Jin Xiangdong heard Lu Jia’er speaking about her past when she was unable to see or hear. He did not feel sorry for her when she was without the ability to hear or see and she did not need him to be sorry for her. But her past did make his heart ache. At the same time, he admired her for her perseverance. The willpower she had to build during her life was beyond the abilities of ordinary people to manifest. If she had not been in that car accident, she would not have turned into an AI, Jin Xiangdong was convinced that she could create miracles by herself.
Jin Xiangdong held Lu Jia’er’s hand, their fingers crossed. The warmth from his hand passed into the palm of her hand and then spread, bit by bit, to her heart.
Lu Jia’er turned to look at him and smiled. That smile was embedded in Jin Xiangdong’s eyes and rippled through him like tides.
Then, the two of them went to the parking lot and got into a business purpose vehicle. While they were flying to Los Angeles, Jin Xiangdong’s secretary had already settled everything, including picking accommodations.
The driver who picked them up had an oriental look, tall and strong. The black T-shirt and brown casual pants gave him a stylish look. He spoke familiarly in Chinese. “Mr. Jin, are you going to the hotel directly?”
“Take us to this place first.” Jin Xiangdong handed the address to the driver as he gave them instructions.
The driver glanced at the address and drove to the location Jin Xiangdong told him.
On the way, Lu Jia’er said nothing. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, recalling her past. Back then, she could not hear, nor see. All she could rely on was smell and touch. Whenever she was in a moving vehicle, all those senses would be diminished. However, back then, she had noted down all the traffic lights from her foster parent’s home to the airport.
At that moment, the car stopped. Lu Jia’er opened her eyes slowly. Just as she expected, it was a traffic light. She looked through the window but the view she found was not familiar.
Yes, it was unfamiliar indeed. She had been living here for over a decade. However, for Lu Jia’er back then, the world was dark, without any color.
Jin Xiangdong knew what she was doing. So, he sat there quietly without disturbing her. But ever since they came out of the airport, he had noticed some cars tracking them. Jin Xiangdong took out his laptop and was tapping on the keyboard.
The driver noticed something and said, “Mr. Jin, a car is following us.”
Jin Xiangdong glanced sideways at the back of the driver’s head. “I know.” Jin Xiangdong said calmly.
Hearing this, Lu Jia’er whispered to Jin Xiangdong without looking back at the car. “They are from the Ministry of State Security.”
Jin Xiangdong nodded and pointed to the laptop. Lu Jia’er threw a look at the screen. She did not realize that Jin Xiangdong was looking up that car’s information.
Then, Lu Jia’er kept her voice down again. “That car in front of us with a license plate number of 330 is also tracking us.”
Jin Xiangdong exchanged eye contact with Lu Jia’er. He looked up and indeed, there was a car with a license plate number of 330.
Usually, the ones tracking them would be behind them. If the car in front of them was also tracing them, then their whereabouts were clearly understood by the other party.
Lu Jia’er went on, “They should have copied our course.”
Jin Xiangdong looked at the driver who was using the GPS on his phone. If he was right, Jin Xiangdong believed the driver’s phone had been compromised.
However, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er did not let the driver turn off the GPS. They pretended that they were unaware and just let the driver follow the GPS.
Luckily, Lu Jia’er held back a trick. The destination the driver was heading to was not the park Lu Jia’er mentioned, but the past residence of her foster parents.
When the car was parked in front of the detached villa, Lu Jia’er looked through the window. Her muscles began to stiffen uncontrollably.
What happened that night was still vivid in her mind as if it was yesterday.
Jin Xiangdong noticed something wrong. He asked in a gentle voice, “What is it?”
Lu Jia’er looked away slowly and said, “I wonder where my foster father is and how he is doing.”
While looking back on that night made Lu Jia’er uncomfortable, she did want to know about her foster dad. But the villa must have been unoccupied for a long time given the messy state of grass in front of the house.
“I can ask the neighbors.” Jin Xiangdong proposed.
Lu Jia’er shook her head. “It’s not necessary.”
Lu Jia’er sounded normal but Jin Xiangdong could tell clearly that Lu Jia’er was fighting to keep her voice under control. But her concern was reasonable. If neighbors saw her, they would be freaked out and regard her as a ghost.
“Then should we go back to the hotel now?” Jin Xiangdong asked.
Lu Jia’er thought about it and said, “No. There is a big supermarket three kilometers away. There is a gas station not far away from the supermarket and they have car washing services. We can buy something from the supermarket and then go to the gas station!”
