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墨書 Inktalez
Carrying the coldness of the dissection room and the scent of disinfectant, I returned to the apartment.
I took off the coat tainted with the aura of death, the faint smell of bitter almonds lingering as if it were haunting me.
The darkness and fear from twenty years ago wrapped around me tightly once more, like maggots clinging to bones.
The living room light was on, its warm yellow glow dispelling some of the chill.
Lu Li sat on the sofa, seemingly having waited for me for a long time.
He wore his signature dark trench coat, his tall figure casting a sharp silhouette in the light.
Upon hearing the door open, he turned his head, his deep gaze landing on me with a hint of barely noticeable concern.
"You're back? You must be tired."
His voice was low and gentle, as it always was.
I sat down across from him, placing my cold hands around a mug in an attempt to draw some warmth.
The tremor lingering in my fingertips betrayed my inner turmoil.
"Lu Li, I have something to tell you."
I took a deep breath, striving to make my voice sound steady.
"The female corpse we dissected today... I smelled bitter almonds."
Lu Li's brow furrowed slightly but quickly returned to calmness.
"Bitter almonds?"
"Yes, the scent of cyanide."
My voice felt a bit dry.
"And it smells exactly the same as it did twenty years ago when I was kidnapped."
I fixed my gaze on his eyes, not letting any subtle change in his expression escape me.
I revealed the long-buried secret that had nearly suffocated me.
"And that ring, the one engraved with '701,' is the same as the number on the unidentified male corpse."
The air seemed to freeze.
Lu Li remained silent for a few seconds, his expression revealing no signs of disturbance.
"Cyanide..."
He repeated it, his fingers unconsciously stroking the inside of his trench coat, where something hard seemed to be concealed.
A habitual gesture he never abandoned.
"That's quite a coincidence, Nian Nian."
He finally spoke, his tone serious, even tinged with concern.
"Perhaps it's just a similar scent? Or maybe something else at the scene emitted that smell?"
He tried to provide a reasonable explanation, but his gaze was somewhat evasive, unwilling to meet mine.
"And that ring, '701' could just be a coincidental number or represent some special meaning; it doesn't necessarily relate to that male corpse."
His words sounded logical, as if he were trying to soothe me and help me analyze the situation.
But I could sense that beneath his calmness lay something deliberate.
It felt as if he was avoiding something or perhaps guiding my thoughts away from a dangerous direction.
"Lu Li."
I interrupted him.
"This is not a coincidence."
My intuition, my nightmares from the past twenty years, all sharply told me that this was no accident.
"I would never mistake that scent! It is etched into my very bones!"
My emotions were getting the better of me, and my voice rose slightly.
Lu Li looked at me, his gaze complicated.
He stood up and walked over to my side, wanting to reach out and hold me.
"Nian Nian, I know you're hurting. What happened twenty years ago..."
His hand gently rested on my shoulder, trying to offer me comfort.
At that moment, as he leaned closer, his coat opened slightly.
My gaze inadvertently swept across his waist.
There, beneath the fabric of his shirt, a strange bulge faintly emerged, with what seemed like a light stain of blood seeping through the edges.
My heart sank suddenly.
Was it a wound?
And looking at its position... it was quite peculiar.
I abruptly lifted my head to look at him.
"Are you hurt?"
My voice trembled slightly, barely noticeable.
Lu Li's body instantly stiffened.
He instinctively covered the spot with his hand, his gaze darting away in panic.
"No, it's just... I accidentally bumped into something during training."
His explanation was weak, even he couldn't convince himself.
As an insider, I had access to the police training records.
There had been no high-intensity training sessions recently, let alone any records that could account for such an injury.
Unless... it was something outside the files, an unregistered... gunshot wound!
A terrifying thought struck me like lightning.
I suddenly stood up, closing the distance between us, my eyes fixed on his hand covering the wound.
"Bumped during training? Lu Li, what are you hiding from me?!"
"What exactly caused this injury?!"
My voice grew sharp with agitation.
All the doubts connected in an instant.
The engagement ring that had appeared at the crime scene but belonged to him.
His deliberate avoidance of the bitter almond scent and his attempts to redirect the conversation.
Now, this mysterious gunshot wound again!
"Nian Nian, please calm down and let me explain..."
Lu Li tried to grasp my hand, his tone urgent and his eyes filled with struggle.
"Explain? How can you explain?!"
I shook off his hand, my chest heaving violently.
"Why was that ring found there?! Tell me!"
"And this wound! Is it a gunshot wound?! Are you involved in something I don't know about?!"
"Is all of this related to the case from twenty years ago?!"
I was like an enraged lioness, turning all my doubts and fears into sharp claws that fiercely struck at him.
The dam of trust completely collapsed at that moment.
I looked at the man I loved deeply, who was about to become my husband, yet he felt so foreign, so… dangerous.
"I..."
Lu Li opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he just closed his eyes in pain.
His face turned exceptionally pale from excitement and restraint.
"Nian Nian, please don't push me..."
His voice carried a weary plea.
"Push you?!"
I let out a cold laugh, my heart aching as if it were being twisted.
"Lu Li, we are engaged! We are about to get married! Yet you have hidden so much from me! How can I trust you?!"
"Do you really think I don’t even have the right to know the truth?!"
Tears surged uncontrollably, blurring my vision.
What I saw was his tightly pressed lips and the deep, unshakeable pain and... despair in his eyes.
"The truth..."
Lu Li suddenly opened his eyes wide, his emotions seeming to teeter on the brink of losing control.
His gaze was bloodshot, his voice hoarse.
"The truth is that damned bitter almond scent! That damned rainy night! Do you think you’re the only one who remembers it?!"
He almost shouted.
Before he finished speaking, his expression changed abruptly.
It was as if he realized he had said too much, or perhaps he had reached some limit within himself.
He suddenly clutched the wound at his side, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead.
His body trembled violently, as if enduring immense pain.
"Ugh..."
A muffled groan of agony escaped his throat.
His body swayed and then he could no longer support himself, collapsing backward.
Bang!
He crashed heavily onto the floor, curling up into a ball.
In the last second before he lost consciousness, he used his final ounce of strength to look at me.
That gaze...
It was too complex for me to decipher.
There was pain, guilt, a warning, and a hint of... an unfathomable fear I had never seen before.
It seemed to be telling me not to dig any deeper.
If I did, there would be no turning back.
I stood frozen in place, my body icy cold.
I looked at Lu Li lying on the floor, his face pale and his breath faint.
And then there was his uncontrolled roar and that meaningful glance he gave me in his final moments.
My mind went blank.
What had he just said?
That damned rainy night... did he think he was the only one who remembered it?!
He... he was there too?!
(End of chapter)
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