When A Snail Falls In Love

Lin Qingyan Short Story Part 1.3: Before the Angel Killer case

When the car went round a bend, Qin Shuhua's body toppled to one side. Lin Qingyan quickly reached out a hand to support her, but she fell against his shoulder.

Her eyes were shut, her breathing was even, and she remained motionless. Lin Qingyan's body was somewhat rigid, but he could not push her away, whether this was out of courtesy or sensibility. He could only sit perfectly straight, both hands on the back of the seat in front of him, to avoid touching her body.

As a forty-year-old woman, her body was still soft, and there was a hint of fragrance lingering in his nose. Her face was leaning against his shoulder and the only thing separating them was the thin material of her blouse. He was slightly uncomfortable as the material rubbed softly against him.

The inside of the car was quiet for a few minutes, and the assistant in front did not appear to notice anything. Lin Qingyan felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles, and therefore decided to call out, "President Qin? President Qin?"

Qin Shuhua slowly lifted her head. Her forehead, cheeks, and lips lightly brushed against his hot and full neck and chin, as she quietly gazed at him.

Lin Qingyan felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of white lightning. In a flash, all was instantly illuminated.

At this time, Qin Shuhua had already closed her eyes in anticipation, her lips mere millimetres away from him. He experienced a strong sense of suffocation, as if he were shut in on all sides, while at the same instant, it became blindingly clear to him that he could not reject her, and could only kiss her as expected.

The inside of the car was so quiet that Lin Qingyan's turbulent emotions were like a raging sea in comparison. He seemed to tremble slightly as he bent his head lower. Sensing his movement, Qin Shuhua lifted her hand to hold his neck, and pull his lips closer to hers.

This was the first time Lin Qingyan had kissed anyone. He did not have the slightest sense of desire, and was only aware of their wet and slippery tongues being entangled, and the faint taste of alcohol in Qin Shuhua's mouth. At the same time, he also felt some part of his body beginning to swell and stiffen. This response startled him, and he was instantly overwhelmed by the sense of humiliation that he had previously repressed. He wanted to shove Qin Shuhua away and was about to act on that thought, when the migraine-inducing nightmare moved away from his lips. He looked intently at the fine lines at the corners of Qin Shuhua's eyes, and felt surge after surge of nausea.

He restrained himself, and managed not to vomit. Qin Shuhua did not notice, and thought that he was shy and nervous, so she continued to lay her head on his shoulder, and whispered: "Qingyan, I'm very happy."

When they finally arrived at President Qin's villa, he and the assistant helped her out of the car. The assistant said: "Xiao Lin, you take her indoors."

He let go of her as if he had received an electric shock, and retreated a step. "I have something to attend to tomorrow morning, so I'll go back with you."

Qin Shuhua didn't say a word. The assistant was about to speak, when Lin Qingyan said, "President Qin, good night. Principal Assistant, good night. I'll get going first." He turned and left, and heard the unhappy voice of the assistant behind him: "You are really . . ." However, he did not complete his sentence, perhaps because Qin Shuhua had stopped him. Lin Qingyan walked faster and faster, uncaring of whether the people behind him were watching him. Soon, he had fled the villa.

The next morning, Lin Qingyan tendered his resignation, and simultaneously requested sick leave so he would not have to go to work. Three days later, when the manager called him, he did not pick up the phone; after a while, Qin Shuhua herself called him, but he did not answer her call, and hung up immediately.

A few days later, after the resignation procedures had been completed, Qin Shuhua and the manager did not make any further appearances.

Many years later, when Lin Qingyan thought back on this situation, he realised that it was most probably his excessive reaction which had enraged Qin Shuhua, and incited her to adopt heavy-handed methods in dealing with him. If only he had managed the situation better at that time, perhaps, Qin Shuhua would have let him go.

Of course, maybe not.

It was just that, at that time, he had been too humiliated, and totally did not want to face Qin Shuhua. It was not only because she had so easily abused her authority in lusting after him. The most important thing was that he had actually been overcome by his desires as he kissed her.

　　......

At this time, Lin Qingyan thought that the matter was finished.

It was only until he had applied for jobs at several investment firms and been rejected in quick succession, despite having performed well on the written test as well as the interview, that he realised that something was not right. Later, someone leaked the rumour to him: "What were you thinking of when you offended Miss Qin? Her company has already made it known to all that you are to be blacklisted."

Blacklisted? To a young man who had just graduated less than half a year ago, how could this ominous word apply to him? However, in reality, to blacklist a rookie in this industry, all that the grand President Qin had to do was lift a finger.

Lin Qingyan found himself with very few avenues open to him, and was only able to look for work at some little-known small companies. But, he had studied Mathematics, what work could he do? Be a clerk? He received a very meagre salary and worked with a group of mediocre colleagues. Moreover, the company boss was very particular. They even had to account for the use of a single sheet of copy paper.

He was unable to keep even this type of a job for a long time. He clearly did his best, but for some unknown reason, he was sacked. Other people dared not speak up, considering his situation, and he was only able to keep silent.

A few months later, he was finally forced into a dead end. He still had to repay four years of student loans, and did not have a single cent in his pocket. He went hungry for three days, and shivered on the streets. Moreover, President Qin's people, probably sensing that the breaking point was near, invented the very definition of boldness and followed just a few steps behind him in a car.

He gritted his teeth and looked for a family restaurant where he could work as a waiter. They waited outside, making their presence felt. When the restaurant bosses became aware of their presence and intent, they did not dare to hire him.

In the evening, he finally found a restaurant willing to hire him. In the hot, stuffy little restaurant, crowded and noisy with people, he ran back and forth for the entire night. He was not even aware of when he finally fainted.

When he awoke, he discovered he was lying on a very soft, big bed, in clean and comfortable clothes. He was in a very luxurious room, from which he could see the twinkling lights of the entire city.

A plate of food had been placed at the side of the bed. He crawled upright and ate the food ravenously*.

* (狼吞虎咽 – to wolf down one's food)

The night breeze stirred the gauzy white curtains. Qin Shuhua was sitting by the curtains, quietly, gently, looking at him.

She did not say anything, and neither did he.

After an extremely long period of time, Qin Shuhua sighed softly: "Was this really necessary? Qingyan, I can help you to realise your dreams, I can change your life. Not everyone has this kind of opportunity in this world."