Chapter 8 She's Still Here 01
The setting sun was like a thin veil of cicada wings, lightly sprinkling on Lin Mobai's face. He Qingkong's pleasant and firm voice echoed in her ears: "Xiaobai, let me help you!"
Lin Mobai was silent for several seconds before shaking his head. He Qingkong said he wanted to help her, but how could he help? Lin Mobai knew that the dark memory was unique to her, and no one could help her except herself.
"Clear Sky, I know you mean well, but... you can't help."
Faced with Lin Mobai's rejection, He Qingkong did not immediately become depressed. Instead, he reached out and patted her head with a faint smile: "I haven't helped you yet, how do you know I can't help you? Besides, it's reasonable for me to help you." He is her boyfriend, he wants Lin Mobai to get out of that shadow as soon as possible, and he also very much wants to bring the murderer of Youyou to justice.
"But..." Before Lin Mobai could finish her words, He Qingkong moved closer to her, resting his forehead against hers, shortening the distance between them, and scared Lin Mobai so much that she shut her mouth abruptly.
"Shh!" He Qingkong leaned against her and closed her eyes. As soon as her slender and beautiful eyelashes trembled, she could feel the "swish" sound coming from her face, and the sound made her suffocate.
He Qingkong leaned against her like this for a long time. He used his arms to draw a circle around her and held her firmly in his arms. He said, "Xiaobai, don't reject my kindness. I want to help you."
At this moment, Lin Mobai heard the rhythm coming from his chest, strong and powerful.
"thumping!"
"Clear sky." Lin Mobai took a deep breath, closed his eyes said slowly, "Thank you." She tactfully accepted his kindness.
"You're welcome." Even though Lin Mobai didn't open his eyes, he could feel He Qingkong's happiness when he answered this sentence.
Qingkong, thank you so much, thank you for choosing me, and thank you for protecting me. In that small encirclement, sweetness emerged in Lin Mobai's heart.
In the evening, He Qingkong insisted on sending Lin Mobai back to the dormitory before leaving, and as soon as Lin Mobai returned to the dormitory, he was teased by Zhou Shiqing.
"Tsk tsk, I saw everything!" Zhou Shiqing was applying a facial mask, and the only thing exposed on her face was her beautiful phoenix eyes.
Lin Mobai looked at Zhou Shiqing awkwardly, like a child who had been caught, and asked with a red face, "What did you see?"
"You two were so affectionate and affectionate." Zhou Shiqing narrowed her eyes and laughed frivolously, "I also saw the look in your eyes before you left, and your boyfriend stood there firmly and watched you leave completely before he moved on."
"Poetry!" Lin Mobai, who had no idea how to respond, said coquettishly, with embarrassment flashing across his face.
"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore... By the way, a strange number called you just now. I saw that you didn't bring your phone, so I answered it for you." Zhou Shiqing said while taking off her mask. "From the sound of the voice, the other party sounded like an old lady. She said the police station only gave a Zhou."
The voice sounded like an auntie, and she said the police station only gave her a week... Could it be Aunt Ding? The originally embarrassed expression froze on his face, and Lin Mobai secretly guessed in his heart.
"Did the other party say who he was?"
"Just say your last name is Ding and you are your best friend's mother." Zhou Shiqing's words made Lin Mobai completely silent. Even the pressure of air floating around her became much lower. Zhou Shiqing frowned when she noticed something was wrong, but still asked, "What's wrong, Xiaobai?"
Lin Mobai responded to Zhou Shiqing's silence. The atmosphere was deadlocked for several seconds. Finally, Zhou Shiqing broke the deadlock. She walked in front of Lin Mobai, stretched out her hand to pinch her cheek, and said in a nonchalant tone: "Okay, if you don't want to say it, then don't say it. Why are you frowning? Be careful that you will become an old lady in the future. He Qingkong doesn't want you."
"No way!" Lin Mobai gently patted Zhou Shiqing's hand and protested quietly, but was met with a blank stare from Zhou Shiqing. That night, Lin Mobai received a text message from He Qingkong. In addition to the warm good night, the text message also said:
Xiaobai, I want to talk to Xujun and Yanqi about the case. Let's meet at ×× Coffee Shop at 3 pm tomorrow.
After reading the text message, Lin Mobai put her phone aside. She knew the meaning of He Qingkong's text message to her. He wanted her to come, but at the same time he was worried that she would be attacked.
