Chapter 172: You Will Remember Me
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xia Qingyi had been slightly more busy the past few days, having stayed in the library for many hours everyday. There was a teacher in her course that appreciated her skills and had asked her to try to write an academic thesis. She wanted to see if it was possible to publish the thesis in a Psychology academic journal. That teacher treated her quite well usually, and Xia Qingyi forced herself to accept her teacher’s request.
That was why she had gone back home late, having spent her days in the library trying to find various academic references that were related to Psychology. There were even times when she had told Mo Han to wait a little longer after he had already worked two more hours at the law firm and called her afterwards to fetch her home, because she needed to write down the important parts of a book.
The first few times that it happened, Mo Han had agreed to her request. However, she started to stay longer and longer after that. She was even reluctant to leave the school library when it was already 11 P.M and that was when Mo Han started to get a little unhappy. He told Xia Qingyi to bring the books home and to write her thesis at home.
Initially, Xia Qingyi wanted to stay up to finish the thesis as soon as possible, though Mo Han had disagreed and had only let her write the thesis until 1 A.M in the morning at most. After that, he would cut off all of the electricity at home to force her to go to sleep.
Even though it was extremely exhausting, but her tough days were finally over as Xia Qingyi had finally finished her thesis after spending a few days on it. She felt a sense of liberation when she finally handed the completed thesis to her teacher that night.
As a result, she was thinking happily on her way home if she should go to Mo Han’s law firm and give him a surprise. He would definitely relax as well if he knew that she had completed the thesis.
When she had not been sleeping these few days, he barely slept as well. He would always wait until the light was off in her room before going to sleep with his heart at ease.
At 8 that night, she was slowly walking towards Mo Han’s law firm alone as she followed the streetlights.
However, as she walked, she suddenly hear footsteps behind her.
As if someone was following her.
Xia Qingyi was a little unsure, afraid that she was being too sensitive as she continued to walk ahead with her original pace. After walking for a while, she noticed that the footsteps behind her had slowed down, as if they were further from her.
When she reached a turn in front of the a shop that had a motorcycle stopped in front of it, her footsteps had slowed down as well. She looked behind her through the rear mirror of the motorcycle and saw a suspicious tall and bulky man wearing a black baseball cap. It looked like he was about ten meters away from her.
It was the man that she had bumped into outside of the washroom at the western cuisine restaurant that day. Xia Qingyi could remember it very well.
It seemed like he was the only one that was following her, Xia Qingyi thought as she walked. However, she could understand his motive for following her. If it was an ordinary kidnap and tailing, then why did the pace of his footsteps not change at all when she had reached a quiet place? He seemed to be just following her with a distance that was not too near and not too far.
For unknown reasons, however, Xia Qingyi believed that he had no ill intentions. The only question was that she did not understand why he was following her.
When it was 8.30, Xia Qingyi did not want to continue to drag it out with him any further. It was also just nice that she had walked to a place where there were not too many people around them. She stopped her steps and turned around to ask him, “Why are you following me?”
The man who was wearing the baseball cap was standing in a dark corner. Xia Qingyi could only faintly see the contour of his face as he just stood there, facing her.
Xia Qingyi could tell that he was using the cover of the darkness to look straight at her.
“You have to listen carefully to the words I’m about to say.” that man said. His voice was so low and husky that it could enchant a person.
Xia Qingyi stared at him as she stood in the light.
“Master Dong will be caught soon. He does not have anyone to back him anymore. His men under him can’t save him either. He probably won’t come out anymore after he goes in. I probably don’t have many days left either. I think that I’d need to go in too.” That man paused for a while as he said in the darkness, “I probably won’t be able to protect you in the future. You have to be more alert.”
Xia Qingyi’s hand was shaking uncontrollably. She felt that the words that he was saying were related to her past, though she did not dare to ask as she continued to remain silent.
“I know that you can’t remember anything now… it’s good this way too… it saved a lot of trouble.”
“I had already asked people to settle Xiao Ye’s funeral affairs. He’s buried in Jian Shi Cemetery at A City. I have also settled everything with the sexton there. You just have to ask the sexton when you’re there.”
That man said, “If you remember everything in the future, you might want to go see Xiao Ye. However, I don’t think I’ll have the chance to tell you all this in the future, which was why I wanted to tell you beforehand.”
“You know me… right?” Xia Qingyi asked as her voice trembled.
“That’s not important anymore.” He said again, “After all, you originally wished to be like this.”
That man’s voice sounded a little bitter. Xia Qingyi did not know if he was forcing himself to smile as his body remained still like a sculpture.
“Do you know… how to fight now?” he asked.
Xia Qingyi shook her head as she stared at him.
“You should learn a little again. You should be able to use it in the future. It’ll be fine as long as you can protect yourself.”
