Perhaps, I had to be her shadow again, following her not far behind. Same speed, different frequencies; Same direction, different footprints. At that moment, the picture seemed to be frozen. Under the shaded trees beside the blue sky and blue sea, on a winding path covered by green, two people in trench coats walked far and near, as if they had nothing to do with each other. The path in front of them twists and turns, and it is so submerged at the end of the view, where does the end lead? The horizon where the waves meet the sky, or in the shadows that fade under the shade. I don't know, maybe it's hard to know, but the road has to go on.

The similar backs reveal a similar loneliness, and the gardenia is mixed with the scent of lavender...

At the intersection outside the Aikang Group park, a large number of onlookers gathered on the side of the road, which was supposed to be sparsely populated because of the holiday, and a thick and straight palm tree had been tilted, and it seemed that an accident car was covered by the gathered crowd under the tree. The traffic police's police car has arrived at the scene and is dealing with it, while the police have been drowned in the center of the crowd, and the scene is bustling and very noisy.

"What's wrong?" Li Xiaoai craned her neck and looked out.

"It should have been a car accident, how did you drive, and you can actually hit a tree on the side of the road." The taxi driver kept muttering.

Taxis drove slowly past the crowded road, and the sound of ambulances was getting closer and closer. From the window of the car through the gap in the crowd, I could see that the accident vehicle was an off-road vehicle, and it was an off-road vehicle that I was somewhat familiar with.

The black buggy that appeared last night? Although I didn't read the license plate number at the time, I remember the model and color of the car clearly.

"Please pull over." I shouted at the driver.

After parking, I opened the door and went out sideways.

"What are you going down to do?" Li Xiaoai asked me.

She was completely in a semi-coma last night, with only a vague perception of everything around her, and it was impossible to have any impression of a completely unfamiliar off-road vehicle.

"Keep the windows and doors closed and stay in the car." I bent down and commanded the car in a stoppable tone, turned and walked towards the crowd.

Li Xiaoai stopped thinking about getting out of the car together, and was stunned for a second, but still obediently did as I said.

I followed the paramedics who got out of the ambulance and picked up the crowd, and after squeezing into the crowd, the whole scene of the accident was presented to me. It is not called a car accident, but it is not exactly the feeling of a car accident, it is very different from the scene of an ordinary car accident, but it cannot but be said to be a car accident, the driver in the driver's seat, who has lost his reaction, is holding the steering wheel tightly, and his neck has dyed the entire driver's seat of the off-road vehicle and himself blood red because of heavy bleeding.

"It's so miserable, driving fast and crashing myself like this." From time to time, the crowd of onlookers let out a smack.

"But I wasn't driving fast at the time, I happened to pass by, and the car seemed to be out of control and crashed into me, and I dodged at the time, and I remember that the speed was not fast, otherwise I wouldn't be able to dodge." A frightened middle-aged woman narrates to the crowd and the police.

"You were there?" The police asked.

The middle-aged woman nodded, "Present, I was standing on the side of the road and wanted to take a taxi, but the off-road vehicle almost hit me, fortunately I dodged quickly, but this car is definitely not speeding." ”

Judging from the amount of bleeding and traces at the scene, how can it be strange, the airbag of the steering wheel protects the driver's head, but it still causes a large amount of bleeding in the neck? Two paramedics stepped forward to investigate, and after making a preliminary investigation, they shook their heads at the police, which probably everyone could understand.

"Alas, the death of the New Year is unlucky, unlucky." The crowd of onlookers was still shouting.

"Please disperse, we still have to do the investigation work, please leave a name and contact information for the people who were at the scene of the car accident, we will detect according to the road conditions and surrounding cameras, if you have any questions, you may need to ask you, trouble, thank you." The young officer saluted the crowd and then began to record the contact information and ID information of the crowd in a notebook.

Two medical workers lifted the driver, who had no vital signs, out of the black SUV after police had taken pictures. I could see his face clearly, an ordinary young man, with dark skin, slightly wide cheeks, a somewhat sunken nose, and a somewhat protruding chin and forehead, some of which looked like he was of Southeast Asian descent.

Is that him? Could he be the one who watched us last night? I tried to remember the clues in the dark night, hoping to get a little answer from them. But the answer did not emerge, and the problem was in front of us. Who is he? How did he die? Just because it doesn't look like an accident? Who killed him? I started racking my brains non-stop as I got out of the crowd and approached the taxi on the side of the road.

