Roses in Flames

Ye Yuntang covered her mouth, staring in disbelief at the scene unfolding in the alley.

Fearing she would be discovered, she quickly stepped back and hid at the alley entrance.

Surely she wasn't seeing things?

To outsiders, how could two people who seem to have nothing in common end up together?

After closing her eyes, Ye Yuntang couldn't resist her curiosity and looked into the alley.

The tall, slender man forcefully pressed Ji Shu against the wall, his profile handsome and alluring, yet exuding a wild arrogance.

He held Ji Shu's head with one hand, while his other long fingers gripped her slender waist tightly.

He lowered his head and kissed her forcefully, almost aggressively.

Ji Shu was embarrassed and angry. With a sharp gust of wind, she pushed him away forcefully.

She's a police officer, an undercover agent, so her skills are naturally much better than his.

After she pushed him away, he pressed her against the wall again, like an angry and frenzied lion.

Ji Shu didn't want to hurt him, so she clenched her fists and pressed them against his shoulders. "Chi Wang, stop going crazy!"

The man grabbed Ji Shu's neck, but hesitated to use force. "You've driven me crazy! Ji Shu, what right do you have to break up with me? I won't break up with you unless I die!"

Ji Shu turned her head away, her eyes reddening, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "I told you, I don't love you anymore. Whether we break up or not is not up to you."

"You don't love me anymore? If you don't love me anymore, I just kissed you, and you're still breathing so heavily?"

Ji Shu was both embarrassed and angry, her face flushed and her neck thick with embarrassment. "You're a national idol now, you don't lack for women's affections. Can't we just part ways amicably?"

The man gripped her slender shoulders tightly with both hands, the force so great it felt like he wanted to crush her bones. "Who the hell wants to break up with you amicably? Didn't you pursue me first? You slept with me and then disappeared for three years. Do you know how I lived during those three years? I searched the whole world for you, and you finally came back, and now you want to break up with me?"

He suddenly pulled a sharp dagger from his waist, shoved the hilt into Ji Shu's hand, then grabbed her hand and pointed the tip of the knife at his left chest. "If you stab me to death, I'll break up with you. Go ahead and stab me."

When Ye Yuntang saw this, his scalp tingled.

She covered her mouth tightly, afraid that she would scream.

The handsome yet madman in the alley was her idol, Chi Wang.

Chi Wang is now an idol adored by countless fans.

He is extremely talented, and can write lyrics, compose music, sing, and dance with ease.

Needless to say, his appearance is stunningly handsome, wild and unrestrained, and he has a powerful stage presence, making him very wild and unique.

Countless fans are infatuated with him.

However, he is a clean-living person in private. The media has thoroughly investigated his private life and found that he only likes to ride motorcycles, rock climb outdoors, or spend time alone.

There are rumors that he is gay, but there have been no reports of him having affairs with any women.

Ye Yuntang genuinely never associated Chi Wang and Ji Shu together.

I never expected Chi Wang to have such a crazy side.

He must be madly in love with Ji Shu!

……

In the alley.

Ji Shu forcefully pulled her hand back and threw the dagger to the ground.

She raised her foot and kicked Chi Wang hard in the leg. "Have you had enough? If you keep bothering me, I won't be polite!"

Chi Wang grabbed Ji Shu's chin. "Tell me, how are you going to treat me rudely? Like before, tie me to the bed and treat me..."

Before he could finish speaking, she forcefully covered his mouth.

He took the opportunity to bite her fingers and suck on them one by one.

Ji Shu's scalp was practically about to explode. "You're insane!"

"I'm crazy, Ji Shu. You'll never leave me in this lifetime!"

Ji Shu closed her eyes, took a few heavy breaths, and when she opened them again, her voice was hoarse as she said, "I've fallen for someone else."

Upon hearing this, Ye Yuntang's heart skipped a beat.

Are you referring to Xiao Lin?

Before she could think any further, she heard Chi Wang sneer, "That one surnamed Xiao, right?"

Before Ji Shu could say anything, Chi Wang continued, "I've been following you for several days. I didn't see you kiss him, nor did I see him show you any desire. The way he looked at you was as cold as ice."

Chi Wang grabbed Ji Shu's chin, forcing her to raise her head. He stared into her eyes, each word laced with malice, "You two aren't really together at all. What shady business are you two up to, conspiring to deceive me?"

Ji Shu gritted her teeth, not wanting to look at Chi Wang even once.

She just wanted to break up, but this guy is so difficult to deal with.

"What will it take for you to believe me?" she asked.

