REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 18.2: The Banquet
A Police career. In addition to receiving reports and capturing criminals, there is another important aspect that is considered equally essential. That is the protection of important people’s motives in various ceremonies.
…
Lu Yipeng sighed heavily. After sipping his orange juice, a waitress walked over to serve him. Currently, a young inspector was at the dinner organized by the government, with many high-ranking guests present. He was part of the special team sent by the police department to ensure peace and order at the event.
“Well… You look quite dashing, indeed.” Duan Feng said, glancing at Lu Yipeng, who was dressed in a black tuxedo and seemed a bit out of place.
“Have you had too much to drink, Mister Jiang?”
Duan Feng chuckled, “No, I haven’t had anything to drink. Mister Wong. I just happened to run into an interesting lady around the corner earlier.”
“Oh…” Lu Yipeng murmured, looking at the similarly well-dressed couple,
“And why did you come over here then?”
“She happens to be the wife of the Croatian ambassador.” Duan Feng replied, barely able to contain his laughter.
“In that case, it seems like your eyes are wandering a bit too much, my friend.” Lu Yipeng said, chuckling once again, “Let’s focus for now.”
Lu Yipeng shrugged and finally stopped chuckling.
While they were conversing, both inspectors swept their gaze around, looking for any signs of disturbances that may arise at the event.
“Mister Jiang, I believe there are some new arrivals over there. Let me go take a look.” Lu Yipeng said, noticing a group of people just entering through the door. Duan Feng shrugged in response, “Take it easy, be careful not to run into any military attaché’s wives.”
Lu Yipeng chuckled under his breath before walking away.
The new group consisted of about five or six individuals who seemed to be following a predetermined schedule and were most likely consultants for Wen Guangsen, a prominent real estate magnate on the island. Lu Yipeng tried to move closer to observe their characteristics and check for anything suspicious, but the young inspector had to intervene immediately upon seeing the back of the person leading the group. He hurriedly rushed over to meet them.
“Um… Excuse me, are you Li Chengyu, the advisor to Wen Guangsen?” Lu Yipeng asked the man also dressed in a sleek black tuxedo. The man smiled before answering, “Yes, that’s me. Is there a problem, sir?”
Lu Yipeng looked at the man in front of him before speaking, “Can I talk to you privately for a moment, sir?”
The man nodded his head, “Not yet, sir. I have to meet the Portuguese ambassador first. If there is any business, we can discuss it later.” With that, he walked away and Lu Yipeng followed, maintaining a respectful distance before radioing to the central.
“I want some information about Li Chengyu. Does he have any photos?” asked Lu Yipeng.
“There is no public information available about Li Chengyu.” The central officer replied immediately, “His information is classified and even there are no photographs sent.”
“Well, how can we be sure it’s really him then?” Lu Yipeng questioned, to which the reply after a pause came, “He has an identification letter from you, and even your trusted person has been seen with him. They both confirm that he is indeed Li Chengyu.”
Lu Yipeng pondered before turning to look for the man named Li Chengyu once again. However, the problem was that almost all the men here were dressed in black suits, making it difficult to identify anyone walking in any direction.
Despite receiving confirmation from the central department, Lu Yipeng was still concerned about the whereabouts of Li Chengyu. The young police officer tried to find him throughout the event, but no matter how hard he searched, he could not find him. As he was beginning to worry that something might be wrong, the sound of screams increased in panic.
Lu Yipeng rushed in the direction of the sound immediately. When he arrived, he found a group of people staring at something intensely. The young police officer tried to make his way through and discovered in the center a woman in a long white dress convulsing on the floor, with two or three women crying in shock, “Please help. She’s having a seizure!”
Lu Yipeng quickly called for medical assistance before approaching the woman, but he seemed to be slower than someone else who came in taking quick steps.
The individual who approached from another direction knelt down beside the convulsing body and began to apply pressure to different points of the body, calming the convulsions gradually.
“Everyone, please step back. The patient needs air.” The man spoke in a low but powerful voice, and everyone immediately moved away. He then cradled the woman’s head in his lap and gently massaged her temples with his fingers.
When the male nurses arrived, the woman had regained consciousness. She and her followers were thanking the man profusely for his heroic actions.
“If it was not for you, I would be in big trouble for sure.”