Jin Xiangdong immediately caught onto what Lu Jia’er was implying. So, he told the driver to head that way.
An hour later, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er were driving a Cayenne to the park in the picture Ian sent to her.
They had ditched the cars tracing them. But soon, the pursuers would notice something was off. So, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er did not have much time.
Hints of spring were still very much in the air in the park, unlike in the picture when it was golden in color. The sun was shielded by the flourishing trees and leaves. While it was scorching summer, it was cool here.
Lu Jia’er soon found that bench and the maple grove behind the bench. Lu Jia’er stepped five to six meters into the grove. A moment of searching later, she said, “This should be it.”
Jin Xiangdong hurried to her side. Lu Jia’er had squatted down and she was fondling the grass-covered ground.
All of a sudden, Lu Jia’er stopped her actions. Then, she lifted up a piece of turf and the dirt seemed to have been touched.
Jin Xiangdong said, “Let me.”
Jin Xiangdong dug up the dirt. Something was hiding under indeed. Jin Xiangdong picked up the item that was tightly wrapped.
Lu Jia’er, who was next to him, blinked. Jin Xiangdong handed the object to Lu Jia’er.
Lu Jia’er did not open it at once. Instead, she helped Jin Xiangdong fill the hole, laid down the turf and hurried away with the box.
They did not go back to the Cayenne. Rather, they left from another exit of the park and hailed a taxi.
In the taxi, Lu Jia’er opened the package after she observed it for a few seconds.
It was an iron, square candy box. She opened the lid. There were two cards in it and a letter.
Naturally, the card was put in there by her and Ian together in the past. The letter, on the other hand, should be a new addition.
Lu Jia’er took out the envelope at once. Yet, it was empty. Nothing was in there.
Lu Jia’er could not understand. “An empty envelope?”
Jin Xiangdong took the envelope from her and checked. Indeed, he saw nothing inside.
“If Ian was the one that put it here, it would not be empty!” Lu Jia’er shared her thoughts.
Jin Xiangdong agreed with her. “If that is the case, then the letter must have been taken away. That person left the envelope here just to let us know that they have the letter.”
Lu Jia’er nodded, in a trance. “Yes.”
Jin Xiangdong stared at the empty envelope for a few seconds. Then, he took over the square candy box and flickered the bottom of the box.
Lu Jia’er looked at him. Jin Xiangdong took out the cards in the box and extended his hand to Lu Jia’er. “Give me a mag card”
“A mag card?” Lu Jia’er was confused as to his intention.
“A membership card or bank card.” Jin Xiangdong added.
Hearing this, Lu Jia’er immediately took out a scorecard for a mall from her purse and handed it to Jin Xiangdong.
Jin Xiangdong took over the card. He fumbled around and then the bottom of the box was pried open.
Lu Jia’er seemed to realize something. Jin Xiangdong took away the bottom lid. There was a hidden layer in the box and a piece of paper was placed there.
Jin Xiangdong picked up the piece of paper found at the bottom of the box and Lu Jia’er took it from him. She opened the paper and saw 11 digits written on it.
Looking at this number, Lu Jia’er’s eyebrows were knitted together. “Is this a phone number?”
“Let me see.” Jin Xiangdong reached out and held the paper. He used his cell phone to dial the 11 digits.
However, he found out that this was not a telephone number. A moment of pondering later, Jin Xiangdong arrived at the truth. “This is not a phone number, but a set of coordinates.”
Lu Jia’er leaned over and checked the digits. “Yes, these are coordinates!” She nodded.
Jin Xiangdong tried to search for the location of this coordinate using his cell phone. Before he could read the location clearly, he heard a loud noise.
Lu Jia’er, who was in the back seat with him, was thrown forward due to the impact.
The rear-wheels of the taxi lost control. Following another blare, the taxi bumped into the car in front of it. Then, the back of the taxi rose up to the sky, as though it had jumped before it fell down to the ground.
Pain and dizziness were the only things Jin Xiangdong could feel. He felt as though his sight was like a camera placed upside down. Though his vision was blurred, he could still see well enough to spot a trace of bright red blood on Lu Jia’er’s forehead as she lay in his arms.
That bright red blood spread out slowly, like a jar of wine spilling onto the ground, and tainted his white shirt.
