The White Moonlight Is Back

Chapter 7: A Calculated Encounter

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to regain his calm before looking again. This was not a delusion; she stayed exactly where he saw her.

Xu Yanbai's body moved more quickly than his mind. In a rush, he reached for the car door, but when he realized his seatbelt was still secured, he quickly unbuckled it, causing alarm.

But he was too slow; by the time he managed to get out of his automobile, she had already left on her electric scooter.

The green light flashed, and cars behind him began honking. Xu Yanbai returned to his car. He intended to proceed straight but performed an unexpected U-turn, just avoiding a collision with approaching traffic.

He truly saw Lin Qingmiao.

This thought repeated itself in Xu Yanbai's thoughts, forcing his fingers to shake uncontrollably, nearly beyond his control.

It was rush hour, and as he chased the scooter, his car lost agility. Soon, he was stopped in heavy traffic, helplessly watching the scooter turn onto another street. Lin Qingmiao had vanished from view by the time the traffic cleared for him to pursue.

Xu Yanbai smashed his fist against the steering wheel, accidentally striking the horn, which blared loudly. However, his dissatisfaction did not last long. He took out his phone and instantly dialed Officer Li. When Officer Li received Xu Yanbai's call and heard him claim to have seen Lin Qingmiao, he felt he was suffering from an obsessive delusion verging on insanity.

However, when Officer Li followed Xu Yanbai's request and saw the CCTV tape from Hongnan Street, he was astounded by the figure that nearly resembled Lin Qingmiao.

She was wearing a helmet and stood near a huge tree, so just half of her face was visible in the camera frame. Nonetheless, because it was a moving film, the partial view provided more detail than a static screenshot.

As the camera zoomed in, even Officer Li couldn't dispute that the individual looked strikingly similar to Lin Qingmiao; little wonder Xu Yanbai mistaken her for her. But, could she really be Lin Qingmiao? If so, why hadn't she shown up all these years, passing right by her house without entering?

Officer Li noted Xu Yanbai's acute irritation; while not visible, the muscles surrounding his temples remained tightly gripped.

Xu Yanbai instructed Officer Li to take screenshots from several angles—front, side, and back—and print them. Officer Li asked, "Are you certain this person is Lin Qingmiao?" as he handed him the printed images.

"Not entirely."

A pause occurred between them.

He really wasn't sure. If it was Lin Qingmiao, why wouldn't she return home while she was still alive? However, if it wasn't her, how could somebody resemble her so closely? Does such a doppelgänger exist in this world?

***

When Yuzhen arrived at Jiang Qianyu's house, she observed that only the lights in the backyard remained on. As she entered the yard, she noticed Jiang Qianyu reclining on a recliner in the garden. A little round table sat next to him, holding a practically emptied bottle of red wine. Jiang Qianyu took another strong gulp right as Yuzhen peered over.

Red wine is meant to be enjoyed, and his drinking style clearly suggested his desire for release.

His mood today was clearly negative. Yuzhen knew what day it was and had come to check on him just for that purpose. Indeed, every date with Lin Qingmiao seemed to make him abnormally depressed.

Today is Jiang Qianyu and Lin Qingmiao's wedding anniversary.

Jiang Qianyu raised his head, noticing her, and said, "What brings you here?"