Chapter 135

Do you still love me?

The word "divorce" struck Lin Jin like a bomb from the sky, leaving her momentarily stunned, and the atmosphere instantly turned into an icy abyss.

Cheng Sangluo didn't linger in the bedroom. She walked slowly toward the door, but she refused to look back at him, her attitude as resolute as if she had sentenced this wrong love to death.

"No...no..." Lin Jin blinked, refusing to accept it, her hoarse murmurs filled with intense sobs, then suddenly rose in volume: "I don't agree!"

She no longer cared about her manners or composure. She threw off the covers and scrambled out of bed, her injured ankle swaying as she chased after the person who was about to disappear through the door.

Hearing the dull thud of bare feet on the floor behind her, Cheng Sangluo sighed and slumped her shoulders. After hesitating for a moment, she turned around with a soft heart.

She strode towards Lin Jin, bent down and hoisted him onto her shoulder, ignoring her own injuries.

Lin Jin was suspended in mid-air, a dizzying sense of weightlessness washing over her. She exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing?!"

"Do you even want your legs anymore? Do you really want to be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life?" Cheng Sangluo cursed through her pain, then went into the bathroom and placed the person on her shoulder onto the washbasin.

Lin Jin briefly put aside the topic of divorce, secretly cursing Cheng Sangluo as a soft-hearted bastard, and silently enjoying her occasional displays of care.

It has to be said that after living together for so long, their habits have gradually become intertwined.

Many small habits have long been ingrained in Cheng Sangluo's bones.

Just like when she washes up in the morning, she always squeezes toothpaste onto Lin Jin's toothbrush beforehand, and she even does it subconsciously when brushing her teeth this morning.

Lin Jin leaned lazily against the large mirror, looking at the toothpaste that had been squeezed onto the electric toothbrush earlier that morning, and couldn't help but let out a clear, cool laugh.

Cheng Sangluo was already in a bad mood, and hearing the intermittent laughter made her even angrier.

She angrily grabbed her toothbrush, vigorously shook off the toothpaste, and exclaimed in exasperation, "What's so funny?"

"Your behavior is even funnier now." Lin Jin joked, but in her heart she found it childish and cute. So she simply put her hands on the washbasin and quietly watched the person in front of her throw a tantrum.

Cheng Sangluo felt a sense of frustration that she couldn't vent. Staring at the toothpaste in the washbasin, she finally gave up and said, "You have hands and feet, you can wash yourself."

Lin Jin lifted her injured foot and gently placed it on her waist, then leaned closer. "How can you just stop loving someone like that? Your care is hidden in the little things. You can't fool me."

The only sound in the bathroom was the dripping of water; it was so quiet that they listened to each other's breathing.

Cheng Sangluo looked at the feet resting on her waist. She really didn't want to discuss the topic of love or not, so she simply started talking about something else: "Let's find a day to go for a follow-up appointment and put the surgery on the agenda."

“You don’t need to remind me of these trivial matters. I just want to talk to you about one thing right now—I don’t agree to a divorce.” Lin Jin easily steered the conversation back on track, staring intently at Cheng Sangluo, as if waiting for her to squeeze the toothpaste onto her toothbrush again.

Cheng Sangluo understood without saying a word, and angrily did everything, silently handing over the toothbrush, "Then let's go through legal procedures. We can still get a divorce after the cooling-off period."

"Don't forget, you signed an exorbitant agreement with me. Even if I don't haggle over the three million you owe, the penalty for breach of the agreement will be enough for you to pay off for the rest of your life." Lin Jin reverted to her previous petty and calculating demeanor, every word laced with threat.

"I'll find a way to pay it back." Cheng Sangluo started to act stubborn again, her words were very firm, but she had no idea what good way to repay the debt. After all, the astronomical amount was enough to make anyone's heart tremble just by looking at it.

Lin Jin's fingers tightened suddenly around the toothbrush. She stared warily at the nonchalant man, letting out a sour sigh: "Oh~ I see. You're so confident. You're probably thinking of asking your old flame Shu Wan for help, aren't you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? What old flame? Don't drag our conflict into other people's business, okay?" Cheng Sangluo raised her voice to scold him, then suddenly realized she had overreacted and lowered her voice to say, "I have never wronged this relationship, and I have never wronged you!"

