My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Shi Nian pondered on Ruo Tingran's words. "So, from start to end, you have never seen that person? How about that day? You said that he told you 'Well done'? Did you see them yourself?"

"That day…" Ruo Tingran shuddered at the thought. "It's also a text. But he showed it to me himself. 'Well done' was written on the screen. It's dark so I couldn't see him clearly, plus I was too shocked. But I'm sure that…it's a man. And," She mulled over it and pointed at her shoulder. "He has long hair. Around this length."

"Ask her whether he's bespectacled or not." Ru Meiqi's voice transmitted through the earpiece.

Shi Nian was stunned. A bespectacled man with shoulder length hair. She could only think of one person. The memory surfaced once again. The snowy ground and Si Zhening stood in front of her, staring down with a pair of expressionless eyes… "That man…" Her voice came out strained and foreign. "Does he wear glasses?"

"I'm…not sure." Ruo Tingran frowned. "It seems so…but I didn't see clearly either."

"Okay." Shi Nian nodded. It was weird. Why was her heart beating so fast? If Si Zhening was the one who controlled Li Qing's death, what should she do? Why did he do that? Si Zhening was a mature, successful secretary of CEO Jiang whereas Li Qing was only a 17 years old high schooler. They didn't have anything to do with each other.

Moreover…her memory, was it real? If yes then, was Si Zhening the person who kidnapped her?

"Shi Nian?" Ru Meiqi's voice pierced through the fog of her mind. "Are you okay?"

It was only then that Shi Nian realized she had zoned out for too long. She threw the matter to the back of her mind and focused on Ruo Tingran. "Is that what you want to talk to me about?"

"Yes." The girl's eyes were filled with hatred. "It's all because of him that I am in this position now. It's not fair! I want to drag him down with me! You too, Shi Nian—"

Shi Nian was startled by the cue. "What about me?"

"You…the man who was there with you that day, is he CEO Jiang's son?" Seeing Shi Nian's surprised look, hope ignited in Ruo Tingran's eyes and she scrambled up to hold Shi Nian's hands. Her words frantic and messy. "Can you ask him to forgive me? Please…Please, I didn't do it on purpose. I have no idea he's CEO Jiang's son! I can't pay off that amount of debt for the rest of my life! Please, Shi Nian…we are classmates, aren't we?"

Shi Nian was baffled by her barrage of questions and tried to shake her off to no avail. "Wait, I don't understand what you're saying…"

The door slammed open in the next second, showing Xu Binchen and the police officer earlier. "Your time is up."

"No!" Ruo Tingran shrieked. "It's not an hour yet! I am counting the time!"

Xu Binchen peeled her off Shi Nian and threw her toward the police officer. "Take her away."

"Yes, Sir! Come out and behave yourself!"

"Shi Nian!" Ruo Tingran struggled to face her. "Please ask him on my behalf, okay?! He has ruined me! He ruined me and my family! Shi Nian!!!" Her shrill screams echoed through the area although she had disappeared from their sights.

"Are you okay?" Xu Binchen scanned her up and down.

"I—I am fine." Shi Nian gulped and nodded. "Let's go back."

Jiang Jinyan had already been waiting for her in the monitor room. Seeing her, he drew near and reached for her hand. "Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

Shi Nian quietly shook her head and gave him a comforting smile. 

"Okay." Ru Meiqi clapped to pull their attention. "Thank you, Shi Nian, for your cooperation. We appreciate it greatly. There's something important we have to discuss so… maybe Comrade Xu can take both of you back?"

"Um…that bespectacled man…" Shi Nian tried to adjust her breath and added some firmness to her voice that started to tremble. "Are you possibly suspecting a person named Si Zhening?"

The whole room turned silent for a moment. Everyone sported a various degree of similar expression. Stunned and shocked. Shi Nian squeezed Jiang Jinyan's hands to draw in some strength. "To be honest, I have no idea whether it was real, but I seemed to have…remembered something from that time." Shi Nian sucked in a shaky breath. "I saw Si Zhening in my memory…"

Ru Meiqi was the first one to snap out of her senses. "This isn't the right place to talk and Shi Nian, you don't look very good. Let's go somewhere else first."

Jiang Jinyan brought her cold hands to his mouth and exhaled warm breath into it. "Are you okay?"