“No worries, ma’am.” The man replied. The woman looked at him before turning to the male nurse, “I’m fine now, thanks to this gentleman here.” She gestured towards the man who was smiling.
“It was nothing, really. I’ll take my leave then.”
“Wait a moment, I didn’t even get your name yet.”
“Li Chengyu.” He answered, and walked straight to where Lu Yipeng was standing, “You mentioned you had some business with me. Where do you suggest we talk?”
Lu Yipeng looked at him for a moment before leading him outside to a corner away from other people and shutting off the communication radio. Hong Kongque shrugged, then smiled at him.
“Pengpeng looks good in a tuxedo, wouldn’t you like to dance with me to a song?”
Lu Yipeng glanced at the man in front of him instead of answering,
“Kongque, I’ll ask you straight. Did you impersonate Li Chengyu?”
“Um… High-achieving students always like to accuse others without evidence.” The other person cut in, “I am nothing like Li Chengyu in any way.”
“Except that you are you.” The young police officer intervened, “Confess now what your plan was. Even if you slipped into this party undercover.”
“Alright, Inspector Lu.” Hong Kongque said, making a reluctant face before taking out a letter from his shirt pocket, “Go ahead and open it, and call your boss or anyone else you trust more than me, or you could go confront Wen
Guangshen right now, to find out if I am really Li Chengyu or not.”
Lu Yipeng opened the letter and found it to be an invitation with a correct identification number and a letter of introduction attached to Wen Guangshen.
The young police officer’s face immediately became more serious, “Are you really Li Chengyu or not?”
“If you’re in doubt, you can go ask the Portuguese ambassador.” Hong Kongque said confidently, looking him in the eye. Lu Yipeng asked persistently, “Is your real name Li Qingyu?”
Hong Kongque burst out laughing immediately, “Oh Pengpeng, what are you thinking? Um… I tried using the name Li Qingyu, but it didn’t turn out too bad.”
The young police officer looked more confused than before, “Stop laughing, what is your name for sure?”
“I guess my real name isn’t Li Qingyu after all. Oh… thinking about it makes me laugh, really.”
Lu Yipeng didn’t laugh at all. He stared at Hong Kongque with firm eyes and spoke with a strong voice, “It means you are truly pretending to be Li Qingyu.” The opposing side stared back, his face full of confusion, “Why is a top student like this? Whether I use the name Hong Kongque, use the name Li
Qingyu, in the end it’s all me, or do you think if Weng Guangshen should have a consultant named Hong Kongque, then the government should invite Hong
Kongque to the event?”
Lu Yipeng kept his mouth shut for a long time. Finally, he regained his composure and asked, “Then why did he invite you to this event?”
“I can’t answer that for you, it’s Weng Guangshen’s business secret. Let’s just say I didn’t come to do anything illegal.” Hong Kongque answered, sweeping his gaze from head to toe and then extending his hand.
“Hey, Pengpeng, you are quite handsome dressed like this. Let’s dance to a song together.”
“You must be crazy.” Lu Yipeng exclaimed and dashed out immediately, “I’m here to work. And another thing, Why would two men dance together in this event?”
The person being asked smiled sheepishly, “Well, I allow you to wear a skirt, but don’t make it too long or you’ll trip.”
Lu Yipeng glanced at the other person before turning and walking out briskly, but he was grabbed by the wrist.
“Pengpeng, after you finish work, come back with me…”
“…”
“No need for a skirt, let’s go dance together at the court with a song.”
The young inspector pursed his lips before speaking, “My job here will end late at night.”
…
The party was canceled around four in the morning, but by the time Lu
Yipeng had finished submitting his reports to the superiors, it was almost noon.
As he walked towards his car, he noticed someone standing and waiting.
“Aren’t you heading back yet?” asked the young inspector who looked at the figure leaning against his car.
“I’m waiting for the prince to pick me up to take me back to the castle.”
Hong Kongque replied with a smile before stepping out of the car slightly. Lu
Yipeng looked at him and replied, “Really, I thought you were waiting for a brave soul to come and slay a dragon.”
“The dragon is considered a sacred creature of legend.” Hong Kongque said, and he opened the door of the car immediately as Lu Yipeng unlocked it, then he slid in and sat in the front seat.
“Hurry up, inspector.”
