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If you take out a cigarette, make a wish, and save it to smoke as the last one, the wish will come true.
"He's here." Wei Zhao nodded before hurrying towards the interrogation room, opening the file to review the information on Chen Sichuan, the suspect in this case.
"What's up?" Wei Zhao greeted Tao Ze, who was already standing there. Wei Zhao put on his earpiece and looked at the 28-year-old man through the interrogation room's glass. Chen Sichuan, besides being the second-generation heir to a port business and a hotshot in high society, was now also suspected of being behind drug trafficking and human smuggling for various influential groups in Xinzhou. That was why he was sitting in this room.
"Mr. Sichuan," Lang Qiao, who was conducting the interrogation, handed a document to him. "Do you know this company?"
"White Star?" Sichuan read the words on the paper and shook his head. "Never heard of it."
"And the Nanpo ship?" Lang Qiao didn't give up. She placed a picture of a large cargo ship in front of him. "Does it look familiar?"
Sichuan shook his head and shrugged, smiling faintly.
"But on the night of Friday, August 25th, someone saw you entering that ship," Lang Qiao's eyes widened. "Do you want to explain that?"
"I'd have to say your source is completely wrong," Sichuan smiled unperturbed. "On Friday the 25th, I was at a charity event on the other side of town all night, and I even spoke on stage. There must have been over 200 witnesses. You shouldn't have trouble finding them."
"Are you sure you don't know that ship, even though it was docked at your company's pier?"
"My pier is rented out to many people. How would I know what this ship might be carrying to my pier today?" Sichuan spread both hands. "You SID officers did a good job, raiding it before it even docked at my pier. If I had known in advance, I would have reported it to you officers myself."
"Lang Qiao, we have to release him," Tao Ze said through the earpiece.
"Can I go now?" Sichuan looked at his watch, then at Officer Lang Qiao, who was trying to hide her frustration. He smiled kindly at her before getting up and leaving the room.
"Lang Qiao, go find evidence from that charity event he mentioned and try to get CCTV footage around the pier that night. We can't let him go for long," Wei Zhao said through his earpiece before walking out, intending to find his superior.
But on the way, he saw Chen Sichuan talking to someone who shouldn't have been there at all.
Pei Su.
Wei Zhao changed direction towards the two people talking near the exit. He unconsciously quickened his pace when he saw Pei Su and Sichuan talking intimately, laughing heartily.
Pei Su's peach-colored eyes glanced at Wei Zhao, who was standing behind Sichuan. His smiling eyes turned calm, yet subtly challenging.
"Captain Luo," Pei Su greeted him, with Sichuan turning to look. "Are you handling this case?"
"What are you doing here?" Wei Zhao looked directly at the person who shouldn't have been there, and who seemed so close to the suspect.
"I just came to see Mr. Sichuan," Pei Su said as if it were normal. "We know each other."
"About our date..." Sichuan began.
"Oh, I'm busy," Wei Zhao watched Pei Su smile at the other man. "But next Saturday, that's still possible."
"Then let's make a date," Sichuan touched Pei Su's elbow before leaving with a big bang.
"I was still impressed last time."
Pei Su smiled at Sichuan before turning to see a grandfather tilting his head at him. A fake smile sent to Wei Zhao.
"I'm only going to warn you once. I don't think you should be near him right now," Wei Zhao pointed at the person in front of him. "And what are you doing here?"
"I just stopped by, hoping to help you," Pei Su said. "Today, I intended to be an angel for you guys."
"If I could ask an angel for one thing, I'd ask you to leave," Wei Zhao scoffed dismissively. "And you're not an officer, what help can you be?"
"I'm familiar with his habits. We hang out often," Pei Su saw Wei Zhao's displeasure when the words "hang out" left his mouth. "And also, Officer Luo, people like us don't put ourselves at such risk."
"..."
"If it were me, I'd hire others to do everything. I'd just sit still and say I knew nothing. The company is so big, anyone could secretly do anything." The light in Pei Su's eyes darkened. "Leaving no trace to myself. That's our way."
"That's enough," Wei Zhao interrupted. Pei Su had to shut up, feeling the other's strong emotions. "Go back, and don't get involved in this matter again."
"If it’s Captain Luo’s demand, I won't get involved," Pei Su put on another fake smile for Wei Zhao. "By the way, is Tao Ze Ge here?"
"He's working. Probably can’t see you."
"Okay," Pei Su picked up a plastic bag. Inside were several food dishes from a hotel restaurant, stacked and aroma invitingly. "Then please give these to Tao Ze Ge. He'll get hungry late working overtime."
