The night wind was cool. As they emerged from the police station, a fierce cold gust swept through, and the trees around them rustled softly.
Lin Li, who had arrived late, stood at the entrance. She glanced at Meng Xingzhong but didn’t scold him. Instead, she seemed to have anticipated this outcome.
Meng Xingzhong turned back to the officer and politely declined. “Thank you, officer. No need to see us out—my family’s here.”
Zhou An hurried down the steps and ran up to Lin Li, recounting everything that had just happened.
Lin Li merely nodded. “I know. I figured it would end like this.”
Meng Xingzhong descended the steps with a sheepish expression, a touch of disappointment in his voice. “What kind of world is this? That poor girl…”
He wasn’t resentful that she wouldn’t testify. If anything, his words carried more regret.
Regret for her bad luck—forcing her eyes open to spew lies under Zhang Gou’s pressure.
Lin Li simply said, “You came out on the short end again, Old Meng.”
Meng Xingzhong shook his head helplessly.
After a brief chat with Lin Li, he turned to check on Meng Bai. She was still standing on the steps, lost in a daze.
“What’re you doing, kid? Let’s go!”
Meng Bai’s mind was clearly elsewhere. She nodded woodenly and muttered, “Coming, coming.”
~~~
On the way home, Meng Bai mulled over a nagging question.
The murder case Officer Li Su had mentioned.
A murder from twenty years ago? Twenty years?
For starters, it couldn’t be Miao Bai. Her death went back much further than that.
So who had died twenty years ago? Why investigate it now after ignoring it for two decades?
So strange.
Meng Bai knew little about the law, but she understood that cases without leads often gathered dust on a shelf after twenty years.
Unless… it was something truly grave.
And with an officer picking it up now, after all this time, that pointed to a serious crime indeed.
With that thought, Meng Bai quickened her pace to catch up with Meng Xingzhong, hoping to pry some details from him.
“Dad! Dad! That murder case Officer Li talked about—you’re not curious?”
Meng Xingzhong jumped at her sudden outburst. “It sounded pretty suspicious to me too, but our town’s been quiet for over twenty years. No murders.”
“No one got killed or anything?” Meng Bai knew it was a dumb question, but curiosity burned.
What if? What if there really had been?
Meng Xingzhong glanced at Lin Li, who looked equally baffled. They both shook their heads. “No way.”
“That’s so weird, then.”
Officer Li Su had been sent from the city to investigate a murder, yet Meng Xingzhong insisted nothing like that had happened. How did that add up?
Something didn’t sit right with Meng Bai, but her father couldn’t have cared less. He was fixated on life after losing his job.
Their savings would tide them over for a few months, but Meng Bai’s university tuition loomed large.
“I’ll go job hunting tomorrow!” Meng Xingzhong declared.
Meng Bai snapped out of her thoughts. “Dad, it’s not that urgent.”
“Not urgent? You want us to go hungry?”
“Still not that urgent.” She just felt sorry for him. “Take a few days to rest. You’re exhausted every day.”
Lin Li smiled. “Your girl’s looking out for you.”
“Alright, alright.” A grin lit Meng Xingzhong’s face, only to fade the next instant. He sighed. “Fine, a week it is. And yeah… I got too hot-headed tonight.”
“You and that temper of yours.” Lin Li’s voice softened with sympathy. “When are you gonna learn at your age?”
That brought the earlier scene back to mind, leaving him embarrassed. “Tomorrow, that Zhang dame and Old Liu are gonna have a field day laughing at me.”
Meng Bai’s heart ached. “Dad, they’ll find out eventually. They’ll see Zhang Gou for the trash he is.”
Lin Li sighed. “That poor kid. Heaven knows what she’ll face when she gets home.”
Everyone figured the girl had her reasons, judging by the look on her face back there.
Zhou An piped up. “Oh, right—Uncle Meng, do you know where she lives?”
“Next village over. Name’s Zhang Li. Her old man’s a gambler, same as the rest.” Meng Xingzhong paused. “But stay away from her, you kids. It’s risky. Officer Li Su said he’d check back with her tomorrow.”
Night had fallen deep, and the four picked up the pace. The wind whistled sharply against their cheeks. Ahead, Meng Xingzhong cut a tall, steady figure.
A wave of emotion washed over Meng Bai. Her dad was something else.
All those folks who talked a big game about standing up for girls? Just hot air. When push came to shove, they groveled to Zhang Gou.
