Chapter 177 - The Secrets Hidden in Memory (8) (1/2)

Jin Xiangdong heard Lu Jia’er speaking about her past when she was unable to see or hear. He did not feel sorry for her when she was without the ability to hear or see and she did not need him to be sorry for her. But her past did make his heart ache. At the same time, he admired her for her perseverance. The willpower she had to build during her life was beyond the abilities of ordinary people to manifest. If she had not been in that car accident, she would not have turned into an AI, Jin Xiangdong was convinced that she could create miracles by herself.

Jin Xiangdong held Lu Jia’er’s hand, their fingers crossed. The warmth from his hand passed into the palm of her hand and then spread, bit by bit, to her heart.

Lu Jia’er turned to look at him and smiled. That smile was embedded in Jin Xiangdong’s eyes and rippled through him like tides.

Then, the two of them went to the parking lot and got into a business purpose vehicle. While they were flying to Los Angeles, Jin Xiangdong’s secretary had already settled everything, including picking accommodations.

The driver who picked them up had an oriental look, tall and strong. The black T-shirt and brown casual pants gave him a stylish look. He spoke familiarly in Chinese. “Mr. Jin, are you going to the hotel directly?”

“Take us to this place first.” Jin Xiangdong handed the address to the driver as he gave them instructions.

The driver glanced at the address and drove to the location Jin Xiangdong told him.

On the way, Lu Jia’er said nothing. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, recalling her past. Back then, she could not hear, nor see. All she could rely on was smell and touch. Whenever she was in a moving vehicle, all those senses would be diminished. However, back then, she had noted down all the traffic lights from her foster parent’s home to the airport.

At that moment, the car stopped. Lu Jia’er opened her eyes slowly. Just as she expected, it was a traffic light. She looked through the window but the view she found was not familiar.

Yes, it was unfamiliar indeed. She had been living here for over a decade. However, for Lu Jia’er back then, the world was dark, without any color.

Jin Xiangdong knew what she was doing. So, he sat there quietly without disturbing her. But ever since they came out of the airport, he had noticed some cars tracking them. Jin Xiangdong took out his laptop and was tapping on the keyboard.

The driver noticed something and said, “Mr. Jin, a car is following us.”

Jin Xiangdong glanced sideways at the back of the driver’s head. “I know.” Jin Xiangdong said calmly.

Hearing this, Lu Jia’er whispered to Jin Xiangdong without looking back at the car. “They are from the Ministry of State Security.”

Jin Xiangdong nodded and pointed to the laptop. Lu Jia’er threw a look at the screen. She did not realize that Jin Xiangdong was looking up that car’s information.

Then, Lu Jia’er kept her voice down again. “That car in front of us with a license plate number of 330 is also tracking us.”

Jin Xiangdong exchanged eye contact with Lu Jia’er. He looked up and indeed, there was a car with a license plate number of 330.

Usually, the ones tracking them would be behind them. If the car in front of them was also tracing them, then their whereabouts were clearly understood by the other party.

Lu Jia’er went on, “They should have copied our course.”

Jin Xiangdong looked at the driver who was using the GPS on his phone. If he was right, Jin Xiangdong believed the driver’s phone had been compromised.

However, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er did not let the driver turn off the GPS. They pretended that they were unaware and just let the driver follow the GPS.

Luckily, Lu Jia’er held back a trick. The destination the driver was heading to was not the park Lu Jia’er mentioned, but the past residence of her foster parents.

When the car was parked in front of the detached villa, Lu Jia’er looked through the window. Her muscles began to stiffen uncontrollably.

What happened that night was still vivid in her mind as if it was yesterday.

Jin Xiangdong noticed something wrong. He asked in a gentle voice, “What is it?”

Lu Jia’er looked away slowly and said, “I wonder where my foster father is and how he is doing.”

While looking back on that night made Lu Jia’er uncomfortable, she did want to know about her foster dad. But the villa must have been unoccupied for a long time given the messy state of grass in front of the house.

“I can ask the neighbors.” Jin Xiangdong proposed.

Lu Jia’er shook her head. “It’s not necessary.”

Lu Jia’er sounded normal but Jin Xiangdong could tell clearly that Lu Jia’er was fighting to keep her voice under control. But her concern was reasonable. If neighbors saw her, they would be freaked out and regard her as a ghost.

“Then should we go back to the hotel now?” Jin Xiangdong asked.

Lu Jia’er thought about it and said, “No. There is a big supermarket three kilometers away. There is a gas station not far away from the supermarket and they have car washing services. We can buy something from the supermarket and then go to the gas station!”

Jin Xiangdong immediately caught onto what Lu Jia’er was implying. So, he told the driver to head that way.

An hour later, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er were driving a Cayenne to the park in the picture Ian sent to her.

They had ditched the cars tracing them. But soon, the pursuers would notice something was off. So, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er did not have much time.

Hints of spring were still very much in the air in the park, unlike in the picture when it was golden in color. The sun was shielded by the flourishing trees and leaves. While it was scorching summer, it was cool here.