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墨書 Inktalez
There are less than four hours until dawn.
After speaking, Song Buxian waved his hand and returned to his bedroom, leaving Xin Yi sitting alone in distress. He was troubled by the news that Song Buxian had revealed to him—that they might meet their parents tomorrow.
To be honest, he had anticipated the possibility of meeting their parents. After all, anyone would be curious about the kind of people who could raise such unique and lovable children. But at the same time, he was afraid—afraid that not only was he unworthy of having parents, but that other parents would also see him as someone unfit to entrust their child to.
Moreover, according to Song Buxian, their father could not accept love between same-sex individuals. If they met unexpectedly and caught the old man off guard, the consequences would be something they couldn't handle.
He wanted to escape. He wished he could run away right now and hide in some dark corner, waiting for their family reunion to end before reappearing hand in hand with Song Bunan. Yet, a voice inside him urged him not to avoid it; meeting them was inevitable. If he ran away this time, what about next time? Would he continue to flee and leave Song Bunan to face it alone?
Of course, he could choose not to mention their relationship at all and just vaguely respond to his parents' marriage inquiries. After all, if they didn’t live together, no one would discover their romance. But ultimately, that wasn’t a long-term solution; hiding the truth would be a significant test for both of them and would only lead to more discomfort.
As his mind was in turmoil, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes but recalled Song Buxian's words before bed—he advised patience, noting that his father had an excellent sense of smell and would surely detect any smoking. He put the pack away and picked up his phone, planning to go downstairs for some fresh air to think about what to do.
“Let’s cut ties with the Jiang Family; we need to go for our final mission.”
As he closed the door behind him, a message came through on his phone from the captain. Since the incident at New Life Hospital, even the boss seemed to have lost contact with the captain; the mysterious woman had completely vanished—more thoroughly than if she had evaporated into thin air.
He replied asking when. The response came with an address, indicating that they could come over immediately. The location was near Mighty Falcon Building; if he remembered correctly, it was an old neighborhood mostly inhabited by elderly residents—more aged than the community where Song Bunan lived.
“Received,” Xin Yi replied.
He closed the door of Song Buxian's home and stood in the hallway smoking one cigarette after another until the pack was completely empty. Only then did he take out his phone and message the hamster icon, sending a screenshot of what the captain had sent and assuring that he would definitely return.
"Alright." The reply came almost instantly. Xin Yi was surprised that Song Bunan was still awake. He instinctively glanced back, only to see the cold, unyielding iron door.
Behind that door stood Song Bunan, his head lowered, lost in thought. Song Buxian was draped in a coat, standing by the bedroom door with an unreadable expression.
He had awakened to the sound of Xin Yi closing the door. A strange sense of anxiety accompanied his racing heartbeat, pulling him from sleep. He had intended to get up for a glass of water but heard the sound of the front door being locked. Turning his head, he saw his brother nearby; the only one who could have left was Xin Yi. It was still early morning, and given the uncertain situation at home, where could he go?
Fear gripped Song Bunan as he rushed to the door. He could have chased after Xin Yi by simply opening it, but he hesitated, afraid that asking what was wrong would lead to the worst news. He leaned closer to the peephole and saw Xin Yi standing outside, slightly tilting his head as he smoked.
The man lit one cigarette after another. After the hallway lights went out, they did not turn back on. Through the peephole, all he could see were the flickering embers of the cigarette and the occasional spark from a lighter. Xin Yi was actually more fragile than he appeared. This was something Song Bunan had come to realize over these past few days. Due to a lack of familial support and his upbringing, he valued family and friendship more than most people did. Yet, he always presented a cold exterior, only revealing glimpses of envy and vulnerability when everyone gathered together in lively company. He hid it well, but Song Bunan always noticed.
As long as Xin Yi stood outside, Song Bunan remained inside, watching until the man's phone screen lit up—his own phone lit up at the same time.
What was meant to happen would always come to pass. Upon seeing Ghost Messenger, he already knew what it was about; he just hadn't expected it to come so soon. He couldn't find the words to say anything meaningful and simply replied with a "good," trying to encapsulate all his emotions within that single word. Clearly, Xin Yi understood; the man lifted his head to look at the door as if he could see through it and smiled.
On his phone were also some stickers that Xin Yi had saved from him—one featuring a silly big-headed character pouting in a playful manner that looked both ridiculous and amusing.
"This is his first time using stickers; I guess that's progress," Song Bunan thought as he watched the man leave. Not long after, he heard the sound of the unit door closing downstairs. Looking out the window, he saw Xin Yi—a figure dressed in black—almost completely blending into the darkness before disappearing entirely. He turned to his brother behind him and waved his phone in an attempt to speak but couldn't muster a smile; his nose tinged with sadness as tears threatened to fall.
Understanding that his younger brother had a tendency to cry, Song Buxian snatched the phone away and pulled him back onto the bed. He grabbed a Big Ear Dog plushie from the closet and tossed it into Song Bunan's arms with an exasperated tone. "Progress? What nonsense! Get some sleep! You need to clean up before Mom and Dad come over tomorrow; don't let them find out you let those people break in."
The boy clutched the plushie with a pouty face, looking utterly pitiful as if accusing his brother of being mean. Unfazed, Song Buxian lay down under the covers and pressed the plushie against Song Bunan's face, urging him to close his eyes and stop talking so much.
Finally able to sleep now, Song Buxian felt himself drifting off as his younger brother lay quietly beside him without causing any trouble. He let out a long sigh of relief and peacefully closed his eyes.
Shui Su had not fallen asleep either; he stood in his garden holding a meeting with the Ghost Messengers who had come. The moonlight cast a hazy glow over the entire courtyard, and he appeared to shine in his white robes, standing among the Black Cloak. After a brief discussion, one of the Ghost Messengers floated over and stood beside him, asking what they were discussing.
"Have you seen him?" Shui Su teased.
The Ghost Messenger remained silent, merely clicking his tongue softly. Other Ghost Messengers nearby heard this and let out eerie laughter, remarking that their colleague was clearly very concerned about the child; if it weren't for the fact that humans and ghosts were on different paths, he would surely confess his feelings to the child.
This comment elicited a reaction from him. The surrounding dark mist thickened slightly, swirling tumultuously before settling down. He then slowly explained, "When I was still human, I died of illness. During my sickness, which coincided with a year of famine, my child, not yet ten years old, sacrificed his own blood to save me. In the end, he died before I did. After becoming a Ghost Messenger, I have been searching for him, but since we are in different realms and he has already been reincarnated, I can only wait. This time, I finally saw him again; he looks just like he did back then and has faced just as many hardships."
Once he finished speaking, the murmurs of the others fell silent. Only Shui Su smiled gently, placing a hand on his shoulder and reassuring him not to worry; that child had a stronger mental fortitude than any of them. "Besides," he added, "you personally sought out that fateful connection for them from above. There’s no way it will go wrong."
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