WWY Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Birthday. Detective Ling, you must protect me well.

Lan He’s birthday is today.

Actually, he doesn’t know when his birthday is at all. Weiyu He told him, so today is his third birthday in the country.

Aunt Long cooked him a big bowl of longevity noodles with two white and plump poached eggs lying in the noodles. The noodle soup was crystal clear and glistening with oil, decorated with emerald green scallions, which made Lan He’s appetite soar. Under Aunt Long’s repeated instructions of “don’t bite it off,” he drank it all in one go, even the soup.

“Young Master Lan, are you going to see Jiu Ya today?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t go to the hospital on your birthday, it’s bad luck!”

Lan He rolled his eyes: “Aunt Long, you’re so superstitious!”

“How can this be superstition? You child!” Aunt Long chided, then thought of something. “Young Master Si’nian said he wanted to come back to see you tonight and asked if you were home. I didn’t answer him immediately, saying I didn’t know your plans. Why don’t you reply to him?”

“Forget it, tell him I’m going out on a date.”

“A date?” The troubled look on Aunt Long’s face vanished, and she asked joyfully, “With whom? Which girl?”

Lan He made a face at her and ran upstairs to change clothes.

She was stunned for a while, then a joyous smile bloomed on her face, like a pig she had raised was about to leave the sty.

At eight o’clock in the morning, Lan He carried a backpack, called a car, and went out.

The caregiver he hired at the hospital to help run errands sent a message saying that Jiu Ya was recovering well and did not need a craniotomy. He was being transferred from the ICU to a regular ward.

Lan He was very grateful for his protection and decided to visit him as soon as possible.

Jiu Ya still had bandages wrapped around his head, but he was conscious. When he saw Lan He, he smiled foolishly at him: “Young Master Lan, it’s great that you’re okay!”

Lan He finally felt relieved: “It’s good that you’re okay!”

Although it was an employer-employee relationship, after being together for so long, he found Jiu Ya to be clumsy but fun, and he had long regarded him as one of his own.

Jiu Ya was eager to be discharged from the hospital, but Lan He didn’t think it was possible. At his insistence, he ran to ask the doctor, who replied: Absolutely not!

Not only could he not be discharged immediately, but he would also have to rest for at least a month after being discharged before he could run and jump like a normal person. Even walking had to be done slowly.

While the doctor was saying this, Jiu Ya nervously peeked at Lan He’s face, fearing that he would be fired. Money was a small matter, but reputation was everything. He was the most promising young member of the gang. It would be too embarrassing to be sent back like this.

It wasn’t until Lan He told him, “Don’t worry, just focus on recovering. You can be discharged after you recover. The police will protect me during this time,” that he was finally relieved. He held back tears and said that he was not as skilled as others this time and would definitely practice harder in the future so that his employer would never be in danger again.

Lan He was in a good mood today, so he comforted him a few times, which made him even more grateful.

After leaving the People’s Hospital, the Public Security Bureau was just across the street.

Lan He took out his phone and glanced at it: 9:09 a.m.

Tuxi Ling had just come downstairs when he received a call from Lan He. His heart skipped two beats. The expectation that had been hanging in a corner of his heart for two days was suddenly brought out into the open, making him inexplicably nervous.

“Detective Ling, are you still at the station?”

“I am.”

“You promised to spend my birthday with me today. You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

Tuxi Ling was stunned.

What? Was there even an option to change his mind?

But since he was being asked now, of course he couldn’t say he had changed his mind. Besides, he hadn’t thought about changing his mind.

“I’ve already asked for leave. Didn’t we agree on the afternoon? I was planning to contact you in the afternoon.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Come out, I’m at the hospital. I’ll come find you now.”

“So early? I was just about to go buy you a birthday present…”

“What are you buying? No need, no need. Besides, you don’t even know what I like. I’ll choose myself later!”

“Well… that’s okay too.”

It would be better to go together and choose something he likes.

