REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 18.1: Blind Date

If we were to talk about the hotshot police officer currently in the Hong Kong Police Department, one of the names that must be mentioned is undoubtedly the young inspector called Lu Yipeng.

Lu Yipeng is a police officer who graduated from the Police Academy with honors as number one. After joining the service, he has achieved a lot, until being appointed as an inspector at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four. With a well-proportioned, masculine physique and a sharp, handsome face that rivals the celebrities of this era, the name of Lu Yipeng is often picked up in conversations whenever one has to speak of any young police officer.

For all these reasons, the young inspector often draws attention from higherups in various matters, including…

“Look at yourself!” Lu Yipeng burst out, forgetting to maintain etiquette. He was sitting in the private office of Chen Qian, wondering what he must have gotten wrong.

“Um, yes, it does seem like you heard correctly, inspector.” The older man spoke, then continued with a good mood, “Former Director General Tang Cheng came to visit us at the department the other day. Her daughter happened to see you and came to talk to me. Once he learned about your work history, he liked you a lot and even mentioned wanting you to marry her.”

“Um… hold on a second.” Lu Yipeng spoke, with a lingering sense of unease. Just a month ago, he was just entrusted by Hong Kong with feeding birds, and now he was going to be entrusted with marrying someone else again. What kind of karma was this guy playing at?

“I’ve never seen Former Director Tong’s daughter look so happy before.

Suddenly, you come here saying he wants you to marry his daughter. It’s not like that, this is the digital age now, sir.”

“I’m not forcing you to marry her right away, I just wanted you to have a chat with her first.” Chen Qian said, looking at the young police officer’s face, then sighed heavily. Playing around, he teased the young inspector, making him speak up, “What’s wrong, inspector? You seem relieved as if you were afraid of being caught and forced into marriage. Do you want to remain single or what?”

“No, sir.” Lu Yipeng replied, “Um… just coming to say you want to propose is a bit surprising, to say the least.”

Chen Qian did not appear to agree visibly but did not say anything on the matter. After staring at the young police officer’s face for another moment, he continued, “Since you don’t have a night shift tonight and last week’s case has been closed, how about going to have dinner at the place we arranged? Bring

Captain Duan along as well as a companion.”

Finishing his words, he handed a paper to the young police officer, Lu

Yipeng, who accepted it and looked up at him immediately, “This is a famous restaurant around here, I’m going to…”

“Come on, inspector, don’t be too tense. This matter was arranged by the former director. He said he wanted you to meet her once. Also, she wants to talk to you privately.” Stopping for a moment, Chen Qian continued, “I’ll tell you straight. His daughter, Lili, is only twenty-two this year. She just finished her studies in England, beautiful and modern, don’t tell anyone. If you marry her, you’ll get a treasure trove. She’s good at her job, so chances like this don’t come by often, inspector.”

Lu Yipeng remained silent and thoughtful for a while. Eventually, he reluctantly agreed.

…

“Wow, meeting a daughter of a former director is quite lucky, isn’t it,

Inspector? This guy is really lucky.” Duan Feng spoke with surprise after hearing the whole story. Lu Yipeng nodded tiredly.

“Like that, tonight you keep me company a little bit.”

“Um… really, that fancy restaurant. I want to go, no matter what.” Duan Feng said with a troubled expression, “But coincidentally, I already have an appointment tonight, an important one.”

Lu Yipeng looked at his nephew’s face, then smiled slightly, “Another date with a girl, huh?”

“Well… inspector, you already know.” The young police officer chuckled, “It’s the singer whom your inspector helped to catch the thief who stole her purse the other day.”

“Oh.” Lu Yipeng nodded immediately, “That should be an interesting date then.”

“Well… think of it like that, it’s a good start, I have to nourish it fully.” Duan Feng said, smiling slightly and Lu Yipeng nodded again.

“Well, good luck then. I’ll just go alone.”

“Susuna, inspector. I heard the director’s daughter is a good catch. She’s beautiful, you have to accept her as your wife.”

“Um… I’ve never seen her face before. Don’t speak like that yet.” Lu Yipeng said, a little nervous at the thought of the other person.

“Well… have some confidence in yourself, inspector. With this physique and appearance, anyone would be captivated and crazy.”

Lu Yipeng didn’t say anything, just chuckled dryly. Inside…

…

Eventually, the young police officer had to go see the person alone as scheduled. After work, Lu Yipeng returned to his lodge, searching for the most elegant clothes to wear. He chuckled to himself, not realizing how excited he would be to see the person for the first time.

But as the young police officer took off his old clothes to bathe and change into new clothes, the fresh red scar at the base of his thigh revealed itself. Lu Yipeng was so shocked that he forgot to breathe. He looked at the scar on his leg, before finally letting out a sigh.

It was true that he might be lucky to have the opportunity to see the former director’s daughter, his former good friend, but no matter how lucky he was, that scar on his leg would probably erase all that luck. No one would want a son-in-law with a scar like that at the base of his thigh, and no woman would want a husband with someone else’s name carved on his thigh like that.

Lu Yipeng moved his hand to caress the scar on his leg, and then he started to think deeply.

That crazy peacock really is the one who forced him to have this scar on his leg. Why doesn’t he learn to take responsibility for real, sometimes.

The young police officer almost wanted to change his plans. Instead of going to see his daughter, he wanted to go to Hong Kongque’s mansion, but it was just a fleeting thought. His story with Hong Kongque and this scar…

Four years have passed… Four years with the scar that marked his body.

Him and that peacock…

Lu Yipeng didn’t know what Hong Kongque thought, if he was more than just seeing him as a plaything, a source of joy, a source of irritation… a source of company for the bird when he’s not around… Besides that, Hong Kongque saw him as something else…

The young police officer let out a sigh again. He couldn’t figure out that old peacock, he couldn’t guess what emotions were hiding behind that innocent face. He had no idea what the relationship between him and that house sparrow really was.

But then, one night he woke up and saw the sleeping face of the man who seemed like a fairytale character. He couldn’t resist reaching out to touch that face lightly, and then kissing his hair. Sometimes, Hong Kongque felt like a dream…

Yes. It’s not clear on his leg like this!!

Lu Yipeng decided to walk into the bathroom, take a shower and dress up nicely, then he got into the car to go to the restaurant where the appointment was originally set.

That crazy peacock, he wanted him to see something beautiful, to calm his mind a bit.

…

As soon as the ticket was handed over to the hostess at the front of the restaurant, Lu Yipeng was taken to the VIP dining room immediately. The young police officer felt a little nervous. The dining room was quite spacious, elegantly decorated and upscale. There were already two people sitting inside. One was the former director Tang Cheng, who must be about sixty-two this year. Sitting next to him was a young woman in a bright red cheongsam. Her hair was elegantly black and her face was beautifully made up. When she saw his face, she raised the hand covering her mouth, but from her eyes, it was clear that she was smiling at him.

The heart of Lu Yipeng immediately raced.

“Come in first, Inspector. No need to stand so stiffly.” Tang Cheng said. He was in his sixties and quite thin. Lu Yipeng had begun to turn pale, but the former inspector Tang Cheng smiled at the young police officer with an indifferent look, then greeted him, “Sawasdee krab, former Deputy Minister.”

“Here. No need to be so formal. Please sit down.” The older person, Lu

Yipeng, walked into the dining room immediately. The hostess standing there pulled out a chair for him. Once he sat down, Tang Cheng turned to look at the young police officer with a serious expression.

“Inspector, it seems we are in the same situation.” The older man said sternly until Lu Yipeng stiffened, “Why is that, sir?”

“Just look.” Tang Cheng said nonchalantly, “Inspector, you just walked in and not even a minute later, my daughter turns red with embarrassment. This is not just called mischievous, what should I call it then?”

The daughter immediately perked up, “My dad…what nonsense are you talking about? Who’s turning red?”

Although she spoke like that, she still covered her face with a napkin as a grand gesture. Tang Cheng saw and chuckled approvingly.

“You didn’t want to come at first. Can you say thanks now? Well, I am going to go for a walk outside for a bit. You can chat with the inspector first.” The father said, and the daughter perked up.

“Dad!” The daughter called, but the father stood up and turned to speak to the young police officer, “Take care of my little daughter, Inspector.”

Lu Yipeng nodded hesitantly. Before the elderly former police officer walked out of the dining room, leaving the two young men and women together in embarrassment.

“Um… I have to apologize on behalf of my dad. Once he gets older, he likes to do things like this all the time.” The young woman spoke up until Lu Yipeng finally had the chance to get a good look at her. She had an oval face with slightly drooping eyes. When she looked up and smiled a little, she looked even more charming to the young police officer, who almost let out a moan.

“It’s okay. When people reach a certain age, they just do what they want like this. It’s normal.” Lu Yipeng said, feeling a lump in his throat. This beautiful woman… Could she become his bride one day?

“I… I’m Lu Yipeng.” The young police officer decided to introduce himself before following the conversation. The woman looked at him and smiled shyly,

“I’m… Dong Qingqing. You can call me Qingqing.”

“Qingqing.” Lu Yipeng called out, feeling even more shy than before. For years, he had been so broken by Hong Kongque that he didn’t dare to look at women, as it always left him feeling empty inside. But today, Lu Yipeng almost wanted to make Hong Kongque just a dream. This beautiful and lovely woman… He never thought he would have a chance to meet her, and even have someone to support him as a father figure.

He wanted to forget that peacock completely… really.

The waiter brought the first dish. While the two young people were hesitating, Lu Yipeng arranged the food according to the standards of a good gentleman, serving the woman first. Dong Qingqing thanked him shyly, and then they started talking.

“What kind of food do you normally like, Inspector?”

Lu Yipeng paused for a moment, “Snow fish.” He replied, looking at the beautiful woman’s hands as she took the food. He frowned when thinking more about someone else’s hands.

“Pengpeng, have some of this.” Hong Kongque spoke, offering a piece of snow fish on his plate to Lu Yipeng. Lu Yipeng made a confused expression, “I already have a full plate. Can’t you see?”

“I see.” Hong Kongque replied, then continued with a smile, “So, Pengpeng, open your mouth. It’s empty here.”

Lu Yipeng glanced at the other person before closing his mouth tightly. Hong

Kongque chuckled, “Hey, it’s not hot anymore. I can blow it for you, or should I feed you first?” He said, making a gesture to spoon-feed him, but Lu Yipeng refused to be fed, “Are you crazy? I’m not a little kid.”

“Then open your mouth, otherwise I’ll have to keep spoon-feeding you or should I have to pull out the fork to feed you.”

Finally, Lu Yipeng had to open his mouth. To swallow that piece of fish.

Hong Kongque looked at his face, then spoke again, “Your mouth is long.”

Before the young police officer could say anything, the other person leaned in and lightly kissed him on the lips.

“Got it.” Hong Kongque said with a small smile at the corner of his mouth. Lu Yipeng quickly raised his hand to push that side away, but it was too slow as usual.

“Inspector?” The call of the young woman startled the young inspector, before he looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“What are you thinking about?” Tang Qingqing asked, tilting her head cutely as Lu Yipeng shook his head, “Nothing, just thinking about snow fish.”

“Oh… do you want to add something else? It feels like you didn’t choose from the menu in the first place.”

“It’s okay.” The young inspector quickly replied, then tried to engage the other party in conversation, “What did you study, Qingqing?”

“Law and political science.” The woman replied, “I am about to take the exam to become a prosecutor.”

“Oh…” Lu Yipeng sighed, then blinked and pondered the similarities between a prosecutor and a police officer… it might be better than the mafia and the police…

“Then I wish you success in the exam. I’ll be rooting for you.” The young inspector said, scratching his head.

Tang Qingqing nodded and said, “Thank you. By the way, Inspector, how have you been working since you were a child? I saw my father working hard day and night, and sometimes he didn’t come home for many days.”

“Well… being a police officer is like that.” Lu Yipeng replied, “There is hardly any free time.”

“That’s true.” Tang Qingqing said, then made a sad face, so Lu Yipeng quickly changed the subject, “And you, Qingqing. Do you have any hobbies?”

“Well… I like reading and driving around. I enjoy driving out in the countryside and seeing the peaceful atmosphere, it feels relaxing.”

“Um… maybe I should try it too.” Lu Yipeng said as Tang Qingqing looked at him and smiled, “I heard that you drive very fast, Inspector. I saw it in the news.”

“Oh, uh…” The young inspector immediately felt embarrassed, “I chase criminals, how can I drive slowly?”

“Well, be careful and watch out. If something happens, the person who loves the inspector will be very upset.” Tang Qingqing said as she looked at Lu Yipeng, then thought back to when Hong Kongque was driving the car. Not seeing the crazy peacock getting upset with his driving a bit, and she would have a completely different attitude.

“No one loves me that much.” Lu Yipeng replied, causing the other person to look surprised, “What are you talking about, inspector? At least you still have your father. Your mother must be worried about you, inspector.”

“Oh… my parents passed away a long time ago.”

Tang Qingqing was taken aback for a moment, but didn’t give up easily,

“Even so, at least you have relatives, inspector. They care about you.”

“I don’t have siblings, and my relatives aren’t very close.” Lu Yipeng replied, as Tang Qingqing looked at him with an appropriate amount of astonishment,

“Inspector… um… have you never been in love before?”

“If you mean a girlfriend, then yes, I have had one, but we broke up. I guess my temperament is too difficult to handle.” Lu Yipeng said, before letting out a sigh, “I must be too difficult to deal with.”

Tang Qingqing looked at him and nodded, “Inspector, you are very dedicated to the police profession, isn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And… have you ever loved anyone more than being a police officer?”

Lu Yipeng was silent for a while. He looked at the young woman, his mind wandering back to his time in the police academy, back to the times with his father, back to the moments when he was determined to become a police officer…

“I… I can’t give up being a police officer.” The young inspector finally spoke.

before raising his head to look at the young woman, “This profession is my dream, my dedication, my identity…”

Tang Qingqing looked at him, before letting out a sigh, “That’s what I didn’t want to hear. It’s because you’re a police officer that I can’t be with you.”

“Huh…”

“Father doesn’t really have much time for me anymore. I don’t want a husband who doesn’t have time for me either.”

“Huh…”

“Inspector…” Tang Ching Ching looked at him, pursing her lips, “I have a question for you, inspector… If we try dating and one day, when ready, would you be willing to resign and raise a family?”

Lu Yipeng’s expression was visibly troubled. He pursed his lips several times until finally, the young woman spoke up.

“I may be quick to make decisions sometimes, but if you are sure. It would be better if we got to know each other as friends.”

“Yes. I understand.” Lu Yipeng finally spoke. The two youths looked at each other for a moment, before the young police officer spoke up again.

“Let’s have a meal together, slowly it will help clear things up.”

Tang Qingqing looked at him before smiling, “Yes.”

…

Tang Cheng seemed somewhat indifferent when he realized that this date meeting this time was not very productive. He turned to Lu Yipeng with a look of seriousness, but was stopped by his daughter.

“Inspector Lu hasn’t done anything wrong, but I don’t like the job of a police officer. Father, you already know this.”

Tang Cheng looked at her daughter, “But… I want you to have a good future. A good husband.”

“A good man. Not just Inspector Lu.” Tang Qingqing spoke with a smile, “Please, father. I will have a life partner regardless. I want a person whom I believe is right for me. If I marry Inspector Lu, neither of us may be happy.”

Tang Cheng turned to look at the young police officer, “Lu Yipeng, do you love being a police officer more than my daughter?”

Lu Yipeng looked at her before nodding, “Yes.”

The former police chief looked at him for another moment, then let out a big sigh, “Well, then, go ahead. You will surely be a great police officer.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” Lu Yipeng said. After that, he separated himself and walked back to the car, started the engine, and drove off.

A good police officer, huh…?

Lu Yipeng drove along the road that ran alongside the bay, thinking about

Tang Qingqing’s words about driving for leisure, as he often did. He had been driving for a long time, but he never thought to look at the surroundings to relax. He focused on memorizing every corner and alley of the road, in case he needed to escape or chase criminals. His whole life was dedicated to being a true police officer.

Lu Yipeng had hoped to be a police officer since he was a child, and he was confident that he would be an outstanding one. He believed wholeheartedly that he would hold onto the police profession for the rest of his life. He never regretted his choice of career.

Until…

The car, a mix of old and new car parts, stopped in front of the steel gate of the mansion standing by the Hong Kong bay. Lu Yipeng sat quietly in the car for a moment. Eventually, he took out his mobile phone and made a call. After waiting for a moment, he finally spoke to the person he needed to talk to.

“Kongque, are you asleep yet?”

“I was about to get to my pillow when Li Kong said you called me just now.” The voice at the end of the line answered, then continued, “What is it this time?

The case from last week is closed, isn’t it? Or is there a new case coming in?”

“No, it’s not about a case. Lu Yipeng answered, then raised his head to look at the sleek black figure of the figure behind the steel gate under the dark shadows of dusk.

“I’m in front of your gate.”

“?”

“Can I come in?”

“Pengpeng, are you not feeling well?”

“…”

“What is it?”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips before answering, “I miss you.”

“…” Silence hung in the air for a while before the reply came, “It’s not a full moon tonight.”

“Am I supposed to only come to see you during the full moon? Someone else is in your bed now?”

“Mind your own manners. I don’t casually bring anyone to sleep with me.”

“Is the other side of your bed empty?”

“Yes.”

“Can I sleep with you?”

Silence hung in the air again. Before the tall, imposing gate slowly creaked open, the car parked waiting gradually turned in towards the interior of the estate. —

   **Many may be confused about the chapter numbers…

   seek your permission to backtrack a bit, as upon reflection I realize that the content of       THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

 

REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 19 may have jumped ahead too quickly. So I

   decided to write a couple of parts prior to that, but don’t want to move the chapter, as it might become more confusing (or it already is). Therefore, the inserted chapter became 18.1 (but in the overall volume, the numbering will follow the cover).

So… let’s stretch the noodles for a bit longer (running away from the readers)

1. I really want two volumes!!! << It’s taking forever!!!

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 19: Photoshoot

“How do you feel about taking photos for a book, Inspector-Lu?”

Lu Yipeng looked at the questioner with a clearly puzzled expression,

“Lieutenant, are you suggesting that I do something illegal regarding books?”

Chen Qian chuckled before quickly waving his hand, “No, someone contacted me and wants you to take my photos for the book.”

“?!” Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at his superior officer and felt like he heard or misunderstood something. He was summoned to meet the deputy chief of police just because of taking photos for a fashion book?

“What do you mean, lieutenant, by taking photos?” The young police officer asked again, the one being questioned nodded, and then continued, “Liu, the owner of Magazine A, came to talk to me yesterday and said he wants to do a feature on the police in the fashion magazine. Lately, I’ve seen you on TV quite often, he must be impressed. Inspector-Lu’s appearance is quite handsome.”

Lu Yipeng raised an eyebrow unenthusiastically about the compliment,

“When did I go on TV.” The young police officer said, and received an immediate response, “Every time you drive and catch the criminals it is on the news. I heard that you avoided the reporters all the time, but your pictures are always on the screen. Don’t say you don’t watch the news.”

Lu Yipeng’s eyebrows furrowed even more in confusion. He thought about the news photos taken behind him, or sometimes when he walked out of the hospital. Sometimes the photos were not taken and instead they used the picture from his ID card.

“I want to tell them to stop taking pictures of me. This is close to infringing on personal rights.” The young police officer nodded and smiled, then continued.

“Come on now… what about posing for a photo, inspector?”

“What?!” Lu Yipeng immediately exclaimed before shaking his head, “No, I don’t want that. I’m a police officer, not a model. If we’re going to do a setup related to police, then let’s do something more interesting like portraying a police officer who performs duties to the best of his abilities even if he gets injured. That kind of setup might be more intriguing.”

“Well, those kinds of setups do exist and are quite common.” Chen Qian said, raising his head to look at Lu Yipeng earnestly, “I was thinking, if we change the presentation approach, maybe more people, especially teenagers who are choosing their career paths, might become more interested in becoming police officers. Your book, Inspector Lu, will be quite popular among the teenage group. It might work. You go for a photo shoot like this and you might attract more interest in becoming a police officer.”

Lu Yipeng looked visibly troubled, “And if it doesn’t work…”

“If it doesn’t work, then no big deal. Just go for a photo shoot. I’ve already discussed this with the chief and he agreed with it.”

“What?!” Lu Yipeng exclaimed once again. Chen Qian picked up a piece of paper with the Hong Kong Police Department logo on it and handed it over for him to read.

“That’s right, Inspector. No need to worry about wasting official time, as this will be considered public relations work for the department.”

…

In the end, Lu Yipeng had to come to the studio for a photo shoot for another two days, even though he was not entirely willing to do so. On top of that, he had to remember the names and faces of the female celebrity that Duan Feng had asked him to ask for her autograph.

Inspector-Lu and they agreed to meet outside of the city for a while. The area was by the sea, and the building was a single-story structure built in a modern architectural style. There was ample parking when Lu Yipeng got out of the car.

Two young men immediately approached.

“Inspector-Lu, right? Mister Liu is waiting for you this way, sir.”

The young police officer had to follow the two people into the building, which was painted white inside and divided into several large hallways. The rooms were labeled with numbers, and there were slots to indicate which company or individual was using the studio rooms.

While Lu Yipeng was scanning the area looking for the actress that Duan

Feng had recommended for his signature, someone else walked in to greet him.

“Inspector-Lu, right? I was afraid you wouldn’t come.” The man who greeted him was small in stature, around thirty to forty years old. He had combed hair and dressed in flashy fashion, which Lu Yipeng thought he would never understand the beauty of this type throughout his life. The man smiled and raised his hand as if holding a weapon.

“I am Liu Guashi, and I think vice captain Chen must have mentioned my name to the inspector before.”

Lu Yipeng had to shake hands and respond as politely as possible before speaking back, “Yes, he mentioned something about you to me.”

Liu Guashi looked at the young police officer and smiled again, “Inspector, you look even more handsome in person than in your ID card photo, if you agree to appear on the good TV. Not sure if it will take long before you become a celebrity.”

Lu Yipeng did not feel happy to receive the compliment. He remained calm and spoke softly, “I am here to follow my vice’s orders regarding the interview.”

“Oh, okay.” Liu Guashi said, smiling warmly, “Follow me this way, inspector.” As he finished speaking, he led the way, walking ahead of the young police officer to the studio room. When they entered, the young police officer had to stop when several people surrounded him immediately.

“Oh… Is this Inspector Lu Yipeng? He looks even more handsome in person than in his photos.” Someone’s voice rang out loud, before Lu Yipeng felt like someone had touched his chest.

“Wow, fit and firm body, dressed to the nines in this uniform. I’m thrilled to see a man like this.”

Inspector Yipeng decided to push those people away because he started to feel that if he let them hang around for too long, they might get bolder. He heard the whispers of gossip getting louder, “Alright, behave yourselves a bit, or else the inspector will catch you.”

“Oh… Inspector Yipeng is handsome indeed. I consent to being caught all night.” One young man, who walked with swagger, clearly said out loud. The young police officer frowned and then turned to find Liu Guashi.

“Mister Liu, are you going to interview me here?”

“Yes, sir.” Mister Liu said, smiling, “Let’s go straight to the sofa over there. I must apologize to my people.”

The other side continued, holding Liu Yipeng’s hand, leading them to sit on the dark brown leather sofa placed deep inside the room, “Don’t worry, just make yourself comfortable.” Liu said. After pulling Yipeng to sit down, the young police officer hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, “This is no problem at all, sir.” He said before handing the notebook back.

“Let’s start the interview, inspector.” Mister Liu said, smiling, “Ever since Inspector Lu became famous, I’ve been receiving fan mail and emails asking to do interviews about Inspector. I brought some letters for you to read.” After finishing his words, the woman sitting next to him handed Yipeng a letter to read, and he blinked a few times.

“I am a police officer.” The young police officer replied with a fairly serious face. The other person nodded and smiled, “That’s what makes it interesting. Usually, the books I make contain pictures that are not of teenage idols. They are often about famous celebrities, but no one has ever done anything or a photobook regarding government officials before.” He paused for a moment,

“Of course, when we talk about government officials, especially the police, the image we often think of is an old man with a rather stern expression, who comes out to be interviewed when big cases happen. Every time, teenagers, right, where do they want to go party, is it true, sir?”

Lu Yipeng looked at the speaker’s face and answered calmly, “It has to be like that. They work hard and don’t have much time to take care of themselves.”

“Hmm… inspector, you really live up to being a good police officer.” Liu

Guashi said, then continued, “I heard that you graduated at the top of your class as a police cadet with the highest honors. Your name was on the honor roll for all six years of studying. I wonder if you have any secrets about this, do you know?”

“I am dedicated to studying diligently.” Lu Yipeng said, then turned to look at Liu Guashi, “Is this recording my voice?”

The person being asked chuckled, “Yes, but inspector, you don’t need to be nervous. I’ll have the kids rewind the tape. It’s casual to talk like this, to make yourself comfortable. I want the interview to be as natural as possible.”

“Um.” Lu Yipeng nodded, trying to imagine that he had known Liu Guashi for many years, but…it was difficult to maintain the same composure.

“The focus of the inspector’s study is reading books, studying textbooks diligently all day, right?”

“No. I allocate my time.” Lu Yipeng replied, “We don’t need to study textbooks all day. Another thing, the police academy focuses more on practical training than theory.”

“Oh… So when you were studying, did you secretly go on trips or anything like that?”

“Yes.” Lu Yipeng answered, starting to remember, “We all need some time to relax. No one can be in a frame all the time. We just need to limit ourselves.” “Oh, okay.” Liu Guashi nodded, “I heard from many of your teachers, including the trainers, that you were mischievous during his study. Is this true?”

“Who did you ask?” Lu Yipeng asked back, making Liu Guashi shake his head, “They told me to keep it a secret, but said inspector, you were both mischievous and brave. When something happened, you would take the lead. Even in food fights at the cafeteria, you were the one in charge.”

“Well… I’m not a troublemaker. I just intervened.”

“The fact that you intervened against seven or eight classmates in the seventh grade, is that just intervening?” The other person asked, Lu Yipeng looked confused, “If you want to intervene against those people. If you don’t want to be beaten up by them. You have to punch them before they do anything.” Lu

Yipeng said, then turned to Liu Guashi again, “Mister Liu, ask something more imaginative.”

The person being asked chuckled approvingly, “Hmm… You are quite imaginative, inspector, you may be mischievous and naughty, but still graduated with honors. And also receiving compliments in all subjects like this shows that the inspector is not ordinary, right?”

“No, I’m just an ordinary person.” Lu Yipeng said, “It depends on how much effort you put into something.”

“Ah, I see.” The man nodded, then asked further, “Did you take the entrance exam to the Police Officer Academy?”

“Not difficult.” Lu Yipeng replied, “But I’ve been preparing to take the exam since I started studying in primary school.”

“I see that you have been inspired to become a police officer by your father, right?”

“Um.” The man nodded, “Not really inspired. My father, who passed away, wanted me to become a police officer. He said it was a profession to be proud of.”

“Okay. From this background, it seems that your mother passed away when you were born and so you lived with only your father until you were fifteen and then your father passed away. Growing up like this one would think you have some family issues like lack of warmth or something similar, right?”

“No.” Lu Yipeng answered, shaking his head, “My father has had chronic lung disease for a long time. He refused to remarry because he loved my mother so much. I feel that my mother must be an amazing woman because of that. I don’t feel unhappy or sad about it.”

“Um, you sound very strong from the way you talk.” Liu Guashi spoke seriously, “We came to an important moment for us two weeks ago. I tried to open a column to ask the fans of the book. If we invite Inspector for an interview, what questions would the fans want to ask Inspector? Do you know that there are fan clubs following you now?”

Lu Yipeng made a strange face, “I don’t want to have any.”

Liu Guashi chuckled heartily, “I’d better start with this question. Normally, police officers are not supposed to have good figures. They are either too fat or too skinny, their looks are mediocre. Why do you, Inspector Lu have such a good appearance and a perfect physique like this?”

“Um… who asked that?” Lu Yipeng asked back. Liu Guashi smiled, “Your fan club.”

The young police officer looked at him with a somewhat incredulous expression but answered the question, “My appearance is just like this. As for my physique, I exercise regularly.”

“So… Do you have any special hobbies or interests? Besides working out and chasing criminals.” Liu Guashi asked.

Lu Yipeng raised his eyebrows, “Those two are my professions. As for hobbies… planting trees.”

“What kind of trees?” asked the other person.

“Flytrap.”

“Oh…” The person listening widened his eyes, “Trees that eat insects? I never knew you would raise such strange trees. Did you order them online or seize them from somewhere?”

Lu Yipeng raised his eyebrows again, “My senior gave them to me.”

“Oh…” The other person responded and nodded, “And what about your favorite food?”

The young police officer remained silent for a moment, “I’m not sure. I eat anything. Not too picky. If I had to choose something to eat regularly, it would probably be fried rice with tofu.”

“Very basic.” The other person replied, “And what about drinks?”

“Just water.”

“Normally, when you have free time, what kind of tourist destinations do you think of, inspector?”

“The sea.”

“What month and day were you born?”

“August 25th. Are you going to interrogate me?”

The person being questioned chuckled, “The next question is the most frequently asked by fans. I wonder if such a handsome and talented inspector has a partner or lover.”

