Cherish You as My Life - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“Was the girl found?” Han Xi asked curiously.

“No,” Ji Yao said, shaking his head. “She was kidnapped when she was two years old. Uncle Chen kept searching, and finally, five years later, he found some clues. Uncle Chen went after those clues and never came back.”

As the sound of the rain eventually stopped, he peered out the window and said, “Speaking of which, Uncle Chen encouraged me to become a criminal policeman. I can still remember what happened when they came to rescue me. A weak and helpless little boy was tied up by a cruel gangster and locked up in a small, dark room. Finally, someone came to save him. The man held the opened door with a gun, and the light shone in from behind him.”

Han Xi looked up at the roof. The wooden boards were soaked by the rain, and a drop of rain dripped from the gap. 

Ji Yao stepped over and took his water bottle and placed it on the ground to catch the water.

“You are pampering me more than my mother.”

Han Xi: “You use the word pampering too easily. If it had been someone else, I would have divided it as well.”

Ji Yao pretended not to hear it. ‘She is just doting on me anyway.’

The rain slowly stopped, Ji Yao’s cell phone finally ran out of battery, and the only light in the room disappeared.

Han Xi lay down, resting her head on her backpack. She turned around to get ready for sleep.

Ji Yao sat on a small, broken chair and listened carefully to what was going on outside the house. After the rain, many nocturnal animals would come out to look for food, so he couldn’t let his guard down.

Han Xi turned around and saw only darkness. She sat up suddenly from the bed. Her body was trembling slightly, and fear flashed in her eyes.

When she was a child, if she did something wrong, she would be locked in a small, dark room by the director of the orphanage. It was cold, damp, and without food. She almost froze to death and starved to death several times.

In the darkness, she heard a deep and powerful voice. “I’m here; don’t be afraid.”

Then she heard someone humming softly in her ear.

 “Stand up! 

Those who are unwilling to become slaves!

Take our flesh and build it to become a new Great Wall!

The Chinese people have reached a dangerous time.

Every person is being compelled to send out a final roar.

Arise! Arise! Arise!”

The man’s voice was pleasant and magnetic.

But it was also the first time she heard someone singing the national song out of tune like this. She couldn’t hold it back and laughed out loud.

Suddenly she felt like she wasn’t afraid anymore.

Han Xi gradually closed her eyes and vaguely heard him changing a song.

“I love you not because of your beauty…”

Unlike before, this song sung by him was not out of tune. Every note was sung extremely accurately, and his voice was low and quiet.

It was like she was at a concert.

The sound of wind accompanied him, and the stage was paved by the rising moonlight.

That night, she slept peacefully and was not awakened by nightmares.

The next day, the sun shone in through the window. 

Han Xi woke up and saw Ji Yao leaning against the window, looking at her.

She subconsciously covered her chest and glanced down. Luckily, everything was in order. 

Seeing the panicked look in the woman’s eyes, Ji Yao came over. He leaned against the table, smiled, and said, “A man and a woman live together in the same room. In ancient times, you would have to marry me.”

Han Xi tidied up her clothes, got off the bed, and looked at the man and said, “I won’t marry.”

Ji Yao immediately answered, “Then I’ll marry you.”

Han Xi put her backpack behind her back and walked towards the door while saying, “I’m a forensic doctor.”

Ji Yao picked up something and said, “I know.”

Han Xi stopped, turned around, and glanced at Ji Yao. “If a forensic doctor kills people, it’s not difficult at all to leave no traces.”

Ji Yao pretended to be scared. “Woman, do you want to be so cruel?”

Han Xi pursed her lips and smiled, then opened the door.

Yesterday it was raining hard and they were eager to find Qiao Jiang, so they didn’t have a chance to admire the beauty of the mountain. 

Yesterday she felt this mountain was dangerous. But now, it was illuminated by the bright sunshine, the leaves glowed with an attractive emerald green, with crimson berries dotted between the green dots. She felt like they had entered a fairytale world.

Ji Yao turned his face sideways and looked at the woman beside him.

She raised her head slightly, facing the direction of the sun. Her eyes were squinted, and the corners of her lips were slightly raised.

He knew that she had experienced more darkness than anyone could imagine, and he appreciated that after she had experienced this infinite darkness, she stood in the sunshine, with innocence and kindness still shining in her eyes.

At the bottom of the mountain, Zhao Jingjing and others stood in front of the police car, preparing to take people up the mountain.

Ji Yao came down from the mountain and waved his hand. “Friends down the mountain, how are you?”

Everyone felt relieved when they saw their naughty captain.

Zhou Li came over with several bags of potato chips. “Captain Ji, you must be hungry.” After that, she handed over two bottles of banana milk.

Ji Yao took a few sips of milk while listening to Zhao Jingjing’s report.

Qiao Jiang escaped by relying on his familiarity with the terrain of Lianhua Mountain. The bloody clothes found from his home were confirmed by DNA testing to be those of the deceased Zhou Tong. The police have set up checkpoints to prevent him from escaping Nanquan City and issued a city-wide manhunt.

After Zhao Jingjing finished his report, he asked, “It rained heavily last night. How did you get through it?” Then, seeing dark circles under Ji Yao’s eyes, he asked, “Did you stay up all night?” 

Ji Yao glanced at Han Xi and said, “Luckily, there is a cabin on the mountain.”

Zhou Li opened a bag of potato chips and whispered, “And then you didn’t sleep all night?” She didn’t dare say the next words. But it didn’t prevent her from thinking strangely. Especially seeing Ji Yao only wearing a vest on his upper body. 

