Chapter 382 - Same man

Black…

Dark…

Why was she trapped in darkness?

Why she could not hear a sound except the sound of someone's heavy breathing?

She realized it was her, breathing heavily…

Where was she trapped?

Why she felt weak and helpless?

"HELPPPP…."

She shouted at the top of her lungs, the sound echoed thrice only to return back empty.

She walked endlessly; sweating profusely to the extent her clothes were drenched. Her feet hurt, her heart pound against her chest….

Light….

There's a white light shining at the end….

A man stood at the end with his hands extended towards her, standing in the way of light that makes him look like he was glowing.

She could not see his face from far, but the heart was faster than her brain.

She ran towards him, forgetting her pain. But the moment she was about to reach a strong arm pulled her into a death grip, his one arm wrapped around her neck while with the other he tried to snatch something that she never realized she was holding all this while.

She looked down at the thing she was holding....

A box…

It was given to her by the man who was standing at the end.

He entrusted it to her, she has to protect it at any cost.

"Oww… Let go of me!" She cried out, her frail body struggled in his iron grip. She wanted to use self-defense skills but her mind started reacting on its own, why she could not recall those skills anymore?

She tried to kick, scratch, and bite the man's arm who was trying to snatch the box but her body felt weaker than ever.

Why she could not see the man's face but only his grey eyes that shone in the darkness.

"NOOOO! Give it back," She cried, raised her short hands at the box that the man held above his head, teasing her with a cruel laugh.

She jumped, her mind only looking for ways to get the box as she grabbed the man's leather jacket by the collar to pull him down, but his strong body didn't move an inch.

With her force, the jacket unzipped a little, revealing a mark…. No! Revealing a tattoo….

A half tattoo….

A tattoo colored in red….

Is it a red dragon or a red snake?

She clawed her nails on his exposed skin….

What a naïve attempt to get the box!

He grabbed her hair in a fist and chuckled…. She looked at the only light, hoping the man standing at the end would come for her rescue.

But where was he?

Where did he go?

"HELPPPPP…." Once more she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The next second she was pushed, her body felt light like floating in the air…. She felt herself falling and falling into the endless abyss…..

"MEI…. MEI…. LOVE…. WAKE UP…."

*****

Xiu Mei shot out of the bed, breathing heavily, her heart whooped at the back of her head. Suddenly she felt herself being pulled into a tight grip.

The fear that was yet to leave her body, returned back, this time the intensity doubled….

"NO…. Let go"

She was so fearful that she panicked and reflexively fought back.

"Shh…. Relax…. It's me, it's me… Jianyu,"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, her body calmed down instantly. The man's unique fragrance worked like a magic for her lungs and heart, she breathed normal, her heartbeat no more sounded in the head.

Within seconds, she slummed into Feng Jianyu's arms, clenching his shirt for her dear life.

Just now she gathered the hint that presumably the man who was found dead was the same who ran away with the diamond that night. That night his face was covered with a black cloth, but it can't be a mere coincidence that they both have the same tattoo at the same place and he appeared exactly when there was on-going news about the diamond.

This was not the nightmare but a twisted reality, the man who stood in the way of light with the proffered hand was none other than Jianyu as she eagerly waited for him to return and safely handover the box back to him.

"J-Jianyu…."

"I'm here, my love!"

Xiu Mei pulled away from him and looked into his worried eyes with her teary ones. "H-He was the one who broke into your cottage and snatched the diamond from me."

Feng Jianyu frowned, wiped her teary eyes with his thumb, "We'll talk about it later. You should take rest."

She kicked the blanket that he pulled up to her chin, "No, no… listen to me. I remember it correctly, he was the one. Let's investigate more about him; I'm sure we'll get a clue."

He sighed, "Hadn't you told me that his face was covered with a black cloth?"

Xiu Mei painfully shut her eyes before running a hand through her hair. She let out a breath from mouth and explained everything about the tattoo.

Feng Jianyu heard her patiently; he noticed some changes in her behavior.

In the end, she opened her mouth to add something more but stopped herself and pushed back the words at the back of her mouth.

He saw her fiddling with fingers nervously and brought a glass of water near her lips which she took instantly with shaky hands, spilling some on his.

She stared at his hand while drinking the water, a look of guilt flashed not because of spilled water but for hiding something from him.

But how was she supposed to tell him when she was herself confused? What she saw in the chamber was reality or was her mind playing tricks; it was a mystery for her.

"J-Jianyu, did you find his identity or anything about him?" She asked passing the glass.

"No. But it's confirmed that he was not Feng Corporation's employee."

"Sooo…. Where's his body right now?"

He frowned, "Police send his body for post-mortem. Why did you ask?"

"N-Nothing…." She shook her head but pried, "Erm… that… W-where? Which laboratory?"

Feng Jianyu placed her back on the bed and drew a blanket, "Listen, Mei, I do not know what's going in your mind or what are you hiding from me. But for once look around…."

With furrowed brows, she roamed her eyes around the room….