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Lin Jin clicked his tongue, his teasing tone laced with endless sourness: "I was just saying it casually, but you reacted so strongly despite being so good at controlling your emotions. It seems that Shu Wan holds a very high place in your heart."

"Are you done yet? Stop bringing up Shu Wan all the time. Where I'm going after I leave, what I'm going to do, and how I'm going to pay back the money I owe you—none of these things have anything to do with her. Why are you dragging her into this?" Cheng Sangluo was so angry that she jumped up and down, but the more she explained, the worse it got, so she finally stopped talking altogether.

Lin Jin gazed at the person she loved most, pursing her lips and remaining silent for a long time.

Her eyes weren't dim; in fact, they sparkled with anticipation. After a long, lingering gaze, she asked softly, "Do you still love me?"

Cheng Sangluo paused for a moment, but did not shy away from this question that was easy to ask but difficult to answer, and said firmly: "I love you, but I don't like you as you are now."

Lin Jin lowered her eyes, a sliver of hope amidst her sadness. She sighed inwardly, thinking that as long as love was still there, it meant there was still a chance to salvage the situation. "Let's not get a divorce, okay? Let's each take a step back. You can do whatever you want, but don't leave me. I promise not to interfere in your private affairs, and I can even give you plenty of space."

Cheng Sangluo could feel that Lin Jin was being tortured by her; otherwise, how could such an arrogant person say that they should each take a step back?

She leaned against the wall, letting her gaze trace the beautiful woman she both loved and feared, and sighed helplessly: "When did you become someone who can compromise? This is outrageous of you."

Lin Jin was taken aback for a moment by the question, but her glaring eyes gradually softened as she said self-deprecatingly, "From the day I started to love you, I was no longer myself."

In the afternoon, Lin Jin, wrapped in a thin camel-colored coat, stood alone in the garden, gazing into the distance.

As winter approaches, the sea and mountains are shrouded in dark clouds. The damp, cold wind blows from the sea and carries a chill through the mountains. The sunlight can never break through the thick clouds, just like the desolation of unanswered love words.

Cheng Sangluo drove the Bentley out of the parking garage, deliberately slowing down as she crossed the driveway, glancing indifferently at the figure not far away through the car window.

Before leaving, she didn't tell Lin Jin where she was going, but instead mocked her mercilessly, saying that she had something pressed on her body and there was no need to waste her breath explaining.

Lin Jin kept his promise and said he would give his lover the freedom to move around, so he didn't ask any questions and just watched Cheng Sangluo leave the villa on the hillside without saying a word.

Without the usual sweet and intimate farewells, the two people, trapped in their own worlds, felt a stifling discomfort and unease.

......

Cheng Sangluo arranged to meet Ji Nanxing, presumably because she disliked the tense atmosphere of the criminal investigation center, so she specifically chose a coffee shop.

While waiting, she peered through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the bustling street scene of pedestrians.

The café is small, and couples often come and go, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere amidst the rich aroma of coffee.

As Cheng Sangluo watched the lovers come and go, she suddenly had a strange illusion.

She had the illusion that she was holding the hot latte cup in Lin Jin's palm, showing concern and care, chatting and laughing about the little things in life.

Cheng Sangluo's heart tightened for a moment for no reason. She suddenly realized that she and Lin Jin had a passionate love affair, but when she tried to recall it, she couldn't remember a single date scene worth remembering.

It seems she has never had a proper date with Lin Jin, not even a simple meal or movie outing.

Ji Nanxing, exuding a chill, walked through the curtain, strode to the table, sat down, and apologized, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Since it was a private meeting, she wasn't wearing a police uniform, but rather a long black coat, which made her already slender figure look even more dashing.

"A hot Americano?" Cheng Sangluo thought that since she was the one who extended the invitation, she should of course pay the bill. She then asked, "How about a hot latte? At least it won't be so bitter."

"No, I don't sleep well, and coffee makes me sleepy." Ji Nanxing politely declined, then glanced at the notebook in front of him. "Is this for me?"

“Hmm.” Cheng Sangluo nodded, pushed the notebook in front of Ji Nanxing, and explained, “This is evidence from Lin Jin’s investigation of Lin Sheng’s arms trafficking many years ago. It is also evidence for my retrial. It contains a lot of information and the investigation was very detailed. Lin Jin said that the person who retracted his confession and framed me has been protected by her. She will bring him to see you when the prosecution investigates.”

