Forensic Forensic - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

“Since you’re here, let’s eat together.”

Qi Ming didn’t even respond to Luo Jianan’s question. It was obvious he had nothing in his hands, and where was his umbrella?

Entering the Japanese restaurant required removing shoes. Luo Jianan took his shoes off at the door, then walked in and nodded to Chris, who was sitting cross-legged at the low table. Chris looked at him, then at Qi Ming, his expression somewhat bewildered.

“Luo Jianan said that since you’ve come so far, he has to be a good host.” Qi Ming sat upright on the cushion and explained Luo Jianan’s sudden appearance. “This meal’s on his table.”

Luo Jianan glanced at the menu on the corner of the table. It cost two thousand eight hundred. After hearing Qi Ming’s words, he sat down and forgot how to cross his legs. Speaking of this detective, he sighed inwardly. He was like a peddler working like a peddler, earning the price of a cabbage seller. He had to risk his life at every turn. Without unwavering loyalty and courage, he couldn’t possibly survive.

The waiter arrived, placing a foot-wide platter of sashimi in the center of the table. Luo Jianan glanced up. “Oh, no wonder it cost three thousand!” Lobster, sea urchin, ark shell, palm-sized sweet shrimp, and several other sashimi dishes he couldn’t name but looked fresh.

Fvck, he’s already here, and he’s paying for it himself. Eat!

Luo Jianan picked up his chopsticks and, without even a word of courtesy to the two people beside him, picked up a piece of lobster sashimi and tossed it into his mouth, chewing it. Qi Ming gave him a helpless look and pushed a small dish of freshly ground mustard toward him. After a few bites, Luo Jianan suddenly asked Qi Ming, “Aren’t you a vegetarian at night?”

“White meat is fine, but I just don’t eat red meat for dinner. Red meat produces acid during digestion, and if it can’t be metabolized while you sleep, it accumulates in your body.”

Qi Ming picked up a piece of pink fish, dipped it in fish sauce and mustard, and put it in his mouth, chewing gracefully. After a few seconds, he noticed Luo Jianan was still staring at him, so he swallowed and said, “Staring at someone eating is rude.”

Luo Jianan quickly averted his eyes. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to push through the cracks in the tatami and crawl inside. He had never noticed before that Qi Ming kept his lips closed when he ate. And those lips looked so soft, they must feel nice to kiss.

Wait, kiss Qi Ming’s… mouth?

If it weren’t for Chris in front of him, Luo Jianan would have slapped himself to clear the image of kissing Qi Ming’s mouth from his mind.

————————

The sake arrived. Luo Jianan, seeing Chris reaching for his glass, quickly stopped him, saying, “You can’t drink and drive! Foreigners caught driving will be detained.”

Chris blinked, seemingly not understanding. Qi Ming translated it for him, and he raised his glass, smiled at Luo Jianan, and said, “Diplomatic immunity. Drink a little, and driving isn’t dangerous.”

Hey, this stinking foreigner even has diplomatic immunity! Luo Jianan was furious, thinking, “Luckily I’m here! If Qi Ming had been driven home by a drunk, and got into an accident along the way, where would he go to complain?”

Honestly, eating this kind of Japanese food didn’t feel like a buffet. Luo Jianan really couldn’t eat enough. From seven to ten, Luo Jianan felt like he’d already digested all he’d eaten at the start, while the two were still chattering in French. The point was, they were having a blast. In all the time he’d known Qi Ming, Luo Jianan hadn’t seen him smile as much as he had in those three hours. He couldn’t understand what they were talking about, so he just chuckled along when they laughed, to avoid appearing too clueless.

Qi Ming got up to go to the bathroom, leaving Luo Jianan and Chris alone in the room. They stared at each other, with nothing to talk about, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

“Qi is the most outstanding Asian I’ve ever met,” Chris started the conversation.

Luo Jianan thought, “Nonsense! The descendants of Yan and Huang have a 5,000-year history of outstanding people, and how many Chinese do you know? Of course, Qi Ming is outstanding; that’s for sure. He couldn’t deny that.”

“Yes, he’s amazing. He has three doctorates.” Luo Jianan didn’t care if Chris understood or not. “There aren’t many people in Interpol headquarters who can compare to him, right?”

Chris understood part of it and nodded. “The director wants Qi to take the position in Lyon, and I’ll come work there. He’s invited him.”

Although Chris’s Chinese was garbled, Luo Jianan heard it clearly—this guy was trying to poach Qi Ming?

