Captivating Beauty 98

Chapter 98

At the hospital, Little Crescent Moon, frightened and chilled from the wind on the rooftop, had developed a high fever even before they arrived.

Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu stood by her bed, their hearts aching as they watched the nurse insert the IV needle into the little girl’s delicate skin.

Shen Shu’s legs felt weak, and after Little Crescent Moon was settled, Xu Jinnan led her to a nearby chair.

She crouched down in front of Shen Shu, her hands gently covering Shen Shu’s knees, which were exposed beneath her coat, her gaze lingering on her legs, her body.

“Are you sure you didn’t get hurt when you fell?”

“I’m fine,” Shen Shu replied, shaking her head.

She was still wearing the dress from the fan meeting, but Tong Jia had given her a long coat that reached her calves, and fortunately, there hadn’t been any broken glass on the floor where she had fallen.

Shen Shu placed her hand over Xu Jinnan’s, turning it over, her voice still slightly hoarse. “Xu Jinnan, you should be more concerned about yourself.” Even as she said the words, she felt a lump forming in her throat.

Xu Jinnan’s wrist was bandaged; the paramedics had wrapped it earlier, at the scene.

Bai Xiao’s fingernails had dug deep into her skin as she fell, the wounds so deep they had almost severed an artery.

Shen Shu hadn’t realized she was capable of crying so much.

She had always hated tears, seeing them as a sign of weakness, a pathetic display of vulnerability.

But seeing Xu Jinnan in danger, she hadn’t been able to control herself.

The moment Xu Jinnan had lunged forward to grab Bai Xiao, her heart had stopped.

Xu Jinnan, seeing the tears welling up in Shen Shu’s eyes, her own heart aching, said softly, “Don’t cry. Seeing you cry… it scares me.” Hearing Shen Shu’s sobs in that room, she had almost lost her resolve.

“You don’t seem scared,” Shen Shu said, her voice thick with emotion.

“I was,” Xu Jinnan replied, her cheek resting against Shen Shu’s knee, her hand still covering it.

She had been terrified on the rooftop, her mind filled with a chilling dread, a fear she hadn’t dared acknowledge until now.

Seeing the broken glass on the floor below, Bai Xiao holding Little Crescent Moon by the window, she had imagined Shen Shu standing there instead, her body suspended precariously over the edge, and the thought had made her blood run cold.

She closed her eyes, the image of Bai Xiao falling flashing through her mind, her fingers tightening around Shen Shu’s knee.

Shen Shu, afraid she would reopen the wounds on her wrist, gently pulled her hand away.

They sat in silence, their hands clasped together, waiting for Little Crescent Moon to wake up, the earlier terror still fresh in their minds, the memory of Bai Xiao’s fall a heavy weight on their hearts.

They had both witnessed death, a life extinguished before their eyes.

And they had both faced their own mortality.

The comfort of each other’s presence was a silent reassurance, a shared understanding that transcended words.

—

After Little Crescent Moon was settled, Xu Jinnan saw Li Lan at the doorway and, releasing Shen Shu’s hand, followed her out of the room.

They walked to the far end of the hallway, a window slightly ajar, letting in the sounds of the city, the cool breeze carrying the faint scent of cigarette smoke.

“She’s dead,” Li Lan said, her voice flat.

“I know,” Xu Jinnan replied.

She had seen it happen.

Her face, pale even in the brightly lit hallway, betrayed her inner turmoil.

Li Lan looked at her, her expression softening slightly. “Are you alright?” she asked. She understood the shock of witnessing someone die, especially for the first time.

Xu Jinnan didn’t reply. Of course, she wasn’t alright.

She inhaled the scent of smoke, then asked, “Officer Li, do you have a cigarette?” She needed a release, a temporary escape from the emotions she had been suppressing in front of Shen Shu.

Li Lan, after a moment of hesitation, took out a cigarette and a lighter from her bag, handing them to Xu Jinnan.

Xu Jinnan glanced back at the room where Shen Shu and Little Crescent Moon were, then walked over to the fire escape, placing the cigarette between her lips, the flame flickering in her dark eyes before she inhaled, the smoke curling upwards.