"Okay, I'll take the notebook for now. I'll verify it carefully when I get back. Just keep in touch. We'll put the case overturned as soon as possible." Ji Nanxing put the notebook into his handbag and then asked with concern, "How's your injury healing?"

"That's fine then," Cheng Sangluo replied listlessly, as if she didn't want to remember what she had experienced these past few days, and dared not mention it to the person in front of her, since Lin Jin's act of imprisoning her had crossed the line.

Thinking of this, she quickly changed the subject: "Does Lin Sheng still have no clue at all?"

"It's my fault. If I had arrived at the scene earlier that night, I might have been able to arrest him directly." Ji Nanxing leaned back in his chair with self-reproach. Suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly took out his phone and showed it to Cheng Sangluo. "By the way, the notebook you gave me back then, the one Xu Songheng had, the colleagues in the technical department recovered the contents of the USB drive and also found something else."

Cheng Sangluo picked up her coffee cup, about to take a sip, when she heard the important clue and paused, asking, "What else did you find?"

“Here it is.” Ji Nanxing zoomed in on the photo and showed Cheng Sangluo the two strings of numbers he had found. “It’s hard for outsiders to guess what these numbers mean. They could be the specific amount of arms trafficking, or they could be a code for something. I’m really out of ideas, so I wanted to ask if you have any other ideas.”

Cheng Sangluo tilted her head to examine the two strings of numbers in the picture, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Ji Nanxing was baffled by the laughter and asked, puzzled, "Could it be that you saw through the mystery at a glance?"

Cheng Sangluo asked, "Do you have a pen?"

"Of course." Ji Nanxing took out a fountain pen from the lining of his coat and also handed over his notebook. "Here, I've prepared everything for you. Take your time to work out."

“I’m a former reconnaissance soldier, I can understand these numbers at a glance.” Cheng Sangluo chuckled as he took the item, placed his thumb on the pen, squinted one eye to indicate the distance, and explained, “Back in the days of live-fire exercises, if you gave me a pen and two strings of numbers, I could calculate the location of the enemy’s artillery positions. It’s that simple.”

"Oh?" Ji Nanxing suddenly understood, but then asked suspiciously, "You mean these two strings of numbers are very likely coordinates?"

Cheng Sangluo hunched over and scribbled in his notebook, muttering, "If you add semicolons and arrange them in order, there will be several results. If two of the arrangements are located within the Zhouhai area, then they are the precise latitude and longitude coordinates."

Ji Nanxing found Cheng Sangluo's words very reasonable and looked quite interested. "Then I won't bother you, hurry up and calculate."

"It's very simple, it won't take us much time, you'll see in a bit." Cheng Sangluo confidently buried her head in writing numbers, while also busy checking coordinates on her phone.

Before long, she slapped her knees, threw her head back, and laughed loudly: "I told you so! You can get the result just by adding a separator, without even needing permutations or combinations. See, see!"

As she spoke, she showed Ji Nanxing the coordinates she had found on her phone, and the conclusion drawn from the two sets of numbers was indeed within the Zhouhai City area.

Ji Nanxing quickly took a picture of the coordinates and saved it, and couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at him, "It seems this trip was worthwhile. Every time we meet, you surprise me. Today was another fruitful day."

"Cough... It's not that I'm good, it's just that Xu Songheng's amateurish skills are no match for mine, and they just happened to hit my area of ​​expertise." Cheng Sangluo rubbed her chin, a sudden thought flashing through her mind, "Hiss... He went to all this trouble to gather this kind of investigative evidence, there must be something shady hidden there, do you think there's a possibility... could that be Lin Sheng's hideout?"

Ji Nanxing also fell into deep thought. Considering that Xu Songheng was involved in arms trafficking, she couldn't say for sure what the coordinates were.

She reasoned carefully and acted cautiously, rarely drawing unknown conclusions without seeing them for herself. So she shook her head: "I'm not sure what might be there, but I definitely need to go and find out. If we have time, we can go now."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Cheng Sangluo quickly downed her coffee in one gulp, determined not to waste any.

She picked up a tissue to wipe her mouth and joked, "You really have to take me, otherwise I'll start doing things differently again."

Ji Nanxing was most annoyed by this person's rash actions, which is why he took the initiative to invite him this time, saying, "Please don't get into any more trouble, otherwise I really won't be able to explain it to everyone."

[Author's Note]

1. My pre-order novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for collection.