Back Then, I Adored You

Qin Zhi’ai reflexively turned around. The man who had whispered in her ear had already gone. All she saw was the flow of passengers carrying their bags and luggage from the curb, through the security check, and onto the train platform.

Qin Zhi’ai had remained still for so long that she was holding up the security line. The railway staff had to come over and urge her to hurry, as she was now inconveniencing the passengers behind her.

She regained her composure, took out her ID card, and entered the train station.

After getting on the train, Qin Zhi’ai felt uneasy, so she called her mother and made sure that she was okay.

After an uneventful journey, the train arrived at 8:00 p.m. in Beijing.

Qin Zhi’ai, who had been anxious the entire trip, ended up taking the wrong subway home. By the time she realized her mistake, she had already gotten as far as East Fifth Ring Road.

The subway ride to her apartment had taken two hours, whereas typically it would only be 30 minutes.

……

It could have been explained as a prank the first time, but two times and it’s definitely not a prank.

That night, she couldn’t sleep soundly. When she dreamed that her mother was lying on a bloody road, she suddenly woke up, turned on the light, and leaned over the bed. Her breath was rapid and unstable for a long time before it gradually returned to normal.

She spent the rest of the night staring blankly into the dark. When dawn came, she called her mother again.

……

During the workday, Qin Zhi’ai wasn’t particularly productive. Xiaowang hadn’t arranged much work for her, but she frequently had problems focusing. By the time she did finish all her work, the sky outside had already become dark.

After leaving work, Qin Zhi’ai called her mother as she walked to the subway. This was the fifth time she’d called her that day, making her mother finally ask her what was wrong.

I can’t tell her about the threats I’ve received…

She quickly said “nothing” and explained that she had just been uneasy since the accident.

Her mother laughed and comforted her several times over the phone. It seemed to have worked, because after hanging up Qin Zhi’ai felt much better.

But just as she put her cell phone back in her bag, a man came by and snatched her bag. He was so fast that she hadn’t even caught sight of him.

She ran to the nearest police station and reported the theft, leaving the telephone number to her apartment.

Within several minutes after having returned home, she received a call from the police, saying that her bag had been found in a garbage can by a sanitation worker near the subway.

Qin Zhi’ai went back to the police station, provided her information, and received her bag. After checking through it thoroughly, she found nothing missing and returned home.

Qin Zhi’ai managed to maintain her calm about her bag having been stolen.

It was a random crime that could happen to anyone, especially at the end of the year in a city this large…

That night, however, after taking a bath, she was lying in bed playing with her phone when she suddenly discovered a text message that had been sent to her: “Leave Hui Shi. Don’t make me warn you a fourth time. And don’t forget your mother and brother.”

The message was far more sinister than the two verbal warnings she’d received.

Qin Zhi’ai’s hands trembled, and her cell phone fell and hit her on the shoulder. She frowned slightly and then sat up with the quilt in her arms.

The kidnapping at the annual party wasn’t an accident, nor was my mother’s accident. Those two events are not the end… but the beginning…