When A Snail Falls in Love

It was already evening when the plane landed in Lin City. Everything darkened with the setting sun, the lighthouse in the distance sparked like a jewel.

There was a group of influential looking people in the arrival lounge. Ji Bai and Director Sun at the front were greeted heartily by the provincial leader, with flashes from the reporters’ cameras.

Ji Bai saw a young man next to the provincial leader but he was not surprised. He smiled and said, “Secretary Hua.” Secretary Hua smiled and said, “Your brother was worried so he sent me here to see you. Is everything going well?” Ji Bai nodded “Everything is going smoothly.”

The provincial leader who was standing by the side laughed and said, “Ji Bai is the model of the security system in our province. No criminal can escape his grasp if he gets involved. Director Ji can rest assured.”

Xu Xu, being last to disembark, appeared finally, accompanied by Da Hu and Zhao Han, representatives of Lin City’s police. They couldn’t reach her and so could only ask from afar with concern, “Are you all right? I heard that you were held hostage? Are you injured?” Xu Xu was warmed by their concern and answered their questions patiently.

And when they had finished their questioning, they turned to look for Ji Bai and his group.

It was getting late. There was nothing else planned tonight but Xu Xu and Ji Bai had to attend a commendation ceremony at the provincial department in the morning. So when Xu Xu saw that the crowd had dwindled, she bid farewell to Da Hu and the rest. “Then I’ll go home first, see you all tomorrow.” Everyone nodded.

Right at this time, she saw a familiar figure step out from the crowd. It was Ji Bai. He stood straight and looked even taller in the shadows. A little smile on his face made him look even more vivid and radiant. He first greeted Da Hu and the others who quickly asked him many questions excitedly.

Xu Xu looked at him smiled.

He caught her smile and walked towards her. Those who knew smiled knowingly. Even those unaware of their relationship noticed immediately. Xu Xu reacted calmly to his gentle smile “Teacher.”

Ji Bai placed a hand on her shoulder, looked at her with quiet dark eyes and said, “I can’t leave now. How will you get home?” Xu Xu’s face flushed and his hand seemed to burn the soft skin on her shoulder.

She stared at his shirt blankly, “My brother will come to pick me up.” “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

He stared at her, eyes smiling. “Have a good rest.”

“Okay.” Xu Xu replied, her head lowered.

Only then did he removed his hand and turned to bid farewell to Da Hu and others. A few officials looked at him amused. Secretary Hua clearly saw too but he smiled and remained silent. Ji Bai was not the least embarrassed as he openly cared for his girlfriend. He got into the car with the leaders and left.

Xu Xu’s had to take the airport’s shuttle bus with the rest of the team. On the way, some looked at her knowingly but an older woman from the Logistics Department of the City Bureau asked outright, “Little Xu, are you in a relationship with Captain Ji?” Many looked over and Xu Xu could only answer, “Yes.”

But when Xu Xu arrived at the exit, she saw Xu Juan in the crowd, dressed in white shirt and trousers. His handsome, yet laid back look, was extremely attractive.

When Xu Juan saw his sister, a smile appeared on his face. He went over to help with her luggage and caressed her head. He could see that she was obviously more tanned and her face thinner. Thus, he frowned and said, “Don’t go to horrible places like that in the future.” Xu Xu could not help but laugh.

The two got home and their father prepared enough dishes to fill a table.

Professor Xu had a gentle and restrained nature. Over dinner, it was mostly Xu Juan and Xu Xu discussing the things that happened in Myanmar. Xu Xu had the same temperament as her father so she answered concisely, sometimes in a dull manner. After a while, Xu Juan gave up, only telling her to take care of her skin so that it will recover to its previous good condition.

After dinner, Xu Juan took the initiative to wash the dishes and their father went to the study room to practice his routine calligraphy art. Xu Xu lingered in the living room for a while but, being not much of a talker, went into the study soon after. No one knew Xu Xu better than Professor Xu and he smiled gently when he saw his daughter by his side quietly.

After a while, he changed the topic and said, “You didn’t encounter anything dangerous during the trip, right?”

Xu Xu answered: “Something did happen but I wasn’t hurt.”

Her father nodded and did not ask much. He then looked at her and a gentle smile appeared in his eyes. “Xu Juan said that you have a boyfriend?”

Xu Xu’s face reddened. “Yes, it’s is new.”

“I’m sure that the guy that you chose must be a responsible young man.” Her father said, “Bring him home so that I can meet him when you feel the time is right.”

After her father slept, Xu Xu went to Xu Juan’s room. He was on the bed, cigarette in hand, working overtime on his laptop. He was looking through documents sent by staff.