“Our Teacher Qi has made up his mind to return to his roots and definitely won’t go to Lyon with you,” Luo Jianan said, twirling his lighter back and forth in his hands. Smoking was prohibited in the private room, and he’d been listening to them chatter for three hours while still having to endure the urge to smoke. Now, hearing that Qi Ming was being poached, Luo Jianan was irritated to the point of being exasperated.

He picked up his teacup and gulped down the water to calm his anger.

“Yes, Qi said he wouldn’t leave.” Chris sighed with a smile, raising his hand to his chest. “His refusal broke my heart.”

Luo Jianan nearly spat his tea in Chris’s face. What the hell? Who do you think you are? And you’re so fucking heartbroken! What’s going on? Are you trying to take advantage of our Teacher Qi because he’s so good-looking? Wait, Luo Jianan thought again. Qi Ming is a man, so there’s no way he can take advantage of him. But that didn’t make sense. This foreigner had been hugging Qi Ming the moment they met. His intentions were obvious to everyone! Besides, with that physique, could Qi Ming really get away with it if he really used force?

Chris, of course, had no idea that Luo Jianan had imagined him as a rapist. He was still sighing to himself, “Qi, you’re a great person, but you’re locked up here.” He patted his chest. “You Orientals are reserved and can’t open up about your feelings.”

Hearing this, Luo Jianan narrowed his eyes slightly. “Dude, this has nothing to do with Eastern or Western culture. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. A forced melon won’t be sweet, understand?”

Chris probably didn’t understand; Luo Jianan spoke so quickly. Qi Ming pushed the door open, saw the two of them sitting there staring at each other, and realized it was time to leave. Luo Jianan went to pay the bill, but the receptionist told him that a handsome, long-haired man had already paid. So Luo Jianan ran to the ATM downstairs and withdrew three thousand yuan in cash, which he forced upon Qi Ming after getting in the car.

“What do you mean?” Qi Ming raised an eyebrow. “Not before payday?”

“It’s my treat.” Luo Jianan rested his arm on the backrest and looked back at the car backing up. “Don’t worry about me. A nice meal once in a while won’t bankrupt me. I’ve got money saved for my wife.”

Knowing Luo Jianan wouldn’t take the money back, Qi Ming said, “Okay, I’ll count it as rent. I’ll pay the property management fees tomorrow.”

The car backed up to the sidewalk. The ten-centimeter drop to the ground caused the car to jolt violently, barely eliciting the words Luo Jianan had been holding back for a long time but hadn’t asked: “Qi Ming, how many times have you been in love?”

Qi Ming shook his head.

“Never. Being in love takes up a lot of brain cells.”

————————

Luo Jianan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Just as Qi Ming was putting an ice pack on his face, he’d been sitting next to him on the sofa. His body heat seeped through the thin fabric of his pajamas, making his head steamy and the bl00d rushing to his center. Afraid Qi Ming would notice his predicament, he claimed his pillow was too low, so he grabbed a cushion from the sofa to block it and crawled back inside.

Lying there, staring out the small window at the lights of other houses, Luo Jianan’s mind was filled with Qi Ming’s cool fingers on his face and the way his lips pursed as he chewed.

No, Luo Jianan, wake up! You can’t be so gay! I’m still waiting to have grandchildren! Damn it, is it because I’ve been single for so long that I’m tempted by the mere touch? It’s no wonder, though. I’m still full of energy. It’s normal for me to react to external stimuli. It’s abnormal to not react, right?

After some self-comfort, Luo Jianan felt his pants weren’t as tight as before. He relaxed, hugged the cushion, and closed his eyes.

In a half-asleep, half-awake state, Luo Jianan heard Qi Ming knock on the door, asking if he was asleep. He answered, and Qi Ming came in and sat beside the bed, leaning over to examine the wound on his face in the light filtering through the small window. His long hair cascaded down Qi Ming’s face, brushing against Luo Jianan’s neck, making him itch. He tried to brush it away, but it felt like a huge rock pressing down on his arm.

Qi Ming slowly leaned in, gently pecking the wound at the corner of his eye, then trailing down his high nose to kiss the corner of his lips. His lips were just as soft as he’d imagined, and Luo Jianan, oblivious to anything else, was consumed by the softness of his lips.

Oh my God, he thought vaguely, this must be a dream, but please don’t wake me up.