“Bai Xiao was also a victim of the Xu family,” she said after a few drags. “Her last words were, ‘No one will ever lock me up again.’ That ‘again’… I think she was imprisoned by the Xu family at some point.”

“You’re right,” Li Lan said, lighting her own cigarette. “Bai Xiao has a history of mental illness.”

Xu Jinnan paused, looking at her.

“She was a patient at that same mental institution,” Li Lan continued. “News of her death will spread quickly. There were too many witnesses. The Xu family will find out soon enough. And knowing how cautious they are, they’ll be on high alert. We have to act fast. We have about a week. Be prepared.”

“I will.”

“Xu Jinnan, don’t take the words of someone with a history of mental illness too seriously,” Li Lan said, her gaze fixed on the burning tip of her cigarette.

She had been on the phone with Xu Jinnan during the incident and had heard Bai Xiao’s accusations.

Xu Jinnan took a final drag from her cigarette, exhaling slowly. She didn’t reply.

“Don’t stress about it too much,” Li Lan said.

Xu Jinnan nodded.

Li Lan, seeing her silence, paused, then said, “Your brother will find out.”

Xu Jinnan extinguished her cigarette. “Afraid he’ll be upset?” she asked. It was understandable; Bai Xiao was his mother, after all.

Li Lan smiled faintly, shaking her head.

Xu Yincheng didn’t care about the Xu family.

His only concern was Xu Jinnan, his younger sister, and Li Lan had seen firsthand the depth of his devotion. It had been before she joined the police force.

Xu Yincheng, a year ahead of her at the university, had been a legend, admired by everyone, including Li Lan.

If she had been asked back then why she wanted to become a police officer, she would have said, without hesitation, “Because of Xu Yincheng.”

Many had tried to decipher his personality, to find a weakness, a chink in his armor, but he had always been aloof, his emotions hidden behind a mask of indifference. Then, one day, she had seen him in an alleyway, his foot on a thug’s head, his face a mask of fury. “How dare you speak her name? You call her a monster? I’ll show you what a monster looks like.” He had crippled the man.

She had later learned that the thug had called Xu Jinnan a “monster.”

Shortly after that, Xu Yincheng had disappeared from North City.

Looking back, she suspected he had already been recruited by a special organization.

It was a secret, one he would never reveal.

She had only discovered it by chance, noticing the insignia of a covert government agency on a necklace he wore, a symbol she recognized from a training program for high-ranking officials.

His was gold, with the number 0.

With his skills and intelligence, it wasn’t surprising he had become the head of such an organization, a role that required him to operate in secrecy, his life constantly in danger.

He had once said he would do anything for Xu Jinnan.

His very existence had been a shield, protecting her from the Xu family’s darkness.

And when he had learned about Xu Jinnan’s plans to take down the Xu family, he hadn’t cared about their fate, simply saying, “Let her do what she wants, as long as she’s safe.”

She still couldn’t understand his unwavering devotion to Xu Jinnan, while seemingly indifferent to Xu Li, his biological sister, and even to his own mother, Bai Xiao.

He would find out about today’s incident soon enough, and if he heard about Xu Jinnan’s near-death experience, he would likely return even sooner.

Li Lan’s thoughts returned to the present. “As long as you’re safe, he’ll be happy,” she said.

Xu Jinnan, her mind elsewhere, didn’t respond.

She wasn’t happy.

“Officer Li, Xu Li must know something about Bai Xiao’s past,” she said. “Perhaps we can find more evidence against the Xu family by investigating Bai Xiao’s history.”

“Mm,” Li Lan replied, patting Xu Jinnan’s arm. “Relax. You look terrible.”

—

Little Crescent Moon had woken up briefly, her fever having subsided, her eyes recognizing Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu, before drifting back to sleep. While she had no physical injuries besides the fractured ankle, the emotional trauma would take time to heal.

The VIP room had two small beds.

Xu Jinnan had wanted Shen Shu to go home, but she had refused, and they had both looked at the remaining bed, a silent understanding passing between them.

The room was quiet.

Xu Jinnan lay on her side, holding Shen Shu close, the day’s stress and anxiety finally easing, their bodies relaxing in the quiet stillness of the room.

