When A Snail Falls in Love

The temperature on the mountainside was gradually dropping. The sky was gloomy, and snowflakes were starting to fall.

Lin Qingyan knelt in front of Xu Xu with a gentle smile on his pale, hollow cheeks. Suddenly, he reached out to brush away some snow that had fallen on Xu Xu’s head, then lifted her chin gently.

“Open your mouth, little girl.”

Xu Xu grit her teeth as her eyes filled with tears. When she thought of Ji Bai and their child, she felt a sharp pain pierce her heart.

A cruel grin spread on Lin Qingyan’s face when he saw her silent and futile resistance. As he was about to forcibly feed her the medicine, he heard Yao Meng laughing behind him. “Haha… Didn’t you say that you wanted a child and that you like children? As expected from a psychopath, you would even kill a pregnant lady. I’m glad that I’m not pregnant as you might have even tried to poison our child…” As her voice trailed off, her tone sounded somewhat mournful.

Lin Qingyan put down the bottle of medicine and turned around to look at her. He spoke to her in a tone that sent shivers down her spine. “Why would you say that? If we had a child, then things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

Yao Meng trembled slightly and took a deep breath. She stared at him and replied, “Then you should let her go. I beg of you, think of releasing her as letting go of the child we never had.”

Lin Qingyan lowered his head and stood there quietly. He suddenly seemed very dejected and sad.

As Yao Meng and Xu Xu looked at him, they both felt both held their breath in fear as tears continued to stream down their face.

After a while, Lin Qingyan raised his head again. There were also tears in his eyes, but he had a calm look on his face.

“Since you like this child so much… we can kill her, then the child can come with us.”

Ji Bai and Da Hu rapidly scaled the mountainside.

The thorny forestry was trampled down as they ran haphazardly through the snowfield. However, their surroundings were quiet, and the heavy snowfall had covered all tracks so, at the moment, the two of them didn’t even know if they were on the right track.

As they continued to trudge through the bleak landscape, Da Hu’s mobile phone rang. He quickly picked it up before reporting to Ji Bai, “Captain, reinforcements are getting closer and the helicopter has also just left the city.”

Ji Bai nodded.

Da Hu gasped for air whilst simultaneously asking, “Captain, why the location where the third body was abandoned though?”

Ji Bai raised his head but all he saw was an infinite layer of snow falling from above. The rock walls of the mountain loomed above them like a ferocious monster.

“Perfect.” He answered softly.

Xu Xu had once remarked that Lin Qingyan had invested a lot of effort into the first two victims. The third murder was handled by Tan Liang, and it was rough and unprofessional, moreover, the deceased was also a very ordinary person. Thus, how could the arrogant Lin Qingyan bear to let the third case be considered in the same bracket as his own work?

Those who were mentally disturbed had their own beliefs; since he did not have long to live, he would want to make up for this flaw.

The night sky was ominous as Xu Xu’s body was slowly covered in a layer of snowflakes. She sat there quietly like a white sculpture as she watched Lin Qingyan approach her once again.

Yao Meng burst into tears behind him. “Xu Xu… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

Lin Qingyan’s expression was gentle and calm as he handed the poisonous medicine to Xu Xu.

At this point, Xu Xu revealed a similar pale and gentle smile. “Wait a minute, Qingyan. If I drink the potassium cyanide, I may suffer a painless death, but my child will die very, very painfully. Do you know what kind of symptoms the fetus will experience when a mother is poisoned? You can ask Yao Meng, we have learned of a similar case in the police academy, so we are well aware of it. Are you sure this is what you want?”

Lin Qingyan looked at her, then beckoned at Yao Meng. “You say it.”

In truth, they had never studied or encountered such an incident before. Nonetheless, although Yao Meng did not understand Xu Xu’s intention, the look on her face did not change at all as she simply smiled sarcastically. “What do you care? Do you really care about the child’s pain? Unlike adults, the toxins will slowly dilute into the amniotic fluid. Then, the child will experience throat tightening and he will have difficulty breathing. He will start to experience convulsions, spasms, vomiting, circulatory failure, organ failure, and finally, death…”

Lin Qingyan looked at Yao Meng and did not say a word. After a few seconds, he turned his head to look at Xu Xu with joy in his eyes. “What’s your game? Did you ask Yao Meng to say this to me to buy time? Xu Xu, you’re making things very difficult for me, I don’t like it.

“You should know that even if I don’t kill you now, it’s impossible for me to let you go. This forest is vast and we’re deep in the mountains. It’s freezing here, and by the time the police unit reaches you, you might have already died of starvation. Moreover, your death will be long and painful.