Shi Nian nodded yet still leaned closer to Jiang Jinyan. "...Stay with me." She whispered in a voice only both of them could hear.

Jiang Jinyan nodded, the corner of his lips curled upward. "Don't worry. I won't go anywhere."

They moved into the empty conference room. Xu Binchen entered last and closed the door behind him. Meanwhile, Qin Weizhe casually looked around and counted; two active CCTV cameras and a few listening bugs under the table. He frowned and nodded grimly. They didn't know who Director Fen's spy was in the police station. Thus all these times, they had been walking on thin ice and didn't dare to make any suspicious movement. 

Si Yusheng was temporarily handed to Jin Renguang and the place where he was moved to, only Jin Renguang knew. Right now, the hospital must be pronouncing the time of Si Yusheng's death and Jin Renguang would seize the time to haul him away. This was done to minimize the chance of the information being spread. 

Ru Meiqi put a cup of warm chocolate milk in front of Shi Nian. "Drink first. Careful, it's still very hot."

Shi Nian nodded and cupped her hand around it, feeling warmth slowly spread over her body. Jiang Jinyan sat beside her, observing her pale visage worriedly. 

"Now, can you tell us, Shi Nian?"

Shi Nian gingerly nodded. "Sometimes, when I sleep, I will dream of some unfamiliar memories. Some of it, I have told Binchen gege." She stole a furtive glance toward Xu Binchen and hastily averted it again out of guilt. "Actually, there's something I haven't told him. I haven't told anyone about this…"

She stuttered on her words. Chill rose from the soles of her feet up to her head and her breath came out rapidly. 

"Oh no." Ru Meiqi exclaimed softly and guided her. "Don't be afraid, Shi Nian. Look into my eyes. Yes, focus on me and slowly take a deep breath…"

Qin Weizhe crept closer to Xu Binchena and whispered carefully. "Do you think we need an oxygen mask?" 

Xu Binchen rolled his eyes and returned his attention toward the asphyxiating girl, his nails almost pierced bloody holes into his palm. Noticing his tense shoulder, Qin Weizhe patted his back without a word.

Shi Nian followed Ru Meiqi's guidance obediently and regained her breath. A warm touch fell upon her hand and she trailed her gaze toward Jiang Jinyan's tightened jaws and nervous look. Somehow, her fear diminished greatly. She freed one hand to intertwine their fingers under the table, clasping it tightly as if he was the only anchor she needed to stand firmly amidst the turbulence in her mind. Jiang Jinyan squeezed back harder.

When she lifted her head, calm had returned to her eyes. That's right. What was she scared for? That day, she managed to escape. She had won against him once and next time, she would still win. "Actually, there's something that I felt strange about. The serial killer…he had never tortured me physically."

Everyone kept mum and waited for her next sentence.

"He said…he wanted me to become like him. He wanted me to become his partner." Shi Nian felt Jiang Jinyan tensed beside her and she brushed her thumb gently on the back of his palm. "I recalled…he always killed someone before throwing the blame to me. I wasn't allowed to speak to others. If I did, he would kill them and said that it was all my fault, that I had become his accomplice…"

"Damn…" Qin Weizhe cussed softly under his breath.

"He…" Shi Nian suppressed the nausea deep in her stomach and forced the word out of her constricted throat. "He would give me raw meat once in a few days and told me to eat it otherwise he wouldn't give me any food. At first, I wasn't willing. I could endure the hunger. But once…" Tears welled up in Shi Nian's eyes. "He said he would free me if I did. I didn't know what possessed me at that time. I could still feel it…the taste of blood in my mouth, the rancid smell..." Shi Nian couldn't hold herself back anymore and gagged. 

Jiang Jinyan gathered her in his embrace, his face twisted in anger and sadness. "Stop. It's okay, stop talking…" The arms which wrapped around the girl trembled ever so slightly.

But Shi Nian could hear him no more. The fear, dread and suffocating stuffiness exploded at once in that moment. "I don't know anymore. Was it human meat? It's not right? I really…didn't want to do that! He lied to me, in the end, he still didn't let me go…!"

She burst into tears and sobbed. "I saw him… The day I escaped, he's there! Si Zhening was there!"

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A/N: ohh...is it true that Si Zhening is the one behind Li Qing's death? What will he gain from doing that? 

Also, how many are you who think that Si Zhening is the serial killer? Or do you have any other suspicion? Fufufu....