’s correct to call it ‘their place’ back at the lotus house wagon, but it feels very intimate to refer to it that way. Li Lianhua had planned to gift it alongside Huli Jing to him, but with his miraculous recovery, it’s a bit of both their place now.
He glances to the side, catching a glimpse of Li Lianhua’s relaxed, bright face not marred by any pain.
Ah, of course their plans got derailed. When he’s with Li Lianhua, nothing ever goes to plan, but that’s why he loves him. Fang Duobing softly smiles. It isn’t the vacation he imagined, but he’s still with Li Lianhua, so that’s all that truly matters.
===
In the cozy atmosphere of the lotus house, Fang Duobing gets started on their meal. He chops up onion and garlic, tossing them onto a heated pan. As he’s cooking, he says, “It’s obviously the surviving brother who killed the eldest. He gets to inherit the family business now.”
“... You think?”
“Listen, I know we’ve investigated some crazy cases together, but the real world is very simple: people kill for love or money. It’s- hey, stop messing with my cooking!” Fang Duobing shoos off Li Lianhua from his boiling pot of soup.
He doesn’t know why Li Lianhua is so hesitant to think the younger Cai brother didn’t kill the elder. He should know a thing or two about sibling rivalry- Shan Gudao wasn’t literally his brother, but the similar jealousy was there, but from an older sibling to his more talented younger.
“I was just helping, aiya!” Li Lianhua says.
“Your ‘help’ when I cook makes things inedible,” he glares at the man.
“It’s not that bad, you exaggerate.”
The only person Fang Duobing can think of that would eat that food without complaining is Di Feisheng, and he doesn’t count. If you wrapped rocks in dough it’d take at least three of them for him to realize what he was eating. Director Di would kill you then, but it’d be pretty funny first.
With a growing familiarity, Fang Duobing and Li Lianhua do their dance, a push and pull as he sets out fishes on their table and bats away any attempts to alter his cooking. Maybe it’s because there was time these meals, this chance at banter were almost lost, but Fang Duobing cherishes the small moments. But as fond as he is of Li Lianhua, he refuses to let him ruin good food, it’s a waste of money and can make them sick!
He sits down with a grunt, tossing aside some chicken for Huli Jing to snack on. “I’m certain it’s either Cai Chunlai or the victim’s wife that committed the crime. If you don’t think the younger brother did it, maybe Luo Shaowen caught Cai Chunrong cheated on her, or whatever, and it was a crime of passion and revenge.”
“It’s an odd case,” Li Lianhua muses.
“No? No it’s not? We’ve dealt with people who kept beasts hidden on their estates, snake charmers, and mind controlling bugs! How is a simple murder odd?”
While Li Lianhua is busy in thought, Fang Duobing sneaks a few more pieces of chicken onto his plate. Not to sound like his mother but- the man is too thin! If Fang “Many Illnesses” Duobing knows, it’s that good health is as good as gold, and part of that comes from eating well.
“I only have some gut feelings and unconnected observations right now. Tomorrow, we should return to the Cai Manor to meet with Cai Chunlai and Luo Shaowen. From there, I think the crime will become clear to us.”
“Yeah, and I’ll be proven right!”
Fang Duobing picks up a scallion pancake to slide onto Li Lianhua’s plate, and notices he has three more than he started out with. He Looks up, wide-eyed. They’re both playing the same con!
Li Lianhua smirks, “Growing boys need to eat well.”
He scoffs, trying to play off getting caught. What’s with that bullshit, he’s already fully grown. They’re the exact same height!! So irritating, why does he put up with this man!
Fang Duobing wants to be annoyed, but then he sees Li Lianhua’s face scrunch up in laughter. The dim lighting of the candles around him wash him in a warm, orange glow that softens his features. Like dropping honey into black tea, the scene becomes sweeter.
He can’t take his eyes away as Li Lianhua licks some sauce off his lips and digs back into his meal. If only…
Fang Duobing shakes his head and shoves a scallion pancake into his mouth. Wherever his thoughts were going, they’ve derailed now. Remember the frustration, remember it! This man wanted to ruin your soup!! That’s unforgivable, regardless of how inviting his lips look.
That night, it’s like the warmth of their meal never leaves him, and he tosses and turns in bed until he fitfully passes out.
===
Fang Duobing feels reluctant to return to Cai Manor the next day, but also refuses to let Li Lianhua solve this case all by himself. He still has his pride as a detective- he’s smart, but Li Lianhua is superhuman in his examinations. Li Lianhua is busy looking at the walls, the plants, and artwork in the house and probably picking up a million details to put the case profile together.
The hallways feel labyrinthine, but the servants are kind enough to point them towards Cai Chunlai’s workshop. The workshop that used to be his elder brothers, but is now his.
Fang Duobing feels confident about his theory about him. He’s never had any siblings to get jealous of, or to be jealous of him, but he’s heard the tales.
The workshop, as they enter, is crowded. There’s boxes hitting the ceiling and the floors and desks are covered in half-finished projects. Cai Chunlai sits at one such table working away at what is still an undefinable mass of wooden planks and nails.
With their arrival, the man looks up.
“Oh, are you two the next couple of investigators?” Cai Chunlai sets aside a hammer from the project he was working on. “Well, go on then. There’s no question I haven’t heard by this point.”
