Hangzhou, China – October 20th, 7 AM
In the conference room, Cao Niu Ju tries not to draw attention to herself. She feels like a fraud. The other victims from the container greet her warmly, like comrades in arms. But to her, they are strangers. While everyone else was struggling to survive, she was unconscious. Even the kidnapping is a blur in her memory. She doesn’t belong with these strong and brave women.
She listens quietly as they go around sharing their stories; she is grateful she didn’t have to go through what they did. All she can remember from that time is pain. A feeling of being trapped in a dark cloud, shooting lightning into her body. Then shadow demons would press down on her chest and squeeze the air from her lungs.
After waking from her nightmare, she was told what happened, but it was like hearing someone else’s story. However, whether she remembers it or not, the fact remains, she owes everyone in this room a huge debt she can never repay.
She is pulled out of her musings when Chai Lai Luan nudges her shoulder conspiratorially.
“Crying isn’t so bad.” The pretty girl says, “I failed my College Entrance Exam, so my parents were pushing me to go on blind dates. Now they’ve agreed to let me try again.”
Cao Niu Ju isn’t sure what the context of the conversation was that she missed, so she picks the most neutral point to reply to.
“You want to go back to school?” she asks.
“Yeah, to be a nurse.” Chai Lai Luan’s gaze flicks toward her hero, the red-haired American named Anna. “I figured I helped save you, so maybe I can help others too.”
Cao Niu Ju knew Anna and one of the other girls had kept her alive during that time, but she didn’t know who. The last person she would have guessed it to be is the Chai Lai Luan. She is perky and sweet, but doesn’t seem the type to take anything seriously. I’ve misjudged her, Cao Niu Ju thinks, adding another to her guilt.
“Thank you for saving me,” she says sincerely.
“No problem. I’m happy I didn’t screw up.” Chai Lai Luan then jumps to a new topic. “Are you smart?”
Cao Niu Ju isn’t sure where this is leading, but she answers honestly. “I don’t go to college.” Chai Lai Luan’s smile dims so she adds, “But I was in the top ten in my high school.”
Chai Lai Luan brightens. “Great, now that we are friends, you can help me study.”
Before she can react to that declaration, Cao Niu Ju overhears one of the girls mention a survey and a prize wheel. It feels rude to interrupt up, but something niggles at her memory and the police did say to look for anything they had in common no matter how insignificant.
It’s probably nothing, but what if it wasn’t?
Softly she says, “At Qingchun Square?”
To Cao Niu Ju’s surprise, it was more than a coincidence. All of them remembered doing the same survey except for Chai Lai Luan, who is surprisingly quiet for the rest of the meeting. Hours later, it finally ends. Cao Niu Ju is exhausted, but feeling better since she was able to contribute a small amount.
All the girls exchange WeChat information to stay in contact; even Anna writes down her email. Soon, people start filtering out and it is only the police and Anna left in the room. She should leave as well, but she doesn’t want to miss her chance.
There is someone she needs to speak to, someone who in her heart she owes more than anyone else. Cau Niu Ju hesitantly approaches Agent Kang. She knows she shouldn’t bother him when he is busy; her feelings are not as important as finding the criminals, but she can’t leave without trying. She waits patiently till he finishes talking with the other officers.
When he finally turns around, she quells her instinct to leave, to avoid being a nuisance. “Excuse me, Agent Kang,” her voice a whisper. “Is it possible for me to contact the officer who was injured?”
“Yes,” Kang says simply, “I meant to give this to you.” He hands her a card.
Cao Niu Ju lets out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Cao Niu Ju accepts the card with two hands. On the back of it are six characters— Xin Tian Rm 111.
***
Looking left and right over her shoulder, Chai Lai Luan walks briskly down the street. It is starting to get dark, and she now knows exactly how dangerous it can be for a female at night. Already on edge, a sudden clang of metal in an alley causes her to jump out of her skin and scream.
The stray cat on top of the trash can screeches back at her in annoyance while the few other pedestrians on the street give her strange looks. She lowers her eyes and hurries to the entrance of her family's two-bedroom apartment. When she opens the door, she is greeted by the smell of steamed fish. Seafood wasn’t in this week's grocery budget; her brother, Yufei, must be home.
Carp is her brother’s favorite, so their mom will make it when he visits. It would be less annoying if she got to enjoy the meal as well, but she is allergic. They’ll also have to cut back on groceries for the rest of the week, so she’ll be eating congee for the next few days.
