When A Snail Falls in Love

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.”

Yao Meng was slightly shocked, and she answered softly, “I didn’t think about it that deeply. It’s just that it has been so long so I no longer have feelings for him.”

“Oh. That’s also true I guess.”

Her reaction made Yao Meng laugh. Her disappointment slowly disappeared as she began to feel upbeat again. “Okay then, go and take care of my godson. I’ll visit you in a few days.”

The two of them hung up the phone, but the call quickly reminded Xu Xu of Lin Qingyan’s case. She put aside the files that Ji Bai had brought back, then went to the drawer where they stored the previous case’s files and started going through it again.

When Yao Meng hung up to put her mobile phone back into her bag, she was shocked. Rummaging through her handbag, she could not find her housekey. Naturally, she tried to re-trace her steps. Previously, she had left the garden and gone to the toilet. When she did this, she had left her bag on the chair, so it was possible that this was when her keys fell out.

Yao Meng instantly turned around and drove back to Feng Ye’s place whilst feeling slightly embarrassed. However, she did not dwell on it for too long as she soon arrived at the place. She did not park too far away from Feng Ye’s house, so after locking her car, she strolled over to the villa.

The streetlights shone brightly in the otherwise gloomy street. This was one of the best residential locations in the city and as such, there were security guards on duty at every corner. There was also a row of luxury shops by the side of the street that were still operating, ready to tend to any midnight customers. She walked along the boulevard step by step and she soon spotted Feng Ye’s large iron gate.

Just as she was about ring the doorbell, she peered through the gate and saw Feng Ye sitting alone on a lounge chair in the porch. He was holding the doll figure that she had handled earlier with an odd smile on the corner of his lips.

Yao Meng was a bit confused, so she stood still and watched him without saying a word. Suddenly, she saw him lift up the doll and bring it near to his face before planting a kiss right on the doll’s lips. The streetlights were very bright which caused the porcelain-like teeth of the doll to glow with a soft gleam.

Yao Meng trembled slightly as she stood there in silence for a moment before walking away as quietly as she could.

At the same time, Ji Bai just returned to the bedroom after taking a shower. He saw Xu Xu unpacking all the information and arranging it on the table before reading intently.

“Are you looking at Lin Qingyan’s case again?” Ji Bai asked gently.

Xu Xu sighed and said, “Husband, do you remember, that before Lin Qingyan died, I told you he said that he only found Tan Liang to confess for his crimes after Tan Liang killed the third victim. Later one, we deduced that it’s very difficult to get a hold of such a poisonous substance like potassium cyanide. Lin Qingyan could get it from Hong Kong’s black market, but Tan Liang is just an ordinary college graduate and an ordinary forest guard. Through what medium did he buy it? We’ve not found out about it.

“Just now, I was going through the previous files and in comparison, the third case was way too similar to the first two cases. Therefore, we assumed that Tan Liang was coincidently a heavy forum user at that time and that he just so happened to know everything about the “Angel Killer” from his time trawling the internet. When he came across Lin Qingyan, it triggered his internal desires to commit a crime. Thus, he imitated Lin Qingyan and used the same methods to carry out his deeds.

“There are just so many coincidences and assumptions – I always felt that something was not right. The more I go through the file, the stronger this feeling becomes.”

Ji Bai nodded as he also had doubts about their initial hypothesis. He stroked her head and nodded. “Let’s go through the file once again.”

He sat down beside her and picked up one of the files containing some that he had brought back from the police station. Zhao Han had handed him this particular document as he was about to go home, he claimed that it was some follow-up information regarding the angel killer case that he had just received from Hong Kong this afternoon.

Ji Bai was initially calm, but after reading a few lines, the expression on his face changed. After he finished reading it, he looked up at Xu Xu and said seriously, “The Hong Kong authorities came across a number of bodies in the open sea last week. After conducting some DNA test, they confirmed that the corpses are, in fact, the other nine victims of the ‘Angel Killer’ case who went missing in the past. All of their bodies were dismembered and some of them had been disemboweled and their teeth had been pulled out.”

Xu Xu was shocked. She took the information and her eyes widened in horror. She quickly went through it and murmured, “This couldn’t have been done by Lin Qingyan. It doesn’t match his methods or his character at all. The only possibility is that it was done by another person.”

She suddenly raised her head and looked Ji Bai in the eye only to see his astonished expression staring back at her.

Was there another perverted serial killer in Hong Kong at the time?

