Just as Luo Hai finished speaking, his phone vibrated on the desk. He ignored it.
“But I don’t understand,” Colin said, looking confused. “What’s the point of him doing this? A terrorist like him is bound to get the death penalty. If it weren’t for you, he’d probably already been executed.”
Luo Hai silently stared at the computer screen.
Yes, Eugene was certain to be sentenced to death. He was a deranged and extremist terrorist, with dozens of lives on his hands.
If not for his intervention.
And his intervention was something Eugene had planned all along.
The phone vibrated again, interrupting his thoughts. Luo Hai frowned, intending to push the source of the noise further away, but it buzzed once more.
Colin, who had mild OCD, couldn’t take it by the second buzz. He cautiously reminded him, “Uh… aren’t you going to check it?”
“It won’t be anything important.” Luo Hai said. “If something urgent comes up at the office, they’d call directly. Text messages are usually just spam.”
He picked up his phone and swiped the screen open, revealing three consecutive messages from an unknown number.
The first message: [Does your butt still hurt?]
The second message: [I was wrong. I’ll be gentler next time.]
The third message: [Good luck with work. I’ll be a good boy and wait for you at home~❤️]
A little red heart emoji followed the tilde.
“What is it?” Colin asked.
Luo Hai locked his phone with a sharp click. “Spam.”
…..
After Eugene was captured and the Lightwings members who attempted to break him out were also arrested, the number of crimes related to Omegas dropped significantly.
Thanks to that, Luo Hai didn’t have much work that day. By the time he finished his last trial, it was just about time for a normal workday to end.
His whole body still ached, and the area below his tailbone—somewhere he’d rather not mention—continued to protest.
But his mind was sharper than ever. In fact, it was the clearest and most focused he had felt in the past ten years.
He opened the tracking app on his phone. The green dot remained in his apartment, completely unmoving.
Ten minutes later, Luo Hai pushed open the door to his apartment—only to be greeted by a table full of steaming hot dishes, a room flickering with candlelight, and Eugene Oddis standing proudly behind the dining table, stark naked except for a single apron.
Stark naked. Except for an apron.
“Welcome home!” Eugene exclaimed theatrically, spreading his arms as if to hug the air. His blond curls bounced beside his temples.
Luo Hai slowly placed his keys on the shoe cabinet.
“How was work? Smooth? Any difficult criminals?” Eugene busily moved around the dining table. “I made braised beef, creamy mushroom soup, roast chicken, grilled fish… Here, let me take your coat.”
“Put on some clothes.” Luo Hai interrupted, unable to tolerate it any longer.
“You just don’t understand.” Eugene spun around proudly. “Naked apron style is part of the candlelit dinner ambiance. Scientifically speaking, warm orange lighting helps set a romantic mood. Appetite and desire are interconnected on some level, so combining the two creates the ultimate relaxation experience—”
“Put. On. Clothes.” Luo Hai enunciated every word.
Eugene froze mid-movement, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, then unfastened the apron and tossed it aside before heading to the bedroom to change.
Luo Hai felt a pulse of pain throb in his temple.
He bent down to change into his indoor slippers, then strode to the wall and flicked on every single light in the living and dining room. The room instantly lit up as bright as daylight. The candle flames flickered pitifully twice before Luo Hai mercilessly blew them out.
Not long after, Eugene returned, now properly dressed, and let out an exaggerated wail. “My carefully prepared candles…”
Luo Hai stared at him. “What is wrong with you?”
“You didn’t see my texts?” Eugene plopped into a chair. “Since you didn’t reply, I decided to prepare a candlelight dinner to apologize…”
“Where did you get a phone?” Luo Hai cut him off.
“The sweet, kind, and lovely administrator at the registration office gave it to me.” Eugene grinned. “Relax. It doesn’t have a SIM card, and it can only contact you. Absolutely no way for me to message my comrades and plan another terrorist attack.”
Luo Hai reached out his hand, and Eugene obediently placed the phone in his palm.
The device’s appearance was familiar to Luo Hai—it was indeed a special contact phone. He removed the back cover and confirmed that there was no SIM card inside.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Luo Hai asked.
“I didn’t get the chance,” Eugene responded with a dazzling smile. “You know, the moment we stepped inside last night, we were at it all night until dawn…”
Then, under Luo Hai’s icy-cold stare, he slowly shut his mouth.
“I’ll remember next time,” he said.
Luo Hai tossed the phone back to him and turned toward the bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Eugene called out. “I put in so much effort to make all this food, and you’re not even going to take a bite?”
Luo Hai turned back, scanning Eugene as if trying to decipher his true intentions behind this elaborate setup.
Eugene’s lips curved into a smile as he leaned forward on the table, resting his elbows on the surface. “Prosecutor, I’m wearing an ankle monitor, and my movement is restricted to a hundred-meter radius. I’m pretty sure I can’t buy poison or any other lethal weapons within that range.”
That, of course, was true.
No matter how arrogant Eugene acted, he was still a condemned prisoner, his freedom and life entirely at Luo Hai’s mercy. If Luo Hai wanted to, he could break this bird’s wings anytime and watch him suffer a slow, painful death.