The passionate kiss was interrupted by Qi Ming’s withdrawal. Luo Jianan struggled to keep his eyes open, watching the man before him undress piece by piece. A fiery gaze traced the lines of a slender yet not frail body. Luo Jianan felt as if he had swallowed half the Taklamakan Desert in his throat, his thirst practically smoking.

Qi Ming raised his hand to tuck his hair behind his ear, then reached into Luo Jianan’s pajamas, grasping his fiery hotness before biting his lip lightly, closing his eyes and lowering his head. Enveloped by those scorching lips and tongue, the hard, ready thing, Luo Jianan felt the bl00d rush to his lower body. He gasped scorchingly, desperately trying to raise his hand to clasp the throbbing head between his crotch. His arm, like it was cast into cement, finally lifted slightly, his fingertips touching Qi Ming’s equally scorching skin. The intense pleasure caused his fingers to sink deeply into that elastic flesh.

“Jianan…” Qi Ming climbed onto the bed, straddling him with his long legs, leaning over to whisper in his ear, “Do you want me?”

Nodding and grasping those lips that uttered those devilish sounds, Luo Jianan gripped Qi Ming’s thighs, thrusting his hips into his fiery core. Qi Ming’s brow furrowed slightly, his impatient gasps trapped between his lips. Overwhelming pleasure washed over Luo Jianan, who bit at Qi Ming’s lips, wishing he could rub him completely inside her. Qi Ming held his arms, slowly straightened up, biting a strand of black hair that clung to his lips, and tilted his head back, rising and falling against him.

“Give it to me… Jianan…”

As soon as those words left his mouth, Luo Jianan felt as if a thousand horses were galloping through his ears, and the boulder pressing down on him instantly vanished. He straightened his hips, hugged Qi Ming’s body, and rolled over to press down on him—

“Fvck!”

His nose banged against the wooden floor, waking Luo Jianan completely awake. ————————

Luo Jianan returned from his morning run. During dinner, Qi Ming asked him, “What were you doing in the bathroom at night instead of sleeping?”

Luo Jianan choked on a mouthful of milk and coughed like he had a severe case of tuberculosis. He couldn’t tell anyone he’d gotten up in the middle of the night to wash his underwear, and that it was because of a dream… well, never mind. He didn’t dare look Qi Ming in the eye today, fearing he’d notice something.

Finally calming down, Luo Jianan lowered his head and said, “I had an upset stomach last night.”

“The ingredients from that place are all air-freighted, so they should be fine.” Qi Ming handed him a boiled egg. “Don’t drink milk. Diarrhea causes intestinal swelling, and the large protein molecules in milk are difficult to absorb.”

As he took the egg, Qi Ming’s fingertips touched his, and Luo Jianan retracted his hand as if struck by electricity. The egg fell to the ground with a “clack,” and A Qiang immediately rushed over to try to sweep the cracked egg away.

“Go away, what are you doing?” Bending down to pick up the egg, Luo Jianan peeled it and tossed it into his mouth.

It’s okay. It was just a dream. This doesn’t mean I’m gay, right? I’ve just been holding it in for too long. It’s time for a serious relationship.

Luo Jianan was torn between his inner thoughts and his own. Then, as if to kill himself, Qi Ming reached out again, lifted his chin, and examined the injury. “Yeah, no swelling. The bruise should go away within a week.”

With Qi Ming pinching his chin, scenes from his dream flashed before his eyes like a slideshow, and Luo Jianan froze in his chair. Suddenly, he raised his hand to wave Qi Ming’s hand away, stood up, and hurried to the door. As he put on his coat, he said, “I’ll go down and drive. You…you hurry down.”

He was baffled.

Qi Ming looked down at Aqiang, who was circling at his feet, and asked, “What’s wrong with your dad today?”

The yellow light on the dashboard flickered, and Aqiang silently crawled towards the charger. That night, Luo Jianan kicked it off the charger while rushing from his room to the bathroom, leaving it without a charge all night.

Arriving at the office, Luo Jianan reported to Chen Fei the information he had obtained from the technical department the previous day. Chen Fei listened and urged him to proceed with caution, and if any drug-related leads were involved, he must promptly report them to Zhuang Yu.

Seeing Luo Jianan lingering in his chair and refusing to leave, Chen Fei asked if he had anything else to say.

After a long pause, Luo Jianan finally stammered, “Boss, have you… always liked men… or do you… only like Deputy Captain Zhao?”

He really had no one else to ask; they were the only couple around.

Chen Fei looked at Luo Jianan calmly and slowly raised the thermos in his hand.

“Get out!”