Memory Lost (美人为馅): Chapter 55 (2 of 2)

Chapter 55: She’s Better Than Me (2 of 2)

The corners of Bai Jin Xi’s mouth curve upward as she flips through some documents.  She then hears footsteps and chatter coming from the doorway.

The deputy chief of the criminal investigations department is walking past with two unfamiliar faces from the meeting just now.

Jin Xi puts down the documents immediately and stands up.  At the same time, she sees the deputy chief talking to one of them and pointing inside, “This is the Black Shield Team’s office.  Have a look around, Professor Xu.  Xiao Bai, pour a cup of tea for Professor Xu.”

Jin Xi nods right away.

But the person answers with a smile, “No need.  You people always like to bully those of us who study criminal psychology.  I’m here to cheer for her, not to drink tea.”

The deputy chief laughs out loud.  At this moment, someone hands the deputy chief a document to sign, so he steps aside.

And that person walks in by himself.

Jin Xi observes him.  He looks to be in his early thirties.  He’s wearing an exquisite and soft textured suit and a white shirt accompanied by a light blue striped tie.  His facial features aren’t handsome, but he has a refined demeanor.  He doesn’t look like a professor whom the Deputy Chief speaks of, but rather, he looks more like a young lecturer or an upperclassman from the criminal psychology faculty.

He smiles slightly and holds out his hand towards her, “Xu Nan Bai.”

Jin Xi has heard of the name before.

Xu Nan Bai, one of the youngest criminal psychology professors in the nation.  He works at a brand name school in Beijing.  Due to his incisive views that don’t conform to the norm, he is famous for often suggesting many bold theories and profiles.  He occasionally helps the Beijing police out with solving cases.  But probably due to his radical approaches, people from both criminal psychology and the police have polarized opinions about him.  Some believe that his theories are ridiculous, while others feel that his criminal psychology is the future.

Jin Xi smiles and shakes hands with him immediately.  But she murmurs in her heart: what is this almighty big wheel doing here?

He must have been the one who was staring at her non-stop in the meeting just now.

As if he could read her mind, Xu Nan Bai stuffs both of his hands into his pockets and explains smiling, “I have a big research project going on in Province K, so I’ll be staying for a while.  Your deputy chief found out and forced me to come, saying that there is a criminal psychology talent in Province K that he would like me to meet.  After taking a look today, it looks like he was telling the truth.  Your report was done quite well.  It even made me feel moved.  I never thought that there would be someone who would persist and practice criminal psychology in the local area.”

His words make Jin Xi feel warmth and excitement in her heart.  She answers with a smile, “Professor Xu, you’re too kind.  Being able to have you here to guide the way is really supporting and benefiting for me.”

She says these words in a very honest and sincere manner.  Xu Nan Bai’s expression softens as he nods and raises his head to look around, “Give me a tour on the Black Shield Team?”

The Deputy Chief has also returned after finishing signing his documents.  He walks in and pats Xu Nan Bai’s shoulder, “My dear junior classmate, please have Xiao Bai take you to look around.  I have some matters to tend to right now, but my secretary will come pick you up for lunch.”  He then looks towards Bai Jin Xi, “Xiao Bai, I’ve promised you guys before that I would hire a criminal psychology professor as a consultant for the Black Shield Team.  And now there’s a very good candidate standing right here, so grasp the opportunity well.  He’s not easy to get.  Please also tell Professor Xu about T’s case as he’s very interested in it.  I have to get going now.”

All the people from the deputy office leave.  The room is suddenly left with just the two of them.

Jin Xi gives a brief introduction of the Black Shield Team members and their responsibilities.  Xu Nan Bai nods while looking at Han Chen’s desk, “I also listened to your team leader’s report just now.  It really justifies his reputation.  As for the other two, Shi Heng and Chi Chen, I would also like to get a chance to see their fingerprint tracing and suspect tracking skills.”

Jin Xi says smiling, “That would be great!  I’ll invite you to come give them some guidance next time.”  She’s just being polite in saying this, but after Xu Nan Bai reveals a smile, he takes off his jacket and folds it around his arm saying, “You don’t need to be so formal with talking to me.  If you don’t mind, just call me Senior (a polite way of calling someone you know who’s older or has more experience than you in the field).”

Jin Xi smiles, “Okay, Senior Xu.”

