Can’t Bear to Let Go Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Pleading for Mercy

“Officer, they really were the ones who started trouble! If you don’t believe me, go check! Every word I’m saying is the truth!”

Qi Zui sat in the police interrogation room. The wound on his head had been bandaged simply, and the handcuffs on his wrists clattered incessantly as he moved.

“Behave yourself! Stop moving around!”

The interrogating officer slammed his hand on the table.

“I’m telling the truth, Officer! If you don’t believe me, you can ask the cashier at our shop! Oh right, we have surveillance cameras too, you can check those!”

Qi Zui was anxious.

In his agitation, he accidentally pulled at the wounds on his head and back, causing him to hiss in pain.

Suddenly, the thought occurred to him that he didn’t know where Wen Xubai was being held…

Remembering how delicate and thin the other man looked, Qi Zui’s heart lurched with alarm. They wouldn’t be torturing a confession out of him, would they?

Genuine panic set in, and he hurriedly began to plead:

“Sigh, Officer, look, if you really have to lock someone up, just lock me up alone, alright? That friend of mine is in poor health; he can’t handle this. If something happens and he suddenly kicks the bucket, it’ll be a huge disaster! Could you please not give him a hard time?”

When he said “kicks the bucket,” Qi Zui dramatically tilted his head and stuck out his tongue to mimic a corpse, switching to a heavy dialect for the final sentence to emphasize his point.

However, what he didn’t know was that his “friend in poor health” was sitting right on the other side of the wall, hearing every word clearly.

Listening to the wailing and howling from next door, the finger Wen Xubai had been tapping on the table paused.

Who exactly is the one in poor health right now? he thought, exasperated.

Just then, the door to the interrogation room opened.

Wen Xubai looked toward the sound and saw a middle-aged police officer with stubble on his face trotting into the room, his face piled high with an ingratiating smile.

“Oh my, Young Master Bai! My apologies, my deepest apologies. My subordinates have no eyes; how could they have arrested you? Please rest assured, I will definitely give them a harsh scolding later!”

As he spoke, he hurriedly fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked the silver cuffs on Wen Xubai’s wrists in a few quick movements.

“Is the investigation complete?”

Wen Xubai indifferently rolled his wrists, which were sore from being cuffed for so long, and cast a cold glance at the newcomer.

“It’s clear! Of course, it’s all clear! I knew it—how could Young Master Bai be the type to cause trouble? It must have been those people who started it!” the man replied hastily.

Wen Xubai had no interest in listening to his flattery. He waved his hand to cut him off directly.

“Since it’s been cleared up, release my friend.”

A trace of awkwardness flashed across the man’s face, but in the next second, he replaced it with that fawning smile again.

“Yes, yes, yes, of course!”

Wang Changbo slapped the cap of the young officer beside him and growled in a low voice, “Didn’t you hear Young Master Bai? Why haven’t you gone to release the person yet?!”

“Yes, sir, right away…” The young officer trembled and scrambled out to release the prisoner.

Hearing the sound of the iron gate grinding open next door, Wen Xubai calmly straightened his clothes, stood up, and walked to the door.

Just as he was about to push it open, Wang Changbo pulled him into a blind spot in the corner, away from the surveillance cameras.

Wen Xubai raised an eyebrow and looked coolly at the man whose face was still plastered with an obsequious grin.

Wang Changbo rubbed his hands together and chuckled. checking to ensure no one was around, he made a “chopping” gesture to Wen Xubai and whispered:

“Those people were truly detestable. Causing a public disturbance is one thing, but daring to slander you, Young Master Bai… Do you think we should…”

Give them a heavy sentence.

Understanding the implication, Wen Xubai didn’t give the man any face. He said directly, “That is a matter for the police. Just follow protocol.”

“Eh… follow protocol. Yes, absolutely, we will handle it officially!”

Seeing the man continuing to bow and scrape, Wen Xubai had no desire to correct any misunderstandings. The room felt incredibly stifling, and he was impatient to leave.

But Wang Changbo seemed unable to read the room. He grabbed Wen Xubai again, his already small eyes narrowing into slits as he smiled. “Heh… well, about that…”

“If you have something to say, say it,” Wen Xubai frowned.

“Ha… well,” Wang Changbo looked troubled, but seeing that Wen Xubai was clearly becoming unhappy, he grit his teeth and said, “That… Young Master Bai, when you go back this time, please remember to send my regards to Old Master Wen. I haven’t visited him in a long time; I wonder how his health is holding up these days?”

Heh. So this is what he was waiting for.

Wen Xubai sneered internally, but on the surface, he put on a faint smile and nodded at the man.

“Rest assured, my father’s health has always been excellent. He even mentioned you to me a while ago.”

“Oh my, really?” Wang Changbo looked overwhelmed with favor.

“Of course,” Wen Xubai hooked the corners of his lips. “Father values you highly.”

Then, without waiting for a response, his tone suddenly shifted:

“But you must also understand… in front of him, what should be said, and what… should not be said. Father is advanced in years; if he gets upset and is angered enough to suffer a health crisis…”

He left the sentence hanging, the implication self-evident.

Wang Changbo heard the threat in his words. Sure enough, his face paled instantly, and he hurriedly said:

“Oh my, rest assured, please rest assured. How would I dare disturb Master Wen with such trivial matters…”

Having achieved his goal, Wen Xubai didn’t want to waste another second with him and pushed the door open to leave.

With the conversation abruptly ended, Wen Xubai stepped out of the room and immediately saw Qi Zui standing at the entrance.

