Chapter 83 Mandala 03

Chi Li gently held Luo Siwei's hand. He had wondered in the past whether she would one day discover what had happened. But when it actually happened, he felt unprepared.

Chi Li turned around and looked down at her.

Luo Siwei was wearing a home pajamas, with her long hair loose. Because she had cried in the afternoon, the corners of her eyes were slightly red, but her eyes were shining with excitement because of this discovery.

Perhaps because she was ill, she looked a little haggard, her lips pale, a few strands of hair plastered to her cheeks, completely different from her usual image of a smart and capable policewoman. Yet, even with this look on her, he couldn't help but feel pity for her.

Seeing Chi Li didn't answer for a moment, Luo Siwei was eager to know the answer. She raised her head and asked again, "Captain Chi, did you participate in the capture of the wax figure artist?"

She'd lost her short-term memory from that time, and for a while, she'd deliberately avoided the case, not investigating it. But now, thinking back, Chi Li's work schedule perfectly matched up, and there were already clues to many things. It must be because the files were sealed that his experience with the special task force wasn't included in his public file.

Luo Siwei's eyes were full of anticipation, her heart beating fast as she waited for his answer.

Chi Li paused and answered her: "I have participated in it before."

After receiving a positive answer, Luo Siwei was very excited, but Chi Li's tone was calm, as if it was a very ordinary thing.

She was afraid that he had forgotten, so she said seriously: "I am the girl you rescued that year."

Chi Li said: "Yeah, I know. I remember you."

Luo Siwei thought, as expected, he had recognized her a long time ago. At least he should have recognized her when she went to the subway to pick her up.

Yeah, how could I forget?

Luo Siwei herself had participated in many missions, saving and capturing people. She had meticulously studied every file, knowing every person's experience in detail. She couldn't forget every name or face.

What's more, it is such a dangerous mission.

Luo Siwei felt her eyes were hot and swollen. She recalled the scar she had just touched: "Were you injured then?"

Chi Li's tone did not change, and he turned around to get something: "It's not serious, it has healed a long time ago."

Luo Siwei chased him and asked again: "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Chi Li lowered his head, took out the bowl and chopsticks from the cabinet, and put the dishes on the plate, as if chatting with her about some trivial matters: "Because I feel that no matter whether the person I need to save that day is you or not, I will do it." He paused, wiped his hands and said, "That's my job, I don't need your repayment or gratitude."

This was completely different from what Luo Siwei had imagined. If it were another man, he would definitely not have waited until now to tell her when she asked him, and Chi Li's tone was so nonchalant.

She only remembered bits and pieces, but from those she remembered, the action must have been breathtaking.

Shouldn't he tell her how thrilling the process was and how he went through so much hardship and difficulty to rescue her with her life hanging by a thread?

But Chi Li didn't want to take credit for this matter in front of her. If she didn't remember it, he would pretend that nothing had happened. Even in their previous communication, she didn't see any clues at all.

Luo Siwei wanted to ask something else.

Chi Li turned around and stirred the porridge in the pot, and said to her: "The porridge is ready, let's eat first. After you're done, we can talk about this."

Luo Siwei had no choice but to give up and help him take out the chopsticks.

The two of them sat down face to face, and Chi Li carefully put some yam, dates and wolfberries into the porridge. The yam had been cooked until it was soft and glutinous, and tasted lightly sweet.

He also stir-fried some vegetables, steamed some egg custard, and opened a box of taro fermented bean curd.

Although it was just plain tea and food, Luo Siwei felt that eating with two people at the table was completely different from her eating hurriedly alone.

In the past, she would eat food just to fill her stomach, but now she can distinguish the different tastes of everything.

The light porridge and side dishes in front of her felt more delicious than all the delicacies from land and sea.

After drinking the porridge, Luo Siwei's whole body warmed up.

Chi Li took the initiative to clean up the dishes, poured her a glass of warm water, and poured himself a glass as well.

The small room was lit with orange light, and on the table beside it stood a pot of flowers containing deep red velvet roses.

Luo Siwei looked at him, her mind still thinking about those things over and over again. She couldn't help but ask: "Captain Chi, if I hadn't discovered this, would you not have told me?"

Chi Li said: "Those things are not pleasant memories for you. They may be a shadow in your heart, so I don't want you to remember them all the time and fall into those emotions again."

