Memory Lost

Bai Jin Xi is sitting at her desk with a serious expression as her mind is engulfed in deep thoughts.

It’s time for work. An officer walks in and pats her head on the way, “Xiao Bai, what are you thinking about? You can’t remember what you had for breakfast again?”

Everyone starts laughing right after his comment. Bai Jin Xi glares at the person, “Get lost!”

The bell rings to signal the start of work; everyone gets back to their own seats.

There hasn’t been anything big going on recently, just a few small cases: household registration management, safety and hazard disputes, theft, and young women reporting that they have been stalked and harassed……In comparison, the criminal investigators are rather free with not much to do.

Zhou Xiao Zhuan gives himself a push and slides on his chair all the way to Bai Jin Xi.

“Leader, what are you so concentrated on thinking about?”

Bai Jin Xi bends down to her desk and their two heads come closer.

“Go find that Si Si and probe,” she says quietly.

It takes a few seconds for Zhou Xiao Zhuan to remember that “Si Si” was that mistress. He says feeling awkward, “Leader, why won’t you just let that man go?”

Bai Jin Xi doesn’t answer.

His face suddenly changes as if he has just thought of something. He gives her an once-over, “Don’t tell me you’re interested in that guy?”

He then continues to murmur while Bai Jin Xi is still in shock, “Is it really true that women only falls in love with bad men? He’s clearly a rotten guy……”

Bai Jin Xi grabs a book on the desk and hits him on the head, “Shut up! Stop the nonsense and go investigate!”

But Zhou Xiao Zhuan continues muttering, “I’m warning you! Don’t let Forensic Investigator Xu know that you’re paying so much attention to another man. Remember last time the robbery suspect touched you, Forensic Investigator Xu’s expression immediately changed. And then he was mad and ignored you for a week. Have you forgotten already?”

Bai Jin Xi pauses while bending down to fetch her book. She lifts her head and rolls her eyes at him, “What nonsense are you talking about? Forensic Investigator Xu and I are purely friends. He was worried about me getting hurt last time.”

Zhou Xiao Zhuan doesn’t think so. He twitches his mouth and leaves feeling annoyed.

_____

The Guanhu station is located on the west side of Jiangcheng. It is a small greyish white building with a big courtyard in the front which has many camphor trees, making it cool and quiet.

Everyone is planning for lunch when it’s near noon. Just when Bai Jin Xi is about to stand up, their office’s door is pushed open, and a person walks in.

The officers greet the person with a smile, and also not forgetting to make a few faces at Bai Jin Xi.

“Forensic Investigator Xu, you’re here.”

“Forensic Investigator Xu, you’re here to deliver lunch for Xiao Bai again?”

“Xiao Bai won’t be joining us for lunch. Forensic Investigator Xu, we’ll see you later!”

Speak of the devil. The Forensic Investigator Xu that Xiao Zhuan has been talking about all morning is wearing a simple white shirt and black trousers. He has one hand in his pocket, while carrying a few thermos lunch boxes; a handsome gentleman standing by the door. He smiles and greets everyone in the room. After everyone else leaves, he glances towards Bai Jin Xi, and then walks over to her.

Bai Jin Xi watches him come with her chin resting in her palm.

“You shouldn’t keep bringing me lunch all the time. It’s so inconvenient.”

Although she’s saying this, her eyes are already staring at the lunch boxes in his hand. She takes a sniff in hope to find out what’s in them through their delicious smell.

As if Xu Si Bai knew that she would do this, he keeps quiet. He watches her carefully and slowly takes the lunch boxes out. He opens them, takes out two pairs of chopsticks, hands her a pair, and then sits across from her.

“The food outside is not clean,” his voice is soft and peaceful,” I might as well cook.” ƒ𝔯𝗲𝗲𝙬𝒆𝚋𝐧oѵℯl.𝒄𝑜m

“Thanks!” she can’t help smiling. She lifts the box up and starts to gobble the food down.

Xu Si Bai eats just like he works; quiet and focused. His sleeves are rolled up. His every move is calm and elegant. It’s only when Bai Jin Xi is eating with him that she’s quiet like a refined lady——there’s no helping it. He doesn’t like to talk, and doesn’t like others to be too noisy.

They finish eating soon after.

He wipes his mouth with a napkin, drinks his cup of water slowly, and then puts the lunch boxes back into the bag neatly——as always, he doesn’t like others to help.

He stands up with the bag of lunch boxes with one hand in his pocket just like before; tall and dashing. He looks at her with tender eyes, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to go look at a corpse.”

“What’s the situation?”

He reveals a smile and says with a hint of excitement in his eyes, “It just came in today. After the person was dead, he/she was wounded five different times. You’ve probably never seen it before.”

Bai Jin Xi blinks and smiles too, “Okay!”

_____

Bai Jin Xi and Xu Si Bai’s friendship goes back to three years ago. He was transferred to Guanhu from another city. The two of them met due to a murder case. Before him, Bai Jin Xi had never met a forensic investigator as skillful and had such deep knowledge as him.

Although criminal investigators don’t need to manage the forensic investigator’s findings, the more they know about it, the more it helps them to solve the cases. Ever since Bai Jin Xi discovered this “big treasure,” she naturally went to visit often, bringing Zhou Xiao Zhuan along. After a few times, they got to know each other more.

