Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
There was a lot of traffic on the way to the airport.
Tu Liang was driving while Bai Muchuan sat behind on the passenger seat.
Bai Muchuan changed into a set of black clothes, then he put on a cap and a mask over his face…
He now transformed into a big boy with a hip-hop groove!
Tu Liang looked at him from the rearview mirror; he was trying to conceal his laughter.
“Why do I feel that you two are so childish?”
Bai Muchuan’s voice sounded especially low-pitched when he talked with a mask on.
“There’s nothing wrong with being childish! As long as she can break away from this whirlpool, she will be safe and sound.”
Back then, Xiang Wan had used this reason… and she succeeded in provoking him.
Would she not be in danger then if she wasn’t with him?
Maybe what she had been going through was simply because he had implicated her?
Tu Liang shook his head as he smiled. “Young people like you refuse to lower your pride when you’re in love.”
After he said that, he took another look at Bai Muchuan in his new street-wear clothing, and he couldn’t resist letting out another laugh.
“You’re behaving so sneakily. Is it because it’s more exciting this way?”
Bai Muchuan grunted. “Exciting my foot!”
He was used to sleeping on a warm bed; why would he want to sleep on a cold one?
During this period, he didn’t even bother to go back to the hotel but directly stayed at the police station…
He never mentioned Xiang Wan; none of them mentioned Xiang Wan, either.
However, everyone knew that he was thinking of Xiang Wan.
Tu Liang laughed. “Just apologize to her… so we could attend your wedding feast once we solved the case.”
Bai Muchuan stayed quiet for a moment. “Yeah. If we do not solve the case, I don’t even dare to hold a wedding feast!”
If he couldn’t confirm and nab that manipulator, how could he live at ease?
However, when he gave it another thought…
Even if he caught that manipulator, would he be able to live at ease?
When a case was closed, there would be new cases to solve.
A detective’s lifestyle was exactly like that…
Bai Muchuan’s eyebrows seemed to crumple together. “Tu Liang.”
“Mm?” Tu Liang focused on driving and did not turn his head.
“Did your wife ever blame you all these years?” Bai Muchuan asked.
“…” For a long time, Tu Liang didn’t reply.
The brooding silence spoke volumes of how Tu Liang had felt.
Tu Liang was working in the Capital, but his hometown was not in the Capital.
His wife followed him to the Capital, but after working for so many years, Tu Liang could not even save up the initial down payment for a better house…
“It’s tough to be the wife of a detective!” Tu Liang’s smile was a little bitter.
Come to think of it, he had left the Capital for a long time now. Besides a daily phone call and an occasional video call through the internet, so he could talk to his wife and daughter, he had not seen them for quite a while.
“My wife said that her life is not much different from a widow. She needs to be the father and the mother of our daughter, and she has learned to do a lot of things on her own. She tells me that she doesn’t need a man since she is like a man already—she learned how to fix the toilet bowl, replace the lightbulbs, and even knew how to protect herself from thugs. She did not even need to make a police report…”
Tu Liang had said all these with a smile.
However, when Bai Muchuan listened to all these, his eyes seemed to have darkened.
“When I come back tomorrow, I’ll let you go back home for two days.”
“Aye, it’s alright!” Tu Liang was smiling. “My wife and I have been husband and wife for many years. We’re already used to it.”
“You can’t get used to it,” said Bai Muchuan, “women need love too.”
Tu Liang remained quiet for a while.
Then he said, “Okay”.
He seemed relieved and also a little excited at the prospect of meeting his family.
“Alright then, I’ll let my wife know this piece of good news!”
Both of them chatted throughout the journey.
Bai Muchuan was a little distracted and kept checking the time.
“Don’t worry; you’ll make it there on time!” Tu Liang consoled him.
“… Mm.” Bai Muchuan felt a lump in his throat.
Not making it on time did not worry him.
It was simply because he could hardly wait!
…
The car stopped outside the terminal hall.
Bai Muchuan lowered his cap, preparing to get off when his mobile phone rang.
“Hello!” He picked up the call, with his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“Captain Bai?” The one who called was Xie Wanwan’s assistant, and she sounded nervous. “Wanwan went to drink with Ye Lun last night and is still not back yet. I’ve called her many times, but I can’t get through to her… I daren’t kick up a fuss, either. I’m a little scared… that something might have happened to her?”
The assistant was scared silly.
This was because trouble seemed to follow Xie Wanwan as incidents happened one after another.
