Darkness surrounds her.  Jian Yao lies down within the small mattress.  It appears she is barely particular person left on this planet. 

She touches the mattress sheets beneath her physique.  Xie Han modified a brand new set of mattress sheets for her immediately.  It smells freshly laundered.   However this smells reminds her of house.  

She misses her mom.  She misses her sister.  She misses Xunran, and she or he misses Bo Jinyan most.

On this place the place there’s no approach of differentiating whether or not it’s night time or day…. The place are you… my love? 

Earlier than Xie Han left her, he injected some medication into her.  Her arm is filled with needle holes.  

However it didn’t produce hallucinations just like the earlier medication.   As a substitute, recollections comes flooding to her.  Candy recollections, bitter recollections… they only seem in her thoughts uncontrollably.  

The night time when she touched Bo Jinyan’s scars on his again for the primary time.  Her tears swelled up in her eyes.  What did he say to her then?  

Beneath the light and mushy lighting, his good-looking however proud face seems at her with remorse and concern: “If I knew this might make you cry, I’d not have proven you.” 

His wealthy low voice, sounding like lovely music notes performed by a cello, rings in her ears.  His heat breath, his sensual contact, crammed with love and his adoration for her…. Jian Yao falls right into a dreamy fantasy the place he’s beside her, wrapping his arms tightly round her… 

All of the sudden, a giant vacuum sucked away her lover.  Then, the voice of one other man rings in her ears: “I would be the one which dwell.  The one and solely… Allen.”

No! 

Jian Yao places her palms over her face.

No. She doesn’t consider it.  Bo Jinyan can not have cut up character.  He’s robust and hard.  Despite the fact that he’s strolling in darkness, his coronary heart remains to be pure and clear.  

Her Bo Jinyan. the one and solely… Simon.  It doesn’t matter what she hears.  It doesn’t matter what occurs subsequent.  There is just one factor she will do – 

Consider in him.  Watch for him.

He’ll unlock this hell and rescue her.

——————

“Pang!”  The sound of the sunshine change being turned on.  The blinding gentle causes Jian Yao to cowl her eyes together with her palms.  She hears a well-recognized footage behind her. 

Jian Yao’s coronary heart kilos. 

He, is right here once more.

————————

There’s odor of espresso within the air.  Jian Yao is pressured out of her cage again to the couch once more.  

Xie Han remains to be in an excellent temper.  He’s whistling once more.  He brings over a cup of espresso and put it in entrance of her.   

Jian Yao’s face may be very pale.  She doesn’t choose up the cup.  Xie Han will get himself one other cup of espresso.  He takes a sip, then he smiles: “Drink it.  Or I’ll whip you.”   

Jian Yao takes the espresso and sips it slowly.  He smiles.  

After she has drinks a few third of the cup, he abruptly says: “Oh… I forgot to inform you, I added one thing particular within the espresso.”  

Jian Yao pauses.  She seems on the cannibal that’s sitting earlier than her.  A disgusting thought involves her thoughts.  She begins throwing up into the garbage bin subsequent to her ft. 

Xie Han laughs loudly: “What I wished to inform you was… I added milk within the espresso.”

Jian Yao takes a deep breath.  She takes a tissue from the desk and wipes her mouth.  Then she seems ups and meets his gaze.  She shortly seems down once more.  

Bo Jinyan is correct.  He has an unstable and anti-social character.

In the mean time, he’s in an excellent temper, making enjoyable of her.  However he would possibly change his thoughts and wish to kill her a couple of minutes later.  He’s so unpredictable.  

God, please shield me from this monster.  I need to dwell to the day Jinyan comes for me.  Simply don’t upset him.  

With this thought,   She quietly sits and observes what’s his plans are immediately.

He sits beside her, throws immediately’s newspaper on the espresso desk and activates the TV.  

Jian Yao shortly glances on the newspaper.  It’s the categorized part.  There’s an advert that claims: “Jack, do you want my current?”

It’s a message from Tommy.

Her coronary heart swells and trembles with bitterness.  She seems up on the TV display.  It’s information time.  

The identical information presenter from yesterday brings extra information on Bo Jinyan.  Her clear and calm voice pierces Jian Yao like a sword: “Each the Chinese language authorities and the FBI refuse to touch upon the “Bo Jinyan case’.  This has upset quite a lot of members of the family of the victims.  This morning, greater than 200 individuals gathered outdoors the FBI headquarters in Washington to protest.  They’re petitioning for the arrest of Professor Bo Jinyan.   We now have information that just a few households have appointed the well-known litigators from Davis Regulation Agency.  They are going to be suing Professor Bo…”  

“Lots of people consider that he has cut up character.” Xie Han sips his espresso once more.  “What about you?”