On the other hand, Xu Si Bai is an introvert, and doesn’t view fame and fortune as something important. He only travels between the lab, the station, and his apartment every day; living a dull yet devoted life. Therefore, even though he’s young, handsome, smart, and is slowly becoming more and more well-known in the industry, he doesn’t have a girlfriend or have any girls pursuing him.

Bai Jin Xi is his only rumored girlfriend.

But in Bai Jin Xi’s eyes, they are simply two people who have the same interest and admiration for each other, so they’re rather close. Although he seems unfriendly, he is actually very kind and sincere to his friends. Therefore, he cares about her more than other people.

As for becoming boy and girlfriends? Not even a chance.

_____

The white Chevrolet drives steadily through the sunlit streets. Xu Si Bai is sitting with his back straight, and two hands on the wheel; he’s this serious even when driving.

“Why are you looking at me?” he asks suddenly with his eyes still looking straight ahead.

Bai Jin Xi giggles, “Old (indication of familiarity) Xu, I was just thinking, if no one wants us in the future, we should just make do and be together. You can continue to love your dead bodies, and I can continue to love my violent criminals. We can be understanding of each other and not be bothered by others.”

Xu Si Bai turns and glances at her feeling a little startled, and then turns his focus back to the road.

“I don’t make do on this matter,” he says, “If I’m serious, it would be for the rest of my life. I will treat her well wholeheartedly. You shouldn’t think about just making do either.”

Bai Jin Xi smiles indifferently and turns to look at the side window.

_____

The autopsy facility is located in an old white brick building that’s not far from Guanhu police station. The hallway is extremely quiet in the afternoon, only a few voices and footsteps can be heard occasionally, but very softly. Although it’s the middle of summer, the whole building gives off a sense of coolness.

Xu Si Bai leads Bai Jin Xi, and they soon arrive at the cold and quiet laboratory.

Everything is white.

White ceiling; white walls; white lights; white metal body storage.

Only the body lying on the metal bed is marked with wounds.

Xiao Yao, Xu Si Bai’s assistant, is a twenty or so year old fellow. He hands Bai Jin Xi a lab coat with a bright smile, “Big Sister Jin Xi, just call me if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” Bai Jin Xi receives the lab coat smiling, and then gets changed. She turns around, and sees Xu Si Bai standing beside the dead body waiting for her with his hands behind him. She can only see his pair of deep brown eyes with a mask covering the rest of his face.

Everyone knows that Xu Si Bai is very fast in completing his examination of a body; fast, detailed, and accurate. Therefore, he’s also nicknamed, “Jiangcheng’s quick hands.” But since Bai Jin Xi is here, he identifies, evaluates, and dissects each and every wound and organ carefully in detail.

In the rather big laboratory, it’s cold and lonely; as if time passes much slower than normal. It’s only when the two of them talk that the silence breaks.

“What kind of weapon caused this wound?” Bai Jin Xi points to the body’s right thigh wound.

Xu Si Bai is standing beside her, writing the report on his findings. He glances at the wound and asks, “You can’t tell?”

Bai Jin Xi shakes her head.

He puts down his notebook and pen, bends over, and studies the wound carefully.

“The side of the wound shows a pierced cut and it seems to be hardening……” he murmurs, “this wound was created from stabbing……”

“Oh, is that so?” Bai Jin Xi is just about to straighten up again, but when she turns her head, she realizes that Xu Si Bai’s face is very close to hers. His dark brown eyes and soft short hair makes his skin looks even paler. Tiny sweat covers his forehead, gradually running down by the side of his face and onto his neck.

Bai Jin Xi’s mind goes blank for a second.

Not only his face is close, his whole body is leaning close to her in order to take a better look at the wound. She can smell the scent coming from his body; slightly warm, carrying a mild scent of body soap accompanied with a forensic investigator’s unique smell of formalin and blood.

Xu Si Bai seems to notice her falling into a daze. He turns and looks at her in close proximity; his tall and straight nose brushes her face lightly. But his gaze is no different from looking at a dead body; calm and indifferent. He straightens up his body naturally and asks, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

In actual fact, perhaps it’s because she has never come in body contact with a man before. The instant Xu Si Bai came so close to her, she suddenly thought about last night; being pressed down by that man with every inch of their skin touching each other; and the smell of cigarettes and coffee mixed with the man’s breath……

She clears her thoughts, wiping away the regrettable imagery out of her head.

Xu Si Bai glances at her and moves on to the next wound.

Her phone suddenly rings. As if it wants to constantly remind her of the imagery, the phone’s screen shows no other than Zhou Xiao Zhuan.

Bai Jin Xi stands up straight immediately and smiles at Xu Si Bai, “I’ll go take this phone call.” She takes off her gloves and hurries into a small room separated by glass.

“Hey, Leader!”

Bai Jin Xi glances at Xu Si Bai, who’s not far away. He’s waiting patiently for her with his arms crossed.

“What’s the matter?” she says in a low voice.

“Nothing,” Zhou Xiao Zhuan sighs, “That Si Si is not easy to probe. Her mouth is tight. I’ve been with her all day and haven’t found out anything. But……”

“But what?”

“But Si Si said that man has words for you.”

Bai Jin Xi becomes defensive, “What words?”

“They’re a little strange……” Zhou Xiao Zhuan says carefully and slowly, “He said: ‘If someone continues to be nosy, she can forget about relocating her shoulder after it is dislocated.’”

“……”

Bai Jin Xi can’t help but curse in the end.