His looks were cast outside unintentionally. There was another pair of feet outside the window and the legs were in suit pants. In a state of confusion, Jin Xiangdong saw someone squatting down. Then, he saw a pair of eyes with sharp looks. Jin Xiangdong’s eyes looked directly into that pair of eyes and they made eye contact just as blood filled with air…
Jin Xiangdong heard Lu Jia’er speaking about her past when she was unable to see or hear. He did not feel sorry for her when she was without the ability to hear or see and she did not need him to be sorry for her. But her past did make his heart ache. At the same time, he admired her for her perseverance. The willpower she had to build during her life was beyond the abilities of ordinary people to manifest. If she had not been in that car accident, she would not have turned into an AI, Jin Xiangdong was convinced that she could create miracles by herself.
Jin Xiangdong held Lu Jia’er’s hand, their fingers crossed. The warmth from his hand passed into the palm of her hand and then spread, bit by bit, to her heart.
Lu Jia’er turned to look at him and smiled. That smile was embedded in Jin Xiangdong’s eyes and rippled through him like tides.
Then, the two of them went to the parking lot and got into a business purpose vehicle. While they were flying to Los Angeles, Jin Xiangdong’s secretary had already settled everything, including picking accommodations.
The driver who picked them up had an oriental look, tall and strong. The black T-shirt and brown casual pants gave him a stylish look. He spoke familiarly in Chinese. “Mr. Jin, are you going to the hotel directly?”
“Take us to this place first.” Jin Xiangdong handed the address to the driver as he gave them instructions.
The driver glanced at the address and drove to the location Jin Xiangdong told him.
On the way, Lu Jia’er said nothing. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, recalling her past. Back then, she could not hear, nor see. All she could rely on was smell and touch. Whenever she was in a moving vehicle, all those senses would be diminished. However, back then, she had noted down all the traffic lights from her foster parent’s home to the airport.
At that moment, the car stopped. Lu Jia’er opened her eyes slowly. Just as she expected, it was a traffic light. She looked through the window but the view she found was not familiar.
Yes, it was unfamiliar indeed. She had been living here for over a decade. However, for Lu Jia’er back then, the world was dark, without any color.
Jin Xiangdong knew what she was doing. So, he sat there quietly without disturbing her. But ever since they came out of the airport, he had noticed some cars tracking them. Jin Xiangdong took out his laptop and was tapping on the keyboard.
The driver noticed something and said, “Mr. Jin, a car is following us.”
Jin Xiangdong glanced sideways at the back of the driver’s head. “I know.” Jin Xiangdong said calmly.
Hearing this, Lu Jia’er whispered to Jin Xiangdong without looking back at the car. “They are from the Ministry of State Security.”
Jin Xiangdong nodded and pointed to the laptop. Lu Jia’er threw a look at the screen. She did not realize that Jin Xiangdong was looking up that car’s information.
Then, Lu Jia’er kept her voice down again. “That car in front of us with a license plate number of 330 is also tracking us.”
Jin Xiangdong exchanged eye contact with Lu Jia’er. He looked up and indeed, there was a car with a license plate number of 330.
Usually, the ones tracking them would be behind them. If the car in front of them was also tracing them, then their whereabouts were clearly understood by the other party.
Lu Jia’er went on, “They should have copied our course.”
Jin Xiangdong looked at the driver who was using the GPS on his phone. If he was right, Jin Xiangdong believed the driver’s phone had been compromised.
However, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er did not let the driver turn off the GPS. They pretended that they were unaware and just let the driver follow the GPS.
Luckily, Lu Jia’er held back a trick. The destination the driver was heading to was not the park Lu Jia’er mentioned, but the past residence of her foster parents.
When the car was parked in front of the detached villa, Lu Jia’er looked through the window. Her muscles began to stiffen uncontrollably.
What happened that night was still vivid in her mind as if it was yesterday.
Jin Xiangdong noticed something wrong. He asked in a gentle voice, “What is it?”
Lu Jia’er looked away slowly and said, “I wonder where my foster father is and how he is doing.”
While looking back on that night made Lu Jia’er uncomfortable, she did want to know about her foster dad. But the villa must have been unoccupied for a long time given the messy state of grass in front of the house.
“I can ask the neighbors.” Jin Xiangdong proposed.
Lu Jia’er shook her head. “It’s not necessary.”
Lu Jia’er sounded normal but Jin Xiangdong could tell clearly that Lu Jia’er was fighting to keep her voice under control. But her concern was reasonable. If neighbors saw her, they would be freaked out and regard her as a ghost.
“Then should we go back to the hotel now?” Jin Xiangdong asked.
Lu Jia’er thought about it and said, “No. There is a big supermarket three kilometers away. There is a gas station not far away from the supermarket and they have car washing services. We can buy something from the supermarket and then go to the gas station!”