That seems inefficient, making the detectives ask the same things again and again. If he weren’t so certain they’d solve the case, he’d recommend to Yue Weiqian to have someone write up all the case information somewhere.
“That’s us. We’re so sorry to bother you, sir, especially when you’re so busy,” Fang Duobing says.
Cai Chunlai rubs at his face, “No, I understand. My mother believes finding the person who killed my brother is important…”
“Your mother, but not you?”
“Rong-ge is dead. It’s been months now. The only reason people are still talking about it is because he was such a well liked person, but the culprit is probably far gone from the village now.” Cai Chunlai says. Looking closer, the man looks haggard, with dark circles until his eyes and a sallow hue to his complexion as if he hasn’t left this warehouse since the murder.
“Well, that being the case- we’d still ask what details you know, what you were doing the night of the crime, people you would suspect...” Fang Duobing asks.
“You know about the room of blood and the river, right?”
Li Lianhua and him nod. From there, Cai Chunlai explains how the night his older brother presumably was attacked and killed, the entire house was silent. No one knew until the next day when Yue Weiqian went to check on her son who never slept in. It was quiet, but then everyone heard the screams.
“Mother was so distraught she fainted, but Rong-ge has always been her favorite so it must’ve been a huge shock,” Cai Chunlai says bitterly.
Fang Duobing looks meaningfully at Li Lianhua to project ‘see?? I’m right about him!’ That bitterness and disregard for his brother’s death, it’s not the attitude one would expect from an innocent, grieving family member.
Cai Chunlai’s story covers a lot of the details they heard from Yue Weiqian, if from a different perspective and tone. While the mother was holding back tears the entire time, Cai Chunlai looked as if he couldn’t be more bored. Even as he described how slash marks made Cai Chunrong’s face unrecognizable, the younger brother did not flinch or stutter.
“I see, thank you for your time,” Li Lianhua says once Cai Chunlai is done talking.
“If you really want some advice from me, I’d recommend declaring the case unsolvable and accepting the partial pay from my mother. She’s offering a lot, a lot of the people who’ve passed by just loitered around for the partial pay. You can get a paycheck without even working, you don’t keep my mother’s hopes up about solving the case, and I have less people to interrupt me. Ge left a mountain of work behind and I’m skipping sleep to catch up on it all; our customers are still unhappy, we’d all prefer it if it was my brother’s handiwork and not mine.”
“We intend to see this case through to the end,” Fang Duobing says. They always have. Even at times where he would’ve been absolutely lost, Li Lianhua and him together can do anything.
They leave the workshop, probably much to Cai Chunlai’s relief. He returns straight back to his work.
Fang Duobing elbows Li Lianhua, “See, the brother was so suspicious.”
“... He didn’t seem like the man who’s gotten everything he dreamed of. He mostly seemed tired.”
“Because inheriting the family business is always more work than these people expect!! It was money, money, money until reality kicked in.”
“Xiaobao, I think you’re reaching for the easiest answer here, regardless if it’s true.”
He shrugs, “Why complicate something that isn't complicated? He told us outright to give up on the case.”
They walk through the meticulous gardens, kept in perfect condition even as the house goes through a tragedy. They approach their next stop- Luo Shaowen’s quarter of the house, which she once shared with her husband.
There’s a darker gloom her- almost literally, no candles are lit and no incense hangs in the air. Even some of the furniture has gotten dusty, as if Luo Shaowen hasn’t allowed servants to come near her.
When they find Luo Shaowen, she’s sat in a drawing room embroidering a handkerchief. Her movements are stiff, repeating stitch after stitch. She is dressed in all white and has no makeup or jewelry in sight. Her hair is pulled back in a simple updo. She’s nothing like her grandiose mother-in-law.
Li Lianhua knocks gently on the doorframe to announce their arrival. “Young Lady Luo, first of all, hello, and my condolences for your loss.”
She looks up hollowly from her work, “... Thank you.”
They were told she was open to receiving guests, but she seems so lifeless. It’s like seeing someone lost at sea sitting in the middle of their own house.
“We’ll be quick,” Fang Duobing says, sitting down next to Li Lianhua, “we just wanted to know more about your perspective of your husband’s case.”
She nods, “Is it odd it still feels surreal? We just got married a few months ago and now I’ve been to his funeral.”
“... It never stops feeling that slightest bit unreal. You never stop expecting them to pop up around a corner despite everything you’ve seen, or wishing to write them a letter when you hear a joke you know they’d love. And then you remember the cold reality you live in,” Li Lianhua says, “but in that way, you never truly lose them. They’re always with you.”
Luo Shaowen casts her eyes down, “That’s a nice way to think of it.”
Fang Duobing stares at Li Lianhua’s somber face. He’s speaking right from the heart, from all the years he grieved his shixiong. And unlike most others, that dream became reality- Shan Gudao was back, but in the worst way possible. Everything had been a lie and a brotherly bond was reduced to a bitter rivalry.
And he supposes he, too, is one of the lucky ones. He never stopped believing Li Xiangyi would step out of the ocean, alive and well. Over a decade later and he’s cooking meals with his childhood hero, happy, alive, and together.