"What's wrong?" Back in the car, Li Xiaoai stared at me, her eyes full of anxiety.

"Nothing." Even if I wanted to say that I didn't know how to tell her, it was better to let her already depressed mood relax than to panic.

"How can it be nothing?" Her brow furrowed.

I stopped talking, and my mind repeatedly recalled this car accident and all kinds of accidents, what was going on? For what? "Which traffic police detachment do we belong to?"

"This should be under the jurisdiction of the Fucheng District Traffic Police Detachment." The taxi stopped in front of the Iconon Group's block building, and when I got out of the car, I looked towards the intersection where the crowd had gathered, and the emergency rescue trailer had approached the black SUV.

The empty Aikang Group cube building is quiet, except for some lights in the hall that are only used for lighting, most of the corridors are even lights off, and the green emergency exit indicator lights are flashing a strange green light at the end of the corridor. The ground was littered with papers, messy and desolate, and although it did not look dilapidated, it was a sign that the end of Aikan was approaching, and a thriving business would finally come to an end.

It's hard to say whether it all came too quickly, and less than half a year after I witnessed the accidental fire, a well-funded company has reached the point where it is now on the verge of collapse. But when disaster strikes, how many people can predict that the disaster will not turn into a catastrophe, Li Xiaoai is dealing with matters she is not familiar with in the only room with the lights on, but now even the only person who can help her is about to leave.

"Mr. Li, I'm sorry, it's the holiday the day after tomorrow, it's easier to find a job after the New Year, and it's been a month since I submitted my resignation, I bought a ticket to go home tomorrow, even if it's goodbye to you today."

Li Xiaoai just looked up, responded to her secretary with the smile I was used to, and then kept touching the page in front of the desk with the tip of her pen that was a waste paper today.

"Finance will finally put your most recent salary on your card, rest assured, thank you for serving in Aikang for so long, Happy New Year." She still answered the person in front of her in that polite tone, but the rattling of the nib and paper betrayed her mood.

I stood in the hallway and took out the lighter and was about to light the cigarette on my mouth, when I raised my eyes and saw the no-smoking signs pasted on the wall of the hallway, and the empty aisles on the left and right were empty, and I didn't think about it. There must be clues on the off-road vehicle that crashed and the driver who has died, even if he can't speak, as long as the cause of his death and identity background can be found out, at least people can guess why.

Walking aimlessly around the Rubik's Cube Building, although the walls are not yet mottled, the confetti on the ground has long been uncleaned, and the remaining people in the entire building are estimated to be no more than ten.

It has been nearly half a year since I witnessed the accidental fire, and it has only been more than a month since I took over Li Xiaoai's security work. The unexpected death of so many people in Aikang, and the sudden collapse of such a large enterprise, seem to be logical, but no one can guess what is hidden behind it, and even Zhang Dashan has not been able to come up with some useful clues after his personal investigation. No one knows what happened in the past, and maybe no one knows what will happen in the future.

What the hell is going on? What happened to Aikan in the past?

I stood outside the door of the abandoned and somewhat dark accidental fire, there were no staff members passing by, the aisles were dark, and the whole building was so quiet that people were scared. The seals were already a little wrinkled, and the iron door that had been sealed before was showing some gaps, and there was some light inside.

"Where have you been?" Just back down the stairs to the twelfth floor where Li Xiaoai's office was, a figure stood at the door at the end of the corridor and asked.

"Huh? Aren't you in the office, I'll go down and smoke a cigarette. "Although I can't see the figure clearly, I can also know from the voice that Li Xiaoai doesn't seem to be at ease for the moment I leave. She'd never asked me such a question before, could it be that the lonely building was unsettling her?

"Isn't the smell of smoke in the hallway yours?" There was a clear reproach in the tone.

"Well, if the matter is settled, go find food and shelter, right?" I shrugged my shoulders and deliberately avoided the topic.

When I got closer, I could see that her face was slightly angry, and the corners of her mouth were downward, "Can you say something next time you leave, so that I can also be refreshed." ”

"What's wrong?"

"There seems to be someone else in the corridor just now, I thought it was you, but I'm not sure."

Her incoherent words made me a little dizzy, and I didn't pay much attention to it, "I just went down and walked around, how could there be someone else in a few minutes?" Looking at Li Xiaoai's coquettish appearance because of fear, there is an indescribable amusement and an indescribable cuteness, "Let's go, it seems that you are done." ”

"Where?" She changed her expression in an instant, and her eyes widened.

