Shi Nian took a step back, avoiding his palm.
"What’s the matter?" He was more perceptive than anyone else.
Shi Nian raised her eyes to et his gaze: "Reuniting after a long ti should be a happy occasion, I understand you are glad to see ; but I’m sorry, I really can’t be happy right now. Another vibrant life, sir, I’ve once again witnessed a young and beautiful girl being buried under the earth."
Huangfu Huazhang frowned: "I understand your feelings, but it has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to bla yourself for this."
"But there’s too much death surrounding ." Shi Nian smiled bitterly and shook her head: "From four years ago when my dad passed away, to the subsequent string of deaths, they all seem unrelated to , yet they all clearly appear around ."
"What are you trying to say?" At this mont, Huangfu Huazhang also felt a tension in his heart.
Shi Nian smiled: "Instinct is a strange thing, isn’t it? I don’t know why, but I have an increasingly strong intuition that their deaths might be related to ."
"Why do you think that?" Huangfu Huazhang remained calm, but he felt his heart silently sinking, "Even if the murders from Nisha onward happened to people you knew; don’t forget, there’s also Zhou Guanghan. You had no interaction with him. His death triggered the subsequent chain of murders, so you are overthinking it. How could they have died because of you?"
"Not entirely." Shi Nian lifted her head: "I didn’t have a direct connection with Zhou Guanghan, but there was Nisha between us. I sought out Nisha for an interview; Nisha was closely connected to Zhou Guanghan, so soone decided even Zhou Guanghan could no longer live."
Shi Nian held his gaze: "It’s as if soone wants to sever any connection I have with the Tong’s wife incident, ensuring I never have a chance to learn the truth. In pursuit of this goal, people keep dying."
Huangfu Huazhang laughed, turning his gaze to the sky.
The sky was so blue, clear like a giant gem, reminiscent of the Heart of the Ocean from Titanic.
"Are you saying that person is trying to warn you? To shut you up like they did with Xiong Jie, not allowing you to uncover the truth?"
His tall silhouette was etched against the azure sky, appearing even more isolated and lonely.
Shi Nian shook her head: "No, it’s different. Xiong Jie was threatened, but my intuition tells I’m being protected. Like a child constantly reminded by parents not to do this or that, seemingly to stop or intimidate, but actually to protect."
"Is that so?" He sohow relaxed, the previous mont’s isolation lting away, and he turned back to gaze at her with a smile.
Though hesitant, Shi Nian still nodded firmly: "Constantly witnessing death, yet feeling the criminal is protecting ... this feeling is bizarre and misplaced. So even if I vaguely know that person might not have ill intentions towards , I can’t continue to witness more deaths. If I had the chance, I would just shout to that person: Stop! I don’t need protection at the cost of these lives, nor can I accept it!"
Despite being quite tall herself, she always seed petite in comparison to him. So, all these years, he was accustod to seeing her as his little girl and sotis forgot how sharp and independent she had beco as a journalist. At this mont, the bright energy in her eyes beneath her calm exterior made his heart skip a beat.
He diverted his gaze: "Let’s not talk about this now, shall we go for a walk and have dinner?"
But Shi Nian shook her head: "I’m sorry, sir, I have so work tonight. It’s been scheduled for a while."
"Can’t you reschedule?" He looked deeply into her eyes.
She smiled wryly: "I can’t reschedule. I’m really afraid that another innocent person might lose their life because of my delay this ti."
He raised an eyebrow: "That serious? Can I know who it is or what’s going on? Maybe I can help you."
Help her? Shi Nian smiled wryly, unable to stop thinking of Xiong Jie.
He said he’d help her find Xiong Jie, but in the end, Xiong Jie still t a tragic fate.
"No need, sir." She tried to smile: "This is my own work, and I want to handle it myself."
.
Shi Nian went to have dinner alone, deliberately dragging it out for an hour.
When she rushed back to her place, Rosa was already there and was getting impatient. Thankfully, Ye He and Xiao Mai took turns chatting with Rosa to keep her entertained.
Seeing Shi Nian finally open the door and walk in, Rosa couldn’t help but laugh shrilly: "You’re finally back? You called to your house, but you’re the one returning so late!"
Shi Nian gave her a sidelong glance: "What’s the matter? Didn’t Ye He and Xiao Mai tell you that I had an appointnt? How can I compare to you, I’m in a relationship while you’re single."
Rosa took the bait, angrily picking up a cushion from the sofa, ready to throw it: "So you called over just to show off how happy you are, huh?"
Shi Nian, having changed into slippers, poured herself a glass of water and walked over: "Yes, I’m flaunting my happiness. If you’re not satisfied, you should double your efforts to make yourself even happier and surpass ."
Feeling imnsely frustrated, Rosa prepared to leave.
As she walked past Shi Nian, Rosa intentionally avoided looking at her, but Shi Nian, sipping her water casually, reached out and accurately grabbed her arm: "Now that you’re here, stay. Move in."
"Huh?" Rosa was startled: "What did you say?"
Shi Nian set down the empty glass, her expression clear: "I called you to my place because I planned it this way."
Ye He and Xiao Mai exchanged a glance, then approached with smiling eyes: "We’ll head up to tidy the room."
Leaving just the two of them on the ground floor.
Rosa finally softened, looking around sowhat bewildered, hesitant to et Shi Nian’s gaze.
"What do you an? Are you pitying ?"
"Don’t make yourself sound so pitiful. Besides, this place is so big, it would be livelier with one more person living here." Shi Nian teased, deliberately leaning in to catch her eye: "Besides, didn’t you always want to live here?"
"Shi Nian, you’re so boring!" Rosa’s face flushed with embarrassnt.
Shi Nian then laughed, pulling her back to sit on the sofa: "Even though won nowadays are all tough, when facing real danger, won still lack the physical strength. Especially since you’re living alone, you might not have ti to react to unexpected situations. Moving in here, the four of us can even make up a mahjong table."
Rosa’s facade of strength collapsed: "Are you insinuating that you also suspect Lu Zhao has issues?"
"Rosa, you know your own character. If you didn’t genuinely sense danger, you wouldn’t subconsciously seek my help."
Rosa lowered her head: "He’s now targeting A Yuan at Huatai Hall, and I’m afraid it’s because of ."
Shi Nian tilted her head: "Do you think his feelings for you are genuine or just a competition?"
Rosa felt awkward: "What feelings? Don’t talk nonsense!"
"Don’t be embarrassed," Shi Nian pressed her wrist: "If he genuinely has feelings, maybe you could help a lot."
.
The first night, Shi Nian invited Rosa to sleep in her bed.
Rosa felt a bit uncomfortable, persistently asking to move to the study. Shi Nian laughed: "Don’t be silly, this was the bed A Yuan and I used to share. You’ve always wanted to lie here, haven’t you?"
Rosa glared at Shi Nian fiercely, taking the bait and staying. She even intentionally asked: "Which side did A Yuan sleep on?" She then threw herself onto that side: "Now I’m lying on his side!"
Shi Nian smiled, silently sighing.Who would have thought that one day they would be sleeping together, really giving half of her bed to her.
She had truly let go of everything.
Or perhaps, through the passage of ti, she’d rather rember only the good with Xiang Yuan, forgetting the past grievances.
Like the popular line online, "Thank you for not marrying ," she also had to thank Xiang Yuan for not staying together, or Tang Yanqing would’ve never had a chance.
With the lights off, they lay side by side, feeling a little awkward, pulling their covers up to their chins.
Only the streetlights outside faintly cast a dim light inside.
Shi Nian asked softly: "Can you try telling about that year again?"
Obviously, the mattress trembled a bit.
Shi Nian reached over, slipping her hand into Rosa’s blanket, gently grabbing her hand.
"Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you. I promise not to say anything unless you’re ready."
Rosa inhaled deeply: "I don’t even know what to say. On the phone the other day, I already told you all I could. During the day, it was just studying, listening to music, painting, and only at night... I slept deeply and couldn’t wake up."
Shi Nian nodded lightly: "But your experience is very unique. You went missing at 12, returned ho at 13. Even at 13, you weren’t grown up yet, how could the clown have let you go back ho?"
According to the cases of Nisha and ng Chuyan, the girls usually didn’t take on a different role until they were around 16. But why was it only a year for Rosa? And she was sent back ho... Rosa’s experience was unique, and it also happened the earliest, perhaps revealing the person’s initial mindset.
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