Luo Shaowen is emotionless as she answers their questions, talking about how her husband did not seem out of character on the days leading up to the crime. He was not someone involved in shady business and had no secret enemies. Like everyone they’ve run into, she speaks highly of Cai Chunrong. She says he was kind and gentle despite his stature, and if someone attacked him, he wouldn’t have wanted to hurt them back.
“We had so many plans. We were going to be so happy together,” she muses, staring out the window. The streams of light entering in seem more harsh in the dim room.
“Death is always so unexpected- no one wants this, but your husband wouldn’t want you to give up on your happiness,” Fang Duobing says. Seeing her like this, it makes him feel guilty for suspecting her so much.
Some life returns to her eyes. Luo Shaowen tightly grips her work of embroidery, rumpling it and loosening her threads, “Rong'er would want us to move on. But I’m not as kind as he was- I was to see his killer suffer.”
“... We’ll certainly catch them,” Lianhua says.
She nods, and deflates back into her chair, returning lifelessly to her work.
They leave in silence. It’s as if the birds themselves do not even wish to interrupt Luo Shaowen’s sorrow.
“She brought up a good point,” Li Lianhua says, “Cai Chunrong was a tall, strong man, a laborer. His wife, meanwhile, is a slight, tiny woman. How could someone like her kill him?”
“She could’ve caught him off guard. He had to have trusted her, and while he was unaware- bam!” He’s had his own fair share of such experiences. Where his mother and aunt fell behind in sheer muscle power, they found ways to outwit him again and again. Though those left him bruised and scraped up, of course, not dead.
“I don’t want to disregard her as a culprit just because she didn’t seem capable of it. We still don’t know how Cai Chunrong was injured, or what did him in. Was it the drowning or whatever made him bleed out? There’s still too many questions, I’d rather not rule anyone out yet.”
They walk through the Cai Manor, leaving Luo Shaowen’s quarters. It becomes brighter and more people pass them in the halls, but the gloom remains. It’s persistent across the entire estate, and perhaps the entire town. Cai Chunrong’s death has left a large shadow over this place, as someone who was bigger than life.
Li Lianhua adds after a while, “Cai Chunlai and Luo Shaowen seemed to be genuinely grieving.”
“In my experience- which I know isn’t as much as yours, but still- people can regret any sort of crime, but there are few instances where you can undo what you’ve done. You can regret the plunge of the knife but your feelings don’t bring back the dead.”
“Maybe so.”
Li Lianhua’s noncommitted answer makes him grind his teeth. “If you’re so doubtful either of them killed Cai Chunrong, do you think some random criminal did it?”
“Nothing was stolen, no- it was a passionate crime. But we’re missing something.”
Fang Duobing shivers. “You’re about to suggest something stupid.”
“Stupid, why stupid? I haven’t said anything yet,” Li Lianhua gasps.
Fang Duobing stares blankly at him.
The man sighs, “... Though I was about to say we could investigate Luo Shaowen’s and Cai Chunlai’s bedrooms since we know they won’t return to them until tonight.”
“And there it is.”
===
He’s done stranger things with Li Lianhua, so sneaking into a grieving widow’s bedroom doesn’t bother him too much. But it’s the principle of it all, you know? They should respect her privacy, give her space during a painful time. They’re guests within Cai Manor and shouldn’t exercise too much audacity-
But this could also be the push that proves Fang Duobing right about her, or if they have to they’ll check Cai Chunlai’s room next.
Li Lianhua goes for the desk first, opening the drawers to look through her papers and documents. Fang Duobing hovers for a moment, unsure what to do, so he starts looking around on the bookcases for… he doesn’t know, hidden envelopes with messages, things hidden behind the books?
While walking around, he trips over his own two feet, cursing softly. He then loops back, looking closer at the floor.
“Aha!” he shouts, getting down onto his knees.
“Find something, Xiaobao?”
Fang Duobing brushes his hands on the ground until he grips the loose ends of some floor boards, lifting them to reveal… bags. He picks one up and looks inside, finding money, non-perishable food, and woman’s clothing.
“It’s a travel pack. It could be for a guilty individual who needs to run when the waters get too hot?”
Li Lianhua joins him, standing over Fang Duobing, “Have you ever been told ‘when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail?’”
He sulks. “What else do you think this could be, then?”
Li Lianhua grabs another one of the bags to rifle through, but both of them freeze as they hear footsteps in the hallway. They saw no servants in this part of the house earlier, so there’s only one person it could be!
The door slides open, revealing Luo Shaowen.
The two of them stare at her in shock, and she’s just as speechless. “How dare you two-!”
“You were planning on running!” Fang Duobing points a finger at her. “After killing your husband you wanted to run off with his riches, is that so?”
Luo Shaowen’s whole face turns red and she cries, “We- we were going to run away together! Rong'er was tired of living under his mother’s ever present gaze, and she’s never liked me, so we were going to leave this town!”
“Nice try, but-” Li Lianhua interrupts Fang Duobing, “She’s being honest. Look in this bag, there’s some of Cai Chunrong’s clothing as well.”
True enough, he pulls out a large, men’s undershirt. And admittedly, if Luo Shaowen was going to run away from her crime, she probably could have by now. The heat around the case has gotten low and if any had suspected her, they haven’t been able to pin it on her.
“Why are you still here, then?” He asks.
Luo Shaowen crosses her arms, “I may not get along with Lady Yue, but I want Rong'er’s murderer to be brought to justice just as much as her.”
Fang Duobing slowly lowers the bag he’s holding back into the floor.
“... We’ll leave now.”
“You do that. Of all the men I’ve had to tolerate, your insolence is the worst. But… you seem committed to solving the case, so perhaps that’s what make you two different,” Young Lady Luo says as they shuffle out her door.
“So sorry,” he tells her.
“Go.”
Damn, he knew he shouldn’t have gone along with Li Lianhua’s stupid ideas, but he did! And now they look like two weirdos who went through an unsuspecting woman’s room.
Fang Duobing coughs, “Okay, I admit, you were right about her. She’s innocent. But then it has to be the brother.”
“So let’s sneak into his room-”
“No! Let’s just- go to him, and be straightforward.”
“If you insist,” Li Lianhua sighs.
Why does Li Lianhua have to be such a wild card? Even in a mundane investigation like this, he’s got to make things weird. If it were anyone else, Fang Duobing wouldn’t be able to stand them.
But when it’s Li Lianhua, he owes him so much so of course Fang Duobing has a soft spot for him!
They backtrack to the workshop, men on a mission. They’re about to crack the whole case wide open- he’s certain other investigators suspected the youngest son but couldn’t figure out how to prove it, but Fang Duobing isn’t just any plain ol’ investigator!
They enter the room which is in the same messy state as the last time they came, and the same person is still hunched over his desk, working on a different project this time.
“You have more questions, I reckon?” Cai Chunlai sits up, glancing at them.
“Yes, I’ll be direct,” Fang Duobing says, “the night of your brother’s murder, were you home?”
“Yes…?”
“And what were you doing?”
Cai Chunlai shrugs, “I don’t know, it was so long ago now. Reading, probably? Sleeping?”
Fang Duobing presses, “And you said you didn’t hear or see anything odd?”
Cai Chunlai looks them both over and laughs incredulously, “... Do you two think I did it?”
“We’re just asking to see if we can get any details about the night of the crime,” Li Lianhua says.
“If you’re so suspicious, then why not ask the same of the other person in the house that night. But my mother can back up my account, she also didn’t hear any commotion.”
Li Lianhua gasps, “That’s- that you for your time, sir, we’ve got something else to investigate.”
“Uhuh,” Cai Chunlai waves them off, returning to his work once more.
Li Lianhua grabs Fang Duobing’s sleeve, dragging him away.
“Where are you taking me now?”
“We have one last place to look, Xiaobao!”
===
Of all the places they sneak into next, it’s Yue Weiqian’s office, the very first room they entered when they arrived here.
“The mother, you think it’s the mother?” Fang Duobing says in a loud whisper, hesitant to be getting caught again. He assumes the lady of the house will be less forgiving than Luo Shaowen. “Lady Yue has been heartbroken and is paying any investigator she can to solve the case.”
“Xiaobao, you might not be familiar with this, but oftentimes the criminal likes to stick close to the case to seemingly absolve themselves of culpability. Even if she’s paid dozens of people, no one has solved the crime yet, you heard Cai Chunlai complaining about it. She’s attracted more people just searching for a quick and easy job to make money, she’s pays anyone even if they don’t find anything new, bloating the case unnecessarily.
“And Young Lady Luo and Cai Chunlai have to deal with people coming to them over and over again asking the same questions, it has exhausted them to the point of making them suspicious for not caring more. It worked on you, didn’t it?”
“But why would Lady Yue do it? She dislikes Luo Shaowen and her eldest son was her pride and joy. He was the family’s breadwinner after the Elder Lord Cai’s death. There’s no way she could’ve done it, too, not as the frail old woman she is.”
“Ah, but is she? Luo Shaowen’s frailty didn’t make you suspect her less.”
“Because she’s young, that’s not absurd,” Fang Duobing says. He sticks by the front entrance this time to listen for people approaching, while Li Lianhua examines the wall of weapons.
“I’ve had a feeling since the start.” Li Lianhua points to a sword mounted on the highest point of the wall, “This makes it all come together.”
Fang Duobing looks closer, “... it’s just a display of Old Lord Cai’s sword, isn’t it?”
“What makes you assume it’s his sword?” Li Lianhua jumps onto the desk with little preamble, reaching up to grab the weapon.
“Uh, because if Cai Chunrong used a sword, it wouldn’t be hung up in here.”
Li Lianhua unsheathes the sword. It’s a thin blade and shorter than the type he’s familiar with. “What can you tell me about Yue Weiqian?”
He groans. Oh no, this is one of those cases where Li Lianhua has solved everything already, but he’s testing Fang Duobing’s deductive skills. “You can never communicate clearly, can you? Fine. From what we’ve learned, Lady Yue’s husband died when she was young, leaving her the single parent of two sons. But her eldest, Cai Chunrong, was a successful architect and her beloved child. Her youngest, Cai Chunlai, is more introverted and fell in the shadow of his brother. Eventually, Cai Chunrong got married to Lady Luo Shaowen but he was killed before the two planned to run away.”
“So…” Li Lianhua says encouragingly, waving the sword in his hands around.
“Ugh, so, I guess if Lady Yue found out her darling son was going to leave her, she’d be upset. But then it’d make even less sense to kill him.”
Li Lianhua hops off the desk, waltzing over to him, “Maybe she couldn’t give him up to Luo Shaowen. Maybe it was an accident in the heat of emotions.”
“You still haven’t told me about the sword,” Fang Duobing says.
“It belongs to Yue Weiqian, who else? It seems like we need to have a chat with her- Cai Chunrong’s face was marred by tons of slashes, wasn’t it?”
Fang Duobing trails behind Li Lianhua’s heels, still confused. A noble lady like her- a swordfighter??
===
They find Lady Yue out in the gardens. They wander through the finely tended bushes with colorful flowers even at this time of year. Everything is immaculate, no a spot of dirt on the paths nor an ugly flower in sight- she must pluck the rotten ones as soon as they start to turn.
They find Yue Weiqian as she waters some begonias. After setting down the water, she picks up a broom to knock a bird’s nest from a nearby tree, splattering the eggs onto the ground.
She laughs gently as she sees them, “Oh, don’t mind me. I know this is servant’s work, but a house is only as good as its garden to present to guests, so I take it upon myself. The birds here, they sing so lovely, but they make such a mess. It’s better to be rid of them.”
Fang Duobing stares at the shattered eggs. Lady Yue swipes them away into a bucket, like trash.
Li Lianhua holds the sword he grabbed out, saying, “Lady Yue Weiqian of the Eastern Cliffs Yue Clan, am I right? I met your father once over a decade ago. He was a brutal man.”
Lady Yue pauses her gardening. Her smile doesn’t drop from her face. “How did you come to recognize me? The Yue Sect has fallen from grace since then.”
Li Lianhua gestures to how Yue Weiqian holds her sword, “I recognized it from your hands at the very start. They’re calloused in the way someone who used a sword their whole life are. You used to be quite the martial artist before you married a nobleman.”
Yue Weiqian says, “I’m proud to be the lady of Cai Manor. Within the Yue Clan, I was nothing.”
“Yes, if I recall my time there correctly- Sect Leader Yue had dozens of kids, all whom he neglected, so I could never keep track of their names. I met Yue Jinlian and Jinsheng, but I should’ve remembered, there was little Yue Weihong, too. The sons and daughters had different starting characters in their given names. But it was long enough ago, even if your name was familiar to me I didn’t put the pieces together until now,” Li Lianhua explains.
“It’s alright to have forgotten. I ran away from home, I don’t consider myself part of that clan.” Lady Yue plucks a begonia, “Xiao Hong is no longer with us, and I killed my father myself. No one was too saddened by it.”
“... Yue Weiqian, I have the answer to your son’s murder. I doubt I’m even the first to figure it out, but with the waves of people coming in and out of your house, if one or two disappeared suddenly, well, surely they went mad with their newly acquired wealth. Right?”
Lady Yue drops the flower in her hand, letting the petals drop onto the ground. From the many layers of her complicated robes, she draws a short sword. “I had a feeling you two would be troublesome ones. You should’ve stuck to investigating that whore Shaowen or my useless cattle of a son. If it had been Cai Chunlai who died, no one would have cared months later.”
Yue Weiqian dashes forward with her blade. Li Lianhua is quick to react, deflecting with the short sword he stole from her office, but he’s knocked backwards into a bush. His health has gotten better, yes, but his qi remained damaged. The diagnosis was that he’d live a long and healthy life, but he would most likely never be able to practice martial arts with the same amount of prowess again.
Their opponent now, it seems, is a terrifying force of nature. She moves almost too fast to follow and holds a lot of force in her attacks.
Fang Duobing brings out his sword, entering the fight between the prone Li Lianhua and Yue Weiqian.
“Truthfully, I’ve never heard of the Yue Clan, but even if they were a fearsome clan- you’re in trouble.”
She smirks, “Oh yeah, young man? Why is that?”
“You see, my master is the illustrious Li Xiangyi, and there is no other equal to me in the land.” He talks a big game but he’s only confident he can beat Di Feisheng on a really good day. And maybe only then when it’s by surprise. And if Di Feisheng was asleep first. Yue Weiqian doesn’t need to know that, though.
“Boy, one of the five precepts my father taught me was that pride was corruption of the soul. No fight is won until it is won, and nothing less.”
She darts forward, successfully landing a cut on his arm.
It’s odd fighting against a weapon like this. Yue Weiqian’s sword is shorter than expected so he overswings before he has to correct his movements, losing momentum. None of her hits are deadly, but she makes up for that in speed and precision.
But he has come far in his martial arts since the young boy who wanted nothing more than to be a Baichuan Court detective. His master returned to him, perhaps by chance and under a different name, but taught him like he promised. After all he’s endured- not even this fight can scare him. Pride is a poison, but he is acting within the bounds of knowledge that he has won this fight.
He trades blows with Yue Weiqian, unable to land a clear hit on her before she deflects him. With his advantage in strength, he could cut her arm off if she moved a second too slowly, but she doesn't. Their blades connect, his heavier one pushing back her lighter one, but Yue Weiqian is quick to recover lost territory.