Jin Xiangdong immediately caught onto what Lu Jia’er was implying. So, he told the driver to head that way.
An hour later, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er were driving a Cayenne to the park in the picture Ian sent to her.
They had ditched the cars tracing them. But soon, the pursuers would notice something was off. So, Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er did not have much time.
Hints of spring were still very much in the air in the park, unlike in the picture when it was golden in color. The sun was shielded by the flourishing trees and leaves. While it was scorching summer, it was cool here.
Lu Jia’er soon found that bench and the maple grove behind the bench. Lu Jia’er stepped five to six meters into the grove. A moment of searching later, she said, “This should be it.”
Jin Xiangdong hurried to her side. Lu Jia’er had squatted down and she was fondling the grass-covered ground.
All of a sudden, Lu Jia’er stopped her actions. Then, she lifted up a piece of turf and the dirt seemed to have been touched.
Jin Xiangdong said, “Let me.”
Jin Xiangdong dug up the dirt. Something was hiding under indeed. Jin Xiangdong picked up the item that was tightly wrapped.
Lu Jia’er, who was next to him, blinked. Jin Xiangdong handed the object to Lu Jia’er.
Lu Jia’er did not open it at once. Instead, she helped Jin Xiangdong fill the hole, laid down the turf and hurried away with the box.
They did not go back to the Cayenne. Rather, they left from another exit of the park and hailed a taxi.
In the taxi, Lu Jia’er opened the package after she observed it for a few seconds.
It was an iron, square candy box. She opened the lid. There were two cards in it and a letter.
Naturally, the card was put in there by her and Ian together in the past. The letter, on the other hand, should be a new addition.
Lu Jia’er took out the envelope at once. Yet, it was empty. Nothing was in there.
Lu Jia’er could not understand. “An empty envelope?”
Jin Xiangdong took the envelope from her and checked. Indeed, he saw nothing inside.
“If Ian was the one that put it here, it would not be empty!” Lu Jia’er shared her thoughts.
Jin Xiangdong agreed with her. “If that is the case, then the letter must have been taken away. That person left the envelope here just to let us know that they have the letter.”
Lu Jia’er nodded, in a trance. “Yes.”
Jin Xiangdong stared at the empty envelope for a few seconds. Then, he took over the square candy box and flickered the bottom of the box.
Lu Jia’er looked at him. Jin Xiangdong took out the cards in the box and extended his hand to Lu Jia’er. “Give me a mag card”
“A mag card?” Lu Jia’er was confused as to his intention.
“A membership card or bank card.” Jin Xiangdong added.
Hearing this, Lu Jia’er immediately took out a scorecard for a mall from her purse and handed it to Jin Xiangdong.
Jin Xiangdong took over the card. He fumbled around and then the bottom of the box was pried open.
Lu Jia’er seemed to realize something. Jin Xiangdong took away the bottom lid. There was a hidden layer in the box and a piece of paper was placed there.
Jin Xiangdong picked up the piece of paper found at the bottom of the box and Lu Jia’er took it from him. She opened the paper and saw 11 digits written on it.
Looking at this number, Lu Jia’er’s eyebrows were knitted together. “Is this a phone number?”
“Let me see.” Jin Xiangdong reached out and held the paper. He used his cell phone to dial the 11 digits.
However, he found out that this was not a telephone number. A moment of pondering later, Jin Xiangdong arrived at the truth. “This is not a phone number, but a set of coordinates.”
Lu Jia’er leaned over and checked the digits. “Yes, these are coordinates!” She nodded.
Jin Xiangdong tried to search for the location of this coordinate using his cell phone. Before he could read the location clearly, he heard a loud noise.
Lu Jia’er, who was in the back seat with him, was thrown forward due to the impact.
The rear-wheels of the taxi lost control. Following another blare, the taxi bumped into the car in front of it. Then, the back of the taxi rose up to the sky, as though it had jumped before it fell down to the ground.
Pain and dizziness were the only things Jin Xiangdong could feel. He felt as though his sight was like a camera placed upside down. Though his vision was blurred, he could still see well enough to spot a trace of bright red blood on Lu Jia’er’s forehead as she lay in his arms.
That bright red blood spread out slowly, like a jar of wine spilling onto the ground, and tainted his white shirt.
His looks were cast outside unintentionally. There was another pair of feet outside the window and the legs were in suit pants. In a state of confusion, Jin Xiangdong saw someone squatting down. Then, he saw a pair of eyes with sharp looks. Jin Xiangdong’s eyes looked directly into that pair of eyes and they made eye contact just as blood filled with air…