It was indeed fortunate that no one had to ride in a car driven by Lu Yipeng, and with Hong Kongque as a passenger. In just ten minutes, they arrived back at the mansion. Most of the servants had retired for the night, leaving only Li Kong and Luo Songzhi waiting in the main hall.
Hong Kongque arrived at the mansion without changing clothes and instead took Lu Yipeng through a maze of complex hallways and several sets of stairs to a particular room. Upon entering, they found it to be a hall with a balcony extending outward. Dim moonlight shone through the only window, reflecting off the bookshelf attached to one wall, with two more walls covered with books, and in one corner of the room, an old record player was laid out. The speakers, shaped like golden trumpet mouths, reflected the light of the moon in the dark shadows of the room. Hong Kongque stepped in, opened the lid of the table below where the record player was placed, and picked out a record.
“Do you know how to waltz, honor student?”
“I do.” Lu Yipeng replied promptly. Hong Kongque turned to him, smiled slightly, and said, “Well… if you can’t waltz, I’ll let you dance the tango.”
“Don’t make me dance the tango.” The other person said, looking flustered, “If it comes to that, you’ll end up dancing a vigorous Irish jig instead of a tango.”
Place the sound disc onto the player, move the needle to place it on the disc before spinning the turntable located on the side of the machine.
The piano sounds with a slow, sweet, gentle rhythm that immediately flows out of the cone speakers. The sound reflects off the walls and out to the balcony outside. Hong Kongque turned back, then smiled at the young police officer.
“Will you dance with me?”
Lu Yipeng raised his eyebrows and looked at the person in front of him with a surprised expression before bowing and reaching out to hold the hand of the other person reaching out to him.
“Don’t step on my feet.” The young police officer said. Hong Kongque placed his hand on his shoulder before responding, “Watch yourself too, don’t step on my feet as well.”
Lu Yipeng placed his hand on the waist of the other person before stepping to the rhythm of the music, glancing at the face of the person opposite him.
“Kongque, have you danced like this with anyone before?” The young police officer asked. After dancing together for a while.
“Why do you ask?” Hong Kongque asked back. Lu Yipeng looked at him again, then continued, “You seem to be skilled, normally men don’t dance with other men like this.”
“Dancing is the same as playing games, whether it’s between a man and a woman.” The other person replied, causing Lu Yipeng to furrow his brows,
“How can it be the same?”
Hong Kongque smiled at the corners of his mouth. Then Lu Yipeng felt a strong stomp on his foot.
“Ouch, why did you step on my foot, Kongque?!”
“Pengpeng, if you stand in the wrong place, why wouldn’t I step on your foot? If you do it again, I’ll twist your finger until it snaps.” Hong Kongque spoke as he moved his foot closer. Lu Yipeng had to retreat, but Hong Kongque was so skilled at stepping that even retreating wasn’t enough. He had to sidestep and dodge left and right, but the heavy pressure was such that he had to twist and turn to evade the stomps.
“Haha, Pengpeng, you dance beautifully too, just like me.” Hong Kongque said cheerfully. Lu Yipeng gritted his teeth, trying to find the rhythm to avoid stepping on Hong Kongque’s feet. He dodged quickly as before, dancing together for half the song. The young police officer was starting to sweat profusely.
“Alright. I believe now that you dance like you are playing Kungfu.” Lu Yipeng had to quickly pick up the rhythm when Hong Kongque stopped sighing and said this sentence, before being forced to dance with strange moves. Hong Kongque chuckled, pleased, and then finally stopped his feet, “There’s still half a song left, Pengpeng.”
“I ask to dance in a normal way as well.” The young police officer replied, then leaned closer to the other person, “You still haven’t answered me. Have you ever danced with someone before?”
Hong Kongque looked at his face and smiled at the corner of his mouth,
“Why do you want to know?”
“…”
“Jealous?”
“A little bit.”
“Oh…” Hong Kongque drawled. Then he spoke with a smile, “If I tell you that you are the first person who made me want to dance, would you believe me?”
Lu Yipeng stayed quiet for a moment before asking back, “So does that mean you weren’t willing to dance before?”
“No…I’ve never danced with anyone before.”
“?!” The young police officer looked straight at the person in front of him.
The deep black eyes of Hong Kongque at this moment delved deep down, being covered with the long eyelashes. In the midst of the faint light of the halfwaning moon, Lu Yipeng felt like he was looking at a dream image more than reality.