Chi Wang raised his chin, his smile wicked and arrogant. "Fine, you invite him out, kiss him, undress him, and do it for me in front of me."

Ji Shu, unable to bear it any longer, raised her hand and slapped him across his handsome face. "You're shameless!"

He didn't let her hit him; he held her fingertips and began sucking on them one by one again.

Ji Shu was practically being driven crazy by him.

"What, you don't dare? Then I'll compromise. You French kiss him in front of me. If you do that, I won't bother you anymore."

Ji Shu frowned deeply. "Do you think they're as shameless as you?"

Chi Wang reached out and wrapped his arm around Ji Shu's waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace. "But don't you love my shamelessness? Otherwise, how could I have slept with such a high-class policewoman?"

Ji Shu's fists were already cracking.

If he weren't a top celebrity, she would really want to beat him black and blue right now.

"I'm warning you one more time, this is the end of it, or I'm really going to beat you up!"

After saying that, he pushed Chi Wang away forcefully and turned to leave.

Ye Yuntang was originally going to leave, but after thinking about it, she remained standing in place.

A short while later, Ji Shu came over.

She seemed to have known all along that Ye Yuntang was spying on her, and when their eyes met, Ji Shu's face didn't show much emotion.

"Miss Ji."

Ji Shu nodded. "Hello, Forensic Doctor Ye."

"I'm sorry, I may have seen something I shouldn't have. Don't worry, I won't talk about it."

Ji Shu looked at Ye Yuntang's bright and delicate face. She seemed to want to say something, but she didn't say anything.

He simply nodded slightly.

As Ji Shu prepared to leave, Ye Yuntang watched her slender, upright figure and couldn't help but ask, "Are you and Xiao Lin really together?"

Based on a woman's intuition, Ji Shu's favorite person should be Chi Wang.

If she didn't like it, with Ji Shu's skills, she would have pushed him away the moment Chi Wang tried to kiss her.

Even though Chi Wang was so insane, she couldn't bear to harm him in the slightest.

Ji Shu turned to look at Ye Yuntang.

Compared to when I saw Ye Yuntang at the hospital a while ago, she seemed to have lost a lot of weight.

She must have loved Xiao Lin very much. She must have been heartbroken to be separated from him.

Ji Shu closed her eyes, feeling a little reluctant. "Xiao Lin and I can be comrades-in-arms, partners, or even undercover agents who risk their lives together, but we can never be lovers."

Ye Yuntang was suddenly stunned, her mind blank for a moment, as if she had been hit on the head with a club.

They are not a couple.

Actually, when she saw Ji Shu in the ward that day, she was interpreting it through her own lens.

She thought Xiao Lin had fallen for someone else, but he never said that he and Ji Shu were a couple.

"Ms. Ji, if you weren't a couple, why did he break up with me? What exactly happened when you were undercover?"

Ji Shu looked at Ye Yuntang's reddened eyes, closed her own eyes, and gently shook her head, her voice tinged with helplessness, "Go ask him yourself, if he's willing to tell you the reason."

After returning to the hotel, Ye Yuntang took out her phone and removed Xiao Lin's phone number from the blacklist.

She took the initiative to call him.

It is still powered off.

Left with no other option, Ye Yuntang dialed Xiao Huan's number.

"After my second brother was transferred back to northern Beijing, he didn't live at home, and I heard he didn't go to work either. I don't know where he went. He doesn't even have a cell phone. I don't know how to contact him."

"Huanhuan, I've come to northern Beijing. I want to see him one more time. Can you help me find him?"

Logically, after his undercover mission ended, he should have returned to his unit and resumed a normal life, so why did he choose to hide himself?

Countless thoughts raced through my mind.

Could it be that he developed a stress response while performing the mission?

Was he seriously injured while undercover?

Or perhaps something unimaginable happened to him, which is why he was determined to break up with her.

Ye Yuntang became increasingly anxious the more she thought about it.

"Huanhuan, your older brother might know. You must help me find him."

Xiao Huan readily agreed on the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Yuntang stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the bustling metropolis under the night sky, feeling a desolate and empty feeling in her heart.

……

The next afternoon.

Ye Yuntang finally received the message from Xiao Huan.

Xiao Huan sent her an address and a message.

"I begged my eldest brother for a long time before he finally told me that my second brother was in a villa in the suburbs."

After thanking Xiao Huan, Ye Yuntang quickly hailed a taxi and headed to the outskirts of the city.

During the journey, she received another message from Xiao Huan.

"Second sister-in-law, the villa's password is my second brother's birthday. If he doesn't open the door, just enter the password to get in."