“Thank you.” Xia Qingyi said. She felt that she should say this to him.
She heard the man seemingly laugh. “You don’t have to say thank you to me. I’m afraid that you won’t be able to say that ‘thank you’ after you know who I am.
“This is probably the last time we’re meeting. I probably won’t be able to disturb your life anymore as you had wished.” he said, “Let us… say farewell to each other here.”
Xia Qingyi stared at his face in the darkness when he turned around and started walking away from Xia Qingyi. He stopped after a few steps as he said without turning back, “That barrister… seems like he’s treating you very well… it’s fine as long you’re living well…”
Xia Qingyi asked from behind him, “Who are you exactly?”
He said right before he left, “You will remember.”
Xia Qingyi stood there for a very long after the man had left. She stared deeply in the direction that the man had left in, though she did not follow him.
She knew that she was currently going further away from her past.
When she was in Han Liang’s house, she kept trying to find the truth. She was desperate to know every bit of her memory for every second that she was there. Now however, her past was just right before her eyes. She might be able to remember her past as long as she chased after that man and stood in front of him to look at his face and stare into his eyes.
All she had to do was just to take a step forward and she would be able to touch her past.
But she did not.
Staring at that man’s back view, she could feel intensely that the her before she had lost her memories did not want her to return to the past, that she did not want her to remember what had happened in the past again.
Back then, was she thinking to forget everything in the past so that she would not be held back by her past in the future, that she needed to go forward with big steps and never look back?
Was the truth about the past really that important to her? For a moment, Xia Qingyi had suspicions about this matter that she was once so fixated on.
When she had reached home, Mo Han had already finished his work. He had changed into casual wear as he watched the television while sitting on the sofa. It was apparent that he was waiting for her.
“Have you submitted your assignment to your teacher?” Mo Han asked.
“Yes.” Xia Qingyi changed her shoes and threw herself on the sofa in tiredness.
Mo Han thought that she had been tired out from continuously researching and writing the thesis. He sat next to her as he patted her back and laughed, “Are you tired? If I’d known you’d be like this earlier, I would not have let you until so late every night.”
Xia Qingyi closed her eyes as she hummed. She could feel the temperature of Mo Han’s hand and she felt a lump form in her throat. She did not know why she had a sudden urge to cry.
“I was a little busy at the law firm this afternoon, so I couldn’t go and fetch you. What did you eat for dinner?” Mo Han asked.
Xia Qingyi had not eaten anything for dinner actually. She had originally planned to go to Mo Han’s law firm and make him accompany her to get a meal. However, after she had parted from that man on the road, she had lost a bit of her appetite as she dazedly walked home.
Nevertheless, she did not want Mo Han to worry and said, “I ate Zhou Ji’s small dumplings.”
“Were they good?”
“Yes.” Xia Qingyi hummed from her nose. She buried her face into the pillow, feeling to urge to cry again.
She was afraid that Mo Han would sense the difference in her as she tried her best to laugh and moved herself. She lay in Mo Han’s embrace, burying her face into his chest and hugged his waist so that he could not see her expression.
Mo Han was a little surprised by the sudden touch. He caressed her soft hair with his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m okay. It’s just that I’m too tired and feel like falling asleep right here.” Xia Qingyi replied.
Mo Han said, “That’s not possible. What will happen if I can’t control myself with you lying in my arms?”
Xia Qingyi pinched Mo Han hard on his waist, as a form of reply.
His voice became a little more husky as he said from the top of her head, “Xia Qingyi, what should I do when I want to kiss you now?”
Xia Qingyi rubbed her face against his chest a few times. “No kissing. I want to sleep now.”
He caressed her head again. “Okay, have a nice sleep. I’ll take you to your bed once you’re asleep.”
Xia Qingyi leaned into his embrace as she slowly relaxed her body. She did not think about what had happened as she merely felt tired. She was so sleepy and she wanted to quietly fall asleep while listening to Mo Han’s heart beat.
She was always feel secure whenever she was next to him, be it in the past or now.
His existence was a very special one to her. This was something that Xia Qingyi never doubted.
When she woke up in the morning, Xia Qingyi noticed that she was still lying in Mo Han’s embrace. He was still sleeping next to her. His hair was in a mess as he was on his side facing her. He also had a hand wrapped around her.
Xia Qingyi looked around her, and finally realized that they were in Mo Han’s room. The sun had started to rise outside. She moved her body, moving towards the side of the bed. She wanted to go take a look at the clock, wanting to know what time it was now.
Mo Han had woken up when just a slight movement from her. With sleepy eyes, he looked at Xia Qingyi, who had her eyes opened wide in his embrace. He smiled as he continued to hold onto her tightly.