Something Beautiful and Wicked

Before their sudden departure, Shi Ailin and Luo Wanting informed Luo Tian about their plans to leave Shanghai, not knowing how long they'd be gone. They packed light, only carrying what they needed, and then they hopped on a flight towards Guangxi province.      

Shi Ailin fidgeted with the necklace she wore on the airplane.      

"Where did you get that? I haven't seen you wear it before," Luo Wanting asked.      

Shi Ailin smiled. "Oh, this?" She pointed at the golden locket, shaped as the head of a Lion. "Yenni gave it to me right before we left the house, but it used to belong to my mother as a gift from my father."      

"It looks lovely on you," Luo Wanting responded, his silver lashes lowering.      

Shi Ailin reddened. It was incredible that between them—the flirting, and the risks they were taking together, reminded her that her feelings for Luo Wanting only grew immensely, despite already feeling the intensity of their relationship.      

"Thank you for coming with me," she said, feeling grateful.      

Luo Wanting slid his hand over hers. "Ai," he said, soft as a whisper, "I would drop anything for you. Plus, I wouldn't let you run into danger without me. Not again." He was speaking from experience. When Luo Wanting arrived to help them during the rescue mission, he must have panicked when he watched as she ran towards Shi Ma with a gun pointing directly at her. If he hadn't made it on time—     

Shi Ailin didn't want to think about it. It was behind them. But she could see the guilt twist his expression. It wasn't his fault. He took the impact of their car accident so that she could receive the least amount of harm so that she had the opportunity to escape. He then came to save her after Shi Ma had put a knife in her, but that was because he had been busy looking for her somewhere else. And yet, there was nothing she could say that would make him feel better. He was adamant about protecting her, thinking he failed.      

For the rest of the flight, Luo Wanting had been observing a map of the province. He roughly calculated where her parents landed based on their departure and their destination. "Guilin is the best option. Smart actually. The karst hills that surround the city can obscure the view of a couple of parachutes. It raises the probability of your parents successfully escaping."      

Shi Ailin's mouth gaped. "You really think so?" she asked.      

"Yes," he replied. "But we can confirm it once we speak to some locals; however, I can't narrow the search to which pier, shore, or area that they may have landed."      

Shi Ailin sighed. "I suppose Genji was right about how challenging this search would be. But I don't want to give up. I already knew that it was going to take long."      

Luo Wanting's mouth curved upward. "With that determination and the fact that you know your parents better than anyone else, I believe we can find them."      

Shi Ailin smiled.      

They then landed in Guilin.     

Shi Ailin and Luo Wanting viewed the city landscape, marked with limestone hills and connected rivers. They admired the beauty briefly before hopping in a cab and wasting no time. They headed towards the piers where fishermen and sailors dotted the moored boats and ships. Luo Wanting read his map and directed them. "Hypothetically speaking, if your parents were fished out, it's possible they were dropped off on the shore of one of the connected lakes. This city, alone, has an entire moat of water and four lakes," he informed Shi Ailin.      

"Then, will we have to visit each of them?" She questioned.      

"I'm not sure," Luo Wanting replied. "I did some research when we were on the plane. If I am right, your parents must have calculated exactly where to jump and which boats would be most likely passing by. It would be Mulong Lake—it's the subtlest, blended into nature. For example, Ronghu and Shanhu Lake have government offices installed by them. A couple on the run wouldn't want to end up there."      

Shi Ailin stood on her toes, and then she kissed him. It took him Luo Wanting by surprise.      

"What was that for?" he asked, dazed. "When I could be wrong."      

Shi Ailin chuckled. "It's for your hard work," she said with a lush smile. Luo Wanting flushed.      

Shi Ailin then urged him to keep moving forward. They brought pictures of Shi Yan and Cai Chyou with them, hoping that it would ease their search, even though they were well aware of how difficult it would be.      

Luo Wanting and Shi Ailin split up talking to locals while maintaining a short distance between them.      

"Have you seen these two?" Shi Ailin asked. A young gentleman who was anchoring one of the boats shook his head; another said, "I've never seen them before." Shi Ailin and Luo Wanting remained persistent, despite taking hours to see each one. All they wanted to do was confirm if her parents indeed survived the jump.      

"Have you seen these two parachute down here six years ago?" she asked.      

"Lady, how am I supposed to remember something that happened six years ago?"     

Shi Ailin frowned and walked away.     

Her feet were growing tired, and she was desperately hungry, but she wanted to keep going. She kept bothering people until a middle-aged man approached her. "Miss," he said. "I've overheard you asking about the couple that fell from the sky years ago. I remember them."      

"Were they using parachutes?"     

"Yes!" He said. "My crew and I were sailing years ago, and we saw a helicopter fly by, and then we saw a splash. We went to haul them from the water. One of them wasn't breathing, but the man gave her mouth-to-mouth. I remember him saying something like she was his wife. Anyway, she survived. They were very odd, and they wouldn't say a thing to us about why they jumped—"     

"Was it these two?" Shi Ailin said, pushing the photos to his face.      

The man squinted his eyes as he looked at them carefully. "Yes. I can't forget them. You don't often see people fall from the sky. Handsome couple."      

"And it happened six years ago?" she asked.      

"On a cloudless afternoon," he confirmed.      

Shi Ailin widened her eyes. She then saw Luo Wanting catch up, stepping to her side.      

"Do you know where they went?" She asked.      

The man tapped his chin, trying to remember. He then pointed at a direction. "Saw them go that way. But they disappeared fast. I offered to take them to the hospital to get checked up, but they ran as soon as we hit the shore. And…"     

"And, what?" she asked.      

"I saw some guys park a helicopter not too far from here. They started asking questions. I thought they were their friends, so I told them where they headed." He then frowned. "But that was six years ago, Dearie. If you're looking for them now, it means they've been missing for quite some time."      

She knew that already, but still if there was a chance—     

"Thank you," she said to him.      

"Yes, thank you," Luo Wanting told the middle-aged man before they left.      

Shi Ailin turned and walked away. Luo Wanting followed and caught up to her. He watched as she pursed her lips as if she didn't know how to react. On the one hand, they confirmed that they survived the jump; on the other, they were being chased.      

"Where are you going?" He asked her.     

Shi Ailin kept walking towards the city. "I don't know. I just wanted to walk away."      

Luo Wanting followed her, as she didn't say a word the entire time. He understood that she had a lot to register in her mind, so he didn't stop her until they walked several blocks.      

"Ai," he said. Shi Ailin didn't turn. "Ai," he called again.      

She paused and whirled around. "What?" she questioned.      

He gripped her shoulders, running his hands up and down her arms. "You're upset," he said.      

She didn't answer.      

"We need to stop. You're tired and hungry. You don't even know where you're going. You've been walking absent-mindedly."      

Shi Ailin crossed her arms and sighed.      

"What is it?" he asked.      

Shi Ailin frowned. "I've been thinking a lot about what Wu Genji said to us. Maybe we are chasing ghosts."      

Luo Wanting stepped closer to her, looking into her eyes. "Think about it," he said. "If your parents are anything like you and Yen, then there's no stopping their determination to see you again."      

Despite her mood, Shi Ailin subconsciously curved her lips upward. "They are more than what we are. That's why Yen and I strived to be like them."      

Luo Wanting smiled. "You see? We now have confirmation. Now we need to find another lead," he said. "But, let's get some rest and refuel."      

Shi Ailin glanced at her side. She noticed a small sign that said, 'Rooms available for overnight stay.' It was nothing fancy, but it was something. "Let's stay here," she suggested.      

Luo Wanting nodded, and they both stepped inside.