HL 56

The cook walked in, his eyes darting around nervously, looking flustered and uneasy.

Xu Nanxiao couldn’t stand it. He grabbed him like a little chick and pulled him close, lowering his voice to ask, “Did you do what I asked you to do?”

The cook didn’t speak. His eyes shifted, then he stuck his neck out and asked Xu Nanxiao, “Where’s the thing?”

Xu Nanxiao frowned, suppressing his anger, but still pulled a gold ring from his pocket and handed it over.

All this time, he’d been carrying that woman’s wedding ring in his pocket, and now it had become his only bargaining chip.

When he handed it to the cook, Xu Nanxiao didn’t let go immediately—the cook had to tug a few times before he released it.

The cook wiped the ring, weighed it in his hand a couple of times, and after confirming it was real, tucked it into his shirt pocket.

Xu Nanxiao had traded a pure gold ring for a chance to contact the outside world. But the cook refused to help him call the police—if anything happened to Ying Yusheng, everyone in this house would be implicated.

With no other choice, Xu Nanxiao had to settle for the next best thing: asking him to contact his old fair-weather friends. Though they weren’t close, they were the only people he could count on now.

“That club you mentioned—I went there, but it’s completely changed. It’s a dental clinic now.” Even though it was just the two of them in the room, the cook was terrified of Ying Yusheng, his voice barely above a whisper.

“And the people?!”

“None of them are there. The ones who are left all said they’d never seen you.”

“And those addresses I gave you—did you go to them?”

“Two of the four addresses you gave me—those people don’t live there anymore. They were rentals; the landlords said they’d moved.”

“The third one insisted he didn’t know you, but he looked pretty much like you described—inverted triangle eyes, a scar at the corner of his mouth. I don’t think I got the wrong person.”

“The last one wanted to come at first, but when he heard how far it was, his expression turned funny. In the end, he said he’d see if he had time later and shut the door.”

Xu Nanxiao wouldn’t give up. He asked again, “Did you go to the place I used to rent? I’ve been out of contact for so long—didn’t the landlord find it strange?”

“I went. Mr. Ying had already paid off all your back rent and handled the move-out procedures. Now a young couple lives there. Since they couldn’t reach you, all your stuff got thrown out as trash.”

The room was silent for a long time.

Finally, Xu Nanxiao forced out one more question: “What about my creditors? I haven’t paid off my penalties yet, so they must—”

The cook was stunned for a moment, then said, “I don’t know. The young couple said nobody ever came looking for you. Maybe someone paid it off? How much was it?”

The cook cautiously looked up and saw that Xu Nanxiao wasn’t speaking anymore. He just slowly sat back down in the armchair. His face was eerily calm, and before long, a faint smile crept onto it—not self-mocking, more like resignation.

The cook could understand Xu Nanxiao’s reaction. This man had been locked up for four full months, and no one had looked for him, no one had called the police, no one had cared. He couldn’t even imagine how frantic his own wife and kids would be if he ever disappeared like this.

He was like a drop of water, casually brushed away by Ying Yusheng. The world hadn’t changed at all—still bright, still full, the sun rising and setting, everything running with meticulous precision.

Now the ring was gone, the hopes were gone, and the last ties to the outside world were gone too.

Nothing left but a stretch of grey.

The cook wanted to say something more but felt he had no right to. So he clutched the gold ring in his pocket, let out a long sigh, and turned to leave.

Ying Yusheng quickly noticed the change in Xu Nanxiao.

Xu Nanxiao had suddenly become calm. When he spoke to Ying Yusheng, his tone was no longer barbed, and even the number of times he gazed out the window had diminished. His daily routine became extremely regular—waking up on time, eating quietly, doing physical training, and spending long afternoons sitting in the armchair, staring into space.

When Ying Yusheng talked to him, he would respond—short, flat, emotionless, but with slightly more words than before. On good days, the two could even chat for ten minutes, something that had never happened since Xu Nanxiao came to this villa.

Ying Yusheng knew something must have happened during this time. Since Xu Nanxiao didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t press.

In any case, things were moving in a positive direction.

Just as he was thinking this, Ying Yusheng suddenly noticed Xu Nanxiao standing in front of him.

