Chapter 64 - & Lin Qingyan bonus (1), When I Think of You (1/2)

Half a year later.

It was May, and the hints of warmth reminded Lin City of the slow approach of summer. However, there was some light rainfall early in the morning today, such that the air was pleasantly refreshing under the shimmering sun.

Ji Bai stood at the entrance of the airport in a black suit with his hands folded in front of him. He could be mistaken for a handsome model as he stood in the midst of the bustling crowd, even attracting quite a bit of attention due to his tough and mature appearance.

Ji Bai did not have to wait too long before Shu Hang, Monkey, and the others appeared. Each of them carried a small suitcase as they leisurely strolled out of the airport. when they saw each other, big smiles spread on every single one of their faces.

Shu Hang spoke first. "Wow, as expected, you're completely different now that you're a dad. Look at the smug look on your face, you can't wait to show off your success in life!"

Everyone laughed as Monkey added, "Naturally, Ji Bai always made sure to think everything through carefully and he has ended up with a wife and a child."

Ji Bai smiled and shrugged. "I can't help it. I can't deny how lucky I am."

Everyone laughed and mocked him for his arrogant tone.

A total of three cars drove from the airport back to the city. Ji Bai drove his own with Shu Hang in the passenger seat, Monkey and another friend in the back. All of them have been to Lin City before, but this was their first time in summer. They were soon taken aback at how lush, fresh, and pleasant the city seemed as Monkey whistled softly. "The weather here is much better than the weather in Beijing – it's too hot and dry over there."

Before Ji Bai could answer him, Shu Hang smirked. "What did you expect? This is Third Ji's blessed land."

The other friend snickered and chimed in, "Do you guys remember? When Third Brother Ji returned to Beijing last year, he claimed that he did not have a girlfriend. In less than two years, he got married and his child is now already one month old. Are all criminal police officers like this? They're so agile, accurate and brutal."

Ji Bai was in a good mood as he answered, "Was it that fast? After meeting the right person, I feel like two years just flew by."

His words sounded romantic yet boastful. The rest of them signaled each other with their eyes and they quickly expressed their admiration and envy by making wolf whistles and kissing sounds... However, they genuinely felt a little embarrassed as all of them still did not have their own families – because of this, they really did admire Ji Bai.

The right person, huh? Not everyone would be so lucky to meet the right person in life. It doesn't matter who the individual is, they would need a little luck in order to meet a partner who they would end up being a match made in heaven with.

The full moon party was set in one of the hotels in the city. There was still some time left before the party started, so Ji Bai brought Shu Hang and the others to their room upstairs. Then, he returned home to pick up his wife and child.

Shu Hang and the rest could not sit still for long. What was so fun about staying inside the hotel room? After they took a shower and changed their clothes, they strolled downstairs fully dressed.

The hotel was newly constructed and very large. The garden was filled with lush green plants and only a few patches of sunlight could be seen poking through the vibrant garden hanging overhead. It was quiet and beautiful, making it a great place for people to stroll around.

Shu Hang called for the waiter to book a lounge for them to chat, play cards, and drink tea together. The lounge was covered in a red velvet carpet with many leather sofas arranged tastefully in the center. There was also a floor-to-ceiling glass window which allowed them to look out at the beautiful view of the garden as they enjoyed themselves.

Shu Hang was lucky today and swiftly won three games in a row. He joyfully looked around like a freshly-crowned king and noticed that Monkey was now looking out the window absent-mindedly. He followed Monkey's gaze and was immediately stunned.

He was not the only one who was dumbfounded. The man next to him quickly raised his hand to nudge another and in a minute, all of them had their necks craned looking in the same direction. They completely ignored the game of cards and focused entirely on their newest interest.

There wasn't a cloud in the indigo sky outside the window as the bright sun beat down on the grass and the lake, leaving a dazzling sheen on its surface. A young woman was walking out from behind the trees and was slowly heading towards the lake. She wore a light pink dress and a pair of matching sandals while her long black hair fell on her shoulders like the most luxurious satin. Shu Hang had never seen someone with such beautiful hair before. There was a lustrous shine on her hair was irresistible as it rested neatly on the woman's jade-like shoulder. Not to mention, when the woman turned her face slightly, they could see her thin, sleek eyebrows and her eyes that were full of life.

Thankfully, the large window was a one-way glass such that those on the outside could not look inside. Because of this, the thirsty bachelors inside could ogle the woman to their heart's desire, while the lady remained unaware of their existence. They watched her walking leisurely to the lakeside before frowning slightly. She was extremely gorgeous, but after seeing her frown slightly, she appeared a little distant and cold. However, this imperfection and the fact that she now seemed more unattainable only made her more attractive.

