Chapter 198: Found

*Runze’s POV*

The city outside the window seems to crawl.

Every red light feels longer than it should, every intersection feels unnecessary. Even though the car is moving at a slightly faster speed than usual, it still isn’t fast enough.

My eyes remain fixed outside, following the blur of buildings and passing traffic as though staring hard enough might somehow force the road to disappear and bring our destination closer.

Warm fingers slip gently between mine.

I don’t look down, I already know whose hand it is. Bael’s thumb slowly rubs over the back of my palm before his other hand reaches over, smoothing softly through my hair in a slow, grounding gesture that pulls me back from my spiraling thoughts.

"The car won’t move any faster just because you’re staring at the road, Runze."

"...I know."

"You’ve looked out that window for the last twenty minutes."

"..."

"You’ve also checked the GPS six times."

I finally turn my head to glance sideways at him. "...You were counting?"

"I was."

Bael is watching me with quiet amusement, though a subtle thread of protective concern lingers beneath his grey eyes. His fingers remain firmly wrapped around mine, his palm warm against my skin as he gives my hand a gentle squeeze.

"He’s waiting," Bael says softly, his voice steady and absolute. "We’ll be there soon."

I let out a slow, steadying breath and nod against his shoulder. "...Okay."

Neither of us speaks again. The silence isn’t uncomfortable, it simply settles around us until the car gradually slows as we approach the outer edge of the district.

The old seaside park comes into view. Beyond the parking lot, the aquarium’s curved glass walls gleam beneath the afternoon sun while the salty ocean breeze drifts in from the nearby pier.

The driver brings the car to a smooth stop.

Bael steps out first, as always. He circles around to my side before opening the door, extending a hand out to me. I place my fingers in his, using his support to step carefully onto the pavement.

People move quietly around the entrance, families holding ice creams, couples strolling hand-in-hand, tourists taking photos, but my eyes don’t linger on any of them. My gaze sweeps past the crowd, searching desperately until it finally locks onto him.

Ling Yue.

He sits exactly where he said he would, on a quiet stone bench near the enormous glass display tank visible through the aquarium’s open bay plaza. His elbows rest loosely on his knees, his head lowered as if trying to shrink away from the sunlight.

Even from a distance, surrounded by the wide, bustling world around him, he looks... completely lost.

Bael stops walking, pulling me to a halt beside him. His fingers squeeze my hand once, not tightly, just enough to anchor me.

"Go."

I nod once. Letting go of his hand, I take a deep breath and walk toward Ling Yue, step after step.

He doesn’t notice me at first. He’s staring blankly at the floor beneath his shoes, a dark fabric face mask covering the lower half of his face.

Only when I am standing directly in front of him, blocking the sunlight above him, do I finally speak.

"...Found you."

Ling Yue slowly, painfully lifts his head. His eyes meet mine, rimmed with red and slightly swollen, carrying the hollow look of someone who had cried until there was nothing left inside him.

For a long second, he simply stares in disbelief. Then, his shoulders drop slightly.

"...Apparently."

The tiny, exhausted attempt at humor makes my chest tighten with a sharp, aching pain. Without thinking twice, I step forward. Carefully bending around the curve of my bump, I wrap both arms tightly around his trembling shoulders.

For a heartbeat, he freezes, completely rigid. Then, with a long, shaky exhale, his arms slowly rise, wrapping around my back and gripping the fabric of my coat like a drowning man catching a lifeline.

Neither of us says a word, we simply stay there as the noise of the ocean breeze and passing crowds fades into absolute quiet around us.

When Ling Yue finally pulls back, he uses the edge of the bench to pull himself up into a stand.

Only then do I get a full look at him. His clothes are rumpled, his hair messy, and his posture slumps forward—like someone bearing a heavy weight far too big for his shoulders.

"...Have you eaten?" I ask softly.

He blinks, looking at me as if the simple question takes him entirely off guard. "...No."

"Then we’re getting something to eat."

Ling Yue opens his mouth to protest. "I—"

"No arguments," I interrupt gently but firmly, holding his tired gaze. "You haven’t eaten."

"...No."

"Then that’s settled."

A small, weary sigh slips past his mask, the first genuine drop of tension leaving his body. "...Okay."

Quiet, measured footsteps approach behind us, and a familiar, reassuring shadow falls over the pavement. Bael comes to a stop beside me, a dark coat draped casually over his forearm—brought straight from the car.

Ling Yue looks up, his eyes widening in subtle shock as he finally notices who accompanied me. "...Mr. Wuchen."

Bael doesn’t offer a formal corporate greeting. Instead, he simply unfolds the coat and holds it out to him.

"Put it on," Bael says quietly.

Ling Yue looks from the coat to Bael’s calm face, processing the gesture in stunned silence before reaching out to take it. "...Thank you."

He drapes the coat over his shoulders, pulling it tight against the ocean breeze.

Bael nods once, his gaze shifting toward the private parking bay where our car waits.

"Let’s go home."

Ling Yue freezes completely. His eyes slowly lift, shifting from Bael’s unbothered expression... to mine.

"...Home?" he repeats, his voice barely a breath against the wind.

I reach out, gently catching the thick sleeve of the coat wrapped around him.

"Come on."

He doesn’t resist as I pull him along. Bael walks ahead, his broad frame effortlessly clearing a path through the scattered tourists, while Ling Yue walks beside me in quiet disbelief, looking like he’s still desperately trying to process that he isn’t alone anymore.

Halfway back to the car, his hushed voice finally breaks the silence between us.

"...Is it really okay?" he asks, his eyes fixed on the ground. "For me to... bother you like this?"

I look at him, tightening my grip on his arm. "You don’t ever have to ask that."

His steps falter for a fraction of a second, a flicker of deep emotion passing over his gaze, before he resumes his pace beside me.

Bael reaches the car first. Opening the rear passenger door, he steps aside, holding it steady against the coastal breeze as he waits for the two of us to get inside. His grey eyes settle quietly on Ling Yue.

"Get in."