Xu Xu sat beside him and said after a while, “I almost died this time.”

Xu Juan turned his gaze from the laptop towards her.

Xu Xu smiled and said, “At that time I was afraid that I would never see you and Dad again if I died.”

Xu Juan did not say anything, reached out his hands and held her in his arms.

This was the way Xu Xu was with her family.

Perhaps because she was raised by two men, she was silent and introverted. She was not feminine and she was rarely dependent on others, unlike other girls. Nonetheless, at the right time, she will express her feelings, her own way. Once in a while, she would even seek consolation from her brother just like a normal girl. However, in front of her aging father, she would have reservations and keep her grievances in her heart.

After leaving Xu Juan’s room, Xu Xu was in a good mood. She took a shower, laid comfortably on the bed and took out her mobile phone to send a text message to Ji Bai. “I’m going to sleep now, good night.”

She immediately received Ji Bai’s phone call.

It was mostly talking and less eating at the dinner earlier so Ji Bai was buying supper at a supermarket near his apartment. It was very late at night and there was just a few staff in the very brightly lit supermarket. He stood at the counter with a box of frozen dumplings.

“I thought you were asleep already.” He said softly and smilingly.

“No, I was talking to Xu Juan just now.” Xu Xu also smiled. “What are you doing?”

Ji Bai was paying at the counter. Saw some beautiful packets on the shelf, was impressed so he picked up an expensive box of Durex and threw it into his shopping basket. He answered, “Buying dumplings, I didn’t eat enough at dinner.”

When they went back to work the next day, the two of them were so busy that they did not even get to talk to each other.

By the time Ji Bai finished the work on his table, it was already near the afternoon. The letter at the very bottom of the file was Yao Meng’s letter of resignation.

Old Wu had mentioned to him about it earlier this morning and he muttered to himself slightly before calling the Station Chief.

The Station Chief’s attitude was very clear. “I’ve talked to her. The girl has other ideas and we can’t force her. Sign on the letter and her resignation procedure will be completed.”

Instead of signing on the paper immediately, Ji Bai called Yao Meng into his office and closed the door.

Yao Meng’s heart was still somewhat uncomfortable after a month of not seeing Ji Bai, but she could look at him very calmly already. “Captain, are you looking for me?”

Ji Bai went straight to the point. “My opinion, I don’t want you to resign. You have a very comprehensive talent and you’re one of the rare talents in the police unit.”

His word made Yao Meng’s heart tremble slightly and she smiled lightly. “Thank you. But I…”

“If you don’t want to stay in the criminal police unit…” Ji Bai looked at her directly and said in a calm tone, “You want to go to any department in the station, I can recommend you. With your qualifications, there should not be any difficulty. I can also help you contact the provincial department.”

Yao Meng looked at him quietly, remained silent for a moment and a very brightness appeared in her eyes.

“Thank you, Captain, I really do appreciate it.” She said softly, “During this period of time, I learned a lot from you. You were the one who spoke up for me in the Brother Lu incident previously. I’m really lucky to have you as my leader after my graduation. It’s my luck. Nonetheless, I am leaving the police for other reasons.”

She smiled brightly and said, “I have a job that I’m more interested in. One of my friends asked for my help to manage a magazine agency. I think this job is very challenging and even more interesting, that’s why I resigned.”

Ji Bai nodded and smiled: “I understand. I’ll wish you all the best then. Also, if you wish to return to the police station in the future, as long as you’ve not thrown away your professionalism, we will always welcome you.”

Yao Meng’s eyes were moist but she held back her tears and nodded at Ji Bai firmly.

Ji Bai got up and shook her hand. “There is a gathering among the unit tonight, join us if you’re free.”

Yao Meng smiled and shook her head. “I have a date tonight so I won’t be going. I will attend the station’s celebration party next week and officially bid farewell to everyone.”

The dinner at night was held in a restaurant next to the police station. In addition to the criminal police unit, there were several other people from other departments who were quite close to Ji Bai. They were all men and they all surrounded Ji Bai as well as Xu Xu. All of them talked about the Myanmar case and the atmosphere was very lively.

Zhao Han sat at the outermost area and he ordered a bunch of drinks. Suddenly, he thought of Xu Xu and he asked, “Sister-in-law, what do you want to drink?”

Xu Xu did not know he was talking to her, so she did not answer him. However, she heard Ji Bai who was sitting beside her said, “She will be drinking juice.”

Only then, Xu Xu was stunned. She scanned through the crowd of people and everyone looked the same even though they had introduced themselves.

Xu Xu’s cheeks were getting flushed and she continued to listen to them talk with an indifferent look on her face just like the rest of them.