At nine o’clock in the morning, the pace of the street slowed down a lot. Ten minutes later, the two met. Lan He saw the dark circles under his eyes and felt a pang of heartache.

He asked, “Have you had breakfast?”

Tuxi Ling thought for a moment and said, “I have.”

Liar. Just looking at his expression, it was obvious he hadn’t!

He pulled him to a convenience store on the street and bought water, chocolate, and biscuits, stuffing them all into his backpack.

Tuxi Ling reached out and stopped a taxi: “Let’s go buy a gift!”

“No rush!” Lan He told the driver, “Binhai Park.”

Tuxi Ling asked strangely, “What are we going to the park for?”

Lan He unwrapped a packet of biscuits, took out a chocolate-filled one, and stuffed it into his mouth: “Let’s go have fun first. I booked tickets for bungee jumping at sea. The height is a bit lower, I’m afraid I’ll have a fit.”

After speaking, he grinned at Tuxi Ling.

Tuxi Ling chewed on the biscuit, feeling a little depressed: “You know how to cherish your life.”

“Of course!” Lan He puffed out his chest proudly, smiling cunningly. “The key is…”

“What?”

“You’ll know when we get there!”

His thick eyelashes trembled, and Tuxi Ling’s heart was suspended again. The scene of him drunk last time was still vivid in his mind, and he suddenly felt that he had no good intentions.

Binhai Park was not far from the city center. They arrived after finishing a packet of biscuits.

They walked shoulder to shoulder on the bluestone road, passing old men and women doing exercises and sword dances, noisy children’s playgrounds, and thrilling pirate ships and pendulum rides, finally stepping onto a long bridge.

Lan He raised his smiling face, raised his hand to shield the dazzling sunlight, and looked at the bungee jumping platform that stood alone at the end of the long bridge. The metal guardrails on both sides emitted distorted halos under the high temperature, making his face particularly clear.

Tuxi Ling began to worry again, wanting to persuade him to do something else, but Lan He had already run over excitedly.

He quickly followed: “Lan He, why don’t we play something else?”

“No!” Lan He showed the electronic ticket on his phone to the staff and turned around to glare at him unhappily: “You promised me, are you going to go back on your word?”

Tuxi Ling wanted to say, yes.

Looking at the sixty-meter-high bungee jumping platform, he felt more and more uneasy, feeling that he was about to have a heart attack too.

They were the only guests at the moment, so they smoothly took the elevator to the top of the bungee jumping platform, with a staff member leading the way enthusiastically.

Lan He raised his arms, cooperating with the staff to tie the safety rope around his body. Through the transparent glass platform, he stared at the sea below, the seawater surging slightly, shining with countless tiny points of light.

He stared intently at a point in the air, and said slowly: “It’s so beautiful, it wouldn’t be bad to be buried at the bottom of the sea like this…”

Tuxi Ling was shocked and subconsciously grabbed his wrist, his thumb against his protruding wrist bone, his knuckles turning blue and white from excessive force: “Lan He!”

His voice, wrapped in the gale from the sea, awakened the engrossed person.

Lan He raised his eyes to look at him, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile: “Hmm? Can’t I even sigh?”

Tuxi Ling didn’t even realize that his voice was almost pleading: “Don’t jump, okay?”

Something was very wrong. The fact that a heart patient insisted on bungee jumping was already strange in itself, coupled with his abnormality today…

Did he have suicidal thoughts?

Lan He raised his eyebrows: “Are you scared?”

“I’m scared!” Tuxi Ling nodded vigorously, ignoring the strange smiles of the two staff members, grabbed his hand and pressed it on his chest, like coaxing a child: “Look, really scared!”

The violent heartbeat was like a trapped beast hitting a cage. Lan He was a little moved. He understood that the reason why people like him were afraid could not be bungee jumping itself.

He smiled with narrowed eyes: “You’re worried about me?”

Tuxi Ling’s ears were hot, but he still nodded vigorously.

Before he could say anything, he heard him say, “Don’t worry, the disclaimer is written, I won’t blackmail you!”