The End

Lin Qingyan bonus (1), When I think of you.

The town that Lin Qingyan grew up in was called Daozhen. In the early 1980s, the town was still very poor and chaotic. The streets were filled with gangsters and even teenagers fought for fun.

The seven-year-old Lin Qingyan was undoubtedly the one who was being bullied the most. Not only that his family was too poor, he was also very small and quiet. He was as frail as a bean sprout. Therefore, the kids who were older than Lin Qingyan often punish him as a way to vent their angry and impulsive hormones.

However, this was nothing to Lin Qingyan. What he was most afraid of was going home from school every day and see his father looking at him ferociously, alcohol bottle in hand. And he will definitely get a beating. One time, his father hit him with a stool and he lost consciousness. By the time he woke up, the sky had gotten dark already and his father was nowhere to be found. He wrapped a towel around his head for a long time before the blood stop flowing. He stood on a stool in a daze and started cooking on the stove.

Nonetheless, all this changed when he was ten years old because his father finally died of drinking alcohol one day. Perhaps because his father’s body was being carried around by his neighbors and everyone saw his father’s ghastly-white face, the other children no longer dare to bully him. When they saw him, they would call him “jinx” behind his back.

It was the first time the young Lin Qingyan thought that a dead person could actually bring good fortune.

He began to live with his grandfather, but his grandfather only had a few acres of thin fields. In order to get money for him to study, he had to farm under the hot sun every day with his frail and old body. Right after Lin Qingyan finished school, he would go and help his grandfather. Even so, they were still extremely poor and Lin Qingyan always wore old washed out clothes. At noon, all he could eat was a big steamed bun with a tiny bit of vegetable and tofu.

Nevertheless, someone people were particularly nice to him. His female class teacher who was in her thirties had a son about the same age as him and she often offered him to eat at her house. This was the period of time when Lin Qingyan had eaten the best and he was so happy that he felt as if he was in “heaven” every day. He also began to grow rapidly during this time and he suddenly got a few dozen centimeters taller. He finally looked like a normal child and his original poor results had also gradually improved. Most of the time, he was still very introverted. However, during his class teacher’s birthday, he carefully finished eating a piece of birthday cake at her house and he handed a handwritten birthday card to her. He wrote a sentence in the birthday card which said, “Teacher, I’ll definitely repay you when I grow up. I swear.” His class teacher’s tears started falling when she read his card.

However, good times did not last long. When he was in his second year of middle school, his class teacher was being transferred to another place. His new class teacher was a 27-year-old male teacher named Du Tie. He just graduated from a teacher training academy and he was very handsome. His previous class teacher specially asked Du Tie to take care of Lin Qingyan and she even secretly gave Du Tie a sum of money. Even though it was not much, but it was enough to pay for Lin Qingyan’s meal for an entire semester. Du Tie promised her and the way he looked at Lin Qingyan was as kind as a spring breeze.

Ever since then, Du Tie would ask Lin Qingyan to go to his single dormitory every day after school. He could get a big bowl of food for just one yuan in the teacher’s cafeteria. Thus, he would buy a little more every day and give some of it to Lin Qingyan. Whereas Qingyan would pick up fresh vegetables from his field every week and deliver it. After school, if he went to pick up cans and mineral water bottles with his grandfather, he would hand all the money he got to Du Tie as living expenses. Du Tie would accept it, pat his head and praise him for being sensible.

That incident happened during an afternoon in the summer. He brought a lunch box and went to Du Tie’s place as usual. The weather was particularly hot that day and Du Tie only wore a pair of shorts. Thus, his fair and broad back was shown. He was sitting on the bed while he watched the TV. He was smoking a cigarette as the electrical fan blew towards him.

Lin Qingyan held his lunch box and sat on a small stool while he ate. After a while, he suddenly noticed that Du Tie was looking at him smilingly. “You are a boy, but why didn’t you sweat at all?”

At that time, Lin Qingyan was thirteen years old and he had grown into a fine looking boy. His skin was just like his mother’s, which was very delicate and fair. Moreover, his slender eyebrows were like ink strokes that were drawn onto his face. When he heard what his teacher said, his face got a little red and he smiled without saying anything.

After he finished eating, he wanted to go back to the classroom. However, Du Tie patted on his shoulder and said, “You can take a nap here and sleep on the bed. I still need to prepare the teaching materials.”