===========================

After the drinks had arrived, the atmosphere finally got very lively. Most of the criminal police officers drank fiercely and they were clamoring to propose a toast to Ji Bai and Xu Xu. Ji Bai interrupted them with his big hand, took the glass of alcohol they placed in front of Xu Xu and put it in front of him. “She doesn’t drink.”

Thus, everyone undoubtedly went straight to Ji Bai.

As the saying goes, how one acts while drinking reflects one’s character. Ji Bai did not drink excessively, and he was not willing to be forced to drink. Even so, if he was supposed to drink, he would drink without leaving a cup frank and openly. After a while, his handsome face got slightly red and he placed his arm around Xu Xu’s chair. He had a casual and a laid-back look on his face, but his dark eyes were getting brighter and sharper.

Xu Xu had been eating with a peace of mind and someone suddenly asked, “Sister-in-law, aren’t you going to control Captain Ji? How many cups has he drunk? It’s absurd!”

Right after that person finished talking, everyone looked towards her and Ji Bai also turned sideways to look at her smilingly while he squinted his eyes slightly.

Xu Xu glanced at him and shook her head. “He doesn’t need to be controlled.”

In her opinion, Ji Bai was a person who knew his limit and he had a very strong self-control. Therefore, such people generally will not get drunk.

Nevertheless, when everyone heard that, they were stunned initially but they quickly laughed. Someone pretentiously sighed in admiration and said, “Sister-in-law allows you to do whatever you want, yeah! Captain Ji, you’re really lucky!”

Ji Bai looked at her with a smile in his eyes under everyone’s teasing gaze.

He knew what she was thinking and there was no need for unnecessary restriction between the two of them. Even so, when she answered the question frankly, she unintentionally made him look good in front of the others.

She not only made him look good on the outside, she also made him feel good on the inside. They were right, he was really blessed to be her man.

Although Ji Bai helped Xu Xu drank all the alcohol that was given to her, the station leaders coincidently also had a celebration with the few colleagues from the task force that went overseas. After a while, Director Sun came to drink along with two other criminal police officers.

Director Sun was particularly happy when he saw Ji Bai and Xu Xu. “I can’t believe that we not only caught criminals on our trip to Myanmar, but we also started a love relationship between two criminal police officers. Come, let me have a toast with both of you!”

Just when Ji Bai wanted to take away Xu Xu’s drink, Director Sun stopped him and said, “Hey! As a criminal police officer, even if she’s a policewoman, can’t she drink even a small amount of alcohol? Move aside, Ji Bai.”

Ji Bai looked at Xu Xu and whispered to her, “Drink as much as you can handle.” Everyone booed teasingly.

Xu Xu nodded and drank with alacrity.

After drinking two cups, she had completed her task and she was getting a little dizzy. She got up and went outside to catch a breath. Ji Bai chatted with them for a while and he looked towards the door when he found out that she had not returned yet. At this time, Da Hu had just returned from giving a toast in the room beside them. He casually sat down next to Ji Bai and said, “Captain, Xu Xu is in the corridor.”

Ji Bai looked at Da Hu and he continued, “I just saw her retching a few times. Captain, is she pregnant? Haha… You’re fast.”

Ji Bai could not help but laugh and said, “Get out of the way.” He then got up and left the room.

Xu Xu was retching just now, but after asking for a cup of warm water from the waiter, she felt better. The night looked very dark outside the window and the city lights were dazzling. She stood by the window and felt the breeze blowing towards her. For a moment, she did not want to enter the noisy room.

“Are you okay?” She heard Ji Bai’s low voice beside her.

Xu Xu shook her head.

There were many people passing by the corridor, Ji Bai was one step away from her and they watched the night sky side by side to each other.

“Do you have any plans after the dinner?” He asked.

“No.” Xu Xu answered.

Ji Bai turned around and looked at her. “Do you want to go to my house? It’s a Saturday tomorrow, so we can relax, watch a movie and chat tonight.”

He had a calm look on his face and the faint light outside the window reflected his handsome face. His clear dark eyes looked particularly frank.

Xu Xu said, “…Sure.”

Ji Bai looked at her and he did not know whether she was blushing because of the alcohol or because she was shy. He was moved and he took a step closer to her. He reached out his hands to put it around her shoulders, stared at her and said softly, “The pajamas that you wore previously is still in my house. I’ve washed it so you can wear it directly. Let’s go back right after the party.”

The two of them returned to the room and continued to drink as well as chat. The lights were shining brightly and it was lively as usual.