It was because of these concerns that He Qingkong used such a cautious approach.
Lin Mobai, lying on the bed looking at the ceiling, suddenly felt her nose sour. She had always been fragile inside, but she had to pretend to be strong because of various reasons. She had always thought that no one would be willing to share her pain, and that her former friends would no longer care for her. After He Qingkong appeared, all these thoughts turned into bubbles and gradually drifted away from her.
"Honey, are you crying?" Zhou Shiqing, who was lying on the lower bunk, asked softly as if she smelled something. Lin Mobai's sobs could be faintly heard in the quiet dormitory.
Lin Mobai sniffed and did not answer Zhou Shiqing immediately. She knew that she would be exposed as soon as she opened her mouth.
After a long time, Lin Mobai felt the quilt being lifted, and Zhou Shiqing's beautiful face appeared in front of her. Zhou Shiqing rushed into her bed with a box of tissues, and then lay down beside her, making the originally small bed even more crowded.
"Although I know you don't want to say it, I'm still very worried." Zhou Shiqing said to Lin Mobai with her sparkling eyes. She was always strong and did not continue to ask any questions. Instead, she told her in a roundabout way that she was more worried about Lin Mobai than knowing the whole story.
"The murderer of Ding Zhiyou has been found, but there is not enough evidence now... Mother Ding called and hoped that I could help, but I..." But she was so cowardly that she couldn't remember that part at all.
Zhou Shiqing, who felt her friend's sobbing getting worse, patted her back gently, soothing her emotions, and asked, "Does Qingkong know about this?"
"I know." Lin Mobai pursed his lips and replied, "He plans to ask Xu Jun and Yan Qi for help. They have an appointment for tomorrow afternoon."
"Are you going then?"
"I... don't know." Actually, Lin Mobai really wanted to go, but she was afraid. She was like a bird trapped in a cage all year round, longing for the freedom outside, but worried that she would get hurt if she went out.
Zhou Shiqing looked at Lin Mobai who was trembling in front of her, sighed deeply, held Lin Mobai's fingers, and used the heat from her palms to warm her cold fingertips.
"I'll go with you tomorrow afternoon!"
"Thank you." This was the second time Lin Mobai said thank you. She felt that it was because of these two people that she could persist until now and dare to face the past.
…
The next afternoon, Zhou Shiqing accompanied Lin Mobai to the coffee shop. Lin Mobai saw He Qingkong from afar. He was like a luminous body, and was the most eye-catching one wherever he went.
"Here, here!" He Qingkong stood up and waved as soon as he saw Lin Mobai. The call attracted everyone in the cafe to look over.
The corners of Zhou Shiqing's mouth twitched twice, and she sat over with Lin Mobai. As soon as Zhou Shiqing sat down, she felt something was wrong. The most obvious thing was the gaze from Lu Yanqi, which was straight and a little scary.
"What are you looking at!" Zhou Shiqing glared back unwillingly, but before she could say anything more outrageous, Lin Mobai gently pulled her sleeve under the table.
He Qingkong obviously didn't care about the battle situation on Zhou Shiqing's side, but went straight to the point and stated the purpose of this trip.
"The murderer who killed Zhiyou was found, but there is a lack of evidence, so Xiaobai wants to recall the crime process and provide strong evidence." He Qingkong held Lin Mobai's hand and looked at Lu Yanqi and Shi Xujun, "We are going to the crime scene. This time I came to ask if you can help me with anything?"
"Xujun and I were not there when the incident happened, so how can we help?" It was Lu Yanqi who answered.
He Qingkong looked at Lu Yanqi's unhappy face and smiled indifferently: "You can help a lot. A psychologist once said that when a person is afraid, what she wants most is comfort from her friends. Even if you don't want to admit it now, you have to say that we used to be best friends. I think Xiaobai also wants you to come." The subtext of He Qingkong's words was obvious. He wanted to use this to bring them closer.
Lu Yanqi, who was sitting opposite Zhou Shiqing, avoided He Qingkong's gaze and instead looked down at his hands. The scattered sunlight reflected from behind him onto the faces of the three people in front of him, softening their expressions.
"I need to think about it." As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Shiqing sneered. After finishing her coffee, Zhou Shiqing put down the cup and tucked her hair behind her ears with her little finger, saying coldly, "Do you still need to think about it?"
