The shop was already closed.
But Yulan didn't leave.
He sat on the stool behind the counter, staring at nothing in particular.
The lights above him buzzed softly—unstable, like they were tired too.
Chen Hao Leaves First
Chen Hao packed up slowly.
He looked at Yulan once, then twice.
"…You're doing that thing again," he said.
Yulan didn't look up.
"What thing?"
"The one where you pretend sitting still is the same as resting."
A pause.
Then Chen Hao sighed.
"…I'm locking up. Don't do anything stupid."
Yulan gave a small nod.
It wasn't agreement.
Just acknowledgment.
The door closed behind Chen Hao.
The shop became quieter immediately.
A Decision That Was Already Made
Yulan stayed where he was for a long time.
Long enough for the city outside to shift into night completely.
Long enough for doubt to stop arguing back.
Then he stood.
Put on his jacket.
And left.
The Estate Again
The Li estate was harder to approach at night.
Not because of guards.
Because of silence.
It felt like the place noticed you before you noticed it.
Yulan stood outside the gate for a moment.
His hand tightened slightly at his side.
Then he pressed the intercom.
A pause.
Then a voice came through.
"Name."
"…Yulan," he said.
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then—
The gate opened.
Not fully.
Just enough.
Inside Without Permission
No one greeted him.
That was the first sign.
A place like this always had someone watching.
Always.
But not tonight.
Tonight felt… delayed.
Like the house hadn't decided what he was yet.
Yulan walked forward slowly.
The path toward the main building looked longer than he remembered.
Too empty.
Too clean.
He Shouldn't Be Here
Halfway up the steps, he stopped.
Because he felt it.
Not sound.
Not movement.
Just awareness.
Someone was watching him from above.
He looked up.
A window.
Second floor.
Light on.
Then gone.
Yulan didn't move.
"…I know you're here," he said quietly.
No response.
A few seconds passed.
Then footsteps.
Not rushed.
Not surprised.
Controlled.
Li Wei Appears
Li Wei stepped into view at the top of the stairs.
He wasn't dressed casually.
He looked like someone who had already been spoken to too many times today.
His eyes met Yulan's.
And stopped.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The space between them felt… regulated.
Like even distance had rules here.
"…You shouldn't be here," Li Wei said finally.
Yulan nodded slightly.
"I figured."
A pause.
Then:
"I came anyway."
Li Wei exhaled slowly.
"…Do you understand what this place is right now?"
Yulan looked up at him.
"I understand I haven't seen you in days."
That line didn't raise his voice.
But it landed harder than anything loud would have.
Pressure Behind Him
A door behind Li Wei opened slightly.
Not fully visible.
But enough.
Li Wei's posture changed subtly.
Someone else was there.
Watching.
Listening.
Yulan noticed.
Of course he did.
"…You're not alone," he said quietly.
Li Wei didn't deny it.
Instead, he stepped down one step.
Just one.
Still keeping distance.
Still controlled.
"…Say what you came to say," Li Wei said.
What Yulan Can't Hold In
Yulan hesitated.
Just briefly.
Then:
"I didn't come to argue."
A pause.
"…I came because you told me not to."
That made something shift in Li Wei's expression.
Not surprise.
Something more restrained.
Recognition.
Yulan continued:
"You don't get to disappear and leave me inside questions you won't answer."
Silence.
From behind the door upstairs, something moved again.
A reminder.
Time was being watched.
A Controlled Answer
Li Wei's voice lowered.
"…This isn't something you can stand inside right now."
Yulan shook his head slightly.
"I'm already inside it."
That was the truth neither of them had been avoiding anymore.
A long silence followed.
Not peaceful.
Measuring.
Then Li Wei stepped closer again.
This time stopping just at the bottom of the stairs.
Close enough to speak without raising his voice.
Not close enough to touch.
"…You need to go," Li Wei said.
Yulan didn't move.
"…And if I don't?"
That question hung in the air longer than it should have.
Li Wei looked at him for a moment.
Then quietly:
"…Then they will start treating you like part of the system."
That was the first time it sounded like a warning instead of a refusal.
The Shift
Yulan understood it.
Finally.
This wasn't distance anymore.
It was containment.
He nodded once.
Slow.
"…So that's it," he said quietly.
Li Wei didn't respond immediately.
Because there was no easy answer left.
A moment passed.
Then Li Wei said, softer:
"I didn't ask for this either."
Leaving Without Leaving
Yulan turned slightly.
Not fully leaving yet.
Just enough to break the line between them.
"…Then stop acting like I'm already gone."
He walked back down the steps.
Slow.
Not running.
Not breaking.
Just moving.
Li Wei didn't follow.
But his hand tightened slightly at his side.
Like he wanted to.
Like he couldn't.
End of Chapter 38
That night, Yulan left the estate without being stopped.
But for the first time—
It didn't feel like escape.
It felt like permission.