Jia ran and ran until her chest expanded so much that she couldn’t breathe. She dumped herself in her cop car and sat upright. But she slouched again and then didn’t know what to do with her hands. Her lips trembled and through her watery eyes, everything was blur before her.
She breathed in and breathed out, her heart thumping rapidly and numbness seeping into her mind. She wasn’t expecting for Mingshen to throw this conversation at her out of nowhere.
Mingshen is wrong!
Depressed? What the hell is that?
J-just because I have so sleep problems and eat a little more cheese, I beco depressed? That’s ridiculous!
Her phone rang with a call, making a sudden jerk escape out of her. She blurrily saw Huojin’s na flashing on the screen. She inhaled a shaky breath and tried to calm her nerves down.
Work. Focus on work.
She slid the green button and Huojin’s voice ca through the end. "Hey. How’s Ehuang?"
"She..." her voice choked a bit but she coughed to cover it up. "She is fine. She is doing very well and has almost recovered."
"Are you okay there? Your voice sounded a bit-"
"Yes!" She suddenly exclaid. "I an, it’s just Mingshen annoying like always haha..."
"Okay..."
Huojin still felt a little unsure on his side.
"Last night was very hard for everyone. Did you get a good sleep?"
She stiffened. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest and she visibly shook.
How does Huojin know? Is-Is Mingshen telling everybody...!?
There is no way that Huojin would guess it unless Mingshen said sothing to him!
Jia froze.
Did Mingshen make Huojin indirectly call ? He wants Huojin to tell too that I am depressed and need help?
"Jia?"
She inhaled a silent breath once again and firmly said, "I am good. I had a good sleep."
Huojin blinked once and slightly knitted his brows. "Are you...sure? You sound really tired to ."
Jia bit her lip hard.
"You should take the day off and just relax. I will handle it."
She stared ahead blankly. Mrs. Lai’s words popped into her mind again.
Do your colleagues and fellow officers trust you?
Being a traitor’s daughter must be hard, right?
Everybody will only look at you suspiciously.
W-Why is Huojin telling to take the day off...?
A lump ford in her throat and she felt a sense of impending doom clouding her clear mind.
Is it because I screwed up last night that he t-thinks I cannot do my job anymore?
He-he must think it’s my mistake that we lost the leader and that’s why we failed the mission...
"Jiaaaa, helloooooooo?" Huojin made a funny imitation. "Are you there or slipped into so secret cosmos?" He chuckled. "I am serious. The case is important but so is your health."
She clenched her fists.
Health...Health! I am perfectly fine! Why doesn’t anybody believe ?
"I am fine, Huojin. I don’t have the ti to rest. I need to catch the She leader as soon as I can or...it will get very difficult."
He definitely thinks that I failed the mission...That’s why he wants to sit back.
Slightly breathless, Jia felt a headache coming. But she didn’t want Huojin to catch on to the cues.
"Ugh, Jia you-"
"I have work to do. Talk to you later."
Jia hastily hung up and stayed still for a long ti. She vacantly stared at her mobile phone, her jumbled thoughts hamring her from all directions.
For the first ti in her life, she felt she heard doubts in Huojin’s voice. She felt his shaky confidence in her.
Am I...just like Mom and Dad? Am I also slipping?
I did everything perfectly until now and one screw up...j-just one mistake changed the way how Huojin looks at now...
Contrary to her thoughts, Huojin didn’t intend to pass off any such misunderstanding. But she couldn’t help but let her mind go into an overdrive and think of the worst possible outcos.
Outcos that seed to match Mrs. Lai’s claims.
I will prove him wrong. I will prove Mingshen and Huojin both wrong...!
Just one slip doesn’t an that I am like Mom and Dad!
She wiped her eyes with a renewed determination shining in them.
"I have to talk to Beiye and Daxia and learn more about Yong. I will do whatever it needs to take and catch that leader!"
She looked down at her phone and stared at the wallpaper, which was a picture of her niece and nephew, Lii and Weiyun.
Seeing their adorable, chubby and happy faces gently dissipated so of the tumultuous heat she was feeling. A soft smile laced her lips.
Your aunt is strong, okay?
She thought to herself with quivering lips, brushing her thumb against the screen.
Your aunt won’t lose. I will always be the aunt you will be proud of...
I am fine. I am doing okay.
She took a deep breath and started the engine.
I am okay. I am okay. I will do great today.
—
"Your son is doing so great today," Mingshen yawned. "Look how perfect he looks sleeping on the bed. I think this hospital really suits him."
The Hou family who he was now facing held very grim expressions. Out of all the family mbers, a middle-aged woman, whose elegance was etched into her very deanor, ca forward. Huo Tengqi’s resemblance with her was quite evident.
"You think," she said very quietly, "that my banged up son - which was done by your employee - is doing great?"
Mingshen gasped, incredulous. "I don’t see a flatline on the monitor."
"So I should celebrate the fact that he is even alive now?" Her countenance turned increasingly somber and lethal.
He smiled. "Life is always worth celebrating but in your son’s case, I would say celebrate his death ten tis more. Call the hookers he couldn’t sleep with. That will be very thoughtful of you to show so much respect to the dead."
The contours of her face tightented.
"Until then," he craned his neck to see inside the ward, "rejoice the fact that the flatline seems to be chilling on a beach sowhere far away. All cool?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers