"That’s great." Shi Nian withdrew her hand, opened her palms, and covered her face.
Qi Xiuqi lowered his eyes, looking at his now empty hand, unable to stop a mont of lancholy.
He couldn’t help but ask, "Back then, the teacher entrusted you to Xiang Yuan, letting him bring you and the teacher’s wife to M Country. It’s likely because the teacher knew in his heart that none of the people the police captured that day were the true culprit. He feared that person would continue to harm you and the teacher’s wife, and he only had Xiang Yuan, a foreigner, by his side at the ti, so he temporarily left you to him."
"But later it proved that your marriage with Xiang Yuan was a mistake. And you and the teacher’s wife ca to M Country only to escape the true culprit... So, junior sister, may I ask: if the police from our two countries work together and catch the true culprit this ti, would you consider taking the teacher’s wife and going back to China with us?"
Shi Nian was stunned.
Qi Xiuqi felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed his hands awkwardly: "I want to say, we’re ultimately all Chinese, and we all love our roots. You’ve been in M Country for five years and still experience many discomforts, not to ntion the teacher is buried in China..."
Shi Nian smiled.
She hadn’t thought about this question herself, but as Qi Xiuqi ntioned it, her heart instantly began to race.
She knew she had this longing.
Although she was increasingly adapting to life in M Country, eting many good friends here, Qi Xiuqi was right, her roots were still in China. His inadvertent ntion unexpectedly stirred her hosickness.
Five years in M Country, and she hadn’t gone back for a visit.
She really missed ho, and she missed... Dad.
She sniffled and nodded, "I also want to go back. Especially since the dostic environnt might better aid my mom’s recovery."
After all, this place is unfamiliar, and there aren’t many Chinese in Deep Valley who can keep mom company. If we return to our ho country, those old friends and neighbors, even the vendors at the early morning and night markets, can reconnect mom with her roots.
Qi Xiuqi was overjoyed, "That’s great!"
Qi Xiuqi’s happiness was so evident that Shi Nian couldn’t help but feel a bit of remorse.
She said she wanted to go back to China, thinking she missed ho and also for her mom, but it didn’t an she could offer him any hope.
Shi Nian smiled, "I wonder about China’s policy on those who’ve been police officers in M Country, should they reside there, would there be any reviews and restrictions?"
Qi Xiuqi naturally understood. She said she’d consider going back, but it didn’t an she’d break up with Tang Yanqing; rather, she’d bring Tang Yanqing back with her.
Qi Xiuqi laughed awkwardly, "After all, the relations between the two countries... I think the necessary procedures should still be followed."
Younger days’ heartbeat, ultimately lost due to youthful recklessness. Now thinking back, how can there be no regrets?
He beca a police officer for her, stayed close to her father for her... yet ultimately ended up further away from her.
He couldn’t help but dwell on the past: "I’ve always wanted to ask you, why did you never consider at all back then? I know I was a bit foolish, clumsy when trying to court you... But still, I looked okay back then, and a lot of girls in class and school liked ."
Shi Nian laughed, seriously gazing at the man before her.
Qi Xiuqi was handso, especially in his police uniform, dignified and attractive; back then, he was as well.
"Is it because you thought I was timid? After the teacher blocked , I didn’t dare pursue you again, so maybe you thought I wasn’t man enough?"
Shi Nian thought carefully, "Actually, it’s not that. I just wasn’t awakened emotionally then, even if it were soone else, I wouldn’t have liked them either."
Qi Xiuqi was dissatisfied, "Junior sister, you’re dismissing . There was nobody at that age who wasn’t a bit awakened romantically."
Shi Nian sighed, "Alright, maybe I was, but I probably subconsciously used my dad as the standard, wanting soone who thinks like him. So appearance was secondary; I hoped for soone I could intellectually connect with, just like my dad. We could discuss cases together, play detective gas..." She spread her hands, "So you see, my initial longing for love wasn’t like what we had in school."
Qi Xiuqi nodded, "Like the young Sherlock Hols."