Jian Yao retains quiet.

Xie Han seems at her coldly.

Jian Yao clenches her palms that’s resting on her knees.  

Does he consider?  

How ought to she reply him with out scary him?  

Jinyan, what ought to I say? 

————-

“I don’t consider it.”  Jian Yao says softly: “He’s not like that.”

Her voice is mushy and coarse, however there’s belief and religion in her voice.

Xie Han laughs once more.  However he didn’t remark.  

They proceed to look at the tv.  

It’s a constructing that Jian Yao recognises.  it’s the lodge she stayed in earlier than being kidnapped.  That is additionally the place the place Bo Jinyan has remoted himself from the remainder of the world for just a few days now.  

“Oh…” Xie Han sits straighter on the couch.  They will hear the information presenter’s voice: “Breaking new.  Our reporter brings you the newest developments from the Marriott lodge.  The FBI has arrived, and Professor Bo Jinyan has lastly left the lodge room.”  

Then Jian Yao’s physique is numbed.  As a result of for the primary occasions in days, she sees Bo Jinyan.  The person that she misses a lot!

He’s surrounded by a giant group of FBI brokers.  He’s sporting a tidy black go well with, with a easy shirt.  No tie.  He seems palm and calm.  Because the digital camera flashes, he turns round.  Inside his darkish eyes, there’s a coldness that is sufficient to freeze you with only a look.  

Tears streams uncontrollably down her face.  Her imaginative and prescient is blurred.  She tries to wipe the tears, but it surely simply retains flowing. 

“Tears of desolation.  Your subconsciousness believes he has cut up character.”  He smiles.  

No.  She doesn’t consider.  She says in her coronary heart.  By no means.  Bo Jinyan doesn’t have cut up character.  He’s attempting to mislead her.

“If Bo Jinyan’s girlfriend confirms in a letter to the general public that he has cut up character…” He takes out a syringe from the drawer and walks in direction of her: “That might make issues much more attention-grabbing,”

Jian Yao can solely watch him inject extra medication into her.  A coldness runs by means of her veins.  

One other run of psychological management and manipulation.  How lengthy can she defend her place?

—————

It’s been just a few lengthy and painful days for many individuals.

Anam lives in the identical lodge as Bo Jinyan.  He wakes early within the morning. 

It’s been two days since Bo Jinyan has been taken away by the FBI.  On his laptop, he can see the surveillance pictures of the FBI headquarters’ varied entrances, stairways, interrogation rooms, and the momentary detention cell for Bo Jinyan. 

All the things is as per regular.  Bo Jinyan is mendacity straight as a pole on the one mattress.  He’s separated with the guards by the rows of steel bars.  The guards are strolling up and down the hall.  

Anam stares on the display for some time.  Bo Jinyan seems drained and gaunt.  There are baggage underneath his eyes.  He has misplaced weight.  

Anam switches on the TV.  It’s a morning crammed with controversy.  There’s an increasing number of stress from the media to press fees in opposition to Bo Jinyan; however they can not underestimate the voice of assist for Bo Jinyan:  

Essentially the most famend Prison psychology professor in Maryland has publicly expressed his assist for his most beloved pupil.  He claims that even when there may be one other character in him, so long as the first character Simon has no data of the second character’s actions, he isn’t responsible.

Different individuals whom he’s saved marched with their households to point out their assist.  They urge the FBI to seek out out the reality behind the allegations….“How can anybody doubt his integrity when he has given himself so selflessly to avoid wasting the lifetime of others?”

China has requested to switch Bo Jinyan to China for additional investigations.   Nonetheless, the US has not responded to the Chinese language’s request.

….

Anam walks out of his lodge room after he’s seen the information.  

———————-

One hour later.  Within the FBI headquarters interrogation room.

Anam is sitting at one finish of the desk.  Dealing with him is the person that everybody is discussing these days – Bo Jinyan.  Two days of detention has not brought about him to alter very a lot.  He seems roughly the identical as when he first stepped into this constructing two days in the past.  

Anam speaks first: “There’s chaos in all places.” 

Bo Jinyan nods.

Anam lowers his voice: “What ought to we do now?”

Bo Jinyan seems at him, however he doesn’t reply. 

——————-

Two days later.  In Jian Yao’s cell.

She doesn’t know when the lights had been dimmed.  Her imaginative and prescient is blurred.  Her head is hurting.  Jian Yao is mendacity on the ground, with a sheet of paper and a pen in entrance of her.

Xie Han bends down and talks to her as a detailed pal: “Now .  He has cut up character.  Do you continue to love him?”

She is underneath the affect of medicine.  All the things appears to be spinning round her.  She lifts her head in direction of Xie Han’s route: “Sure, I nonetheless love him.”