No different from back when Zhou An vanished.
But not her dad. He was straightforward. Upright. Benefits be damned—he didn’t give a damn.
Pride swelled in Meng Bai’s chest. Pride for having a father like Meng Xingzhong.
They dropped Zhou An at her doorstep on the way.
Her house sat dark, no lights on. Neither parent was home—Carpenter Zhou and Zhang Caiyun hadn’t mended their ways.
“Zhou An.” Meng Xingzhong boiled a thousand words down to one. “Study hard, you hear me?”
“Got it, Uncle. ‘Night, Uncle, Aunt.”
Zhou An slipped inside.
Meng Xingzhong lingered there, stunned, long after the door clicked shut.
Meng Bai tugged his sleeve. “Dad? Time to head home!”
He blinked back to reality.
The three ambled home. Midway, Meng Xingzhong spoke up again. “You think… when Zhou An went missing before, maybe she got into some trouble?”
Meng Bai played along. “Trouble like what?”
“Like that girl next village—snatched by Zhang Gou or worse.”
“Why bring that up now? You and Mom told me to butt out back then.”
His face stiffened. “Did we? What went down while she was gone?”
Meng Bai fibbed. “Nah, she just crashed at her cousin’s for a bit.”
He exhaled in relief. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. We told you not to look ’cause Zhou An’s sharp as a tack. Worst case, she’d hole up with relatives. Didn’t wanna stick my nose in Carpenter Zhou’s mess, so we kept you out of it.”
It felt like ages ago, even though it hadn’t been that long.
That feeling of isolation and helplessness still lingered.
So Meng Bai said, “But back then, none of you were looking for her. Do you know how desperate I felt?”
Meng Xingzhong hesitated for a moment before speaking up. “Well, it’s been a while now, so I’ll just come out and say it. One day on my way home, I ran into your class’s math teacher. She told me not to worry about Zhou An, though she wouldn’t say where Zhou An was—just that I shouldn’t fret. That’s why I stopped searching later on.”
“The math teacher? Teacher Xu?”
Meng Xingzhong nodded. “Yeah, her. The young one who transferred in from the city.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I was wandering around all by myself back then.”
Meng Xingzhong replied, “But that teacher of yours told me not to go blabbing about it. I mentioned it to you once, but you little rascal wouldn’t listen. By the time I tried again, Zhou An had already turned up.”
So Teacher Xu had passed the message along to Meng Xingzhong ages ago.
“Alright, we’re getting off track.” Meng Xingzhong patted Meng Bai’s shoulder. “Oh, right—tomorrow’s the weekend. You stay home. No extra lessons with Zhou An.”
“We’ll see.”
“Hey, you little rascal, what’s with the ‘we’ll see’? Acting like some old-timer—where’d you pick that up?”
An image of Miao Bai’s face flashed through Meng Bai’s mind. “Nobody! I made it up myself!”
~~~
By the time she got home, it was pretty late.
Meng Bai wasn’t sure if Miao Bai had come looking for her and felt a twinge of anxiety. But Meng Xingzhong kept pulling her aside to chat about one thing or another.
“Dad, can we talk tomorrow? I’m beat.”
Meng Xingzhong said, “What’s the big rush? Can’t a dad have a chat with his daughter?”
“It’s not that, Dad. I just—” Meng Bai struggled for words. “Can’t it wait till tomorrow?”
“I’ve still got a few safety tips for you!” Meng Xingzhong glanced toward Meng Bai’s room. “Fine, we’ll talk in your room.”
Meng Bai refused. “Is it really that urgent?”
Meng Xingzhong finally let it drop.
All the back-and-forth had eaten up the time, and it was truly late now. Meng Bai still had no idea if Miao Bai had stopped by.
After fending off the two adults, she hurried to her room and locked the door behind her.
In the darkness, Miao Bai appeared in her sightline. Meng Bai’s heart leaped.
She knew it—Miao Bai was waiting for her, perched right on the edge of the bed.
Meng Bai lowered her voice. “I was just out for a bit.” She walked slowly toward Miao Bai and reached out to hug her as she drew near. Miao Bai instinctively leaned back.
Meng Bai hadn’t expected the retreat. She lost her balance and pitched forward onto Miao Bai.
In under two seconds, they were stacked like a sloppy sandwich.
