Shao Yibai felt as though someone had stabbed a sharp blade in his heart when he thought of that.

Each stab from that double-edged sword brought him closer to a violent death…

He stared blankly as he sat on the side of the bed where they had previously made love. He stayed awake throughout the night, staring at the ragdoll that the woman had left behind.

The next morning, he drove straight to the Capital City airport.

Within two days, he managed to obtain all the information about the scheduled flights that were arriving and departing. However, there was nothing about a woman named Su Qingdai.

The information counter at the train station also said that she was not one of their passengers within those two days.

Suddenly, Shao Yibai realized that he had overlooked an important problem all along. He had never found out the exact location of Su Qingcheng’s hometown in Si Chuan.

The remote mountain valley that she mentioned more than a dozen times, remained merely as just a remote mountain valley in Shao Yibai’s mind.

The man had lost himself in love. He only realized now that he had never asked her about these things in detail because he trusted her too much.

“Please help me check if this person, Su Qingdai, used her officer’s identification and went to Si Chuan last week.”

Suddenly, he realized that Xiaodai did not use the name “Su Qingdai” when she left Capital City yesterday. She must have given herself a new name when she returned to her hometown.

Shao Yibai decided that he would personally visit her hometown. All the information about her would probably be there.

*

Luo Hai

This woman was a stranger in a new place. She reached into her backpack and took out the cellphone that she had recently bought. She put in a new sim card and called a number.

“Li Ji, I’m in Luo Hai.”

The man on the other side of the line sounded rather joyful for some time. “Xiaodai, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“There was a delay along the way. I didn’t want you to get anxious from waiting.”

Su Qingcheng was terribly exhausted. She wrapped her coat tighter around her body. Cold air seeped through the autumn breeze. Luo Hai was said to be located at the border of the South China Sea. Was it supposed to be this cold?

She did not know why she decided to come to Luo Hai. Perhaps it was because she knew that Shao Yibai had breathed the air here before.

She was like a mistletoe plant. She admitted that she could not survive without Shao Yibai’s love to rely on.

However, she was still afraid that he would find her. For that reason, she used different identification papers and traveled across three cities before finally arriving Luo Hai from Mo Du.

There were traces of his presence here. She could survive if she depended on those traces and the remainder of his aura.

“Xiaodai, wait for me at the airport. I’ll come and get you!” Li Ji sounded faintly excited.

“Alright, thank you.”

Su Qingcheng ended the call. She took some tissue paper and wiped her eyes that were already dry.

However, the weather in Luo Hai was so humid that tears formed in the corners of her eyes again…

*

The weather in xx province of Si Chuan was slightly chilly after the autumn rain.

The public bus traveled for four hours before it stopped beside the road.

Even the high-ranking commander of the special forces from the military compound in Capital City was forced to admit that the journey here was very dangerous.

A landslide broke out along the way and resulted in a torrent of mud and stones. The journey was supposed to take two hours by bus, but they ended up traveling for four hours instead.

As the bus could not enter the mountain area, Shao Yibai got off at the last stop. He glanced at the little path that traveled deep into the high mountains. He began to thank Xiaodai’s parents for “selling” her off in the past. Otherwise, he would live his entire life without knowing that a girl whom he would end up loving dearly lived in this remote mountain area.

He walked along that little path for a kilometer before an ox cart that was carrying people appeared beside him. The old man who drove the ox cart wore a leather jacket. His tanned skin was a unique characteristic of the people who lived in the mountains. He was curiously looking at the man before him who was dressed in a branded coat and carried himself in an extraordinary manner.

“Young man, do you need a ride?” The old man suddenly called out to him in an attempt to engage in business.

Shao Yibai only managed to discover that Xiaodai had previously came to the public bus stop that he had just gotten down from. He had no idea which direction to proceed in if he walked any deeper into the mountains.

“Uncle, do you know if there’s a Su family in this village?” said Shao Yibai in a clear and resplendent voice.

The old man observed Shao Yibai from head to toe. This young man had an impressive bearing and a melodious voice. The old man smiled. “This village is called Sujiazhai and most of the families who live here have the last name of Su. Which Su family are you referring to?”

Shao Yibai was stunned. However, the old man awkwardly repeated his reply in Mandarin as he assumed that Shao Yibai did not understand his Si Chuan dialect.

