Memory Lost

The night is hazy and the lamps by the lakeside are like bright shining pearls.

The three men stare at each other quietly. Da Wei finally speaks incompetently, "Chen Er, if the woman we saw today is Su Mian……either you let her be punished by the law! Or……take her away and disappear forever! We'll pretend that we never met her today and we won't tell anyone!"

Monkey nods furiously. Their eyes are red as they stare at Han Chen.

But Han Chen lowers his head slightly. The subtle light from the lake surface reflects on his face. His voice is full of determination, "There's no need. She's not a serial killer. We'll unveil the truth about the incident back then."

Da Wei doesn't know what to say. Monkey blurts out, "What if she is one?"

"There's no if!" Han Chen jerks his head up. His eyes are dark like the pitch black sky behind him.

"If……a very minuscule possibility really exists?" Da Wei speaks again while staring directly at Han Chen, "You haven't recovered your memory fully, right? You can't remember what happened back then. If she really did make the wrong step, Han Chen, what should you do then?!"

He questions intensely making Han Chen quiet down.

The three of them are in awkward silence again.

"She will admit her wrongdoing then. I will wait for her," he says, turns around and leaves.

_____

Su Mian waits for another while before seeing Han Chen walking toward her in the shadows from the trees accompanied by sparse lighting from the streetlamps. And behind him, Monkey and Da Wei pause their footsteps, turn around and leave. The other unfamiliar people leave with them.

Only she and he are left by themselves again.

Su Mian watches him come near.

He seems calm and his eyes are dark. If it isn't for his slightly ruffled hair, she wouldn't be able to tell that he and his buddies just had a fierce argument. He stands beside her with one hand on the white railing and the other on her shoulder, "Cold?"

Su Mian shakes her head. She tugs on his arm and looks up at him, "Tell me. It looks like you got a very big problem."

Han Chen stares at her quietly for a moment.

"You've got sharp eyes. There is indeed a big problem."

He tells her about Su Mian's and Bai Jin Xi's identities being switched in simple words. But it's the only thing that he tells her.

Su Mian remains quiet. This doesn't come as a surprise to her. It's just that when she thinks about the real Bai Jin Xi, she has mixed feelings in her heart. A girl who has undergone plastic surgery to look like her; a girl who she has taken the identity of; a girl who might have been controlled by the seven-member organization. Did Bai Jin Xi sacrifice herself because she did not have a choice? Or did she willingly allow the seven-member organization dictate her? There's no way to find out.

"But……" her eyebrows furrow, "if this was all arranged by the seven-member organization, why didn't they kill me? Instead, why did they let me live, leaving behind danger? Furthermore, Da Wei and Monkey lied to you for this many years because they thought I died? Is there no other reason?"

She catches two key questionable points with her sensitivity, startling Han Chen a bit.

Out of an investigator's instinct, that possibility flashes across his mind——

If she had really let herself go and fell to the pits, the first question can be explained then——It's because the seven-member organization considered her as part of them, therefore, they didn't kill her. They even "hid" her away safely, giving her a new identity and life.

……

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth (Sherlock Holmes).

This is what she and he have always believed in.

……

But this time, he doesn't believe it.

He hugs her, lowers his head and kisses her hair, "Did you forget that you were an undercover policeman? Da Wei and Monkey refusing to tell me about you is a misunderstanding. They thought that you had already let yourself go and fall into the pits."

Su Mian feels relief and glances at him, "You shouldn't blame them then."

"Mm, I won't blame them." 𝐟𝐫𝗲𝙚ｗ𝚎𝐛𝙣𝐨𝙫𝘦𝗹.c૦m

They lift their heads and admire the lake surface together.

"There are still a lot of details that we don't know," he says slowly, "How did you become an undercover cop? How did we end up in the explosion accident? Why didn't they kill you? Did they have another motive? We can't find the answers to all these things at once. So we shouldn't rush to find the answer to a certain question. We should chase after the root of everything to find out the truth of the entire case. And then all these questions will be answered."

Su Mian sighs softly.

"Okay!" her voice is crisp and firm, "No matter what their motive may be, we must defeat them!"

The night is quiet. Her hands are on the railing while she looks up at the sky. The side profile of her face is fair white and soft; captivating and smooth like jade. And those eyes are bright and clear, reflecting the water from the lake.

She then turns her head to look at him and smiles.

Han Chen stares at her quietly. He lets go of the railing suddenly and holds her face. He lowers his head and kisses her.