After a while, Ji Bai looked at his watch and said, “Its half past eight already and I’m almost at my limit. Let’s end the night.”

Who knew that right after he said that, Da Hu immediately raised up a cup of alcohol and said, “How can it be? Let’s continue drinking.” Ji Bai looked at him with a calm look on his face.

After a while, a bunch of people went to the room beside them to drink and there were only a few criminal police officers left in the room. Everyone’s interested had also worn out a little, so they quiet down and rested. Ji Bai held Xu Xu’s hand under the table and slowly sipped on a cup of hot tea.

Suddenly, they heard Da Hu clear his throat and asked another criminal police officer next to him, “Do you have any plans after the dinner?”

The young criminal police officer was also a tactful person and he said smilingly: “No.”

Da Hu said, “Do you want to go to my house? We can relax and watch a movie?”

Xu Xu stiffened slightly and Ji Bai raised his head to look at the two of them.

Da Hu said with a serious look on his face, “Your pajamas are still in my house, I’ve even washed it with my own hands…”

Xu Xu’s face felt like it was on fire. She was extremely embarrassed and she squeezed Ji Bai’s hand forcefully under the table. Ji Bai held her hand tightly and said smilingly, “Shut up!”

Everyone laughed loudly.

When Ji Bai and Xu Xu was talking, these few detectives with a strong eavesdropping ability leaned on the wall to listen to their conversation.

In the end, Ji Bai could not leave with Xu Xu after the party ended. Right after he paid the bill, the station leaders and the task force sent someone to bring him over to their room. Later on, he was responsible for accompanying the task force leader back to his hotel.

The other colleagues had left and the two stood at the front door of the hotel. They looked at each other for a moment and they both laughed.

Ji Bai called a taxi for Xu Xu and said, “It might end very late, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Xu Xu did not take it to her heart and she nodded. “Okay, I’ll go to my dad’s place to bring my luggage home.”

The car drove on the road and she gradually could not see the restaurant behind her. Xu Xu leaned against the window and felt the wind blowing towards her for a while. Because of what Ji Bai’s tonight, she was reminded of the night in Myanmar which they quietly lingered through the night and almost did it. He said in an extremely gentle tone while he sat on the bedside with his bare and broad back, “I don’t want your first time to be in such a crappy place…”

Xu Xu remained silent and thought about it for a while. She then raised her head and said to the driver, “Sir, I would like to go to another address.”

Xu Xu had the key to Ji Bai house with her. His home was as clean and cold as ever. Her pajamas were being neatly stacked on the bedside cabinet and it had a faint fragrance on it. Xu Xu originally uneasy heart felt as if it had calmed down and she turned on the TV to watch a movie by herself.

Who knew that even after watching a movie, Ji Bai was still not back yet. Xu Xu saw that it was eleven o’clock already and since he drank, he might just stay in one of the task force member’s guest house directly. Therefore, Xu Xu got up and went home.

It was already half past eleven when she entered her housing area. The street lights were lighted and the shadow of the trees cannot be seen. Xu Xu had sobered up for some time already and she leisurely walked along the stairs step by step.

When she arrived at the floor, she opened the door of the staircase and vaguely saw a person leaning against her front door with a tiny dot of red light in between his fingers.

Xu Xu coughed lightly and the sensor lights lighted up.

Ji Bai stood under the lamp and his tall figure was like a sculpture. He said with his quiet eyes, “I thought you’re not coming back. I’ve been waiting for more than an hour.”

Xu Xu’s originally calmed heartbeat suddenly accelerated once again.

It turned out that he was waiting for her.

Just when she walked over to him, he hugged her immediately and kissed her passionately yet silently with his slightly alcoholic breath.

Ji Bai was thinking about her constantly at the station leaders’ party. After he sent the task force leader back to the guest house, he did not stay to take a rest and took a taxi directly to her house. He recalled her saying that she wanted to go to her father’s house to take her luggage, so he did not call her in the middle of the night. He waited and waited, but probably because of his mood, he did not feel boring at all.

Now that he got to kiss her, he felt like this quiet night was sweet and pleasant.

He only let go of her after a while and he stared at her without saying anything. Xu Xu took out her keys with a red face and she did not know what to say. Suddenly, she recalled that he was smoking just now, so she casually asked, “How come you’re smoking again?”

In fact, Ji Bai rarely smoked already and there was not much addiction left. However, the station leaders gave him a pack of cigarettes just now and while he was waiting for Xu Xu, he got a little sleepy so he smoked.

Xu Xu saw how he did not say anything and she did not take it to her heart. Right after she opened the door and walked into the house, she heard him say slowly, “I’m smoking to boost my courage.”