“I’m going to watch a movie.” He looked down at Ying Yusheng on the sofa.

“Heh, okay.”

Ying Yusheng got up and was about to move aside when he heard Xu Nanxiao say, “You don’t have to leave.”

Before the words faded, Xu Nanxiao sat down beside him.

Ying Yusheng was startled, almost flattered. The last time they’d sat quietly together to watch a movie felt like ages ago.

Xu Nanxiao’s hand rested on the dark sofa, his knuckles slightly tensed. Watching him, Ying Yusheng tentatively scooted closer, his fingers hovering in the outline of Xu Nanxiao’s—a hair’s breadth away, never quite touching skin.

Xu Nanxiao only glanced at him and didn’t refuse.

Today’s DVD was one Xu Nanxiao had randomly picked from the new batch—it had supposedly won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay not long ago.

The story was simple: a man and a woman fall in love during a vacation and share a dreamlike life together. But due to reality and class differences, they’re forced apart, spending the rest of their lives mourning that love.

As the credits slowly scrolled across the screen, Ying Yusheng commented bluntly, “Hm. A bad film.”

“Still better than those cult films you like to watch.”

“Sorry—did you like it?” Ying Yusheng softened his tone. “I just don’t like plots where the male lead pretends to be deeply in love when he doesn’t actually have that much sincerity.”

“What do you consider ‘that much sincerity’?” Xu Nanxiao stared at the dark screen, his mouth curving into a smile that held no warmth.

If separating meant it wasn’t true love, then did locking someone up and tormenting them count as true love?

Xu Nanxiao said, “In the movie, the guy’s mother is seriously ill and needs money to save her life. The girl’s family is forcing her into an arranged marriage, or else the whole family will fall apart. What would you do in that situation?”

“Nanxiao, have you ever had an allergic reaction before?” Ying Yusheng suddenly asked an unrelated question. “Your throat swells up, blocks everything, you can’t breathe. At that moment, all you can think about is oxygen—nothing else.”

“If someone is as important to you as oxygen, then parents and family can’t be excuses. If the other person is willing, you hold on tighter; if not, you never let go even if it kills you; if they commit suicide, you go with them.”

Ying Yusheng turned to look at Xu Nanxiao, his eyes blazing in the dim light like a flickering campfire.

He said, “I think that’s what true sincerity means.”

Xu Nanxiao froze.

He felt his stomach clench painfully—not just from disgust, but as if weighed down by something heavy. He reached up and loosened his collar, as if Ying Yusheng’s words had become solid and were choking him.

After what felt like an eternity, Xu Nanxiao let out a long sigh, and his tense fingers slowly relaxed. His once-straight spine finally sank back into the sofa’s cushion, accompanied by the soft creak of leather.

He said calmly, “…Whatever you say.”

The days passed peacefully for a while. At three in the afternoon, it was time for Ying Yusheng and Xu Nanxiao to have their afternoon tea and pastries. As Xu Nanxiao ate, he suddenly asked Ying Yusheng, “Is yours good?”

Ying Yusheng was slightly taken aback.

“Let me have a taste.”

“Of course… go ahead.” He answered in a daze, and before he could slide the small dish over, he suddenly heard the housekeeper knock urgently on the second-floor door.

Ying Yusheng had to go over first and open it, smiling gently as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

The housekeeper looked panicked, her eyes darting toward Xu Nanxiao, signaling that it wasn’t convenient to speak here. Seeing her reaction, Ying Yusheng’s heart stirred, and he led her outside, closing the door behind him.

“What’s wrong?” Ying Yusheng looked at the men and women who had gathered around, sensing something was off.

“Someone just came knocking—said he’s a police officer!”

Ying Yusheng was taken aback—truly caught off guard—but he quickly calmed down and steadied his voice to ask, “Did he say what he came for?”

The security guard beside him was sweating bullets and cut in quickly, “He said he’s looking for a missing person—Xu Nanxiao!!”

The knocking outside grew louder and more insistent, accompanied by an unfamiliar male voice shouting:

“Police! Open up!”

“If you don’t open the door, we’re going to break it down!”