Ye Yuntang: "Okay, thank you, Huanhuan."

Ye Yuntang took a taxi to the suburban villa.

Standing at the front door, she originally intended to ring the doorbell, but for some inexplicable reason, she entered the password instead.

She took a deep breath and went inside.

After entering the room, I took off my shoes, put on slippers, and walked inside.

The villa features a modern interior design, exuding understated luxury and sophistication.

The high-ceilinged living room contained only a few sets of dark leather sofas and a marble coffee table, and was so empty that it lacked any sense of human warmth.

She tiptoed through the living room and suddenly heard a faint sound coming from the kitchen.

Ye Yuntang tiptoed over.

The man, dressed in all black, stood in front of the kitchen counter, his sleeves casually rolled up a bit, revealing his well-built and muscular forearms.

His back view showed that he had become even thinner.

If you keep losing weight like this, you'll become emaciated!

Has he not been eating properly?

The setting sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting distinct light and shadow on him and making his profile appear even more angular.

He was slightly hunched over, cooking noodles.

However, his hand movements were not very nimble, as if he was groping around.

He fumbled around for a while before finding the spot to fire.

After starting the fire, he fumbled in the cabinet and took out a bag of noodles.

He tried to put the noodles into the pot, but they spilled out and fell onto the stove.

He frantically picked them up, but his fingertips accidentally touched the scalding hot edge of the pot.

Upon seeing this, Ye Yuntang could no longer hold back and quickly walked over.

She took the remaining noodles from his hand and gently placed them into the boiling water.

The man turned to look in her direction, a hint of confusion on his thin face. "Aunt Wang, didn't you take the day off? Why did you suddenly come?"

Ye Yuntang looked at the man and found that his dark and deep eyes were now empty and lifeless, without any light.

Her heart sank.

She stretched out her hand and waved it in front of his eyes.

He showed no reaction whatsoever; his eyes remained vacant, not even shifting slightly.

He has gone blind and can no longer see.

Not only that, but his hearing also seemed to be impaired; otherwise, with his hearing, he would definitely have been able to hear her footsteps.

Ye Yuntang's fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and she bit her lip hard with her pearly white teeth.

He was perfectly fine just a week ago, how did he suddenly become like this?

Did you break up with him because you can't see or hear anymore?

"Aunt Wang, could you please cook me a bowl of noodles? I'll wait in the restaurant." The man walked towards the restaurant.

Looking at the man's thin and lonely back, Ye Yuntang felt a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears.

She took a deep breath and looked back at the stove.

After the noodles were cooked, she fried an egg.

She seasoned it, sprinkled it with a little chopped green onion, and served it to the table.

Following the steam, the man tilted his head slightly, his long fingers finding the chopsticks, and he lowered his head to eat.

Ye Yuntang pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him.

She stared at him intently.

He had become so thin, his cheeks were sunken, his jawline was frighteningly sharp, and even the knuckles of his hand holding chopsticks protruded too much.

Ye Yuntang's heart felt as if it had been stung by countless bees, the dense pain spreading to every part of his body.

After taking a bite of noodles, the man paused slightly.

For some reason, he quickly took a second bite.

It didn't taste like Aunt Wang's noodles; instead, it tasted more like—

He took a third bite.

A familiar yet unfamiliar taste spread between his lips and teeth; it wasn't his imagination.

His hand gripping the chopsticks tightened suddenly, and he frowned as he looked across at the person opposite him. "Aunt Wang?"

Ye Yuntang remained silent.

The man abruptly put down his chopsticks and almost staggered to his feet.

Because he moved too hastily and hastily, his knee slammed hard against the corner of the table, and a sharp pain shot through him, but he was completely unaware of it.

He walked quickly out of the restaurant.

Seeing his flustered and distraught appearance, Ye Yuntang's heart tightened, and she quickly got up and followed him out.

Seeing him walk towards the stairwell, she rushed over in a few strides, stretched out her hands, and blocked his way.

His hand, which was groping for the stair railing, accidentally touched her arm.

The next second, he recoiled as if he had been electrocuted.

The two remained locked in a stalemate.

She didn't move, and neither did he.

"Xiao Lin, I ran into Ji Shu last night. It turns out she and Chi Wang are a couple; you two weren't together at all. You don't want to be with me anymore because of your eyes and ears? Do you think that if you become blind and deaf, I'll despise you?"

Before the man could say anything, Ye Yuntang tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "Xiao Lin, I can't be separated from you. Please tell me, what happened between you and the criminal group?"