Their Love Stories

Su Jincheng’s heart skipped a beat as he watched Luo Qiqi answer him so seriously.

He did not know if he was making the right choice, but there was only one thing on his mind right now, and that was to save Yaya!

He thought to himself, I’m sorry, Qiqi. I’ll return the favor next time...

What he did not know was that he would not be able to return this favor for a very long time!

Su Jincheng then asked, “Qiqi, you and Ruoyuan… did something happen between the two of you in the past?”

Luo Qiqi scoffed at the mention of Ming Ruoyuan. Nothing happened, we just hate the sight of each other, that’s all.

She could not understand why he was being so cautious. It felt as if he was trying very hard to look for the right words to say instead of getting to the point. She looked at him, displeased.

“Su Jincheng, can you get to the point? I, Luo Qiqi, am not so petty that I won’t agree to help out with just a tiny request. Why are you fumbling over your words?”

Su Jincheng sighed. “Qiqi, don’t get angry at me for what you’re about to hear. Ruoyuan suddenly fainted a few days ago, and the doctor said it’s a congenital kidney disease. It’s unclear what the trigger was, but there are many possible factors. Ruoyuan’s condition has worsened and she might not be able to survive past the month!”

Luo Qiqi looked at him in slight confusion. “Su Jincheng, I’m not a doctor. I can’t help her with that!”

“No, you can!” This was the first time Luo Qiqi saw Su Jincheng get so agitated.

“Qiqi, you really can help!”

“Oh...” Luo Qiqi took another sip of water and asked, “How do I help?”

Su Jincheng felt rather anguished as he watched Luo Qiqi. “Your kidneys are a suitable match for her.”

Luo Qiqi stiffened, the glass of water still in her hand. She looked up at him incredulously.

“What? Say that again!”

Su Jincheng suddenly acted as if he was adamant about this as he said, “Your kidneys are a suitable match for Ruoyuan, I want you to save her life!”

Luo Qiqi smirked at this.

“Su Jincheng, you want to use one of my kidneys to save Ming Ruoyuan? Are you ordering me to do that, or are you asking if I’m willing to help?”

Realizing he sounded too overbearing earlier, Su Jincheng lowered his voice a little.

“I’m asking for your help!”

This frustrated Luo Qiqi. Su Jincheng was asking for her help because of that woman?

She splashed the glass of water onto him and said through gritted teeth, “Su Jincheng, you’re doing this for that woman? And what’s up with all that attitude if you’re here to ask for help?”

Instead of reacting with anger, Su Jincheng looked at her calmly.

“What I mean is that I want you to save her no matter what!”

Seeing how Su Jincheng did not change his attitude, Luo Qiqi felt that something was amiss.

She stood up, ready to leave.

But all color drained from her face the moment she got up.

She looked at him in shock, feeling all her energy instantly sap away from her as she collapsed back onto the chair.

She could not believe Su Jincheng. I trusted him fully but how could he drug me!

Luo Qiqi shut her eyes in pain. I, Luo Qiqi, am really a bad judge of character.

Though Su Jincheng’s expression remained placid as he saw Luo Qiqi in pain, his heart felt like it was being stabbed.

He did not want to do this, but he had no choice. Luo Qiqi can hate him, but he has to save Yaya. That was his only mission in life right now.

Mockery was apparent in  Luo Qiqi’s eyes when she opened them again. She was still reeling from the fact that Su Jincheng would use such an underhanded method to force her to save Ming Ruoyuan.

But he was right to do so, because she would never have agreed to save that woman otherwise!

She did a full body check-up at the hospital in the past, and although she did indicate that she was a willing organ donor, she was thinking about donating them only after she was dead. I’m not some saint who’d agree to donate my entire body and give my life to someone who was about to die!

Luo Qiqi was not as fearless as she made herself out to be. She only hoped that Su Jincheng would not regret his decision in the future!

Su Jincheng avoided her cold glare as he walked towards her and picked her up, carrying her out of the hotel room they were in.