When she enters the kitchen, her mom stops what she is doing to let out a small sigh of relief. “You’re home,” she says, then asks hesitatingly, “How was your meeting?”
Her dad’s eyes drop to the floor; he doesn’t like to talk about what happened.
“It was good.” She answers vaguely. She hopes that her mom won’t ask for details. She doesn’t want her mom to know about the survey. Lai Luan knows she didn’t fill it out, so she suspects that her mom must have done it. It must have been when her mom went to the mall to get sneakers for her brother’s birthday.
“Why don’t you help set the table?” Her mom says, handing her the chopsticks.
Chai Lai Luan takes the utensils, she is surprised he brother is back so soon. He stays at the dorm unless he uses up his allowance. About once a month, the prince will come back for a feast and to ask her for money. Then she remembers the last time he was home was the night she was taken, she wasn’t able to give him the cash she took out at the ATM. No wonder he was back.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Once the dishes are on the table, Yufei comes out of his room. Her mom picks out all the best pieces and places them into his bowl. Only the best for the golden goose.
Once her brother graduates from university, he’ll be able to get a good job and help provide for their parents. The money Lai Luan makes is insignificant to his future earnings. She should be satisfied eating vegetables, she thinks and helps herself to some eggplant.
“When are you going back to work?” her brother asks.
Chai Lai Luan looks up from her bowl in surprise, he doesn’t normally talk to her unless he needs something. Maybe what happened to her shook him up? Is this a chance for them to have a closer sibling bond?
“Tomorrow.” She says happily, “My boss said sales have gone down since I’ve been out.”
“It’s good that your boss appreciates you.” Her mom inserts encouragingly.
“It’s better if she gets married.” Her brother says, “When are you going on your next blind date?”
“I’m not,” Lai Luan says, “I’ve decided to retake the exam and go to nursing school.”
He scoffs. “You’re not serious. Don’t waste your time.”
“I’m serious. I’m going to--”
“Do you want to be a burden on mom and dad forever?” He cuts in sharply, “You better hurry up and find a man. No one will want you once word gets out about what happened.”
Lai Luan looks at her parents, wondering if they feel the same way, but their eyes are cast down at the table. Her father’s knuckles are white around his chopsticks.
Lai Luan winces from the direct strike, “It’s not my fault.” She repeats what the therapist told her.
“If you didn’t smile at everyone you meet, you probably wouldn’t have been kidnapped.” He says.
Lai Luan’s eyes fill up with angry and hurt tears, but before she can defend herself again, her dad slams his fists on the table. “Enough!”
He takes the bowl in front of Yufei away. All three people at the table look at him in surprise. Lai Luan can’t remember the last time her father lost his temper.
“Lai Luan doesn’t need to get married. We’ll make do.” He declares.
After the shock fades, Yufei sneers in her direction. Her mother casts her a sympathetic glance, but doesn’t say anything.
Lai Luan is grateful for her father's support. She knows her parents love her, but they don’t normally have the time or energy to spare to show it. However, even though he came to her defense, it doesn’t go unnoticed that he also doesn’t think she’ll amount to anything.
***
The only thing worse than the pain is uncertainty, Tian thinks as the doctor leaves the ward. They won't give him a straight answer about getting back on his feet again. After two surgeries, it is still “wait and see.”
The room is a hub of activity with five roommates, there is a constant stream of family and friends going in and out of the room. Tian is naturally lively and enjoys constant conversation and activity, but it hits home that none of the visitors are there for him.
After his grandparents passed away earlier this year, he only has his brother Xin Hao. They resigned from the Special Forces after their five years were up, because their grandfather got sick. It was the right choice because he died less than six months after they returned home, and their grandmother followed him shortly after.
It’s ironic that after working on anti-terrorism in the military, as part of the elite Snow Leopard Unit, it’s his first day as a regular police officer that he gets shot. Now he is stuck alone in the hospital while his brother is at work being a hero.
What will he do if he can never use his leg again? Will he be a burden to Hao for the rest of his life? His spiraling thoughts are interrupted by a girl at the door. She doesn’t look like she can decide if she wants to come in or not. He wonders if she is lost.
“Are you looking for someone?” he shouts from his bed.
