56. Did Your Period Not Come This Month?

Lin Xudong was working overtime, so it was just the mother and daughter for dinner. Li Qing sensed that Lin Xingzi’s mood was off today. Before bed, she tentatively asked her, “Did your period not come this month?”

Lin Xingzi’s mind was in turmoil, like countless tangled threads. All she could think about was what Ji Qiuchi had said before leaving, leaving her no extra energy to delve into Li Qing’s meaning.

“Not yet.”

“Then do you and Jiang Yan usually take precautions?” Li Qing, being an experienced woman, had caught Lin Xingzi peeking at Jiang Yan through the window and secretly kissing him when Lin Xingzi was in her first year of high school. As a mother, of course she knew. When they first got married, her daughter couldn’t let go of her pride and self-respect, and Jiang Yan was transferred to another city for work, making meetings and contact rare. But the past six months were different. Jiang Yan had been transferred back. Whenever they were home, the couple slept together at night.

Li Qing asked directly this time. Lin Xingzi paused, then understood.

“My period is never precise anyway. Sometimes it’s early, sometimes it’s ten days late. Mom, don’t overthink it. I’ve already made a fool of myself over this once.”

“Alright, alright, go to bed early,” Li Qing had only asked casually. “Your dad just called. He said he won’t be back for the next few days. He wants you to go to work and leave on time every day, don’t run around.”

“Mhm,” Lin Xingzi softly acknowledged.

After the door closed, she leaned weakly against the chair back, covering her face with her hands and taking deep breaths.

She wasn’t ready to face Lin Xudong, feeling this timid for the first time.

And the ledger hidden in the safe was a ticking time bomb, ready to “bang” and shatter this home into pieces at any moment.

________________________________________

The witness Jiang Yan was trying to apprehend was named Yan Li, the adopted son of Zhan Tianxiong’s half-brother. He was adopted from an orphanage at seven and had followed Zhan Tianxiong ever since his adoptive father passed away.

Zhou Feng’s intelligence indicated that Yan Li held crucial evidence. Not only were the police looking for him, but Zhan Tianxiong’s men were also relentlessly pursuing him.

He was prepared to die, possessing an extremely high level of alertness from his military background. The slightest possibility of his whereabouts being exposed would prompt an immediate relocation. He fled all the way from Haishi to the border, entering the desolate mountains.

Jiang Yan pursued him for over twenty days, day and night.

“Brother Jiang, they’re not alone, and they have guns. The terrain here is too complex, and it’s getting dark. We might get lost if we go in,” Erhu looked at the deep mountains and old forests, cautiously saying, “Should we keep going?”

Zhan Tianxiong’s men were right behind them and would catch up soon. If they found Yan Li first, all their efforts would be in vain.

Their group was almost exhausted, pushing through solely on willpower. Erhu’s shoes were worn through, and his clothes hadn’t been changed in ten days. Jiang Yan was in no better shape.

As evening approached, the sky gradually darkened. The entrance was filled with trees dozens of meters high, a dense, dark expanse stretching before them. Yan Li had abandoned his car and taken a small path into the mountains. It had just snowed here, and every step into the unknown carried inherent danger.

“Follow!” Jiang Yan gritted his teeth and spat out a mouthful of blood. “Once he escapes across the border, catching him will be like trying to scoop the moon from the water. We absolutely cannot let him go.”

All the police officers participating in this mission had left their last wills before departing. No one in this world didn’t want to live, but none of them feared death either.

“Follow! Damn it! I don’t believe he can fly out of here.”

Jiang Yan led the way. After following for a while, he found footprints. The further they went, the more treacherous the terrain became.

The faint daylight was obscured by dead trees, and the desolate mountain was pitch black. They held their flashlights in their mouths, gripping rocks and branches with both hands as they climbed, only daring to take the next step once one foot was firmly planted.

The youngest one slipped and slid down more than ten meters, luckily saved by a tree.

Jiang Yan went down, pulled the man to a safe place, his palms bloody and raw, but he couldn’t feel the pain due to the cold. “Rest in place for five minutes, drink some water.”

“It’s so damn cold. A mouthful of water feels like my teeth are going to fall out. I really don’t know how he found this godforsaken place! Once this mission is done, I’m going to sleep for three days and three nights.”

“I want to eat hotpot, soak in hot springs. My mom even saved dumplings for me.”

“Captain Jiang, what’s the first thing you want to do when you get back?”

Before Jiang Yan could speak, Erhu slapped his nearby comrade on the back of the head, then mimicked a high-pitched voice and laughed, “Nonsense, why even ask? Brother Jiang is a married man. The first thing he’ll do when he gets back is see his wife!”

Everyone laughed, keeping their voices low, finding humor in their hardship.

Jiang Yan remained silent, gazing at the distant, blurry nightscape below the mountain, briefly lost in thought. He wiped his face, composed himself, and stood up. “Continue! We’re very close to the target. Speak less, act on hand signals.”

“Yes!”

The pitch-black desolate mountain increased the difficulty of their operation. There was no path left; their hands were the tools to forge a new one.

600 meters, 200 meters, 50 meters...

They were almost upon him.

A gunshot tore through the silence!

Everyone’s nerves were taut, holding their breath, not daring to relax for a moment.

Jiang Yan approached the source of the gunshot step by step. In the darkness, someone lunged, wrapping an arm around Jiang Yan’s neck from behind, trying to push him down the steep slope.

Erhu was close behind, following the sounds of fighting. Before he could get close, a flash of white knife light stung his eyes.

A beam from a flashlight landed on Jiang Yan. Erhu saw the blade in the enemy’s hand plunge into Jiang Yan’s body. The smell of blood spread, and a heavy gasp was cut short the next second. Yan Li dragged Jiang Yan down the slope, tumbling.

“Captain Jiang!” Erhu’s panicked cry echoed.