"A New Year's gift for you."

The sky darkened early, the moonlight and starry sky were still so clear, and the brightly lit streets of the Special Administrative Region seemed a little lonely. The central shopping street is no longer bustling with people, but it is not so much off the beaten track.

"How does this work?" Li Xiaoai wraps the smart watch around her wrist.

"They need to be linked together so they can see where each other is at all times." As long as it is in the city and in a location with a signal, the smartwatch can display the real-time location.

Li Xiaoai synchronized her smart watch with mine, "So that the green dot on the dial map is the relative position of the two of us?" ”

The map mode on the dial shows two emerald green dots, and the green dots are surrounded by echoing waves to indicate a good signal.

"Even if you can't see me for a while, it doesn't mean that you are in danger, I will keep an eye on you at any time." I pointed two fingers at my eyes and then at her, tapping the tiny green dot on the dial and starting to flicker slightly.

Li Xiaoai glanced up at me, buried her head and began to tinker with the watch on her wrist again, looking at the two clear green dots on the dial map, the corners of her mouth rose slightly and seemed to be relieved.

The restaurants in the central shopping street are no longer as crowded as usual, and there is still an indescribable sense of estrangement between the atmosphere of the year and the prosperity and fashion of the city.

"Don't you come back for the New Year? What kind of work can be so busy? The mother asked on the other end of the phone incomprehensibly.

"I didn't keep running back some time ago, and the whole group needed to work overtime during the Chinese New Year, so I didn't want to ask for leave at this time, and I would come back after this time, is Jingjing okay?" I stood outside the glass window of the dining room with my mobile phone and waved at Li Xiaoai, who was sitting inside.

She held her phone and stared down at the screen from time to time, and then looked up at me from time to time.

"Jingjing is very good, but you also have to come back often to accompany her, and pay more attention to your body when you are outside." Mother paused after finishing her words, "Recently, if you have time to call Xixi, it seems that her mother's health is getting worse and worse, a few days ago I went to the hospital for a check-up and didn't come to Jingjing for a few days to give Jingjing an English class, yesterday I went to the market to buy New Year's goods and came back to meet Xixi, her face was very ugly, and her eyes were red, I don't know what's wrong." I want to go and see, but I feel inconvenient, Liu Yi is not here, if I can help, I can help others. ”

Although the mother's words were chattering, the content of the words was very clear, "Okay, I know, you tell me what is missing at home, I bought it online and sent it home." ”

"I don't have to buy it anymore, the TV and air conditioners are all new, and I can't buy things indiscriminately, you know? The mother kept talking.

"Uh-huh, okay, just don't buy it randomly." Although my tone is perfunctory, I can hear the voices of my family and feel a little warm in this deserted city.

Hung up the phone and went back to the restaurant, this was the first time I had eaten with her at the same table, and everything seemed a little restrained. Usually I choose to sit next to her or behind her, so that I have a wider view and am more wary of people and things around me. But now that the Chinese New Year is approaching, letting Li Xiaoai sit alone at the cold dining table and eat alone makes people feel a lot more desolate.

"A phone at home?" Li Xiaoai asked faintly.

"Well, if you can't go back for the New Year, you always have to report safety, and it was the same when you used to be a soldier." I took my seat and took a sip from my teacup.

"You used to be a soldier?" Li Xiaoai stared at me with round eyes.

"Hmm~" I put down the teacup and looked at her with a surprised face, feeling uncomfortable, "What's wrong?" ”

"No, I just think it's amazing." She still had an expression of adoration, "Uncle Di was also a soldier before, and he was the one who rescued my father, otherwise..."

Li Xiaoai's words didn't fall, and her eyes had already darkened, maybe she thought of Li Shukang, no matter what happened in the past, he was her father after all, and the memories would definitely arouse sadness.

"In fact, soldiers are also human beings, and in our hearts, people like you who have studied in prestigious universities are also worthy of admiration." I digressed from the sentimental topic.

Li Xiaoai's eyes seemed to regain some luster, and the eyes that looked at me became gentle after a while, "But you don't look like a soldier." ”

This made me feel a little shocked, and no one had ever said anything about me like this, "So what am I like?" ”

She buried her head slightly, her slender fingers pinched the spoon of lemon black tea and kept stirring, "Hmm~!" Like a traveler who returns alone from a long journey. ”

"What's that?" I was a little stunned, not only did I feel unfamiliar with the word traveler, but I also felt that I had never heard of it.