Luo Qiqi could only watch as he removed all communication devices from her before taking her to the hotel lobby.

She heard him tell the other party on the phone that the operation can proceed tomorrow since he had already found a donor.

Luo Qiqi was powerless now. She was just like fresh meat on the chopping board waiting to be butchered!

Su Jincheng was about to leave the room after his call, but he turned back to Luo Qiqi.

He fumbled around her waist for the jade pendant she always carried around with her, only to find nothing.

He wondered where the pendant would be when he spotted a brown necklace on her neck. He then reached for it to take the pendant away.

He knew Luo Qiqi well enough to know that she would either hang it at her waist or wear it around her neck.

She gave him a murderous glare.

She would have put up a difficult fight if only she could move.

Su Jincheng looked at the pendant to make sure that it was the one in his memories before turning to leave.

Seeing him about to leave, Luo Qiqi yelled angrily, “Su Jincheng!”

Su Jincheng turned back to her as if he understood what she was getting at.

“This belongs to Yaya. It doesn’t matter if you stole it and carry it around. It doesn’t belong to you anyway!”

Luo Qiqi was stunned at what Su Jincheng said.

Yaya...

Her mind went back to when she was sixteen, in her first year going out on missions at Interpol. She and Xia Zi were from the same batch of trainees, and she made a mistake at the time, causing her to fall into the hands of one of the anti-government organizations in the Soviet Union.

She managed to escape, but she happened to see a dying man while she was making her way out.

She remembered his face, and she thought that she would never be able to meet him again in this life. She never thought that he had been right in front of her all this while. That man had facial prosthetics on and the Luo Qiqi at the time was too much of a rookie to even know that there was such a method of disguise.

After saving him, she called him ‘Big Brother’ and told him that she was called ‘Yaya’...

Luo Qiqi shut her eyes at that memory. I saved a wolf in sheep’s skin, and I’m now seeing for myself a real life rendition of the farmer and the snake. This is absurd! [1]

Su Jincheng watched the emotion on Luo Qiqi’s face, wondering what was on her mind.

He then said, “Don’t struggle anymore. The operation will be tomorrow. I hope you… won’t have such a hard time. It’s just a kidney, and I’ll make sure that you’ll be fine!”

Luo Qiqi laughed at herself. Make sure I’m fine? Just a kidney? Who in hell would agree to give up one of their kidneys just like that? Did he really think I’m an idiot?

Didn’t he say that he would take care of me forever and never abandon me? Damn it, those were all lies!

Luo Qiqi’s tears fell, her tormented sobs was something Su Jincheng could not comprehend.

He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he was unsure how to broach the question when he saw Luo Qiqi’s state.

He had never seen her cry before this despite having spent almost six years with Luo Qiqi. Her tears seemed to be an amalgamation of all the pain, grief and frustration she felt, it was heartbreaking to watch.

“Qiqi...” He called out to her.

Luo Qiqi shut her eyes, not wanting to see him.

She knew very well that if she told him that she was Yaya, he would look into it right away. But the fact that he drugged her and used such an underhanded method made her want to cut off all contact with him, even at the price of a kidney!

Luo Qiqi’s voice was hoarse as she said, “Go away!”

She added quietly to herself, I don’t want to see you anymore... Big Brother!

Su Jincheng sighed as he walked away.

That’s fine, since we’ll have nothing more to do with each other after tomorrow.

As she heard the door close, Luo Qiqi silently called out, Big Brother...

A tear fell onto the snow-white sheets, disappearing into the fabric quickly...

-

Xia Zi felt uneasy on the day Luo Qiqi went missing, but she did not know where to start investigating. She only realized Luo Qiqi was gone after returning home with Mo Suqing in the afternoon.

The longer Luo Qiqi was gone, the more uneasy she felt.

There was a feeling of foreboding in her, and it was that same feeling she felt when Luo Qiqi got in trouble during their first year going on missions.

[1] Reference to a story in Aesop’s Fables. Linking to the wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farmer_and_the_Viper