“No, I don’t.” Lu Yipeng said, causing the other person to look genuinely surprised, “Oh… I can’t believe it, sir. Is it because you have a connection with

Hong Kongque, or what?”

Lu Yipeng’s face immediately tensed up, “Why do you ask about him?”

“Oh, just a question from fans. If you don’t want to answer, it’s okay.”

“Well, I have nothing to do with him at all.”

“Okay, and do you have a girlfriend or are you too high-profile to find a partner?”

“No, I don’t have one.”

“It’s possible.”

“…” Liu Guashi remained silent for a moment, then asked, “What does the lady in your dream, inspector, look like?”

This time Lu Yipeng was the one to stay silent for a while. After thinking for a moment, the young police officer replied, “She’s probably someone who resembles my mother.”

“Oh, I see.” Liu Guashi nodded, then summarized, “Thank you, inspector, for honoring us with this interview today. Is there anything you would like to say to our readers at home?”

“Well… I think being a police officer is a good profession. Currently, our department is in need of new recruits. If you are interested, you should try applying.”

“If you volunteer to interview each applicant in person, I’m sure many people would apply.”

Lu Yipeng frowned immediately and Liu Guashi quickly said, “That’s enough for the interview.”

The young police officer let out a sigh before standing up, “I’m leaving now.”

“Just a moment, sir.” Liu Guashi said before getting up as well, “We haven’t taken any photos yet. Inspector, please sit over there and have a drink to relax.

Then we can discuss what concept would be best for the photoshoot.”

“What?!” Lu Yipeng looked puzzled before being walked over by two other men with arms linked, dragging him to sit in another chair. Then they brought him a glass of water to drink.

“Uh… now that we’ve seen you, I want to be a police officer too.” one of the two men spoke up. Lu Yipeng looked at him, “How old are you?”

“Eighteen, sir.”

“You can still apply then.” Lu Yipeng said, looking at him and giving a slight smile, “If you get accepted, will I get to see you every day?”

Before Lu Yipeng could respond, the other man raised his hand to touch his arm, “Inspector, you have a great body. Even in a uniform like this. If you take off your shirt, then…”

“You guys, be a little considerate of the inspector.” Liu Guashi, who was walking in, spoke up again. The other two people looked at each other and chuckled, “Mister Liu, you also want to see the inspector shirtless, right? Hmm… A handsome man with a body like this, not easy to come by, right?”

“Go further away.” The person being teased said, chuckling, and the two young men walked away. Lu Yipeng adjusted himself uncomfortably, “Hey,

Mister Liu. I don’t model for adult books, you know.”

“Yes.” Liu Guashi nodded, “I wouldn’t have you model for adult books either, I swear.”

Lu Yipeng looked at Liu Guashi skeptically from the moment he stepped into the studio. He started to feel like he was stepping into forbidden territory. Just as he thought about it, a man approached him every now and then.

If Hong Kongque alone could endure, he probably couldn’t handle this group.

Lu Yipeng looked at Liu Guashi again, thinking that if this doctor or cousin did anything inappropriate or crossed the line sexually, he would report them to the publisher right away.

“Um… I think the inspector looks best in this type of outfit.” Liu Guashi said. After looking at Lu Yipeng for a while, “The angrier the inspector looks, the better it looks. Why don’t you try standing over there for a couple shots? Just two photos will do.” With that, he waved at Lu Yipeng before walking away.

Lu Yipeng was made to stand in front of a black backdrop. Across from him were two spotlight flashes for the photoshoot, and there was another cameraman. Liu Guashi stood behind him.

“Move back a little more, inspector. Try walking back and forth a bit, don’t look at the camera, just walk comfortably. That’s it.”

As soon as the shutter clicked and the flash burst out, Lu Yipeng wondered why these guys were taking pictures of him walking.

“Inspector, is this necktie too tight? I think it looks too cramped. Especially for the photoshoot.” Liu Guashi said as Lu Yipeng looked at him.

“Just loosen it a little, that’s it. Just a little.”

Lu Yipeng raised his hand to loosen the necktie. Liu Guashi quickly spoke up, “That’s it, inspector. I’ll have the kids come in to help with the clothing.”

Lu Yipeng was about to say something when two men suddenly entered, handing him a cloth to wipe his face and helping him loosen his necktie in a grand manner. Lu Yipeng had to push both men away, “You’re making me look untidy.”

The young police officer adjusted the buttons on his shirt, then fixed his necktie before walking out of the scene.

“Just a moment, inspector. We haven’t taken any pictures yet.” Liu Guashi called out. Lu Yipeng turned to look at him, “Aren’t you going to take any photos?”

“Test the lighting and pose, inspector. Sit there straight for a moment.

Powder your face, so it won’t shine too much when the flash goes off.”

Lu Yipeng raised an eyebrow and reluctantly grabbed a powder puff to dab on his face. He heard another person speak, “Inspector, don’t make such a mess with the powder. Your skin will look oily. Just a little is enough to prevent shine.”

The young police officer had to sit quietly, as any gesture he made towards a lady might be inappropriate. The lady applied a bit of powder, while using her hands to guide his face up, and smiled, “You look handsome already. Let me adjust your shirt a bit.”

Since she was a woman, Lu Yipeng did not want to offend her like he did with the two men earlier, so he allowed her to adjust his clothing. As she helped put on his shoulder straps, the young police officer’s mobile phone suddenly rang loudly.

“Pengpeng.” The voice that boomed made Lu Yipeng raise his hand in surprise. He hurried to a corner of the studio and whispered into the phone.

“I’ve just returned from Vietnam, bought some gifts for you. Can you stop by and see me at the mansion?”

“I’m busy right now. Can’t go.”

“What are you busy with?” The voice on the other end demanded sharply. Lu

Yipeng glanced over at the people walking back and forth before responding,

“I’m here for a photoshoot.”

“What’s up with that?!” The voice at the other end of the line immediately asked, “Photoshoot? With who?”

“Liu Guashi.”

“Guashi?” Hong Kongque repeated the name over the phone, “Pengpeng, are you starting to sell yourself through the newspapers now or what?”

“Seems like it.” Lu Yipeng burst into the conversation, “I’m here because of my deputy’s orders.”

“Chen Qian had something crazy in mind to have you do a photoshoot with that faction. Where are you doing the shoot?”

“At Studio T, That’s it” He didn’t finish his sentence as he hung up the phone before Lu Yipeng could respond. He turned to see Liu Guashi walking towards him, “I’ll just ask you to head over to the scene, so we can start shooting right away.”

Lu Yipeng stood silent for a moment. Eventually, he asked, “Mister Liu. Do you know Hong Kongque?”

Liu Guashi looked at him and nodded, “I do, everyone knows him. Knows his name, at least. Even if one is not a policeman, why do you ask?”

“Oh… and are you afraid of him?”

Liu Guashi chuckled, “Inspector, you don’t seem afraid of him at all. Why would I be afraid? I think he’s just an old man who has a kind heart. Doesn’t seem dangerous at all, right? It’s probably just gossip going around.”

Lu Yipeng swallowed his saliva nervously, “I think you should be cautious.”

“I’m not cautious, inspector, you were harsh during the interview. You didn’t want to talk about him at all, why bring him up like that? Let’s head to the scene, we’ll finish late if we keep this up.”

Lu Yipeng had to walk back to the scene, hoping that nothing crazy would happen.

The photoshoot seemed simple and not as scary as Lu Yipeng initially thought. At least he was wearing the outfit neatly, and all he had to do was stand, sit, and walk back and forth for a while. After a while, the young police officer began to feel more relaxed and even found some angles to smile at the camera. Liu Guashi saw this and quickly raised his index finger and instructed the cameraman to capture the moment.

While in the middle of shooting, a man suddenly ran in, “Inspector-Lu.

There’s an older relative here to see you.”

“?” Everyone turned to the one speaking. As they looked behind, they saw a man in a dark red jacket walking in.

“Hey Pengpeng, having fun modeling?”

“!!!” Lu Yipeng almost bit his tongue to stop himself from blurting out the name. Liu Guashi looked at the man walking in and smiled, “Do I know you?”

“I am a senior relative from his grandmother’s side of the family.” The newcomer walked confidently towards the photo shoot scene, not caring about what the people in the scene were doing, before stopping in front of the young policeman.

“Pengpeng, it’s time to go home.”

Lu Yipeng was speechless. While Liu Guashi and the others looked equally stunned.

“Um… Are you really his senior relative? I mean… you look around the same age as him.”

The man in red smiled, “I can assure you I am indeed his senior relative. I was born first, I  am older than him.”

After speaking, he turned to Lu Yipeng, “Pengpeng, will you come back by yourself, or should I drag you back?”

Lu Yipeng swallowed hard before finally speaking, “Um… please remain calm. I just came here for a photoshoot.”

“I do not allow it.” The man spoke sternly before turning to him, “I never agreed to let anyone else see your body again.”

Lu Yipeng was still at a loss for words when the man turned to sweep his gaze over the others, “Who’s in charge of the camera?”

The person behind the camera blinked slowly. The man in red turned to him and spoke calmly, “Are you taking a lot of pictures of him?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll buy both the camera and the memory card inside it.”

“Sure.”

“In that case, I’ll take a lot of shots.”

“Wait!” Liu Guashi, who was standing quietly, looked up with a hint of curiosity, “Who are you? From what I have investigated, Inspector-Lu has no relatives as young as you. Are you a blackmailer or something?”

The accused person turned to look at the speaker before smiling slyly, “If I say yes, what will you do? Write a story about it? The income must be pretty good.”

“Oh, of course. I’ll have someone take a picture of you as well. You’ll get both the news and a charge for violating personal rights.”

“Guashi…” The person called out to him with a hint of sarcasm, “This is an interesting position you are posturing. Does it match your father’s investment plan to borrow money for me to invest in someone like you?”

This time, Liu Guashi seemed slightly hesitant, stammering a bit before speaking, “Who are you? How do you know about borrowing money?”

“Call your father and ask him, but ask nicely. Don’t let him know that you’re bothering me. The consequences could be severe, the kind of blood vessels in the brain bursting, you will be blamed for that.” With that, the other person watched as Liu Guashi looked at him and immediately made a phone call. After a brief conversation, Liu Guashi’s face gradually turned pale. He glanced at the person in the red suit and quickly turned away as he hung up the phone.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t realize it was you.”

“Um… it’s okay.” The person standing there replied, then continued, “Alright, I’ll buy that camera with the memory card together. How much are you selling it for?”

“No problem.” Liu Guashi said somewhat shakily, “If you just want a picture of yourself, take the memory card.”

“Um… that’s fine…” The person in the red suit nodded and took the memory card that the camera technician brought over before turning to smile at Liu

Guashi, “This matter today, let’s keep it a secret, especially since Inspector-Lu is involved. I’ll let you go this time. Oh… but if this leaks or becomes news, even just a single word, you’ll know what will happen.”

“Understood.” Liu Guashi replied with a fearful tone. The other person let out a sigh before turning to the young police officer.

“Alright, you can go now.” With that, he waved to Lu Yipeng, leading him outside the studio.

…

When he came out, Lu Yipeng was so surprised that he stumbled, encountering the long limousine with a red peacock emblem in front of Luo Songzhi who was waiting to open the back door. The young police officer was pushed into the car by another person before the door closed.

“Kongque, do you have to make things messy?” The young police officer asked. After the other person had settled in, this was the first time he had the opportunity to ride a limousine together. This bullet Hong Kongque looked at him, then reached out and slapped him loudly.

Lu Yipeng turned his head as he was slapped, both confused and startled. As he raised his head, he was slapped again.

“How dare you come to take pictures of others like this.” Hong Kongque shouted, then pulled up the neck of the young police officer, “Even if it’s Chen Qian’s command or anyone else’s, you have to tell me first. I do not allow you to take pictures with anyone else. You belong to me. Remember that!”

Lu Yipeng looked towards the person in front of him, this was the first time he had seen Hong Kongque this furious. His dark expression turned bright red, his eyes staring at him as if he was furious, and his hand holding the collar of his shirt tightened more and more.

“Kongque. Are you jealous of me?”

Hong Kongque’s eyes lingered before pulling up the collar of Lu Yipeng’s shirt, “With your face, do you dare to talk to me like this?”

Lu Yipeng squirmed once before trying to grab both hands that were holding the collar of his shirt, “You seem jealous of me.”

“Your mouth! Do you think someone like me would..!” Hong Kongque didn’t finish speaking, because Lu Yipeng suddenly moved quickly, pushing him closer to the car seat.

“If you’re not really jealous, why are your hands shaking? Normally your hand is heavy handed and you would be choking me now. You would never let me speak so much nonsense before.”

“Huh!” Hong Kongque just made a sound. Lu Yipeng felt the overwhelming pressure on his neck and immediately raised his hand to hold the hand of the other person, before speaking, “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, okay?”

“…”

“I’m serious. I didn’t think you would…” He paused for a moment, the young police officer smiled, “Be jealous of me this much.”

“Disgusting.” The other person said, but before he could exert more force, his hand was pulled out by the young police officer, and pressed down on the car seat.

“Kongque, don’t be so stubborn… Usually you sigh regularly as a sign of giving up. I have never been able to defeat you, but today you seem very agitated, breathing out of rhythm. Am I making you very upset?”

“Well…” Hong Kongque just sighed and looked away, “There’s a crazy kid. I don’t know why he’s always looking at ships nearby, it’s making me nervous that he might let his gaze wander a bit and go charm someone else.”

Lu Yipeng smiled slightly and moved his face closer, “And what about you?

Don’t you usually charm others too?” Yikes!!

Hong Kongque’s hand that was being held suddenly slipped out and slammed into the face of the young police officer with such force that Lu Yipeng saw stars.

“If you don’t see it with your own eyes, don’t accuse me of it!” Hong

Kongque growled, “A fine talker like you is really something.”

“Kongque.” Lu Yipeng stepped forward before stumbling and reaching out, grabbing the other person’s hand and squeezing it again, “I apologize.”

Hong Kongque pursed his lips before turning his gaze elsewhere, “I don’t want to hear your empty apologies, just leave.”

Lu Yipeng looked at the other person with a hesitant and awkward expression, but in the end, he smiled.

“What are you smiling at?”

“I’m happy.”

“?!”

“You’re so jealous of me that you’re speechless.”

“!!”

“Kongque…”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“…”

“You and I… should understand each other by now.”

“Understand what?”

“…”

Hong Kongque looked at Lu Yipeng before smiling, “You’re a cop, say something intelligent first.”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips. Finally, he let out a sigh, “Kongque, do you know? Sometimes I don’t want you to be Hong Kongque.”

“You’ve gone a bit too far. I’ve never not wanted you to be Lu Yipeng.”

“?!”

“Surprised, huh?” He asked and continued, “If you weren’t a cop, not so stubborn like this, do you think I would ever meet you? I don’t regret you being a cop. I’m just afraid you would regret it more than I would.”

“I don’t regret it at all.” Lu Yipeng said firmly, “Just regret meeting you.”

“With lips like that should I take back my words about you being stubborn some night?”

Lu Yipeng didn’t answer that question. He lowered his hand, took off his necktie, unfastened his belt and shoulder strap, unzipped his outer suit, then leaned down and whispered in the other person’s ear.

“Do you know that you’re the first person to make me take off my uniform  without ordering or saying anything?”

Hong Kongque just smiled at the corner of his mouth, “Hmm… Is there such a thing or shall I not know?”

Lu Yipeng smiled slightly. Then he took Hong Kongque’s hand, and slowly unbuttoned his own shirt, revealing his toned chest. When his hand touched the warm and firm chest, Hong Kongque let out a deep sigh. As Lu Yipeng’s hand moved inside his shirt, he caressed the part that had been touched and rubbed countless times, believing it was a special day.

“Too cruel.” Hong Kongque gritted his teeth before clapping his hands and pulling the other person closer, “Do you think doing this won’t make you regret later?”

The young police officer pursed his lips, “I don’t know. Have you ever thought about regretting?”

“Never.”

“No matter what happens, or how it ends?”

“Uh-huh.”

Lu Yipeng glanced at the other person before letting out a sigh, “You are truly strong.”

“If you can’t fight, just retreat. You might lose all your honor student titles.” The other person said, pushing him away lightly. Lu Yipeng quickly grabbed his hand.

“I failed the exam the first time I met you.” The young police officer said, kissing the hand, “Kongque. I failed the exam because of you. To be honest, I never thought I would pass, but I still…”

“…”

“Am I stupid?”

“Uh-huh…” Hong Kongque nodded, then raised his hand to caress the cheeks that were still red from the other person, “Inspector, you are both stubborn and stupid.”

“Really… Do you like it?”

“…”

“…”

Finally, Hong Kongque let out a sigh, “Do you still need to ask? Do I tolerate anyone acting stupid every day? It’s not like you don’t know, right?”

Lu Yipeng shook his head, “I don’t know. I can’t figure you out, Kongque.

When will you end this?”

“Why do you have to ask me?” The other person retorted. The young police officer stared at him in silence for a while. Finally, the other person spoke up,

“Ask yourself, when do you want to end this?”

“I…” Lu Yipeng bit his lower lip tightly before hugging Hong Kongque tightly, “Kongque, will it have to end one day?”

“Um…”

“When that day comes. Will you forget about me?”

“I won’t forget, will you forget about me.”

“Do you think I will forget?” The other person retorted, echoing Hong Kongque’s words.

“I don’t know. You’re still young, there’s a lot more to learn in life. When you get older, you might forget.”

“I may not live to be old.”

“?!”

“Kongque.” Lu Yipeng called out that name again before turning his face and lightly kissing the cheek of the other person, “It’s a full moon tonight, stay by my side. Just one more night.”

Hong Kongque said nothing, just drew that face closer and gently leaned in.

…

The silver moonlight shone down on the evening sky, reflecting off the small window of a small boat drifting away from the shore.

The silver light painted on the half-face with wrinkles, a result of time, on the forehead of that face, there appeared a triangular scar elongated, the lines at the corners of the deep-seated mouth deepened when the person raised their face and looked at the moon, with only a faint smile.

The silver moon gradually became covered by dark clouds. Before the raindrops rushed down, hitting the boat so loudly it sounded like someone was throwing rocks, a chuckling laughter and shouting of a name could be heard.

“Hong Kongque!!”

***

Finally, we decided to skim through the story of Hong Kongque a bit until (of course… it wasn’t revealed as he had gone away!!!) the plot starts coming out in an unfinished manner, with only chill chapters in mind (and mostly out at sea), making me think. If we don’t get through the main story a little bit, this might turn into a never-ending series of island-hopping adventures for sure (the writer would probably give up first).

Honestly, when I started writing this at first, I didn’t think it would end like this, but as it goes towards the end, I thought it would be okay to include these aspects (and readers will definitely want to strangle us).

Now I secretly like Kongque a lot (of course, I’ve been subtly leaning towards Kongque for a long time), and feel like Pengpeng keeps sneaking in just like a star. Haha, at the beginning of this chapter, it’s like a Pengpeng interview.

Anyway, thank you so much for following and reading (I’m feeling better now… but… work is still piling up…<<I’m definitely going to die)

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 18:Bird-Sitter

It is generally known in the mansion circles that Hong Kongque, the great master of the mansion, loves to raise birds as pets. To the extent of buying a deserted island for this purpose. Especially for raising birds, but among all the birds, the favorite bird would not escape the white-breasted parrot named Paechikchik, which seemed like Hong Kongque would not be willing to let it go even for a day.

But…

…

“Pengpeng.”

Lu Yipeng frowned as he walked into the room and as soon as he heard his name being called. He looked over at the front desk and saw a white parrot perched on it. The servants were lined up in a row, but the dark red leather chair in the middle was empty, with no owner sitting in it.

“What’s going on here?” The young police officer asked, puzzled. After looking around for a few seconds, and being sure that the main cause which made him have to enter the room. Li Kong; Hong Kongque’s butler was walking slowly towards him and handing him the phone.

“Is Pengpeng here yet?” a familiar voice sounded through the phone cheerfully. Lu Yipeng’s eyebrows furrowed even more. He lowered his voice and said,

“Why are you calling me again? I’m already here. Why do you need to call me again?”

It was because Hong Kongque had called him in the evening, with a short sentence that said, “Stop doing your job and hurry to the mansion immediately. Otherwise, you’ll encounter an unexpected situation.”

Not wanting to create more trouble, Lu Yipeng quit his job and rushed to the mansion in his car. The situation he encountered was even more unexpected than he thought.

“Oh… I forgot to tell you. I’m about to board a plane to America.” Hong Kongque said, “This time, I have to take Little Zhi along. I’m afraid Little Paechhikchik’ll be bored with no one to play with, and he might pluck his own feathers again. So I thought I’d bring you to be his playmate for a while.”

Lu Yipeng raised his eyebrows as he looked at the white parrot, which was tilting its head and looking at him. He almost dropped the phone in shock.

He was about to faint from the shock. He dropped work to come and be a playmate for a parrot!!!

“Hey, Pengpeng, try talking to Little Paechikchik and let me hear.” Hong

Kongque continued. Lu Yipeng’s hand holding the phone was shaking. The young police officer stood in silence for a long time, biting his lip before finally managing to come up with a response.

“This is your bird, the servants are everywhere, take care of it yourself. I’m leaving.” Lu Yipeng said into the phone, feeling a headache coming on. His size alone was enough to create problems and annoyances. He couldn’t believe this bird was in his house.

Before he could finish speaking or hang up the phone and turn around, three men in suits walked over and stood next to him as if to block him. He heard Hong Kongque’s voice through the phone.

“Pengpeng, don’t be cruel. I ask for your help with this little game. Don’t tell me that a top student like you, with a black heart, would abandon one bird and leave it to pluck its own feathers? You won’t play along with this bird.”

Lu Yipeng wanted to say out loud, what does this have to do with him having to play with this bird? But before he could say anything, the bird flapped its wings and said, “Pengpeng, let’s play.”

The person being called opened his mouth to respond, the bird tilted its head towards him and bobbed its head, as if inviting him to join in.

Just as if the owner arrived, but when the owner was absent, he acted as if he was playing the role of the owner instead.

While Lu Yipeng was trying to figure out how to survive this ridiculous situation, Hong Kongque’s voice grew louder, “Oops. I have to go up now, take care of Little Paechikchik and Pengpeng. If I come back and my Little Paechikchik is messy, or if any feathers are missing, I will heat up a hot iron and pierce your fingers one by one. Oh…” He paused as if thinking of something, “And if you dare to teach my Little Paechikchik to say anything weird, I will pierce your tongue, attach a chain, and tie it to a cart wheel, let’s see which one wears out first, your tongue or the chain.”

Lu Yipeng quickly closed his mouth, swallowed nervously, and wondered where Hong Kongque had gotten these ideas to torment them. He heard Hong

Kongque speaking in a calm tone, “But I know that you, Pengpeng, are not cruel. I will return in five days. Take care of my little Paechikchik.”

After finishing speaking, he hung up and left Lu Yipeng standing there, staring at the bird in the room. Li Kong came to take the phone quietly, so Lu Yipeng could not bring himself to ask.

“Butler Li, do I really have to play with this bird?” He finally asked.

“As the bird owner wishes.” Li Kong replied. Lu Yipeng’s face turned pale, swallowing hard. Finally, he asked, “But I have never raised a bird before.”

Li Kong didn’t respond to anything except smiling, then walked away. Lu Yipeng felt like he had been tricked and left stranded. He looked up and saw a white crane named Paechikchik walking back and forth on the balcony, as if waiting for him to come find it for real.

“Pengpeng, come and play with me, come and play with me.”

In the end, Lu Yipeng had to go and find the bird instead of the person he had always been looking at. The young police officer couldn’t help but wonder what was going on after accommodating the bird’s boss’ emotions. He had to come and deal with the bird’s emotions now. What kind of fate was this all about?

As he approached, Lu Yipeng saw another chair placed next to him. The chair was red leather, and Hong Kongque sat on it regularly. Paechikchik flapped its wings excitedly as he walked closer.

“Pengpeng, Pengpeng.” Paechikchik chirped as Hong Kongque used to. It fluttered back and forth on the balcony, seemingly telling him to sit down. Lu Yipeng hesitated for a moment, but eventually sat down.

“Good, good.” The original bird spoke up again and flapped its wings towards Lu Yipeng as if to encourage him to stand up.

“Not good, not good.” Paechikchik spoke and whimpered a little, then flew up to perch on his head and peck lightly at him.

Lu Yipeng had to raise his hand to shoo the bird away, which seemed to work a little. Paechikchik flew back to its original perch on the balcony, then turned its head to look at him again, “Come play with me, come play with me.”

In reality, Lu Yipeng had been brought by Hong Kongque to be the bird feeder at his bird feeding station. For three days he would bring food to different spots and sometimes scatter it for the birds, but he had never had to play with the birds before. The young police officer continued to stare at the white crane, unsure of what to do next.

Paechikchik tilted its head to look at the man in front of it. Then it jumped down from the balcony to the table, heading straight for a closed glass bottle. It pecked at the lid and tried to unscrew it while Lu Yipeng watched in astonishment.

Was the white cockatoo about to open the bottle?

Paechikchik struggled to unscrew the bottle’s lid for a while, but it wouldn’t budge. The bird then raised its head, looked at him, and pecked at the bottle’s lid, “Open it a little, open it a little.”

Lu Yipeng looked at the bird and suddenly thought of something else. If he were to pick up the bottle and open it, he might be considered harming a protected animal while weighing in on whether it was the right thing to do or not. Paechikchik flapped his wings and continued, “Evil man, evil man.”

Lu Yipeng did not know whether he should reach out to pick up the bottle to open it, or reach out to grab the bird and break its neck, but in the end, the young policeman chose to open the bottle, telling himself that he did not want to exchange his life for the life of the swiftlet.

Once the bottle was opened, Paechikchik flapped his wings excitedly before flying to another island far away. Lu Yipeng then remembered seeing Hong Kongque throw a mangosteen seed to feed the bird. The young policeman looked into the bottle and found it really did contain mangosteen seeds.

The cockatoo stretched its neck up and down as if waiting for Lu Yipeng to throw the seed. He cautiously tossed one seed and Paechikchik caught it in its mouth, then repeated the motion with a second seed. This time, Paechikchik changed its direction and managed to catch it again.

In the end, Lu Yipeng realized that feeding the cockatoo mangosteen seeds was quite enjoyable. As he threw all the seeds, the bird chirped and flew to the island in front, tilting its head as if asking for praise. Lu Yipeng gently touched it and said with a smile, “Well done.”

“Well done, well done.” The bird repeated, flapping its wings on the island,

“Love Pengpeng, love Pengpeng.”

After speaking, it leaned its head against his fingers and then lightly pecked him.

Lu Yipeng let the bird peck his finger, then stroked it for a moment before Li Kong walked in. Seeing the elderly Li Kong, Paechikchik quickly flew to the island and looked back at Lu Yipeng.

“Today is enough, today is enough.”

The young policeman lifted his head to look at Li Kong, who smiled at him,

“inspector…you are leaving now, see you tomorrow.”

“Oh… yes.” Lu Yipeng said, nodding in agreement, still a bit perplexed. He agreed to come back one day to play with the bird for a few minutes. The young policeman looked at the white cockatoo once again, and the bird tilted its head, looked at him, and softly spoke, “See you tomorrow, see you tomorrow.”

…

“Inspector, you keep looking at your watch again. Do you have somewhere to go afterwards with a hidden responsibility?” Duan Feng asked, while both of them were having dinner together in a small restaurant near Lu Yipeng’s workplace. Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at his younger brother before chuckling.

“It’s nothing much. Someone asked me to take care of their bird.”

“A bird?” The other person questioned, and the young inspector continued, “Yes. The owner will be away for a few days, so he asked me to look after the bird.”

“Oh…Is the owner a beautiful woman or something?” Duan Feng inquired, “To the point where you have to go and feed the bird. Maybe introduce me to her if you have the chance.”

Lu Yipeng almost choked, “Oh no. It’s not a woman. Just a relative of the elder.”

“Oh…” Duan Feng sighed, “What kind of bird is it?”

“A parrot.” Lu Yipeng replied. Seeing Duan Feng’s puzzled expression, the young inspector tried to explain the appearance of the bird to his younger brother.

“I can’t recall it exactly. I remember a parakeet.” Duan Feng finally spoke, “Let me search for a picture on the internet later. How many hours do you have to feed the bird?”

“Once it finishes eating I leave.” Lu Yipeng said as Duan Feng nodded, “Let me hurry and feed it, the bird might wait for long.”

As the conversation ended, the young inspector chuckled. Lu Yipeng nodded with a smile, then lowered his head to continue eating.

…

Today, Lu Yipeng changed the atmosphere. Instead of playing mango seed toss with Paechikchik in Hong Kongque’s living room, he was now standing and looking at the original parrot in what was called “Little Paechikchik’s room.” Overall, this room seemed wider than Lu Yipeng’s bedroom.

Paechikchik stood perched on a wooden perch hanging down from a large tree planted in one corner of Little Paechikchik’s room. The room’s walls and half of the ceiling were made of glass and metal mesh, allowing for the planting of trees inside. Half of the room was a miniature forest, with intertwined wooden branches connecting around the room. Various features were present between the branches, including small wooden huts for the bird to perch, bicycles hanging on wires, circular swings, and wooden rails leading to clear tubular shapes with wooden sticks inserted around them.

When the police officer saw the young bird, he immediately greeted it,

“Pengpeng.”