Qi Zui was startled by the sudden appearance of a figure. When he saw clearly who it was, he let out a massive sigh of relief.

But seeing a police officer following behind Wen Xubai, he stiffened again. He quickly pulled Wen Xubai to his side and swallowed nervously.

Small citizens like them had a natural fear of the police.

Qi Zui gulped, cast a guarded look at the officer, then turned his head and lowered his voice to ask Wen Xubai, “How was it? They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

Wen Xubai found it amusing—who badmouths someone right in front of their face?

Still, he replied, “It’s fine. Officer Wang is sharp and observant; he has already clarified the situation. We can go.”

“Huh? Really? That fast?” Qi Zui was shocked.

It wasn’t his first time at a police station. usually, they wouldn’t let him go for at least 24 hours. Why was it so quick this time?

Qi Zui scratched his head, confused.

Seeing the signal from Wen Xubai, Wang Changbo quickly waved his hand and said, “Haha, yes! I’ve already investigated the whole story. The fault lies with those three drunks! So, I’m personally seeing you off!”

“Is that so…” Qi Zui was skeptical. It all felt a bit strange.

But turning his head, he saw Wen Xubai looking at him with clear, calm eyes. He glanced out the window and saw it was getting late. Whatever, he thought. Who cares about the details? Being able to leave is what matters!

So, he quickly thanked “Officer Wang,” grabbed Wen Xubai, and bolted out the door as if afraid the police would change their minds.

Wen Xubai looked at the back of Qi Zui’s head, where the white gauze bandage stood out starkly against the pitch-black night, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh man, I’m exhausted.”

Once they had truly run clear of the police station, Qi Zui finally bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air.

“Why run? The police aren’t going to catch you and drag you back,” Wen Xubai said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Who knows?!” Qi Zui retorted.

After a moment, his face was suddenly cupped by warm hands.

Qi Zui froze as his head was gently tilted up. He looked straight into Wen Xubai’s limpid eyes and instantly lost his train of thought.

Wen Xubai’s face was framed by the moonlight. For some reason, Qi Zui felt that the man’s eyes were millions of times brighter and more beautiful than the moon itself. He couldn’t look away.

All surrounding sounds faded into silence, leaving only the thumping of Qi Zui’s wildly beating heart…

The other man’s brows were slightly furrowed as his beautiful apricot eyes scanned Qi Zui’s face back and forth.

Qi Zui didn’t know what he was looking for. He only knew that if Wen Xubai didn’t let go soon, his heart was going to beat right out of his chest…

“It looks okay. Pupil reaction is normal; you probably don’t have a concussion.”

Just as his breathing stagnated, Wen Xubai released his hands. His clear, cool voice rang out, pulling Qi Zui’s frozen thoughts back to reality.

“But you’d still better go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow. It’ll give us peace of mind.”

“Huh?” Qi Zui said blankly.

Wen Xubai looked at his bewildered expression and knew the man hadn’t been listening properly. He had no choice but to repeat himself:

“I said, go to the hospital tomorrow and get a brain CT.”

“Ah… oh, oh, okay.” Qi Zui finally reacted.

Wen Xubai frowned, staring at him. “You weren’t actually beaten stupid, were you?”

“How could that be?!” Qi Zui quickly retorted.

“Good, as long as you’re not,” Wen Xubai dusted off his hands.

Since he could still talk back, it probably wasn’t anything serious.

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but stifle a yawn.

He instinctively looked down at his wrist, only to realize the watch face had been smashed during the fight. He had to take out his phone instead.

Checking the time, he saw it was already nearly 1:00 AM.

He wasn’t someone with a regular sleep schedule; he often stayed up late handling matters or working overtime. But his nerves had been taut all day, and after the fight just now, he was genuinely exhausted…

Qi Zui noticed his fatigue and said, “You should hurry home and rest. It’s so late; your family must be worried.”

Worried…? No, they wouldn’t be.

Wen Xubai lowered his eyes.

Besides… that wasn’t his “home.”

In a moment of impulse, Wen Xubai blurted out, “I don’t have a home.”

“Huh?” Qi Zui was stunned. “Then where is your family?”

“They’re all gone…” Wen Xubai said indifferently.

Qi Zui paused.

The slender figure of the man before him was dyed in the cold moonlight. At this moment, he looked… incredibly lonely and fragile.

Qi Zui suddenly remembered his earlier theory about Wen Xubai being a “fallen noble”…

He couldn’t resist slapping his own mouth, annoyed with himself. “Stupid mouth! Why don’t you think before you speak?!”

Wen Xubai, however, didn’t mind at all.

It was just that this was the first time he had ever seen someone hit themselves. He couldn’t hold back a pfft and laughed out loud.

Seeing him smile, Qi Zui finally relaxed, figuring the other man wasn’t angry. He immediately wrapped his arm around Wen Xubai’s shoulder again and patted his own chest. “It’s okay! We’re ‘brothers in hardship’ now. Big Brother has got you covered, don’t worry!”

“Come on, let’s go to my place!”

Wen Xubai actually wanted to say that he could stay at a hotel. But the words were on the tip of his tongue when he heard Qi Zui’s claim. He swallowed them back and frowned, “Who’s your little brother? I’m twenty-four.”

“I’m twenty-four too!” Qi Zui wasn’t backing down.

“Which month?”

“August!”

“Heh. I’m June.”

Qi Zui: “……”

“Fine, fine, you’re the Big Brother. Let’s go, hurry up and come home with Little Brother!” Qi Zui said helplessly, dragging the man along as he picked up the pace.

He didn’t see the eyes full of smiling warmth on the person behind him…

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