Love Me if You Dare: Pristine Darkness

In the evening, Fang Qing drove the car at high speed towards the police station. 24 hours had already passed, so Ke Qian might already have been released. However, it was of no consequence. After everyone had met and exchanged information, they would immediately draw up and carry out a plan to seize him.

He had just gone around a bend when his cell phone rang urgently.

Fang Qing impatiently picked it up and glanced at it. Who was so careless and short-sighted as to disturb him at such a crucial time?

Aiyo, drats!

It was Fang Qing’s gu nai nai*.

*T/N 姑奶奶 (gu nai nai) – literally, one’s paternal grandaunt (paternal grandfather’s sister). However, it can be used sarcastically to denote someone whom one should show respect to, but doesn’t want to (especially in terms of following that person’s orders).

It took only a few seconds for a momentary anxiety to give way to full attention. Fang Qing stepped on the brakes and made an emergency stop by the side of the road. As he picked up his cell phone, the corners of his mouth naturally lifted up in a smile. In a gentle tone which he was not entirely comfortable with, he said, “Hello? Jin Xiaozhe?”

On the other end of the line, Jin Xiaozhe’s voice was also very quiet. “Fang Qing.”

Both of them fell silent for a while.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked, putting on a cool attitude.

“The note you left for me last time; did you mean it?” she asked.

Fang Qing held back his smile and lifted his head to look at the long street outside the window. The street was bathed in the light of the setting sun, and pedestrians rushed busily to and fro.

“Yes, I meant it,” he said softly.

The memory of his visit to the movie set and his actions surfaced in his mind.

In his haste to leave the flowers for her, he had fished out a notebook and torn off one of its pages. He had grabbed a pen, but did not know what to write.

In the end, this old man had hidden away in a corner behind the fans and chewed on the end of the pen for a long time before writing two lines:

I am in Beijing.

Before, you waited for me too many times. In future, I’ll wait for you every day.

“I . . . ” she said, “I’ve been filming the past few days, and I’m staying at the Hilton Hotel, not far from the police station. We’re leaving tomorrow night.”

He immediately said, “Today, I’ll . . . ah, no, today I have to catch someone, tomorrow, tomorrow morning, I’ll definitely come. We . . . we’ll talk, we’ll sit down and talk properly, ok, Xiaozhe?”

There was silence on the other end for a good few seconds.

After a while, his Xiaozhe said softly, “All right, I’ll wait for you.”

That star who was famous throughout the nation, that cold and arrogant woman, his Xiaozhe, had softly said, she would wait for him.

When he had hung up the phone, Fang Qing felt a little light-headed. He raised his head to look at the endless stream of traffic going past him and covered his mouth with his hand to stifle his laughter.

In that split second, he suddenly, surprisingly, had the urge to cry.

He was very clear what he was on the cusp of achieving. He knew clearly that they were destined to reunite in this world; even though they had been separated, they would inevitably reunite.

Hadn’t he accumulated enough virtue through catching criminals for half his lifetime? In the end, the heavens couldn’t bear to mistreat him either, isn’t that right?

With a state of mind that was equal parts in turmoil and clarity, he felt as if he had once again been recharged. He drove the car to the central bureau swiftly, then charged up the stairs.

“Ke Qian was released an hour ago, but our people lost him on the way,” An Yan said by way of greeting. “The central bureau has sent people to Qingdu University, but they haven’t found him. His car isn’t there either. He’s flown the coop. We are already conducting a city-wide manhunt.”

“Good!” Fang Qing responded. “What about Jinyan and Jian Yao?”

“They will be here soon.”

Fang Qing was full of fighting spirit. “I don’t believe this rascal can even escape to heaven.” When he had finished speaking, he clapped An Yan on the shoulder. “After we’ve caught him, I’ll treat all of you to drinks tonight!”

An Yan did not know why, but he also felt excited beyond the ordinary, so he nodded vigorously and said, “All right, thanks, lao Fang.”

   ——

The black Cherokee was on its way back to the police station. The news of Ke Qian’s escape had also reached them.

Bo Jinyan was not the slightest bit worried as they were monitoring the ‘little prince’. If An Yan could locate the flower cannibal, then locating a trifling high IQ novice criminal would only be a matter of a few minutes.

