Luo Hai stared at the nib of the fountain pen, motionless for a long time.
If it were regular office hours, he could have borrowed some ink from a colleague or retrieved a new bottle from the supply room.
But now, everyone had left for the day. There was no one to borrow from.
Going downstairs to buy some seemed unnecessary—he clearly remembered there was an unopened bottle of ink sitting on the bookshelf in his apartment.
…No, forget it. It was just a small thing. It didn’t really matter if he didn’t use a pen for one night.
Really, it didn’t matter at all.
The office was extremely quiet, with only the faint ticking of the wall clock marking the passing seconds.
After more than ten minutes, Luo Hai finally let out a sigh, as if conceding defeat. He placed his fountain pen on the desk and stood up.
Ever since the rain a few days ago, the temperature had dropped drastically.
The pleasant golden autumn had turned into a frigid late autumn. The cold wind swept through the streets, rustling the trees along the sidewalks. Luo Hai glanced at the crowded main street, pulled his coat collar tighter, and decided to walk home.
When he opened the door to his apartment, Eugene was sitting on the living room sofa, reading a book. His long legs were crossed, and the ankle monitor on his foot emitted a faint green glow.
Everything in the apartment remained as clean and tidy as if Luo Hai still came home every day. The only difference was that the dining table and kitchen were spotless, with no trace of any cooking.
Eugene didn’t say anything—he simply looked up at him.
“I’m just here to grab something. I’ll leave as soon as I get it,” Luo Hai said coldly, walking straight to his room without even changing his shoes.
He could feel Eugene’s gaze on his back, but he still didn’t say a word.
In that strange silence, Luo Hai entered his room, quickly found the bottle of ink, and slipped it into his pocket.
Just as he was heading back to the door, ready to leave without another word, Eugene finally spoke.
“Aren’t you even going to look at me one more time? It might be the last chance you get.”
Luo Hai’s fingers froze on the doorknob.
His reaction shouldn’t have been this big. In a moment like this, he should have ignored Eugene, walked out, and shut the door behind him. He had more important things to focus on—so much work to do…
The crackdown on the Lightwing Society was happening tomorrow.
Eugene stood up from the sofa, his voice calm and gentle. “Are you busy?”
Yes, very busy.
But Lu Hai’s body betrayed his mind, leaving him unable to say a single word.
“If you’re not too busy, take a walk with me. Alright?” Eugene smiled softly.
….
At some point, the wind outside had died down. The sun had set, the moon had risen, and neon lights illuminated the entire city.
Across the street, the commercial district bustled with noise and activity, but the path they walked was dimly lit and secluded.
Some unknown bird trilled melodiously from the treetops, while a stray cat leapt across the rooftops, briefly blocking the moon. But the streetlights still cast a glow on Eugene’s face, highlighting the faint curve of his lips.
Luo Hai couldn’t understand why Eugene was smiling. He couldn’t understand how, even at a time like this, Eugene could still smile.
But he couldn’t look away—like a frozen man greedily staring at a distant fire.
“Hey, do you see that?” Eugene tapped Luo Hai’s arm and pointed toward the treetop ahead of them.
Luo Hai followed his gaze and frowned. “What?”
“There, at the tip of that branch—isn’t that a bird?” Eugene lifted his chin slightly. “That’s a nightingale.”
Looking closely, there really was a small, brownish-gray bird perched on the branch. Its appearance was unremarkable, but its song was beautifully clear.
Luo Hai had often heard this bird’s call during his late-night overtime shifts, but he had never actually seen what it looked like.
“It looks… really ordinary,” Luo Hai said bluntly.
He had thought the legendary ‘bird of love’ would be more striking in appearance.
“You know, back when I was a singer, I was in a boy band called Nightingale,” Eugene said with a laugh. “We disbanded after just one promotional event.”
“Why?” Luo Hai frowned.
“Because we lived up to our name—great voices, but we all looked terrible. We’d step on stage, and before we even started singing, half the audience had already left.” Eugene spread his hands. “And me? The moment I opened my mouth, the other half left too.”
Luo Hai: “…”
He could actually believe that.
Based on the few times he had heard Eugene singing in the shower, this story was probably true.
“But that wasn’t the real reason we disbanded,” Eugene continued, still smiling as he glanced at Luo Hai. “Honestly, looks didn’t matter that much. The real problem was the mess behind the scenes. One guy marked three or four Omegas and walked away like nothing happened. Another slept with nearly every Beta in the industry. And then there were two who everyone thought were the straightest Alphas alive—turns out, they were rolling in bed together every night, pulling the curtains shut in the dorm like that would keep it a secret.”
Luo Hai nearly choked on his own spit. He turned to Eugene in shock.
He had always known the entertainment industry was messy, but this was beyond anything he had imagined.