She sat down on the bench by the lake and seemed lost in her own thoughts. After a moment of silence inside the hotel lounge, the atmosphere became rowdy. Monkey stared at her before quickly howling his displeasure. "She's definitely not from Ji Bai's side. Does he even have any female friends that we're not aware of? Fuck, I can't believe sister-in-law actually has such a beautiful friend."

Right after Ji Bai entered the lounge, he saw the group of men discussing enthusiastically while looking at Yao Meng on the other side of the window.

When they saw Ji Bai, they immediately asked, "Third Ji, who is she? Is she your sister-in-law?"

Normally, they were not the type to get excited so easily, since all of their eyes were very sharp, they had seen all kinds of beauties before. The reason why they reacted as such was because Yao Meng's beauty was very unique in their eyes. She was enchanting, yet there was also a hint of boyish charm. She looked delicate and beautiful, but there was still a touch of listlessness in her which made her seem very mysterious. Men were most afraid of mysterious women as they could never resist the urge to chase after someone out of their reach. Furthermore, Yao Meng's sudden appearance caught them by surprise and, boys being boys, they wanted to create a fuss out of it.

Ji Bai looked at Yao Meng. Half a year had passed ever since Lin Qingyan's case, and the poor girl had been keeping a very low profile ever since. Thus, he replied, "She's a friend of Xu Xu. You guys better not mess with her."

Everyone laughed as someone pointed out, "It's too late, Monkey has already gone over."

Ji Bai frowned and looked at his surroundings. True enough, he did not see Monkey. Monkey was well-known to be a playboy who had a countless number of girlfriends, so there was no way he was going to let him harass Yao Meng. However, at this moment, the guests started arriving and Ji Bai had to greet them. Thus, he waved his hand and said sternly, "I'm not joking, someone please stop him."

This group of people were still relatively useful when he was serious, and several people immediately stood up. At this point, Shu Hang who had been drinking tea silently also got up. "I'll go."

Shu Hang was very reliable, so Ji Bai was reassured. He nodded and walked out with him. They parted ways when they reached the junction at the end of the corridor as the two of them were going in different directions. After Shu Hang took two steps forward, he turned around and asked, "Oh yeah, what's the girl's name?"

Ji Bai was greeting several police officers and colleagues. He turned sideways to look at him and answered plainly, "Yao Meng."

Shu Hang knew Monkey well and soon found him on the avenue a few meters away from Yao Meng, having just taken two glasses of wine from the waiter.

"Third Ji is looking for you urgently, hurry up and go to him." Shu Hang said with a serious look on his face.

Monkey grumpily returned the drinks to the waiter and followed Shu Hang back. When they arrived at the entrance to the lounge, Shu Hang paused while Monkey went straight in.

"Seize him and do not let him out before the party starts." Shu Hang gave the order and the few of them inside the lounge jokingly held down Monkey on the table. Then, Shu Hang turned around and left. Someone saw him walking away and asked, "Where are you going, Brother Shu?"

Shu Hang flashed him a smile and kept walking. "Third Ji asked for my help."

He took a brisk walk and returned to the lakeside. Then, he asked for two drinks from the waiter and headed towards Yao Meng. The people in the lounge were stunned as they watched him. After a while, they saw Yao Meng smile politely at Shu Hang before walking away. Shu Hang, on the other hand, stepped forward and took his time to follow her with a shameless smile on his face. "Hey, don't go..."

The full moon party went very smoothly. Everyone was in high spirits - colleagues from the police station, Ji Bai's childhood friends, or the serious yet arrogant junior brothers and sisters from Xu Xu's police academy. Even though their fair and chubby baby had only just shown up, but he continued to smile at everyone throughout the day, keeping up the joyful uproar.

Ji Bai's father, big brother, and second brother came. Although Ji Bai's mother did not come, she asked Father Ji to give Xu Xu a huge red envelope and a set of jewelry.

Ji Bai was slowly assimilating Xu Xu into the family and she understood that she could not be hasty and try to rush her relationship with her mother-in-law. Halfway through the day, Ji Bai accompanied her as they gave their mother-in-law a call, their conversation was still polite as expected. They knew that they could only give it time and wait until the day that they could finally get along.

In a blink of an eye, their baby was two months old.