He even hummed a song as he was driving, and asked Jian Yao, “What do you want to eat tonight? Shall we eat fish?”

Jian Yao said, “We haven’t even caught him yet, how are you so confident of victory?”

“Of course I am,” Bo Jinyan replied. “The evidence is conclusive, and catching the man is not something I need to trouble myself with. We have Fang Qing and An Yan, so where is the cause for anxiety that we won’t catch him?”

Jian Yao felt the same way, so she thought for a while before saying, “Ok, then, let’s eat fish. The last time, that fish with pickled vegetables was not bad. The restaurant has other dishes that are pretty good, as well.”

“Uh huh.”

As they were approaching the police station entrance, Bo Jinyan caught sight of the express delivery shopfront out of the corner of his eye and thought about the phone call. He stopped the car nearby and said, “I’m going to pick up an express delivery.”

“All right.” Jian Yao stared at his back as he hurried away. She thought, what express delivery could possibly cause the great Professor Bo to be so fidgety? She would have to check it out later.

When Bo Jinyan returned to the car, he tossed a small, square box into the back seat.

Jian Yao asked, “What’s that?”

Bo Jinyan played down the importance and said, “A little something I bought online.”

“Oh.”

They arrived at the police station very quickly thereafter. While they were still downstairs, Bo Jinyan’s phone sounded with an alert for a text message. It had been sent by Fu Ziyu:

Jinyan, please come to my place at 8 o’clock tonight.

Bo Jinyan was startled.

This person, Fu Ziyu, was usually so even-tempered that it was almost abnormal. However, in truth, he could also be a little difficult. Take for example the situation with Han Yumeng. Apart from Bo Jinyan, he had never mentioned her to anyone, and was even reluctant to talk about her to Jian Yao. Jian Yao had only known of Han Yumeng’s existence from Bo Jinyan.

Bo Jinyan told Jian Yao, “Wait for me for a bit.” Then, he opened the car door, got out and called Fu Ziyu’s cellphone.

Du . . . du . . . du . . . the phone rang for quite some time, but no one picked up.

He then called Fu Ziyu’s home number, but no one picked up the phone. He called the office, but no one answered there, either.

In the car, Jian Yao reached behind to retrieve the express delivery item. The minute she saw that it had been shipped from overseas, she took the pocket knife from the glove compartment and nimbly opened the package.

Bo Jinyan had always given her the delivery items sent to their home to open. If they were to take this express delivery item home, he would probably pass it to her.

She opened the box and saw layers of packaging. After removing all of them, what remained were two exquisite black velvet boxes.

Jian Yao was stunned.

Bo Jinyan got to the car to find his wife staring dazedly at two rings.

He was speechless.

Jian Yao said, “This is . . .”

Bo Jinyan said faintly, “That’s great, there goes the surprise.”

Jian Yao giggled and carefully scrutinised the two boxes in her hand. “You already gave me a ring when you asked me to marry you, so why did you buy these rings?”

“That was an engagement ring,” Bo Jinyan replied. “I believe wedding rings should be a pair. Moreover, if they are meant to be worn for a lifetime, then they should have a more meaningful and touching significance.”

Jian Yao’s heart warmed to hear his words.

Was there any further need for guessing? This rascal had even had the rings customised already. Needless to say, what he had been so secretive about must be . . .

Their wedding.

A once in a lifetime event.

However, Jian Yao pretended that she had not thought that deeply about it, and picked up the rings nonchalantly. On one ring, a small bird had been embedded, spreading its wings and soaring, wonderfully delicate and lifelike. A circle of fine diamonds had been set into the bird’s body, and they sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.

The second ring was in the shape of a vine branch. The workmanship was also extraordinarily delicate, and the inset diamonds glittered softly.

Jian Yao deliberated for a moment, then picked up the ring of vines and said, “I’m guessing this is mine?”

Didn’t he say that there was a more meaningful and touching significance?

He is the bird with outstretched wings, soaring high in the boundless sky. And she is the branch, the one who tethers him, gives him a peaceful place to rest. Shouldn’t this be the meaning?

Bo Jinyan smiled but did not speak.