Lin Qingyan was shy, so he obviously said there was no need for that. Even so, Du Tie pushed him onto the bed, got up, sat in front of the table and started working.

As compared to the scorching classroom, the summer bed-mat was much more comfortable with the fan blowing at him. Lin Qingyan soon fell asleep and he dreamed that he was standing in the paddy field. The sun was just right on top of his head and it was unbearably hot. Suddenly a fish jumped up from the paddy field and bit the base of his thigh. Then, it went into his pants which made him feel very itchy and embarrassed…

Lin Qingyan opened his eyes and he first saw that the curtains were down. The room was very dark and he felt his thigh getting a little cold. When he lowered his head, he saw Du Tie’s tall figure sitting on the edge of the bed. He wore grandfather’s shorts, which was very wide and old. Du Tie stretched his hand into the wide opening of his trousers and was fondling his ass.

When they looked into each other’s eyes, Du Tie’s face gotten a little red. The look in his eyes was rather strange and a little scary. The room was very quiet, but Lin Qingyan felt as if he was being thrown into a dim and rapidly flowing water. He was shocked and scared.

“Qingyan, teacher is trying to…” Before Du Tie can finish his sentence, Lin Qingyan had already launched a kick onto his chest. He then stumbled out of the bed, pulled open the door and ran out.

Lin Qingyan had a very hard time during the remaining a year and a half time he spent in middle school.

Du Tie did not have the courage to force him to do anything, but when he invited Lin Qingyan over to his dormitory, Lin Qingyan never went to his room ever since the incident. Even when he asked him to go to his office, if Du Tie was the only one in the office, Lin Qingyan would turn around and leave. From that day onwards up until the day Lin Qingyan graduated, he did not say a word to him. Even if Du Tie asked questions during class, he remained silent stubbornly.

Du Tie certainly got his revenge by putting him in the last row. He was being blocked by a bunch of tall and big classmates or classmates who do not pay attention in class. Most of the time, he could not hear what the teacher was saying clearly or see what was written on the blackboard. His grades plummeted, so he gave Du Tie a reason to criticize him. He scolded him in front of the whole class by saying he did not make any progress in his studies and he was going on the wrong path. Also, he wasted his former class teacher’s and his effort in educating him.

The way Du Tie looked at him was always very cold and sarcastic, like a sinister snake. He did not have the courage to attack him head-on, so he bit him secretly behind his back.

…

One day, the uncle in the school’s communication department asked Lin Qingyan to answer the phone.

It was a call from his former class teacher. Her voice was as gentle as ever, but Lin Qingyan was much quieter than before.

Towards the end of the phone call, his former class teacher started sobbing. “Qingyan, why did you get into the wrong path? I heard that you’re always with the bullies and you no longer pay attention in class. Why did you become like this?”

For the first time, Lin Qingyan felt a piercing pain in his heart. Why did it turn out like this?

How can a fifteen-year-old boy speak up for himself?

After hanging up the phone, Lin Qingyan walked into the classroom listlessly. At that time, he had grown a lot taller already. Moreover, he was lean and fair. Since he was gloomy and quiet, his classmates avoided him when they saw him. When he passed the teacher’s dormitory, he saw Du Tie placing his hand on a petite boy’s shoulder as they walked into the dormitory. Lin Qingyan recognized that he was a first-year student who had a small face and big eyes. He always smiled naively and his family’s conditions were also very bad.

Lin Qingyan stood still in the mottled sunlight under the huge tree and watched as the dormitory’s door close behind Du Tie. After a while, he saw him lowering the curtains.

Lin Qingyan only ate a steamed bun and two bowls of vegetable soup at noon this day. He suddenly felt nauseated, held onto the tree and started vomiting profusely.

After that day, Lin Qingyan began to study intensely. Despite the bad influences around him and Du Tie’s sarcasm, he still managed to get first place in the entire town and get into a major high school in the county. Later on, even the bullies sitting next to him patted on his shoulder and said to others, “This is my buddy and he’s amazing. From now on, no one can bully him in this town.”

Of course, Du Tie did not have the chance to bully him again. In fact, ever since he got into a high school, he had not seen Du Tie for a very long time.

The last time he met him was many years later when he had inherited Chief Qin’s property and became a wealthy businessman in Hong Kong who returned to the town for an investment. At that time, he was already very familiar with the skill of murder and he had mastered it.