“Kongque, why did you help that woman?”
The deep black eyes turned back to look at him again before the person smiled, “Why not. Can’t I help a woman?”
“Normally, someone as inhumane as you wouldn’t be kind enough to help anyone.” The other person immediately spoke up, “Talking bad about others. Where am I inhumane? You yourself have been helped by me several times.”
“You helped me with the hope of getting rewarded, but what does that woman have to give you in return?” Lu Yipeng asked again. Hong Kongque looked at his face, raised his hand to pat his shoulder, “When did I expect a reward from you?”
Lu Yipeng pursed his lips before speaking, “Kongque, are you always kind to others like this?”
“Do you see me as kind already?” Hong Kongque replied, his face clearly showing some inner turmoil.
“I was just curious… Why are you not gentle with me?”
“!!”
“Just forget about it.” said Lu Yipeng, preparing to leave. Just as the song ended, Hong Kongque grabbed his shoulder, “Do you want me to be gentle with you, Pengpeng?”
Lu Yipeng licked his lower lip before speaking cautiously, “If it was anyone they all want to receive gentleness from each other.”
Hong Kongque looked at the young police officer’s face and smiled, “Little Pengpeng.”
Lu Yipeng flinched slightly when the other person reached out a hand to gently touch his face, “Will you be gentle with me too?”
Lu Yipeng did not answer. He raised his hand to hold the other person’s hand, then leaned in for a soft kiss before turning to look at the opposite side,
“Kongque…”
Hong Kongque smiled softly before the other person leaned in to kiss Lu
Yipeng’s lower lip. They both embraced each other tightly, their arms wrapped around each other, leaning in closely.
The sound system had stopped playing for a while, but within the room with moonlight seeping in, a sigh echoed louder amidst the quiet night atmosphere.
Tongues and lips intertwined, generating a warm breath like the gentle sigh of the warm breeze that seemed to gradually become turbulent. Lu Yipeng caressed the back of the other person’s hand before moving lower to gently touch the tense hips hidden under the long shirt.
Hong Kongque shuddered as the fingers and fingertips that touched lightly sent a thrilling sensation to him. Lu Yipeng raised his face to look at the other person before kissing them again. Then, he raised his hand to pull the bowtie, and unbuttoned his white shirt.
Hong Kongque sighed deeply as the warm lips pressed against his neck. Lu Yipeng unbuttoned his shirt and then slowly leaned down to kiss all the exposed skin. He then pressed himself against the wall, unbuttoning his own shirt as well.
Hong Kongque licked the edge of his lips before leaning down to kiss the exposed chest of the person in front of him unwillingly. He allowed the kiss to linger for a while before Lu Yipeng pushed Hong Kongque against the wall again, this time stripping the clothes of the other person.
As Hong Kongque raised his hand to caress the face of the young police officer, he then lowered his hand to unbutton the shirt of the other person. When he pulled down the trousers and they were removed from the ankles, Lu Yipeng’s trousers fell down to his ankles perfectly.
Amidst the dim light, Lu Yipeng kissed down onto the body leaning against the wall. Hong Kongque’s skin was smooth and taut, and was firm in every aspect. Whether it was his chest or the curves of his abdomen. As the kiss passed his chest, Lu Yipeng couldn’t help but think. He could feel Hong Kongque’s heartbeat pounding inside.
In that beating heart, how would you feel about him?
“My heart is still strong.” Hong Kongque said, as he saw the other person nuzzle against his chest. Lu Yipeng raised his head immediately before nodding,
“Hmm… beating so loud it startled me.”
Hong Kongque said nothing but chuckled softly in Lu Yipeng’s neck before kissing the body again. Lowering down to the slender waist, he kissed onto the back of the hand that held the important part that he had never touched before.
Lu Yipeng had seen this part of Hong Kongque clearly before, and remembered that it was not disgusting or distasteful, but he wasn’t sure why Hong Kongque never allowed him to touch it, or if he was afraid that he might take advantage of this vulnerability.
“Kongque.”
“Hmm?”
“What if I told you that I wanted to use my mouth to pleasure you. Would you let me?”
“It’s okay. I don’t want to force you, Pengpeng.”
“I’m not forcing myself, can I do it?”
