NH chapter 049

Chapter 49: Parallel Ending HE (1)

Huo Ye hung up the phone, darkness swirling in front of his eyes, bending over and clutching his chest, struggling to catch his breath. Just then, his phone vibrated again; the ringtone was urgent, but he didn’t dare to answer.

The ringtone stopped.

A second call came in.

After much hesitation, Huo Ye was about to answer when he heard strange noises behind him. He slowly turned his head.

At the end of the alley, two figures were entangled. The streetlight cast a dim, yellowish glow, making it hard to see their faces. The one clearly gaining the upper hand was a young man in a sharp suit, tall and with an outstanding demeanor, who was using force to pin the other person down.

The one being suppressed was a middle-aged man, babbling incoherent words, holding a knife in his hand.

The silver blade was waving around, seemingly injuring him. Yet, the young man remained turned away from Huo Ye, gripping the tip of the knife hard and snatching it away.

Huo Ye caught a strong smell of blood; his mind cleared a little, and he forgot about the phone, asking him, “Do you need help?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the young man trembled slightly and then stiffly turned his head halfway. Huo Ye was momentarily stunned, seeing in the obscure light, a pair of eyes that silently gazed back at him, shining bright.

Though he couldn’t see clearly, just from that half of his face, it was enough to be called a work of art—exquisite features, a high and handsome nose, eyes like paintings, thin lips pressed lightly, and a gaze that quietly locked onto him.

It felt as if they were familiar.

Huo Ye had sketched it out so many times that he almost recognized him at first glance.

“Shen…”

“No need, it’s none of your business.” The person averted his face, breathing unsteadily, coldly interrupting him, “Get away, it’s dangerous.”

Huo Ye originally thought he was completely mistaken, but as soon as he spoke, he began to doubt his judgment. Although he looked very similar, the light was too dim for him to be sure, and upon closer inspection, he seemed to possess a certain maturity, indifference, and steady composure.

Regarding those words, especially maturity and steadiness, Huo Ye did not believe they would ever be associated with Shen Tingyu.

He felt if it didn’t seem like him, then even the voice didn’t match; his voice had a sort of cold, reserved magnetism that struck awe in the listener.

He had blood on his hands, resembling a handsome yet ghastly figure.

Huo Ye wanted to say something more, but the third call came in like a death knell. He wasn’t someone who liked to meddle in others’ affairs, so he waited until he had walked out of the alley to answer the phone.

Before he could even say “hello,” Shen Tingyu on the other end immediately exclaimed, “You’ve become bold, daring to hang up on me?”

Huo Ye felt a lot calmer and slowly said, “No, I just accidentally bumped the button; I didn’t hang up…”

With a bang, it sounded like a door slamming shut. “You wait for me in a conspicuous location, don’t run around, or else you’re done for.”

Huo Ye asked, “How do you know where I am?”

Shen Tingyu seemed to be rushing over and momentarily choked on his words. Naturally, he wouldn’t say he secretly put a tracker on his phone, but he said assertively, “Send me your location now.”

Huo Ye finally caught his breath, straightened up, and quietly asked, “Are you coming to find me?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to see me?” Shen Tingyu countered reasonably while taking no responsibility. “Actually, I was quite busy earlier, but since you said you missed me, I came.”

Huo Ye chuckled and replied, “Okay.”

After hanging up, his mood was entirely different.

Remembering something, Huo Ye walked back into the alley, but it was now left in disarray, stained with blood, and empty.

He couldn’t help but frown slightly; his intuition told him that something had been off about the commotion just now. Logically, considering they were only about seven or eight meters apart, how could he not have sensed their movements?

After pondering for a while, he couldn’t think of an answer.

Huo Ye decided to stop thinking about it, walking to the nearby lakeshore to wait.

The outskirts of the city were mountainous, bordering the lake. The lake, fittingly named, had a small stone tablet that read—”Crescent Moon Lake,” with narrow edges and broader middle.

Before seeing Shen Tingyu’s figure, he first heard a familiar meow. Huo Ye smiled and squatted down, calling, “Little Gui.”

Little Gui had already become a plump little orange cat, but it seemed to think Shen Tingyu couldn’t hold it, so upon hearing Huo Ye calling, it jumped agilely from Shen Tingyu’s arms.

Before it came out, it had even kicked Shen Tingyu’s chest, which annoyed him, causing him to scold, “You ungrateful little fatso!”

Little Gui ignored him, trotting over to Huo Ye’s feet, wagging its tail affectionately, trying to nuzzle against him.

Huo Ye had been raising it for several years, so naturally, they were the closest. He picked up Little Gui and held it in his arms before looking up at Shen Tingyu.

They used to talk about everything, and after a cold war lasting two or three months, it was as if he had almost forgotten what a pleasant conversation felt like. For a moment, neither of them spoke first. Huo Ye was petting the cat, but his eyes were fixed on Shen Tingyu’s face.

After half a minute of Huo Ye gazing at him, Shen Tingyu couldn’t take it anymore, turning his face away, his ears slightly flushed, and impatiently said, “Didn’t you say you really wanted to see me? Why aren’t you saying anything now that you see me?”

Huo Ye stared at his ears, suddenly having the illusion that all past unpleasantness had never happened; they were still like when they first met.

“Ah, it’s not that I really wanted to,” Huo Ye said deliberately.

Shen Tingyu’s arms fell immediately, the little person in his heart inexplicably felt mocked, pouting at him with displeasure, feeling a bit anxious, “Don’t you have something to tell me? You called me out this late.”

Huo Ye naturally knew what he wanted to hear but replied, “I wasn’t sure you would want to come out so late.”

This sentence just shattered Shen Tingyu’s eagerness, making him feel utterly humiliated, and he stared at Huo Ye in silence for a moment.

Three seconds later, Shen Tingyu turned and walked away.

Huo Ye quickly grabbed his arm, and the moment Shen Tingyu turned back, Huo Ye tilted his head and kissed him, fleeting like a dragonfly touching water, instantly pulling away.

Shen Tingyu hadn’t reacted yet.

In surprise, he lifted his eyes. Huo Ye, holding the cat in his arms, smiled at him.

Getting closer to him felt like approaching happiness itself.