Xu Juan had just been discharged from the hospital, and even though he had lost a few pounds, he looked rather energetic. Nonetheless, there was now a dark-red scar on the back of his head. Whenever Xu Xu parted his hair to look at the scar, she would feel a dull pain in her heart. She would caress it over and over again while Xu Juan comforted her with a smile. "Good days will come to those who escape death. Your brother's future is looking bright."

It was Saturday and Ji Bai was working overtime as usual. Xu Xu was still on a maternity leave and she stayed at home with their child alongside Xu Juan.

Both Ji Bai and Xu Xu were supposed to take care of the child. Even so, whenever Xu Juan had free time during the weekends, he would come over and take care of everything. Since Xu Xu saw how he much he liked his nephew, she naturally let them bond.

When Ji Bai return home, he saw Xu Juan with a hand in his trouser pocket and another hand holding a diaper. He stood by the side with a grin on his face as Xu Juan bent over as he struggled to change his child's diaper with an attentive look on his handsome face.

Ji Bai greeted Xu Juan, then pulled Xu Xu's hand and led her into the bedroom. Xu Xu gained a little weight after giving birth to a child and her skin had also become fairer. Despite this, in Ji Bai's eyes, she looked even cuter and more well-proportioned than ever before. Whenever he saw the smile on her face, Ji Bai would get the insuppressible urge to kiss her.

He pushed her against the door and started kissing her as Xu Xu's face grew red. "Brother is still busy outside"

Ji Bai buried his into her shoulder and purred, "Let him be."

Although Xu Juan liked his nephew very much, he did not have any intention to disturb Ji Bai and Xu Xu. Thus, he left soon after Ji Bai came back. He was a very good brother and uncle as he made sure to put the baby to sleep before leaving.

It was a cool and peaceful night when Ji Bai finished working in his study room and returned to the bedroom. He soon saw Xu Xu sitting by the table next to a huge stack of files, going through it attentively.

He had brought these files back from the police station as per Xu Xu's request. Ever since the Lin Qingyan case, Xu Xu had not been working on any cases – it's already been half a year since the last one. In her words, she felt "suffocated."

She was reading very attentively and did not notice that Ji Bai had entered the room. Ji Bai kept his eyes on her and slowly began to undress.

Soon, he was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts as he crept over to her slowly. Suddenly, he leaned over her from behind and supported his arms on the table. Then, he lowered his head and whispered into her ear, "Do you have anything else that you want to do?"

Only then did Xu Xu raise her head to look at him. Needless to say, she was stunned.

The dim warm lighting shone on his angular handsome face which was right next to hers. His tall body seemed even more slender and tough under the soft lights as every inch of his body seemed to radiate a certain warmth that merged together with hers.

Xu Xu's face flushed. The two of them had only done it several times while she was pregnant; even after she had given birth, they made sure not to push it and abstained so altogether.

However, it was definitely fine to do it now.

Ji Bai saw that she had gotten the hint, so he got up feeling satisfied and picked up a bath towel from beside him. "I will go take a bath first."

As soon as he entered the bathroom, Xu Xu thought about it for a moment. Then, she put aside the files, opened the closet and began searching for a sleeping gown. Since they had restrained themselves for so long, she should choose a seductive sleeping gown to help properly ignite their passion. While she was comparing different sets of sleeping gowns, she suddenly heard the sound of water in the bathroom stopping as Ji Bai called out casually, "Wifey, I forgot to take a towel."

"Oh." However, just as Xu Xu was about get up and look for a towel, she recalled that he had indeed taken a towel with him before he entered the bathroom.

Xu Xu could not help but smile at his extremely obvious intentions. Then, she lowered her head to look at the variety of mature sleeping gowns that lay on her bed and thought about which one to wear.

Once they had moved in together, Ji Bai had changed his ordinary one-person bathtub into an extremely large bathtub which had enough room for him and Xu Xu to roll around in. After Xu Xu answered him, he continued to relax in the bathtub with his arms hanging over the edge while he waited for her leisurely.

After a while, he heard the sound of light footsteps approaching. By now, he had restrained himself for half a year, so his felt throat felt dry while his body started tensing up as he stared at the door.

Slowly, the door was pushed open and Xu Xu walked in.

The moment Ji Bai saw her, he felt his body burning up. The feeling was so overwhelming that he felt like he was about to explode.

Xu Xu had nothing but a towel wrapped around her body. She simultaneously looked like the most innocent, and the most seductive thing in the world as she walked up to him with blushing cheeks. "Here's your towel."

A wide smile appeared on Ji Bai's face. He suddenly got out of the tub, lifted her up, and closed the bathroom door.

The room was soon filled with the scent of their love-making.