On a rainy night, there was a  handsome man and a beautiful woman in a wooden house in the mountains, and they didn’t sleep all night.

Wouldn’t it be so exciting?

Ji Yao knocked on Zhou Li’s head. “What are you thinking about? I, your team leader, am that kind of person?”

Zhou Li raised her head and laughed twice, not daring to express her true thoughts.

Ji Yao handed Han Xi a bottle of milk and said, “Thank you for the lemonade; please drink milk. Banana flavour.”

Only then did Han Xi realise that the man had stayed with her all night without sleeping. 

She took the bottle and looked up at him and muttered, “Thank you.” Her voice was soft. It was the first time he heard her speak to him in such a gentle tone.

At this time, a row of three cars drove up from behind.

This place was remote, and usually no one came, let alone a line of cars. Everyone immediately increased their vigilance.

The cars parked behind the police car and blocked the road. It seemed because the road was narrow, but in fact it was more like a provocation.

Luo Haiyao walked out of the black cayenne.

Ji Yao leaned against a police car and looked at the visitor with a somewhat scrupulous expression.

He had seen this man before the police station, picking Han Xi up from work.

Han Xi explained to everyone. “I’m sorry, that’s my friend. I’ll ask him to park the car aside.” After that, she walked over.

The other party seemed to listen to her words and quickly moved the car.

Luo Haiyao looked Han Xi up and down, and when he saw that she was intact, he breathed a sigh of relief. “You have been out of contact all night.” After that, he took off his suit jacket and put it on her body.

Han Xi replied, “Well, I’m trapped on the mountain, and there was no signal.”

Luo Haiyao opened the car door. “Let’s go; I’ll take you back.”

Ji Yao came over and butted in. “According to regulations, when public security system personnel go out to handle cases, she has to go back to the police station first.”

Upon hearing that, Han Xi nodded. She still had things she took out of the forensic room in her backpack. She had to return them first and write a work report. So she said to Luo Haiyao, “You go first. Go back; I’ll contact you after finishing my work.”

Luo Haiyao looked at Ji Yao with undisguised hostility in his eyes under his gold-rimmed glasses.

But when he faced Han Xi, his eyes instantly became gentle. “At what time do you get off work? I’ll pick you up.”

Han Xi thought for a while and replied, “I have to sign a house purchase contract in the afternoon.”

Luo Haiyao helped her tighten his suit jacket. “Let’s have dinner together.”

Han Xi nodded and walked towards the police car with Ji Yao. Han Xi said, “We grew up in an orphanage together. He is my only relative and my only friend.”

Ji Yao turned to look at her and replied, “You are wrong to say thatXiao Zhu, Jingjing, and the others are not your friends.”

Han Xi turned around and met Ji Yao’s eyes. “What about you?”

He raised the corners of his lips and smiled. “I’m different from them.” Looking at the men’s suit she was wearing, he said, “This is a good suit. Can you lend it to me?”

He was wearing only a vest because he had to protect her from the rain yesterday. So Han Xi took it off and handed it to Ji Yao. “Remember to wash it and return it to me.” 

It was not hers; she had to return it to others.

Ji Yao took the suit, got into the car, and threw it on the back of the seat next to him.

After returning to the City Bureau, Ji Yao went to the director’s office.

Although today was a weekend, the disappearance of the criminal investigation team leader and the forensic doctor was not a trivial matter. So Director Cai came to his office today.

Director Cai was holding a cup of green tea. He looked up at Ji Yao, and his voice became louder. “He didn’t catch him, and he lost himself on the mountain. It’s not a shame!”

The director placed the tea cup with a bang on the table, and tea spilt on the newspaper on the table.

Ji Yao hurried to help clean up, but accidentally knocked off a photo frame on the table.

Ji Yao picked it up.

There was the young director, Cai. He was standing shoulder to shoulder with another police officer, smiling and looking at the camera. That police officer was Chen Zhi.

Being reminded of the past, Director Cai temporarily lost his mind.

Ji Yao straightened the photo and said with a serious expression, “If you want to see the person alive, or if you want to see the corpse after death, I will definitely continue to investigate.”

In everyone’s hearts, Chen Zhi, missing for nineteen years, had basically no hope of living. Such a big police officer would definitely come back as long as he was alive.

However, in these years, he seemed to have disappeared from the world without any news.

Director Cai was lying on the chair and spoke calmly this time, “If the child from the old Chen family is still alive, she should be nearly your age.”

Ji Yao hummed. “I will go to Director Ye’s house later to accompany her.”

Ye Yanqing was Chen Zhi’s wife. She was also a police officer and was now the director of the City Bureau office. She watched Ji Yao grow up and loved him as a son.

After Ji Yao walked out of the office, he came back. “Well, Director Cai, when will the organisation arrange a blind date? I think the new forensic doctor will be good.”

Director Cai raised his finger and pointed at Ji Yao. “First solve the case. When will Qiao Jiang be arrested and brought to justice? The blind date arrangements will happen after that. It depends on your speed.”

Ji Yao ran away quickly.

In the following days, Ji Yao hardly returned home. He spent most of his time in the City Bureau and would go out to search personally when necessary.

The criminal police searched the streets and alleys and the camera surveillance of key sections of large and small roads.

As long as Qiao Jiang went out, he would definitely fall into the police’s sight.

However, this person seemed to disappear into thin air, leaving no trace of his life.

Finally, in the early morning three days later, Ji Yao, who had fallen asleep on his desk, was awakened by a series of phone rings.

“Capital Ji, Qiao Jiang is dead. He had committed suicide.”

End of chapter 17