No matter what happened to Luo Siwei's mother or what happened to her, he hoped that she could forget all those things and never remember them again.

Luo Siwei was silent for a moment and then said, "But it's different for me. That's a memory that's etched in my mind. Maybe the first half of the memory is a nightmare, a shadow. But the fact that you saved me is a beautiful and precious memory for me. It's the source of my sense of security and courage."

She mustered up the courage to say, "You are my hero."

After hearing her words, Chi Li hesitated for a moment, then looked at Luo Siwei in front of him and said, "I didn't tell you those things because... I didn't want you to let that matter affect our relationship."

Affect relationships?

Luo Siwei wondered if he was afraid that if he let her know too soon, she would not be able to concentrate on her work?

Or was he afraid that if she knew about their entanglement and wanted to repay him, the two of them would not be able to get along normally?

Luo Siwei suddenly felt a little depressed, as if she suddenly remembered this incident and had done something wrong by revealing it.

She lowered her head and took a sip of water: "Captain Chi, I will distinguish between work and personal feelings."

Chi Li heard that she seemed to have misunderstood, and hurriedly explained: "No, that's not what I meant. In my life, you are a special existence."

He looked at Luo Siwei: "Because when I see you, I feel that my work and what I have done have meaning."

That was the girl he watched grow up, the girl he saved after fighting bloody battles.

Luo Siwei seemed to understand Chi Li's meaning, but also seemed not to fully comprehend it. She wondered if her temper had risen again, as to why she did not quite understand what Chi Li said.

She tilted her head to look at him, and feeling her gaze, Chi Li lowered his head to drink water. Then Luo Siwei suddenly noticed that the tips of Chi Li's ears had turned red.

The method of observing micro-expressions during interrogation is really useful. Even if the tone of voice can be hidden, there are always some details that can reveal a person's true thoughts.

Luo Siwei said: "You said I don't need to be particularly grateful to you, but I still want to thank you, Chi Li."

The two sat in silence for a moment, and then Chi Li changed the subject and asked, "Does your head still hurt?"

Luo Siwei shook his head: "It's much better now."

Chi Li reached out and touched her forehead, which was still a little warm: "Luo Siwei, you must take good care of yourself."

Luo Siwei nodded: "Okay..."

Chi Li hesitated for a moment and said, "You should have a good rest later. You are sick today, so I won't leave to make it easier for you to take care of me. I will sleep on the sofa in the living room tonight. If you feel uncomfortable at night, call me."

Luo Siwei said "oh", she got up, found the bed and quilt from the bedroom, took out a disposable toothbrush and towel, and handed him a charger.

Chi Li added: "I may have to go to the Municipal Bureau to work overtime tomorrow. If you don't feel uncomfortable later, I will leave on my own in the morning."

Luo Siwei said: "Okay."

Chi Li watched her get into bed at the door, then walked over and tucked in the quilt for her.

Luo Siwei suddenly reached out and held him, she said: "Captain Chi, you are so kind."

Chi Li took his hand back and patted her like he was coaxing a child: "Sleep peacefully, I'm here."

Luo Siwei closed his eyes and his breathing gradually became even.

Chi Li sat beside him for a while before carefully getting up and leaving.

After he left for a while, Luo Siwei suddenly woke up. She gently opened her eyes and remembered that she seemed to have forgotten something, as if there was something she had not explained clearly to Chi Li. Then she turned over, cleared out those distracting thoughts, and closed her eyes. "Next time, there will always be a chance to ask him."

Lying on the bed, Luo Siwei couldn't help thinking about the scene just now.

She was curious, did Chi Li like her?

He must like her. He saved her and helped her. He would feed her, help her sort out the case, stay with her by her bedside, send her home, and even let her stay here tonight because she was sick and he cooked for her.

He said that she was special to him.

But she was still a little unsure. He wasn't like other men who would say sweet nothings to girls. He was more polite, distant, and respectful to her. But the more he was like this, the more she couldn't figure him out.

It’s too tiring to think about it.

Luo Siwei felt like she was holding a flower, hesitating whether to tear off the petals one by one, but she was not a little girl who fell in love. In the end, she put the whole flower into the vase.

Those suspects were so stubborn that she could break their words, let alone Chi Li.

Luo Siwei thought that tomorrow, when she recovered from her illness, she would be able to recover fully. She had to find a way to test his attitude more clearly.

