After eating, Cai Lang took the bowl from Suo Ran's hands before he could say anything. "I'll wash dishes." Cai Lang said, already moving toward the sink.
"It's dark." Suo Ran said, watching him.
"I can see well enough." Cai Lang replied without turning back.
Suo Ran hesitated for a second, then unlocked his phone and switched on the flashlight. He stepped closer and lifted it, angling the light carefully toward the sink. "At least use this," he said quietly. "You'll knock something over otherwise."
Cai Lang didn't argue this time. He rolled up his sleeves and started washing the dishes, the sound of running water filling the small space between them. The rhythm was steady, almost calming, but the silence wasn't.Suo Ran leaned against the counter without realizing it, just watching him. Not thinking, just… observing. Cai Lang noticed after a moment. "What?" he asked, not looking up. Suo Ran blinked like he'd been caught. "Nothing."A pause stretched.
"…Mosquito." Suo Ran added awkwardly, as if that explained anything.
Cai Lang let out a quiet scoff, but there was no real heat in it. "Right."For a few seconds, only water filled the silence again. Then Suo Ran spoke a little more softly, almost uncertain. "You don't have to do everything yourself, you know."Cai Lang paused slightly, then continued washing. "It's just dishes."
"That's not what I mean," Suo Ran replied, eyes lowering. "You always say that."
Cai Lang didn't respond immediately. The water slowed slightly before he finally said, "Because it's easier."Suo Ran frowned faintly. "That doesn't make it true."That made Cai Lang stop for a second, just long enough for the words to land properly. Then he turned off the tap.
The sudden silence felt louder than the water.
Just then, the lights flickered once then twice.Suo Ran straightened slightly. "Don't tell me "And then the apartment filled with light."Oh." Suo Ran said softly, almost relieved without meaning to show it.Cai Lang dried his hands slowly, his expression returning to something composed. "Looks like it's back."
Suo Ran lowered his phone, the flashlight turning off. The room suddenly felt different—less tense, more real. "You could've told me you were leaving." he said after a moment, voice quieter than before.Cai Lang glanced at him briefly. "I did."Suo Ran hesitated. "That wasn't what I meant."A faint pause.Cai Lang understood anyway.
He grabbed his jacket from the chair and slipped it on. "Thanks," he said, tone steady but not cold. "For tonight."
Suo Ran looked at him. "i this is my lines to say." Cai Lang nodded once. "Get some rest."Suo Ran's voice softened slightly. "You too."A pause. "Bye." Suo Ran said."Good night." Cai Lang replied.He turned and left.The door clicked shut behind him, and the room settled into silence again but this time, it wasn't as heavy as before.
Later, Suo Ran lay in bed, replaying the power cut in his mind the brief closeness, the silence, the way Cai Lang had stayed without turning it into something heavier than it was. It lingered more than he wanted it to.His phone rang.He got up and walked into the living room to pick it up. "Hello?" Suo Ran answered.
"Suo Ran." Lian Ziho's voice came through clearly, casual as always. "I'm going out tomorrow. Want me to buy you anything?"
Suo Ran smiled faintly, leaning lightly against the wall. "No need." "You sure? Snacks? Drinks?" "I'm fine, really." Suo Ran said softly, shaking his head even though Lian couldn't see it.
As he spoke, the door beside him opened.
Cai Lang stepped out of his apartment.
Without hesitation, without warning, he reached over and took Suo Ran's phone straight from his hand."Hey!" Suo Ran protested immediately, startled. "What are you doing?" Cai Lang didn't look at him. He just brought the phone to his ear, expression calm but sharp. "Where are you?"
Lian Ziho blinked on the other end, clearly caught off guard. "Cai Lang? Why are you answering Suo Ran's phone?" "I've been calling you." Cai Lang said, tone tightening slightly. "Why can't I find you?" There was a short pause. "I was busy." Cai Lang's eyes narrowed faintly, though Lian ziho couldn't see it. "And you have time to call Suo Ran and not me?" he said, voice lower now, carrying something between irritation and disbelief.
Suo Ran stood there, frozen for a second before reaching out. "Cai Lang, give it back."
Cai Lang didn't move, only lifting his hand slightly to keep the phone away while still listening. His tone stayed controlled, but the edge was unmistakable now. "Say that again."
Lian ziho sighed on the other end, like he was already tired of this conversation. "Relax. I just checked in." Cai Lang let out a quiet, humorless breath. "Checked in," he repeated. "You disappear, you don't answer, and you 'check in' with him first?" Suo Ran's expression shifted slightly at that, confusion flickering across his face as he watched Cai Lang. Lian ziho Ziho paused, then laughed lightly, trying to defuse it. "Why do you sound jealous? It's not that deep." That made Cai Lang go still for half a second. Suo Ran noticed it immediately.
Cai Lang's voice dropped, quieter but sharper now. "I don't like repeating myself. Where are you?" Lian ziho's tone softened a little, sensing the shift. "Out. Handling something. I'll talk later."
