Chapter 26

Chapter 26 2. Eden Lake-17

Qi Shanyu and Liu Yi spent a full two hours eating.

They chatted about various topics intermittently, pausing when tired to eat or drink a few sips of beer, continuing until after eight in the evening. Liu Yi glanced at the time and, realizing it was late, asked Qi Shanyu, “You should be heading home, right? Is it okay to leave your sister alone?”

Qi Shanyu shook his head. “My sister attends a boarding high school. She’s a senior this year. On Friday nights she has evening classes, only coming home on weekends.”

“Then you don’t have other plans tonight?”

Liu Yi leaned forward slightly, blinking mysteriously.

Qi Shanyu nodded honestly.

He had deliberately set aside the evening to treat Liu Yi to a meal. Unless an urgent murder case required him immediately, he had no other plans.

“Then, stay with me a little longer…”

Liu Yi’s words sounded misleading, especially with a flirtatious glance at the end. Qi Shanyu instinctively became cautious, his mind jumping to “a date.”

But Liu Yi really had no other intentions.

“What are you thinking?”

Liu Yi returned a disdainful eye-roll.

“I just wanted to buy a gift for a friend. There happens to be a mall downstairs, so I thought I’d take a walk, digest a little, and buy it here.”

He realized that since Officer Qi had thought to treat him to dinner, he should repay the favor he owed the head of the Evidence Department.

The head of the Evidence Department was Yuan Lan, a few years older than him, a recognized expert in forensic evidence.

He was tall, with defined features, handsome beyond the average man though not as striking as Qi Shanyu’s “handsome and elegant” looks.

Yuan Lan, the institute’s top bachelor, was flirtatious and had countless past relationships, a little vain and indulgent.

But he had standards—always consensual, never pursuing students or subordinates, never two-timing, and even after breakups, it was always amicable.

Before Liu Yi joined the institute, Yuan Lan had been recognized for both looks and professional skill, a dual peak in both career and bedroom.

Yet Liu Yi, younger, more handsome, better dressed, more educated, higher-ranking, and with more publications, completely surpassed him in every aspect except sexual skill and height, which Yuan Lan still beat by three centimeters.

Since Liu Yi arrived, even the young admirers of Yuan Lan had shifted their attention to him. The fact that Liu Yi never brought women along made him appear completely unattached, more attractive to women, stealing Yuan Lan’s spotlight.

Poor Liu Yi, a pure, sharp-minded man, couldn’t comprehend the steel-straight male’s competitive jealousy. To him, Yuan Lan’s visible hostility was inexplicable.

But Liu Yi always responded tenfold to any slight.

Thus, their clashes—over research funding, even which intern went to which department—often escalated to red-faced arguments, slamming tables as if they might come to blows.

Eventually, the whole institute knew that the heads of Pathology and Evidence were natural rivals.

Still, to be fair, despite their usual hostility, Yuan Lan had helped greatly with the Su Ruirui case. Liu Yi didn’t want to owe him for nothing, so he intended to repay the favor with a gift.

Qi Shanyu had almost no experience accompanying someone shopping.

He had gone shopping with his sister twice but was mocked for being a stereotypical straight man with terrible taste. From then on, she preferred friends for shopping and wouldn’t even let him carry bags.

As for Li Jin, a former boyfriend, he was too busy for casual shopping, preferring to show off Qi Shanyu during rare outings.

So Qi Shanyu allowed Liu Yi to lead the way blindly, entering any store and looking at whatever he wanted, never offering an opinion. If asked which looked better, he defaulted to the neutral, “Both are fine.”

After a few rounds, Liu Yi quickly grasped his pattern, smiled knowingly, and no longer challenged him, simply following his own tastes to browse familiar brands.

They entered a high-end men’s store Liu Yi frequented, weaving through racks to the tie section.

“This one, and this one. Please show me.”

Liu Yi pointed to a dark blue wide-stripe tie and an indigo narrow-stripe tie, having the saleswoman fetch them.

To Qi Shanyu, both ties, though four-digit in price, seemed no different from his usual inexpensive ones. The subtle differences in color and pattern were completely lost on him.

Standing silently beside Liu Yi, listening to the saleswoman’s pitch, he marveled at how much effort Liu Yi put into choosing gifts for someone.

Ten minutes later, Liu Yi chose the dark blue tie and had it wrapped.

“Picked out?”

Qi Shanyu asked as Liu Yi lingered at the counter.

“Mm…”

Liu Yi replied vaguely.

He actually disliked 100% of the people he bought gifts for. He spent so much time ensuring Yuan Lan wouldn’t question his taste, and secretly enjoyed imagining Yuan Lan’s reluctant delight at receiving such an expensive gift.

“Show me that tie clip too.”

He gestured lightly at the counter.

The saleswoman promptly produced the requested clip.

Qi Shanyu saw its simple design: two parallel rose-gold bars forming a stepped slant, the shorter end set with a small oval stone, milky-white and slightly translucent, shimmering under light. Its price was four figures, half a month of his salary.

Qi Shanyu gasped silently, feeling a twinge of jealousy at the unseen recipient of Liu Yi’s gift.

But he misunderstood.

The tie clip wasn’t for Yuan Lan—it was for his mischievous friend Xue Haofan, who had nearly become his boyfriend.

The opal’s colors suited Xue Haofan’s girlish taste, and the sleek design made it office-appropriate while still playful.

Liu Yi examined the opal under the light, satisfied, and had it wrapped.

He patted Qi Shanyu’s shoulder, indicating the purchases were done, then headed to the counter.

Passing the seasonal coat display, his gaze lingered on a dark brown double-breasted coat, then naturally shifted to Qi Shanyu’s tall, straight frame.

Experienced with many VIPs, the saleswoman quickly moved beside Liu Yi, smiling brightly. “This coat is perfect for this gentleman!”

She removed it from the rack and held it up for Qi Shanyu, gesturing to Liu Yi.

Seeing Liu Yi’s professional taste, she assumed he was wealthy. Qi Shanyu, in plain, cheap clothing, appeared to be a young man he was treating to gifts, so she focused on recommending luxury items for him.

Liu Yi squinted slightly, approvingly, “It does look nice…”

Qi Shanyu’s heart skipped. Judging by the price, the store’s clothes started in the five-digit range.

Liu Yi winked, “Want to try it?”

“No.”

He shook his head decisively. “I can’t afford it.”

—So stubborn!

The saleswoman almost lost it, thinking, “You can’t afford it, but the rich guy is right there—ask him to buy it!”

Liu Yi raised an eyebrow, about to say “I’ll get it for you,” but seeing Qi Shanyu’s honest eyes, he held back.

He gestured to hang the coat back, paid for the tie and tie clip, took the small bags, and left the store with Qi Shanyu.

Author’s note: Case closed! The next update will start a new case!