Lu Yipeng just smiled at the bird. Not knowing what to say in response,

Paechikchik stretched its neck up and down, then flew over to perch on Lu

Yipeng’s shoulder. It pecked his cheek gently and played with him, making Lu Yipeng feel a bit surprised.

“Let’s play, let’s play.” The bird chirped, flapping its wings and playfully hitting Lu Yipeng’s ear. After playing with the bird for two days, Lu Yipeng realized that he had something to do.

The young police officer walked to the other side of the room, picked up a jar of plant seeds, and opened it. The bird flapped its wings, chirped loudly, then jumped onto the table, jumped into a small bicycle on a wire, and climbed through round hoops. It reached out and pulled out wooden blocks one by one.

Lu Yipeng watched as the bird managed all the obstacles with determination. Paechikchik removed the wooden blocks until the metal ball rolled to a stop in front of Lu Yipeng. Then it jumped up to perch on the table, leaning its head to receive praise.

“You are very clever.” The young police officer said, and handed the bird some seeds as a reward. Paechikchik took the hard shell seeds, cracked them open with its feet and beak skillfully.

After feeding and playing with the bird until it was satisfied, Lu Yipeng prepared to leave. Paechikchik flew to perch on the table before leaning its head towards him.

“Come play again tomorrow.” The little bird chirped. As Lu Yipeng opened the door to leave, the young police officer turned back and smiled.

“Okay.”

…

It turned out that the sun was rising. Lu Yipeng had to stay at the department because of a major case that had just been sent in. The young police officer had to call Hong Kongque’s butler to let him know that he wouldn’t be able to play with the bird that day. Later on, in the late evening, he was called down from his office to the lower floors.

“Pengpeng.” The white cockatoo with a familiar demeanor perched on a corner of the steel cage, which was intricately crafted and slightly larger than itself, squawked as soon as it saw the young police inspector Lu Yipeng swallowing nervously before turning to face the officer who was standing guard in front.

“Someone left it for you, inspector.” That police officer said, looking at Lu Yipeng for a while, Lu Yipeng was puzzled that the servant at Hong Kongque’s house couldn’t take care of a bird of this size until Paechikchik started flapping his wings and called his name again, causing Lu Yipeng to carry the birdcage up to the office room.

“Oh… inspector, please don’t tell me this bird is that pet?” Duan Feng spoke up as soon as he saw Lu Yipeng return with the birdcage. The young inspector nodded, hearing his subordinate talking again, “Its demeanor looks like something you would appreciate. Did you send someone to go get it from the house, sir?”

Lu Yipeng didn’t know how to answer, so he just nodded, “Yes, that’s how it is.”

“What’s its name, inspector?” Duan Feng asked as Lu Yipeng placed the birdcage on the table. Before Lu Yipeng could answer, the cockatoo chirped,

“Paechikchik, Paechikchik.”

“Oh, so clever.” Duan Feng said, looking closer at the bird, “Is this a cockatoo, so cute.”

“Um.” Lu Yipeng nodded thoughtfully, wondering if he would get any work done with this bird around.

Duan Feng seemed particularly interested in the bird as he approached and said, “Paechikchik.”

“Ja.” The cockatoo sweetly replied, tilting its head to look at the unfamiliar person in front, “Who is it? Who is it?”

“Oh… what is my name?” Duan Feng said, then introduced himself.

“Duan Feng, Duan Feng.” The little bird chirped sharply, flapping its wings before Duan Feng looked at it in astonishment and said, “Very clever.”

“So clever, so clever.” Paechikchik said, making Duan Feng amused, so he asked, “Tell me, between me and Inspector-Lu, who’s the more handsome?”

“Pengpeng.” The cockatoo replied immediately, causing everyone to chuckle before turning to the young inspector, “Inspector, you have a nice nickname,

sir.”

“Um…” Lu Yipeng cleared his throat before deciding to speak, afraid that Duan Feng would keep asking questions. The household bird might accidentally reveal Hong Kongque’s name.

“Go to work, captain. I’ll probably be back late.”

“Um… You probably won’t be able to go back tonight.” Duan Feng said, with a sad face, “As your deputy, this is truly cruel. This big case requires us to hurry and work on it again.”

Before Lu Yipeng could respond, Paechikchik spoke up again, “Truly cruel, truly cruel.”

Duan Feng chuckled and looked at the bird, “Paechikchik, you are so cute.

Do you want to come to my house?”

“No, no.” The little bird replied, and then pecked at Lu Yipeng’s cage, causing him to sigh and wave his hand to send his little troublemaker back to work before sitting down on the chair, feeling a headache from the workload. There was already enough work, and now this bird was there to annoy him further.

“Pengpeng.” The little bird wanted to play, so it called out cheerfully and walked back and forth on the cage’s bars. Lu Yipeng tried to focus on the documents in front of him, ignoring the white bird flapping its wings and calling for his attention, but the bird wouldn’t stop, “Pengpeng, Pengpeng, come and play with me.”

Finally, Lu Yipeng couldn’t take it anymore and slammed his documents on the table before telling the bird to be quiet, “Please, be quiet for a moment. I’ll snap your neck if you keep making noise.”

After speaking, he glanced at the bird and then leaned back to look at a young police officer, thinking that the owner of the bird wasn’t at fault. He heard Duan

Feng’s loud voice coming from the nearby work desk, and suggested to the inspector, “He’s truly mischievous. What does this bird want to know? Play with it for a bit.”

“I’m not free for that.” Lu Yipeng said, continuing to focus on the paperwork. The little bird seemed to understand and went quiet, possibly scared of being scolded by Lu Yipeng. Lu Yipeng thought to himself that once he finished the work, he would spend the remaining day with this bird to avoid any further disturbances. It might be for the best if he managed to tame this little troublemaker.

The case file was divided into two witness testimonies for questioning by the inspection team. They found several flaws and requested further investigation.

The young police officer got up to make coffee and ponder over the case file.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he felt someone staring at him.

Startled, the young police officer quickly sat up from his desk, wondering if he had accidentally fallen asleep. As he looked closely, he saw the black-eyed bird staring at him.

The young police officer quickly got up from his desk, thinking that he must have accidentally dozed off or something. As he looked closely, he saw the bird standing on the table. Lu Yipeng raised his hand to rub his eyes, then looked at the cage. He noticed that the cage door was slightly open.

“Do you want out of the cage or not?” The young police officer asked softly. The little bird looked at him and shook its head before slowly moving closer, opening its beak a little at a time. Lu Yipeng chuckled as he came out.

“I’m awake now, thanks.”

The little bird looked at him, then bent down to pick up the document on the table and placed it on Lu Yipeng’s hand. Lu Yipeng couldn’t help but raise his hand to gently stroke its head. The little bird then nudged his head against the officer’s hand playfully.

While Lu Yipeng was happily stroking the bird’s head, the voice of Duan

Feng could be heard nearby, “Inspector, you might get stuck with the pose.”

Lu Yipeng lifted his head to look at his colleague, before chuckling nervously, “I don’t know.”

Duan Feng looked at him and handed over a document, “My part is done, I think we need to do a further interrogation, what do you say Inspector?”

“Um… I think the same, but I haven’t finished reading yet.” Lu Yipeng admitted straightforwardly, looking at the document in front of Duan Feng.

Duan Feng looked at him with a full understanding expression, “I see, your case is a bit tricky, I thought it was trying to wake you up, but seeing that the bird is happy to have its head stroked, I didn’t want to interfere.” He paused for a moment, then the young police officer spoke up, “But the bird is smart, it opens the cage by itself, but refuses to fly away, it seems to be attached to people.”

“Um… Probably attached to people.” Lu Yipeng nodded in agreement before lowering his head to read the case files. With Duan Feng sitting next to him, offering sunflower seeds in a cup to the bird Paechikchik, occasionally asking for opinions on the case, sometimes both the person and the bird helped each other answer. By doing so, they were able to chuckle and relieve stress during the late hours.

Just as the young inspector was about to conclude the case, it was almost three o’clock in the morning. Turning around, both Feng and Paechikchik were fast asleep. The little sparrow walked in and lay down in the cage. As for his subordinate, he fell asleep next to the table.

Duan Feng felt himself as his sense returned as Lu Yipeng picked up the little bird. When he looked up, he saw the other person smiling at him, “Are you going back okay, Captain? Shall I give you a ride?”

Duan Feng, still a little dazed, quickly recalled each time he rode with this young inspector and what happened. He quickly shook his head, “It’s okay, I’ll call a taxi, it’s better.”

At the end, he turned to look at the birdcage. The white bird inside seemed to be waking up as well. It stood perched gracefully in the cage, tilting its head up to gaze at the person standing nearby.

“Inspector, drive safely back. The bird might get startled and shed all its feathers.” Duan Feng said when he saw Lu Yipeng carrying the bird cage. The young police officer nodded in agreement, “Yes, the captain, you should also head home.”

The two nodded at each other as they separated after leaving the elevator. Lu

Yipeng walked towards the car, thinking that he might return the bird to Hong

Kongque’s mansion first, but it was already close to dawn. Moreover, the way to the mansion was far from his residence. Lu Yipeng put the bird cage in the front seat, looked inside, inserted the car key, and then turned to ask the white cockatoo bird in the cage.

“Paechikchik, we are going to my house today.”

The drowsy cockatoo bird immediately seemed to wake up, “Go to

Pengpeng’s house. Go to Pengpeng’s house.” Lu Yipeng smiled at the bird before driving away.

…

Upon returning home, Lu Yipeng placed the bird cage on a chair in the small living room downstairs, preparing to go upstairs to shower and rest. As he saw the young police officer walking away, the bird called out immediately,

“Pengpeng, Pengpeng.”

Lu Yipeng had to walk back to the bird cage again before asking with a resigned look, “Do you want to sleep with me?”

Paechikchik looked at him and then continued to plead, “Sleep with

Pengpeng. Sleep with Pengpeng.”

Lu Yipeng sighed and then carried the bird cage upstairs, placing it on a chair next to the bed. After showering, he saw the little bird perched comfortably sleeping. Lu Yipeng gazed at it for a while before laying down on the bed.

…

“Pengpeng, did you miss me during the few days I was away?”

Lu Yipeng glared at the creature in front of him before answering, “You look mischievous and heartless. Left me with a bird for several days.”

Hong Kongque adjusted himself as he sat down on the side of the bed, then raised his hand to stroke his chin, smiling, “Are you sulking, officer? I’m back now. Missed me, didn’t you?”

“Ask your bird.” Lu Yipeng said, then turned his face away. Hong Kongque smiled at the corner of his mouth, and bent his face closer, “Inspector, did you miss me too, or not?”

Lu Yipeng did not answer. He turned his face back again, and saw that sharp face approaching. The young detective then raised his hand to hold that figure close before whispering softly, “Kongque.” Their lips slowly touched, tense!

As far as he could remember, since they started kissing, Hong Kongque’s lips were not as soft as a woman’s, but not this tense. Finally, Lu Yipeng really opened his eyes, and found those deep black eyes staring at him.

“Awake, awake.” The white parakeet had not come out of its cage since then. As soon as it saw him, it squawked loudly before pecking at him lightly. Lu Yipeng raised his hand to touch his own lips.

Or is it… Did I just kiss the bird?!!

The young detective immediately got up, and the bird flew to the chair backrest, which was made of metal, before tilting its head to look and spoke again, “It’s late, it’s late.”

Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at the clock, and found that it was past ten o’clock. From last night’s incident, he should be able to finish work today, but… this white bird.

“Going home, going home.” Paechikchik chirped, flapping its wings gently,

“Find Kongque, find Kongque.”

…

Lu Yipeng drove Paechikchik to Hong Kongque’s residence. When he opened the door to enter, the young detective had to blink again when he saw Hong Kongque sitting on the same chair.

“You said five days, didn’t you?” The young detective couldn’t help but ask immediately. After making sure that the person sitting there was indeed the parakeet, Hong Kongque looked at him and smiled, “I missed Paechikchik, so I hurried back. Didn’t think you’d bring Paechikchik here to stay with you, did you.”

“That bird of yours, here it is.” Lu Yipeng said as Paechikchik in the cage got excited when he saw his own master, flapping his wings and shouting loudly,

“Kongque, Kongque.”

Before Lu Yipeng could respond or do anything, the little bird used his beak to unlock the cage door and flew clumsily over to Hong Kongque’s work table before calling out, “I’m back, I’m back.”

“You are back indeed.” Hong Kongque said, raising his hand to stroke the bird gently. Lu Yipeng stood watching for a moment before saying, “Then I’ll go back.”

“Wait, are you going to leave just like that?” another person intervened, gently suggesting, “You should spend time with your beloved bird to the fullest.

I’ll go back to sleep peacefully.”

A mysterious smile appeared on Hong Kongque’s lips, “Pengpeng, are you sulking of Kongque?”

“No.” Lu Yipeng replied, thinking about quickly going back to sleep when he heard Hong Kongque speak again, “Then you miss me, right?”

“I don’t really miss you.” The young police officer said, though in his heart, he recalled the crazy dream he had in the morning. He dreamed wildly, how could that happen? Who would miss this crazy house bird?

“You really don’t miss me,  do you?” Hong Kongque asked. When the young police officer didn’t respond, he continued, “But I do miss you, Pengpeng.”

Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at Hong Kongque immediately before feeling a warm flush rising on his face.

“Come here.” The young police officer didn’t know what sparked the urge to step forward at the call from Hong Kongque. Hong Kongque raised his hand to gently stroke his face, “Don’t you miss me even a bit?”

Lu Yipeng remained silent for a while before finally speaking out, “Your bird annoys me a lot.”

Hong Kongque looked at Lu Yipeng for a moment before chuckling, “I thought you had fallen in love with Paechikchik and lost your mind again, but it’s okay. I don’t want anyone to steal Paechikchik’s love, “ After speaking, he turned back to the little cheeky bird.

Lu Yipeng looked at the back of Hong Kongque and felt a flutter in his chest, something he couldn’t quite describe. He saw Hong Kongque raise his hand to stroke a bird perched on a tree branch, then asked softly, “Pengpeng, has he been kind-hearted to you?”

Paechikchik looked at Lu Yipeng before shouting sharply, “Break his neck! Break his neck.”

Lu Yipeng was shocked and was about to jump away as soon as Hong Kongque turned back, but he was stopped by another person who quickly intervened, holding his hand up, “What does ‘break his neck’ mean, InspectorLu.”

Lu Yipeng thought about actually breaking Paechikchik’s neck, but with Hong Kongque holding his hand, the young police officer could only put on a guilty face and try to explain, “I was just joking.”

“Oh…” Hong Kongque sighed before turning to ask the bird again, “Was it fun with Pengpeng?”

“Fun, fun.” The little bird replied, shifting back and forth, “Pengpeng handsome, Pengpeng handsome.”

Lu Yipeng didn’t know how to react. When he saw Hong Kongque turn back again, he quickly spoke up, “I didn’t teach it to talk like that.”

“Um… I understand.” Hong Kongque said, raising his hand to touch his own face again, “It’s naughty to this extent. No need to teach it.”

Lu Yipeng swallowed nervously, looking at the person in front of Hong

Kongque looking at him with a smile, “Pengpeng, don’t go back to sleep at home. I just came back and haven’t slept yet. The bed over here is wide and cold, too.”

The hand that was holding his face slid down to caress the young man’s shirt, “Sleep with me for a while, keep me company. I want to confess to you.”

…

Luo Songzhi took Paechikchik back to the room, and now Lu Yipeng was alone with Hong Kongque in the bedroom, facing each other. The young police officer was standing watching as the other person changed. Hong Kongque was changing his clothes, removing his sleeping shirt. Only then did he see that underneath was a silk shirt, probably prepared to sleep in beforehand, but had to go out to meet him first.

Once the outer shirt was hung up, he walked closer and lowered his face to his.

“Do you really not think about me, Pengpeng?”

Lu Yipeng did not respond. He lifted the face of Hong Kongque and leaned in to kiss him. The warmth and softness of the lips of other-person pleasure immediately seeped in. They kissed for a while before both lying down on the bed.

“Pengpeng.” Hong Kongque called out as the young police officer nuzzled his neck before lifting his head up, “Relax today. I’ve been flying for hours and

I’m tired.”

Lu Yipeng looked at him, then leaned down to kiss him again. Hong

Kongque allowed the kiss to linger for a while before speaking again, “I already know how much you missed me.”

The young police officer pursed his lips before embracing him, “Kongque.”

Hong Kongque nodded before diving down onto that broad chest, “Was Little

Paechikchiki a good kid?”

“Um…”

“Do you like it?”

“Um…”

“Don’t fall in love too easily.”

“I’m a person. I don’t fall in love easily.”

“Oh…”

“Kongque.”

“Yes.”

“Do you love people or birds more?”

Hong Kongque raised his head to look at him before smiling and answering,

“Relax. I’m sleepy now.”

After saying that, he kissed his chest again. Lu Yipeng remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

“Kongque. If I were to love, I would love a person.”

“Um… I know…”

“Kongque…”

“If I can do it. I also want to love someone.”

“?!” Lu Yipeng bowed his head and looked, then saw that the other side had closed their eyes. He looked at those long, slender eyelashes for a moment before pulling that figure closer.

He heard the sound of his own heart beating wildly.

Hong Kongque…

…

**Spam filter 90 seconds** I suffer when I post it all at once (Is it the writer’s fate for writing long-winded stories?)

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 17: Night Out

The driving reputation of Lu Yipeng has spread throughout the Hong Kong Police Department, especially the person who co-rides the car of this young inspector most often cannot escape; Duan Feng, his subordinate.

“Captain Duan, are you off duty and free now?”

Duan Feng, who was about to walk out to get some documents, turned to look at the person asking, “Free? Inspector Lu, what is it about?”

“Oh, then it’s good. I thought of inviting you to have a meal at Tian Man Lao for a bit, the cost you drove to pick me up last week.” Lu Yipeng said and Duan Feng nodded, “Sure, let’s go. I don’t miss out on free meals, especially there, the beautiful singer, inspector, really understands the invitation.”

Lu Yipeng chuckled, “Hmm, I want to go relax and listen to some music.”

“Of course, then we finish work and meet at Tian Man Lao.”

…

Tian man Lao, is an old restaurant with delicious food and not too expensive. The low ranking two police officers can find happiness there. The singer here is decently beautiful, but the star of the restaurant is the older singer whose appearance may not be outstanding anymore, but her sweet, heart-wrenching voice almost brings tears to the eyes every time.

Duan Feng knew that Lu Yipeng was probably hoping to go listen to music, but he himself hoped to go on a date with the  beautiful singer. Ever since his heart was broken by his ex-girlfriend two months ago, the young man who worked for the government definitely didn’t have much free time. That’s just the way love is.

The young police officer stood examining himself in the mirror in the bathroom, basking in the dim, fluorescent light. The light that shone above his head from the old, dusty light fixture and the fluorescent tube that had been installed who knows how many years ago reached his face sharply. Inspector-

Lu’s car had been repaired yesterday. When he went to pick it up, he heard that the owner of the garage complained because this inspector had brought his car for repair four or five times in the past three months, and each time there were different kinds of damages. A door dented. A bumper dented. A cracked windshield. It was fortunate that the department reimbursed the damages, as it was considered that these accidents happened as part of his duties, but when he thought of reckless driving to catch criminals by Lu Yipeng, he preferred to drive himself. He’d rather risk getting shot at than be a passenger in the car driven by Lu Yipeng.

The problem was, when the time came, Lu Yipeng often preferred to drive himself.

Duan Feng dressed neatly and walked cheerfully to the car. Although Tien

Man Lao wasn’t far from the department, it was good that Lu Yipeng didn’t say he would drive him there because he would definitely have to hurriedly decline.

The young police officer opened the door to the Honda Civic he had inherited from his older brother during high school. He then turned the ignition, thinking that today he might be lucky enough to meet a cute girl to chat with.

“…”

Duan Feng blinked, then tried to start the car again. The engine roared loudly, then died again. Tried two more times. It was still the same. The good mood that had just started disappeared instantly.

The young police officer pushed the button to open the car’s hood before going to lift it up. The battery seemed to have a problem – it was fine yesterday. He turned left and right looking for someone to help with the battery for a few minutes before Lu Yipeng walked into the parking lot.

“Oh, Captain Duan Feng, is there something wrong with the car?” The young inspector asked as soon as he saw his subordinate standing with sweat dripping down his face in front of the car hood.

“Inspector, you came at a perfect time. Can I borrow a battery jump from you? My battery is about to die.”

“Sure.” Lu Yipeng said, and went to the car. After rummaging for something under one of the car seats, the young inspector stood up and looked confused,

“Mister Chen at the garage took off my battery jump cables and never returned them. Do you have any by any chance?”

Duan Feng blinked his eyes, then shook his head. Two police officers looked at each other for a moment. Finally, Lu Yipeng spoke up, “Then come with me, I will drive and you can call the garage tomorrow to take care of it.”

Duan Feng blinked his eyes. Eventually, he nodded.

…

It was fortunate that the police radio did not report anything while they were driving to the Tian Man Lao restaurant. So Duan Feng arrived at the restaurant safely. Sometimes luck is on their side, as they were able to sit in the car with Lu Yipeng without any incidents. No collisions, no sudden stops, which rarely happens for them when riding with this young inspector.

Tian Man Lao is an old restaurant, the decoration still the same as it was twenty years ago. It survives because of its regular customers and the low-wage earners who want to have a slightly more luxurious meal.

When Lu Yipeng arrived at the restaurant, he immediately reserved their favorite table to the left of the stage, which he said had the best view of the singers. Duan Feng had no problem, as this spot also provided a clear view of the singers, and there was no microphone stand blocking the way.

The two men ordered their food, and the dinner began with staring at a beautiful, slim singer that they dared not mention how her voice was, but with just a slightly tight dress could make customers more than half happy with this meal.

“Oh, breasts and waist, even more perfect than a statue.” Duan Feng exclaimed while staring at the beautiful singer. Lu Yipeng looked at his younger brother and said, “I wonder if they are real.”

“Well… the inspector… nowadays it’s hard to tell if they’re real.” Duan Feng replied, “But as long as they look good, it’s fine.”

Lu Yipeng blinked his eyes, “But artificial ones can’t be squeezed, Captain. I can’t stand it; it’s like something is wrong with a doll.”

“Oh, inspector, don’t let any woman hear that. You might get slapped in the face.” Duan Feng teased, Lu Yipeng nodded awkwardly, “I… had an exgirlfriend.”

The younger brother hesitated before nodding, “Oh… Inspector, you seem to look at food. Does it mean that you’ve made a girlfriend and she easily lets you fondle her?”

“It’s true.” said Lu Yipeng, lifting his leg up, “Oh… this person isn’t bad,

Captain. Sincere attitude.”

Duan Feng turned to look before nodding, “Smaller than a cricket’s thing, but still pretty cool.” Then he turned to look at the others at the table, “But how do you know if it’s real?”

“You don’t see it jiggle or anything when they walk.” Lu Yipeng said, making Duan Feng raise an eyebrow, “Oh… inspector, are you an expert in this field? Whoever heard must think you are definitely knowledgeable.”

“This is a normal thing for men in general, aren’t you?” Lu Yipeng asked Duan Feng who shook his head, “No. Even though I have a perverted eye, I’m not expert enough to determine whether it’s real or not like you, inspector. I want to try and prove both.”

“There is double the bill for that.” Lu Yipeng chuckled, before adding,

“Before talking about money, I think you best find someone first.”

Then the two boys turned to sing along, enjoying their meal more than the famous singer who had been performing all night. Lu Yipeng listened to the song until it ended. He called the waiter to calculate the bill. Then he walked out of the restaurant.

“I’ll take a taxi back.” Duan Feng said as soon as he walked out, and Lu Yipeng, about to say something, stopped himself. He quickly responded, “It’s getting late, the inspector Lu you should go rest. No need to send it to me, it’s a waste of time.”

Lu Yipeng blinked before nodding, “Um.. alright then.”

Duan Feng smiled, and told himself not to smile too broadly, as it might be disrespectful. As he walked out to call a taxi, he bumped into someone approaching.

“Inspector Lu… I’m sorry.” The man who bumped into him apologized to the person behind him. Though he felt like he almost knocked someone down, Duan Feng raised his hand to touch his face, and felt relieved that his nose was still intact before raising his head to look at the big man in front of him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” The man replied. He was about six feet tall, but looked bulky and even had a scar in the middle of his face, looking quite intimidating. The man then turned to Lu Yipeng again.

“Inspector Lu, please wait for a moment.”

Lu Yipeng looked at the man and had a face as if he was being threatened to kill. Seeing this, Duan Feng felt sorry for leaving his colleague alone and didn’t want to let him deal with it alone, so he stood waiting there. After a while, he saw a young man about twenty-four or twenty-five, neatly combed hair, wearing a suit that fit him perfectly, walking out of the restaurant. When the man saw Lu Yipeng’s face, he walked straight towards him immediately.

“We haven’t seen each other for a long time, Inspector-Lu.” He finished speaking and patted the shoulder of the young police officer in a friendly manner, but Lu Yipeng still had a face like a dragon shrimp that had not been peeled.

“I think it’s better if we don’t meet at all, so why are you here?” The person being asked looked more puzzled than necessary, “I came to listen to the music, Hua Lan sings so well and is ranked number one. I wanted to hire her to sing at home, but she said she wanted to sing here more and wants more people to listen, look at a singer like this. I can’t miss it.”

Lu Yipeng looked patient and restrained, “I know she sings well, so I’ll leave now. It’s late, I need to rest.”

“Hmph.” The person being evaluated made a disappointed sound, “Not seeing each other for a few days, why are you so cold?”

“I’ve always been like this.” The young police officer replied, “You have nothing to do, so go home and rest, or your face will get wrinkled like this all the time.”

“You really talk too much, don’t you? One day I’ll have to drag your tongue out to see if you dare to speak like this again.” The other person spoke as Duan Feng stood listening for a long time, wanting to ask but never finding the opportunity.

As he stood hesitating, the big man half walked, half ran back in, “Mister Zi, the car won’t start. I tried to jumpstart it, but it didn’t work. Looks like it’s an engine problem. I’ll call Butler Li to send someone to pick up the car.”

“Oh…” Mister Zi sighed before nodding, “The engine is old like this. It’s fine. I’ll have the mechanic change it to a better Japanese engine. Oh, tell Li not to come pick me up, I’ll just go back with Inspector-Lu.”

Lu Yipeng opened his mouth as if to speak but then jerked up, “My car is busy.”

“What?!” Mister Zi exclaimed, looking like he didn’t hear clearly, “What’s going on, Inspector? Did you put a corpse in the back seat, that’s why it’s busy?

This is terrible, why would a top student do something like this?”

“I didn’t put a corpse.” Lu Yipeng said, his face showing a desire to kill someone right then and there. The person listened to the garden immediately,

“Then I don’t see why it’s not available. Add two more people to us. Your coworker probably won’t complain, I’ll sit in the front seat, let Little Zhi sit in the back.”

Before the young police officer could say anything in response, the person turned to Duan Feng with a smile, “Where is the car? Let’s go, it’s going to be late.”

In the end, Duan Feng had to sit inside Lu Yipeng’s car. Sitting with a big man on the back seat while another man sat on the front seat, with suspicion.

Finally, the young police officer mustered up the courage to ask,

“Excuse me. I’m not sure… are you…”

“Oh, yes. I forgot to introduce myself to you, officer. I am an elder cousin of

Lu Yipeng’s family on his father’s side. My name is Zi Liu.”

“Oh.. alright.” Duan Feng nodded. Although still a bit confused about the relative positions mentioned by the other person, Lu Yipeng seemed agitated as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t say it. So Zi Liu spoke up again,

“Let’s drop off this officer first, because it wouldn’t be good if it’s late you might stay at my house.”

“I won’t overstay my welcome at your house.” Lu Yipeng said, turning up the volume of the radio in the car, as if wanting to drown out the voice of the person sitting next to him.

Duan Feng felt a bit relieved, at least the radio sound that was loud might cover up the communication radio that Lu Yipeng had opened. He wanted to go back home without having to risk his life sitting in the car.

When Lu Yipeng turned the car into a dark alley, which was a shortcut to

Duan Feng’s house, suddenly a man ran in front of the car, causing the young police officer to slam on the brakes in panic. Before he could calm down, another woman ran after them, “Thief! Thief! Help!”

Duan Feng was speechless, before being pushed into the seat, as Lu Yipeng stepped on the gas pedal. He chased after the robber who had just climbed a fence into another alley.

“I will circle around, that alley has only one exit. We need to get there before he runs out of the alley. Hold on tight.” Lu Yipeng said before stepping on the gas pedal until the car passed through a narrow alley, and then made a scary turn that made the tires screech on the road, then rushed out onto another street.

“Wow!! Pengpeng you are amazing.” Zi Liu exclaimed, while the two people sitting in the back of the car were frozen in fear like stone statues.

“Inspector, watch out for the car!!” Duan Feng exclaimed as he saw another yellow sports car speeding towards them at high speed. Lu Yipeng swerved, and then heard the sound of someone’s head hitting the window.

The big man raised his hand to pat his head, not yet fully sitting up. The faces of the two men in the front seat almost touched the backrest.

“Just bump into it, what is there for you to be afraid of.” The man sitting next to him, Lu Yipeng, replied, “Cats are living things too.”