“So, what should I do now? We don’t seem to have any other options. Why did you dig your own grave and choose to die in such a way?”

Xu Xu shook her head in disappointment. “No, this is what I want. I know that I will die tonight and there is no point in delaying it. Even so, if I take potassium cyanide, I will die an easy death, but my child will suffer. As a mother, I’m willing to choose a painful death for myself so that my child doesn’t suffer. This way, my child will slowly fall asleep from my exhaustion only to never wake up again. It will okay for me as long as he doesn’t feel any pain. Isn’t this what you hope for too?”

Lin Qingyan thought for a moment, then put down the medicine bottle and answered gently, “Okay. I’ll send Yao Meng first, then I’ll return to accompany the child. After that, the three of us can be together forever.”

When Ji Bai and Da Hu silently walked into the woods, they spotted the empty space from afar which was covered with a white blanket. Ji Bai was filled with dread as the two of them approached the empty space with guns in their hand.

As they got closer, all they saw was a slight crease on the edge of the blanket and some messy footprints on the snow beside it. Despite the dim lighting, Ji Bai was instantly able to recognize the smallest footprint at first glance – it was Xu Xu’s.

The only noise in the vicinity came from the banshee-like howling of the wind as the two of them motioned to other with their eyes. They followed the footprints and split up to flank the left and right sides as they quickly headed towards the forest. After walking fifty meters or so, the two of them stopped at the same time because they heard an extremely soft breathing sound, followed by the sound of shoes pressing against the snow.

Da Hu was hesitant, but the look on Ji Bai’s face instantly changed. He immediately moved forward and rushed to one of the trees.

The sense of relief he felt when he saw Xu Xu was tied firmly to the sturdy, rugged tree bark was indescribable. Even though her mouth was sealed shut with tape, when she saw him, her dark eyes instantly lit up like a star as she almost burst into tears.

Ji Bai tore the tape off her mouth as Da Hu simultaneously pulled out a dagger to neatly cut the rope loose. Moments later, Xu Xu lost her balance and fell straight into Ji Bai’s arms. “Third Brother…”

As soon as she was in his arms, he felt the shock travel through his ice-cold body as up until now, she was only wearing a thin maternity dress. Ji Bai immediately took off his coat up and wrapped her up snugly inside. “Everything is okay now… It’s okay… you’re fine…”

Da Hu’s eyes also started watering. “Thank god nothing happened.”

Even though Xu Xu’s entire body was stiff and weak, she quickly grabbed Ji Bai’s collar and said in a desperate tone. “Go save Yao Meng.”

Both Ji Bai and Da Hu were shocked. Then, they looked toward the direction that she was pointing.

Da Hu nodded. “Captain, you take care of Xu Xu, I’ll go”

Ji Bai remained silent for a moment then he tightened his arms around Xu Xu. He gently rested his warm chin on her shivering forehead before slowly putting her down.

“I’ll go. You protect her.” He looked deeply into Xu Xu’s eyes one last time before rushing into the forest.

The snow gradually stopped falling as the footprints on the ground became clearer. Ji Bai followed the trail for more than ten minutes, and soon, Da Hu and Xu Xu were left so far behind and that they could no longer be seen.

Finally, after reaching a large boulder, he vaguely caught sight of several people sitting on the ground of the forest in front of him talking.

Ji Bai immediately darted behind the boulder and silently leaned in for a better look.

He saw a tall thin man leaning against the tree, facing his direction. Blood was gushing out of his head and running down his face as he held a woman in his arms and pointed a gun against the woman’s temple. Lin Qingyan seemed to be at his breaking point.

There was someone sitting opposite of them behind a large tree trunk. The patch of snow where the man was sitting was drenched in blood, and he was wearing a forestry worker outfit. He was tall, but his back was facing him so Ji Bai could not see who he was.

Ji Bai had a perfect view of the three of them and he slowly aimed his gun at Lin Qingyan. However, Yao Meng’s body was pressed closely him and blocked almost all his vitals. Thus, right now, Ji Bai was unable to make a move.

At this moment, he heard Lin Qingyan speak extremely weakly, “Feng Ye, you really just won’t disappear, huh?”

Ji Bai was shocked as he set his sights back on the other man. He could vaguely see a wound on his right shoulder, which he guessed was a bullet wound. The other man gasped and answered, “I’m fated not to die. If I did, then I wouldn’t be able to expose your lies. You know, even if I die now, I won’t have any complaints.”

