Serenade

Chapter 78

Bo Yan had a dream. He was in a hot, humid tropical rainforest filled with gunpowder smoke and flames of war, along with his brothers who lived and died together.

He dreamed of Jing Chi's face, a face that was a little worn but always brimming with smiles.

Jing Chi kept saying something to him, but Bo Yan couldn't make out his words over the constant roar of bombing. He couldn't even see Jing Chi's face clearly.

Later, Bo Yan found himself in a pure white world where everyone else was gone. He stood alone at the center of the empty world, devoured by boundless loneliness.

Bo Yan woke from the dream with a start. The night was still long, and the girl lay sleeping quietly beside him.

Peace and happiness still enfolded him, like the fragrant, soft down comforter covering his body.

He kissed the girl's forehead, then quietly got up and went to the bathroom.

But his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

It had been nearly six months since he lost contact with Jing Chi and Xu Chaoyang. Six months ago, Xu Chaoyang said he had a special mission and might lose contact for a while, telling Bo Yan not to worry.

Bo Yan knew the nature of their work. With confidential missions, it wasn't unusual to lose touch for even three or five years.

After a hot shower, the phone in the study rang eerily.

The house had a secure landline installed, generally only used for relaying confidential work.

Bo Yan looked at the time—it was 3 AM.

Not wanting to wake Jin Xi, he hurried into the room and closed the door, then quickly answered the call.

"Captain Qin?"

On the phone, heavy breathing could be heard.

Bo Yan paused for two seconds as his heart was seized with tension all at once: "Xu Chaoyang?"

"Bo Yan, Bo Yan!" Xu Chaoyang cried out his name with a sob.

"What happened?"

The normally composed Bo Yan was anxious now too.

"Bo Yan, you know Old Jing would never defect. We were roommates. You know what kind of man he is. Others may not, but we do... He would never turn traitor, never!"

"Don't panic. Take a deep breath and explain clearly what happened."

Xu Chaoyang breathed slowly to calm himself down. "I just got word from the team announcing Jing Chi defected. Shoot to kill if you see him, no questions asked!"

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Bo Yan asked, "Did he become a prisoner?"

Xu Chaoyang slowly explained everything.

The anti-drug mission six months ago had failed. To cover Xu Chaoyang's escape, Jing Chi took multiple gunshots but couldn't get out himself. Later, team members searched the border rainforest many times but never found his body.

Because of the mission's confidential nature, his death was not announced publicly.

It wasn't until recently that a team member on border patrol spotted Jing Chi. He was mingling with the drug dealers and even shot at a team member when discovered.

Later, a special ops member reported back that Jing Chi had been taken by the drug dealers after being shot. They healed his wounds and he joined forces with the drug lord, even getting engaged to marry the drug lord's daughter.

At first, everyone thought Jing Chi was undercover, infiltrating the drug lord's gang. But they never expected him to open fire on his own men without hesitation. So command finally issued the order declaring his defection.

Bo Yan listened silently to Xu Chaoyang's account, only asking one question: "Did he kill the team member he attacked?"

"No, the bullet just grazed his ear. It was very close, just a few centimeters from blowing his head off."

Xu Chaoyang couldn't hold it in and called Bo Yan secretly. He couldn't convince himself to believe Jing Chi would defect, and he couldn't imagine having to point a gun at his own brother if they met again.

"Bo Yan, tell me...tell me he wouldn't change. He's still our brother." Xu Chaoyang's voice carried sobs. He was on the verge of a breakdown.

Bo Yan's hands had unconsciously clenched into fists.

"Of course."

Bo Yan lowered his voice and said in a firm, forceful tone, "He would never change."

**

In the time that followed, news of Jing Chi's defection also reached City B from the distant border. Everyone who knew Jing Chi refused to believe it was true, yet the facts were undeniable that he had joined forces with the drug lord.

Chu Zhao's reaction surprised Jin Xi. She only said four words: "As long as he lives."

As long as you're alive, there's still hope.

Bo Yan wrote a transfer application but left it sitting in the drawer without submitting it.

That night when he returned home, Jin Xi had already prepared a table full of delicious food, waiting for him to come back.

