Chapter 81

Chapter 81

"081"

At 11 a.m. the next day, at Beijing International Airport.

Boarding for the Sydney flight had already started. Zhao Lan had gone to the convenience store to buy snacks, while Xiao Anfeng waited for her in the departure lounge, his head bowed, staring at the ticket in his hand.

They were given by Xiao Lancui.

Destination, visas for him and Zhao Lan—all of it was in order.

Xiao Anfeng rubbed his thumb over the ticket, then suddenly lowered his head and gave it a serious sniff. There really was a faint smell of ink.

He'd never liked the smell of ink, even as a kid. When school started and he got new textbooks, he'd air them out for days to get rid of the smell.

But the ink on Xiao Lancui's fingertips—that he found especially nice.

If only he'd figured out their swapped identities sooner... just a little sooner, so much might've been different.

Xiao Anfeng squeezed the edge of the ticket.

He wasn't that clueless. He had visas for tons of countries, but Sydney was the one place he'd never thought about visiting—the flight was way too long, and he got really bad motion sickness.

Nobody looking for him would ever think to check Sydney.

He couldn't take anything with him, either. His whole past life had been reclaimed by Xiao Lancui—family, friends, classmates, education, future...

Everything he'd once leeched off Xiao Lancui had been taken back. Xiao Lancui wanted his life to go back to square one, all over again.

"Fengfeng, let's go board." A cheerful female voice came running up.

When she saw Xiao Anfeng hadn't moved, Zhao Lan's smile faded. She reached out and touched his head gently, worried. "What are you thinking?"

Xiao Anfeng was thinking of Xiao Lancui.

When they'd parted, he'd asked Xiao Lancui, "You're not having anyone watch me? Not scared I'll change my mind once I land?"

Xiao Lancui looked calm, indifferent. "Then that'd be your end, not mine."

With that, the young guy he called "Xiao'ao" rolled up the car window.

Staring blankly as the car drove off, Xiao Anfeng felt a strange melancholy well up inside him.

He figured he'd spend the rest of his life never able to catch up to Xiao Lancui, or fulfill his last request.

"Forget everything before today. From now on, you're just Zhao Anfeng."

Everything else, he could handle.

Except Xiao Lancui—that, he might never pull off.

The warm, gentle hand on his head snapped him back. Xiao Anfeng looked up.

A woman who was both familiar and strange stood there holding a big bag of snacks—all his favorite flavors.

Xiao Anfeng gave a faint smile. He took Zhao Lan's hand. "It's nothing. Let's go."

A plane streaked across the sky. Lu Ao had just gotten the latest video from his private investigator.

Xiao Lancui was right there, so Lu Ao just handed him the phone.

Xiao Lancui opened the video.

Xiao Jingli had woken up. All the cameras were destroyed, and Zhao Lan and Xiao Anfeng had completely vanished. He was totally losing it, didn't even treat his injuries, and drove down the mountain.

Lu Ao leaned in too, pretending to watch the video but really pressing up against Xiao Lancui, and offered his take: "The old man's going after the younger old man."

Xiao Lancui's long lashes fluttered once. He said flatly, "Xiao Liqin's barely over twenty. Not that old."

"He looks old. Just like his dad."

Xiao Lancui didn't answer. Lu Ao went on, "Brother, I'm hungry." His long arm naturally hooked around Xiao Lancui's, and even though it was a stretch, he managed to rest his head on Xiao Lancui's shoulder.

A big dog leaning on its owner, completely filling up the rearview mirror.

There was a soundproof divider, so the private driver couldn't hear anything, only see what was happening. He couldn't help muttering to himself, "Those brothers get along so well! Look, the younger one's so big but still clings to his older brother—you don't see that much these days..."

Lu Ao wasn't leaning with any weight, so it wasn't heavy, but Lu Ao ran hot. Xiao Lancui was getting a little warm and said, "Don't lean so close. It's hot."

Lu Ao quickly cranked the AC down. "Done."

Cold air filled the car, and with Lu Ao as such a big heat source, it was just right now. Xiao Lancui stopped paying him any mind, exited the chat, and used Lu Ao's phone to search for nearby restaurants.