Yao Meng’s long hair was in a mess and there was blood all over her face, but Ji Bai did not know who it belonged to. Her voice sounded very hoarse as she spoke, “Why? Lin Qingyan, what is the point in all of this?”

Half an hour ago.

Xu Xu’s excuse successfully convinced Lin Qingyan. Someone as conceited as him would not believe that the police would find this place so quickly.

After he tied Xu Xu to the tree, he grabbed Yao Meng and staggered along the snowfield. He had not decided on where to go and all he wanted to do was find the most beautiful location. Unfortunately, there was no moonlight tonight and he was getting more and more frustrated.

Yao Meng was like a walking corpse as she followed him absent-mindedly; Lin Qingyan, on the other hand, was quite please – he very much liked the way she was behaving. Thus, he simply tugged her along as they quietly trudged through the snowfield.

Suddenly, Feng Ye suddenly charged out of the bushes with a wooden stick in his hand slammed it against the back of Lin Qingyan’s head. Lin Qingyan felt a sharp pain, followed by a strange warmth, as he fell face first into the snowfield.

Yao Meng watched the unexpected event take place with a blank expression. Then, she turned toward Feng Ye whose face was covered in thick facial hair as he stood in front of her and stared at her with his deep, pained eyes.

His appearance tonight was so surreal, it instantly planted a seed of doubt in Yao Meng’s heart. Up until now, she had subconsciously not told the police about his existence.

By the time she realized that Feng Ye suspected Lin Qingyan, it was too late already. Lin Qingyan seemed to be aware of her slight change in behavior and he soon restricted her personal freedom.

She did not expect Feng Ye to suddenly appear today and rescue her from the jaws of death.

Feng Ye’s gaze was a little anxious as he said in a low yet powerful voice, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll save you…” After saying this, he took out a dagger and cut the ropes tied around her wrist. When the cold blade touched her wrist, her heavily drugged mind snapped to attention and she remembered that Lin Qingyan was still behind them. “He has a gun, stop him first…”

“Bang!” It was too late.

Yao Meng watched Feng Ye eyes widen in horror, she lowered her head to look at his shoulder and saw a gaping bullet hole. The next moment, Yao Meng felt a strong pressure around her waist as she was pulled into Lin Qingyan’s arms. The two of them simultaneously fell to the ground as Feng Ye likewise struggled to get to cover behind a tree.

Feng Ye’s hit on the back of Lin Qingyan’s head only made him temporarily black out and fall to the ground. When his face touched the ice-cold snow, he instantly regained consciousness once again. In addition to this, he still had some unfinished business, thus, his strong will drove him to endure the dizziness and pain, which allowed him to get up and shoot Feng Ye.

When Ji Bai arrived, he saw the three of them already confronting each other.

The three of them seemed to have resigned themselves to their fate as the two men remained silent and looked at each other quietly. One of them had a smug grin on his face while the eyes of the other one burned with a deep hatred.

Lin Qingyan turned sideways to look at her and said gently, “Wifey, it doesn’t matter. What we do is none of his concern.”

Feng Ye gasped and growled coldly, “Isn’t it? You have taken away everything from me, but I will not let you take away the woman that I love.”

Yao Meng was shocked as the look on Lin Qingyan’s face suddenly turned to disgust. His head was still bleeding to the point where his entire face was covered in blood; even so, the look in his eyes suddenly became carefree and cold. Ji Bai realized that the two of them were going to discuss and possibly reveal the secret behind the “Angel Killer” incident in Hong Kong, so he set his sights on Lin Qingyan and listened attentively. If he spots any sudden movement, he would not hesitate to pull the trigger.

Lin Qingyan flashed him a smile and grinned evilly, “Yours? Why is she yours? She’s obviously mine.”

Feng Ye looked at the man’s vile, blood-soaked face and temporarily had flashbacks of his past.

He used to be an outstanding and gifted young man who was a world apart from his deaf-mute parents. When he was 18 years old, his parents revealed to him that he was actually an abandoned baby and that they were simply his adoptive parents. They suspected that his parents were from Hong Kong due to the fact that the blanket that was wrapped around him when they first found him bore the logo of a hospital from the country.

After graduating from high school, his breakup with Yao Meng catalyzed a feeling of determination deep within him which eventually led to him wanting to go far away. He later left for Hong Kong in order to work and search for his parents.

At the time, Lin Qingyan was a senior executive in a corporate company and was also one of his good friends. His life was calm and peaceful but he still had not found any clues about his parents.