If this sentence was said by He Qingkong or Lin Mobai, Lu Yanqi might have refuted it, but it was Zhou Shiqing who said it. For some reason, as soon as he looked at Zhou Shiqing, his aura would automatically weaken by half.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Lin Mobai tugged at his friend's sleeve again and lowered his voice, "Shiqing, don't be like this... Yanqi didn't refuse immediately, he just needed to think about it."
"Is there anything worth considering?" Zhou Shiqing's voice rose a decibel, "You are going to help recall the murderer! Isn't the one who died your most important friend?" She paused and turned her gaze to Lu Yanqi, "Didn't you keep saying that Xiaobai was treacherous and didn't help? What about you? When you can find the murderer, you only need to help a favor, but you are here saying you need to consider it!"
Lu Yanqi was speechless after hearing what Zhou Shiqing said, but he couldn't refute it. He was so focused on the fact that the person who came was Lin Mobai that he forgot that he was helping Ding Zhiyou find the murderer.
Lu Yanqi held the coffee cup in front of him, looked at the untouched coffee, moved his Adam's apple, and said nothing. Lin Mobai, who was also sitting opposite him, became a little flustered.
"Shiqing, wasn't what you said just now a bit too much?" Lin Mobai looked at Lu Yanqi's face which had become very ugly and asked in a low voice.
Zhou Shiqing snorted and said nonchalantly, "If you weren't here, I would have said something even more extreme."
"But what if he refuses because of this?" Lin Mobai's little face was full of worry. Anyone who was told like this would hardly agree to go with us, right?
Zhou Shiqing paused, his body stiffened for a few seconds, then he snorted heavily and said, "Then I'll knock him out and carry him over!"
Lin Mobai was also so overwhelmed by his friend's high-profile theory of carrying someone on his shoulders that he didn't know what to say.
Lu Yanqi was silent for a few minutes before speaking again, and this time his tone was much colder than last time: "I will go, send me the time then."
"Thank you." The unexpected answer made Lin Mobai smile a little.
Facing Lin Mobai's smile, Lu Yanqi lowered his head and took a sip of coffee, looking away, and said, "I agreed to this for Zhiyou."
"Just pretend!" Before Lin Mobai could reply, Zhou Shiqing made his conclusion with a hint of contempt.
Lu Yanqi glanced at Zhou Shiqing and continued to drink his coffee without paying attention. Now only Shi Xujun's answer was left. Lin Mobai looked at Shi Xujun carefully, who had been silent, but could not see the answer in her eyes.
At this moment, Shi Xujun indifferently turned his eyes away from He Qingkong and Lin Mobai's hands, and took a magazine from the bookshelf next to him and started flipping through it with an expressionless face.
Although she pretended to be calm on the surface, no one knew how much pain she felt in her heart, just like swallowing a lemon, the sourness was mixed with a hint of bitterness.
"Mr. Xu?" The one who finally lost her temper was Lin Mobai. Probably with Lu Yanqi's consent, she always had a faint smile on her face at this time.
Shi Xujun did not respond. Her thoughts were all on He Qingkong. Why, why... why was it the inconspicuous Lin Mobai who was sitting next to He Qingkong instead of her?
The Lin Mobai who killed Ding Zhiyou, the Lin Mobai who tore five people apart?
"Xu Jun?" This time it was Lu Yanqi who called her. Probably noticing that she was in a daze, Lu Yanqi gently pushed her, but she still did not respond.
After failing to call out, Lu Yanqi looked at He Qingkong. At this time, He Qingkong also felt that something was wrong. He waved his arm at Shi Xujun and asked, "Xujun, are you listening to us?"
"Ah? Hmm!" After hearing He Qingkong's voice, Shi Xujun came back to her senses. She subconsciously pursed her lips and said, "Regarding helping Xiaobai recall the murderer... I will go." She did not consider it, nor did she refuse.
Because she knew that if she said she would consider it, Zhou Shiqing would not be embarrassed, but He Qingkong would definitely be unhappy.
So she had to agree, and agree openly.
"Thank you." It was He Qingkong who spoke, and he raised a warm smile as he spoke.
"No need to say thank you." Shi Xujun lowered her head and continued to read the magazine, "It's just a small favor."
Lin Mobai was stunned for a moment, and a soft look flashed in his eyes.
