ITF Chapter80

“You—”

“To clean up the mess you people made, I also lost many outstanding officers and soldiers. Don’t you think you should repay it with your lives as well?” Bai Heting held his head high and looked down at them, his expression dismissive as he continued bluntly, “I am not asking for your repayment only because you cannot afford to pay it back.”

The Alpha bent his knees to pick up the sword but was stopped just in time by Chen Qiao. Luo Congye, however, moved faster than either of them, taking a single stride to position himself in front of Bai Heting. Standing between him and the others, he said in a warning tone, “No one is allowed to touch him.”

Lin Zaichang immediately barked in a low voice, “None of you act on impulse.”

The moment these words were spoken, no one in the hall dared to act rashly anymore, yet that invisible, taut string in the air was clearly on the verge of snapping.

After a brief silence, Bei Yang stepped out from the corner. Weaving past several people, he bent down to pick up the short sword and took a few more steps toward Luo Congye under the latter’s vigilant gaze.

“He slandered you, tortured you, and nearly caused your death, yet in the end, you still want to protect him. Don’t you find yourself pathetic and ridiculous?” Seeing that Luo Congye did not answer, he took another step forward, “Have you forgotten that this man once said with his own mouth that he would make the Urdan people pay the price? By doing this, you are exposing everyone entirely to danger.”

Bai Heting studied the facial features that bore some resemblance to Bei Chengzhou. The young man had not changed much from three years ago, still poor at concealing the hostility in his gaze.

“He has already promised to mind his own business and not interfere with you guys.” Luo Congye reached back to pull Bai Heting behind him, saying to Bei Yang, “I know him. He has always been a man of his word and disdains using false civilities with people.”

Just as his voice fell, a sarcastic, soft chuckle suddenly drifted from behind him. Luo Congye turned his head immediately, terrified that this man might say something else to add fuel to the fire. However, Bai Heting seemed to have no intention of continuing this meaningless war of words with them either, merely looking at him with an inscrutable gaze without saying another syllable.

With neither side backing down, Lin Zaichang let out a sigh and was the first to leave this gridlocked place without a word. Bei Yang, looking as though he had expected this outcome all along, watched Lin Zaichang walk out of the main entrance and waved his hand to the crowd, “Everyone go back. This is an absolute waste of breath; he’s the type who won’t shed a tear until he sees the coffin.”

Having said that, he walked over to the wall and shoved the short sword back into its scabbard.

“Luo Congye.” He cast a sidelong glance at the two of them, reminding him in a cold voice, “You brought him onto the island against our objections, and you’re also keeping him here despite our objections. If he causes any trouble, you’d better be able to take responsibility for it.”

*

The crowd dispersed in displeasure, leaving Luo Congye’s residence one after another.

Bai Heting had caught a chill earlier at sea. Although his fever had subsided today, he still could not muster any energy and fell asleep while Jiang Han was examining him. By the time he woke up again, the sun had already slanted westward. There was no sign of Luo Congye in the room, though the rich aroma of tequila pheromones was everywhere.

He picked up a cloak to drape over himself, walked through the now quiet hall, and pushed open the heavy main door.

The damp sea breeze rushed at his face, carrying a hint of refreshing coolness.

Another summer was about to end.

Hearing the sound, Luo Congye stood up from the beach and took a few steps back to meet him, but Bai Heting ignored him and walked straight toward the spot where Luo Congye had originally been sitting dazed.

Luo Congye had no choice but to walk back over, slipping an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to coax him. “Let’s go back inside. Physician Jiang said that you can’t catch a chill right now.”

His mention of Jiang Han was uncharacteristically laced with a touch of respect. Bai Heting sat down on the spot, scooped up a handful of the still-warm fine sand, and looked up to ask, “What else did he say?”

“He told me to apologize to you,” Luo Congye answered candidly. “He said I shouldn’t have misunderstood the relationship between the two of you.”

Bai Heting stopped looking at him, but he didn’t blame him either, seemingly losing interest in the topic.

Luo Congye sat down beside him and followed his line of sight. There wasn’t a single cloud in the western sky, and the red sun hung solitarily on the sea horizon dyeing the seawater a blood red.

He had once made a promise to Bai Heting during a dusk—that he would never let anyone hurt him. Yet, he had nearly caused Bai Heting to lose his life at the sea and had caused him to suffer from a high fever for three consecutive days. Not only had he misunderstood him, but he had also made him cry.

He turned his head to look at Bai Heting again, the setting sun coating that exquisite profile in a layer of warm color. Taking a deep breath amid this agonizing silence, he asked in a low voice, “After I was rescued by them, what exactly happened?”

Bai Heting remained tight-lipped, so he asked again, “Why did you run off to such a remote and small place? Did Bai Jiashu blame my abduction on you?”

After throwing out all these questions in one breath, Luo Congye quieted down for a moment before dropping the final question, “Did my abduction have anything to do with you?”

“Does it matter?” Bai Heting finally reacted.

He looked at Luo Congye with a trace of interest, asking curiously, “So if it has to do with me, you treat me well, and if it doesn’t, you treat me like a prisoner?”

Luo Congye was stumped by his question and did not speak.

“Sit properly.” Bai Heting patted his thigh.

Before Luo Congye could even react, Bai Heting had already laid down.

“I had originally obtained a new name that I liked very much, but heaven refused to give me a chance to start over,” he said flatly as if speaking in riddles. “I can only fight for it one more time.”

Resting the back of his head against a tense, muscular thigh, Bai Heting shifted his posture several times before finally admitting that lying like this was no longer as comfortable as he remembered. With no other choice, he sat back up and asked Luo Congye, “Why have you never told them the truth?”

Luo Congye pressed him straight back down before asking absentmindedly, “What truth?”

He looked down at Bai Heting, a sense of unreality arising within him in this all-too-familiar dusk, but he still understood the question a beat late.

“The truth is that I went against your will and forced a temporary mark on you. Three times.” Luo Congye raised his head once more, looking toward the half-sunken sun as it dipped into the sea horizon, his expression unusually calm. “I don’t care what Pei Ming thinks, but my mother would probably be very disappointed. It seems I am not much different from the Alphas who killed her.”

Bai Heting said, “You are not the same as them.”

“Besides,” Luo Congye did not argue with him, his tone suddenly shifting, “Although I didn’t force you at that time, were you truly willing?”

Bai Heting froze slightly, he understood Luo Congye’s meaning. He was saying—the permanent mark between them had been influenced by the temporary marks. And as for the answer to this question, Bai Heting did not know it himself either.

That had indeed been a decision completely devoid of reason.

Luo Congye gently brushed his fingers across his face, silently cutting off the second half of his sentence before it could be spoken.

Just a few days ago, Bai Heting had been shedding tears, begging him to let him go.

He cleared his throat, returning to a lighter tone, “I had originally prepared to bring your skeletal remains with me when I came here. Later, I found that it wasn’t quite feasible. I had already given up, so I really didn’t expect to reap an unexpected harvest.”

Bai Heting watched him quietly for a while in the afterglow of the setting sun, then turned over to press his face tightly against Luo Congye’s lower abdomen and closed his eyes.

“Is the sea beautiful?” He asked in a low voice.

The slightly cool evening breeze dispersed the heat on his body. Luo Congye tightened the cloak around him, still staring unblinkingly at the sea as it slowly sank into night. Only when the ocean had turned a deep, ink-like black did he let out a quiet “En.”

The temperature had dropped a bit. He touched Bai Heting’s face and asked, “Shall we head back?”

Bai Heting did not answer, nor did he open his eyes.

His breathing was regular and even; he had fallen asleep at some unknown point.

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