He Chi's dark eyes were filled with confusion, "Who?"

"Zhao Jiajia," Jiang Yining repeated.

He Chi frowned slightly and recalled the people he knew, but he really didn't know who she was talking about.

"I don't know him."

Jiang Yining had been lying in bed. She sat up and said, "How could I not recognize her? I saw you sending her back to Jingli Community last night."

When she said that, He Chi remembered that Ling Yue asked him to take her home after get off work yesterday, and she brought a colleague who she got along well with.

He Chi didn't want to see her off at first, but when he heard her say she was going back to Jingli Community, he thought that maybe she knew Jiang Yining, so he saw her off.

Seeing Jiang Yining so excited, He Chi felt something was wrong. He walked to the bed, pulled a chair over and sat down.

"So that's why you didn't let me pick you up last night?"

Jiang Yining didn't answer, but insisted, "First, tell me how you and Zhao Jiajia met?"

"I don't know her."

He Chi helped her lie down. "I was sending Ling Yue home, and I dropped her off on the way. I don't even know her name. I heard from Ling Yue that she was a new colleague in the company and was still on probation."

Jiang Yining frowned, "Who is Ling Yue?"

He Chi tucked the quilt in for her, stood up and said, "Wait for me for a moment."

He walked out of the bedroom and went to the guest bedroom where he slept. Two minutes later, He Chi came back with a photo frame in his hand.

He Chi showed the photo to Jiang Yining.

They were all wearing police uniforms in the photo, including He Chi. It was obvious that he was full of vigor and vitality at that time. Like them, his black eyes were bright and determined.

He Chi pointed at a person in the photo and said, "His name is Ling Yan. We were classmates in elementary school. We grew up together and later joined the police force together."

As he spoke, He Chi's tone became heavy, "That time we went on a mission together, Ling Yan..."

He Chi paused before continuing, "He died in that mission."

"We agreed before that if something happened to one of us, the one left behind would help take care of the other's family. Over the years, I have fulfilled my responsibilities for Ling Yan. Ling Yue is Ling Yan's sister."

After just a few words, Jiang Yining's mood became heavy. She looked at Ling Yan in the photo. He was standing with He Chi, smiling with his big white teeth. He was probably the same age as He Chi, and was only 24 years old when he died.

She remembered a saying: There is no such thing as a peaceful life, it's just that someone is carrying the burden for us.

Jiang Yining asked, "Did you leave the police force because of Ling Yan's sacrifice?"

"No," He Chi changed his words and said, "It can be considered as such."

He asked, "Didn't Mom tell you why I left the police force?"

"No, Mom rarely tells me about you, unless she can't help but complain to me when she's angry."

He Chi smiled faintly, "I thought I was transparent to you."

His voice was filled with helplessness and deep regret. "Because Ling Yan's sacrifice upset Grandma, she was afraid the same thing would happen to me, so she went on a hunger strike to force me to leave the police force."

"She was very determined at the time. My team leader and higher-ups tried to persuade her, but it was all in vain. In the end, I had no choice but to leave."

Jiang Yining originally thought that he left voluntarily. Perhaps because of this incident, He Chi was unwilling to stay in Lincheng over the years. He had been staying in other places and rarely came back.

She clumsily comforted He Chi, "It's okay, you've done very well, grandma also cares about you..."

Jiang Yining didn't know what to say anymore. She reached out from under the quilt and patted the back of He Chi's hand.

He Chi lowered his eyes and saw several needle holes on the back of her hand, which was a little swollen.

He got up and got a towel, soaked it in warm water, and took it out, "Cover it up."

He Chi lowered his head to cover the back of her hand, and then said, "Let's not talk about my business for now. Tell me why you refused to let me pick you up last night. Was it because I was sending that Zhao something back home?"