“Let me put it this way,” Eugene gestured with his hand. “Among the six or seven of us, there wasn’t a single person who hadn’t slept with someone else in the group.”
Luo Hai remained speechless.
“They were all messing around in secret, pretending like nothing was happening. Honestly, it was kind of funny to watch,” Eugene added.
“And what about you?” Luo Hai couldn’t help but ask.
“Me?” Eugene stretched his arms lazily, a self-assured smile on his face. “I don’t need to fool around to have girls and guys lining up every day to confess to me, you know?”
Luo Hai let out a faint snort from his nose.
“What’s with that reaction?” Eugene asked, dissatisfied. “You don’t believe me?”
“There are plenty of people in the entertainment industry who look like you,” Luo Hai said. “Why would those girls and guys choose you?”
“Being handsome is just one of my many great qualities, okay?” Eugene raised an eyebrow. “I have emotional intelligence, I know how to interact with fans, and I provide plenty of emotional value. Why wouldn’t they like me? Sometimes, just saying the right few words can make someone fall head over heels. Don’t believe me? Want to give it a try?”
Luo Hai crossed his arms and looked at him coldly.
“Here’s a little fun fact: did you know that when a person smiles, they can’t feel their tongue?” Eugene put his hands in his pockets and started walking backward.
…What kind of question was that?
Luo Hai instinctively lifted the corners of his lips, but no matter how much he smiled, his tongue remained his tongue—it hadn’t disappeared.
“Ha! Got you.” Eugene flashed a brilliant smile. “See? You look much better when you smile—handsome and charming, way more attractive than when you keep that stiff face.”
Luo Hai froze. For a moment, countless complicated emotions surged through his chest, nearly overwhelming him.
This was ridiculous.
Both the topic of conversation and that absurd little trick.
Eugene kept smiling, his steps light, his expression carefree, as if all their conflicts and opposition had never happened. As if he and Luo Hai were still those teenage boys, sitting under the moon, chatting about everything and nothing, laughing as they embraced on the grass.
….
That night, Luo Hai still didn’t stay at the apartment.
He took the bottle of ink and a blanket, returning to the empty prosecutor’s office building, where he curled up in his office chair for the night.
He only managed three or four hours of sleep, yet he dreamt endlessly.
Sometimes, it was memories of the orphanage.
Sometimes, it was Doyle’s smirking expression.
Sometimes, it was the raging fire.
Sometimes, it was Fanny’s thoughtful gaze in the café.
By dawn, his long nightmare was finally shattered—the operation against the Lightwing Society, which had been in preparation for days, was set to take place that day.
As Luo Hai settled into the backseat of the car, a few officers were still eating breakfast wraps while cracking crude jokes. When they noticed Luo Hai, they toned it down a little, but their faces remained full of vulgar amusement.
“Oh come on, Prosecutor Luo Hai, you don’t even need to come today. This mission is so easy, we can handle it ourselves.”
“We’ve been prepping for days without a hitch. There’s no way anything will go wrong today.”
From the front seat, Fanny turned around with a grin. “Yeah, right. With the way you guys act, it’s perfectly reasonable for Luo Hai not to trust you. You don’t look reliable at all.”
The car immediately erupted into loud protests.
“What do you mean we’re not reliable? Since when have we ever messed up?”
“I think it’s you who’s unreliable, Captain! You didn’t even get up until seven this morning—your hair’s still a mess!”
Fanny looked flustered and waved her hands to stop them. “What are you guys saying?! Prosecutor Luo Hai is right here!”
Amid the laughter and chatter, Luo Hai remained silent, his gaze lowered to the window.
Time passed. The breakfast wraps were finished, the joking died down. Fanny turned around again, this time lowering her voice as she leaned toward Luo Hai.
“Did you not sleep well last night? You look terrible.”
It wasn’t just last night. Luo Hai hadn’t had a proper rest in over a week.
But he simply shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“Don’t stress too much.” Fanny patted his shoulder. “We’ve planned everything thoroughly, we’ve prepared for so long—nothing will go wrong. Once today is over, you can finally get some rest. After we wrap things up, how about I treat you to hotpot?”
A few officers immediately voiced their discontent.
“Captain, that’s favoritism! Why are you only treating Prosecutor Luo Hai?”
“Once the mission’s over, we’re all heroes! Shouldn’t we get a treat too?”
Fanny crossed her arms and smirked. “Luo Hai can help me say good things in front of the big bosses—can you guys?”
“Hey, hey, hey! That’s straight-up bribery!”
“Better watch out, Captain—we might report you!”
“Alright, alright, enough already! Fine, I’ll treat you guys too!”
Amid the rowdy atmosphere, Luo Hai alone remained silent. He glanced down at the time.
8:17 AM.
Two hours and forty-eight minutes until the Lightwing Society’s planned assassination attempt.