Shi Nian laughed, "Sort of. But if it’s just solving cases without being interesting, it wouldn’t work either."
At this mont, Qi Xiuqi was already an excellent detective, thinking far beyond his younger self. Observing Shi Nian’s expression, he couldn’t help but ask, "...Did you encounter soone like that back then, which is why you never paid attention to ?"
Shi Nian froze for a mont, then avoided his gaze, blushing slightly.
"No, I didn’t. We were classmates; if I had a boyfriend, wouldn’t you have noticed?"
Qi Xiuqi was sowhat unconvinced, "I never saw it, but you might have back then, right?"
Shi Nian shook her head helplessly, "Alright, senior brother! We’re talking about serious matters; why are you getting off-track to trivial matters now?"
Indeed, it was events from years ago, bringing them up now was pointless. After all, she already had Tang Yanqing, and at least Huangfu Hua Zhang was still watching closely.
Qi Xiuqi could only regain his focus, "Alright, no more about that. Or maybe after we solve the teacher’s case and have so free ti then we can revisit it."
Shi Nian nodded with a smile. Once things settled and the weight on her heart shattered completely, recalling youthful tis, holding a cup of tea, savoring a freshly roasted bag of chestnuts, it would be a delightful mont.
But before that, they have to endure the most difficult part of this journey.
She lowered her eyes, staring at her intertwined fingers, "Senior brother, help think, before and after that event, were there any signs?"
"It was before that series of baffling cases, wasn’t it? Zhang Suian’s disappearance case, Gu Xun’s private museum theft case, Guangming Primary School poisoning case... Each happened suddenly and tracking the cases was shrouded in mystery. Moreover, the teacher’s handling of previous cases seed involved, clearly targeting the teacher."
Shi Nian nodded. It was precisely for this reason that Dad believed soone he once brought to justice was seeking revenge. However, Dad couldn’t instantly determine who did it, leading to prolonged vigilance and never relaxing, resulting in his collapse ntally and physically when the critical event eventually erupted.
"But at that ti, I had just started university and wasn’t ho, so my dad rarely discussed those cases with . How do you see those cases, have you ever recalled any clues from them over the years?"
Qi Xiuqi gazed at Shi Nian, "Actually, those cases were gradually solved by the teacher. But even after solving them, the teacher wasn’t happy."
"Why?" Shi Nian couldn’t help but ask.
"Because once those cases were resolved, it turned out they were very simple. Like a riddle, with complex and intricate layers at first, but when solved, the answer was ridiculously simple. It seed almost unrelated to the original puzzle."
"For example, Zhang Suian’s disappearance initially ca with clues suggesting he might have been kidnapped or murdered, even the location where his body was disposed of was profiled by the teacher... But we all ended up grasping at straws, and Zhang Suian himself returned. It turned out he had gone hiking in the Sichuan Mountain Area with so friends, lost contact due to no phone signal."
"And the national first-grade relic in Gu Xun’s private museum, the Red Mountain Dragon, was found just below its original spot. It seed to have simply fallen down unnoticed, and everyone thought it was stolen."
Shi Nian was also taken aback, "How could this be?"
Qi Xiuqi shrugged, "Not just that, as soon as the teacher solved one case thinking he could breathe easy, another case would follow. Again the cri thods the teacher previously handled, once more familiar, appearing complex at first glance."
"The teacher managed well at the ti, but we felt we were losing our minds, like a group of monkeys being led on by soone dangling a lure, running around blindly without knowing who we were chasing."
Shi Nian’s heart suddenly raced a bit.
"So, could we say those cases never caused real harm: no one died, and nothing precious was truly lost?"
Qi Xiuqi nodded, "It was indeed proven afterward. But when the cases initially erged, they seed extrely serious."
Shi Nian clenched her fingers, "Or could we say this series of cases was essentially composed of virtual scenarios. They weren’t real cases, but rely a kind of detective ga?!"
Qi Xiuqi narrowed his eyes, pondering for a while, then nodded, "That previous series of cases was indeed like that. But at the end of the series, sothing real happened... Even if no one died before, it ultimately cost the teacher his life!"
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