The sun was certainly really intense, making one’s skin burn from the heat.

On a late afternoon in the ancient city, there were few people walking along the streets. Tong Sheng, a little annoyed, used her hand to block the sunlight while she stood at the traffic intersection.

Uh … she had gotten lost. As someone with a poor sense of direction, and even considering she had lost her map and wallet, she had experienced extremely bad luck today.

She wanted to see which passer-bys looked friendly enough to borrow their mobile phone so that she could call a friend to bring some money to help her out.

She did not notice a black car, parked not far from the curbside that had been waiting there for a long time.

Later in the day, there were fewer people on the road. Even the dogs curled up in the corner asleep.

When the car stopped in front of her, she was surprised. But after seeing the person who was driving, at first she hesitated. Then she smiled and said, “Oh, it’s you.”

A lone person roamed aimlessly in this city.

That person smiled back and asked, “How are you, my dear? I have been watching you stand here.  Are you waiting for someone?”

Tong Sheng stuck out her tongue. “I lost my wallet, and I even got lost.”

The person opened the door to the back seat for her. “Get in. I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

Tong Sheng found this somewhat strange. “How could I make you do something like that for me?”

However, in the end she got into the car and they happily spoke to one another the entire trip.

A light wind blew softly through the treetops while patchy shadows fell on the vehicle. The car windows reflected the smiles on their faces.  The air conditioning was very adequate, making every cell of Tong Sheng’s body feel comfortable and so lazy that she didn’t feel like doing anything.

The person took a bottle of mineral water out of the car cooler for her. Tong Sheng happily took it, unscrewing the top off to take a drink.

Later, her eyelids became heavier and heavier.  Tong Sheng became aware that something was wrong, however how could she still open her eyes? She wanted to grab the hand of the person driving the car, but her hand was immediately flung off. Vaguely,  the car seemed to have entered a very peaceful place.  She closed her eyes.

____

She continued to cry as she crawled on the floor, “Let me go… I am begging you, let me go… I’ll give you all the money I have.”

[start PG-13]

He put a chain around Tong Sheng’s neck like a dog. She did not wear any clothes from then on,  but did she need to wear anything? He liked seeing girls living animalistic lives.[end]

He was like a royal king and a supreme master.

In comparison, she could only gaze up at the small window overhead day and night from the basement that cut her off from the outside world.

One night, she sobbed and cried out softly, “Mama, mama ……”

When he heard this, he gently stroked her body silently.

Tong Sheng, don’t cry.

Your mama will never find you.

——

The police department in the ancient city was very big, but the criminal police squadron was very small, because very few criminal cases occurred in this popular yet unsophisticated tourist city.  If a case occurred, it would definitely be very serious.

The weather was very hot, and the criminal police squadron’s office was very silent, like an empty room. All of them were slumped over their tables sleeping. The cicadas chirped in the courtyard, and the asphalt on the ground seemed as if it was being melted. On this indolent day, there was only one person who did not sleep at midday, and was even leaning on his table, wearing headphones as he looked at his computer.

He was the great team leader of a branch of the criminal police squad, Fang Qing.

Fang Qing, who just turned thirty this year, was born tall and talented. Numerous people had come to offer him a potential girlfriend in the past. However, he ruthlessly rejected them all without exceptions.  Everything had started precisely a few years ago after he was dumped by his girlfriend. His life from then on had become simple and independent.

At the moment, he was sitting in front of a computer, but he wasn’t watching a romantic action film.  He still had some personal integrity from his job; he had always watched movies by himself at home. He was taking advantage of his lunch break to watch a new Chinese drama.

He wasn’t just watching a Chinese drama however; he was watching the cuts of all the scenes with the female lead.

He lit a cigarette as he slightly squinted at all the scenes whenever the female lead appeared.  The actress who had the part of the female lead was Jin Xiaozhe, and this year she was actually 29 years old.  In the entertainment industry, she was considered a late bloomer*.  Who would have known throughout these past few years, she had become a national female goddess?

Jin Xiaozhe’s skin was very fair. It was so fair it resembled porcelain. She was extremely pretty when she wore cheongsams. At the moment, she was fighting against the male lead. The male lead held her waist, and her cheongsam exposed her white and full legs. Fang Qing’s throat tightened in bursts. That male lead even pushed her onto the bed and tore up her cheongsam.

“F**k.” Fang Qing softly cursed. He nervously drank a sip of water.

The good part was that the passionate act did not continue. As the two persons hugged each other on the bed, and spoke eloquent script lines to each other, they kissed. Fang Qing’s face had already turned black. He immediately shut his computer and threw his cigarette away, walking out of  the office.

Skyscrapers were not allowed to be built in the ancient city Fang Qing currently resided in. As Fang Qing stood in the hallway, he could see a mountain in the distance. He loved having such a tranquil hometown, but at the same time, the ruralness of the town also restricted him from greater opportunities. To this day, he could still remember Jin Xiaozhe walking towards him, as she said with an extremely cold tone, “Fang Qing, I cannot stay here. It’s too easy and free. I can see my future ahead of me in a glance. I want to have a more vibrant life with more possibilities.”

What had he said at that time? He had even laughed, as he painfully and angrily said to Jin Xiaozhe, “Alright then. Go charge into life. Just remember, that when it gets too dirty outside, you can come back. I will wait for you here. When you come back, we can marry.”

Who knew that after Jin Xiaozhe walked out, she would become famous?

Afterwards, they contacted each other less often, but they did not completely break off their relationship with each other either.

Last year, he had an opportunity to join the Ministry of Public Security for training at Beijing. He sent Jin Xiaozhe a short text. Jin Xiaozhe didn’t respond. When it was midnight, she arrived at the hotel he was staying at. That was the first time he saw her current extravagant lifestyle with his own eyes. She secretly parked downstairs in a nanny van, and two bodyguards protected her as she went up the stairs. A male manager watched him with an extremely complicated expression.

[start]After so many years, he was finally entering her body. She dug her fingers into his back and stifled her screams. On the other hand, his sweat dripped, as he became even more energized than if he were to climb over a wall and catch a thief. [end]

After they finished having sex, he slept, only half-conscious when he realised that she was about to leave.

He grabbed her with one hand, and asked, “What is our relationship to you?”

She did not answer, and asked him instead, “When will you come to Beijing?” Fang Qing did not answer.

How was he to respond? Should he say that he had been a criminal police officer for half of his life, and didn’t even want to resign to go to Beijing? Or should he say he was already a criminal police officer now. I make 5000 yuan a month, so could I marry such a huge celebrity like you?

He simply laughed and said, “Why are you so anxious? If you’re anxious, how come you won’t come back to the ancient city?”

Jin Xiaozhe’s face turned ugly at the time, and left.

He called her again much later and texted her, but she didn’t respond.

As he thought about this, Fang Qing rubbed his hand along his hair, in an extremely fidgety manner. Actually, recently he had stumbled upon a great opportunity, and his performance at work had been outstanding. Thus, he had applied to be transferred to Beijing, and now the application lay in his desk drawer.When could he find a good opportunity to tell that woman? If he goes now, would it be too late?

He lit another cigarette, remembering Jin Xiaozhe’s enticing and passionate kiss with the male lead from a moment ago. His body was dry and hot. He grabbed the cup of tea next to him, and fiercely chugged the cold water down his throat.

“Leader Fang.” A detective ran inside from the staircase.

Fang Qing glanced at the detective’s complexion, and immediately organized his chaotic thoughts.

Great, there was now a serious case on hand.