“Cats have nine lives, bumping into one won’t kill it.” The man being yelled at replied. The young police officer said nothing more, the car suddenly leapt forward again, this time finally seeing the target alley.

“Captain Duan!”

Duan Feng nodded. When they arrived at the alley, he took advantage of the moment Lu Yipeng slowed the car down a bit, opened the door and jumped out. Just then the robber ran out, the two rolled sideways, hit the wall due to the force from the car, before slamming into the wall, Duan Feng dodged, then kicked one of the robbers before grabbing his hand and handcuffing him.

“You’re caught.”

The robber struggled but because the other person held his knees, he couldn’t get up. After a while, he heard footsteps approaching.

“Really cool. Officer.” Zi Liu praised as Lu Yipeng walked closer and pushed the robber’s head up, “Oh… it’s Kong Yili, we meet again. I heard you got out of jail just a few months ago.”

“You again!” Kong Yili scoffed and Lu Yipeng smiled, “Huh… caught red handed like you, you’ll definitely get sent to jail again.” He said, and dragged the robber up.

“Alright, Mister Zi. I have to take this guy to the station. You can call your own car to go back on your own.”

“Well… I don’t really mind him. Let’s go like this. Make him sit between that police officer and Little Zhi, they’ll make sure he doesn’t escape anywhere.”

In the end, Kong Yili had to sit uncomfortably between Duan Feng and Luo Songzhi. Mister Zi continued to sit calmly in the front seat next to the driver as before.

After turning a corner, Duan Feng spoke up, “I have to return the bag to the woman.”

“Um.” Lu Yipeng made a noise in his throat and parked the car. Duan Feng jumped down and walked over to the woman who looked excited when she saw him and the bag in his hand.

“Here’s your bag, ma’am.” Duanfeng said, handing the bag over to the young woman. She thanked him graciously, only just realizing that she was the same woman singer that Lu Yipeng had commented on earlier.

“Walking alone at night like this is dangerous, ma’am.” Duan Feng said. The young woman nodded, “Yes…”

“Let me take you…”

“Officer Duan, have her go file a report.” Lu Yipeng shouted from his car, rolling down the window. Duan Feng nodded hesitantly, then turned to the young woman who looked perplexed, “Ma’am, I am a police officer.” He said, showing his badge, “I will have to take you to the station to file a report.”

“Oh, okay…” The young woman said. Duan Feng turned to look at Lu Yipeng’s car again, then shouted back, “Inspector, you can go to the station first. I’ll call a taxi to come pick me up. Your car is already crowded enough as it is.”

“Alright, see you there.” Lu Yipeng shouted back. And then he drove off. Duan Feng helped the still shaken young woman to the side of the road and went to hail a taxi.

…

After depositing Kong Yili safely in custody and completing his daily report, Lu Yipeng drove back home. Of course, Duan Feng did not come with him. The young police officer seemed to have some luck in love tonight with the young singing lady whose purse had been stolen, but he still had a long way to go. On the rider’s side, there was a peacock sitting calmly and content, without a care in the world.

“It’s late already, Pengpeng, stay at my place tonight.” Hong Kongque said, reaching out his hand to pat the driver’s thigh. Lu Yipeng even had to push the hand holding the steering wheel to the side, which was a bit unexpected.

“Hey, be a bit more subtle. If I’m embarrassed, you’re embarrassed too.”

“It’s okay, Little Zhi doesn’t mind the embarrassment. He doesn’t dare to look anyway.” Hong Kongque said, causing Lu Yipeng to turn his face slightly to give him a quick glance before focusing on the road again.

“You’re really shameless, aren’t you.”

“Well… at my age, what else is there to be ashamed of? I am not like you Pengpeng here. Even if you are embarrassed all the time, you just say it.” With that said, he raised his hand to pinch the blushing cheek of the young police officer, Lu Yipeng, who stepped on the accelerator and sped off in a slightly frightened manner.

He probably had to hurry to send that crazy house bird back to its cage before it got too crazy

…

Luo Songzhi was almost weak at the knees. As soon as he got out of the car, he had to stretch himself out to make sure he was alive. While Hong Kongque walked down in a normal posture, this person was really calm, very impressive indeed.

“Hey… we have arrived, so get out of the car first, don’t sit there for too long.” Hong Kongque said, and walked towards the driver’s door, “You are going to stay here?”

“No, I have to go to work tomorrow.” Lu Yipeng replied, and nodded before reaching out to touch the young man’s face, then kissed him lightly.

“Good afternoon, inspector, drive back safely.” Hong Kongque smiled before leaving. Lu Yipeng looked at the rear window, walked into the mansion, unlocked the car keys, and drove out of the big gate.

…

**Surprised that I can still write another part (and extend it further <<slapped), I was originally going to write about going with Luo Songzhi and also about Lu Yipeng driving, but then I thought that I wanted Hong Kongque to go with them, because I would know that Hong Kongque is really unnerving (seriously, I have already done the motorbike driving, so I have to do normal car driving!!) In the end, I arrived at Duan Feng, who suddenly became a character that appeared unexpectedly in many episodes haha

This chapter ends now, I have to take a break for a week, going to another province.

Happy Mother’s Day, and thank you for following and reading.

P.S. For the Frozen Butterfly story, I’ll chill it for now, probably will have chapter 6 next month… This is a difficult story to write, with lots of issues, and the character’s personality is very tricky hahaha however… stay calm, guys, for now<< slapped

P.S.2 The butterfly did not land in the trap. You don’t have to follow it to read it haha (afraid of being sued!!)

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 16: Master and Disciple

Back when he was in school. Besides Lu Yipeng’s ability to score high in theoretical exams, he ranked at the top of the class. Even in practical subjects like shooting or even self-defense against gangsters, this young police officer also scored well, until he became admired by the teachers and even the head of the martial arts instructors at the school, who commended him as the most skillful student they had ever taught.

So Lu Yipeng always took pride in his self-defense skills.

Until he met Hong Kongque…

…

“You can drop me off here, Captain.” Lu Yipeng told Duan Feng, who was driving. The subordinate then drove the car into the school’s parking lot, before

Duan Feng asked back, “Not going home yet?”

“Just going to see Master Wu for a bit.” Lu Yipeng replied, as he took out his own car, which had just come out of the repair shop not long ago, and accidentally crashed into a car belonging to a drug dealer. At that moment, while driving back home, the vehicle coincidentally witnessed a morning incident, so his car had to be taken back to the repair shop again. After delivering his final words, Duan Feng immediately drove the department’s vehicle out to escort him.

“Master Wu.” Duan Feng repeated his words, “Oh, back in school. I was often bullied by you back then. Anyway, please say hello to him, Inspector. I probably won’t be able to drop by because I have to go back on duty.”

“Um. It’s okay. I will tell him later.” said Lu Yipeng, and opened the car door, “Thanks for the ride.”

“Call a car back home, inspector.” Duan Feng replied, and drove off. Lu Yipeng then walked into the imposing building.

After submitting his card and stating his purpose of visit, Lu Yipeng went to wait to meet the teacher in the general certification room.

Wu Fan was the head trainer of kungfu here. Lu Yipeng had a suspicion that Duan Feng came to seek advice from the teacher. Perhaps to learn some techniques to use against Hong Kongque. Otherwise, he would have been handled in a few seconds like this.

After a while, Wu Fan walked in. He was not very tall, with neatly cut hair.

He should be in his forties this year. Seeing the teacher’s face, Lu Yipeng greeted immediately, “Good morning, sir. It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah.” Wu Fan said, lightly patting his shoulder, “It’s been a while, you look bigger. How’s work going? You look quite busy this holiday, scratched car and all. What’s the matter?”

Lu Yipeng chuckled sheepishly. It’s true that he frequently crashed his car this holiday.

“I caught a criminal.” The student said, and continued, “Sir, are you free? I would like to get some more instruction.”

Wu Fan raised an eyebrow, “Don’t tell me you came here just for this. Did you get beaten by someone?”

“I did.” Lu Yipeng said. He didn’t feel like explaining his situation with Hong Kongque. Wufan looked at him for a moment, then nodded, “Let’s go to the practice room then.”

…

The practice room was a wide hall. There were mats covering the floor all over the room. When Lu Yipeng walked in, there were students practicing together. When they saw him with the teacher, they stopped their practice and walked towards them.

“This is Inspector Lu, this is your senior.” Wu Fan introduced his students. The students all made big eyes and started talking at once.

“Wow, I’ve heard your name for a long time, sir. Heard you survived Hong

Kongque as well. What kind of person is he, really? A human or not?”

Lu Yipeng blinked his eyes rapidly and quickly raised his hand to stop the children before asking anything scarier than this, “Is Hong Kongque a celebrity or something?”

“He’s just a person like you and me.”

“But someone said he’s not aging. I heard he’s still young and vibrant. Is that true?”

Lu Yipeng hesitated, “Um… maybe, but he must have a way to take care of his health.”

“Oh, my father also wants to know about his methods a lot.”

“And my mother too.”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips and remained silent. He didn’t know how to respond to these children, what to say to Hong Kongque, it would be good if Inspector-Lu could help.

“Stop asking meaningless questions and go practice. Inspector-Lu is here to practice too.”

“Wow.” The children were still interested in him. Questions kept coming, “Then come practice together with us. I heard from the teacher that you are good.”

Lu Yipeng turned to look at Professor Fann for his opinion. The teacher, after a moment’s thought, nodded, “Let’s do it together.”

The young inspector took off his jacket before walking into the training ground, “Alright, you all come in together.”

MAster Fan, standing as a referee, raised an eyebrow, “Quite a few years indeed. This one here.”

“Well, then we won’t hold back.” The children said, putting on their gear right away. Lu Yipeng blinked rapidly. He had been dealing with Hong Kongque for a while. Seeing these kids, he felt really weak.

Three minutes passed, and the children finally gave in, “You’re really good, big brother.”

Lu Yipeng didn’t know whether to take the compliment well, as he couldn’t even use one out of three techniques correctly. Master Fan came over to pat his shoulder, “You’ve improved here, have you got a special teacher or something?” “No, sir.” The young police officer quickly denied, “Maybe it’s from work experience.”

“Oh…” Master Fan nodded and changed his posture, “Well, it’s time for my turn.”

Ten minutes passed as Lu Yipeng faced off with his own teacher, sweat soaking his brow, while the other person seemed to be on the verge of giving up, but neither could find a way to defeat the other. They continued to spar for a while before finally stopping, “That’s enough.” said the teacher.

Lu Yipeng paused mid-air before letting out a sigh. The teacher took a deep breath and continued, “Your skills have improved so much that it’s impressive. Just a bit more tweaking and your technique will be flawless. In truth, your only flaw is that your breaths are a bit short. Your chest position could also use some work.”

“Can you help me with that, sir?” Lu Yipeng asked, his teacher nodding immediately, “I’m not that skilled yet.” After a moment of silence, he spoke up again, “Here’s the thing, do you know the ‘Sichuan Abandoned Ships Port?’“

“Excuse me?”

“Go there and draw a bird on a container shelf in the left corner, and come back another day. If the drawing is gone, then shout ‘Little Bird, Little Bird,’ and a special teacher will come to help you.”

“What?!” Lu Yipeng exclaimed. If it wasn’t for the fact that Master Fan was a teacher, he would’ve thought he was being made fun of. The teacher looked serious, “You thought I was making a joke, but when he told me to do this, I thought it was funny. But this person is actually quite good. If you want to find someone to help you further, I think you should meet him.”

“Who is he?” Lu Yipeng asked, puzzled. The teacher shook his head, “I don’t know either. I met him by chance. We talked about martial arts, and he volunteered to be my sparring partner. In fact, I’ve already called him my teacher because he’s so skilled. But lately, things have been busy, so I haven’t been able to go practice with him. You should give it a try; it might help.”

…

In the end, Lu Yipeng left the school and hailed a taxi. Despite how unbelievable the story that the teacher had told him seemed, he couldn’t imagine that this teacher would lie about something like that. Consequently, Lu Yipeng decided to go to the Sichuan port spot to see for himself.

When Lu Yipeng arrived at the Bird Throwing Pose spot, the sky was dark and the atmosphere was eerie. The only light came from some nearby lamps, providing some assistance, and he used his hand as a flashlight. So, Lu Yipeng found the container shelf not too difficult.

Container cabinets are really crowded. I don’t know if the last time Lu Yipeng came, it would be this crowded. Lu Yipeng chalked lines on the dusty walls of the container cabinet and the red chalk fell down. His drawing skills were decent enough, at least able to sketch a rough image to look for clues. So, drawing a bird like this is not a problem.

Lu Yipeng frowned while drawing because he felt that the birds he drew looked like doves every time. So the young detective stopped drawing, then walked back out and hailed a passing taxi.

No work tomorrow, so I’ll come by to take a look again.

…

In the evening, Lu Yipeng called a taxi to the dock again. The drawing he made yesterday disappeared, there was no rain last night and during the day. As he got closer to look, he could see some erased marks, but he wasn’t sure if it was the work of a person or maybe a monkey.

He walked back and forth for a while and then Lu Yipeng burst out, “Little bird, little bird.”

“I am here.”

The answering voice made Lu Yipeng startle, his hair stood on end immediately. Then someone jumped down from another container cabinet.

“Kongque!!!” Lu Yipeng shouted, then made a gesture as if he had seen a demon from hell rise up on earth. Hong Kongque wore a short-sleeved t-shirt and baggy training pants. He tilted his head and looked at him, with a puzzled expression that seemed intriguing.

“Wow, Pengpeng, how did you find me here? Went to look for Wu Fan and he said to come here.”

“Well…” Lu Yipeng dragged his voice and stared at the person in front of him, “Don’t tell me you’re the mysterious person the master talked about.”

“Correct as always, Inspector-Lu.” Hong Kongque said, then continued, “Incidentally, I ran into him at the bar that day when he was troubled about his own company’s bankruptcy issue. Strange, right? People in bars talking about bankruptcies.”

Lu Yipeng found this doctor even more strange. He went to the bar to listen to people complain, or what?

“I ended up talking to him. We hit it off, so I volunteered to be his practice partner. Of course, he has no idea who I am.”

“I think it’s a good thing he doesn’t know. His admiration towards you is obvious.” He finished speaking with a sheepish look on his face, “Why am I in such bad luck like this?”

“Hey… what is this bad luck? I’m a teacher after all, you should be calling me ‘master’ instead. And you’re not even calling me that yet.” Hong Kongque said as he stared at Lu Yipeng for a moment before continuing, “Maybe it’s better that I leave.” He made a move as if to walk away, but Hong Kongque stepped in front of him and blocked his path, “Here, you drew such a good picture of a peacock. You focused and put your mind to it then succeeded. Why feel embarrassed now?”

“I’m not embarrassed. I didn’t draw a peacock.” Lu Yipeng retorted. Hong Kongque seemed unwilling to give up and continued, “It’s clear as day that it’s a peacock.”

“That’s a paradise flycatcher.” The young police officer argued, still trying to find a point. Hong Kongque leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear.

Then he patted him on the back, saying, “Paradise flycatcher or peacock, they’re practically the same.”

“How can they be the same!!?” Lu Yipeng exclaimed in exasperation, “You stop teasing me and go back to your room. You’re like a jester, and I’ve had enough.”

“Hey, you have a good mouth on you, breathe deeply.” Hong Kongque said. Just as the young police officer was about to breathe, Hong Kongque forcefully inserted his finger into his epigastric region. Lu Yipeng staggered out, bumping into a shipping container before exclaiming loudly.

“What are you doing!!?” The young police officer recoiled and brushed off the metal shards from his body. Hong Kongque smiled and said, “I just pushed a nerve, that’s all. You have to find the right moment. Do you feel easy breathing?”

Lu Yipeng hesitated, looking at Hong Kongque for a moment before attempting to sigh. He blinked rapidly and said, “Um.. I think I’m starting to feel better.”

“Good then.” Hong Kongque said before suddenly lunging forward without saying another word. Lu Yipeng’s eyes widened, and he quickly jumped back to avoid the attack.

“Take this!!” Lu Yipeng yelled, but before he could finish his sentence, the kick came. This time, the young police officer had to muster all his strength to block the attack. He knew he couldn’t fight back, and he was about to be hit again. He really didn’t understand this peacock.

Hong Kongque’s hands and feet were fast, passing by in just a few seconds Lu Yipeng was hit both with his feet and fists. Normally, Hong Kongque would let him start out “easy” from the first five seconds, but today for some reason the opponent’s kicks were not heavy, punches not strong, or maybe they had another plan.

“Step to the left.” Hong Kongque said as he chased after Lu Yipeng who could only dodge. The young police officer didn’t have time to step, his legs were kicked by the other person until he fell flat. Once he fell to the ground, the tips of his toes followed in. If he couldn’t dodge in time, Lu Yipeng was sure to lay down counting stars.

Dodging behind the fence twice, that damn peacock chased after him again.

Lu Yipeng wonders if Hong Kongque getting tired of him or not.

“Pengpeng, if you don’t fight anymore. I will take off your shirt.” Hong

Kongque said. Lu Yipeng wanted to shout out that much. Even if he didn’t fight, he was getting his shirt taken off.

As they chased each other for a while, Lu Yipeng felt like he had been pinned down by a needle since who knows when. Another moment and he was already in the hands of Hong Kongque, who smiled a bit at the corner of his mouth, and then used different needles to continue poking at him.

That damn bird!!

With just his bare hands, Lu Yipeng could hardly dodge. And now there were more needles added. What a bad day it was for him today.

“Do you want your shirt taken off or not?” Hong Kongque said, and then started using the needles to poke the young police officer funnily. Then Lu Yipeng felt his pants tearing.

That old man will pay for this!!

Lu Yipeng was so angry that his face turned red and black. He stopped jumping and instead kicked Hong Kongque for the first time. Of course, the kick wasn’t effective, and he ended up getting poked in the butt with the needles.

“Stretch your legs longer than this.” Hong Kongque said, and then kicked his leg to twist Lu Yipeng’s leg again. Lu Yipeng’s face hit the concrete, but as he tried to stand up, he stumbled and fell, then turned around and jumped to kick Hong Kongque again.

“That’s what they call kicking where I come from.” Hong Kongque said.

Then he tilted his body slightly, dodging Lu Yipeng’s punches and kicking him in the middle of the body, causing the young police officer to stagger back a few steps. When he managed to stand up, he saw his foot floating.

“Hey, try kicking me, and you’ll see what kind of kick it is.” Hong Kongque continued. After dodging a kick from him, Lu Yipeng, the young police officer wanted to curse, but he held back. There was hope that if he wasn’t kicked, he would definitely be punched.

The fight continued in the format where Lu Yipeng was losing at every turn, but at least Hong Kongque had stopped stripping his clothes off and now if only Lu Yipeng could make the guy stop hitting him.

Lu Yipeng decided to take his belt buckle first, to plug loose hooks, so the target after dodging Hong Kongque’s kicks was that belt buckle.

He had bought that belt buckle with his own money, but it was now being used by that annoying bird to play around instead. Not only that, but he also hit him with it. It seemed like it was really worth it, so don’t let him catch you, he might hit him in the butt, even the crack.

Before knowing, Lu Yipeng snatched his belt buckle back from Hong

Kongque’s hand like a cat catching a chicken feather that its owner used to lure it. No matter how many times he tried to snatch it, he didn’t succeed. The young police officer was frustrated.

When he couldn’t snatch the belt buckle in his hand anymore, Lu Yipeng jumped back, using an old container near him as a base to send himself off. He lunged forward to Hong Kongque, blocking his hands on both sides. He looked into his eyes, seemingly about to lunge forward and hug Hong Kongque like that.

Hong Kongque found this sudden lunge. To the point where he had to quickly jump back, both of Lu Yipeng’s hands gathered strength and he pushed the man down on the floor before using both hands to press his body up, spinning a screwdriver in the air on one side, and then lunging at Hong Kongque again.

It was the first time Lu Yipeng had seen Hong Kongque’s eyes widened with surprise.

Now, I want revenge!!

He thought this time the lunge must hit Hong Kongque for sure. If not, revenge must be taken. The price for ordering revenge had been brewing for many years.

But suddenly Lu Yipeng lost his balance in mid-air and then realized that

Hong Kongque had tied the belt buckle around his arm securely. Then Lu Yipeng felt a tremendous force pulling him, and his body floated and flew away several meters before rolling and almost hitting another container.

In such a situation, no matter how determined Lu Yipeng was, there was no way he could stand up in five seconds for sure. So when the young police officer raised his head, Hong Kongque came and stood smiling in front of him.

“I am proud of you, disciple Pengpeng.” He said, reaching out to grab his chin, but Lu Yipeng avoided with a clear look on his face, “Since when did you become a disciple of yours.”

“Huh…” Hong Kongque moaned, “Pengpeng, you really don’t know how to be grateful at all. How did you manage to graduate with honors like this? Just used the moves I taught him and now you dare to say you are not my disciple.”

Lu Yipeng wanted to argue, but the move he used to avoid was a move secretly learned from Hong Kongque when they went to the sea together.

“You can’t argue, just confess that you’ve wanted to be my disciple for a long time.” Hong Kongque said to Lu Yipeng with a stern look, “There is no way even if you become the last kungfu master in the world. I will never agree to be your disciple.”

Hong Kongque shook his head, “It’s a pity, it’s a pity. By chance I am not the last kungfu master, but Pengpeng, you have become my disciple without even realizing it.”

“Don’t let your mind wander around. I’ve never bowed down to you as my master.” The young police officer nodded, “It’s true, but you are my disciple’s master, so according to tradition, I am your master’s master.”

Lu Yipeng tried to argue, “How long have you been my master’s master?”

“Oh.” Hong Kongque looked puzzled, “Wu Fan didn’t tell you that I am your master. What did he say to you?”

Lu Yipeng looked stunned. Finally, he said, “All right. I don’t accept it.”

“Why don’t you think I am a good master, disciple.” Hong Kongque said, sitting down and leaning towards the young police officer, “Or do you want something else?”

“I don’t want anything to do with you.” Lu Yipeng said as Hong Kongque looked at him and spoke nervously, “But really…”

The young police officer remained silent, then blushed, “I’m going back now.

It’s getting late.” Lu Yipeng said, trying to push Hong Kongque away. The other person then continued speaking.

“Well… where are you rushing off to? The car is still in the garage… Want to have dinner with me? Today we have snow fish grilled with your favorite soy sauce.”

Lu Yipeng looked at the person inviting him with a gaze that did not fully trust, “I’m not going. You’ll just make me do something else.”

“There’s lotus roots boiled in ginseng.” Hong Kongque continued speaking with a calm expression, “There’s also freshly picked oolong tea.”

“…”

“Are you going or not?”

“…”

“Don’t be so hesitant. You have no car, and don’t have good fish soup. You don’t really get to eat well anyway, right? Or do I have to carry you there?”

“I’ll go by myself.” Lu Yipeng quickly spoke before looking at Hong

Kongque again, “What did you bring along?”

“Nothing. I didn’t bring a car, I brought a jet ski.”

“What?!” The young police officer exclaimed, staring at the man in front of him as if he had seen something strange. Hong Kongque returned his gaze and spoke again, “What. I can’t ride a jet ski? It’s near a bay area here. Going by land will waste time.”

Lu Yipeng stared as if trying to figure things out before speaking up, “You’re going in this outfit.”

“Of course. Is there a problem?” Hong Kongque almost raised his hand to scratch his head. This guy is wearing this outfit to ride a jet ski. Believe it…

In the end, Lu Yipeng had to ride behind Hong Kongque on the jet ski because the oolong tea and snow fish soup were the real reasons for the invitation.

“I’ll drive better.” The young police officer said as Hong Kongque shook his head, “No, I’ll do it. Pengpeng,, you will cruise and hit a boat then things will get messy. I’ll be the rider here. You hold onto me tightly, so you won’t fall off.

Or should I tie your feet and drag you down, just for fun.”

“Alright. I’ll ride behind you then.” Lu Yipeng quickly said. Then he moved to sit behind Hong Kongque and hugged him tightly.

Hug tightly like this, that house my birds won’t slip off the bay for sure.

…

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 15: Memory Lane

Four years ago, Lu Yipeng had just joined the police force, having been appointed for just over a year. He was assigned to investigate the disappearance of Zhang Jiang, the former secretary of the Ministry of Public Security of mainland China, who had resigned before disappearing mysteriously, amidst allegations of budget corruption in the procurement of military equipment during the time the official held the position. The Chinese government at that time coordinated with the Hong Kong police force to help investigate the case. It was rumored that Zhang Jiang’s disappearance might be related to an old triad group with a long history of almost thirty years, who called themselves Red Peafowl.

The police officer previously assigned to this case disappeared without a trace for almost a week. He was found again in a public park. With his limbs and feet cut off and after recovering, he kept repeating the words “Red Peafowl” all the time.

As the top-ranking student with the highest overall scores in his graduating class, Lu Yipeng was determined to fully investigate this case. Starting with tracing the companies holding shares in the name of Red Peafowl, and following the trail of Hong Kongque’s private car registration number, he succeeded in stealthily entering the man’s residence. However, he faced the trap set up to catch intruders and the skilled servants who were proficient in martial arts, until the bodyguards of Hong Kongque, who were skilled in martial arts, were able to catch him.

Lu Yipeng had planned to let himself be caught. In order to directly encounter the Red Peafowl boss, if he could handle the boss, the younger ones wouldn’t dare to do anything, but things went terribly wrong. He encountered Red Peafowl for the first time, tied up like a prisoner, unable to even touch the man, not even with a fingernail. To preserve his life and complete the mission assigned to him, Lu Yipeng bravely wrote the letters “Hong Kongque” on his left calf using hot iron that glowed red. The intense pain from the heat almost made the young police officer lose consciousness several times while writing those letters, but with determination, Lu Yipeng completed all the letters before passing out, still holding the hot iron.

…

The young police officer didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, but when he woke up, he felt a heavy headache. The dimly lit ceiling, the faint light from a nearby lamp, he tried to move and found himself tied up with something.

After regaining consciousness, Lu Yipeng realized that he was lying on a narrow bed in a small, dimly lit room, with an ancient lamp placed beside him, and it was turned on. He wasn’t wearing clothes, just covered with a white linen sheet, giving the feeling of being buried like a corpse.

Was he still in the darkness under Hong Kongque’s control, or was this something else happening to him?

Lu Yipeng pondered for a moment while lying there. Then he heard the sound of a door opening. The young police officer looked up immediately and met a tall man with scars all over his face, starting from the roots of his hair down to his nose. When confronted with that intimidating light, he felt as if he were facing some kind of ghostly apparition. Behind the man, there were two more men following him. Lu Yipeng’s vision was still blurry, but the doctor didn’t say a word and went straight to remove his linen sheet, lifting his left leg. Then, the other man held a bandage while the third one poured saltwater onto his wounds.

Earlier, when he woke up, Lu Yipeng felt pain in his left calf, but being doused with saltwater like this, the taste was indescribable. The young police officer clenched his teeth, sweat pouring down his face.

After the tall man finished pouring saltwater on his wounds, he took the white cloth from the tray and dabbed his wounds. It wasn’t heavy nor light, but when applied on top of the stinging salt, it made the young police officer’s face even paler before opening the ointment bottle to apply to his wounds. Then he poured it on again.

Lu Yipeng’s eyes were so swollen that the man applied medicine to his wound and then covered him up with a blanket before walking out. The young police officer was in so much pain that he could barely think straight. Before long, he passed out again.

Lu Yipeng regained consciousness, accompanied by the smell of food. It seemed to be the smell of porridge. When he tried to move, he realized that his hands and feet were still tied up like before. He looked towards the narrow window with curtains. It seemed to be late at night. The young police officer tried to move his hands and feet, only to discover that they were chained to the bedpost with iron handcuffs.

The stomachache made the young police officer almost lose control. The porridge bowl seemed to unsettle him more than the pain from his leg wound.

Just when he was about to vomit, someone opened the door.

Lu Yipeng couldn’t quite make out who the person was. Whether it was a man or a woman. The primal desire for food overshadowed everything he had been taught. He forgot to be cautious that the food might be drugged or poisoned. The person dragged a chair over and sat down. Then they picked up the porridge bowl and blew on it before feeding the young police officer.

The porridge was somewhat hotter than ideal, but Lu Yipeng didn’t notice that the person holding the bowl was not using any utensils. There were signs that it might be too hot, but the young police officer ate eagerly, almost oblivious to the taste. Apart from swallowing it down to calm the turmoil in his stomach.

The porridge bowl was big enough for two people. Lu Yipeng finished it within a few minutes. When his stomach was full, he finally looked at the person who fed him. The man had a stern look. Despite the full stomach, Lu Yipeng vaguely remembered who this man was.

“Hong Kongque!!” exclaimed the young police officer, trying to sit up. Hong Kongque smiled before picking up the tea cup on the table, “Would you like some tea, officer?”

Lu Yipeng looked at the man in front of him and the teacup in his hand. The scent of tea was invigorating, making his mouth water. The young police officer hesitated before speaking, “How can I drink if you tied me up like this?”

The man smiled slightly, picked up the tea cup to take a sip. Then he lowered his face closer to the cup.

The scent of tea leaves wafted up his nose until Lu Yipeng, who had never drunk tea in this way. He was a police officer who almost did not know the taste of tea, but only heard it all through. Both surprised and confused as to why he had to be kissed by a man. This is crazy.