Since the Deputy Chief told Jin Xi to, she starts giving him the details of T’s case from start to finish.  Probably because it’s one of the few big cases in the past few years that happened in the nation, he listens very attentively.  He also asks very detailed questions.  And for some of the profiling details for T, before Jin Xi even tells him, he says them out first after hearing the summary of the first few event.  Besides admiring his skills in her heart, Jin Xi also feels a closeness to him due to their similar ways of thinking.

After she finishes telling him about the case, Jin Xi has gotten a lot more used to calling him “Senior.”  She thinks for a second before asking, “Senior, will you come help us out at the Black Shield Team?”

Xu Nan Bai is holding his cup of tea.  His sleeves are rolled up and his tie has been loosened with its end stuffed into the side pocket, making him look much less like a professor.  He glances at her and answers, “You’re already trying to poach for your Deputy Chief?”

Jin Xi lets out a laugh, “So are you coming, or are you coming, or are you coming?”

Xu Nan Bai laughs as well.  He takes a sip of tea and responds, “I will help you out on this ‘nurse uniform’ murder case.  I’ll show all those stubborn old geezers in your police force how it’s done so that they won’t dare to speak again.”

Although he’s a refined and gentle person, his words are arrogant.  Jin Xi thinks to herself that this does match up to the rumors about him.  But she has no intentions to make the veteran officers lose face.  She just wants them to acknowledge her work.

She smiles slightly and doesn’t answer.  Xu Nan Bai puts down the cup, gets up and asks, “You guys also have a forensic investigator on the team?”

Jin Xi nods, “He has a separate office.  I’ll take you over there.”

Xu Si Bai’s office is one floor below the Black Shield Team’s office.  Jin Xi accompanies Xu Nan Bai as they walk slowly there.  Through the window, they can see Xu Si Bai wearing a white lab coat, a mask, and gloves from afar.  He has his head down and is busy with something.  Xiao Yao is standing beside him, handing him various utensils.

Xu Nan Bai pauses his footsteps.

“It looks like the forensic investigator is busy,” he says staring at Xu Si Bai, “so we shouldn’t bother him.”  He then turns around to look at Jin Xi, “My goal today was to take a look at your criminal psychology, and I’ve already accomplished that.”

Jin Xi smiles, “Okay, Senior.  Forensic Investigator Xu does indeed have very high attainment in his profession.  I’ll bring him over to chat with you next time.”

Xu Nan Bai leaves soon after.  Jin Xi continues staying in the station, helping officers from other teams to screen suspects.  As for Han Chen, Cold Face, Chatterbox and Xiao Zhuan, they’re all busy collaborating with others on a search, so they’re nowhere to be found.

It’s already past 11pm when she’s finally not busy and is ready to leave the station.  The others in the Black Shield Team have still not returned.  Therefore, Jin Xi goes back to her single-room dormitory by herself.  When she lies down on the bed, she notices that it squeaks.  She’s almost a hundred percent certain that the bed has been broken by her and Han Chen.  She can’t help but laugh.

Looking out the window at the dark sky, she’s pretty sure that Han Chen won’t be coming back tonight.  But at the same time, she hopes that he can appear suddenly.  She continues to think about it until she gradually falls asleep.

Fresh blood; body parts.

Blood everywhere on the ground, and a mountain of body parts.

It’s a very realistic dream.  She staggers across the area with dead bodies covering the ground.

She can’t stop her tears from flowing.  She wants to scream, but there’s no sound coming out of her mouth.

And then many bizarre images and sounds flash across her eyes and ears: someone with an evil grin, someone bawling, someone cursing out loud, and someone pushing her until she is up against a hard and cold wall.

……

But the last scene she sees is him lowering his head and hugging her tightly.

She hears herself say almost ruthlessly, “Han Chen, let’s break up.  I don’t love you anymore.  I don’t want to be with you.  As for our engagement, just take it that I was talking nonsense.”

And then she sees him raise his head and tears flowing out of his eyes slowly.

“I’m not breaking up,” he says.

……

Jin Xi continues shedding tears which then turns into sobbing.

She opens her eyes and sees the dark gray ceiling of her single-room dormitory.  The sky is only slightly lit outside of the window.  And her phone is ringing urgently non-stop.

She covers her face with her palms as she sits up.  She picks up the phone and it’s Zhou Xiao Zhuan.  He says with a cheerful voice, “Xiao Bai, we’re back.  We’ve locked down to three suspects!”