He deliberately stayed in the town for a month and Du Tie also disappeared for a whole month. During that period of time, Lin Qingyan participated in various activities of the town’s government during the day and returned to the basement of his villa at night to watch Du Tie moan in pain. He was the only one who Lin Qingyan slowly tortured to death. He burned him up after cutting his body into small pieces and his ashes were scattered under the big trees in his middle school.

All these were events that happened later on – Lin Qingyan’s entire high school life was quiet but difficult. There were many girls who gave him love letters, but he never responded to any of them.

Lin Qingyan entered university all on his own.

He was all alone because his grandfather sold their two broken tile houses to gather his first year’s tuition fees. From then on, his grandfather and he were living in utter destitute. When he went to the county for a part-time job during his summer break, his grandfather died of an illness in the grass shed near the field. By the time he returned home, the body was there for several days already and no one found his body.

The most difficult part of the countryside was the abundance of fields. He carried the body for an entire day, walked to the high mountains and dug a pit to bury his grandfather. He did not feel sad, because his grandfather will die eventually and an early death was a relief for him.

Lin Qingyan majored in mathematics in university and it was the second happiest moment of his life.

When he was in high school, he liked mathematics very much and now he can finally enjoy it to his heart’s content. In his opinion, mathematics was very beautiful, concise, clean and inexhaustibly profound. This kind of profoundness was something that an amateur can never understand. He indulged in it all alone and lost himself in it.

Nevertheless, there were times when he was not happy. That was because he liked a girl during his third year in university.

The university’s male dormitory had “hormones” written all over it. When Lin Qingyan saw people walking in pairs or when people started having sex in the male dormitory after lowering the curtains, he was not as calm as he seemed. He would vent out his desire under his bedsheet, bury his face in the pillow to hide his sweat and suppress the sound of him panting. He was a sneaky man who secretly pried into other peoples’ private lives.

The university girls were no longer as naïve as high school girls. Everyone knew that Lin Qingyan was poor. He had to take up three part-time jobs to support himself and apply for a student loan every year. There were also one or two girls who went after him, but Lin Qingyan remained completely unmoved.

The girl that he liked was the purest girl in the whole department. She must not necessarily be the most beautiful one, but she had to have a gentle fair oval-shaped face and pitch-black eyes. She wore a beautiful long bohemian dress and her bright smile was as clear as the spring water.

During the night before their graduation party, the girl left early without anyone noticing. Lin Qingyan secretly tailed her as she kept walking and he wanted to confess to her.

Just when they arrived at the east gate of the school, he saw her getting into a luxury car. The man in the car was about forty years old and he was wearing a gold metal-rimmed glasses. He put his arms around her waist and lowered his head to kiss her honey-colored lips.

Lin Qingyan stood under the shadow of the trees and watched the car drove away. For the second time in his life, he could not suppress the feeling of disgust. It reminded him of the feeling he felt during summer from a few years ago when Du Tie’s gentle yet strong hands caressed his ass. The sound of the electrical fan blowing as well as the dark cool room became fresh and clear in his mind. Lin Qingyan squatted on the tree pit outside the school gate and vomited violently.

The world was so filthy. Where can he find a clean sky and land?

Lin Qingyan studied in quite a good university, but it was not the top university in the country. The rate of employment for those who graduated from a mathematics major was not that good. However, he did not want to continue with his postgraduate studies as he did not want to stay penniless in the university forever.

After many years of hard work, he overcame all difficulties so his hard work was not in vain. He finally got what he wished, entered the best investment company in China and become an assistant analyst. Despite the lowly position, his income was already very high and he was envied by his classmates.

This was also the year when he met Qin Shuhua.

It was during a day in mid-September and the branch company that he was in received news that the chairman of the company would come over from Hong Kong to inspect the business. Everyone from the investment department went to the magnificent first-floor lobby to welcome the chairman and since Lin Qingyan had the lowest qualifications, he was on duty in the office.

When Qin Shuhua walked in, the spacious office was very quiet and Lin Qingyan did not even hear her footsteps. When he raised his head, he saw a middle-aged woman with a light makeup standing at the front door looking at him.

Lin Qingyan could tell a person’s social ranking at first glance. When he saw how she was well-dressed and wore a pair of diamond earrings, he smiled at her politely. “Who are you looking for?”

Qin Shuhua immediately laughed and thought, ‘So there are people in the company who don’t recognize the chairman.’

A large group of people quickly followed behind and when the department manager saw Chief Qin, he smilingly stood aside. When he saw how Lin Qingyan was still sitting, he immediately slapped his forehead and said, “Little Lin, quickly go and pour a cup of tea for the chairman.”