Tuxi Ling’s throat moved. Suddenly, a surge of anger rushed to his head, feeling that he had been humiliated: “Do you think I’m afraid of taking responsibility?”

“Click,” the last metal buckle was fastened, Lan He was still smiling: “Otherwise?”

Tuxi Ling stalled.

Yeah, otherwise?

Worrying about his personal safety, such a normal answer. As long as it was a slightly kind stranger, they would not ignore the other party’s personal safety, but saying it to his face in this situation felt awkward and strange no matter what.

He couldn’t say it.

His voice softened: “Lan He, can you not be willful? Let’s go, I’ll treat you to a meal. By the way, I didn’t drive today, I’ll drink with you, as much as you want!”

Lan He didn’t respond to his words, lowering his head to check the other side of the seat belt with the staff.

“He can’t jump!” In desperation, Tuxi Ling pulled up a staff member: “He has a heart condition, you will be responsible if something happens!”

The staff member looked up at Lan He in astonishment: “Heart condition? Then he can’t play!”

“I’m not sick.” Lan He said, taking out an examination report from his arms, the date was yesterday, “See for yourself if you don’t believe me! He’s just a coward and doesn’t dare to play, so he’s using me as an excuse, let him go down if he can’t!”

The staff member looked at the report and then at Tuxi Ling: “Sir, why don’t you go down and wait, we’ve seen this a lot, it’s not embarrassing!”

Tuxi Ling was helpless, he went over him to pull Lan He, but he said: “If you insist on taking me away today, that’s fine, I’ll come again tomorrow.”

Tuxi Ling’s hand paused, feeling that his insistence was meaningless, his heart full of resentment with nowhere to vent.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, the staff member asked him cautiously: “Then, are you still playing?”

Tuxi Ling had to agree: “Let him jump first, I’ll take pictures!”

“No, you two bought a double bungee ticket, you have to go together if you want to play.” The staff member pointed to a connected set of straps on the ground: “Don’t worry, we have professional photographers, we will definitely keep the classic moments for you two!”

Double bungee?

Tuxi Ling’s face turned green instantly, and then quickly turned red from green.

He was sure he had been tricked this time, and looked angrily at Lan He, but saw him looking innocent.

“Ah? Really? Oh, I thought a double bungee was just two bungee tickets, let’s buy it again!” He pretended to take out his phone, but it was empty, “Oh no, everything is in the storage cabinet, oh well, never mind, we’re here already, it’s more courageous to jump together!”

As he said that, he opened his arms to Tuxi Ling: “Come on, Detective Ling, protect the weak me!”

He deliberately emphasized the title “Detective Ling”. The staff member raised his eyebrows and looked at the hesitant Tuxi Ling in surprise, as if to say: You’re a detective, you’re not scared, are you?

Tuxi Ling had to bite the bullet and walk over, letting the staff help him fasten the whole set of safety ropes. He was too close to Lan He face to face, and he smelled the cologne on him again.

The air in late autumn was cold, but he was only wearing a thin light blue sweatshirt, and he could see the shadows of his jagged collarbones from the loose neckline.

Tuxi Ling remembered the winter when they first met. Everyone was wearing down jackets and cotton clothes, and he was wearing a pure white short-sleeved T-shirt, indeed not afraid of the cold.

“Sir, please move forward a little.” The safety officer began to do the final check.

Not sure which gentleman he was talking about, the two took a step forward at the same time, their chests bumping together gently. Tuxi Ling lowered his eyes and saw Lan He’s eyelashes drooping heavily, like they had absorbed enough of the wet fog from the sea.

He subconsciously held his breath.

Lan He suddenly raised his face, the breath with a faint fragrance sweeping across Tuxi Ling’s Adam’s apple. He noticed his strangeness, and his beautiful eyes curved: “Detective Ling, you must protect me well.”

The trembling Adam’s apple finally slid down, and Tuxi Ling nodded: “I will.”