By the time they were done, it was already midnight. Ji Bai leaned against Yao Meng feeling completely satisfied as he continued to leave small kisses all over her body.

After a while, he recalled something and said to Xu Xu, "Shu Hang has been chasing Yao Meng for almost a month."

Xu Xu was a little shocked. "Does he not have to go back to Beijing?"

"His company's recent project is based in Lin City." A grin appeared on Ji Bai's face as he explained, "He told me that Yao Meng has already rejected him more than ten times."

Xu Xu nodded and sighed. "Obviously." After thinking about it for a moment, she looked at Ji Bai and asked, "Do you think they suit each other?"

Instead of answering her question, Ji Bai simply shrugged. "Shu Hang might be good at sweet talking, but he has the integrity to back it up. Whether or not they suit each other is not for us to decide." He paused before adding, "Maybe now is not the right time, but eventually, Yao Meng has to move on with her life."

The next day, after Ji Bai got home from work, he received a call from Shu Hang just as he was about to get intimate with his wife.

Shu Hang's playful and laidback tone was nowhere to be found. Instead, he sounded a little serious. "I just learned about Yao Meng's past."

Ji Bai remained silent for a moment as up until now, he had always tried to avoid talking about Yao Meng's past. Even so, he knew that if Shu Hang was serious about chasing her, then he would eventually get someone to find out a bit more about her.

"So, are you still going to go after her?" Ji Bai asked.

Shu Hang did not answer immediately.

The sun was just starting to set as they talked to each other, and Shu Hang was sitting in his car which was parked right at the front entrance of a cafe.

It was Yao Meng's go-to café. Every afternoon, she would sit on the second floor of the café for a while. Shu Hang had been chasing her enthusiastically, so he knew her schedule very well.

He sat in the car and looked on as Yao Meng casually walked out of the café. She was still as beautiful and radiant as ever.

"Let's talk about it another time." He hung up on Ji Bai and quietly stared at her graceful figure moving through the crowd.

Suddenly, a BMW convertible from across the street slowly pulled up next to Yao Meng. Then, Yao Meng revealed a sweet smile to the man in the car.

Shu Hang eyes instantly widened.

The man in the car was Feng Ye. He was wearing a suit and had shaved off his beard such that he now looked as handsome as ever. However, due to the hardships that he had been through, there was also a steeliness in his eyes which was not normally found in other people his age. He got out of the car, opened the door for Yao Meng, and watched happily as she gets into the car.

After Lin Qingyan's death, the police ransacked his home and found all sorts of evidence locked in his basement. There was potassium cyanide, aphrodisiacs, chains, and many photos of the victims. There were also photos of the eight victims from the "Angel Killer" incident. Thus, with the help of Ji Bai's testimony, Feng Ye was finally cleared of all charges.

However, at that time, there were still several other missing persons. Their information and bodies had not yet been found, so they could not determine whether or not their disappearances were related to Lin Qingyan. The police could only deduce that they had been disposed of by Lin Qingyan in some unknown location.

According to Lin Qingyan's will, he left all his property to Yao Meng. Nonetheless, the Hong Kong authorities claimed that about one-third of it was inherited from Chief Qin, which was Feng Ye's mother. Thus, Yao Meng agreed to split up this part of the property and return it to Feng Ye; the legal proceedings surrounding the handover were still in progress.

The news of what Lin Qingyan did soon spread among their old friends, enraging every last one of them. They now welcomed Feng Ye's return with open arms. As such, Feng Ye was actually here to pick up Yao Meng today because he had invited a few high school classmates to have a gathering in his villa.

After Yao Meng sat down, Feng Ye smiled at her gently, "I prepared a barbecue tonight, along with your favorite caramel pudding."

Yao Meng nodded. "Thank you."

The evening sun was still blazing hot, so when Feng Ye lowered his head, he saw Yao Meng's slender neck glowing like a piece of jade under the sunlight. He was taken aback and quickly put his arm around the back of her seat. "Is it too hot? Do you want me to turn up the air conditioning?" "

Yao Meng smiled and shook her head. "It's okay, it's good to bask in the sun."

Feng Ye nodded but did not remove his arm. Then, he averted his gaze and noticed a tall, handsome man sitting inside a Cadillac staring at them.

Feng Ye instantly recognized Ji Bai's friend who he had once met during the full moon party.

The two of them made eye contact and Feng Ye smiled at him briefly. Shu Hang felt a mixture of dread and disappointment rising in his heart when he saw the man's pearly white teeth, but by then, Feng Ye had already started the car with Yao Meng inside.