Chi Li washed the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and carefully put away the garbage. He worked on his mobile phone for a while, washed up, and then lay down on the sofa to prepare for sleep.

The sofa faces the bedroom door, and you can see a little light from a night light coming from inside.

Chi Li remembered Luo Siwei asking him why he didn't tell her those things earlier.

He gave several reasons today.

But in fact, he still had some selfish motives that he didn't make clear to her.

He did not want Luo Siwei to be grateful to him because he had helped her or because he had solved her problems. He wanted her feelings for him to be purer.

He first met her because of a chance call he received while volunteering in college.

The girl on the other side had a childish voice and sounded quite young. She was talking about her experiences, trying to keep her tone calm, but he was starting to feel increasingly terrified. He couldn't imagine what she'd been through if those things had really happened.

She finished her story, but before he could ask her for details, she hung up the phone.

When he got home that night, he thought about this incident and felt a knot in his heart. He felt that most of what the girl said was true, but she had deliberately hidden some information in her words.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He searched for relevant information and found out about her existence.

He remembered that the girl had a nice name, Luo Siwei.

He registered his number and tried to add her, but was rejected the first time. He tried a second time, and fortunately this time he was accepted.

In this way, they became allies and also like master and apprentice.

They began to communicate across the Internet.

Bit by bit, she uncovers the truth behind her mother's death.

He gradually developed a liking for this strong, stubborn, intelligent and sensitive girl.

Every day when he turned on his computer, he seemed to be looking forward to her reporting that she was safe and telling him the latest progress.

After she found out the truth, he went to find Ye Ling. He rarely asked his mother to do anything, but at that time, he asked, "Mom, do you have time to pay attention to the recent case at that school?"

He originally thought that they would meet by chance and become the most familiar strangers. One day they would pass by each other on the street and then disappear in the crowd.

But a few years later, when he was investigating the wax statue case in the criminal investigation team, he suddenly received news of a missing girl.

The first person to receive the call was Meng Zhi. It was 11:00 PM that night at the police station. Meng Zhi and several other officers reported, "A pedestrian saw a girl being attacked and called the police. The precinct has investigated and confirmed that the victim is a junior at the police academy. The vehicle that took her away is the suspected license plate we had previously identified."

For a moment, the task force became tense.

Captain Jiang said, "We can't allow any new victims to appear. We must do our utmost to save them!"

At that time, he calmly presided over the work: "Send me the information, we will hurry up."

The moment he opened the information, the name Luo Siwei came into his eyes again.

He, who was always calm and composed, panicked for the first time.

It was almost an impossible task to summarize the previous investigation results, find the possible location of the murderer, and organize police officers to carry out a raid in a very short period of time.

The entire team worked against the clock, investigating all night long. They were racing against time, and finally arrived at the factory at four in the morning of the next day.

The girl disappeared at 11 o'clock that night, which was several hours beyond the golden rescue period, which meant that she could die at any time.

The abandoned factory was huge and had a complex terrain, like a giant maze.

The police officers were not familiar with the terrain, and they lacked adequate weapons and protection. There was no time to wait for follow-up support, so Captain Jiang ordered them to go in and rescue people.

Almost everyone was determined to die.

Soon after they rushed into the abandoned factory, an explosion occurred, trapping some police officers. In order to find the victim as quickly as possible, they chose to act separately. When he found the girl lying on the bed, covered in blood and unconscious, all the efforts seemed worthwhile.

At the same time he shot and killed Lu Mingsi, he was also shot.

He knew he was seriously injured. He held on to the edge of the steel bed, coughing and spitting out blood, but he reached out to feel her pulse. When he felt the weak pulsation, he finally let go.

It was snowing heavily outside, communications were down, and the ambulance couldn't get in. He was also seriously injured, but he knew he couldn't stop. If he stopped, both of them might die here.

It was already early morning the next day when he walked out of the factory carrying the girl on his back.

The rising morning light illuminated a pristine snowy landscape, and snowflakes drifted from the sky. He felt cold all over, almost unable to breathe. The moment he opened his eyes, his vision went dark. It seemed as if every step he took would cause him to collapse from exhaustion.

She woke up for a moment, said a few words to him, and then fell asleep again.

He relied on his willpower to carry her out of the factory and contact emergency personnel. While waiting for rescue, he finally fell into a coma.

In the end, he saved her.

When he woke up, he saw his usually strong mother sitting at the head of his bed with tears in her eyes.

