Dear Archimedes

Chapter 18

After the trial, Zhen Ai went back to her dormitory to send Jiang Xin’s belongings back to China.

Before she got off the car,  Owen suddenly said, “Ai, don’t be afraid, everything’s gonna be fine.”

Zhen Ai didn’t know how to react, “What do you mean?”

“You are worried that the people around you died because of you, right?”  He reached out and patted her bony shoulders,  “Now that the truth is out,  you now know that it has nothing to do with you.”

Zhen Ai looked into his blue eyes, suddenly touched by his words.  She used to think that the people chasing her were behind Jiang Xin’s death.  She was very clear about it, that if it wasn’t for Owen’s request, Yan Su would not simply participate in such a small case.

As she followed through understanding the process of the case, she had given up on the idea that she’s someone who always brings disasters, her mind isn’t suffering from torture anymore, she felt at ease.

Everything is thanks to Owen’s caring and thoughtful gestures.

Zhen Ai smiled, “Thank you.  Because of you… I have been very relaxed these past few days.  You know, the word ‘relaxed’ has always been a luxury to me.”

Owen suddenly blushed, this is the first time he clearly saw Zhen Ai smile — from the curve of her lips to her eyes, shy, clumsy, but very gentle and pure.

He thought that she looked even more beautiful when she’s smiling.

He looked away, he stared straight ahead and said, “I asked S.A. to look over Jiang Xin and Zhao He’s things, no other codes were found, nor is there anything that can be related to you.  So you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Yes, I know.”

He was still blushing, even when Zhen Ai was already out of the car.  Owen rolled the windows down, and the temperature was close to zero, but it could not blow off the heat on his face.

#

Zhen Ai walked up the stairs to her dorm room, the warning line/tape had long been removed, she pushed the door open, the room was filled with a heavy smell of disinfectant.

She closed the door then walked inside and began picking up some remaining stuff.  Her phone suddenly rang, she didn’t know the strange number on the screen.

“Hello?”

The person on the other line went silent, after a long while complained, “Why did you not save my number?”

Zhen Ai raised her brows, “Who do you think you are?”

He was slightly surprised and frustrated, “You don’t recognize my voice?”

Zhen Ai :  …….

When she said ‘who do you think you are’ she meant who does he think he is to act like that, not actually asking ‘who he is’… why can’t this person understand normal language.

“What I mean is…you didn’t tell me your phone number before!”

The other line was frustrated, but then he calmly replied, “Oh.”  Then he slowly and softly said, “I’m calling to tell you that Zhao He was acquitted on all counts, freed from the criminal charge on the verdict of not guilty.”

Several days with no contact, his voice sounded very familiar yet so strange; his voice sounded even deeper across the phone line, more captivating.

Zhen Ai actually already knew about the results when she talked to Owen that afternoon.

Although the CCTV footage showed Zhao He was wearing Taylor’s clothes, carrying the sports bag into the gym, that same bag containing the blood-stained clothes was then found in his locker along with the jewelry box, Jiang Xin’s gloves, and the baseball card (which contains bloodstains that completely matched the blood from the crime scene).