These events actually worried the assistant on the prospect that one day, she might die because of all these worrying.
Hence, she chose to contact Bai Muchuan about this.
“She went out with Ye Lun?” Bai Muchuan was a little puzzled. “Both of them went out together?”
The assistant replied hurriedly, “Yes, and she refused to let us follow her. You know her character, she’s always like that.”
Bai Muchuan paused for a second. “How do you know it’s Ye Lun?”
The assistant did not waste time and responded, “She’s the one who told me about it. She said Ye Lun wanted to invite her for a drink… I thought since the filming is delayed and there are no updates on the case, it might be nice to go for a drink and relax because she had been feeling vexed all this time while in Xi City. But she didn’t come back last night… and it’s going to be night time again; I still couldn’t find her anywhere. I’m scared that something might have happened!”
“…”
“Captain Bai, I really don’t know what to do anymore! Can you help me find her?”
“…”
This troubled Bai Muchuan somewhat.
His instincts told him that Xie Wanwan was not someone who would be this unreliable.
He believed that she just went out for a drink with Ye Lun.
However, she stayed out all night, and her assistant couldn’t contact her the whole day. That was indeed unnatural.
“During this period, she had been feeling out of sorts…” The assistant tried to word the sentence carefully and tactfully. “I was thinking if you can come here, and if we can find her, you can know what is happening as well…”
Xie Wanwan was also an important person in the case.
The assistant’s request sounded reasonable as well.
In principle, Bai Muchuan should go.
But…
He took another look at the time.
It was already late.
If he were to look for Xie Wanwan, he could not fly to Jin City and celebrate Xiang Wan’s birthday…
“Let’s do this. But I still have something on right now. I’ll arrange for another detective to follow up with you.”
He could feel the assistant’s disappointment could through her tone. “Aye, no problem!”
Tu Liang could tell the meaning behind his emotions. “Go ahead. The sky won’t fall just because you aren’t here for one night.”
“Mm.” Bai Muchuan sent the assistant’s contact to Tu Liang.
“Contact me immediately if there’s a situation!”
“Alright!”
“See you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow!”
Bai Muchuan opened the car door and strode into the distance.
…
It was still drizzling in the chilly air of Jin City.
The cab was driving along the streets in a constant speed, unsure where it was heading to…
Xiang Wan did not ask; the driver didn’t press her for an answer either.
He drove along the road leisurely while Xiang Wan sat quietly on her seat.
The view outside the window was especially beautiful in this rainy night.
The pace of life in this modern world was too fast.
It was rare to get a chance like this where she could clear her head and just wander along the street.
She had no destination or any thoughts about where she wanted to go.
Xiang Wan seemed to have fallen in love with such a feeling.
In her slightly tipsy state, she continued to admire this beautiful city.
In the misty rain, the city felt so beautiful and bustling…
The cab started to decelerate, as though giving her some time to appreciate the scenery.
The driver was very considerate.
Xiang Wan smiled. “Will you just keep on driving if I don’t tell you to stop?”
“Sure! I can drive you to the ends of the earth!”
“Hah! You’re funny.” Xiang Wan chuckled. “Thank you, Shifu. We should appreciate the beauty of Jin City slowly like this…”
“Heh!” The driver also let out a chortle. “No wonder. So you are the artistic type of girl, huh? Oh right, do you want to listen to some music?”
Xiang Wan replied with little emotion. “Up to you!”
The next moment, a song played on the radio.
As Xiang Wan listened, the corners of her lips turned upwards, seemingly immersed in the song.
…
“What makes me cry is not only last night’s wine
“What makes me linger is not only your tenderness
“How far is there to go? You clasped my hand
“What makes me stumped is the struggling freedom
“Goodbyes are always in September where memories are sorrowful thoughts
“The green weeping willows in deep autumn kissed my forehead
“In this small rainy city, I have never forgotten you
“I can take everything away in Chengdu, except you.”
…
The cab drove slowly along the street.
In the misty rain, the lights of the bustling streets gradually went out…
It was now late into the night and there was hardly anyone on the streets.
The world gradually grew quiet.
Such a facet of Jin City was something Xiang Wan had not seen for a long time.
If it was possible, she wanted to continue the journey like this endlessly…
However, the cab suddenly stopped.
Xiang Wan did not expect that while she leaned forward slightly and back due to the sudden stop.
She suddenly felt tense and heard the driver’s voice. “We’ve arrived!”
Arrived?
However, Xiang Wan had no intention of getting down.