“What are you doing, you lunatic?” That was the first sentence Lu Yipeng stuttered after Hong Kongque had pulled his mouth away. The person being scolded made a face, before responding, “You have a bad mouth indeed. Even though someone kindly served you tea, you still complain. Then just drink it as it is.” Finished speaking, he lifted the teacup towards Lu Yipeng’s face. The warm tea rushed into his mouth and nostrils, scalding the young police officer’s face.

Lu Yipeng coughed slightly and his face turned extremely red. Hong Kongque poured out the tea and placed the cup on the table. Then he stood up and looked at the young police officer as if he wanted to kill him.

“Go to sleep for a while, officer.” Then he reached his hand straight to the back of Lu Yipeng’s head and gently pressed a spot. The image in front of the young police officer slowly faded away…

This time, Lu Yipeng felt himself in the darkness. Not because it was dark, or someone turned off the lights in the room, but because his eyes were closed with a long piece of cloth tied over them. His wrists and ankles were still tied the same way. The wound on his leg no longer hurt, but his small belly suddenly became unbearably hot for no apparent reason. Then he felt that someone was lying on top of him. The young police officer’s back immediately went cold.

!!!

The young police officer tried to speak but could only make a moaning sound as his mouth was covered with another cloth. The person lying on top of him slipped his hand down on his chest. Then he pressed tightly until the owner of the body was shocked with pain. He massaged his chest for a while, then his hand moved down, touching his slightly bulging belly, sliding down to his groin bones, and down to his thighs.

The young police officer shuddered again when the hand touched the wound on his leg. By now it wouldn’t hurt, but the feeling seemed to linger on the raised scars.

The person then massaged him all over. Then he came back to press firmly on his chest once more, and pinched both sides of his chest until the young police officer shuddered again before sliding his hand to the crucial part that was erect between his legs.

Lu Yipeng resisted strongly. It’s not like he hadn’t been grabbed by someone there before, his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him when he entered his new government job has done this to him, but when that male hand clamped down, a sudden wave of heat seemed to pass through and rush straight to his back. Hot flashes entered his belly, arousing his emotions instantly.

Being fondled for a while, the young police officer began to moan. If he wasn’t being restrained by handcuffs and ankle restraints, he would have jumped up and subdued the person on top.

As he bit his lip with restrained desire, the other person stopped their hand. Then they shifted, and Lu Yipeng could feel the wetness of their mouth, and the hot tongue and lips tightly around his vital area. His body shivered again.

Lu Yipeng clenched his fists, feeling as if his wrists and ankles were being twisted until they hurt. Just focusing on the pleasure between his legs made him forget about the pain and discomfort. The tongue and mouth of the other person moved deftly, almost making him release multiple times, but when he touched his hip, they stopped, seeming to want to tease him more than anything else. Encountering this, Lu Yipeng wanted to escape from the intense activity even more, to be able to wrestle away through that way.

He got teased there with Hong Kongque mouth for a while. Then the other party pulled their mouth away. Then their hand moved down to his hip. This time, Lu Yipeng shivered.

Damn… It can’t be…!!

The sound of breathing grew louder, as the other party slapped his buttocks hard. Then something like a condom was put on, and something tight and full was pressed into the tip of him. Lu Yipeng only just realized that the person mounting him couldn’t be a woman.

If that’s the case…

That tight, narrow passage slowly sucked in his cock him little by little, making him moan involuntarily. His shaft length was compressed tightly until it disappeared inside Hong Kongque. He only could make it halfway through. He was almost near ejaculating. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

As he pushed all the way in until the end, Lu Yipeng couldn’t help but thrust his hips against that person, and heard them moan. Then the two bodies moved in a frenzy, colliding with each other fiercely. The fingertips that were tightly gripping his legs, and the tingling squeezing that made his senses tingle, made

Lu Yipeng’s mind go blank. He only perceived the immense pleasure that was happening, and wished it would continue forever.

He didn’t know how many times he thrusted to that point. All Lu Yipeng could remember was feeling like he was close to death because of the overwhelming pleasure that was consuming him. The passage stretched and squeezed his pleasure like crazy. He didn’t want to stop moving for even a second, as if he wanted to suck the life force out of him through that passage. He wouldn’t stop, as if he wanted to keep going tirelessly, wanting the bliss to continue endlessly. The feeling was like on the verge of death from pleasure. That passage stretched and squeezed the pleasure into him insanely, not stopping for a moment. It felt like sucking the life force out of him, incomparable. It was both tormenting and feeling good to the point of losing one’s mind.

If I have to die with this much happiness, sometimes it might not be worth holding a grudge.

…

Feeling light, almost floating, Lu Yipeng opened his eyes to find the sky bright. Blindfold and gag removed, his hands and feet were free.

The young police officer closed his eyes again, still not recovered from the bliss of his previous moment of forgetfulness, but managed to fall asleep for a while. His consciousness could eventually return.

Lu Yipeng’s memory suddenly surfaced, realizing he had just endured a clear sexual assault, and most importantly, he might still be in the clutches of that mysterious mafia. If so, the assault might have been recorded for blackmail.

Thinking this, the young police officer regretted his lack of awareness, but also considered that in such a state of being, who could actually maintain consciousness? Furthermore, that guy must have put something in his tea or porridge. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been hard and sexually aroused to such an extent.

While contemplating the potential future events, the door swung open, and a man in his twenties to thirties, with side-swept hair and a dark red shirt, walked in.

“Good morning, police officer. How do you feel?”

Lu Yipeng lunged at the man, hoping to suffocate him and make him fall silent, then grabbed him. He heard him respond, “Really?”

Lu Yipeng then saw the man’s footwear in front of him, and his face forcefully hit the ground, causing a sharp pain. That person pressed his foot on

Lu Yipeng’s shoulder and asked, “Do you come here to arrest me for real, or what? Where’s the arrest warrant?”

Lu Yipeng tried to lift himself up, despite being stepped on only on his shoulders, but it seemed like an iron barrier was holding him down. Eventually, he had to speak helplessly while still lying face down.

“I’m here to ask about Zhang Jiang.”

“Oh… The one with the glasses, huh?” Lu Yipeng felt embarrassed about having to ask questions or speak while being stepped on like this. This bastard!!.

“Do you know about him?”

“Who told you that I know? Do you know who I am?”

“Hong Kongque.” Lu Yipeng said, continuing, “Our sources report that you are the only one who might know where Zhang Jiang has gone, because he has a connection with you.”

“Oh… you are indeed a diligent investigator.” Hong Kongque said, then lifting his foot up, he pushed Lu Yipeng and toppled him down again. “Don’t stand up too quickly. I’m just tired and want to switch sides with my feet.” Hong Kongque said, as he raised himself up to stand but hadn’t fully stood yet. He was kicked down again.

“Lift your head your head up.”

The young police officer insisted, and then managed to stand up a little before raising his head to look. He saw the corner of his mouth twitch, “Just tell me your name again.”

“I’m Lu Yipeng.”

“Lu Yipeng.” He repeated, smiling, “About Zhang Jiang’s whereabouts. I can’t tell you, but if it’s about the incriminating information about him, I can give it to you. How about that?”

“Why can’t you tell me his whereabouts?” Lu Yipeng asked, still close to the ground.

 “Oh… because it’s not safe to tell officers like you. Besides not having the intelligence to protect your life, you would also lead enemies to silence you.

Don’t think there aren’t government agents in the police force. I’ll give you a choice, to go back with solid evidence or empty-handed.”

Lu Yipeng remained silent for a while before responding, “Do you have those documents for me to see?”

“Of course. Otherwise, why should I tell you.” Hong Kongque said, “The evidence is complete with a certified document that can be used as testimony in court. Do you want it or not?”

“Let me see it first.” The young police officer said.

“Alright, but let me say first. If you think of jumping on me after I lift my foot, I will kick you down until you are knocked out and then hang you on the rooftop to make sun dried meat out of you.”

“Umm.” Lu Yipeng agreed. Then Hong Kongque lifted his foot, and the young police officer stood up, “Where are the documents?”

Hong Kongque tapped a brown envelope on the bare back of the young police officer, “Hey… you really are firm. Your lower parts also look so tantalizing. Do you want a rematch from last night?”

Lu Yipeng glanced at the person speaking before grabbing the envelope and walking slowly to the bed, wrapping the blanket around his lower body,

“Hmm… What are you being embarrassed about? I have seen everything, holding it now won’t help anything.”

“That’s on me.” Lu Yipeng said, opening the envelope to look at the documents inside for a moment before responding, “I have to send these documents for inspection first.”

“Take your time.” Hong Kongque said, “If you’re not satisfied, you can come back here or come to that door. Otherwise, give me a call first.”

Lu Yipeng raised his eyebrows in surprise as Hong Kongque walked in and clapped his hands on his thighs, “You have a pass already. Don’t go around talking about it, or I’ll kill you.”

Before the person being held could react and raise their hands to brush off the gesture, Hong Kongque quickly moved away. Then, raising his hand under the person’s chin to make Lu Yipeng look up, and said, “Go shower and change your shirt. I will give you the phone number, remember, do not write it down or save it in your phone. I will only tell you once, if you forget and come screaming for it, someone will hear you scream for about three hours.”

Lu Yipeng tried to brush his face and escape, “Understood. Let me go.”

Hong Kongque chuckled, then pulled in to kiss Lu Yipeng suddenly. Before he could react, his tongue was already inside. This kind of unexpected kiss had never made him feel so dark and confused before.

Meeting lips for a while, Hong Kongque smiled softly, “I want you to stop by more often. When you leave, don’t forget about me.”

Lu Yipeng glanced at the other party before abruptly stepping out, “I promise not to step foot here again.”

“Uh… I’ll wait and see.” Hong Kongque said, standing and staring at the young police officer with piercing eyes, until the person being looked at hurriedly walked into the adjacent bathroom.

…

“Why are you smiling like that?” Lu Yipeng asked, looking up to see the person sitting at the table smiling faintly, a smile that had been there since minutes ago when Hong Kongque looked at Lu Yipeng’s hands scooping porridge and smiled, “I was just thinking about the first time we met, you were eating porridge like a garbage disposal.”

Lu Yipeng glanced at the person speaking immediately, “Oh… That’s something I really don’t want to think about at all.”

“Why are you blushing, Pengpeng?” Hong Kongque said, then playfully tapped the young man’s nose with his spoon.

“My nose is not a boiled crab.” Lu Yipeng replied, brushing the spoon away, which didn’t quite work as expected, “And I’m not embarrassed. I just can’t stomach such vile talk.”

“True.” Hong Kongque chuckled, giving Lu Yipeng another look before setting down his bowl of congee, “I’m done eating.”

“Oh… what’s this? Despite being all grown up, you still want me to feed you?” Hong Kongque said, feigning disappointment, looking at Lu Yipeng with a pout, “Your words make me lose my appetite altogether.”

“Well… I wasn’t talking about anything as revolting as a worm or a centipede, Pengpeng. If you want me to feed you, just say so. I’ll have Li Kong bring a fresh, piping hot bowl of congee for you. It’ll be fun. Interested? If not, just finish your meal. Wasting food isn’t good.”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips before picking up his spoon to continue eating until it was all gone. The young police officer then stood up, ready to leave.

“Leaving so soon? Aren’t you going to stay and chat with this old man a bit longer?” Hong Kongque asked, but Lu Yipeng raised a hand to adjust his shirt and turned to respond, “I have to leave, it’s because of you that I’ve been up all night… and I have to work today.”

“Well… complaining won’t make you old. You’re not that old yet.” Hong Kongque said, as he patted the firm buttocks of the young police officer under the table with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, stop feigning old age for a moment.” Lu Yipeng said as Hong Kongque chuckled, “Where do you see me feigning, Pengpeng? You think too much.”

Lu Yipeng shot him another look before speaking again, “I’m off.”

“Hmm… will you come this evening?”

“Not coming. I have to water the plants. The water I’ve prepared will dry out.

I have to go to work today.”

“Well… are you sure you don’t want to come?” Hong Kongque nodded,

“Fine, bring the plant for me to see.”

“Hmm… sure. You must be persistent.” Lu Yipeng said, then walked out.

“And don’t send me anything strange again, pity the forensic team a bit.” Officer Lu Yipeng continued, withdrawing a sigh, “I didn’t send anything strange this time Pengpeng, you were suspicious yourself, as always.”

Lu Yipeng closed the door with a loud bang.

…

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 14: Detox Week and Paechikchik Flirting

Hong Kongque’s age has always been a mystery, even evolving into a legend that he is immortal and a blood-sucking vampire. However, in reality, Hong Kongque is just an ordinary human with a unique way of taking care of his physical health that sets him apart from the rest.

Aside from consuming Chinese herbal medicine to nourish his body and practicing Muay Thai in the mornings, every three months, Hong Kongque fasts for a week. During this time, he only drinks special herbal concoctions prepared for him, in order to recalibrate his body and prevent regeneration of cells.

In that week, Hong Kongque will avoid meeting people outside, avoid going out to sleep in places, just sitting and lying in the courtyard, soaking in warm water, getting a massage, alternating with answering the phone. During this one week, Hong Kongque will also reject calls, calling it a full week of rest.

Today is the third day that Hong Kongque has been fasting. He is lying down for a massage on a special bed in a room. The masseur is a blind massage therapist that Hong Kongque has trusted and been massaging for many years.

While dozing off comfortably, Li Kong slowly opens the door and speaks softly, “Kongque, a phone call from Inspector-Lu.”

“Um…” Hong Kongque replied disapprovingly, “I already told him that no calls this week.”

“Yes, but Inspector-Lu said there’s an important matter he needs to discuss with you.”

Hong Kongque opened one eye and replied, “Then ask him. If I can’t talk to him today, will someone die?”

Li Kong walks out of the room briefly, then returns, “He said no one will die, but there’s a matter concerning Paechikchik.”

Hong Kongque raises both eyebrows in surprise, “Then get the phone.”

Li Kong hands over the phone and stands quietly as Hong Kongque answers,

“Is there anything else, Inspector-Lu? You know you’re not supposed to call. If there’s no good news, just speak.”

Lu Yipeng’s voice comes through the phone, “Um. I know I am not supposed to call, but the case is urgent. Do you know about the A32 gang?”

“Um…” Hong Kongque sighed before responding, “What does that have to do with Little Paechikchik?”

“Oh, actually. It’s got nothing to do with anything like that.” Lu Yipeng says before rushing to continue, “But regarding your cockatoo. Can you answer my questions first?”

“Let’s get to the point.” Hong Kongque says, moaning once again, “I’m aware. Just speak quickly. I’m busy.”

“Um.” at the end of the phone line, and then proceeded to tell him in detail about the case. Hong Kongque listened intently. As the conversation came to an end, he was shocked.

“Oh, um… I will send Little Zi to help too.” Hong Kongque said and heard a voice at the other end of the line replying, “I didn’t call to ask for help. I just want your opinion. What do you think?”

“Oh…” Hong Kongque dragged his voice, then spoke, “Sorry, Pengpeng. I’m not feeling well and not really familiar with the situation. Could you tell me again?”

Lu Yipeng was silent for a while. Hong Kongque heard what sounded like someone yelling, “What are you doing?”

“Oh. I’m driving to chase after the A32 gang thugs. They kidnapped Mister Cheng’s son and hope to ransom him. I’m chasing them now, Captain Duan fasten your seat belt.”

“You’re driving and talking on the phone at the same time.” Hong Kongque moaned, “Mister Cheng’s son, oh, Cheng Yin, um… You don’t need to chase after them. Radio your department and say that they’re heading towards the old Pengkong warehouse. They’re probably trying to head someone there, then you, the police, can handle it.”

“Oh, thank you.” Lu Yipeng said. Then there was a loud bang followed by an “ouch” as the car swerved and hit the front window.

“Well… that’s it. I wish you a safe journey back.” Hong Kongque said, then hung up the phone. He let out a sigh.

…

After finishing the massage, Hong Kongque went to soak in a warm bath to relax his muscles. Then he lay down to enjoy the balcony breeze, sipping a special herbal drink and listening to classical music, feeling content. Just as he was relaxing, Li Kong walked up and whispered in his ear, “Kongque, we’ve caught the intruder at the left wing corridor.”

Hong Kongque frowned but didn’t forget to raise his eyebrows, “Gouge his eyes and throw him in the bay. If he survives, let him go. If not, so be it.”

“He’s the second son of the Tian family. They want to negotiate business directly with you.” Li Kong continued. This time, Hong Kongque raised his eyebrows, “Oh… wants to compete with his brother, huh…”

Speaking, he sat up straight. Then he leaned back down, “Um… I still don’t want to go underground right now. Tell him to write the same letter on his skin with a hot poker. If he can write it, wait another four days. I will talk to him. Um… in four days, the wound should heal just right, but if not… contact Mister Tian and ask how he wants his son to be sent back in thirty-two different ways without a sound, or should I just leave something here, and send him two things.”

“Alright.”

Hong Kongque sighed again. After Li Kong walked out

…

Waking up on the fourth day, Hong Kongque’s physical condition was getting closer to being sick again. His body was still trying to expel waste that had been stuck since three months ago. When he woke up in the morning, his nose was running, his stomach was upset, and he had a fever. He had to lie in bed until noon before getting up to take a warm bath, and then continue with herbal medicine. Then he went to the sitting room to relax and watch videos to relax muscles, brain, and nerves. Fell asleep again, woke up to the sound of a masseuse, who this time focused on massaging his face, which usually took extra time. After the massage was finished, he had to do acupuncture and then leave the herbal medicine for another two hours.

After the massage and acupuncture were done and he was about to leave the herbal medicine, Li Kong walked in with the phone.

“Little Zi said that Inspector Lu had crashed into a gangster’s car during a gold shop robbery case that was on the news a moment ago. He is now in the hospital. Kongque is going to…”

Hong Kongque tried not to frown or show any emotions on his face. Then he spoke out, “Call him.”

After waiting for a while, Lu Yipeng answered the phone.

“You are not dead, right?” Hong Kongque lowered his voice while the herbalist gently pressed his forehead. He heard Lu Yipeng responding back,

“No, just a slight head injury. Are you not feeling well yet? I have never seen you sick in hundreds of years.”

“It’s my quarterly sickness time now.” Hong Kongque said, and then sighed, “When will the police department take away your driver’s license so you won’t endanger others on the road anymore?”

Lu Yipeng groaned and hung up the phone, “I caught the thief, not racing. What about you? Do you have a driver’s license or not? I’ll check later. I’m going in.”

“Oh… alright then, you should consider moving to the traffic department.” Hong Kongque said before continuing, “That’s all for now. I have to hurry to my appointments.”

“Hmm…” Lu Yipeng responded, wondering what this peacock was up to. One day he had a fever, another day he had errands to run. At first he said he was busy, but something seemed to be happening this week.

…

Hong Kongque put on a face mask and fell asleep and woke up feeling a bit confused. He opened his eyes and went to wash his face. After that, he took a warm bath again and prepared to go to bed. Li Kong walked in again.

“Kongque, Tie Bai came to see you yesterday. He said he really wanted to meet you. He didn’t want to wait for four days.”

“Oh. Has he written a letter already?” Hong Kongque asked surprisingly, and the other person replied, “Yes, but it’s not as beautiful as Inspector-Lu’s.”

“Oh…” Hong Kongque sighed, “Tell him to wait then. If he can’t wait, he can go home first. If he complains, sprinkle some salt water on him again.

Otherwise, smash it and tell him to choose for himself which option he prefers.”

“Okay.” Li Kong received the instructions and left, leaving Hong Kongque sighing.

What will happen this week?

…

On the fifth day, Hong Kongque stayed in bed all day, alternating between going to the bathroom and getting acupuncture. He expelling out old things from three months ago and refused everything and everyone who called or wanted to visit him, but there were still things to be done.

“Kongque.” This time, the person who opened the door was Luo Songzhi,

“The leader of the Golden Dragon gang has sent an invitation for a challenge.”

Hong Kongque was sipping herbal water and had acupuncture on his feet by

Li Kong. When he heard that, he raised his eyebrows and spoke calmly, “Tell him that this is the era of iPhones now. He should go buy one and use it, then come challenge me. Keep the challenge book for the kids to play with, it’s all the same.”

“Okay.” Luo Songzhi accepted the instruction and left. Then Hong Kongque fell asleep again, waking up in the afternoon feeling old. He opened his eyes and saw Li Kong and Luo Songzhi standing there. Seeing his boss wake up, Luo Songzhi spoke up.

“Liang Shuo sent a message through the iPhone, want to see it?”

Hong Kongque nodded in surprise, then handed the phone over. When it was opened, a video of a man in his fifties standing and chuckling appeared.

“Hey Hong Kongque, is this all that you can do, you are a homo? You can’t find a wife or a child, huh? Alright. I challenge you. Meet me next Wednesday at the bamboo garden near Cemetery A. If you’re a man, accept my challenge.”

Hong Kongque listened until the end and then raised his foot. He took a picture of his foot with the phone before dialing a number, “You just said I am a homo so you want to meet face to face next time. Oh, no need to show me your ugly face, because someone like you only needs to see my foot to feel blessed. In the future, take pictures of someone else. No need to show me your wrinkled face, it’s nauseating.”

After speaking, he sent a message and returned the phone to the surprised man before asking, “Anything else?”

“No, sir.” The surprised man replied before walking away.

…

On the sixth day, Hong Kongque looked much younger after bathing and massaging his face in the morning. He went outside to do some Tai Chi under the sun. Then, he came back to drink some herbal tea.

Today, Hong Kongque was feeling fresh when he saw Paechikchik, a white feathered sparrow, fly in and land on his shoulder in the room. Flapping its wings, it called out, “Kongque Kongque.”

It then fluttered over to cuddle Hong Kongque’s cheeks lovingly. Hong Kongque extended his finger to play with it for a while before remembering to call Li Kong, “Get Inspector-Lu on the phone for me.”

Lu Yipeng was busy interrogating a suspect in a case of kidnapping that had been caught two days ago. When Hong Kongque called, he said, “Kongque, I’ll call you back later. I’m in the middle of interrogating a suspect.”

After finishing the call, Hong Kongque blinked a few times before turning to

Paechikchik, “Look, the younger generation nowadays, they don’t take matters seriously. When they have a problem, they call and expect an instant solution.

But when it’s our turn to call, they delay and don’t pick up the phone. These kids these days don’t have any respect.”

Paechikchik looked at its own reflection before gently rubbing its head against Hong Kongque’s cheek again. The phone rang louder.

“What is up with you?” Lu Yipeng’s voice cut in, “I’ll excuse myself first.” “Oh…” Hong Kongque sighed and smiled, “I wanted to ask about Little

Paechikchik you mentioned yesterday.”

Lu Yipeng fell silent for a moment before speaking up, “Ah, yes. I’ll tell you, birds like yours may not want to have offspring because they don’t like their mate. I mean, it might like you instead. Some birds refuse to have a partner because they only love their human caregiver.”

“What?!” Hong Kongque exclaimed, then turned to Paechikchik. He then continued the conversation over the phone, “How come, did Paechikchik say so?”

“You can try giving it pretty ornaments to see if it picks them up. If it brings them to you, it means it likes you.” Lu Yipeng said, continuing, “Some male birds may like to pick up pretty things for their female companions. Who knows, it might think you’re a female.”

“Ridiculous, Pengpeng.” Hong Kongque replied, “Where do you get all this from?”

“From the internet.” Lu Yipeng said, then continued, “Your venus flytrap plant is looking nice. I brought it to the office. It had a big audience admiring it.

I’ll send you photos later.”

“Well, save the praise until I actually see it. Take the pictures and send them to me later.” Hong Kongque said, hearing Lu Yipeng chuckled. Then he spoke quickly, “Is there anything else, my boss is starting to look green.”

“Oh. That’s all, go back to work.” Hong Kongque said, then hung up the phone. The bird turned to him, looked at him, and spoke again, “Pengpeng,

Pengpeng. I miss you.”

“Ha ha.” Hong Kongque patted the bird’s head like patting a child in the womb, “I’ll bring him to see you in the evening tomorrow.”

Paechikchik nodded hesitantly, then gently kissed Hong Kongque’s hair,

“Love Kongque, love Kongque.”

…

Finally, after a week passed, today Hong Kongque took a shower and dressed up early in the morning. He was going to meet Tie Bai, who seemed stubborn and wouldn’t go anywhere unless he gets to meet him. As he stepped into the underground dim toilet, sat on the chair, ready, Tie Bai was brought in. He looked to be about thirty years old, in the prime of his life. Hong Kongque stared at the young man’s face for a while, then asked about the scar on his leg. Tie Bai spread his trousers to show it. Hmm… it was a small scar, but it was fully healed. Nothing was missing, and the appearance was acceptable. If he tried opening that part… it’s not certain that he might not have a good heart, but…

Hong Kongque sighed deeply, thinking that this guy was just another businessman hoping to use his power for personal gain. Sleeping beside him was not comfortable. Another thing… Lu Yipeng was more muscular, good looks and his demeanor… so-so. Even though he was not easy to sleep next to, he wasn’t as irritating and stubborn as this guy. He also knew how to quietly endure. And another thing, the Red Peafowl name on Lu Yipeng was the most beautifully written. As he thought about the young police officer’s face when he had just been scarred, Hong Kongque couldn’t help but smile. He pondered about Lu Yipeng for a long time until his mouth twisted up.

“What are you smiling about?”

Hong Kongque raised his hand to touch his face before smiling again, “I’m just happy. Tell me, what do you want?”

…

After concluding his business negotiations, Tie Bai left and Hong Kongque walked back up to the pavilion before sitting down to read the morning newspaper at his desk. Li Kong walked in, “Inspector-Lu wants to see you, sir.”

“Um… let him in. And tell Little Zi to bring Little Paechikchik out as well. Little Paechikchik wants to see Inspector-Lu.” Hong Kongque nodded.

“Of course.”

Lu Yipeng walked in with a large bouquet of red roses. Hong Kongque greeted him immediately, “Pengpeng, are you starting a flower business?”

“Not at all.” Lu Yipeng said before continuing, “I saw the Second Young Master of the Tia family driving out just now. He’s been missing for three or four days now. Did you keep him?”

“Just like the first time you  came to me.” Hong Kongque replied. Lu Yipeng pursed his lips, “So he has a Red Peafowl on his legs too.”

“Um…”

“Do you want me to stay?”

“?”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips, “He looks better than me by far. I guess I don’t need to come anymore.”

“Pengpeng.” Hong Kongque spoke with a strong voice, “If you speak like that again, I’ll pull your tongue out and use it to prop incense sticks, because I think you’re belittling me.”

“?!” Lu Yipeng raised his face to look at Hong Kongque who responded annoyingly, “I’m not favoring anyone or anything like that.”

For some reason, Lu Yipeng almost smiled, the young man trying to keep a grumpy face for a while. Then Hong Kongque asked Lu Yipeng, “Why do you have a rose with you?”

“I brought it to visit you, see that you’re not feeling well.” Lu Yipeng replied, then quickly added, “I wasn’t planning to buy a rose, but the other types of flowers at the store were sold out.”

“Oh…” Hong Kongque dragged his voice and smiled at the corner of his mouth, making Lu Yipeng seem to be more tense, “You don’t like roses?”

“No. If you want to give it to me should I have to come get it, will you catch it? Would you like me to try being a bride and catch a thrown bouquet?”

Lu Yipeng cast a sideways glance at Hong Kongque before walking away to find someone else.

“You look better now. You don’t look like you’ve just recovered from illness.” Lu Yipeng greeted as he handed the bouquet of flowers to Hong

Kongque, smiling, “Want to see the whole picture?”

Lu Yipeng looked at him, then shook his head, “Not really… I’m afraid of being sexually harassed.”

“You really talk nicely. Don’t let anyone know how excited you are when you’re in bed.”

Lu Yipeng blushed and glared at Hong Kongque again, but before he could respond, a voice interrupted, “Pengpeng.”

Paechikchik flew over from Luo Songzhi’s shoulder to perch on Hong

Kongque’s shoulder. He then turned to look at Lu Yipeng and called out again,

“Pengpeng.”

Once again, Lu Yipeng had to force a smile at the bird. Then he spoke up,

“Seriously. Have you tried what I suggested, like putting up beautiful decorations for the bird to admire?”

“Not yet.” Hong Kongque heard Paechikchik’s voice again, “Miss you, miss you.” Then he flew down to grab the golden pen on Hong Kongque’s work desk before flying to Lu Yipeng’s shoulder, attempting to offer the pen to him.

Hong Kongque blinked rapidly, then exclaimed, “Oh no, Pengpeng…my

Little Paechikchik has fallen in love with you.” He then made a regretful face as if a father sending his daughter off to marry.

Lu Yipeng looked at Hong Kongque’s face, then took the pen from the bird and spoke gently, “Can you not decide everything on your own, it might just be a playful gesture.”

“Who was it that said the bird would give its belongings to the one it likes?” Hong Kongque retorted immediately. Seeing that the other person could not come up with a response, Hong Kongque continued, “Exactly, Pengpeng…you must take responsibility. Give me a grandson after sleeping with Little

Paechikchik.”

“You’re crazy!” Lu Yipeng exclaimed immediately, “I’m a person, how can I have children with a bird.”

“But Little Paechikchik loves you.” Hong Kongque said seriously, as he caught Lu Yipeng secretly wrestling his own daughter to his house. A young policeman had his eyes fixed on him for a long time, Paechikchik lightly tapped his cheek before flicking the silver button on Lu Yipeng’s shirt.

