Chapter 17
“Prosecutor…”
“It’s me.”
Before Lin Xiaogu could say the second word, that gentle, cool voice came through the receiver.
Sometimes, gentleness could also be a kind of strength.
Like now.
Xi Bingye had not said anything in particular, yet merely hearing her voice made Lin Xiaogu want to cry.
It felt as though all the grievances inside her were about to pour out at any moment.
But Lin Xiaogu knew she could not do that.
She should deal with her own chaotic emotions herself. She could not burden the prosecutor with them.
Xi Bingye said softly, “Luo Yu called you many times but couldn’t reach you, so she contacted me.”
“Ah… I didn’t see the calls. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. She sounded rather anxious. If nothing is wrong, call her back.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll call her now.”
“So,” Xi Bingye said, “is nothing wrong?”
“Huh?”
Lin Xiaogu froze, unable to immediately understand what she meant. Nevertheless, she replied quietly, “Nothing’s wrong.”
“All right. I’ll hang up now. Rest early.”
“Good night, Prosecutor Xi.”
The call disconnected.
Lin Xiaogu held the phone tightly in her palm, its glow illuminating her small, pale face.
The living room lights were off. Twilight seeped through the gaps in the curtains, staining everything a hazy gray.
She called Luo Yu back and casually made up an excuse, saying she had been cooking and had not heard her phone.
Luo Yu said nothing was wrong. She had only been a little worried, which was why she had asked Prosecutor Xi to contact her.
Lin Xiaogu asked, “Did you need me for… something?”
“You don’t have to be so formal,” Luo Yu said. “I only wanted to ask whether you’re free tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Lin Xiaogu thought about it. “I have work tomorrow…”
“What work? Tomorrow is Saturday.”
Saturday?
Lin Xiaogu glanced at the screen.
It really was Saturday.
The entire week had passed in such a muddled haze that she had not felt the passage of time at all.
“I don’t have anything planned tomorrow. If there’s work to do…”
“No,” Luo Yu interrupted. “I wanted to ask whether you could accompany me to the aquarium.”
“The aquarium…”
Lin Xiaogu suddenly felt lost.
She remembered the first year she and Yu Baiyi were together. Yu Baiyi had made a list of one hundred small things they would do together in the future.
They would watch the sunrise and sunset together, raise a kitten together, and the final item was visiting an aquarium together.
Yet even now, the only thing they had completed on that list was watching the sunrise.
Baiyi had probably forgotten the list long ago.
But Lin Xiaogu still remembered it.
She had looked forward to every single item on it so very much.
“Xiaogu? Xiaogu?”
Luo Yu called softly from the other end.
“I’m here.”
Lin Xiaogu returned to her senses. After thinking for a moment, she answered quietly, “All right. I’ll go with you.”
“Really? That’s wonderful! Shall we meet at nine tomorrow morning?”
“Okay.”
“Then good night, Secretary Lin. See you tomorrow~”
Luo Yu’s personality seemed somewhat different from what Lin Xiaogu had imagined.
At work, Luo Yu always appeared very serious. She constantly wore an expressionless face that discouraged others from approaching her.
But the Luo Yu on the phone had been remarkably lively and even sounded…
A little adorable.
The corners of Lin Xiaogu’s lips curved slightly.
Her phone finally fell silent. She curled up on the sofa without closing the curtains, watching the sky outside deepen from gray-blue into black before gradually falling asleep.
At eight thirty the following morning, Lin Xiaogu arrived at the aquarium.
Today, she wore a white cashmere cardigan. The hem hung softly, while the loose neckline revealed a small section of her collarbone. The fabric was delicate and fluffy, wrapping around her slender shoulders and making her appear soft all over.
Luo Yu arrived ten minutes before their agreed meeting time. When she saw Lin Xiaogu already waiting outside, she was extremely surprised.
“My goodness, why did you come so early?”
This was Lin Xiaogu’s first time going out on a trip with someone else, so she took it very seriously.
She smiled.
“It’s all right. I only just arrived too.”
Luo Yu nodded and handed her something.
“I brought you breakfast.”
Lin Xiaogu accepted it.
“Thank you.”
The two had their tickets checked and entered.
The aquarium was illuminated by a dim, blue glow, as though they had sunk beneath the sea.
After turning the first corner, they were met by an enormous curved glass wall.
A beluga whale slowly swam toward them. Its entire body was snowy white, with a smooth, rounded forehead.