When she turns, he can finally see her features. She is a bit older than he first thought, probably college-aged. Her wide, nervous eyes are set in a pretty, soft, round face with a small nose and full lips.
She reminds him of the kind of girl who always had her nose in a book in school and would be terrified when called to speak in front of the class.
“I’m looking for Officer Xin Tian.”
Tian is surprised. Then he notices the bag she is holding. His brother must have ordered delivery.
“I’m Xin Tian.”
She approaches the bed with hesitant steps. Then unexpectedly she dips down into a low bow and presents the bag with both hands.
“Thank you for saving me.” He hears her say softly.
Then it dawns on him, Major Kang had mentioned one of the victims from the scene had asked for his information. He thought it was to send a card or banner—not an in-person visit.
“I was doing my job.” He says awkwardly. “You didn’t have to bring a gift.”
Still keeping her eyes lowered, “It’s a special healing tea, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”
Uncomfortable with such formality from a woman, he takes the bag, “Thank you.”
Her hands, now free, don’t seem to know where to go. She shifts nervously.
“Do you want to sit?” He asks since she is here.
She hesitates another moment, then finds an empty chair and pulls it over to the side of the bed.
“So…” he says, wanting to break the awkward silence. His code name was Chatterbox, but he was surrounded by guys. He finds himself unexpectedly tongue-tied around this woman. So he sticks to the basics, “What’s your name?”
“Cao Niu Ju.”
The name sounds familiar; it only takes a second more to make the connection. He looks at her closely—she is the girl from the ambulance.
Container Yard – October 10th, 1 AM
The yard is organized chaos as Tain closes the back door of the cop car, sealing a thug inside. Just as he thinks the operation is going smoothly, a newbie officer loses control over his perp.
The perp grabs hold of the officer’s gun, a round goes off, and Tian’s world explodes into pain. It feels as if jaws from the ground emerged and ripped into his lower body. When the shock recedes, he can see that his leg is a mangle of blood and bone. Two men rush to his side, they wrap his arms around their shoulders and support him to an ambulance.
A medic rushes to apply pressure. Tian's stomach churns, and he is forced to look away. A stretcher is being rushed out of the container and heading in his direction.
The medics lift the stretcher into the ambulance and grab the defibrillator.
“Her heart stopped!” A medic shouts.
“Clear!”
The man working on Tian ties off the bandage, pulls him into the ambulance, and shuts the door.
“Still nothing!”
“Again!”
Tian feels numb as he watches the medics work. He hopes they succeed, he doesn’t want to be stuck in a metal box with a dead body.
“We have a heartbeat!”
“It’s still erratic.”
“If we do it again, it might stop for good.”
A medic moves and Tian sees a delicate hand flopped over the edge of the stretcher. He pulls himself out of the way of the medic's feet. The movement sends a wave of fire shooting down his leg. He curses, but from his new position, he can see the girl’s face. It is swollen with bruises, but her big, dark eyes are open, black pools of despair, like a ghost’s. He is struck by the thought, if she dies, it will haunt him forever.
***
She felt like there was no such thing as time or space, but she could smell water and moonlight. Like she is inside a memory, cold and distant, there but not. She wants to follow the ocean breeze, but then she feels it--warmth.
A soft heat in her hand, keeping her tied in place, and a voice.
“Stay, stay with me. Open your eyes again.”
They are too heavy, she thinks, but the voice continues to coax.
“My face is so handsome, open your eyes so you can see.”
She is curious, are all Heavenly Officials so vain?
***
The man in the bed is not quite the warrior angel she imagined, Cao Niu Ju muses. She anticipated someone older and more severe, like Agent Kang. Instead, he is only a few years older than her, lean, with tussled hair and his boyish features. He looks more like a pop idol than a police officer.
She overheard two doctors in the hall discussing his case. She hadn’t expected his injuries would be so severe. They didn’t know if they would be able to save his leg. He must be scared. It will be a long, hard road to recovery.
If it wasn’t for Xin Tain, she wouldn’t be here. Her debt to him is the most tangible.
Letting go of fear and rationality, she takes his hand. His mouth drops in surprise at her boldness. In a burst of courage, the words in her heart spill out, “You told me to stay by your side, and you held my hand when I needed someone the most. Please allow me to return the favor.”
As suddenly as it appeared, her bravery evaporates and she quickly releases his hand. Unable to look at him, her face burning with embarrassment, she rushes out of the ward.