“Oh!” Lu Yipeng was surprised by this action and reached out to grab the bird, but it was too late as Paechikchik flew back to Hong Kongque, offering a button to him. Hong Kongque blinked again, “Like, like.” The bird chirped and flapped its wings lightly. It then bobbed up and down excitedly on Hong

Kongque’s shoulder, while both Hong Kongque and Lu Yipeng looked at what was in each other’s hands. Then Paechikchik flew to the button on the concept table, jumping around and chirping again, “Like Pengpeng, like Kongque, love Pengpeng, love Kongque.”

Hong Kongque was silent for a while before raising his hand to scratch his head, then turned to the bird, “Oh… Pechikchik, why did you just confess like this… in this case, I have to send Ma’am Chik back home.” Maam Chik was the name of the female bird that Hong Kongque bought months ago. Lu Yipeng, who was standing and watching, had to speak up, “I also thought it must be attached to you so much that it refuses to have children or a mate. You have pampered it too much.”

“Um, then it’s okay.” Hong Kongque said, “Paechikchik will stay with me until we grow old, staying single together until we die.”

Well, now he forces himself to have children with a bird and stays alone indefinitely. When he realizes what’s going on, he’ll come around for sure.

Lu Yipeng looked at Hong Kongque with great concern, “Don’t drag the bird into your troubles. Let it be with someone else, it might find a mate someday.” “If I am not here. Little Paechikchik will pluck his own feathers. It’s pitiful.”

Hong Kongque said, with a sad and despondent expression, “It’s true. We love each other here. Whenever Inspector-Lu catches me, he will catch Shi Qik too.

Shi Qik will be my friend in jail.”

Lu Yipeng began to think that Hong Kongque was really old this time, “You should stop acting like an old man. You haven’t been caught yet.”

“I am old now. Pengpeng, you want to jail me. How many years can an old man like me survive in jail? Let me die with the bird I love, Inspector.”

The parrot walked back and forth, calling out loudly, “Kongque, Kongque, go be with Kongque, love Kongque.”

Lu Yipeng looked at both the bird and the parrot, then blinked a few times.

He sighed and said, “Let’s save this conversation for when you are really caught. Anyway, I’m here to thank you on behalf of the department for the information on the A32 gang.”

“Oh…I thought you might come to visit Paechikchik. Little Paechikchik, do you see how heartless Pengepeng is? Do you still love him?” Hong Kongque wondered.

Lu Yipeng silently pondered. If his own grandfather was still alive, would he be annoying like this peacock in the house?

The parrot flapped its wings and hopped back and forth on the perch, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

The theory that the owner is like the bird seemed to be proven with Hong

Kongque and this chatty parrot. Lu Yipeng sighed patiently and finally spoke, “I came here to personally thank you.”

Hong Kongque turned quickly, but didn’t get a chance to say anything. The parrot chirped again, “Love Pengpeng, Love Pengpeng.”

Suddenly, Lu Yipeng’s face turned red. He spoke hesitantly, “Kongque, does he really speak according to his owner?”

Hong Kongque looked at Lu Yipeng with clear eyes, “Paechikchik is smarter than that. He doesn’t need to speak like anyone else.”

“Ah…” The young policeman hesitated before speaking, “Let’s clear this up…”

Hong Kongque looked at the young police officer standing there twisting and turning on one foot. He asked, “Is there anything else you need to do?”

“Um…” Lu Yipeng cleared his throat, “I have tomorrow off.”

“And?”

“…”

“Do you want to stay overnight?”

“Um.”

Hong Kongque looked at the person in front of him, who was blushing slightly before smiling, “If you want to examine my body to that extent, you better  move closer.”

Lu Yipeng moved closer. As soon as he had the chance, Hong Kongque slapped him on the neck. The young police officer hurriedly dodged, but the plan was already in place. In the end, his neck was locked in a leather collar.

“Kongque!!! Are you still playing crazy like this?” Lu Yipeng said with no patience. Hong Kongque chuckled mischievously, “Well… you don’t have to pay for the accommodation yet, and you even get free advice. I’m willing to provide counseling outside of working hours, just a little like this Inspector-Lu will be embarrassed.” He finished speaking and pulled the chain on Lu Yipeng’s neck, “Today, we have the candles, handcuffs, and whips, Pengpeng. I think we’ll have a good time tonight.”

Lu Yipeng tried to remain calm, then his face became tense, “Kongque. I just remembered, there’s another case I need to summarize tonight.”

“No problem, stay and play with me for a couple of hours. I promise not to hit you too hard, just on the back, on the legs. That’s enough. When you put on a shirt, other people won’t be able to see it. Let’s go, I want to spank you until you can hardly stand it.”

Lu Yipeng wanted to scream out in frustration. 

What kind of punishment is this!!!

…

Actually, at first, I intended to write only about Hong Kongque and

Pengpeng. However, as I write up to this point, I want to say that it’s close to being a full-fledged story, but I want it to be able to be combined into two volumes << for business reasons, of course! (got nudged)

In the laid-back chapters that were originally planned but not yet written, there might be a chapter where Hong Kongque meets Pengpeng for the first time (Wait, does Hong Kongque fucks Pengpeng?!) and a chapter where

Pengpeng goes with Luo Songzhi (which may have less of Hong Kongque’s role, but could show the cunningness of the peacock quite well). And then there could be a chapter where Hong Kongque visits Pengpeng’s house for the first time (I haven’t thought about what could happen yet, but should we write about it?) In summary, there are only past chapters. Who knows what will emerge anew. And a scene where someone goes to ask Pengpeng for a photoshoot…

(Maybe we’ll see the jealousy of Kongque << really jealous?) After all this, we should get to the main point that everyone holds the label of “Don’t want drama, prepare for our full commitment… (Stand by to face the challenge!!)

So, before getting into the main content, if there are any scenes you’d like to see written, feel free to suggest them and let’s see if they will fall into place (for the sake of the readers who are slipping… I might get into drama for real!! <<

Keep reading and you’ll know it for yourself)

Thank you for following and reading, dear readers.^^

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 13: The Plant Gift

The illegal organ trafficking case ended well, with the person receiving the most praise likely being Lu Yipeng, who himself is not particularly pleased with this outcome. Being deceived alone, the whole plan doesn’t seem very pleasing to him!

“Inspector Lu.” Duan Feng greeted immediately upon seeing Lu Yipeng walking into the office. After being called to make a report in order to be considered for a salary increase. As soon as he saw Duan Feng about to speak,

Lu Yipeng hurriedly interjected, “If it’s about the Li case, there’s no need to say anything.”

Duan Feng, caught off guard, stammered before shaking his head, “No, I was just going to say that someone brought a plant for you.” He pointed towards Lu

Yipeng’s desk, where a young police officer turned to see a potted plant placed there.

“Who sent it?” Lu Yipeng immediately asked, and the person asked shook their head, “There’s a card attached, but I’m too scared to open and read it.”

Lu Yipeng walked over. There was indeed a white card stabbed into the plant. Inside was a short and simple message.

“To Pengpeng.”

Without needing to be told, the sender was clear from the card. There was nothing else specified. Lu Yipeng wanted to throw the plant in the trash for real, but it was just a plant. It didn’t do anything wrong at all. Besides, its green pot with red patterns looked pretty and quirky. Round, cute, not bad at all. So… might as well keep it for now.

And so the young inspector reluctantly took the pot of rice and curry plant to stack it with evidence.

“What is it now, Inspector?” Chief Inspector Wen asked immediately upon seeing Lu Yipeng walk in with the plant before raising an eyebrow, “What’s this, is it the plant eating bugs from Southeast Asia now? Are you turning into a gardener?”

“No. Someone brought it to me. Can you please check if there’s anything suspicious about it?”

“Hmm… Hong Kongque’s stuff again.” The station staff said as Lu Yipeng raised an eyebrow in confusion, “Um, yeah. How did you know?”

The person who asked smiled, “It’s the stuff you bring in for inspection. Mostly stuff from Hong Kongque all this time. He seems to like you, he keeps sending you stuff often.”

Lu Yipeng’s face turned into stone before speaking in a calm voice, “Just go ahead and inspect it. He always has ulterior motives.”

The station staff chuckled, “Alright, alright… but I don’t see anything suspicious at all. You’re just overthinking it. I think.” After speaking, he used a stick to take some soil out of the pot, mixed it with water in a test tube. Then he separated it into two test tubes, and added some substance in each.

“There is no poison in the soil, the leaves are not coated with anything. Looks strong and sturdy, no need to talk about explosives, as there are detectors below.

The way the plants are nurtured is impressive.”

Lu Yipeng nodded. He didn’t want to mention how Hong Kongque fed insects to these plants as if feeding rice to children. It’s not surprising that they look beautiful and strong like this.

…

The young police officer brought the plant back to the table, with nothing else written on the card. The care instructions were not written either. Lu Yipeng looked at it for a while, and it didn’t surprise him that they looked so beautiful and sturdy.

Duan Feng shook his head, “I don’t know, sir. I’ve never planted something like this before. You can try searching on the internet, but… the pot looks cute, like a fake product.” He then bent down to take a closer look, “Can you hold it for me?”

“Let me try.” Lu Yipeng said, then gently touched the small, round pot at the tips of the leaves, “Oh, there is some water in here. No wonder it looks heavy.”

“Do you have to put water in it?” Lu Yipeng asked, puzzled. Duan Feng shook his head again, “I don’t know, sir. You can try finding a way on your own. I have to go, I just came to bring the Qin Mei case file to your office.”

“Um.” Lu Yipeng nodded and picked up the case file on the table to take a look. He looked at the plant in the cute little pot, but couldn’t understand what Hong Kongque had in mind when he sent it to him. Maybe he wanted to distract him or something… But there was nothing written on the card about that. Did someone like that guy ever plan to distract him?

He sat reading the case file, alternating with glancing at the plant, pondering about this and that until it was time for lunch break. Lu Yipeng stopped by to buy some bread and tea, then walked to the computer department to borrow a computer for internet access to learn how to care for the fly trap plant.

Upon opening it, Lu Yipeng learned that these plants had different strains, some exotic strains. He had seen them in Hong Kongque’s greenhouse before. The one Hong Kongque gave him seemed to be a mix of N. Viking x

Ampullaria, which was unique to Thailand. This made Lu Yipeng wonder if Hong Kongque was involved in any illegal activities, but he hoped that these plants were not imported illegally.

Finally, Lu Yipeng has found a way to raise the pot of curry monkey paw. It looks quite complicated, requiring watering at the same time every day and placing it in a sunny location. It seems like placing it on the work desk is not a viable option. Throughout the afternoon, the young police officer was busy thinking about where to place the plant.

In the end, Lu Yipeng brought the plant back home and decided to place it on the bedroom balcony, as it would be easy to see and remember to water it. The method of nurturing did not mention the need to feed insects, so he would not have to spend time hunting for insects to feed these plants.

The pot of curry monkey paw plant was proudly placed outside the window, looking fresh and vibrant, as if it were the owner. Lu Yipeng continued to study the care method until late at night before going to bed, determined to show off to Hong Kongque someday if it looked more beautiful.

I don’t need to feed it insects, it can grow just fine.

…

“Take a break, go back early.” Duan Feng greeted as he saw Lu Yipeng getting up from the work desk at dusk, smiling shyly.

“Going back to check on the plant?” The subordinate asked as Lu Yipeng hesitated. He nodded and said, “Yeah… it’s difficult to care for.”

Duan Feng looked relieved, “It’s good that the girl I’m pursuing doesn’t like anything like that. Otherwise, it would be really difficult.”

Lu Yipeng just chuckled lightly and left the department.

At the age of twenty-seven, Lu Yipeng never thought he would become obsessed with plants, like a child at this moment. Perhaps he wanted to prove to

Hong Kongque that he didn’t have to resort to aggressive behavior like catching insects to feed the plants. The plants can grow on their own for sure.

Lu Yipeng decided to water the plant in the morning because sometimes he couldn’t return on time in the evening. Today, he came back, turned on the light on the balcony, and noticed something dark inside one of the pots. Upon inspection, he saw a fly floating in the water inside. It must have flown in by mistake. Lu Yipeng was slightly surprised. Flies that usually can’t be caught ended up getting stuck on a quiet plant like this. Our world also has simple things like this.

After that, every time he came back, the young police officer would check to see if anything had fallen into the pot that day. In addition to flies today, there were ants added in the next two days.

Well, there’s no need to bother going out to catch anything to feed it, it can also find its own food just fine.

After seeing it standing alone for several days, Lu Yipeng thought about finding another tree to plant as a companion. However, after looking up the prices of these trees on the internet, he had to cancel his plan because they were too expensive. He decided to let Hong Kongque take care of the garden instead.

But then, he started to wonder if this guy was raising these trees for sale.

A few days later, Lu Yipeng had to stay at the police station for several days to close a robbery case. When he returned home, he saw that the tree was completely withered, and his heart sank. He had been so preoccupied with the case that he had forgotten about the tree. Seeing the leaves and the tree dry up like this made him feel sad. He tried to water it more, but after a few days, it did not look any better. Finally, Lu Yipeng decided to call Hong Kongque one evening.

“Hey, Pengpeng, what’s the matter this time? Is the robbery case closed?” Hong Kongque asked over the phone after making Lu Yipeng wait for a while.

The young officer on the phone replied, “No. It’s not the case. It’s just that…” He paused for a moment, because he thought that Hong Kongque seemed to love the trees like his own children. If he said that the tree he gave to him had died, would he be subjected to some other cruel act or not?!

“Hey… What’s wrong?” Hong Kongque urged when he noticed that the other person was silent. Lu Yipeng swallowed and made a decision – he had come this far, and he just wanted to know if there was a chance for it to revive. He didn’t want to hope in vain, but he also didn’t want to let it die without doing anything.

“I had to stay at the police station for several days, so I couldn’t water the tree you gave me… but I came back to water it now… will it revive?”

After hearing Hong Kongque sigh, he replied shortly, “I’ll come and see.” Then he hung up. Lu Yipeng stood still for a moment. He thought about whether Hong Kongque would come to settle the matter about the tree with him.

The young police officer pondered various plans in his mind on how to deal with different situations. He wondered how he would survive if Hong Kongque really came to settle the matter. Then, the sound of a motorcycle engine getting louder could be heard in front of the house, followed by the sound of Lu Yipeng opening the door and asking curiously, “Did you come by motorcycle?”

Hong Kongque nodded. Today he wore a jacket over his shirt. He looked like a real gangster. Lu Yipeng wanted to ask if he needed any help or if he looked awkward, but he had his own issues to deal with, so he didn’t want to disturb Hong Kongque at the moment. He might be even more annoyed than before. “Where’s the plant?” That side asked Lu Yipeng, so he had to take him to the bedroom to see that plant. When Hong Kongque saw it, he let out a sigh.

“Poor thing.” He then gently put his hand on the withered leaves. Lu Yipeng bit his bottom lip nervously and asked, “Is it going to die?”

Hong Kongque paused, then called for him to sit down beside him.

“There are still green leaves. If we water it properly, it won’t die. It just needs to be taken care of.” He said, pointing to the fresh leaves. Lu Yipeng smiled immediately upon hearing Hong Kongque speak again, “But these withered leaves need to be pruned. It won’t look good if we keep them. Do you have scissors or a knife?”

A young police officer walked in and handed a pair of scissors. Then he sat and looked at Hong Kongque taking the wilted leaves out of the pot.

“Yesterday there were some flying insects stuck to it.” Lu Yipeng explained. Hong Kongque nodded and then turned to smile, “You got attached to it.”

The young police officer shook his head quickly, “I don’t like anything cruel like you. It just feels strange, that’s all, rest assured I won’t harm it. I don’t need to feed it anything to make it happy.”

“I like my things.” Hong Kongque said so, so Lu Yipeng decided it would be best to keep quiet. Hong Kongque finished pruning the leaves and stood up,

“All done. Take good care of it from now on. If not, return it to me.”

Lu Yipeng hesitated for a moment, “I can take care of it. I’ll bring it to the department in the future.”

Hong Kongque smiled at him, “Then I’ll leave.” He said and walked into the bedroom. Lu Yipeng immediately spoke up, “Are you leaving already?” “Um…” He nodded, “Don’t you want me to stay at your house?”

The young police officer hesitated for a moment before asking, “Did you come just for the plant?”

Hong Kongque turned back, let out another sigh, “It’s been four years, are you still asking me that?”

Hong Kongque went silent for a moment before speaking, “I am a police officer.”

“Um… I know.” The other person replied shortly.

“You want to arrest me and take me to jail.” Hong Kongque said.

“Um.”

“I don’t want to go to jail.” Hong Kongque said, then raised his hand to touch the face of the young man, “But if it’s you, I might consider it.”

Lu Yipeng held the hand of the other side and said, “My work hours are over.”

The dark eyes of Hong Kongque widened before being enveloped by the other person’s embrace, “Stay with me tonight.”

Hong Kongque remained silent for a moment before chuckling, “Planning something already?”

Lu Yipeng didn’t respond immediately but lifted his face to kiss, “It’s a full moon tonight. You don’t like being alone tonight, do you?”

Hong Kongque remained silent for a while before sighing, “I have to call Li

Kong now, he’ll worry.”

Lu Yipeng unwrapped his arms waiting for Hong Kongque to finish the phone call to his butler. Then he spoke again, “Let’s take a shower.”

…

The bathroom at Lu Yipeng’s house was narrower than the one at Hong Kongque’s mansion, mentioning the Jacuzzi. The bathtub didn’t need to be discussed. The water didn’t leak or seep out, it was considered good fortune.

Hong Kongque stripped off his shirt and walked under the shower. With Lu Yipeng following behind.

“Don’t be afraid of being molested in the bathroom by me.” Hong Kongque said, shaking his finger to flick the chest of Lu Yipeng.

“If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have been here for four years.” Lu Yipeng replied shortly.

The chest panel was pushed firmly again with a sharp, jumpy sound.

“Are you like this every full moon night or not?” The other person asked as they opened the lotus flower, with a stream of cool water flowing gently, almost ready to mingle with the arms embracing.

“I don’t know.” Lu Yipeng answered, and continued asking, “Why are you afraid of full moon nights?”

“It’s lonely.” Hong Kongque replied, raising his hand to touch his face, “I prefer the darkness more.”

“You’re strange. I’ve only heard of people afraid of the dark.” Lu Yipeng said as Hong Kongque turned to him with a smile, “I’m afraid of the light, afraid of seeing things I don’t want to see.”

Lu Yipeng raised his eyebrows, “What do you fear seeing?”

“The truth.” Hong Kongque said, turning to face him, “Pengpeng, sometimes the hardest thing to accept in this world is the truth.”

“Um.” Lu Yipeng swallowed the words, and continued, “But if you don’t accept the truth, isn’t it more tormenting?”

Hong Kongque nodded before raising his hand to touch his face, “But sometimes I like this torment, if I accept the truth, my identity may collapse. I need to exist, I need to have a life. Even if it means using deceitful illusions and lies.”

“Kongque…” Lu Yipeng called, “I don’t understand what is your true self.”

“The truth is always in the lies.” Hong Kongque answered, “One day you will understand, and see for yourself, just like I do now. You also lie to preserve your identity, don’t you?”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips. Then he took the hand of the other person to kiss it, “Is the person in front of me now the truth or not?”

Hong Kongque smiled, then replied briefly, “Are you the truth or not?”

Lu Yipeng didn’t answer. He pulled that face in for another kiss. Then he hugged that figure tightly, while the water from the lotus flower continued to flow over both of them. Finally, Hong Kongque spoke, “I’m cold, can we go to bed?”

Lu Yipeng looked at that face for a moment before reaching out to close the lotus flower. Then he lifted Hong Kongque up.

“Um… Hmm.” The person being hugged, with hands held and neck embraced, chuckled before pulling away. Then, they leaned down to kiss the still damp chest.

…

Lu Yipeng’s bed was neither narrow nor wide, comfortable for one person to sleep in. If two men were to sleep together, they might be a bit cramped. This was the first time Hong Kongque’s back touched the bedsheet.

“Kongque, tonight let me be on top.” Lu Yipeng said, shifting his body towards the person lying down, grabbing both legs to lift them up. Hong

Kongque looked at him and responded with a smile, “Turn off the lights first. I don’t like it bright.”

The young police officer walked to turn off the light switch. When he turned back around, he saw Hong Kongque wrapping himself in a blanket and about to ask something, but Lu Yipeng beat him to it, “I’m cold.”

Lu Yipeng smiled, “I think you’re just shy.”

Hong Kongque didn’t respond, but shifted away as Lu Yipeng approached to hold him, then leaned down to kiss the corner of the person’s mouth.

They kissed for a moment. The blanket slipped off Hong Kongque during this time. In the darkness, with only the moonlight shining through the window,

Hong Kongque’s face seemed to turn red as Lu Yipeng kissed him, from the tip of his nose to the corner of his mouth, neck, shoulders, down to the waist. When they reached a certain point, Hong Kongque covered it with his hand, “No touching here, Pengpeng.”

For four years, Lu Yipeng had sex with Hong Kongque countless times, but had never touched this area before. This time was different.

“Do you not trust me?” The young police officer asked, and the soft kiss on the leg felt the other person’s acceptance, “Um.”

“But tonight, can you trust me to be on top?”

“It remains to be seen how much you trust me.” The other person replied. Lu Yipeng moved closer, and their lips met once again.

“Both you and I must be dreaming.”

Hong Kongque chuckled, pushing that face away, “In dreams, you still need to wear a condom.”

Lu Yipeng reached out to grab the packet of condoms placed on the bedside table. He then tore it open, “Do you want to put it on me?”

Hong Kongque raised his hand to lightly slap his face, “You are really shameless.”

The young man pulled the other person’s hand closer and kissed it, then gently nibbled on their finger before putting on a condom for himself.

“Kongque.” Lu Yipeng whispered the name again before they both passionately embraced and heard Hong Kongque’s voice, “Pengpeng, calm down. It’s okay. Why rush into it in a dream.”

Lu Yipeng kissed the corner of that person’s lips again before speaking, “I can’t hold back anymore.”

The dark, piercing gaze caused Hong Kongque to shiver. Then Lu Yipeng raised his hand and caressed the body, both kissing and nibbling gently. The heavy sighs from the other side made Hong Kongque’s heart beat faster.

“Pengpeng.”

Their lips were pressed together again, both passionately embracing until they were hot and bothered. Then both of Hong Kongque’s legs were separated.

The warmth crept slowly in as Lu Yipeng let out a heavy sigh, not looking down. Even though the lights were not on, the moonlight shone in, reflecting on the full and trembling body below that was contorting with the emotions. Hong Kongque’s eyebrows furrowed, their lips barely touching, as if both were trying to endure it. Lu Yipeng couldn’t resist kissing that body again.

“Kongque.”

The response was a gasp followed by a stunned look, as the tip of the warmth sneakily entered Lu Yipeng’s mouth with tingling sensations. He looked down and saw Hong Kongque staring at him with those glossy black eyes shining in the darkness. It was uncertain what they were thinking.

Lu Yipeng pondered about what this man’s thoughts might be, facing Hong Kongque. He seemed like a person caught in a continuous loop of deception. As for Hong Kongque, he might be like a toy to play with, but…

The young man leaned down to kiss the lips of the figure below once more. If in the eyes of Hong Kongque, he was just a toy, then what did that make Kongque in his eyes?

The villain had to find evidence to catch or…

“Kongque.” Lu Yipeng whispered dryly, still moving his hips in harmony with the desires of the body. Hong Kongque turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow slightly, “Hm?”

“What are we to each other…”

Hong Kongque did not answer, just letting out a moan. Lu Yipeng exhaled heavily in his throat, unable to ask anymore, as the lower part was pulled tight and harnessed.

“Kongque, be ready tonight.” Lu Yipeng whispered, reaching out to touch the hand of Hong Kongque holding that part. Then he started moving, the strong impact from below made the body of Hong Kongque tremble entirely. Just as he was about to speak, Lu Yipeng quickly used his mouth to cover it.

Soon he began to be afraid of the words coming out of Hong Kongque’s mouth.

He was not good enough to distinguish the truth from the lies of this man.

Or maybe… he didn’t want to know the truth from this man’s mouth…

!!

The moans and heavy sighs got louder almost at the same time. Lu Yipeng buried his face in the damp neck corner of the trembling body below, moving his shaky hand to caress that body gently before planting a kiss on that neck corner, and then hugging tightly.

…

Lu Yipeng woke up in the morning feeling dizzy and confused, like a hungover person. As he regained some sense, he shook himself off and found nothing but sheets and pillows beside him. The young police officer tried to call back his consciousness before looking around the room.

No one was on the bed. No one was in the room…

When he looked at himself, he was still dressed neatly. So, what happened last night… Was it just a dream?

Lu Yipeng got up from bed, still feeling a bit dizzy, but when he looked out the window, he saw the rice cooker and saucepan tree with nothing but young leaves left. The young man smiled.

“Kongque, phone call from Inspector Lu.”

Hong Kongque was drinking herbal tea on the bed when Lai brought him the phone. He picked up and answered, “What else, Inspector-Lu?”

“Oh, nothing.” Lu Yipeng heard Hong Kongque’s response, “Why call, are you thinking of imitating the behavior of mental patients who like to make prank calls?”

“No.” The young officer replied, then chuckled, “Last night I dreamt of you.”

“Oh…” Hong Kongque dragged his voice as Lai walked out and closed the door gently, “Last night, I also dreamt of Inspector-Lu.”

“Oh!” Lu Yipeng exclaimed excitedly, “What did you dream about?”

“Not a very good dream.” Hong Kongque said, and lowered to drink tea again, “Dreamt of Little Pengpeng turning into a big-mouthed kid, asking questions left and right until it got chaotic. Woke up feeling hot, and had to get Li to make more tea, because Little Pengpeng’s disturbance in the dream really rattled my nerves.”

Lu Yipeng chuckled sheepishly, “Sorry. Just been too preoccupied with thoughts.” He paused for a moment and then continued, “But I had a good dream last night.”

“Oh… congratulations.” Hong Kongque said, pausing to drink tea again, then continued, “Inspection on trees. If you’re not home for many days, you can soak water for it so it won’t wither.”

“Oh, okay.” Lu Yipeng replied, then spoke up after a while, “What are you doing?”

“Drinking tea.” Hong Kongque replied, then asked back, “Are you not going to work yet, or are you still off work that you called me to chat?”

“Oh, I’m about to go.” Lu Yipeng replied, then fell silent for a moment, “I think one day I’ll catch you for sure.”

Hong Kongque chuckled silently, “Hope so, Inspector. I’ll raise my hand and wait for you to catch me, just afraid that when it’s time for you to catch me, you won’t come down.”

“Why don’t I just catch you?” Other-person quizzically asked as Hong

Kongque chuckled once again in response, “Because you’re starting to fall for my charm.”

Other-person let out a snort, “It’s time for work. I have to go. Prepare yourself to surrender someday. I will catch you.”

“I have to catch you during office hours. You know, being a police officer.” Hong Kongque teased Lu Yipeng with a smirk and immediately hung up the phone.

…

 

In the previous chapter, only Pengpeng seemed to have any sympathy for

Hong Kongque, who is actually infatuated with him to the point of obsession.

That’s why no one seems to notice (or care) that Kongque is actually falling for Pengpeng. As Hong Kongque is our older teacher in this story (no need to cut off my fingers, Kongque!!). We agreed to give the devious Kongque a break (even though we secretly wish for Hong Kongque to finally catch Pengpeng in the end).

Pengpeng has the reader’s support now (secretly feeling sorry for the socially awkward Kongque?). In this chapter, it seems to be getting a bit dramatic (Oh… this novel is an SM story, after all). (Fleeing from the readers now)

It’s like a sneakily dramatic moment (Oops… this novel is SM after all). Thank you for following and reading it.

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 12: The Peacock, the Fox and the Choker Necklace

Lu Yipeng did not know how he should feel for sure. It has been four days and Hong Kongque has not contacted anyone, gone out, or done anything to make him feel noticed even a little. Besides having his neck tied with a leather collar, one day the guy woke him up to watch the sunrise. He took his supplements. Then he forced him to do some boxing even though his neck was tied, and then had breakfast. After that, he spent half a day trying to pair up a bird that had been in his cage for a long time, and he even spent time feeding insects to the plants in the greenhouse. Um… and some time was spent irritating his nerves.

The young police officer began to wonder what business Hong Kongque was really up to. Why does he live aimlessly day by day like this? Even though he had money to support several servants in the mansion, it was not enough. Not to mention the cost of caring for and maintaining the mansion, the cost of fuel, and the expenses for repairing some of the cars that were overused, like the long limousine with bulletproof glass that he had ordered someone to jump in to help him out. It was really suspicious.

“Pengpeng, what’s wrong with you?” Hong Kongque said, turning his gaze away from the venus flytrap tree trunk that was almost as tall as him to look at

Lu Yipeng, asking, and then looking at the photo of a sarsen tree trunk, “I’m thinking. If the flytrap plant were bigger. Would you put a person in it instead of an insect?”

Hong Kongque stopped and looked at him, then nodded hesitantly, “That’s a very good idea, I will try to put someone’s finger in it next time. Who knows, it might grow bigger than before.”