Lin Qingyan just got this job last month, so he did not recognize all the faces of the company’s leaders. His fair face blushed and he immediately got up and went to pour a cup of tea.

Qin Shuhua waved her hand and said, “No need.” Then she stopped looking at Lin Qingyan and left with the large group of people.

Good looking men were divided into many categories. The 22-year-old Lin Qingyan was not the striking type of handsome man who would attract people’s attention at first sight. At first glance, he was just a handsome tall looking man wearing a white shirt and black trousers. He was quiet yet gentle and he gave people a comfortable feeling.

Even so, up until the day Qin Shuhua died, she believed that Lin Qingyan was the most handsome boy she had ever seen. She had met too many men and she could easily distinguish Lin Qingyan from an ordinary person. After some time, the boy’s delicate eyebrows and clear eyes gave people an extremely dazzling feeling. It was as if many things were hidden under his dark slender eyes. He was quieter than the peers of his age, but there was also some childishness in him. He had an obvious wild ambition yet he seemed to be unconcerned and was sick of the reality.

Qin Shuhua was reminded of her younger self who started from scratch when she looked at him. For someone who was single for many years, it was the first time she felt like she wanted a man. She wanted to control such a delicate and beautiful man.

Everything that happened since then was like a game of cats and mice with a great disparity in power.

One month after Qin Shuhua inspected the branch company, Lin Qingyan was informed by his superiors that he was being transferred to Hong Kong to participate in a project at the headquarters.

“This is an excellent opportunity for a promotion.” The manager said, “Little Lin, you must seize this opportunity.”

Lin Qingyan was not overwhelmed by this great opportunity. Since he was outstanding to begin with, he would think that he deserved it if he was given a chance.

This project was said to be a strategic development of the company and Chief Qin’s assistant was directly in charge of it. Sometimes when he worked until late at night, Chief Qin’s assistant would also ask him to do something. For instance, he would ask him to deliver a document to Chief Qin, make a cup of coffee for Chief Qin, or driving Chief Qin to the shopping mall. After a couple of times, Lin Qingyan got closer to Chief Qin. He saw how merciless and decisive she was in the mall. He also saw how exhausted and lonely she was after engaging in social activities with the officials late at night. Gradually, his heart was filled with admiration towards this strong woman.

Things started getting clearer two months later. On that day, the assistant was driving and he accompanied Chief Qin to the commerce department to attend a party. This was also an opportunity for him to expand his connections in the industry, so he cherished it very much. By the time the party ended, it was very late already. Chief Qin drank some alcohol and she was a little dizzy after getting into the car. He was sitting in the passenger’s seat initially, but the assistant said, “Go and take care of Chief Qin at the back.”

Lin Qingyan did not suspect him and he sat next to Qin Shuhua. He carefully poured water, handed her a towel and put a thin blanket on her. Qin Shuhua seemed to be half-drunk and when she raised her head to look at him, there was a smile at the corners of her lips.

When the assistant took a turn, Qin Shuhua’s body slanted sideways and Lin Qingyan quickly reached out his hand to support her. Thus, she fell onto his shoulder.

Her eyes were closed and she was breathing uniformly without moving even slightly. Lin Qingyan’s body stiffened up a little, but be it rationality or courtesy, he could not push her away at this moment. He can only sit up straight and put his hands on the back of the chair to avoid touching her body.

The body of the forty-year-old woman was still very soft and a faint aroma lingered in his nose. Her face was leaning on his shoulder with a thin layer of fabric in between. Perhaps because she was not too comfortable, she rubbed her face against him gently.

The car was silent for a few minutes and the assistants in front seemed like he was ignorant of what was happening in the back seat. Lin Qingyan was in an extremely uncomfortable position and he had no choice but to speak up. “Chief Qin? Chief Qin?”

Qin Shuhua raised her head slowly and looked at him quietly. Her forehead, cheeks, as well as lips brushed against his young yet warm neck and chin.

Lin Qingyan’s felt as if a lightning struck his heart and instantly illuminated everything.

At this time, Qin Shuhua had already closed her eyes while waiting and her lips were less than a centimeter away from him. A strong sense of stagnation and weariness rushed into his heart at the same time. Then, a clear thought suddenly appeared in his mind. He must not refuse her and he had to kiss her.