He then realized that the time he carried the girl on his back after the injury had caused severe bleeding. His surgery lasted eight hours and he was once declared critically ill.

But he has no regrets about what he did and the decision he made.

After the operation and being out of danger, he was still most worried about her.

A few days later, Meng Zhi finally came to tell him that Luo Siwei had woken up and should be able to give a statement. At that time, he grabbed Meng Zhi and asked, "Can I go with you?"

Meng Zhi frowned: "You are still injured..."

"I'm fine." He gritted his teeth, pressing on the wound and changing his clothes. "I won't ask any questions. I'll just stand at the door and watch her."

He wanted to confirm Luo Siwei's safety, wanted to know whether Lu Mingsi was the only suspect, and wanted to know what happened at that time.

Meng Zhi couldn't persuade him, so he had to take him with him.

The doctor explained the situation to them: "The patient may be suffering from a head injury, or perhaps psychological issues after being attacked by a man. She's not in good condition. She's... afraid of male doctors, so we're using female medical staff. Do you plan to question her now, or send a female police officer?"

Meng Zhi hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll replace it with a female police officer."

After Luo Siwei's emotions stabilized, the two of them walked into the ward. Chi Li almost stood at the door, and Meng Zhi was a little closer. They opened the door and asked questions.

Chi Li could see that Luo Siwei was trying her best to cooperate with them, but her pale face and frightened eyes revealed that she was very scared.

She had lost a lot of weight and looked very haggard.

Just being in the same room with strange men made her tremble slightly, and she didn't even dare to raise her head to meet their gaze.

She couldn't remember many details, but was still trying to give them clues.

Chi Li blamed himself a little. Why didn't they catch Lv Mingsi earlier? Why couldn't they prevent this tragedy from happening...

The murderer died, but they did not dare to relax their guard. The task force began to investigate whether there were any accomplices. They also began their daily protection of Luo Siwei.

A few months later, he heard about Luo Siwei's recent situation from his colleagues again.

"You still remember the surviving victim in that case, right?"

"Luo Siwei? The one from the police academy?"

"Yes, I was on duty recently, providing covert protection, and I came across a piece of gossip. There was a guy in their university, quite handsome, who seemed to be pursuing her. He asked her out for dinner, but I don't know what he did or said, but scared the girl away."

"That girl seems to have been kidnapped by a psychopathic killer. Doesn't that mean she'll be haunted by men from now on?"

"It's quite pitiful. After going through all that, it's definitely impossible for him to be like an ordinary person."

Chi Li listened to the discussions silently without saying anything.

He had also secretly protected her when she was first assigned to the police station.

She was stronger than he thought and quickly recovered from the incident.

At night, he parked his car downstairs, looked up at the lighted window, and watched her put the arranged flowers on the windowsill; in the early morning, he followed her from a distance, watching her hurry on the road while buying breakfast at a roadside stall; he saw her working overtime on the case after get off work, forgetting to eat and sleep, and sparing no effort.

They were finally able to meet again.

In the subway station, she stood in front of him and talked to him, then jumped off the subway like a rabbit and took his phone and wallet...

He was waiting for her at the broadcasting station in the subway station. When he saw the staff making a joke, she panicked and hurriedly explained.

He was not one to ask for help, but he did find some seniors he knew for her, asking them to take good care of her, and finally reminded them not to let her know.

Such a beautiful and hardworking girl seems to be shining when standing in the crowd. Once his eyes fall on her, he can never take them away.

He had read every case she had handled, watched her bring the bad guys to justice, and watched her gradually become more mature and brave...

My love for her is like a silent drizzle, delicate and silent, but it will gather together drop by drop and gradually become a stream.

He approached her so carefully, treating her like a treasure. He knew that she was like a beautiful piece of porcelain with a tiny crack, and she had to be treated with extra care.

The more he liked her, the more he cared about her feelings, and the more he didn't want her to be hurt in the slightest.

Chi Li looked down at her hand, which still retained the warmth of her grip.

Chi Li felt that liking someone was one's own business and there was no need to let the other person know. It was a kind of silent protection, being moved but not leaving a trace, giving but not expecting a response.

So, he wasn't going to say anything now. He hadn't done enough, not well enough, and she was still sick.

But at that time, seeing her somewhat lost expression, he almost couldn't help it, and finally he told her that she was special.

She is the most special.