Without asking Lu Ao what he wanted, he searched for the mushroom hotpot he was in the mood for, then changed the ride destination.

It was closer than the original destination. The car drove about ten minutes or so before stopping. Before getting out, Lu Ao gave Xiao Lancui's scarf and gloves another thorough check, making sure everything was sealed up tight, then stepped out.

This Yunnan restaurant wasn't upscale, but the decor was decent. It happened to be mealtime, so there were no private rooms left, and the main hall was packed—only one table remaining.

Lu Ao went over, wiped the booth seat several times—once with disinfectant wipes, then again with dry tissues—before letting Xiao Lancui sit.

When the waiter brought warm water, Lu Ao moved to wipe the cup again. Xiao Lancui spoke up, "I'm not that delicate."

"You are exactly that delicate." Lu Ao carefully wiped the cup dry before placing it in Xiao Lancui's hands, his eyes full of smiles. "Please, drink."

Xiao Lancui drank the water, and before long, the mushroom hotpot arrived.

All the ingredients were mountain delicacies air-freighted daily from Yunnan, and the rising steam carried a fresh, tender fragrance.

Xiao Lancui was blanching a wild vegetable when he suddenly heard Lu Ao ask, "Brother, did you really not send anyone to follow that mother and son?"

Xiao Lancui fished out the vegetable, piping hot, and blew on it gently as he countered, "What do you think?"

"I sent someone." Lu Ao blanched a slice of beef—mild in flavor, something Xiao Lancui could eat.

Lamb was out of the question. The sheep from the grasslands had almost no gamey smell, but once during a winter solstice banquet at the palace, a plate of lamb dumplings was mistakenly served, and Xiao Lancui threw up for quite a while.

The beef was sliced extremely thin and cooked quickly. Lu Ao placed it on Xiao Lancui's plate. "I tasted it. The beef is especially good."

Having just finished the wild vegetable, Xiao Lancui picked up the beef, wrapped a small bite of rice around it, and chewed. After swallowing, he said, "I found two people. One follows them onto the plane, and the other will monitor them for about a month after they land."

He paused for a second to think.

It probably wouldn't take a full month.

Xiao Liqin and Xiao Jingli shared the same streak of extremism. That night, Xiao Anfeng had been forced to lie about sleeping with Xiao Jingli, and Xiao Liqin had left in shock. In just two or three days, he would heal himself.

He'd never let go of Xiao Anfeng for the rest of his life, but when he turned back again, the person was gone.

Xiao Liqin was just as capable of going crazy as Xiao Jingli.

It just came down to who'd make the first move.

Before those two could go at each other, Xiao Anfeng had to completely disappear without a trace. Xiao Lancui, of course, had covered all his bases—he could never trust Xiao Anfeng.

"Human nature's worth a lot," Xiao Lancui said. "But it's also the cheapest thing there is."

Lu Ao's chopsticks froze for a second. He fished out a slice of beef and set it on Xiao Lancui's plate like it was nothing, asking, "Brother, have you ever trusted someone completely, no holds barred?"

Xiao Lancui's chewing hitched for a second, then went right back to normal. He swallowed and said, "Who do you think?"

Lu Ao didn't say anything, just scooped up a random bite, shoved it in his mouth, and chewed hard.

Even after swallowing, he couldn't let it go and pushed further: "There's no one else besides me?"

Xiao Lancui shot back, "Who else would there be?" He was just about done, set his chopsticks down, and said with a soft smile through the rising steam, "Or do you want there to be someone else?"

Lu Ao barely kept himself from snapping his chopsticks clean in half. "Of course I don't want that, it's just..." His eyes were burning. "I wasn't around for the first twenty years of your life. If there was really someone you cared about all that time, I'd be jealous."

He quickly ducked his head to cook more food, then smiled and said, "Good that there's no one, then."

A subtle glint passed through Xiao Lancui's eyes. He said calmly, "Eat up. When you're done, find us a place to crash—I'm beat."