Shao Yibai sighed as a worried look flashed across his handsome face.

He rushed here on his own to look for Xiaodai without contacting any of his other connections. He was worried about agitating her parents. Looking back at his actions now, he realized that it was quite a hasty decision.

“Why don’t you follow me in my ox cart and go from house to house to ask? You might be able to find the Su Family that you’re looking for.”

The old man did not forget to recommend the services of his ox cart. It seemed like the old man was merely looking for something to do in his free time. That was probably why he had prepared this ox cart.

Shao Yibai looked at the ox cart. If he went in on foot by himself, it would be unlikely for him to get far on this rugged road even if he spent the entire day here.

Shao Yibai took out a hundred yuan and passed it to the old man. “Please show me the way, uncle.”

The old man was as giddy as a young girl when he saw the pink-colored note. He loved these hundred yuan notes with the image of Mao Zedong printed on them.

The old man tucked the money in his clothes before he called out to his long-time partner, saying, “Big Yellow, show us the way. We’re going to Sujiazhai!”

The ox named Big Yellow, the old man, Shao Yibai, the beautiful scenery, and the clear blue sky formed a strange, harmonious scene.

Nonetheless, the soldier from the special forces of Capital City still looked very dashing when he sat in the ox cart.

*

Luo Hai

Li Ji took Su Qingcheng to the studio apartment on Han City Road that was registered under his name.

It may be a studio apartment but it was actually more than 80 square feet with two rooms. The layout of the apartment was carefully decorated in a romantic and feminine style that Su Qingcheng liked.

Su Qingcheng admitted that she was still an immature young woman on the inside.

“Did Miao Hong help you decorate this place?” Su Qingcheng laughed.

Li Ji nodded. Embarrassed, he said, “Miao Hong stayed here when she had just arrived in Luo Hai. Since it became inconvenient for me after she got pregnant, I let her move to Qing Qing Yuan instead.”

“I knew at once that this wasn’t your style.” Su Qingcheng giggled.

Li Ji put Su Qingcheng’s luggage down before the handsome gentleman scratched his head. Smiling, he said, “Miao Hong said that she was going to visit you in Capital City if you didn’t come to Luo Hai.”

Su Qingcheng forced a smile. “Miao Hong shouldn’t be running around when she’s pregnant!”

Li Ji nodded. “She’s already seven months pregnant. When she heard that you were coming to Luo Hai, she was so excited that she insisted on coming with me. However, I refused to let her come along. I’ll take you to Qing Qing Yuan to visit her tomorrow.”

“Li Ji, you and Miao Hong…”

“We haven’t gotten our marriage certificate yet.” Li Ji was slightly dejected. “My parents haven’t agreed to it…”

Su Qingcheng was stunned. Miao Hong was pregnant with Li Ji’s child, but the Li Family still refused to acknowledge her. She could not believe it!

Su Qingcheng recalled that Li Ji, Hong Miao, and herself had met merely by fate.

When she first arrived in Capital City, Li Ji and Hong Miao were tourists.

They were a pair of young lovers who visited temples, wandered around the old palaces, and soaked in the hot springs…

It was not common for thieves to be near such areas, but it just so happened that there were two gamblers who had reached a dead end after they lost all of their money.

They saw an opportunity when they saw Li Ji at the entrance of the goldsmith’s store, and robbed the gift that Li Ji bought for Miao Hong for their anniversary.

When Su Qingcheng first came to Capital City, she liked going to the nearby library.

She merely needed to stretch her leg out and trip those two thieves.

Later, when Su Qingcheng spoke to Miao Hong, she discovered that the other girl was also from Si Chuan.

They decided to have hot pot together.

They found more things in common with each other as they chatted. Miao Hong was a few years older than Su Qingcheng. Since she was a straight-forward person, she gave Su Qingcheng her phone number. Both of them frequently spoke to each other on WeChat.

Su Qingcheng never expected that her initial actions would help her later on when she had nowhere to go.

When Su Qingcheng spoke to Miao Hong on WeChat and told her about her situation, Miao Hong had already guessed the outcome.

“Both of us were kicked out of those wealthy households. Since you’ve already thought it through, you should just come and see me in Luo Hai!”