"Silent but not indifferent, easy but not approachable."

The words she spat out were like feathers gently brushing through my hardest thoughts, and I didn't know how to refute or evaluate them, and those past experiences were like files, smoothing out the most angular parts of my life.

I looked at the person in front of me with an indescribable expression, "No wonder you can achieve such results at HKU, it's not unusual." ”

"What?" Li Xiaoai's brows furrowed, as if she didn't quite understand.

"Clever." I put down my mustard slightly, and Tiwin smiled.

A plate of freshly sliced beef in sauce was placed on the table, and two pairs of bamboo chopsticks were placed on a piece of beef at the same time, and the bamboo chopsticks touched it so casually for a moment.

I subconsciously withdrew my hand.

And with a gentle smile, she sandwiched the piece of beef into my plate.

… After a moment of silence, the soft music in the restaurant ended just in time, and for some reason, the air around me gradually filled the air with the faint scent of lavender again.

"So—" I broke the silence.

"Huh?" She was stunned.

"Tomorrow I need to go to the traffic police detachment."

"Because of this afternoon's accident buggy?" Li Xiaoai guessed.

I nodded.

"Are you sure it's him?"

"I feel yes, but I'm not sure, what can be determined by the accident and my imagination, I just want to try to investigate and see if there are any clues behind the car and the driver."

Li Xiaoai's eyes gradually sank again, "In such a short period of time, I have passed by death twice~"

It's normal to be afraid after the meeting, this kind of thing is not that the parties really can't experience it, and the feeling of danger of trembling makes me shudder when I think about it.

"It's okay, I'm here." I said softly, giving her a slice of beef, "It's going to be over, it's going to go back to normal." ”

For some reason, I remembered the familiar scent of gardenias, she was gone, and I wanted to catch her...

Li Xiaoai raised her eyes and glanced at me, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and then stuffed the beef slices into her mouth, as if she had found a trace of peace of mind.

"I don't know if you know the process of Aikang Company growing into Aikang Group?" She swallowed and asked.

This was a bit of a surprise to me, Li Xiaoai never mentioned her father's company to me, "I know, there were a lot of difficulties in the early days of Aikang's business. ”

"Then a South American company injected capital, and the company miraculously grew to its current size." Li Xiaoai was still stirring the cup in front of her.

"It's all available online."

"When I was a kid, Ickon was just a small laboratory, and it was often just my father and me, who were constantly experimenting, and I sat on the computer desk next to me and watched my father busy going back and forth in the little cement box. At that time, I had an indescribable feeling when I looked at various test tube instruments, and I always felt that those building blocks for adults were much more fun than for children. When I grew up and learned how to use a computer, I could sit at the computer desk and help my father record those experimental data, but I didn't expect that when I grew up, I would really sit in the laboratory and do those cutting-edge biochemical research projects in the world. Li Xiaoai inadvertently confided in her past, recalling that her father always had a trace of sadness, "Why has it become the way it is now?" ”

I looked at her in silence but couldn't answer.

"I'm just doing what I like, and now you're doing what you like?" Li Xiaoai changed her tone and asked me instead.

"Me? Do you mean work? ”

"Hmm." Li Xiaoai looked at me with a very determined look, and then responded softly.

I pull my mind back in time, and the fragments fly by...

"Not everyone is qualified to choose their own life, maybe I belong to one of those most people, as for whether I like it or not, I did pursue it, but that's all in the past." It's hard to summarize my military career in one sentence, all the honors, dreams, pains, and helplessness of the past are related to that time, but I never know how to remember.

"That..."Li Xiaoai asked again with a look mixed with questions, but for some reason there was a hint of resentment in his eyes, "Who is Xinrui?" ”

Outside the glass window, there seemed to be darkness at the end of the eternal night that I would never want to touch. Xinrui, the name that drained my soul has been brought up again.

"She's gone—" I took a deep breath, "and she's gone." ”

Li Xiaoai's eyes widened in surprise, but then he looked extremely disappointed, and his tone seemed to be a little lonely, "I'm sorry, I don't know..."

"I know." I interrupted her, still breathlessly looking out the window, "I know..."