Lu Ao wolfed down his food. They didn't go far—just grabbed a room at the nearest five-star hotel. Xiao Lancui showered quickly, dried his hair, and hit the bed.

Lu Ao showered after. When he came out, the guy was already fast asleep on his side, half his face buried in the goose-down pillow, long lashes fanned across his cheeks, looking all soft and peaceful.

Lu Ao crouched by the bed, reaching out to brush those long, soft lashes, but stopped just short of touching.

He didn't want to wake Xiao Lancui.

He watched in silence for almost an hour before finally climbing into bed, lying behind Xiao Lancui. Without pulling up the covers, he wrapped his arms around Xiao Lancui through the blanket and pressed two soft kisses to the pale nape of his neck.

Xiao Lancui slept like a log—didn't even dream this time. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was pitch-black darkness, and his heart started slamming against his ribs.

He reached for the light switch, but a long arm dropped down first, pulling him back and wrapping around him. Even through the blanket, he could feel the heat coming off the chest behind him, and Lu Ao's sleepy voice murmured right against Xiao Lancui's earlobe: "A Lan, it's still early. Sleep a bit more."

His heart settled, and Xiao Lancui's breathing evened out. He turned his head a little, letting his eyes adjust until he could just make out the young man's features in the dark.

Lu Ao was out cold, one hand tucked under Xiao Lancui, still holding him close.

Xiao Lancui had slept way too hard—he had no clue when Lu Ao had gotten into his bed. They'd booked a twin room, but it never got used.

After a few minutes of being awake, Xiao Lancui tried to pry Lu Ao's hand off. The guy didn't wake, but his hand, like it was on autopilot, instantly tightened around him, refusing to let go. Xiao Lancui was at a loss and had to say, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm thirsty, just getting some water."

After a beat, the hand finally loosened.

Xiao Lancui got out of bed and went straight to the living room.

He closed the bedroom door, turned on the light, walked to the sofa, and picked up his phone, powering it on. The second it booted up, 99+ missed calls popped up.

They were probably all from Xiao Liqin.

Xiao Lancui glanced at the time and his brow twitched—it was already 11 PM.

He really had slept a long time; it had been noon when he'd gone to bed. No wonder the bedroom light was off.

Buzz—

Xiao Liqin was calling again.

Xiao Lancui opened a bottle of distilled water, took a sip, and answered.

"You took Anfeng away, didn't you?" Xiao Liqin demanded without preamble.

Xiao Lancui was quite satisfied with Xiao Liqin's current mental state—he was on the verge of losing it. He pulled the bottle away from his lips and said flatly, "No. Your business is none of mine. Don't involve me."

Xiao Liqin suppressed his anger. "You'd better not be."

And he hung up.

Xiao Lancui was about to take another sip of water when another call came through.

He was both surprised and not.

Xie Jingfang.

Xiao Lancui answered. The caller on the other end apparently hadn't expected him to pick up, pausing for two seconds before asking urgently, "Lancui, where are you?? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Xiao Lancui said, drinking his water. "I was out all night with friends and booked a room nearby to catch up on sleep."

Xie Jingfang let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Good, you're okay!" She quickly added, "I don't know what's happened, but that beast—Xiao Jingli—went crazy, ransacked the house, and then forced me to come home. I called the police before he left."

Xie Jingfang said, "He looked absolutely terrifying, and he wasn't talking normally. He'll definitely come after you. Stay at your friend's place for the next couple of days—don't come back."

Xiao Lancui asked, "Has eldest brother come back?"

"No." Xie Jingfang had completely given up. "Forget about all of them. I'll just pretend I never had him."

Xiao Lancui agreed, and Xie Jingfang gave a few more words of caution before hanging up.

The gaze behind him was far too intense. Xiao Lancui set down his phone and turned around, and Lu Ao immediately leaned in and wrapped his arms around him tightly, pressing against Xiao Lancui's warmth.

In a hoarse voice, he said, "I thought you'd disappeared again."

Xiao Lancui instantly hugged him back, burying his face in Lu Ao's chest, and said with his eyes closed, "If you're scared, hold on tighter. Hold on tight enough, and I won't be able to disappear."