Roses in Flames

She sniffed, and when she looked up, she saw a tall man standing at the door.

The dim light outlined his tall, straight back, his features taut and tense, his eyes swirling with emotions as thick as ink.

Xiao Lin raised his hand to cover his reddened eyes, then turned and walked into the courtyard.

After giving Grandma A-Lin a hug, Ye Yuntang quickly chased after her.

Xiao Lin stood under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, his back view looking desolate and lonely.

Ye Yuntang walked behind Xiao Lin and said in a hoarse voice, "A-Lin was raised by Grandma and was the only light in her dark world. After A-Lin's accident, you couldn't bear to watch Grandma collapse, so you chose to pretend to be A-Lin, to fulfill your filial duties for him, to protect this family for him, and to bear all the guilt and responsibility yourself. You felt guilty for not being able to protect A-Lin, and you were even more afraid that you would expose the truth and become the last straw that broke Grandma's back."

She looked at the bloodshot eyes spreading across the man's face, her voice tinged with heartache, "You'd rather live in the shadow of the past, rather punish yourself this way, than let Grandma spend her old age in peace, is that right?"

Xiao Lin lowered his eyes to look at Ye Yuntang, his emotions complex. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only sighed softly, which was considered an admission.

Ye Yuntang looked directly into his eyes and continued, "Grandma Alin doesn't say anything because she understands. She can't see or hear, but her heart is bright. She sensed your pretense and knew your good intentions, but she pretended not to know—she was also afraid that if she exposed you, you would never come again."

"To her, you are her only thought and support in her later years. She knows you are suffering and want to atone for your sins, so she would rather play along with you and secretly endure her longing and grief than make you sad. She is afraid that if she tells you the truth, you will leave because of your guilt."

"You are both protecting what the other cherishes most in your own way."

Ye Yuntang raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face. "You protect Grandma's peace, and Grandma protects your obsession. This mutual silence is not deception, but a profound tenderness and care."

Almost the instant Ye Yuntang finished speaking, her slender body was pulled into the man's arms.

He held her tightly, with such force that it seemed he wanted to embed her into his very bones.

Ye Yuntang pressed her small face against his hard and sturdy chest. Even through the fabric of his clothes, she could feel his rapidly beating heart and the intense heat of his chest.

He buried his handsome face in her neck, and she could feel his emotions, which had been suppressed for many years, being released little by little through this tight embrace.

After an unknown amount of time, his hoarse voice, thick with a nasal tone, rang out, "Thank you."

Over the years, he has been carrying a huge weight on his heart, which often makes it hard for him to breathe.

To outsiders, he is a calm and decisive criminal police captain, but in the quiet of the night, he also experiences loneliness and vulnerability.

He could only bear it all and walk alone in the darkness.

Ye Yuntang's words were like a beam of light piercing through the dark clouds, precisely striking the softest and heaviest spot in his heart.

He tightened his arms, holding her even closer. "I thought I would live in the past forever, never able to shed this responsibility. But you understand, you understand everything... You said that my relationship with Grandma was one of mutual protection, but only now do I realize that I wasn't protecting Grandma, but rather using this responsibility to punish myself."

Ye Yuntang didn't speak. She raised her hand and gently patted the man's back.

"I thought that pretending to be Ah Lin to protect my grandmother was my way of atoning for my sins, but I never thought that my grandmother would feel bad because I was putting on such a show. She knew everything, but she pretended to be confused with me."

"I shouldn't have done that. Thank you, Yuntang. You pulled me out of that dead end and helped me understand these things. I shouldn't have kept dwelling on the past, using responsibility as a shackle, trapping myself and making Grandma uneasy. I won't do that again. I will let go of those obsessions and, as Xiao Lin, take good care of Grandma."

At that moment, he finally understood that true protection is not about punishing yourself by living in the past, but about moving forward with hope and purpose.

"It's good that you've figured it out; stop overthinking it."

Xiao Lin nodded. "Okay."

Just then, his cell phone rang in his pocket.

Xiao Lin released his arms from Ye Yuntang, took out his phone, and glanced at the caller ID.

An unfamiliar number.

Xiao Lin answered the call in front of Ye Yuntang.

"Feed".

"Xiao Lin, come quick! I've been hit by a car, and I can't move my legs. It hurts so much..."

On the other end of the phone came Bai Chuwei's voice, trembling with tears.

Ye Yuntang was very close to Xiao Lin, so she naturally heard Bai Chuwei's voice.

It seems that Xiao Lin blocked Bai Chuwei's number, and Bai Chuwei called from a different number.

Ye Yuntang looked up at Xiao Lin, then silently took a step back. But soon, the man's other hand, which wasn't holding his phone, wrapped around her slender waist and pulled her back into his arms.

This time, Xiao Lin showed no mercy or hesitation. He spoke to Bai Chuwei on the other end of the phone in a cold and sharp voice, "Bai Chuwei, I made it clear to you last time that we will no longer have any contact."

"Brother Lin, when you wrote to me at the police academy, you said you would be good to me and take responsibility for me. I made mistakes, but I will change in the future..."

Xiao Lin coldly interrupted Bai Chuwei before she could finish speaking, "The real A-Lin who wrote you that letter is gone. He died saving someone at the beach years ago. My help to you before was an attempt to atone for my sins. I helped A-Lin, not you. I have no feelings for you. You got hit by a car, call 120 or 110. Don't contact me again, and don't come to see A-Lin's grandmother again, or you'll face the consequences!"

Before Bai Chuwei could say anything, Xiao Lin hung up the phone and blocked the unknown number.

Ye Yuntang looked up at the man with sharp features, a smile playing on her lips. "I thought you'd hesitate a bit when you heard Bai Chuwei was hit by a car."

Xiao Lin put down his phone and looked at Ye Yuntang with his dark eyes. "I used to feel indebted to A-Lin. I helped him whenever I could and took on as much responsibility as I could when it came to Bai Chuwei. Over time, it became a habit."

After a pause, he continued, "But now, you've made me realize that true responsibility isn't about endless indulgence, but about respecting one's own boundaries. Bai Chuwei is responsible for her own life, and I have no obligation to keep paying for her."

Ye Yuntang knew that he had been trapped in the shackles of guilt before, and once he woke up, he would become firm and decisive.

Ye Yuntang extended her hand to Xiao Lin, a bright and radiant smile on her face. "Captain Xiao, come on, let's both make peace with our past selves?"

Xiao Lin grasped Ye Yuntang's hand, tightening and enveloping it little by little, "Listen to Forensic Doctor Ye."