She’s a whirlwind of silk clothing, her long sleeves obscuring her movements. She uses them to her advantage, never once tripping or getting caught in her own cloud of fabric. Many of his hits that he thinks will hit her arm or body only end up going through empty cloth.
“Where is your ‘unmatchable’ talent now, detective!” Yue Weiqian’s sword lands true, hitting his hand and making him drop his weapon.
The commotion has caught the attention of the people within the mansion. Cai Chunlai has crawled out from his workshop and watches the fight in horror, while Luo Shaowen watches with ever empty eyes.
Fang Duobing steps backward, shrugging, “You said it yourself: a fight is won when it is won, nothing less.”
Yue Weiqian moves to close the distance between them, ready to land a killing blow- and trips.
All around her, wires close in and tie up her limbs. Li Lianhua stands from the bushes, the ends of his robes slightly dirty from running all around the garden. The two of them are a pair, and if Li Lianhua is anything, he is a trickster who doesn’t fight honestly. It’s against everything the righteous reputation of Li Xiangyi implies, and Yue Weiqian would’ve associated the name with an honest fight.
Little did she know, it was the old Sigu Sect Leader himself who played dirty!
“You focused too much on me, Lady Yue. You had two opponents in this fight.” Fang Duobing tells her. He picks up his sword to sheathe it, and takes her dropped one as well.
Li Lianhua brings out thicker rope, tying a neat knot around her hands and feet to keep her in place. The servants have all run off in fright, but Luo Shaowen and Cai Chunlai join them.
“You two- what’s going on?!” Cai Chunlai says, staring on in horror as they tie up his mother.
Luo Shaowen laughs, “Use your brain for once. These two were hired to solve Rong'er’s murder. They found out who did it.”
The youngest son of Cai Manor shakes in disbelief, tugging at his hair, “Mother, to Rong-ge? How could that happen?”
Yue Weiqian screams, “Well, it happened! Get it through your thick skull, A-Lai!”
Cai Chunlai flinches, hiding behind them.
“Maybe I should’ve been able to guess it myself,” Luo Shaowen says, looming over her mother-in-law, “I thought you loved him, but you hated me more.”
Yue Weiqian spits, “You were always nothing. It’s my A-Rong, my poor boy, I knew I never should have let you two marry. You corrupted him from an honest, family-dedicated man to an unfilial ingrate!”
Li Lianhua finishes up tying her up, tossing aside the extra rope, “That’s a lot of name-calling, such anger is another poison of the soul. In the end, it wasn’t Young Lady Luo who killed Cai Chunrong.”
All eyes land on Yue Weiqian.
“Yes… you want to know the truth now? The night I killed my son, we argued. Then he grabbed one of my swords- I knew he wouldn’t dare use it, he just wanted to threaten me, because he knew I’d chase after him and Shaowen if they ran. No one else living knew of my dark, painful past. But then… he lunged. So clumsy and slow, too, I never taught him martial arts. I wanted to be better than my father, but even after a decade, the instincts were there- I fought back.”
Li Lianhua’s face grows grim, “He didn’t stand a chance.”
“No, just like Xiao Hong, it was over before I realized it. Blood covered the room… and they were dead.”
“It can’t just be an accident,” Fang Duobing says, outraged. There had to be more to it, but Li Lianhua looks at him and shakes his head.
Yue Weiqian cries out, “An accident, yes, but the worst one of my life! This was my own son, whose body I tossed into the river because what else could I do? A-Rong wouldn’t want me to go to prison, I know he wouldn’t. We all could’ve lived in ignorant bliss of what happened to him- if Shaowen hadn’t identified his corpse!”
Luo Shaowen collapses to her knees, “You want to blame me? Chunrong would want you to suffer, do you know that? We just wanted to be happy, but you wanted to hold us here against our will. You’re just like your father!”
With that, Yue Weiqian goes limp in her bindings.
Some things never change. One day you look at yourself and you’re all the things you hated in your parents. Even thousands of li away from her place of origin, she has not escaped Sect Leader Yue, not even through the veil of death.
What a grim sight and miserable case. They’ll need to call in the soldiers and have Yue Weiqian properly imprisoned and put on trial. After that, Cai Chunlai will have to deal with taking his older brother’s mantel as well as becoming the head of the household. Luo Shaowen can finally leave this prison, gaining the answer she wanted, but still a widow. There’s much to do, plenty of things that have to happen, but for a few breaths Fang Duobing relaxes and listens to the birds chirping in the far distance.
===
When Fang Duobing returns home he goes straight to Huli Jing, picking her up and holding her close to his chest. Her tail wiggles excitedly, sniffing for any food for her.
“Are you alright?” Li Lianhua asks.
“Yeah, it… just ended up being an odd case, you were right. After all our work, to learn it was an accident- that feels a bit anticlimactic."
“It wouldn’t be the first case to be so.”
“Yeah, but It’s like, what’s the point in all the senseless violence? The murderer regrets her actions, a brother is left alone, and a wife is widowed. A town loses their hero. No one wanted this, most of all not Yue Weiqian.”
Huli Jing jumps out of his arms when she realizes there are no treats for her. She circles around Li Lianhua’s feet, jumping up and down.