It approached the glass and stopped, pressing its entire head against it. Its small, black eyes peered curiously outside, and its mouth opened slightly as though it were smiling.
Luo Yu hurried over and pressed herself against the glass beside the beluga.
“Xiaogu, Xiaogu! Take a photo for me!”
“Oh, all right.”
Lin Xiaogu raised the phone, waited until the beluga drew close, and took a photograph.
“It’s done.”
Luo Yu looked at the photograph on the phone with satisfaction. Then she suddenly thought of something and turned toward Lin Xiaogu.
“Xiaogu, would you like one too?”
“Me?”
Lin Xiaogu instinctively refused.
“No, I don’t think—”
“Come on. I’m very good at taking photographs.”
Coaxing and tugging at her, Luo Yu pushed her toward the glass.
Lin Xiaogu stood there somewhat helplessly.
The beluga seemed to sense something. It slowly swam over and pressed its head against the glass again, stopping beside her cheek.
Luo Yu took several photographs but still felt something was missing.
She turned her head and noticed a souvenir shop nearby with beluga hair clips displayed in its window.
“Wait here.”
She soon returned carrying two matching clips. They were covered in snowy-white fur and shaped like round little whales.
Before Lin Xiaogu could react, Luo Yu gently fastened one atop her head.
Lin Xiaogu blinked.
“What is this…”
“All right, don’t move.”
Luo Yu found the right moment and hurriedly took several photographs. She then looked at the images in satisfaction.
“Xiaogu, you’re genuinely beautiful.”
Lin Xiaogu felt somewhat embarrassed.
“That’s an exaggeration.”
“It really isn’t. Has no one ever told you that you’re beautiful? This was taken with the original camera, and your face still looks perfect. Your eyes are so large, and your skin is so fair. I’m truly jealous.”
Lin Xiaogu listened to that exaggerated string of compliments and gave a bitter smile without answering.
She had always possessed a subdued personality.
She rarely became furious or emotionally agitated. Unless she had no other choice, she would never force her way into an intimate relationship.
Because she feared becoming a burden to others, she never actively sought interaction with them either.
Had Luo Yu not approached her first, Lin Xiaogu might never have voluntarily spoken to her outside of work, even by the time she resigned.
Luo Yu possessed endless energy.
Throughout the day, she enthusiastically searched through guides, dragged Lin Xiaogu into photographs in front of every exhibit, and insistently touched every stuffed toy in every souvenir shop.
Inside the underwater tunnel, she walked backward with her head raised and nearly collided with someone. Lin Xiaogu quickly caught her by the sleeve and pulled her back.
Luo Yu remained in high spirits, and Lin Xiaogu felt her own mood gradually improve as well.
They continued exploring until evening approached.
When they emerged from the aquarium, twilight had settled around them, and the horizon burned a pale orange.
Luo Yu took her to a nearby Western restaurant.
Their table beside the window was covered with a dark-blue checkered cloth, and a single white daisy stood inside a glass bottle.
Lin Xiaogu poured Luo Yu a glass of lemon water.
“Have some water first.”
Luo Yu looked pleasantly surprised.
“Thank you.”
She studied Lin Xiaogu and suddenly asked, “Do you feel a little better now?”
Lin Xiaogu froze.
Once she understood, she lowered her head, the tips of her ears quietly reddening.
“Was it… that obvious?”
Luo Yu laughed.
“Yes. Don’t you know that people with large eyes aren’t suited to feeling sad? When you’re in a bad mood, it’s especially obvious.”
Lin Xiaogu touched her suddenly flushed face.
“How can that be…”
“Hahaha. You really are adorable.”
Their food soon arrived.
Steam rose from the herb-roasted chicken, while a small parsley leaf floated atop the creamy mushroom soup.
Luo Yu poked at the mashed potatoes on her plate with her fork, her voice becoming quieter.
“Can you tell me why you were unhappy?”
When she noticed Lin Xiaogu’s expression growing uncomfortable, she immediately corrected herself.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. There’s no need to pressure yourself.”
Lin Xiaogu slowly shook her head.
She could not speak about Yu Baiyi, nor did she know where to begin.
Those hopes, the disappointment, and the way she had remained waiting alone for such a long time—all of it was lodged heavily inside her throat, yet she could not force out a single word.
However, there was something else she wanted to ask.
Lin Xiaogu took a sip of water and slowly began, “Recently, while organizing archived case files…”
She paused, carefully considering her phrasing.