"Alright. It's rare to get good food like this. As team leader, I'll accept it myself," Wei Zhao smiled at the other before turning his back and walking back in, seemingly uninterested.
"!"
"Good night, Young Master Pei."
Pei Su sighed, feeling annoyed, before the smallest, most genuine smile of the day appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Click."
Wei Zhao exhaled white smoke. He was smoking his second cigarette in a row. Wei Zhao looked at the mansion, a private club for the wealthy heirs of Xinzhou. After his team missed the chance to arrest Chen Sichuan last time, Wei Zhao was heavily pressured by his superior. He had to send each team member to find evidence as quickly as possible. He himself had to secretly follow Sichuan to find any connection between him and the influential gang, even a small clue would be good.
Suddenly, Wei Zhao saw Sichuan's car turn into the mansion, with Sichuan walking out the door, accompanied by someone he knew very well.
Pei Su.
Wei Zhao dropped his cigarette and crushed it hard with his foot, silently observing them.
Pei Su, in a black shirt, walked out from the mansion. Sichuan, about to get into the car, turned to Pei Su, leaning in to whisper something that made Pei Su smile, his peach-colored eyes curving. Then Sichuan wrapped both arms around Pei Su as if he didn't want to part.
Wei Zhao's hand tightened around his phone unconsciously.
Sichuan's car drove out of sight. Wei Zhao sent a message to his team to continue tracking.
Pei Su walked out of the mansion to the roadside. It seemed he hadn't brought his own car tonight.
It was the perfect moment for Wei Zhao to emerge from his hiding place and walk towards him.
"Pei Su."
"Captain Luo," Pei Su smiled at the other with an unperturbed demeanor. "Is there something here you need to protect?"
"I told you not to be near Chen Sichuan," Wei Zhao looked at the other, not understanding.
"You guys really were tailing him," Pei Su smiled. "I told you I wanted to help."
"Why are you so eager to be involved?" Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes at the stubborn person in front of him. "You should know how dangerous he is."
"If it were me, I'd probably understand what he's thinking," Pei Su smiled at the other.
"Can you stop acting like this?" Wei Zhao grabbed the other's shoulder, understanding what Pei Su meant. "That's enough for tonight. I'll take you home."
Pei Su liked to think he inherited his father's zero degree empathy gene.
"I should thank Captain Luo for always taking care of me and not letting me grow up wrong," Pei Su shook off the large hand's grip. "But I can take care of myself."
Pei Su turned his back on the other and walked away.
"Pei Su!" Wei Zhao called out to the person who had turned his back on him, his heart aching. He could do nothing but watch Pei Su walk away. He looked up and exhaled, as stress hit him again. His hand instinctively reached for his pack of cigarettes.
Suddenly, a sentence that had stuck in his mind flashed.
If you take out a cigarette, make a wish, and save it to smoke as the last one, the wish will come true.
It was unbelievable that he would believe the words of a criminal he had once arrested. Wei Zhao took a cigarette from the pack, held it to his chest, and closed his eyes.
He looked at Pei Su's back as he walked away again.
The cigarette was flipped over and put back into the pack.
Suddenly, he saw a black sedan speeding up abnormally.
And heading straight for Pei Su, who was walking with his back turned.
"Pei Su!!" Wei Zhao shouted, running towards him without a second thought, intending to grab that shoulder.
The loud engine made Pei Su turn to look. He saw the car speeding at full throttle directly towards him.
In his shock, his legs didn't move an inch.
The next thing Pei Su knew, he was pulled by something and rolled onto the grass by the roadside. A large hand cushioned the back of his head, so President Pei wasn't seriously injured.
"Tao Ze, find the owner of license plate AY8746XX, black car, hit and run near the private club on the east side," Pei Su looked up at the person on the phone with a furious expression. He sat up, feeling his heart still pounding. He didn't know what to do but stare at Wei Zhao.
"You're not going back to the villa tonight," Wei Zhao put his phone back in his shirt pocket.
"Someone is trying to harm you. You'll be safer with me."
That night, Pei Su found himself stepping into the familiar apartment.
Wei Zhao watched the other, who seemed slow and like a visitor from another world every time he entered this room. In fact, this was the second time Pei Su had been in this room since Wei Zhao brought him to celebrate his 22nd birthday, after the young master hadn't stepped foot in this room for many years.
