After the Dusk Comes the Dawn [BL]

Part 2

4

I liked Bai Xi, I had liked him for a long time.

But he didn't know.

After all, I was the villain in the book.

And he was the protagonist.

No one would have thought that the utterly evil villain would eventually fall for the righteous protagonist who opposed him at every turn.

But I was such an anomaly.

I was born this way.

And grew even more so as I got older.

In my past life, my power and resources were deeply entrenched, spreading wide and far, with no one daring to touch me.

Except for Bai Xi, my Officer Bai.

The captain of the city's criminal investigation team.

He was not a big official, yet he had led people to destroy two of my trading locations in a row.

At that time, I watched the video of him single-handedly defeating a team of more than a dozen men that I had spent money training.

Watching him, covered in blood, standing among the fallen crowd.

Liking someone starts with being interested in them.

I had someone investigate all of his background.

Power breeds desire.

I didn't believe Bai Xi could be completely clean and untainted.

Until I saw the investigation results.

Clean and untainted.

They even found out that Bai Xi was commended by his school for helping an old lady cross the street when he was a few years old, but they couldn't find a single blemish on his record.

In that large dye vat tainted by darkness, this Officer Bai was, as his name suggested, a stream of white. [1]

Righteous, kind, and special.

So special that it made me want to drag him into the abyss with me.

5

Disguising my identity was very easy for me.

In my past life, it only took a little over ten days for me to disguise myself as a police officer and get close to Bai Xi.

On my first day at work, Bai Xi proactively approached me.

The fierce fighter on the screen was now smiling, eyes curved, as he greeted me.

He looked embarrassed when I complimented him.

Blushing, he scratched the back of his head and smiled shyly.

Later, when I mentioned that I would need his help in the future,

He patted my shoulder with a serious and determined look in his eyes.

He said, "Don't worry, I will do my best to support you."

6

The work at the Public Security Bureau was not as I had imagined, dealing with big cases every day.

Sometimes, there were also trivial tasks.

For example,

Catching thieves.

Unclogging pipes.

Finding runaway cats and dogs.

...

Sometimes Bai Xi would take me along on missions.

When we arrived at the destination, we would take a megaphone, bend over, and diligently inspect every roadside bush.

I just wanted to laugh.

Especially at the end, when we received a bright red banner.

With eight shining characters—"Dedicated to Duty, Saved My Dog's Life." [2]

Everyone at the bureau laughed and joked while taking pictures with it.

Bai Xi was different.

After everyone finished taking pictures, he happily took the banner back and hung it on the office wall like a prized possession.

I leaned against the wall, watching his actions.

Noticing the scars on his arms.

The old scars around his eyes and the new scratches from the bushes while looking for the dog in recent days.

The image of him from the initial video flashed before my eyes.

Sometimes, I was really curious.

Curious about his dedication as a policeman, risking his life for what?

Was it just for these cheap and useless banners?

So I walked over to him and asked,

"Officer Bai, is it meaningful to spend so much energy on these trivial matters every day?"

And he.

My righteous and kind Officer Bai did not get angry.

He just turned around and brushed the remaining dust off my clothes.

He told me,

"Ci Mu, you must remember, there are no small matters when it comes to the people."

"And our duty as the people's police is to serve the people; to do our best to protect their interests."

Song Ci Mu was the name I used to get close to him.

His eyes were serious.

He looked just like a teacher giving a stern lecture.

Yet, it was destined that I was not the one to be lectured by him.

I was nothing more than an unredeemable villain.

Peel away the skin, and the core was black.

I no longer wanted to continue those boring and tedious so-called good deeds.

Even if my partner was Bai Xi.

Even if watching his serious and earnest demeanor was amusing.

7

Bai Xi was very smart.

I thought it would take him three days to track down the next clue.

But he figured everything out in just three days.

"Safety first for this operation."

Before the operation, Bai Xi personally equipped me with a gun and patiently gave me instructions.

"Ci Mu, this is your first time using a gun, be careful not to get hurt."

I looked down at his serious expression.

Since I could remember, I had been treated as a tool for killing.

Wading through rivers of blood to climb to my current position.

I was better with a gun than he was.

Even knowing that, I nodded at his instructions.

"Got it, Mama Bai."

I emphasized the last two words.

The young officers in the bureau all called him Mama Bai.

Because he was bold yet meticulous, taking care of everyone in the bureau.

Once, someone accidentally tore their clothes during a mission.

After the mission, Bai Xi took a needle and thread from his office drawer and started mending the clothes.

"Don't call me that."

Hearing this nickname, Bai Xi still reached out and gave me a punch.

Without much force, it didn't hurt at all.

It even tickled a bit.

I made a nasty and childish joke.

Normally, I would have ignored it completely.

But seeing his reaction this time, I couldn't help but grin even wider. 

________
Footnote:

[1] The name "Bai Xi" (白溪) literally means "white streams."
[2] This refers to news where a policeman saved a dog's life and received a banner with "Dedicated to Duty, Saved My Dog's Life" (尽职尽责，保我狗命) from the owner.