“I noticed that in every public prosecution case transferred to the court this quarter, Prosecutor Xi’s name was listed as the person in charge.”
Hearing that, Luo Yu smiled.
“So it’s about work.”
Lin Xiaogu had not finished, but Luo Yu already understood what she meant.
“When I first entered the procuratorate, I had the same question,” Luo Yu explained slowly. “At the time, there were three prosecutors in the office, but Prosecutor Xi always took the cases assigned from above for herself.”
“At first, everyone assumed she was simply hardworking and wanted to earn more money. Later, someone discovered her family background, and people began questioning her.”
“Many people at the procuratorate wondered why someone from a prestigious family like hers constantly took on such difficult, exhausting cases and made her own life so tiring.”
She paused before continuing.
“Later, one of the prosecutors resigned because the pressure became too much. Another prosecutor named Zhou and I both completed our internships and became permanent employees, remaining to assist Prosecutor Xi with her work.”
“But I still had no answer for why she always took so many cases upon herself, so I went directly to ask her.”
Luo Yu seemed to remember something from the distant past and unconsciously smiled.
“Prosecutor Xi didn’t answer me. She only said I would understand after independently handling an entire case from beginning to end.”
“At the time, I had just graduated from law school and entered the procuratorate during the most confused period of my life. Every day, I could barely breathe beneath piles of case files. I thought about giving up countless times.”
“But during the period when I could hardly continue, Prosecutor Xi gave me complete responsibility for a case.”
“It wasn’t an important or complicated case, only an ordinary theft. But it was the first time I independently conducted an interrogation, wrote an indictment, stood at the prosecution bench, and personally sent a defendant to prison.”
“That sense of accomplishment from bringing a criminal to justice rescued me from my confusion.”
“Although Prosecutor Xi never directly gave me her answer, after all these years, I think what supports her is an instinctive inability to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing, along with the satisfaction of restoring order to the world.”
“I’ve always been deeply grateful to her.”
“Actually, today…”
Luo Yu hesitated. After looking at Lin Xiaogu, she ultimately decided to continue.
“Prosecutor Xi was also the one who asked me to invite you out today.”
Lin Xiaogu raised her eyes.
“She said you were feeling down and shouldn’t be left alone.”
Luo Yu smiled.
“At first, I was worried you might find it awkward. I was also afraid you wouldn’t be able to accept what I’m really like. But after spending this entire day with you, I’ve felt very comfortable.”
She looked at Lin Xiaogu seriously.
“Can we be friends from now on, Xiaogu?”
The word friends shook Lin Xiaogu’s heart.
Only yesterday, she had been thinking that after all these years, she did not even have a single friend she could talk to.
Was she about to gain her first friend today?
Lin Xiaogu looked at Luo Yu and answered with great solemnity and conviction.
“Yes.”
After dinner, they each returned home.
When Lin Xiaogu arrived, she received a message from Luo Yu.
Tell me when you get home. Today was tiring, so rest properly.
The corners of Lin Xiaogu’s lips unconsciously curved. She replied:
I’m home. You should sleep early too.
After replying to Luo Yu, she remembered everything Luo Yu had told her that day…
After some hesitation, Lin Xiaogu found Xi Bingye’s contact information.
It was saved under the name Prosecutor.
Her finger hovered over the message button, but she did not dare press it for a long time.
She merely wanted to express her gratitude. That would not be crossing a boundary, would it?
Lin Xiaogu felt deeply conflicted.
She knew the prosecutor treated her well, perhaps because she was caring for a subordinate or simply felt sympathy for someone weaker.
Regardless of the reason, Lin Xiaogu could not reconcile herself with it.
Some twisted part of her even wished that the prosecutor would stop treating her so well.
Such intense kindness left her at a complete loss.
There was nothing she could do for the prosecutor in return.
Forget it…
Lin Xiaogu gritted her teeth, shut her eyes, and sent a message of thanks.
It contained only three words:
Thank you.
Three words without any explanation or context.
The moment she sent them, she regretted it. Lin Xiaogu even hoped the message would somehow become lost among a pile of spam.
She was exhausted after the day’s activities, but she continued forcing herself to remain awake.
Yu Baiyi had said she would come home for dinner that night.
Lin Xiaogu sat on the sofa and struggled to stand so she could go to the kitchen and cook. But her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, while her consciousness drifted through the darkness like the beluga at the aquarium, slowly, slowly sinking deeper.
Half-asleep, she heard a quiet sound.
Click—
The door opened.
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