She was about to ask the driver when she saw what was in front of the cab beyond the moving windshield wiper.
They were at the end of a small street. Under the eaves of a small pub, there were lanterns hanging below, glowing warmly in the dark.
Business at the small pub seemed to be doing very well, although it was already late.
Under a billboard, a man was standing quietly, hands in his pockets. His tall stature cast a long silhouette by the light above; there was a feeling of loneliness amidst the leisurely vibe of the man as if he were waiting for someone who would not come. Although the mask which had covered half of his face made it impossible to know who the man was, the glint in his eyes was burning like fire…
It was clear yet dreamy.
There was also tenderness in his gaze.
…
Gasp!
He was really an attractive guy.
Xiang Wan squinted at him, not moving for a long time.
The driver didn’t rush her as well.
The song was still lingering around her ears…
Seeping into her ears, drifting into her head…
“Go for a walk with me through the streets in Chengdu
“Even if all the lights were out, we would still go on
“I will hold you close, every step we’ll make it slow
“And then we will take a break in a small pub down by that road…”
Xiang Wan slowly covered her mouth, but that could not cover the tears that suddenly came bursting from her eyes.
The man walked over and opened the door of the cab.
“Little Xiang Wan, you’ve reached the ends of the earth. You still don’t want to get down?”
Xiang Wan turned to look at him and her posture stiffened.
Her emotions made her feel complicated.
She was delighted but also worried at the same time.
For at least half a month, both of them did not contact each other at all.
It was difficult to decide to do something that seemed childish if one were to know the truth behind their split.
The original intention was to lure the manipulator out so they could solve the case. Yet at the same time, such an arrangement had indirectly become a test of their feelings for each other.
During this period, she did not know what Bai Muchuan was thinking…
Love could come and go as easily for modern men and women.
When they were together every day, they thought that they could stay with each other till they were old.
However, with just a turn of the head, they could end up in two different worlds.
For the past two weeks, Xiang Wan had been through a lot and was having a hard time.
Nevertheless, she did not tell Bai Muchuan about it.
He had never consoled her about it, either…
Nope. Second Young Master Mu consoled her.
He consoled her with his actions and had always been supporting her.
She knew he would know what had happened to her, but he never asked her about it.
Xiang Wan was not sure if she should feel grateful or disappointed with him.
In actual fact, Xiang Wan would have preferred that he would not know about that.This was because she felt that being cyberbullied was something shameful…
As for him, he showed his concern while keeping a distance, so she could have time to digest all those negative feelings.
If he did not appear in front of her that night…
Xiang Wan had thought… he would not come.
To the extent that he would never come for her at all.
“Hur!” Xiang Wan finally smiled as Bai Muchuan gazed at her quietly. “I thought that this cab was arranged by the manipulator. I’ve never thought it was you…”
Bai Muchuan grunted a laugh. “So you thought you’ll fall into the wolf’s den but landed on the tiger’s mouth instead?”
Pffft! Xiang Wan laughed.
She was smiling happily, so happy that her tears wouldn’t stop flowing…
Bai Muchuan patted her head just like usual and sent a glance to the driver.
“Brother, thanks for your help!”
“No need for thanks! I’m so happy to be able to serve Captain Bai!” The driver was grinning cheerfully at the sight of the lovebirds. “I’ve never thought Captain Bai is actually so romantic!”
“…” Bai Muchuan said nothing.
With his personality, he would never admit that he was “romantic”.
Xiang Wan lowered her head, smiling with tears in her eyes.
Bai Muchuan smiled slightly and held out a hand.
Xiang Wan put her hand on his. His hand was warm and dry; he then led her out of the cab.
Behind them, they could hear the laughter of the driver. “Captain Bai, please contact me if you want to do something like this again!”
Bai Muchuan replied casually, “There won’t be.”
Just once was already intolerable.
Why would they want to handle another split?
The cab drove away.
Both of them stood in the misty rain.
Bai Muchuan looked at her and pinched her face. “You’ve lost weight!”
Xiang Wan just laughed, not saying a word.
Bai Muchuan looked at her with a smile and raised his arm.
Xiang Wan knew what he wanted. She took his arm and both of them walked into the entrance of the small pub…
The street lights there were already off and it was quiet.
When they were about 10 meters from the pub, Bai Muchuan halted his steps.
He embraced Xiang Wan as they stood under the eaves of the store and pulled his mask down. While he looked at her, she could feel his breathing flowing a little heavily. “Why didn’t you take good care of yourself?”