He handed the phone back, and Suo Ran immediately glared at him. "You can't just snatch my phone!" "You were standing in the hallway." Cai Lang replied calmly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's not an excuse." Suo Ran shot back, arms crossing. "Be more careful." Cai Lang said, voice even. "Anyone could hear."
Suo Ran narrowed his eyes. "You're unbelievable."Cai Lang paused, then added, almost casually, "I'm going grocery shopping." Suo Ran blinked at him. "Isn't it late to go?"Cai Lang finally looked at him properly, a faint edge of amusement in his expression. "Why, are you scared?" "Okay, I need a few things too." Suo Ran replied after a moment, still suspicious but already giving in. "Then come." Cai Lang said simply.
They walked out together, still mildly annoyed, still side by side, neither of them realizing how naturally they had fallen into it.
Cai Lang knew it was wrong. The way his eyes kept drifting forward, toward Suo Ran. He remembered the way Suo Ran leaned slightly toward Lian Ziho when he spoke. The way their laughter came easily too easily, like there was no distance between them at all. Since when were they this close?
Cai Lang clenched his jaw. He told himself it meant nothing. Just friends. Just convenience. Just noise he didn't need to care about. Then why did it sit so uncomfortably in his chest?
Lost in thought, he stepped forward without looking properly. A sharp horn blared.
"Cai Lang!" Something grabbed his arm hard and yanked him back. A scooter shot past where he had been standing, missing him by inches. Cai Lang's heart slammed violently against his ribs as the sudden force pulled him off balance.
Suo Ran was holding onto his sleeve tightly, chest rising and falling fast. "What's wrong with you?!" Suo Ran snapped, eyes wide not just angry, but shaken. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Cai Lang blinked, still disoriented. "I…" "You weren't even looking," Suo Ran continued, voice trembling now. "What were you thinking?" Their faces were close.Cai Lang met Suo Ran's eyes and felt something twist painfully in his chest.
You, I was thinking about you.But he didn't say it. Instead, he straightened slightly, forcing his voice back into control. "I'm fine."
Suo Ran scoffed immediately. "You almost got hit.""It's nothing." Cai Lang said too quickly.Suo Ran's expression hardened. "You call that nothing?"Cai Lang looked away.That was when he felt it.The air tightening, like something had stepped into the space between seconds. A presence. Watching. He glanced across the street and saw it a figure lingering too long, phone raised slightly, gaze fixed directly on them.
Cai Lang's hand tightened into a fist.
"Let's go." he said sharply.The figure across the street moved first."Get down!" Cai Lang shouted.Everything happened at once.
The man lunged not with a gun, not with a blade, but with intent sharp enough to cut. People screamed. A second figure emerged from the alley, cutting off their escape route.
Suo Ran froze for a split second.Cai Lang didn't.
He shoved Suo Ran backward instinctively. "Move!"The impact came hard.Cai Lang staggered as something struck his side metal against flesh. Not deep enough to kill, but enough to steal his breath and drop him to one knee."Cai Lang!" Suo Ran shouted, panic breaking through his voice.Blood seeped quickly through Cai Lang's jacket.
His vision blurred red for a moment, but he forced himself to focus. He grabbed Suo Ran by the collar and yanked him behind a parked car, then turned back with a calm that looked almost unnatural. "Stay here."
The attackers hesitated.That was their mistake.Cai Lang moved without thinking. He disarmed the closer one in seconds, twisting his arm until the weapon clattered to the ground. The second tried to run didn't get far. Sirens wailed in the distance; someone had already called it in. Within moments, the attackers vanished into the crowd like they were never there at all.Silence fell hard.
Cai Lang was sitting on the ground now, one hand pressed to his side, breathing rough but trying to steady himself. "Guess… I shouldn't have skipped breakfast," he muttered weakly, attempting a joke that didn't land.Suo Ran knelt beside him immediately, hands shaking as he looked at the blood. "Don't talk," he said urgently. "You're bleeding." "I'm fine," Cai Lang said through clenched teeth. "Just hurts like hell."
Suo Ran ripped off his own jacket without thinking, pressing it firmly against Cai Lang's wound. "Idiot," he muttered, voice breaking slightly. "Why did you jump in like that?"
Cai Lang looked up at him, eyes clearer now despite the pain. "Because of you."The words landed heavy between them.Suo Ran froze.
Cai Lang and Suo Ran didn't argue.Suo Ran's hands trembled as he held pressure against the wound. "This is my fault," he whispered, almost to himself."No." Cai Lang said softly, shaking his head slightly. "It's not."But even as he said it.Cai Lang knew better. This wasn't random.This wasn't coincidence.This was connected to the scroll, to his father's warning, to Suo Ran.
And now he was bleeding because of it.
As the sirens grew louder, Cai Lang looked at Suo Ran properly really looked at him. Fear in his eyes.And Cai Lang was done pretending he could keep everyone safe by staying distant.