“There’s the world we live in, and then the idealized version in your mind, Xiaobao.”
“It’s not idealized, I’m- I’m not a pessimist like you are.”
Li Lianhua says, “When you get to be my age, you’ll understand it all better. Optimism leaves you exhausted.”
“I won’t be, because I’m smarter than you. I know that we move mountains together when we don’t give up hope. And unlike you, I know that both Li Lianhua and Li Xiangyi are heroes.”
Li Lianhua pauses and stares at him wordlessly. And then he laughs, “You said that so earnestly, that’s so cute!”
“Hey! It’s not cute!”
Fang Duobing puts on an exaggerated pout. It’s a bit purposeful, if Li Lianhua does find him so cute… it’s not as bad as he’s acting it out to be.
He wants Li Lianhua to look at him, and consider him cute, cool, handsome, competent- anything and everything he can get from him. He wants to travel the Jianghu solving mysteries with Li Lianhua until they’re both ancient.
“So… when did you figure out it was Yue Weiqian? From the very beginning?”
“Yes.”
“Wait, seriously?”
Li Lianhua explains, “I noticed all the weapons in her office. They all seemed geared towards someone who used a lighter weapon to move faster, which was her style of fighting. She dressed like royalty but her hands were rough from her youth as a sword fighter. She exaggerated her pitiful, weak act to make people underestimate her which made it more obvious once I recognized her family lineage.”
“Wow, I had no idea until right at the end there. If I had to fight her earnestly one-on-one, she would’ve destroyed me.”
“Your whole family is older women who are talented fighters. Others might have overlooked her, but I’m surprised that you did, too.”
Fang Duobing chuckles. It’s very true. He could say he was too closed in on Luo Shaowen and Cai Chunlai as his two suspects that every other possibility disappeared in his mind… but the truth is far simpler.
He was too focused on Li Lianhua this entire case.
The reason why he missed Yue Weiqian, and why he wasn’t clever enough to see it wasn’t the two suspects he kept claiming it was- was because he wanted to see what Li Lianhua would do next. If he kept rambling, Li Lianhua would point out a new clue, or discuss a new strain of thought connecting to the case. He always does these things, and while their plans were ruined, Fang Duobing is always happy to be next to Li Lianhua.
“I guess… my heart wasn’t really in the case,” he says, scratching at his head. It’s not like he can admit he likes it when Li Lianhua gets a bit cocky with him.
“That’s alright, Xiaobao. Mine wasn’t either.”
Hearing that is like being struck by lightning. Fang Duobing says, “Then- then why did we waste our time here? We’re so behind on our itinerary that when we reach the next major city, Midautumn festival will be long over! We could’ve been having fun instead of walking the steps of a ghost! You’ve wasted our time, you sly old fox!”
“It wasn’t a waste. It’s fun to watch you solve cases. You get all cute and flustered when putting clues together.”
“Stop calling me that, I’m not cute!”
Li Lianhua pinches his cheek, “You certainly are. It’s… also enjoyable to watch you in your element. You are a good detective.”
“You silver tongued flatterer- I was completely wrong about Cai Chunlai and Luo Shaowen.”
Li Lianhua’s mocking smile softens into a more genuine one, “Yeah, but as you said, your heart wasn't in this one. But you still didn’t give up.”
Fang Duobing has been so distracted from this case, his thoughts all centering Li Lianhua… it’s been such a turbulent day. The words hit a little harder, mean a little more than what his sly old fox probably means. But his heart goes tender and emotions go all soft.
He steps closer to the man.
“Li Lianhua, I…” So close like this, they share breaths. Fang Duobing stops thinking then, and leans in to kiss him.
He loses himself for a moment, both shocked, thrilled, and mortified at himself for going for it. But then he’s just overjoyed to feel Li Lianhua grip his clothing and pull him closer, pressing into the kiss. Fang Duobing has been staring at those lips for weeks, imagining up so many things, it’s amazing to finally kiss him.
He should- he should pull away and make dinner for them. Today was exhausting, he’d appreciate a nice hot meal, but… he sinks into Li Lianhua’s hold instead, tugging at his clothing.
“I love you,” he gasps between kisses, “I loved you when you were my childhood hero, I loved you as righteous hero, I love you as the crooked physician, I love you when you lie, and I love you as you are. I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t love you.”
Li Lianhua pulls back to stare at him, “... You’re one to speak, Xiaobao. You’ve completely changed my life. I thought it was all over… but you gave me back my self. I hated Li Xiangyi for so long, I thought the mistakes I made were permanent. But you never faltered in your faith in me. Thank you.”
They gravitate towards each other, kissing again. He deepens the kiss, pressing his tongue against the seam of Li Lianhua’s lip and when given entry, dives into his mouth.
Fang Duobing’s heart thuds in his chest as things grow more heated.
With shaking hands, he reaches for the ties to Li Lianhua’s robes.
“Ah,” Li Lianhua pushes him aside, “I appreciate the excitement, but let’s at least get to a bed first.”
“Y-yeah!” he says a little too loudly.
The two of them stumble over to Li Lianhua’s bed, not managing to fully separate from each other to make the walk easier. Li Lianhua collapses into bed and pulls Fang Duobing on top of him, resuming their kissing.