She is discovering it onerous to distinguish between actuality and illusions.  The good-looking and delicate man.  The blood thirsty killer.  And the way many individuals are there together with her in that dimly lit cell.  One?  Two?  Is Xie Han?  Allen? Each of them?  She is so confused.  Or maybe it’s all only a dream… a foul dream.  

However no matter it’s, it’s too painful.

“Write it down.  Inform him all the things.”  Xie Han sounds extra light than he’s ever been: “Don’t you need him to understand how a lot you like him?  Inform him earlier than you die.  That even the world can not settle for his cut up character, you’ll not abandon him…”

Jian Yao seems at him.  She focuses her gaze onto his face. 

Lastly, she reaches out for the pen.  

——————-

“Jinyan:

After I was younger, I dreamt that at some point, I’ll develop as much as be somebody like my father – to keep up justice, even when it prices me my life.

Then, I settled for a extra unusual life.  I went to highschool, I grew up and I began work.  I assumed I walked additional and additional away from that dream.  It’s a remorse that I hid deep inside my coronary heart.

Then, I met you.

My dream.

I by no means mentioned this to you aloud.  I really like you.  However I’ve mentioned it many occasions in my coronary heart.  Each morning once I see you sleeping beside me, each time when I’m amazed by your expertise, if you put apart your individual security to assist those that want you… I inform myself.  I’m so fortunate to have you ever.

You deserve my love.

However maybe, I can’t accompany you anymore.  I can’t endure it anymore.  I’m caught in darkness with out an exit.  Each morning, I hope to get up and discover you right here, to rescue me, to really feel your heat embrace, so that we are going to by no means half once more.

I’m sorry Jinyan.  I can’t accompany you anymore.  Don’t be unhappy.  There’s lots of people on this world that love you.  They may take my place to like you.  You’ll not be lonely in your journey forward.  Stay an excellent life.

I’m not unhappy in any respect.  Actually.  Since you as soon as belonged to me.  Whilst I’m dealing with loss of life, my coronary heart is at peace.  It is a launch for me.  Even when I’m turned to mud and ashes, I can’t neglect you. Any further, each dawn, each sundown, each night time, I’ll hope that I can nonetheless meet you and love you in my subsequent life.  We’ll return to the place we met, and I’ll inform you, personally, how a lot I really like you.

…..

Jinyan, I’m sorry.  I doubted you.  At any time when we had been confronted by the perverted killers,  if you had been the one person who understood them, I used to be afraid.  I feared that at some point, you too, shall be swallowed up into that darkness.  Then, I noticed the footage of Allen.  Surprisingly, I felt extra settled in my coronary heart.  

It’s not vital.  Jinyan.  Simon or Allen.  It’s not vital.  You’re who you might be.  My solely Jinyan.  My love for you’ll by no means change, as a result of I consider, you’ll conquer Allen, conquer Xie Han.  You can see me, and convey me away from this hell.  

Then, we’ll return to our hometown.  We’ll return to our home.  Please embrace me, even when it’s solely my ashes, and sit by the river.  Accompany me to look at the dawn and the sundown.  Then, bury me in a spot the place you’ll be able to see me on a regular basis.

Do you bear in mind the primary time we held palms?  We’re each shocked.  You mentioned I used to be tickling you.  However the reality is, you’ve by no means held some other women’ hand earlier than…. So what if I die? We now have too many recollections collectively.  They may accompany me until I die. I’ve achieved my dream.  I’ve you.  I’ve met my mother or father’s expectations.  I’ve turn into somebody they wished me to be.  We now have solved many circumstances collectively.  I’ve no regrets.  The one remorse I’ve is that I can not accompany you in your life journey.  

Please don’t be alone.  Bo Jinyan.  Don’t be alone.  Stay on a regular basis nicely.  

As a result of I’m right here.  Jinyan.  In your eyes.  In your coronary heart and in your life. 

We’ll by no means half from one another.  

Jian Yao.”

—————

The subsequent morning.  

Anam takes the letter to the FBI headquarters.  

An evening of quietness. As if he’s anticipating one thing, Bo Jinyan is sitting on the desk.   Anam  places the letter on the desk and slides it on him. 

Bo Jinyan doesn’t choose it up.  As a substitute, he reads the letter line by line rigorously and slowly.

Anam is quiet.  He’s observing the expressions on his face.

After a very long time, Bo Jinyan lifts his head to take a look at him.  However it’s like he’s wanting by means of him, and thru the cement partitions, to the place the place she is. 

A smile seems on his face.  Nonetheless, his eyes nonetheless seems chilly and empty.  

A rough and unfamiliar voice speaks.  “I want to interrupt out of right here.”