Hong Kongque was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, “I guess I can’t allow it.”
“Do you still not trust me?”
“Um.”
Lu Yipeng sat up immediately, “Kongque, what happened to you earlier?”
Hong Kongque blinked his deep black eyes before smiling, “Pengpeng, knowing won’t help.”
The young police officer pursed his lips, staring at the man, “Kongque, we have different pasts. We are different people.”
“Um… I understand.”
“If you know, I can’t help you even after knowing. Then you shouldn’t think about the past when you’re with me.”
Hong Kongque raised his head to look at him before chuckling, “Pengpeng, you talk too much.” He finished speaking and let out a sigh.
“Pengpeng, some things, even if we don’t want to remember or think about them, we can’t stop them. Even if the mind forgets, the body remembers, or do you disagree?” He reached out his hand to grab Lu Yipeng’s wrist, causing the young police officer to startle. He looked at Hong Kongque’s face before speaking again.
“If that’s the case… in the past… was there anything valuable in your eyes for me?” He finished speaking and clenched his fists, “What am I to you in your eyes?”
“You are the best memory of my life.”
Lu Yipeng looked straight at Hong Kongque before smiling slightly and raising his hand to caress his face, “Be gentle with me tonight… I want to remember your gentleness.”
The young police officer tightened his lips before kissing him on the lips again.
…
Under the soft moonlight, Lu Yipeng kissed all over the body that was still leaning against the wall. Hong Kongque let out a heavy sigh as the young police officer’s tongue playfully danced at the back of his neck.
“Don’t forget to wear a condom.” The other person reminded him as Lu Yipeng shifted his body, lifting the man up before taking Hong Kongque’s hand to guide himself to the designated spot. He then turned to the other person, slowly fulfilling his own desires.
Hong Kongque raised his hand against the wall, letting out a heavy sigh, feeling the warm breath on his neck, and the hands on both sides that reached out to hold his hands tightly. Lips pressed closely against the back of his neck as the insertion continued gradually.
“Kongque.” Lu Yipeng muttered the other person’s name before moving his hand to kiss their face. The touch felt trembling and the kissing lasted for a moment, their hands intertwined as Hong Kongque moaned softly.
The strong arms hugged the wide waist of the young man, while the other person started to move in rhythmic motion, feeling the hot sensation spreading through their body. Lu Yipeng pushed their bodies against the wall, thrusting their hips closer at a faster pace, until the other person moaned softly.
They continued against the wall for a while, then they moved to the balcony. The moonlight reflected their figures as they became flushed with intense heat, the color turning pink due to the passionate heat between them. Hong Kongque gripped the railing while Lu Yipeng held his waist tightly, thrusting repeatedly. He then lifted the other person up and kissed them deeply, lifting one leg high, maintaining the deep rhythm.
Amid the sounds of pleasure, their love continued uninterrupted. From the balcony to the bookshelf, then ending on the leather sofa inside.
At the peak where both parties were intense, Lu Yipeng hugged Hong
Kongque tightly, kissing his face repeatedly before whispering softly in his ear.
“Kongque. I…”
The remaining words were swallowed by Hong Kongque, as he sucked and swallowed every word until the smaller figure rested his face on his shoulder before whispering dryly.
“Pengpeng… Thank you.”
***
I want to say… writing this chapter…felt incomplete… too much missing I don’t know… At first, I planned to write about Hong Kongque between 18.1 and 19 (because those two chapters mainly talk about Lu Yipeng). But when I started writing for real, I forgot how I wanted to talk about Kongque in the first place, and ended up talking about Lu Yipeng again… Then I thought, I want to write a realistic NC of this couple, really intense and serious, in another chapter (after they’ve been together in every chapter as a closed-curtain approach), and… then… I encountered a problem… I couldn’t write NC. I don’t know if it’s due to aging factors (!!!), or because this NC was unintentional from the start (is that even called unintentional???!!).
So, before finishing it, I tried to correct and correct it again… like… as I write, the content will overflow and exceed chapter 19 hahaha Pengpeng softly and gently, like a firefly caught in a flame all at once.
To sum up, the flashback period has been lost (which is something that is really difficult to write, you know).
From now on, it will be chapter by chapter.
P.S. For the readers who can handle it, hinting that this drama is not that serious (really!!!!)
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