This was until one fine day, when Chief Qin’s assistant came looking for him with a DNA test report in hand. “You’re Chief Qin’s son.”

Chief Qin was the semi-retired chairman of Lin Qingyan’s group. Feng Ye was aware of Chief Qin’s group and knew that it was one of the top business conglomerates around, so while Feng Ye had heard stories about this legendary rich female tycoon, he had never expected her to be his birth mother.

The assistant revealed to him that his resume and picture had been discovered in a folder that was sent to Chief Qin’s mailbox by her subordinate. The terribly ill Chief Qin, who was over fifty years old at the time, instantly recognized the young boy who looked exactly like his father. Thus, she secretly ran a DNA test and asked her assistant to come forward on her behalf.

Everything that happened after that was like a dream and his life turned upside down overnight. After this, all kinds of incriminating evidence relating to the angel killer case mysteriously appeared in his apartment. Even Lin Qingyan’s fiancée became a victim – at this point, there was absolutely no way he could deny all the evidence that pointed at him as the culprit…

Fast forward three years, he had been on the run all this time when he received news of his mother’s passing due to illness. Moreover, he had also heard that Lin Qingyan was the only beneficiary in her will and had received all of his mother’s inheritance…

….

Yao Meng raised her head and looked at Lin Qingyan. “Is everything he said true?”

Lin Qingyan smiled and nodded. “Yes, it’s true.”

Yao Meng’s throat felt dry as she quietly whispered. “You still haven’t told me why you approached me. Do you hate Feng Ye so much that even after destroying him, you want to ruin me too?”

Lin Qingyan remained silent for a moment before replying, “It has nothing to do with him. You’re unique and I love you, I really do love you.”

Yao Meng’s heart went numb and she stared at him blankly. Nevertheless, Feng Ye spat at the ground and snarled, “Is that so? What about your relationship with my mother? Haven’t you told her about it yet?”

The look on both Lin Qingyan’s and Yao Meng’s face suddenly changed. The color drained from Feng Ye’s face as it seemed like he was ashamed to tell the truth. “I only found out about it later on. At the time, he was her foster son and also her…”

“Shut up.” Lin Qingyan growled angrily, his eyes filled with hatred. He suddenly released Yao Meng and pointed his gun at Feng Ye. However, Yao Meng quickly jumped backward and knocked Lin Qingyan, causing him to lose his balance and misfire his shot into the air. The situation was on a knife-edge, so Ji Bai stopped hesitating and fired a single shot right in between Lin Qingyan’s eyebrows.

Their surroundings fell dead silent as snow continued falling unbothered in the dark. Ji Bai rushed out from behind the rock and pointed his gun at Lin Qingyan’s body on the ground whilst simultaneously protecting Yao Meng in his arms. Yao Meng reached out her hands to cover her mouth. Her body was absolutely stiff, and she was sobbing soundlessly into her hand. Meanwhile, Feng Ye let out a long sigh of relief and finally fell backward onto the ground out of exhaustion. He looked up at the distant night sky and fell deep into thought.

The strong winds from the helicopter caused the woods to sway angrily as multiple searchlights cut through the darkness from all directions and illuminated the mountains. The criminal police officers ran back and forth to collect every single piece of evidence they could find, then, they moved Lin Qingyan’s body out of the snowfield.

Feng Ye was still a wanted criminal and was quickly handcuffed before being brought into the ambulance. Before closing the door, Ji Bai walked over and thanked him. “You have my word that I will report what I heard today to my superiors and the Hong Kong Police Department.”

Feng Ye nodded as a bitter smile appeared on the corners of his lips. He reached out his hand towards Ji Bai and Ji Bai shook it firmly.

Although Xu Xu and Yao Meng were weak, they only suffered shallow wounds. Therefore, they were simply placed on a stretcher and put into the same ambulance. Ji Bai and Da Hu stayed by their side whilst Ji Bai held Xu Xu’s hand and did not speak a word. After a while, Xu Xu took his hand and placed it on her stomach.

“Nothing will happen.” Ji Bai said in a deep voice.

Xu Xu nodded and closed her eyes. “Nothing will happen.”

Yao Meng had been looking at the ceiling all this time when Xu Xu turned her head and gently held her hand. “Thank you, Yao Meng, you saved me and my child’s life.”

Da Hu also offered his words of sympathy. “Everything is okay now, Yao Meng. It’s over.” Ji Bai likewise gave her a gentle smile.

Yao Meng remained silent for a moment before huge streams of tears suddenly flowed down her face. She held Xu Xu tightly and let all her emotions pour out.