"Here," Wei Zhao handed him a set of clothes to change into for sleeping. "Wear my clothes for now. Sleep in the bedroom tonight. I'll sleep on the sofa with Fry Pan."
Wei Zhao watched the other quietly take the clothes. His round eyes, which used to hold only mockery, now looked at him, blinking slowly.
"What, seeing me as a kind grandfather makes you speechless?" Wei Zhao smiled at Pei Su, who rolled his eyes slightly.
"No, I usually sleep in silk pajamas," Pei Su said, looking at the thick sweater in his hand. "More comfortable."
"..."
Of course, Wei Zhao's house probably didn't have a single silk shirt.
Suddenly, Wei Zhao noticed something on that white hand.
"Ah."
"You're wounded," Wei Zhao took the other's hand to examine it. There was a slight abrasion on Pei Su's palm, with a little blood oozing out. "Probably scraped it when you fell on the grass. Let's clean it up first."
"..."
Pei Su could only follow the owner of the room to sit and have his wound dressed on the sofa, being good like a cat.
Wei Zhao dressed the wound not so gently, making Pei Su frown several times, until a white plaster was placed on Pei Su's palm. Wei Zhao watched the other look at the white plaster before his peach-colored eyes looked up and met his.
Wei Zhao didn't know if the other realized that those slow blinks were not good for the heart at all.
Meow!
Suddenly, the black cat jumped onto the sofa as if on cue.
Fry Pan was truly going to be put in the stew pot by Wei Zhao this time.
Pei Su slept on the large bed with Fry Pan beside him, while the owner of the room had to resign himself to sleeping on the sofa.
Wei Zhao opened the bedroom door to see if the other was asleep yet. Pei Su, in his sweater, had his eyes closed and his breathing was steady. He must have fallen into a deep slumber on his large bed.
Wei Zhao didn't know that he smiled when he saw that sight, before remembering today's events where Pei Su almost got hurt. His eyes dimmed slightly, before his large hand gently closed over the sleeping eyes.
"No one can harm you here. Sleep well," Wei Zhao whispered softly, before slowly removing his hand. The man looked at the person sleeping on the bed once more before leaving the room.
Unbeknownst to him, those peach-colored eyes slowly opened. Then the pale face looked at the sweater he was wearing, slowly caressing it, feeling the thickness of the blended fabric at his fingertips. His full lips curved into a smile before he closed his eyes again.
Tonight, President Pei probably had the best sleep in years.
Wei Zhao, still in his study room, extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray beside him again. He planned to find a little more information on Sichuan before going to bed. Suddenly, the vibrating sound of his phone caught his attention.
Tao Ze: Lao Luo, we FOUND the clue.
Finally, the truth was revealed. Chen Sichuan was the owner of the Nanpo ship, a major drug trafficking and human smuggling operation in Xinzhou, holding shares in the subsidiary White Star through a proxy. The second-generation heir of the giant shipping company's future was now over.
Pei Su sighed softly, feeling a slight regret that Sichuan had chosen the wrong path for his own life.
"And the car that was going to hit you that day," Wei Zhao sat down beside him. "It belonged to a relative of a victim who used to work as a crew member, found out about the drugs, and was murdered."
"..."
"He thought you were Sichuan's lover, so he wanted revenge."
"Hmph," Pei Su snorted a laugh.
"That's why I told you. Stay away from him," Wei Zhao turned to face the other, who gave him a look like a fry pan when he was held by the neck.
The two stared at each other before bursting into laughter.
Time passed by.
Wei Zhao woke up in the morning. Many times, the first thing he thought of was Pei Su.
Would Pei Su get involved in something bad again today, or hang out with bad friends again?
But now, he didn't have to think like that anymore.
Wei Zhao looked at the pale face sleeping beside him. His large hand caressed the soft hair before his nose moved closer, inhaling the scent of Pei Su's luxurious shampoo, whispering softly as if not wanting to pull the other from his dream too quickly.
"Wake up baby."
Pei Su's peach-colored eyelids fluttered slightly, then opened slowly, not fully. Pei Su snuggled closer to the warmth beside him.
"It's cold," Pei Su's warm breath brushed the man's neck. "Shixiong, hug me."
Strong arms embraced the slender back, wrapped in silk pajamas. Pei Su hummed in his throat, purring satisfaction. Wei Zhao was a professional at raising black cats, so he knew how to pamper a clingy cat like this.
Wei Zhao felt their two hearts close together. His mind drifted to the wish he had once made against the cigarette.
'May I be the one to guide Pei Su to grow in the right direction.'