Meng Bai said, “Why’d you dodge—”
Miao Bai: “……”
Meng Bai was sprawled atop her, upper-body weight borne by Miao Bai, sending a ticklish wave through her whole body. Meng Bai felt embarrassed. “If I want to hug you, why pull away…”
Miao Bai answered, “I didn’t expect you to come at me so enthusiastically the second you walked in.”
Meng Bai’s hands rested on Miao Bai’s waist. She suddenly felt like laughing—and sure enough, two seconds later, she did. “Isn’t this even more enthusiastic? I’m right on top of you now.”
Miao Bai: “Get up.”
Meng Bai: “Don’t wanna.”
Miao Bai’s body tensed a bit. “Be good. Get up.”
“No.” Meng Bai muffled her laughter against Miao Bai’s shoulder.
“Get up.”
“No.”
The two of them stayed locked in stalemate.
Meng Bai nuzzled into Miao Bai’s neck and whispered, “I get it now. Your catchphrase ‘we’ll see’ really means yes.”
Miao Bai said nothing.
“Every time I ask if you’ll come find me, you say ‘we’ll see’—and you always show up.”
“Sounds like you’re pretty smug about it.” Miao Bai tilted her head slightly; Meng Bai’s hair was tickling her.
“Not smug, but yeah, it makes me happy.” Meng Bai wouldn’t let her pull away. She rubbed the tip of her nose against Miao Bai’s neck a couple more times.
Even in the dark, Miao Bai’s delicate, porcelain skin was visible.
“Miao Bai, your skin is so fair.”
Miao Bai: “……”
“I want to kiss you.”
She leaned in without a second thought.
Her lips pressed against Miao Bai’s neck in a gentle kiss.
The suddenness left Miao Bai flustered. She let out a brief, restrained hum—soft and lingering—that made Meng Bai’s ears burn.
“Don’t move.”
“Oh—” Meng Bai reached up to touch Miao Bai’s chin. “Miao Bai, Miao Bai, Miao Bai.”
“?”
Meng Bai said plainly, “You smell so good. I want to kiss you again.”
“No.”
Faint footsteps sounded outside the door.
“I want to kiss somewhere else,” Meng Bai murmured.
No sooner had she spoken than a knock came at the door. Meng Xingzhong’s voice followed: “You brat, hitting the hay without a shower? Why’re the lights off?”
Meng Bai sprang up, her heart hammering wildly, like she’d been caught red-handed.
She even stammered in panic: “Coming! I’m gonna shower, ri-right now!!!”
Meng Xingzhong pounded the door. “Hurry it up! Your mom’s got the water hot already!”
“Right away. Coming.”
Meng Bai started toward the door but felt a sudden tug. She stumbled back into Miao Bai’s embrace.
Miao Bai had yanked her close and asked, “What did you just say?”
“What?” Meng Bai’s head was still fuzzy, her pulse racing. “Oh, hang on—Dad’s outside. Just wait—”
Miao Bai seemed to be toying with her deliberately. “Answer first. What did you say you wanted to kiss?”
Right then, Meng Xingzhong knocked again. “What’s with no lights and the door locked tight?”
Meng Bai’s heart pounded at top speed! She hollered back, “Nothing! Right away! Coming now!”
Caught between Miao Bai and her dad, her throat was going hoarse from the stress.
Miao Bai pressed, “You heading out now?”
Meng Bai forced down her nerves. “No.”
Meng Xingzhong knocked once more. “Kiddo, you sound off. Open up.”
Meng Bai: “！！！！！”
Miao Bai: “So, kiss or no?”
Meng Bai shook her head. “I will—but later.”
Meng Xingzhong: “Why the silence? What’re you up to?”
Miao Bai said, “No more ‘later.’”
Miao Bai was acting odd, like she’d turned into someone else—a Miao Bai tempting her.
Or maybe one daring Meng Bai to prove herself.
Meng Bai couldn’t resist. She called out to Meng Xingzhong, “Dad, one sec! I’m changing—I got it!”
Outside the door, Meng Xingzhong suddenly fell silent.
Right then, Meng Bai reached out and hooked her arm around Miao Bai’s shoulders. In the enveloping darkness, she couldn’t make out Miao Bai’s face clearly, but she knew exactly where she wanted her lips to land.
She leaned in closer to Miao Bai and whispered,
“Kiss me.”
The words had barely left her mouth when she inched forward a little more, until her lips met Miao Bai’s…