Lu Yipeng tried to force the muscles on his face not to show any signs of fear. He looked at Hong Kongque stay still. He finally spoke thoughtfully,

“Well, Pengpeng, you are the one who speaks, why not try your finger first.” He then turned to grab the pruning shears lying there and picked them up. This time Lu Yipeng might not be able to keep a straight face any longer, so he finally shouted, “Stop thinking crazy, and put the scissors down. I’m not a plant’s food.”

Hong Kongque sighed regretfully as a bird had escaped the snare, and then replied, “What is it Pengpeng, you are the one who comes up with such genuine thoughts, so you are not responsible for this.”

If he could strangle Hong Kongque every time he thought, this doctor would have died at least a million times by now. Lu Yipeng gritted his teeth, holding back before responding, “I’m just wondering if someone like you might want to try something strange. That’s all.”

“There you go, Pengpeng, you are starting to understand me every day now.” Hong Kongque said with a smile, “Come on, extend your finger for me to cut it.”

“Are you crazy? I’m not a tree, you can’t just cut me down. If you want to cut off something then cut off your finger.” Lu Yipeng exclaimed immediately, causing Hong Kongque to make a confused face and put the scissors back in place, “No way, my fingers are too old, the skin is tough, cute trees won’t be able to digest it.”

Just realized how old you’ve become!!

Lu Yipeng glared at Hong Kongque as if he was about to kill him, before sighing, “Kongque, let me ask you a serious question. What do you do for a living?”

Hong Kongque looked him in the face, then shook his head, “The word ‘work’ is for young people like you Pengpeng, not for me who is living off retirement.”

Lu Yipeng stared at Hong Kongque again, “Are you sixty years old?”

“Do I look sixty?” Hong Kongque ask, the police officer raised his head up and down for a moment before speaking again, “Seems like it. I think you’re starting to get wrinkles on your face.”

This time, Hong Kongque looked completely stunned, as if he saw a dinosaur standing behind him, not even running away before grabbing his neck and taking him out of the greenhouse.

…

For four days, Lu Yipeng followed Hong Kongque everywhere, even to the bathroom, because the stubborn old man refused to let go of the leash around his neck for even a moment. Lu Yipeng didn’t know if this was a good thing. He was ordered to keep an eye on Hong Kongque for twenty-four hours, almost dying from exhaustion, but when it came time to switch, the doctor ordered him to keep him on a leash for twenty-four hours like that…

Damn it…

Now Hong Kongque brought him back to the bedroom, standing in front of the vanity table, looking at his face in the mirror like a vulture, before opening the drawer and taking out a round mirror. He examined his face, especially the corner of his eye for a while before turning to frown at him immediately.

“I’m going to cut your tongue for lying to my face.” He said sternly.

Without saying a word, Hong Kongque pulled the leash hard and then reached out to squeeze his jaw, “Liars must have their tongues cut out.”

Lu Yipeng stared incredulously. As Hong Kongque leaned in, I don’t think this is a normal kiss. Hong Kongque squeezed his jaw so hard that tears almost popped out, and then he even slipped his tongue in, pulling his tongue in. Then bite down.

“!!!!”

Hong Kongque pressed down on that tongue hard, and Lu Yipeng couldn’t even scream, he just made a short groan in his throat before quickly raising his hand to cover his mouth, when they parted

“Do you want me to bite it off?!” Lu Yipeng said, even though his tongue hadn’t yet got hurt well, Hong Kongque turned his face slightly, then spoke calmly, “Kid, a warning like this isn’t enough. If you dare to lie like this again. I will really cut off your tongue.”

Lu Yipeng looked at Hong Kongque for a moment before speaking, “I don’t know if you’re serious when you make this face.”

The softer voice of the young man made Hong Kongque’s face soften slightly, “Of course not. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lived till today.”

“Um…” Lu Yipeng cleared his throat, “I’m sorry.”

This time, Hong Kongque turned to him as if seeing a strange creature. Lu Yipeng looked and told himself to calm down, this was just a hornbill bothering him

“Kongque, making that stressed face isn’t good for your muscles. I’m sorry.

Let’s make up.” Lu Yipeng tried to soften his face in response before speaking,

“Let me help cure your stress disease.” After speaking, he kissed Hong

Kongque’s cheek once before speaking with a smile, “All better now.”

Hong Kongque blinked at him before raising his hand to touch his forehead,

“You’re too hot, Pengpeng. I think a bowl of soup would do better for you.”

This time, Lu Yipeng couldn’t hold back anymore and had to groan out,

“Kongque, you’re!!!!!!!”

Hong Kongque chuckled and jumped away from Lu Yipeng who pounced on him with the intention of catching him and squeezing his neck once.

“Little Pengpeng, you evil little heart, how can an old man like me fight back.” Speaking with a pull he dragged the chain around Lu Yipeng’s neck. The young policeman really wanted to ask where exactly Hong Kongque considered an elderly to fight back?!

They ran after each other for a while, not knowing who was chasing whom for sure. Lu Yipeng spoke up, “Kongque, can I ask you something?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know Wei Jinyin?”

Hong Kongque’s black eyes turned to him immediately, “Why do you ask?”

“Yesterday, I happened to come across his profile in a notebook, so I wanted to ask you if he’s really the kind of person he seems to be.” Lu Yipeng tried to look eager to know, and after a moment Hong Kongque answered with a smile.

“Are you asking if he actually killed his own brother?”

Lu Yipeng nodded immediately. He just wanted to know if there had been any underlying issues between Hong Kongque and the weasel before. Hong

Kongque looked at him and replied, smiling, “I’m not his father, how would I know? But his own father still believes that this son of his is a killer.”

“Ah, so that means he really did kill his own brother?” Lu Yipeng said, hearing Hong Kongque sigh.

“Well, this case is still inconclusive, isn’t it? Let’s stop talking about it.”

“Do you not like him?” Lu Yipeng asked immediately. Hong Kongque looked at him, raised his hand to his chin, and said, “I don’t like it when you talk about other men when you’re with me.”

Whether he was being possessive or not, Lu Yipeng felt a flush of warmth rise to his face. Even though he had talked about other male criminals with Hong Kongque before, mostly, Hong Kongque was looking at him. Then, he bent down to peck his lips with a loud smack before speaking up again, “Let’s have lunch and then go find Little Paechikchik.”

By the end of the day, Lu Yipeng was almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He spent almost the entire afternoon being bothered by the boss and his freaking cockatoo, driving him crazy. At one point, he even wanted to strangle both of them for real. It was a relief when Hong Kongque moved himself to the reading room in the evening to give him some time to rest. Even though the guy jammed a Chinese version of Kamasutra for him to read, it was still a bit of a relief.

Just thinking that he would have to endure this kind of life for another day, Lu Yipeng almost wanted to run back to the army. When will those bastards finish their work and unload the so-called cargo? He would rather quit this job and turn to grabbing a gun and chasing criminals instead. Doing something like that would be much better for his mental health.

“Pengpeng, it’s time to take a shower.”

Lu Yipeng was startled. When he turned back, he saw Hong Kongque standing confidently like a model, “You can get up now, if you take your time, we’ll be staying up late.”

Lu Yipeng got up and followed him into the bathroom immediately.

…

For four days, Hong Kongque didn’t let him go even during shower time. He still had to soak in water while facing about other-person. If he didn’t learn to control his emotions now, when would he? The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to escape, because the bird in his house left too many feathers behind. When he thought about it, he almost wanted to run away for real.

“Pengpeng, are you not feeling well today?” Hong Kongque smiled, looking up and down at him. Lu Yipeng, soaking on the opposite side, glanced back at him and replied, “My health is better than this. If you stop talking nerveracking, and stop looking at me with those lustful eyes all the time.”

“Hmm… Pengpeng, what are you talking about?” Hong Kongque said, “You’re still looking at other people’s things.”

“When did I look at anyone’s thing?” The young man retorted to other-person without saying much, just shrugged and moved his legs slightly apart. Lu Yipeng even forgot to sigh for a moment, his gaze fixed on that figure. Hong Kongque chuckled, then continued, “What are you looking at?”

Lu Yipeng regained his senses immediately and turned his face in the other direction, “I was just wondering why it’s not shrinking as it should be, that’s all.”

“Oh really…” Hong Kongque teased, “Maybe you are attracted to me”

“I can’t be attracted to an old vulture like you.” Lu Yipeng said, and was hit on the cheek by the other person with a strong slap, “You’re really rude.” Hong

Kongque said, then moved closer, “Do you want your tongue cut off?”

Lu Yipeng grimaced and tried to escape, but Hong Kongque’s hand was firm on him. The other side reached out to grab his face and squeezed it until they separated, then forced his tongue into his mouth. The young police officer tried to resist as much as possible, because last time he almost got his tongue bitten off. It is uncertain if this time this peacock might be serious.

War broke out in their mouths for a while, and Hong Kongque pulled his tongue in, biting gently, then grinding it forcefully until Lu Yipeng groaned in his throat before bringing the other person’s head in and attempting to retaliate.

Almost out of breath, Hong Kongque finally pulled his lips away, licked his own mouth, and then gazed at Lu Yipeng with a look of desire. L uYipeng’s body heated up. Then, Hong Kongque moved closer to straddle him.

“Who was it that said that we have to use a condom?” Mr-LuYipeng asked immediately, but he grabbed his waist tightly, determined not to let him escape this time. Then Hong Kongque smiled at the corner of his mouth, and reached out to grab something from the cloth wipe shelf. He then handed it to the young police officer.

“I will lend it to you first, you’ll return it next time.”

Lu Yipeng took out the condom. Then he tore it open, and put it on himself while in the water. Meanwhile, Hong Kongque forced another kiss on him.

The insertion process was much smoother than when they were on dry land, perhaps because there was water and soap to help as well. Not long after, Lu Yipeng felt the intense tightness in the other person’s body.

The young police officer sighed, looking at the body of the other person turning pink. The bloodsucking instinct of this peacock was effective when doing this kind of thing. They kissed again, and then Lu Yipeng’s mind couldn’t think anymore, as all his attention was on the intense action happening in the lower part.

He didn’t know how long this love affair lasted. Regaining consciousness, Lu Yipeng felt dizzy, trying to get out of the bathroom. When he reached the bed, he lay down completely exhausted. Hong Kongque smiled a little, and then bit his chin, “Pengpeng, sleep well tonight.”

Then he lay down next to him, frowning. Focused in a vague state. He began to think that Hong Kongque had been teasing him for four days, but only now had he finally agreed to have sex. Even though he usually didn’t miss an opportunity to seduce him… there might be something hidden here.

While he was mulling over it, Lu Yipeng felt the person lying next to him slowly starting to get up. The young police officer immediately woke up. It wasn’t wrong, Hong Kongque was about to get up from the bed to go to the bathroom, right? But didn’t he already go back earlier tonight? He didn’t remember him coming in. Then he felt like Hong Kongque reached out for his neck. Then he heard a faint click sound.

Lying quietly in bed, Lu Yipeng slowly opened his eyes to look at Hong Kongque, who did not go to the bathroom but instead headed straight to the wardrobe to change his clothes before slowly opening the door and leaving the room.

Lu Yipeng’s heart immediately started beating faster. He got up from the bed, grabbed some clothes to put on before opening the door and following him.

Where could Hong Kongque be going? Just out to do some business in the mansion, or…

…

When Lu Yipeng opened the door, he could still see Hong Kongque’s shirt swaying. The young police officer hurriedly followed him. This was the first time he had traveled a long distance in Hong Kongque’s mansion without having to close his eyes. Hong Kongque walked towards the balcony on the left side of the walkway. Then he turned right down the spiral staircase and disappeared into one of the corridors.

At the end of the corridor, several motorcycles were parked. Lu Yipeng couldn’t remember if this was the same corridor Hong Kongque had taken him down the day before because they all looked the same. Hong Kongque got on one of the motorcycles and drove off.

The sound of engines echoed throughout the corridor. Lu Yipeng hurriedly ran after, only to find that all the motorcycles had their keys in. This preparedness for emergencies by Hong Kongque would benefit him greatly.

Lu Yipeng quickly got on one of the motorcycles, hoping that the echoing sound wouldn’t make anyone suspicious. Hong Kongque rode the motorcycle as confidently and as fast as ever, causing Lu Yipeng to have to accelerate to maintain a safe distance. After a while, he emerged onto a grassy verge connected to the main road. Luckily, the sound of trucks running back and forth on that road helped mask the noise of the two motorcycles.

Hong Kongque rode the motorcycle along the road and turned into a shipping dock. Lu Yipeng’s heart raced nervously. This guy surely didn’t come to the dock just to admire the boats in the middle of the night. The young police officer parked the motorcycle with one hand, while the other hand picked up the phone to make a direct call to the team waiting to hear the news.

“He’s arrived at Pier A. Be prepared.”

…

Wei Jinyin lifted his head to look at the large ship before turning to another person who walked in.

“The police are starting to move according to your deception plan. You are truly evil.” The man, approximately thirty-five years old, tall and slim, dressed in a sleek suit with faded jeans, looked at Wei Jinyin and smiled.

If they say a beautiful smile can conquer a city, then Wei Jinyin’s smile could definitely kill someone.

A smile without warmth, like that of an angel hiding evil intentions like a demon lurking in the shadows.

“Hong Kongque has been my business rival for a long time. I just need to take this opportunity to get rid of him, and then continue the business with a new partner like you. Mister Li.” The man known as Li replied, “I could be your partner. If this round of goods can be safely transported.”

“We are more than halfway to success. Hong Kongque has strange habits, likes to walk along the dock in the middle of the night in the dark moon. No matter what, the police must be suspicious. The dock that he likes is far from here. You can rest assured with the goods, sir.”

Li looked at him for a moment, then asked, “I heard that Hong Kongque is mysterious, but you seem to know him well. Have you had a relationship with him before?”

“Our relationship is not worth mentioning.” Wei Jinyin replied with a smile,

“You take care of your goods, the dock, and everything else. I take responsibility, and I guarantee that everything will be fine.”

Li smiled again, “The police have been pressuring us heavily this time, seeing the cunning intelligence of Wei Jinyin’s family line and those eyes. I can breathe a little easier now.”

“You’re too flattering, sir.” The man with gold-rimmed glasses and slickedback hair replied, “I just want a good business partner like you, nothing more.”

“Well, this time if it goes smoothly, it will be beneficial for both parties.

Maybe next time I can increase the shipping value with you. Glad to work with you, sir.”

After finishing speaking, he reached out his hand to Wei Jinyin, who just smiled in return. The tall man with a scar under his left cheek who had been standing quietly beside them for a while then spoke up in his place, “You don’t like physical contact with others, sir, my apologies.”

“Ugh…” a person named Li sighed as Wei Jinyin spoke up, “I’m sorry. My hands are not very clean at the moment.”

The other side stared at him for a moment, then chuckled, “You really… live up to the rumors about you.”

Wei Jinyin said nothing, just chuckled at that moment when another person’s voice sounded louder.

“So cocky, Little Child Wei. Think a plan like this would fool me?”

Wei Jinyin turned immediately to the voice. The person speaking stood in the dark shadow of the container, his face not very clear, but the color of the shirt and pants he was wearing could be seen. Dark red, almost like dried blood. “Hong Kongque!!” Wei Jinyin shouted and immediately pulled out a gun. The tall person standing beside him moved as well, ready in a stance just like the person standing in the shadows spoke up again.

“Remember me, do you? Happy reunion, really. But do you think just a gun could do anything to me?”

Wei Jinyin said nothing, but cocked the gun in his hand.

Bang bang bang

The sound of the gun echoed throughout the wide dock, but the person hiding in the shadows had disappeared. Then another loud voice was heard, “Wei Jinyin, think bringing the police to catch me will stop me from moving? You are wrong.”

All three people standing turned to look around. Mister Li asked, “Wei, who is this person really?”

“Just someone who is in this kind of business like you and me.” Wei Jinyin said, and he heard a loud chuckle, “You brat born yesterday. I will take care of you guys. Before the police catch up again, dying at the hands of the Red Peafowl should make you proud.”

Wei Jinyin just smiled, “Don’t talk big. You alone, what can you do to us.”

The same chuckle continued, “My boys are leaving the nest. In a few minutes, only the name will remain…Fox.”

“I really hate it when people calls me that.” Wei Jinyin said, then turned to

Li, “Li you leave this place on your ship. I’ll handle this myself. I want to find out how certain Hong Kongque is.”

Lee looked at the man in front of him in shock. Then the voice rang out again, “Don’t let him go, you trash.”

As the voice ended, a figure lunged straight at them, with a hand swinging forcefully towards Li’s gun before he could react. Just as the hand was about to reach his neck, a tall, mountain-like figure stepped in to intercept.

“Hurry and go, Mister Li. Do you want to die?” Wei Jinyin said, as the tall man held the hand of the figure that lunged towards them, with a speed almost unbelievable for an ordinary person.

Mister Li regained his composure and immediately ran towards the boat. The tall man fighting against the figure then shouted again, “Little Pengpeng, that man is trying to escape. Don’t let him get away.”

Lu Yipeng jumped out from a dark corner and rushed towards Mister Li, but before he could reach him, the loud sound of a gun rang out.

Bang!

The gun shot off the left arm of the young policeman in an instant, with the smell of burnt flesh lingering in the air. Wei Jinyin gritted his teeth and fired again.

Bang!!

Lu Yipeng dodged in the other direction. The sound of the gun echoed again.

Bang!

The revolver that Wei Jinyin used, even with one bullet in the chamber, could fire no more than six or seven shots. He had already shot six, as predicted. Just when he was about to fire again, there were no more bullets left in the chamber. Lu Yipeng knew this and took advantage of the moment to run after Li. But just as he started to run, a shadow lunged at him, followed by a hand striking like a python.

Lu Yipeng had to dodge and lost sight of Li, as if he got distracted with something else, he might be taken down by a sneak attack. Seeing the clear face of his opponent, Lu Yipeng sighed.

“I’ve heard that you Inspector-Lu is a master of martial arts like no other. Let me try my skills against you.” The man who spoke was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with neatly combed hair reflecting the spotlight in his black eyes. As he was talking, Lu Yipeng was struck again.

The power of fists. No need to be so formal. You know, getting a little hurt might not be as bad as it seems, maybe it’ll even be enough to keep you on your toes. Lu Yipeng can’t believe that Wei Jinyin; a man who looks like a company employee, with a slim figure like this, would have combat skills that are scary.

Lu Yipeng was able to handle Wei Jinyin for a moment, causing sweat to drop on his face. It’s true that Wei Jinyin wasn’t as threatening as Hong

Kongque, but it’s not that easy to defeat him. If reinforcements don’t come soon, then…

“Worried about the police officers?” Wei Jinyin whispered, not a good behavior to have, talking like this while confronting someone else, “They’re not coming yet. I didn’t come alone.”

Lu Yipeng tried to catch the rhythm of what Wei Jinyin was saying, believing that speaking in such a loud manner would have to disperse the tension he was holding onto, but when Wei Jinyin finished speaking, he jumped back and then stepped forward again.

Oh no!!

Then Lu Yipeng’s ears heard two loud gunshots. Even though it sounded far away, he immediately turned to Hong Kongque.

Bam!!

Wei Jinyin’s punch reached towards his abdomen, Lu Yipeng swiftly moved back several steps before spitting out sticky saliva.

“Hey, Pengpeng, you can’t handle Jinyin, can you?” A familiar voice strangely called out until Lu Yipeng had to squint to see Hong Kongque standing there, looking at him with a puzzled expression and someone tall smiling behind him.

“Senior, you tricked him like this and still want to say more. A little heartless, senior.” The tall man with a scar on his cheek spoke up, Lu Yipeng thought he had been hit in the stomach until his ears were ringing. What’s going on, senior? Jinyin?

“Hey, what’s going on, you’ve been handling me for a long time now.” Hong

Kongque said, and he quickly clapped his hand around the tall man’s neck. The man who got his neck clapped coughed and gasped, then grabbed that hand, at the same speed, “Senior, stop playing this scary joke, and explain to him first before teasing someone much younger like this. Be careful of him getting the wrong idea, senior.”

“Well… I’ve only heard of teasing adults, Jinyin. You explain it to him, junior.”

Wei Jinyin, who was picking up a wipe to clean his face and wipe his glasses, looked up and smiled, “Why don’t you explain it yourself, senior?”

Hong Kongque shrugged, “Oh well, this is your plan after all. I will let you explain it right, junior.”

Lu Yipeng, who had been listening quietly for a while, finally mustered up the courage to ask, “What is going on here? Senior, junior, and you…?” He spoke before turning to Hong Kongque, but Wei Jinyin answered instead.

“Well, as you heard, I’m sorry for not explaining it fully and maybe you ending up getting some things wrong.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Senior owns shares in the shipping company. I’m telling the truth, but I’m saying that he is a business rival. I am afraid that was a bit of white lie. I misspoke earlier. He is actually my teacher.”

Lu Yipeng looked at Wei Jinyin before hearing Hong Kongque continue,

“Um… yes. He is your senior as well.” After speaking, he turned to the tall figure standing there, who had a tired look on his face, nodded, and spoke, “Let me make it clear to you. Since he and I share the same martial arts teacher, he is my senior and since I am learning from him he is my teacher.”

“Um… that’s right. A-San you are very good at explaining, go ahead.” Hong Kongque said, raising his hand to pat the man on the shoulder, “If you didn’t care so much about your boss, I would want you by my side too.”

“That’s too funny, senior.” The tall man said politely, chuckling, “I have to apologize again, Officer. Someone asked me to help deal with a cross-border organ trafficking gang, but waiting for a busy officer like you to do it yourself would take too long. I noticed that they often change ships because they’re being chased by you, but you never catch them. So I had some of them come to use my services, but I have to behave according to the business we’re in. So I had to use a little trickery. Luckily, I got cooperation from this little teacher or else known as our master senior student.”

“Oh, yes.” Hong Kongque continued, “Actually, I would like to try playing this role with you. Call you a little devil, call you a fox, hmm… sounds fun, really.”

Wei Jinyin chuckled, “If it weren’t for you being the teacher’s older disciple,

I would have injected you with a paralytic drug for that.”

“Oh… Jinyin, why are you speaking so harshly like that?” Hong Kongque said, looking a bit surprised, “A little bit of happiness for old people like me, huh?”

“I know, sir.” Wei Jinyin said, followed by a sigh. Then he turned to Lu

Yipeng again, “I genuinely apologize for having to deceive you to this extent, but a good plan must deceive even the same side until the enemy is willing to get into the trap. While you are in contact with the team and starting to move, I will contact the police department. Use another group of police to sneak in here. The reason I had to fight you earlier was to delay them from getting on the boat, and then I pressured Li to get on the boat himself. How else will the evidence be caught with him at the same time?”

Lu Yipeng listened and turned his gaze to Hong Kongque, “So you are the biggest liar after all. You told me you would handle Wei Jinyin.”

“Hmm…” Hong Kongque dragged his voice and made an embarrassed face,

“If I deceive, I must deceive to the fullest. Otherwise, if I play around, how will

I handle it? Pengpeng, you are a hot-headed teenager.”

Lu Yipeng clenched his teeth, unable to say anything. He then heard the footsteps of several people coming from the boat.

“Oh, it looks like it’s time for me to go.” Hong Kongque said, then turned to Wei Jinyin and another tall man, “I’ll go first. Thank you for making me enjoy myself for several days.”

“It’s no problem, senior.” Wei Jinyin said and bowed to the tall man behind Hong Kongque, then turned to Lu Yipeng, who was staring at him almost to death with his gaze, and pulled the young man to kiss his cheek, “Go, Pengpeng. Don’t forget to take my stuff back with you. Oh, A-San, what did you want?”

The tall man raised his eyebrows, Hong Kongque then said, “Help me riding the motorcycle back to my residence.”

“Surely you don’t intend to take A-San to do something bad, do you, senior?” Wei Jinyin said calmly, making Hong Kongque shiver, “Hmm… I won’t do that.

You can take him away. A-San has not been young for a long time.”

Tian San nodded, “Agreed. Besides, I am not suitable to be with the police.”

“Well, well… The fox and the number one assassin living with the police together. It will be embarrassing. Oh, we must hurry.” Hong Kongque said quickly before walking away in the dark with the tall man, leaving Lu Yipeng dumbfounded, unable to think clearly.

“Hey, Yipeng, are you coming or not?” Chen Qian, who had just arrived to apprehend the criminals himself, called out in a strange tone when he saw his subordinate standing there, Lu Yipeng tried to compose his face as calmly as possible before answering, “I have to come. I am on a mission.”

Chen Qian chuckled, “Well, you should be getting the most praise for this job. The whole plan was successful because of you.”

Lu Yipeng didn’t know whether to be happy or not. Chen Qian turned to Wei

Jinyin, “You should be thanked as well.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. I am just grateful.” Wei Jinyin said and nodded to

Li, who was handcuffed and facing him, “You, you fox, you collaborated with the police. What were you thinking? Do you want them to protect you or something.”

Wei Jinyin bent down to pick up a piece of rubble that had been chipped off the ground, and immediately stuffed it into the mouth of the man who was about to speak.

“Hey… keep your mouth shut. I did this because someone requested it, and I happened to have pissed him a lot. So, I thought I should compensate him.”

Li raised his hand to touch his face, and blood dripped out. Before he could say anything, he was pushed out by the police officer accompanying him, “You fox, remember to cover your tracks, we won’t let you go.”

Wei Jinyin just replied, “Then you should know how to reverse.”

“Well… you like creating enemies everywhere, don’t you.” The police officer sent from England spoke up. He walked behind Chen Qian and Wei Jinyin and smiled, “That’s my normal behavior.”

Miller Coyle turned left and right, then asked, “And your assistant?”

“He went with Hong Kongque.”

“Oh, is Hong Kongque really here?” Miller Coyle said some things, then smiled softly, “Well… can you come back with me tonight, stay at my hotel?” Wei Jinyin chuckled, “Sorry, I have someone waiting for me. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. You still want me to write a letter, don’t you?”

Miller Coyle’ face immediately showed a hint of embarrassment, “Okay, this time there’s no need to write any letters like before. This time, I think I’ve behaved very well, and that’s it.”

Wei Jinyin chuckled again, and a long black limousine pulled up and parked. A tall, well-built young man stepped out of the car, and he opened the door for him.

“I’m heading back now. It’s getting late.” Wei Jinyin said before stepping into the car, “Oh Inspector-Lu, the necklace looks really nice on you.” Wei Jinyin smiled and closed the door. Lu Yipeng raised his hand to touch his own neck. He noticed that the leather necklace was still on.

“Um… Inspector-Lu, it actually doesn’t look bad on your neck. But when did you start liking something like this?” Chen Qian couldn’t help but ask, making Lu Yipeng blush and curse silently in his heart.

Hong Kongque!!!!

…

“Oh Pengpeng, you’re quick. You closed the case in just three days, didn’t you?” Hong Kongque asked, smiling widely as he saw Lu Yipeng enter. But he didn’t receive a smile in return from Lu Yipeng, who walked in confidently and placed the leather necklace on the table, “I’m returning the item.”

“Alright.” Hong Kongque nodded, clapping his hands loudly, “You should present it to the superior. Show some respect. They don’t teach students manners at school anymore?”

Lu Yipeng glanced at him before speaking, “Thank you.”

“Oh…” Hong Kongque sighed, “I should thank you too for entrusting yourself to me for so many days. I am truly happy.” However, Lu Yipeng didn’t seem to share the happiness. He glanced at Hong Kongque again before turning away.

“Leaving so soon? Where is the item you need to return?” Hong Kongque asked as Lu Yipeng turned back, “I’ve already placed it on the table for you.”

The person at the table held up the leather necklace and shook his head, “I didn’t ask you to return this. You made a mistake. The item I wanted you to return back, did you bring it?”

Lu Yipeng hesitated, then walked back and took out a condom pack from his wallet, “Here…”

Hong Kongque smiled and raised his eyebrows, looking at the young police officer, “Do you want to use it now?”

“Oh!” Lu Yipeng’s face turned red as he heard Hong Kongque speak, “Um… there’s no need to be embarrassed about this. It’s not the first time we have done it, right?” He paused for a moment before continuing, “After all, isn’t it something you like too?”

Lu Yipeng hurriedly walked out without saying anything, gritting his teeth.

“Pengpeng, don’t forget to bring a condom next time.” The young police officer closed the door loudly, hearing Hong Kongque’s soft laughter, “His manners have been bad lately, this kid needs to be taught more often. He’s losing it.”

…

** The opportunity to request Wei Jinyin to do this right now is not available. It’s okay, I will write about its origins and destinations in the special episode of the Spies. Ultimately, Pengpeng was deceived alone, encountering a fox and a peacock coming to deceive him at the same time… He should be dead or going crazy. Lu Yipeng remains sober until today. We should praise him for that. (Pengpeng is really the protagonist of this SM novel. )

 

*** Oh… Let me explain the timeline of the appearance of WeiJinyin, Miller

Coyle, and Tian San (the tall guy with rimmed eyed glass). Wei Jinyin met Miller Coyle in the story “Yes! Master” (a story that the human world has read and wants to beat the real author who writes protagonists and side characters like this << I dare to write, but not dare to be beaten /run away). Compared to the story “My Neighbor” which is four years before that, both (including Tian San), and then comparing it to the story “Red Peafowl”, it is two years after “My Neighbor”… Are you confused (You have been confused since I started explaining, right!!)? Here’s the simple sequence:

 

Yes! Master (at that time Wei Jinyin was 32 and Tian San 44) My Neighbor (Wei Jinyin 36 Tian San 48) Red Peafowl (Wei Jinyin 38 Tian San 50) So… Hong Kongque, who is Tian San’s senior, must… (I have to escape now, I might get my fingers cut off)

Hong Kongque’s age has increased again. Haha!