His kiss comes so suddenly and fiercely. He presses her against a big tree before she is quick enough to react. His one hand is on the tree trunk while his other is holding her chin; his lips and tongue move aggressively with hers.

Su Mian moans as she struggles to break free, "Han Chen……there are people everywhere……"

"Don't care."

She can even hear him gasping for air while kissing. His burning tongue sweeps inside her mouth causing her mind to go blank.

"What's up with you……" she persists in trying to stop him.

But he ignores her completely. He moves his lips away slowly and stares at her at a close distance, "Su Mian, kiss me."

Su Mian, "Ah?"

Right after he makes his request, he doesn't wait for her to come out of her daze. He lowers his head and rubs his ear and the side of his face against her lips lightly, gesturing for her to kiss him. He, on the other hand, starts kissing her around the neck.

……

It's not until they get back to the hotel that his enthusiasm is fully released. The moment they close the door, he lifts her up and puts her against the wall. Their bodies begin to twist with each other. It's the wildest position that they've ever been in. He enters her too quickly; Su Mian gasps and shouts, "Ow!" His eyes are dark like there are tidal waves rippling in them. Yet he slows down his rhythm and kisses her gently while thrusting slowly.

……

The night is still very, very dark. The moon can be seen outside of the window, hanging on top of the skyscrapers.

Su Mian is lying on the bed on her stomach softly. Han Chen has his arms wrapped around her from behind. He continues kissing her back; it's as if he possesses her entirely.

They continue for another while like this. Su Mian, who is completely out of energy from being "bullied," speaks slowly, "Why are you behaving like this today?"

Han Chen is always laid back and gentle at moments like these; his temperament as a young master is also at its height. He grabs her hand and rubs it in his palm and says nonchalantly, "Just wanted a change in flavor."

Su Mian, "……F–k you!"

She turns her body to face him. He pulls over the blanket to cover them both and lowers his head to look into her eyes.

"I know you weren't happy after seeing your buddies today," she says softly, "so that's why you're like this, right?"

Her voice with the utmost gentleness makes Han Chen falls into silence immediately. He stares at her with his heart feeling even more tender.

But she changes the subject with her face revealing a mischievous smile, "I knew it! All men are animals who use their lower bodies to think." She then picks up his hand and puts it on her chest, "Come! However depressed you feel in your heart, just take it out on me! I can handle it! In a key moment like this, how can I not show my support!"

After her superb speech, her face is blushing and charming, but her eyes carry a hint of a playful smile. Han Chen's mind goes blank from watching her.

A moment later, he lowers his head and laughs. His fair white face is so handsome like he's a painting.

Su Mian giggles, "Hehheh."

After a while, he reaches out his arms and wraps them around her waist. Her body curves up slightly, leaning against his.

He looks at her with his deep eyes.

Many imagery flashes across his mind——

Behind the screen at the nightclub in Jiangcheng, she said to him arrogantly and calmly, "You come with us back to the station. If you haven't done anything to break the law, we won't do any injustice to you."

In T's case, T sent his invitation to the Black Shield Team officially, requesting that he and she to participate without any weapons. Death may have been waiting for them, but she stood up swiftly and said, "I'm willing to go."

And on that night. She sat inside his car and said to him with the same tone of voice, "He would marry me after I graduate. He won't marry anyone else but me in his life."

……

There are a thousand reasons to not believe in her, but it only takes one reason to believe her. It's enough to make all "evidence" and so-called logic to become useless——

Losing her memory, being muddled, lonely, and becoming an unknown bumpkin……she has lost everything and forgotten about everything, but she has not stopped loving him or given up on her beliefs and desires.

How could a person like her possibly change?

……

He lowers his head and kisses her deeply.

"Promise me one thing."

"Hm?" she opens her eyes.

"Didn't you say that you only have me now?" he asks unconcernedly.

Su Mian doesn't know what he's trying to get at, so she responds carefully, "Yes……what's the matter?"

"If that's the case, listen to me," he says crisply, "No matter what happens in the future, just trust me and trust yourself. Got it?"

Su Mian blinks her eyes. She wants to say something but instead, nods while looking into his eyes, "Okay. I promise you."

Han Chen smiles slightly. He hugs her, lies down and says, "And one more thing, your undercover identity has not been verified, so there's still danger to that. Therefore, continue to be Bai Jin Xi and don't tell anyone about your real identity."

Su Mian understands this very well. She thinks for a second and asks, "I can't even tell Xiao Zhuan?"

Han Chen glances at her, "No."

"Sigh, okay."