It’s- a lot, but in a good way. Fang Duobing is caught in the wave of his emotions, having never felt this way for someone before. With Li Lianhua, nothing ever seems straightforward, not even his emotions. But he knows he feels excited after sitting on top of this crush for so long, and grateful that they can do this after so many health scares.
Whenever Fang Duobing envisions the future, it’s with Li Lianhua always there beside him.
And of course, he feels annoyed at how flustered this man can make him. Li Lianhua takes off Fang Duobing’s outer robes and undershirt, running his hands over his bare chest, pinching Fang Duobing’s nipple with his nimble fingers. It makes him moan and blush in embarrassment.
He works to level things, focusing on taking off Li Lianhua’s clothing. There’s some shifting to kick off their trousers, but then it is pure skin to skin. Completely bare, he can see how flushed his erection is already, but Li Lianhua is also evidently affected by this.
Fang Duobing shudders as a cold hand softly wraps around his length. He bucks into the hold, seeking more pressure.
“Li Lianhua, ahh, I need you to fuck me,” he groans.
“Do you really want that?”
“Yes, yes, please.” Fang Duobing grinds against him, feeling more desperate than shy.
“Then, you can grab a lubricant from the bedside table,” Li Lianhua gestures to the side.
Being a physician, phony as he is, there’s a dozen vials kept just on the table there. He grabs the one he thinks looks right, but Li Lianhua grabs it from his hand to set it down far away.
“No, not that one,” Li Lianhua snorts, “you’d regret that very much.”
His hands shake as he grabs another, which Li Lianhua nods in approval.
“Do you want me to do this for you?”
“Ah… can you?”
Li Lianhua smiles, taking the vial from his hands and popping it open, drizzling the liquid onto his hand. He then runs his hand lightly down Fang Duobing’s thigh before pressing teasingly at the base of his cock. The man runs his cool fingertips underside, until he’s pressing up against Fang Duobing’s rim. Even with the lubricant, he’s surprised how slick the slide is to slip a finger inside of him.
He moans, pressing down on it further.
“So greedy, Xiaobao, let’s take our time."
Li Lianhua takes his time opening him up, slowly adding fingers and stretching his fingers. The pressure inside him feels nice, but it’s when those fingers prod up against a specific spot Fang Duobing’s gut clenches in pleasure. He wiggles his hips, gasping for breath, chasing the feeling.
Fang Duobing whines, “I’m ready now, hurry up.”
Li Lianhua laughs at that, scolding him for being so impatient but he still draws his fingers out. For a moment, it leaves his hole clenching down around nothing, but then Li Lianhua positions his cock to press against the rim, not pushing in just yet.
“Ready?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
He moves downwards, ready to take him all in one go, but Li Lianhua’s hand grip around his waist, keeping a firm hold to slowly come together. The support keeps Fang Duobing’s legs steady when they want to give out from nerves.
It’s a little daunting doing this for the first time with someone who knows more than him, but it’s also a bit reassuring. If he massively messes something up, Li Lianhua can help him through it.
The feeling of Li Lianhua’s cock filling him up is heavenly as it slides against his inner walls.
He loves the feeling of being full, the stretch around his rim to take Li Lianhua inside of him, and the burn in his legs to hold himself up. Sweat trickles down his back.
He sinks down fully, pressing flush against Li Lianhua’s hips. Fang Duobing takes a second to catch his breath, but then circles his hips and lifts up again. It takes a few tries, but he eventually settles into a steady rhythm going up and down, bouncing on Li Lianhua’s length. And fuck, does it feel good, with every descent it presses up against the sensitive spot inside of, lighting up his nerves.
And beneath him is Li Lianhua, who is also flushed and breathing heavily. He’s lifting his hips, too, to meet Fang Duobing on his descents, clapping their skin together in a harsh impact.
Fang Duobing flexes his thighs, tightening around the length in him, and he watches raptly as Li Lianhua moans, his eyes falling shut from the pleasure. He can make Li Lianhua feel good, too, and there’s a great sense of power in that.
“You’re doing so well, my Xiaobao,” Li Lianhua moans.
That makes him stutter, legs finally give out as he collapses onto Li Lianhua. He holds onto him as he shudders, coming over both of their stomachs. He can feel a few jitters of Li Lianhua’s hips before he, too, comes deep inside of him.
Fang Duobing sighs contentedly, curling up further against him. That was incredible!
Li Lianhua tugs at a strand of his hair, “We need to get up, still, to clean up and make dinner.”
“Just a few more moments… please?”
He looks up with wide eyes and his most adorable, puppy-ish expression he can manage.
Li Lianhua sighs, “Ah, fine, yes, we can stay like this a little longer. But wait too long and I’ll insist on making our meal all by myself.”
He laughs, resting his cheek on Li Lianhua’s shoulder. It is so nice to feel where they connect still, and he feels so warm.
This case they’ve been working on may have been odd, and it might have derailed their holiday plans, but they’ve still become closer than before- the closest, one could argue.
He’ll get up soon, he cannot let Li Lianhua near a stove or cooking appliance, but he closes his eyes and relaxes in this moment, listening to the steady heartbeat under his ear.
Together, for now. And hopefully, for forever.