They were both exhausted, but neither of them could sleep, their minds racing, until finally, towards dawn, they drifted off, their bodies still entwined.

But Shen Shu soon woke up with a gasp, her waist aching from Xu Jinnan’s tight embrace.

Xu Jinnan’s eyes were closed, her forehead damp with sweat.

-A loud crash echoed through the room as the window shattered, shards of glass flying like shrapnel, grazing her face, her ear, her neck.

She tried to move, to escape, but her body was frozen, her limbs unresponsive.

“Xu Jinnan,” a voice, chillingly familiar, called out.

Bai Xiao.

A cold sweat trickled down Xu Jinnan’s spine as she looked towards the window, the sudden brightness making her squint.

Then, her eyes widened in horror.

Bai Xiao was standing on the window ledge, Shen Shu beside her, her hands tied behind her back, her mouth covered with black tape.

“I told you you would lose everything you cherish – your loved ones, your child, everything,” Bai Xiao sneered, her eyes fixed on Xu Jinnan.

“No!” Xu Jinnan screamed, struggling to move, but her legs were frozen.

Bai Xiao laughed cruelly. “I’ll make you watch her die!”

Shen Shu’s eyes, filled with tears, met hers, her expression a mixture of sadness and resignation.

Xu Jinnan wanted to run, to save her, but she couldn’t move.

“No! Please, I beg you…” she cried, her voice hoarse.

Bai Xiao glanced at her coldly, then pushed Shen Shu, who, wearing the beige dress Xu Jinnan had given her, fell backwards, her body disappearing from view.

Xu Jinnan’s heart stopped, her body turning to ice, and she lunged forward, reaching for Shen Shu, but her hand grasped only air… She couldn’t see anything, only the beige dress, stained with crimson.

–

She woke up with a gasp, the scent of disinfectant mingled with the familiar fragrance of Shen Shu’s pheromones.

A gentle hand caressed her face, and she heard Shen Shu’s voice, cool yet soothing. “It’s okay. It was just a dream.”

Xu Jinnan, her eyes still closed, buried her face in Shen Shu’s neck, her arms tightening around her, her body trembling, as if she hadn’t fully escaped the nightmare.

Shen Shu’s scent, a comforting warmth, filled her senses, her sensitivity to Shen Shu’s pheromones having returned after her last rut.

She inhaled deeply, her teeth grazing Shen Shu’s skin through the fabric of her pajamas.

Her hand instinctively moved to Shen Shu’s waist, her touch gentle yet possessive.

Shen Shu’s breath hitched, her body responding to the touch, a shiver running through her.

She leaned down, her lips brushing against Xu Jinnan’s forehead, then Xu Jinnan’s mouth found hers, the kiss deep and passionate, her hand slipping beneath Shen Shu’s pajama top, her fingers tracing the smooth skin of her back.

Shen Shu, still sensitive after the day’s events, her body still thrumming with the lingering effects of Xu Jinnan’s pheromones, moaned softly, her fingers digging into Xu Jinnan’s shoulders.

Xu Jinnan’s mind was clouded, her only thought to reassure Shen Shu, to chase away the shadows of the nightmare, her touch a silent promise of protection.

She pulled away from the kiss, her hand still resting on Shen Shu’s waist, her voice husky. “Shu Shu,” she murmured, her forehead resting against Shen Shu’s.

“I’m here,” Shen Shu whispered, her own voice hoarse.

She knew what Xu Jinnan had dreamed about; she had heard her call out her name.

Beneath Xu Jinnan’s calm exterior, a deep fear lingered, a fear she shared, the memory of Bai Xiao’s death, her last words, a chilling prophecy.

And Xu Jinnan had witnessed it all.

Shen Shu held Xu Jinnan close, her heart aching for her vulnerability, her hand gently touching the bandage on Xu Jinnan’s wrist. She pulled Xu Jinnan’s hand out from under the covers, her voice soft, almost a command. “Xu Jinnan, don’t get hurt again. It hurts me too.”

“If you get hurt again…”

“Yes?”

“…you’ll be on the bottom forever.”

“…”