The car was very quiet, but Lin Qingyan’s heart was like a stormy wave. He lowered his head while he was almost shivering. When Qin Shuhua sensed his movement, she put her hands around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

It was Lin Qingyan’s first kiss but he did not feel anything about it. All he felt two slippery and wet tongue entangled together. There was even a touch of alcohol scent in Qin Shuhua’s mouth. At the same time, he also felt part of his body beginning to swell up and harden. This reaction frightened him and the feeling of shame that he tried to suppress instantly flooded him like a tidal wave. He wanted to push Qin Shuhua away, but in fact, all he did was move his lips away. When they looked each other in the eyes, he saw the fine lines around Qin Shuhua’s eyes and he felt nauseous.

He endured it and resisted the urge to vomit. Nevertheless, Qin Shuhua did not notice it. She thought that he was just being nervous and shy. Thus, she continued to lean her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I am very happy, Qingyan.”

When they finally arrived at Chief Qin’s villa, he and the assistant helped Chief Qin get off the car. The assistant said, “Little Lin, send Chief Qin to her room.”

He almost let go of her in an instant like an electric shock and took a step backward. “I’ve something to do in the morning, I’ll go back with you.”

Qin Shuhua did not say anything and before the assistant could continue speaking, they heard him say, “Good night, Chief Qin and Assistant Chief. I’ll leave first.” Then, he turned around and left. He heard the assistant’s slightly unhappy voice from behind him. “You…” Perhaps because Qin Shuhua stopped him, he did not get to finish his sentence. Lin Qingyan started speeding up gradually and he did not care whether there were people watching him or not. Very soon, he left the villa.

The next morning, Lin Qingyan handed in a resignation letter to the company and called in sick so he did not have to go to work. Three days later, the assistant called, but he did not pick up the phone. After a while, Qin Shuhua called him personally, but he still did not pick up and eventually switched off his phone.

A few days later, the resignation procedure was completed. Ever since then, Qin Shuhua and her assistants did not show up anymore.

Many years later, Lin Qingyan recalled this incident and realized that he probably reacted too drastically. Thus, Qin Shuhua was enraged and she dealt with him forcibly later on. If he handled it better at that time, Qin Shuhua might let go of him.

Or, she might not.

However, he was too ashamed at that time and he did not want to face Qin Shuhua at all. Not only did she make use of her authority for her own desire. Most importantly, he actually kissed her because he was blinded by greed.

…

At this time, Lin Qingyan thought that this it was considered over and done with.

He only found out that something was wrong after he went to several investment companies for a job application. Even though he performed very well in the written tests and interviews, he was being rejected by all the companies. Later on, someone leaked the news to him. “Why did you offend Qin Group? They banned all the companies from hiring you.”

Banned? This word was very terrifying to a boy who just graduated less than half a year ago. Nevertheless, it was extremely easy for the great Chief Qin to ban a rookie in this industry.

Lin Qingyan was forced to work in some small companies that were not well-known. Even so, he majored in mathematics, so what can he do? A clerk? He had to get a very meager income and work with a group of immensely mediocre colleagues. The company’s owner would stress the staff over a paper copy.

Even so, he could not stay long in this kind of place. Although he was the most outstanding one there, he would be fired without any reason. Others did not utter a single word about it and he had no choice but to remain silent.

A few months later, he was being forced into a dead end. He still had to repay the four-year student loan that he borrowed but he did not have a single penny in his pocket. He had not eaten for three days already and he was wobbling on the streets. Chief Qin’s people probably felt that it was time already, so they openly tailed him in the car from a few steps away.

He braced himself and went to one restaurant after another to apply as a waiter. Chief Qin’s people waited outside the restaurant and when the owner saw this situation, they dare not hire him.

In the evening, a restaurant finally hired him. He worked back and forth throughout the entire evening in the busy little restaurant. He did not even remember when he fainted and fell to the ground.

When he woke up, he found himself lying on a very soft huge bed. Also, he had changed into clean and comfortable clothes. This was a very luxurious room which had the view of the entire city lights.

There was a plate of food next to the bed. He got up and gobbled it down.

The night wind blew on the white-colored gauze curtain and Qin Shuhua was sitting behind the curtains. She was looking at him quietly and gently.

She did not say anything and he too did not say anything.

After a long, long time, Qin Shuhua sighed softly. “Why are you doing this? Qingyan, I can help you fulfill your dreams and I can change your life. Not everyone in the world has such an opportunity.”