Luo Hai said nothing but walked back to the table and pulled out the chair opposite Eugene to sit down.
The death row inmate grinned and handed him a pair of chopsticks. Luo Hai shot him a glance, took them, and picked up a piece of beef from the plate, putting it in his mouth.
The beef was tender, juicy, and seasoned just right—better than many meals he had eaten at high-end restaurants.
“How is it?” Eugene looked at him expectantly.
“Passable,” Luo Hai replied expressionlessly before picking up another piece.
Eugene smirked. “I knew you’d like it. Back in the day, every time Auntie Ai made braised beef, you were the first to rush over. We always had to let you have the first bite. I added nutmeg and orange peel—should taste pretty close to how she made it.”
Luo Hai didn’t respond. His chopsticks tapped lightly against the edge of his bowl, producing a crisp sound. The room fell silent for a few seconds—not long enough to be awkward, just subtly shifting the atmosphere.
“Did you know Mrs. Parsifal downstairs has a bulldog?” Eugene changed the subject, scooping up a piece of chicken. “That dog is vicious as hell. The moment I step into the elevator, it goes crazy barking at me. With that old lady’s size, I honestly wonder if she’s walking the dog or if the dog’s walking her…”
Luo Hai cut him off. “Why are you doing all this?”
Eugene put down his utensils altogether, resting his elbows on the table as he looked at Luo Hai. “Because we can’t be at each other’s throats every day like in the interrogation room, nor can we spend every night like last night, going at it like maniacs. You’re a human, and so am I. We’re living under the same roof now—we need to figure out a somewhat normal way to coexist, don’t you think?”
Luo Hai stared into Eugene’s eyes, as if trying to uncover his real motive.
Eugene sighed. “Come on, I’m a death row inmate. I’ve got one month left before I get executed. If I piss you off, I might not even last that long. I just want my last month to be a little more comfortable, that’s all. No secret schemes.”
Eugene’s expression was sincere, his gaze convincing.
But if Luo Hai believed him, he’d be the biggest fool in the world.
“I know,” Luo Hai said, looking away as he poured himself a glass of water.
“What?” Eugene blinked in confusion.
“I know about Mrs. Parsifal’s bulldog,” Luo Hai replied. “Several people have already complained to building management about her. But she keeps doing as she pleases, walking that dog every day—sometimes without even bothering to leash it.”
“That’s terrifying,” Eugene said while eating. “Aren’t you a prosecutor? Can’t you do something about it?”
“I’m a prosecutor, not a cop,” Luo Hai replied. “I can only step in after her dog actually bites someone to death and she gets arrested.”
Eugene looked at him and suddenly burst out laughing. “You’re so cruel.”
“I’m just stating the facts,” Luo Hai said.
Eugene chuckled and swallowed his food. After a moment, he mused, “Are you sure you don’t like the naked apron look? I could change the color—”
“Shut up and eat,” Luo Hai said bluntly.
……
All in all, dinner ended peacefully.
Luo Hai put the leftover food in the fridge and cleaned up the kitchen.
No matter how things stood, Eugene really could cook. For someone like Luo Hai, who had spent years alternating between cafeteria meals and takeout, the food was a rare and satisfying treat.
“Your room is on the north side. There are fresh sheets and covers in the closet. The window screen in that room is broken, so don’t open the window at night unless you want to feed the mosquitoes,” Luo Hai said.
“We’re not sleeping in the same room?” Eugene blinked his pretty eyes.
Luo Hai placed the last dish into the cabinet and looked at him. “No.”
“But what if your heat suddenly kicks in, and you’re burning up, too weak to even get out of bed?” Eugene said sincerely.
“…” Luo Hai stared at him expressionlessly. “I’ll scream.”
Eugene immediately lost interest, shrugged, and went into his room to unpack. Luo Hai withdrew his gaze and went about his usual nighttime routine—showering and brushing his teeth in the bathroom.
The moon rose as always, hanging in the deep blue night sky, casting its quiet, silver glow. Luo Hai lowered his head, letting the warm water cascade over his hair, feeling it flow over his skin and down to his feet, washing away the soap.
Everything was the same as usual. Yet, everything had changed.
Luo Hai lifted his head, swept his damp bangs aside, and looked toward the mirror. The steam had fogged up the glass, leaving only a vague, shadowy reflection staring back at him.
That shadow felt eerily unfamiliar.
After his shower, Luo Hai stepped out of the bathroom. The apartment was silent, with only the sounds of birds and the wind drifting in from outside.
But years of instinct told him that someone was watching. He turned around and saw Eugene leaning quietly against the doorframe of his room, watching him without a word.
There was no hostility in that gaze—if anything, it carried a hint of… tenderness.
“Oh, right,” Eugene finally said. “I forgot to tell you something.” He smiled. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Good night, Oddis,” Luo Hai said coldly.
He didn’t look at Eugene, but he could feel the other man’s eyes lingering on him for a few seconds.
“Good night, Prosecutor Luo Hai,” Eugene murmured before turning back into his room and closing the door.