 

      THE RED PEAFOWL CHAPTERS HOME

   REDPEAFOWL, Chapter 11: The Mantis Luring out the Gecko

In the black book of influential figures at the Hong Kong Police Department, besides the page with just the letters “Red Peafowl”, there was another interesting page.

The page started with a picture of a man in his early thirties, posing like a corporate employee with neatly combed hair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, along with a name written underneath in three characters.

   Wei Jinyin

“Inspector, you look tired, what happened in Phuket?” Duan Feng greeted as soon as he saw Lu Yipeng walking into the department, “It’s fine.” Lu Yipeng replied, but then raised his hand to press his forehead, because he couldn’t fall asleep last night, thinking about all sorts of crazy things until it was almost sunrise. Seeing this, Duan Feng couldn’t continue the conversation.

“Inspector, really unfortunate. Just returned and already encountered trouble with that fox of yours. Taking a break like this won’t help you relax at all.” Lu

Yipeng turned to look at Duan Feng immediately, “What did the commander say? Mister Fox? Wei Jinyin? What did he do?”

The fox is another nickname for Wei Jinyin, who currently holds the highest position as the CEO of the Weiyi business conglomerate, one of the top six largest business families in Hong Kong, known as one of the first and most prominent families.

“It seems that he did something that smells bad enough to send someone to invite him for questioning a bit. I think they’re coming today. Oh, do you not know this news yet?” Duan Feng looked at Lu Yipeng, startled, “I just returned, haven’t heard anything yet.”

“Well then. I saw you looking stressed, I thought you already knew.” Duan Feng said, and Lu Yipeng nodded in shock, “Come on, now you know a little bit and the same. What else did that ruthless man do?”

Duan Feng swallowed hard as he heard the words ‘ruthless man’, “I don’t want to talk about him. He, who could even kill his not yet adult brother, is beyond reproach.”

“Um…” Lu Yipeng hummed in his throat, thinking of the case of the car bombing of Wei Qing’s two young sons, the former head of the Wei family, and the case of a car accident of another of his sons, who miraculously woke up half a year ago, but has not provided any useful information for the case.

“That case has been nine years now, and you have no grief. His father, who had just passed away two years ago, also withdrew the complaint. Probably afraid that his son’s murdering ways would be wider than before.” After finishing speaking, he sighed and then turned to ask again, “So, what did he do this time?”

Duan Feng pretended to open his mouth to speak, but when he saw Chen

Qian walking briskly, he gestured for him to inform instead, “I will let the deputy tell you in detail. I won’t be as accurate.”

Chen Qian smirked and smiled a little before turning to greet Lu Yipeng,

“You look tired, have you found your soulmate yet?”

Lu Yipeng shook his head, then smiled dryly, “Really? I have something to give you.” He then took out a bag of gifts and handed one bag to Chen Qian and another bag to Duan Feng.

“Really, will it land us in trouble with the authorities?” Chen Qian asked with a chuckle, before asking in a serious tone, “About that man… Wei Jinyin, how are things?”

The person being asked immediately straightened up, “He just arrived a moment ago. I thought I would invite you to interrogate him at the right time.”

…

Lu Yipeng has been working as a police officer for five years. This is the first time he has had the opportunity to see the man who is considered the most dangerous on Hong Kong Island, Wei Jinyin. The stories about Hong Kongque may sound like fairy tales, but the story of Wei Jinyin is more like a horror movie.

This man has a notorious reputation in the business world for using deceitful methods to eliminate his competitors. However, what seems to have tarnished his name to the point where no one wants to speak of the car accident involving his five-year-old brother that occurred nine years ago, and the ambush shooting that destroyed the private car of his two young brothers that took place within a short period of time. Both cases remain unsolved, but everyone, even his own father, suspected that this is the work of his son; the man known as Wei Jinyin.

Hence, his name is often associated or accompanied by the words “ruthless” or “sly fox.”

Wei Jinyin sat in a chair in the interrogation room. He must be thirty-eight years old this year. He wore a dark blue suit, his hair neatly combed back, and wore gold-rimmed glasses. He looked almost like he had just stepped out of a photoshoot, just the color of his shirt was different. If Lu Yipeng did not know beforehand that this was the man accused of killing his own little brother, he would have mistaken him for a salesman or a company employee.

When Lu Yipeng opened the door to enter the room, the young officer standing there immediately introduced him to the man, “This is Inspector-Lu, sir.”

“Ah.” Wei Jinyin looked at him and smiled, causing the young officer to be startled. He could not believe that this guy could smile so naturally. He thought that the person known as a villain could smile even more wickedly.

“Pleased to meet you, sir. I’m Wei Jinyin. I think you may have heard my name before, Inspector.”

“Yes.” Lu Yipeng nodded, and wondered why Wei Jinyin’s demeanor was not like someone being interrogated at all. He was sitting comfortably, and turned to look at him.

Wei Jinyin looked at the young inspector who had just entered and paused before speaking, “Oh, Deputy Chen, haven’t you told him the story yet?”

Chen Qian shook his head, “Not yet. I don’t want outsiders to hear it. This is a secret. The less people know, the better.”

Wei Jinyin’s face displayed a smile that seemed forced and unnatural. Then he spoke up.

“Well, if anyone were to know that the Hong Kong Police Department is working with someone like me, it wouldn’t look very good.” He finished and turned to Lu Yipeng.

“Inspector-Lu, you might expect to hear my interrogation, but I didn’t come here to interrogate as claimed. I have a request for you all to help me.”

Lu Yipeng furrowed his brow, then turned to his superior. Besides Chen Qian, there was another high-ranking police officer and a foreigner whom he had never seen before.

Chen Qian sighed, then spoke up, “Inspector-Lu, I apologize for not speaking to you in detail. This is quite a secret. No, it’s a top secret indeed. Standing there is Inspector Li Si. You’ve probably heard his name before. As for the foreigner, Officer Miller, coordinates from Scotland Yard.”

“Hello.” Officer Miller greeted him in Chinese, with a clear and friendly tone. His green eyes met with a smile, “I am here about an international organ trafficking case.”

Lu Yipeng raised an eyebrow in surprise before returning the greeting,

“Hello.”

Officer Miller nodded, then turned to the man wearing glasses sitting next to him.

“Well, that’s it…” Wei Jinyin spoke up. After a long pause, he continued, “You may think that organ trafficking occurs more in the mainland, but the transportation routes… the use of ships here is not insignificant.”

“We are investigating this.” Lu Yipeng immediately replied, raising his head to look at Chen Qian, who nodded for Wei Jinyin to continue. The man known as the most ruthless on Hong Kong Island smiled again.

“That’s right, but you still can’t catch them. All you’ve managed to do is make them relocate the ships, or the transportation locations. Why is that? Is it because they have powerful backers supporting them?”

Wei Jinyin finished speaking and glanced at Lu Yipeng, the young police officer felt uncomfortable with the gaze of this man. It was like looking into the eyes of a fox, sharp and cunning, “It’s clear as day.” he wondered with a thought, “who he is.” Even though he was addressed in this manner, Wei Jinyin looked at the young police officer and paused for a moment before speaking.

“I have learned that within this week, there will be another shipment of organs, if you want to know who is behind supporting these people. Keep an eye on Hong Kongque.” Wei Jinyin said.

Lu Yipeng raised his head to look at the man wearing gold-rimmed glasses immediately before speaking slowly, “I heard that you also control a lot of the dock businesses, don’t you?”

Wei Jinyin looked at him and chuckled, “Yes. I have a lot of dock businesses. I dare say that forty percent of all the docks belong to me. But Hong Kongque himself doesn’t have much less than me. He just doesn’t directly hold shares. You know that he has never shown his face or name anywhere, but he is an important competitor of mine as well. If he is taken care of, I’ll be at ease. I don’t need to borrow your hands to kill him. I just do things correctly according to the law.” He paused for a moment and then continued, “If you doubt me, you can investigate. I have no reason to lie to you, but as Inspector-Lu is someone who has survived from Hong Kongque, I think you should investigate him more.”

No wonder, with his dark penetrating gaze, looked at Lu Yipeng, as if sensing something. The young police officer followed suit, but before anyone could say anything, Chen Qian spoke up, “Considering what you said, Inspector-Lu, you’ve been keeping an eye on Hong Kongque’s movements this week, observing who he contacts or talks to on the phone, and reporting it periodically.

Isn’t that right?”

Lu Yipeng pursed his lips and looked at the commanding officer with a challenging expression. Wei Jinyin smiled broadly and stood up, “I’m at ease hearing that. I’ll be waiting for good news.” With that, he left the interrogation room. Lu Yipeng turned back to the commanding officer and asked, “Why did you agree with him like that?”

Chen Qian looked at him and smiled, “Even though Wei Jinyin is on our blacklist, and not someone we want to associate with, what he said doesn’t necessarily lack truth. Our sources have also heard that there will be a large shipment of organs this week, but we can’t specify which dock will be used. It seems like they haven’t contacted any docks yet. They’re probably waiting for the right time to avoid us as usual. Regardless, you keep an eye on Hong

Kongque. As for Wei Jinyin, we will send someone else to keep an eye on him.”

Lu Yipeng nodded before asking again, “I go with Captain Duan on this job.”

Chen Qian raised his eyebrows, looking puzzled, “Are you going to bring Duan Feng into his mansion? I heard that he doesn’t allow anyone he doesn’t know to enter.”

Lu Yipeng looked at the head sternly, then his face immediately fell, “You want me to go in to investigate Hong Kongque… in his mansion?”

“Well, in this job, we have to keep an eye on him at all times. Wei Jinyin’s address is primary and can be checked, but Hong Kongque has only been seen by one person. Even if we send a deputy to watch over his mansion, it’s not certain that we can keep an eye on him all the time. Also, he may be on alert before we even realize it.”

Lu Yipeng nodded understandingly, “But I can’t use the case as an excuse to see him for 24 hours without authorization.”

Chen Qian turned to him, smiling, “My car is parked on the first floor, so you can easily hitch a ride.”

…

Hong Kongque chuckled loudly when he heard that Lu Yipeng was suspended from duty for crashing the commander’s car to the point of failure, and the car he crashed was a government vehicle.

“It’s fitting for a true you. No wonder why Little Zhi is afraid of driving for days. After going with you.”

Lu Yipeng turned his gaze to the person who was sitting on the original leather chair. There was a white magpie perched on the corner of the table, making a clicking sound as if chuckling in competition with the boss.

The young police officer made a bewildered face before speaking emotionally, “It’s not entirely my fault. Who would have known that the car’s gears would have such a problem?”

Hong Kongque sympathized so much that he spoke back, “That’s right, it’s a gear problem, but you had to be suspended from duty and undergo a lengthy investigation, even though your boss should really go get the real car gears checked.” As he finished speaking, he chuckled. Lu Yipeng clenched his teeth and reminded himself to stay calm. This peacock boss just likes to speak to annoy him, just like before.

“Um…” The young man tried to pretend to be very upset, “I worked almost to death but had to be suspended from duty due to just this accident; it’s really frustrating. I’d rather quit and come stay with you.”

Hong Kongque blinks before turning to speak to the white cockatoo by his side, “Little Paechikchik, did you hear what I heard? It seems like Little

Pengpeng said he will come and stay with us.”

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling.” The white cockatoo exclaimed, flapping its wings nervously, as if the sky was truly falling down. Lu Yipeng wanted to walk over and strangle the bird then grill and eat it, but he refrained himself from doing so.

“Kongque, stop teaching birds to speak nonsense like this!!”

Hong Kongque chuckled, enjoying the situation, before pretending to be serious, “I am not, Little Paechikchik probably has a premonition to know the future. I wonder if you are truly coming to stay with us. The sky might really fall down.”

Lu Yipeng gritted his teeth and reluctantly replied, “Let’s settle this once and for all. I will move in with you today.”

“Pengpeng.” Calling out to him was the cockatoo, not a person, it flew over and perched on Lu Yipeng’s shoulder. Hong Kongque commented, “Looks like

Little Paechikchik is falling for you, Pengpeng.” As the cockatoo nuzzled his cheek, Hong Kongque’s face contorted in jealousy but he managed to keep himself composed.

“Stay together, stay together.” The cockatoo continued, nuzzling Lu Yipeng’s face repeatedly. Hong Kongque looked visibly upset, “I can’t help when Little

Paechikchik speaks like this. I will allow you to move in.”

Lu Yipeng couldn’t take it anymore and spoke out, “Don’t use the bird against me like that. You have invited me to stay with you before, haven’t you?”

“I might have said that before, can’t remember clearly.” Hong Kongque mused, looking smug. Lu Yipeng clenched his fists in frustration, “You are getting old and forgetful, and now you’re twisting things around.”

Hong Kongque chuckled, and Lu Yipeng was left speechless as the cockatoo chirped softly and flew away, “Chatty mouth, chatty mouth.”

Lu Yipeng clapped his hands as the bird landed perfectly but just a little bit off, before leaning his neck to look and making a mocking sound, which made Hong Kongque chuckle. While Lu Yipeng seemed to be on the verge of hypertension whenever he participated.

Standing with his arms crossed and teeth clenched, the young man was finally able to speak, “Kongque, about me staying here with you. I’m speaking the truth. The boss is treating me like this. I am fed up with it too.”

“Well… Pengpeng, you are really pitiful.” Hong Kongque said, “Would you like to come and stay with me or… uh…”

After pondering for a while, Hong Kongque smiled, “Well then follow me to my room.”

…

Lu Yipeng was blindfolded and led by the large servant of Hong Kongque as usual. It was a relief that this peacock guy was not treating him wrongly, or drugged again, but this blindfolding, if he was going to count the steps it is not going to help him walk at all. Finally he heard the sound of a door opening. He must have arrived at the peacock guy’s room finally.

Before Lu Yipeng could take off the blindfold, something was put around his neck and he heard a loud cackle. The young police officer took off the blindfold and spoke immediately, “What is this?!”

Hong Kongque smiled slightly, almost wanting to clap his wings, before pulling out a small chain. In his hand, Lu Yipeng’s face almost bumped into it.

“Little Pengepeng, you are really cute.”

Lu Yipeng almost cursed. He raised his hand to grab his own neck and found that there was a collar around it, and it seemed to be a lock and key type. The young police officer spoke arrogantly, “I am not a dog!!”

“I didn’t say you were a dog.” Hong Kongque said, looking innocent, “I wouldn’t buy such an expensive collar for a dog.”

The person wearing the collar did not feel proud at all, “I didn’t know beforehand that you had such peculiar tastes.” Lu Yipeng spoke with a sharp tone, but Hong Kongque just chuckled back, “Well… you’re a police officer after all. It’s just a collar. One won’t call it abnormal. I’m not going to drop candle wax on you, slap you with a whip, make you ride a triangular horse, or tie you to a rocking board. How much more abnormal can it get?”

Lu Yipeng couldn’t believe his ears, “Oh. I guess that’s all you’re missing!” Because before this, he had been grabbed, handcuffed, and roughed up until he was shining. He had been through it all, and to think that guy had mental issues already!

“Hmm… Pengpeng, you are to challenge me, huh.” Hong Kongque said, dragging the chain lightly before raising his hand to stroke the sharp face of the young police officer, and lightly chuckling while pinching the chin of the other person, “Want to try it out? There’s a big candlestick in the dining room. If it drips wax onto you, it’ll definitely look quite hot.”

“You should try it yourself!” Lu Yipeng said, pushing his body forward and dodging Hong Kongque, chuckling, “Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”

…

Lu Yipeng was led to the dining room. With his eyes closed as before, but this time there was no one to shield him, as Hong Kongque held the chain in his hand instead. It was truly heartbreaking for him to have to be treated like a dog and be led by this bird of a house, but who knows what the future holds. If he plays along, his life won’t be as miserable as this. However, if he plays along with the one in charge, the matter is so embarrassing that no one would dare talk about it to others. Therefore, Lu Yipeng could only bear and endure the circumstances of his future life.

One day. He might drag this crazy peacock into jail.

Or maybe this time!

Once he opened his eyes after the cloth was removed the first thing Lu Yipeng saw was not a plate of food, but a large pot of hot soup with five white spoons set on a separate table. The dancing candle flame made him shiver up his spine immediately.

“Pengpeng, do you want some soup?” Hong Kongque asked with a teasing tone. Lu Yipeng glanced at him, then lowered his head to eat without saying anything more. Hong Kongque chuckled and started to eat.

The meal was quiet and peaceful. No servants or anyone standing around waiting to serve made it even more awkward. There was only the sound of the chain jingling from time to time. Lu Yipeng just noticed that the other end of the chain was locked around Hong Kongque’s wrist. This might be good… this way, the guy won’t be able to escape anywhere. No! The key must be with this guy. Thinking like this, Lu Yipeng raised his hand to his forehead immediately.

How could he get the key?

“Pengpeng, what’s wrong with you? Is the food not to your liking or something?” Hong Kongque spoke up when he saw the person sitting next to him looking miserable. Lu Yipeng let out a sigh, then turned to face him with a look of pity, “You’re chaining me like this. If you happen to lose the key, how can I face anyone like this?”

Hong Kongque looked at him and chuckled, “Pengpeng, do you want to meet someone else? Does that mean you don’t want to be with me twenty-four hours a day?”

The young police officer quickly put on a serious expression, “Even though I want to be with you twenty-four hours a day, do you want to be with me twentyfour hours a day too? The key is with you. If you run away in the middle of the night and leave me to sleep alone, what am I supposed to do?” He finished speaking and raised his eyebrows, trying to convince himself that he was feeling a bit heartbroken. Then he stopped frowning and smiled.

“Ah, Little Pengpeng, you’re really pitiful. Are you afraid I will disappear in the middle of the night like yesterday?” Without waiting for an answer, Hong Kongque pulled the chain to bring Lu Yipeng closer, “Don’t be afraid,

Pengpeng. Whether the key is there or not, if I want to go, you can’t stop me.”

Lu Yipeng was taken aback, thinking to himself that they were just talking about a key, and the guy seemed to figure him out. Even so, the young police officer refused to give up and looked pleadingly, “Chaining me, are you going to leave me again? There’s no one else for me.” He spoke and felt like he wanted to throw up. Lu Yipeng shed tears of horror at himself. Hong Kongque looked at him as if seeing a ghost before raising his hand to wipe the tears that were flowing from the young police officer’s eyes.

“I can’t take it anymore, just like this and you’re already crying. If I drip hot candle wax on you, will you not drip candle wax tears?”

Lu Yipeng glared at the other person instantly, “Don’t think about playing tricks like that with me.”

Hong Kongque chuckled before quickly reaching out to grab the big candlestick on the table. This time, Lu Yipeng tried to run away but didn’t get far before being pulled back by Hong Kongque. Normally, there was nothing tying them together, but Lu Yipeng still reluctantly went along with it and this time had his neck locked. In less than five seconds, the young man was pushed down onto the table.

“Kongque, please stop playing these crazy games.” Lu Yipeng tried to plead, but Hong Kongque didn’t say anything and lifted the shirt of the young man until his rippling abs were revealed. Then he picked up the handkerchief.

Lu Yipeng almost stopped breathing when Hong Kongque lifted the candlestick higher. Then wax drops started to fall on his stomach.

Drop by drop fell.

If compared to other types of pain, drops like this are nothing. For Lu

Yipeng, it’s just a slight itch, but for some reason, his warm belly feels like it’s burning with fire, seeing a mysterious smile on the face of the other person. Then Hong Kongque extinguished the fire before reaching out his hand to stroke his pants.

Lu Yipeng jumped up abruptly, the dried wax drops on his belly fell to the ground. He tried to grab the other side of Hong Kongque’s hand, but he couldn’t catch it in time. Just let me hold your hand for a moment, I’ll break your fingers until they are green.

Lu Yipeng’s face turned red almost to the point of being dark, as he retorted,

“Stop playing around with other people’s crotches, okay.”

“No, I’m not playing around. I’m serious.” HongKongque said seriously, before reaching out his hand to grab Lu Yipeng’s crotch firmly. Lu Yipeng grabbed Hong Kongque’s hand and wanted to break it. If only he couldn’t because of Hong Kongque’s hand was grabbing his crotch.

Lu Yipeng felt sweat on his back. The weight of Hong Kongque’s hand holding him there wasn’t light, but it was enough to guess that something didn’t please him a bit. It wasn’t certain that it might turn into a power struggle. Every man must love their own heart box above all else, so…

In the end, the young police officer let go of his hand. Hong Kongque smiled contentedly, but that didn’t mean he would let go of his hand easily. He kept stroking and caressing there as if looking for something.

After being stroked for a while, Lu Yipeng gritted his teeth and spoke out,

“Kongque, do you have a condom?”

“Why are you asking that?”

Lu Yipeng didn’t answer immediately, but reached out to grab the waist of the other person, then squeezed Hong Kongque’s hand forcefully, causing him to groan, “Lewd.”

Lu Yipeng sighed heavily before bringing their faces closer to kiss, gently intertwining their tongues for a moment. The young man then spoke again, “I want to do it now, right now.”

After finishing talking, Hong Kongque moved his face closer to kiss the area around the lips once more before moving his hand to caress the waist of otherperson, and then playfully teased with full emotion.

Hong Kongque was so excited that he let out a sigh, “Pengpeng, you really like the candle wax drop, don’t you?”

Lu Yipeng frowned before taking off the other person’s pants. Then he took off his own clothes, and the heated organs of both intertwined lightly. Hong

Kongque hugged Lu Yipeng tightly, “Condom. Do you have one?”

Lu Yipeng frowned again, “I didn’t bring one.” The young police officer replied and was then hit on the shoulder again, “Really, why don’t you always carry one with you?”

“I always see you have one with you all the time. I feel lazy to carry one.” Lu

Yipeng said. Hong Kongque sulked immediately before hitting him again, “You’re way too careless.”

After finishing speaking, Lu Yipeng pushed Lu Yipeng out immediately before pulling up his own pants. The young police officer’s face looked confused, “Kongque?!”

“Not today. Someday you will learn to prepare yourself.”

Lu Yipeng bit his lip and almost didn’t have time to put on pants when he was dragged out of the dining room by Hong Kongque.

…

“What is it now?” Hong Kongque asked. After bringing Lu Yipeng back to the bedroom, the young police officer made a puzzled face, then turned his eyes to him, “I’m still hard.”

“Oh…” the other person sighed softly and looked down at the young man’s pants and smiled at the corner of his mouth. Lu Yipeng glared at him before turning his gaze away.

“Well.. what’s wrong, this is a natural thing. Being in such a state means you’re still young and virile.” Hong Kongque spoke with a good mood, and reached out to pat his shoulder, “If you’re uncomfortable, take it out and it’s done.”

“Just take the collar off. I’ll go take it out.” Lu Yipeng said, this time the person being shaken was him, “No, if I let you go you will go back to the police station again. So, go take it out and jerk off in the bathroom, you can take a shower at the same time.”

“Even though you’re still holding onto my hand like this?” Lu Yipeng asked with a raised eyebrow. The other person turned and nodded, “Of course.”

The private bathroom in Hong Kongque’s bedroom was neither narrow nor wide. Having a bathtub didn’t mean that you couldn’t see another person who entered along with you. The most important thing was that the handcuffs linking them together were only about a meter long. Walking a little apart and his neck would be pulled by the other person, and Lu Yipeng almost felt like he wanted to bite the crazy peacock’s neck for real.

But to take a shower, the shirts had to be taken off, and Lu Yipeng stood waiting patiently. If the shirt was taken off, Hong Kongque would have to remove the cuff first. He would take advantage of that moment to unlock his own handcuffs. It might seem like a strange idea, but it was better than having one end of the other person’s cuffs hanging with someone else.

As expected, Hong Kongque took off his shirt and then stopped right at the hand that had the handcuffs attached. Lu Yipeng tried to focus towards that hand, forgetting the white chest muscles and tight waist that were nearby. It was the timing when Hong Kongque unlocked that arm. He would quickly pull the handcuffs out. And then…

Click!

Lu Yipeng’s eyes widened before he burst out, “What are you conjuring,

Hong Kongque?!”

Hong Kongque turned to him with a puzzled expression just as he took off the shirt. Lu Yipeng was amazed and found that the end of the hand with the handcuff, had the handcuff actually moved to the side for real… in less than three seconds.

“Kongque, what kind of magic are you playing? How did you take off the handcuffs and put them back on so quickly?”

Hong Kongque looked at his face and chuckled, “Oh, what is strange about it? If you practice until you’re as old as I am, then you can do it yourself.” He stopped talking for a moment, “Come on, Pengpeng, will you take off your shirt or let me do it for you.”

Lu Yipeng blinked in surprise, brushing off the hand that was reaching out to unbutton his shirt. He cursed himself, if he wore a stretch shirt, he could still find an excuse for that person to help remove the collar easily, but he wasn’t certain. The crazy peacock might bring pliers or a knife to cut off his shirt instead. Where would this guy do something normal like a human being?

Hong Kongque was determined to take a real bath. To the point of stripping off all his clothes, even his underwear. Did his gaze not bother Lu Yipeng at all?

“Alright, since you have taken them off, come in.” Hong Kongque said, and snapped his fingers when he saw Lu Yipeng still standing quietly with his underwear clinging tightly. Hong Kongque leaned his head, then continued with a smile, “This underwear doesn’t cover anything anymore. Take it off, and come in.”

In the end, Lu Yipeng had to take off his underwear and walk, covering himself with his hand, into the water.

“You act like a woman on the first night visiting her boyfriend.” Hong Kongque said, and was immediately glared at by the other person.

The warm water was comforting, but Lu Yipeng did not feel comfortable.

Seeing Hong Kongque’s happy expression from staring and teasing, he felt even more annoyed. The problem was that guy over there just wouldn’t calm down. It seemed like the warm water was only making him even more excited, such as showing off to the person sitting in the water on the opposite side.

“Hey, Pengpeng. Don’t be ashamed. Come on, you can do it. Otherwise, you won’t be able to sleep later.” Lu Yipeng glared again, his cheeks turning red, “Who would do such a thing in front of others.”

“No, you shouldn’t be embarrassed anymore at this age. Not like you’re a fifteen or sixteen-year-old kid.” Hong Kongque tried to coax, but Lu Yipeng remained seated quietly, even though he seemed to be getting tense. Hong Kongque looked and let out a sigh, “I can’t help you. I will accompany you after all.”

As he finished speaking, he spread his legs wide apart and Lu Yipeng’s eyes flashed. To the point where he jumped in like someone who couldn’t control himself, and was greeted with a loud splash. Before the young police officer could stagger back and hit the edge of the tub due to the force, Hong Kongque managed to pull his chain around his neck. This way, Lu Yipeng could regain a little bit of consciousness.

“Alright, you’ve got it under control now. Slow down, or you’ll fall over.” Hong Kongque urged Lu Yipeng to close his mouth tightly before sliding his hand down to grasp that part of himself. Both sides were staring at each other using their hands to explore themselves.

Lu Yipeng saw his delicate legs. The part that was tense in Hong Kongque’s hand, the solid chest that he hadn’t touched for a long time. He would have a chance to touch, and the sharp face that was frowning and concentrating.

When Hong Kongque makes that face, does Lu Yipeng do the same?

The sound of water splashing loudly mixed with sighs. I don’t know when their faces began to lean towards each other, eventually leading to a deep and passionate kiss. Their hands kept moving continuously, as if trying to taste the kiss that could send them to heaven.

Finally, Lu Yipeng took out what he had kept hidden and threw it. Hong Kongque let out a sigh and trembled as Lu Yipeng wrapped his arms around him.

This behavior is somewhat unusual. After almost screwing himself to almost death door for the entire night, Hong Kongque tends to act weak and completely surrender before approaching him. But this time, it is different. Different people receive and lend a helping hand to each other…

In the end, Lu Yipeng raised his hand to hold him close.

“Kongque, don’t go anywhere tonight. Stay with me.”

Hong Kongque closed his eyes and let out a soft hum…

***

Oh no. I can’t believe I wrote such a scandalous story almost every chapter is like this. Normally, if it is not like this. (Reader starts to blame and scolds mercilessly.)

Writing this, I suddenly had doubts. Who are these characters, and who is Pengpeng? Looks like he will compete with Kongque, ha-ha.

Previously, I left it as a cliffhanger that it would be an internal power struggle. Initially, I thought it would be a serious part, because the fox guy came out. Whatever comes out, I always leave some bitterness in every joke (a typical home joke). As soon as I started writing, I started to sway, afraid of highlighting the fox guy too much, making it more disgusting to readers (normally the fox guy is already slightly disliked by everyone, but he is one in our hearts). Finally, Wei Jinyin appeared with his usual cute and charming self (love, love. You, Wei, the more you act despicable like this, the more I love you). Just like the fox guy (now you are Sir Fox, right?), if he turns out to be a villain, it seems like Kongque has benefited from it.

In the previous scene, the relationship between the swan and the fox is about to be revealed, hinting that it is not an ordinary level of relationship. (Who wants to know about that?)

Thank you for reading along.

 

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