The villa that Feng Ye bought was located in the suburbs of Lin City. The place was filled with tall, green trees which helped give it a tropical vibe. When they arrived, a few friends were already sitting together in the garden while barbecuing and drinking. As they chatted, they could not help but sigh as they reminisced about the past.

Compared to the wild boy of days gone by, Feng Ye's temperament had become much gentler and more restrained. He sat next to Yao Meng and naturally took care of her the entire time. Because of this, some of their classmates teased, "You two of you were wrongly separated in the past. Aren't you planning on getting back together again?"

After saying this, everyone laughed. Feng Ye joined in the laughter, but he also put his hand around the back of Yao Meng's chair and looked at her quietly. Everyone saw him do this, so they quickly got the hint.

However, Yao Meng smiled plainly and shrugged. "It's all in the past, so let's not talk about it again. Are the chicken wings done?"

Feng Ye was stunned as the others immediately tried to smooth things over. "It's done, it's done, here you go."

After eating for a while, Feng Ye went into the house to get some more food. Yao Meng, on the other hand, continued to chat with everyone for a while, but she eventually put her bag on the chair and got up to go to the bathroom.

The villa was brightly lit as she strolled along the corridor. After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped.

The door on the right side of the hallway was left slightly ajar, but she still spotted a few photos hanging on the wall. There was a picture of Feng Ye and two elders, which Yao Meng quickly recognized to be his deaf-mute parents. There was also a picture of his high school graduation photo from the past. Moreover, there was also a huge photoshoot collection of her which Feng Ye had saved half of his pocket money to take her to when they were both dating.

She gently pushed the door open.

The room looked like a showroom. Other than photos, there were also many vintage cameras, books, and small sculptures.

At this moment, she heard Feng Ye's low and gentle voice from behind her. "I've lost a lot and have only managed to retrieve a few things from my old life, which I've kept here."

Yao Meng turned around and smiled at him. "You can always add more stuff in the future."

Instead of answering her, Feng Ye leaned his tall body against the cupboard and lowered his head to look at her. When he did this, the atmosphere in the room immediately changed.

Of course, Yao Meng understood what he was thinking, but she pretended not to notice it. Instead, she looked at the neatly arranged dolls in the cupboard with great interest. The figures had human faces and were carved out of a maple-colored wood. All of them had masterfully crafted faces which looked like life while also keeping its doll characteristics at the same time. The eyes of the dolls were made of a black meteorite while the smiling teeth looked like pieces of porcelain and jade.

Yao Meng stared at them for a while before changing the subject. "Where did you buy this? It's so unique. Can you take it out and let me have a look?"

Feng Ye picked one up and handed it to her. "Of course. A friend made it and gave it to me."

Yao Meng gasped in admiration. "Your friend's really skillful." Then, she put down the doll and smiled at him. "Let's go out." As she turned to the door, Feng Ye grab her waist and pulled her back.

Yao Meng was startled and instinctively tried to push him away. However, Feng Ye's arms were very strong and he simply lowered his head to look at her without letting her go. A streak of light from the hallway shone inside, casting a ray of light over his focused, intense face.

"Little Meng, past or present, whether I was working in Hong Kong or on the run… I've never stopped loving you. What would it take for you to give me another chance?"

It was nightfall by the time Yao Meng and the other classmates walked out of Feng Ye's villa. Since she did not want Feng Ye to send her home, she had asked her driver to bring her car around to Feng Ye's villa. After this, he was dismissed.

Instead of going home straightaway, she stopped by the roadside. She was on the main road and there were many crowded stalls with plenty of patrons eating supper inside. The atmosphere there was very lively and cheerful, and so, she sat there quietly for a while, then called Xu Xu.

Xu Xu had just put her child to sleep and Ji Bai was taking a shower. She picked up the stack of documents that Ji Bai had brought back from the police station and was just about to start reading when she saw Yao Meng's number flashing on her phone screen. "Are you calling because of Shu Hang?"

Yao Meng smiled and shook her head. "He's not the problem. I'm not going to get together with anyone right now." She paused and added, "Feng Ye also asked to get back together with me just now, but I refused."

Xu Xu thought for a moment before replying, "You made a right decision."

Yao Meng leaned back on the chair and looked up at the starry midnight sky. "Why? What do you think of him? Tell me honestly."

Xu Xu replied, "He's not a good match for you. When he was a teenager, he was very arrogant. After that, he was on the run for three years and lived in complete isolation in the forest. Of course, these are not necessarily drawbacks, but both of you both have too many things on your plate right now and it would be better if you have a fresh start."