Reunion Difficulty What is affection, hard to let go, impossible to recover…
Three days have passed, and I have spent three sleepless nights in anxiety. There is still no news from Yin Zhongtian. I have searched for everyone connected to his case, but their responses are all the same: “Give up! This case has no room for negotiation, death penalty!”
Death… for the man who recently held out a diamond ring, promising to accompany me for a lifetime—how could I give up?! “No! I won’t give up! I believe he is innocent. I must save him, no matter the cost,” I told Lawyer Chen.
As a doctor, I do not give up on my patients, let alone on Yin Zhongtian, who supported me through my toughest times.
“Can you hand over all the stolen funds? If you can, there might be a chance of commutation to life imprisonment.” Stolen funds? That’s hundreds of millions. My palm holding the bank card was drenched in sweat. This card contains all my savings, 2 million, and with the house and belongings I’m selling, it’s just over 3 million. I became anxious.
“He never embezzled those funds; how can I hand them over? He is completely innocent! Why should he be sentenced to death? What is the law for?” “Whether he is guilty or not is not up to you or me; it depends on what Secretary Yin says!” This is exactly what I’m most worried about. If Yin Zhongtian momentarily loses his mind and admits guilt, no one can save him. “Lawyer Chen, do you have any other methods?” Lawyer Chen sighed after a long pause. “Why don’t you try to grease some palms up above? Do you have connections in Beijing?” The deputy mayor’s secretary in Nanzhou City was arrested for embezzling massive construction funds, and the deputy mayor was also isolated for investigation. Everyone is avoiding this mess; who would dare to wade into these muddy waters? It would be suicidal. Perhaps only someone from above could help. In Beijing, after many twists and turns, I found no help. When I was almost in despair, I unexpectedly contacted a military region official through a friend of a friend’s colleague— a roundabout connection but absolutely trustworthy. I met him in a secluded teahouse. He was around forty, casually dressed, but with a traditional military bearing. His physique was slightly plump, not quite like a high-ranking official. I was secretly disappointed. “You’re Bao Bing?” “Yes.”
“I nodded, handing him the documents with both hands. He drank tea while reading through the materials, occasionally deep in thought.
“Does this case still have hope?”
He looked up, his sharp eyes examining me carefully from behind silver-framed glasses.
“It’s quite difficult; the evidence is solid, but…”
This “but” was the most beautiful word I’d heard in over a month. Like a drowning person grasping at a straw, I knew it was futile but couldn’t let go of the last hope.
“But? What do you mean?”
I vaguely saw a silhouette tremble slightly, and then he slowly turned around. When I saw that cold and indifferent face, I retreated, my back pressed against the door panel.
“Ye… Zhengchen…”
Why him? Why would it be Ye Zhengchen?! This man I thought I would never meet again appears precisely when I need help the most. Is it luck, or fate? He walked towards me, standing a step away.
“Little girl…”
That voice, often heard in my nightmares, made me cover my ears, wanting to escape.
He didn’t stop me, calmly asking, “Don’t you want to save your fiancé?”
I was pinned to the spot. “Can you save him?!”
“Yes!” he answered confidently. “I can make the special task force reinvestigate this case.”
“Why should I believe you?”
He picked up a remote control, pressed the switch on the wall-mounted LCD TV, and pressed play. Yin Zhongtian’s face appeared, his hands clasped on the table, eyes blood-red with exhaustion.
“I want water…” he pleaded hoarsely.
A serious voice replied, “Tell everything you know, and you can leave.” The TV froze on Yin’s desperate expression, his panicked look begging for help. I wanted to save him, no matter what.
“This is his interrogation video, not something just anyone can obtain,” Ye Zhengchen said.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked, aware he had an agenda.
“You know what I want most.” He smiled, but there was no warmth in it, only a possessiveness in his eyes.
“Why go through this? It’s been three years…”
“You are mine!” he insisted, his determination clear. I no longer had the right to choose. Compared to life, shame seemed insignificant.
“Just this once.” I reached to unbutton my collar.
“I want you back by my side!”
“Impossible!” I replied firmly, knowing that once I gave in, I’d be forced into a corner.
“I’d rather die with Zhongtian than be with you!” He frowned, suppressing his anger. I turned to leave, my attitude resolute. As I opened the door, with one leg out, he finally spoke: “Fine!” I sighed in relief: Ye Zhengchen, you lost again!
Why does he always lose to me? Because he doesn’t understand me… Or he cares too much… Sometimes, I wish he could win once!
I unbuttoned my clothes, stripping before him, peeling away my dignity bit by bit. He wanted to confirm how much love I had left for him. “No… don’t!” I struggled desperately, fearing I would melt in his passion. “Saying no now, don’t you think it’s too late?!” He threw me on the bed!
He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a scar on his chest that I didn’t remember. Was it from me? I wanted to touch it, but he caught my hands, pinning them above my head. Stripping off my remaining clothes, he marveled at the dark marks on my skin. “You’re still so alluring when you take off your clothes.”
“You’re still such a beast when you take off your clothes!”
“You haven’t changed at all.” He raised an eyebrow and kissed me. He had changed, become someone I no longer recognized.
On the bed, limbs entangled, unable to distinguish between tearing, struggling, or craving his lips, tongue, and hands.
“Let’s try the position you like!” “This is clearly the position you like!” “So you still remember.” “You?!”
When he spread my legs and thrust into me, he moaned excitedly, his smile like cherry blossoms falling in a dream. I closed my eyes, tears falling from the corners. The pain wasn’t from his violation but from hating how quickly I willingly submitted to him, craving a lifelong connection, never wanting to separate again.
If only I had known that after all the conflicting torment, we would ultimately cross this line and become entangled in bed. Why did I force myself to let go?
Beneath him, I melted into a hot spring of his delicate kisses and wild entanglement. I had forgotten where I was, passionately meeting his every deep thrust. Finally, he held my numbed body, lovingly kissing and caressing my hair. Our sweat-soaked bodies stuck together. I was so tired, wanting to sleep once more in this long-missed body, hoping the dream would be free of heartache.
Closing my eyes, I thought of Yin Zhongtian, of Yu Yin, of many past memories… How ridiculous!
I sat up painfully, picking up my clothes one by one, dressing myself, tidying my hair, and patting my cheeks. Just as I was about to get out of bed, he grabbed my wrist with a force I couldn’t escape.
“I’ve given you everything you wanted. What else do you want?!” I asked. He replied, “Leave him.”
Slap! I struck his left cheek; that was my answer. He turned his face slightly, smiling: “I wonder what your fiancé would think about how you saved him?” I leaned close, my nose touching his ear, and smiled: “I wonder how your family, colleagues, and friends would feel if they knew what you forced the family of a suspect to do?”
He twisted his mouth, adopting a self-mocking expression. “Ye Zhengchen, stop pushing me! Neither of us wants a mutually destructive outcome!” I said. As I reached the door, he softly said, “What should I do with you…”