"What's the occasion today? Our little lazy pig is actually cooking."

Jin Xi had him sit at the table. "Of course I don't cook easily. Consider this me seeing you off. Don't forget the taste of home when you're out there, darling."

Bo Yan froze for a moment, pretending not to understand her meaning: "It's just a field exercise tomorrow. What are you seeing me off for?"

Jin Xi's smile remained, but it had become quite forced. "I mean...I know you want to go. It's okay, if you want to go, then go bring Older Brother Jing back safe and sound."

Bo Yan's expression gradually darkened.

That night, he lay awake until dawn, smoking in the living room.

Jin Xi didn't make a sound or disturb him, but she knew everything.

Four years as classmates, this brotherly bond was impossible to sever.

Bo Yan held Jin Xi in his lap and lightly pinched her lips with his fingers. "To be honest, are you really willing to let me go?"

Jin Xi could no longer hold back her emotions. She buried her face in Bo Yan's shoulder, her muffled voice saying, "Of course I can't bear to... Such a dangerous place..."

"Then don't make me go."

Jin Xi leaned against him reluctantly for a long time before slowly saying, "Because I don't want you to have a second regret."

When she said this, Bo Yan's heart suddenly ached.

The first time, his parents left and he was too weak to do anything but cry alone.

The second time... If he stood by powerlessly again while his brother was trapped, he would regret it for life.

Bo Yan hugged Jin Xi tightly with one arm. Though his voice was hoarse, it was very firm: "I'll come back safe."

"Okay."

...

The next day, Bo Yan submitted his transfer application.

Bo Yan was Captain Qin's most capable team member, and Captain Qin really didn't want to let him go. But Bo Yan said it would only be temporary, to rescue his brother. Then he would come back.

On the day he left, Jin Xi didn't go see him off. Bo Yan didn't like tearful goodbye scenes, because years ago when he cried and clung to his parents' legs begging them to come back soon, they never returned.

That was the shadow in Bo Yan's heart. So Jin Xi didn't go see him off.

As the plane rose into the gloomy sky, Jin Xi stood at the lectern in the classroom, gazing out the window. The dark horizon churned with storm clouds, giving an oppressive feeling like the calm before a downpour.

In her heart, she prayed silently for her lover's safe return.

**

Nidan was an ungoverned no man's land on the southeast border, filled with local warlords and mercenaries who cultivated poppies.

In the dense tropical rainforest that blotted out the sun, the man drew a sharp Swiss knife from his waist and carved a deep gash into an oak tree.

Following the trunk down, there were countless gashes already etched densely into the bark.

Two hundred and seven marks in total, representing the two hundred and seven days since he arrived here.

The man emerged from the rainforest. Before him stretched endless fields growing copious amounts of poppies. A breeze blew and the swollen red flowers swayed, filling the air with their intoxicating scent.

Many local farmers were in the fields harvesting the crop.

It was a "bumper harvest" this year.

A shapely, demure girl sat at the edge of the fields gazing at the vast poppy flowers. She closed her eyes.

Jing Chi passed by her silently, trying his best not to attract her attention.

Without turning, she softly called out, "Chaoyang?"

Hearing her flawed Mandarin pronounce the name "Chaoyang," he still felt a surreal sense. Now he wasn't Jing Chi anymore, he was Chaoyang.

He abandoned the name Jing Chi, so now everyone here called him "Chaoyang".

"Chaoyang means the rising sun, full of passion and smiles," the girl stood up and walked over to him. Her deep black eyes gazed at him, "But you never smile and are not passionate towards me."

Her Mandarin had a strange accent, but at least she spoke the best Mandarin among the girls here, because she had her own private tutor.

She was WeiXun the drug lord's daughter, named Wei Zhaozhao.

When Jing Chi was first brought back, he was barely breathing. His corpse was originally going to be thrown directly into the fire and burnt together with the poppy shells.

In his semi-conscious state, he kept calling out "Zhaozhao", "Zhaozhao"...

Here, no one had ever dared to intimately call out these two syllables.

Wei Zhaozhao was creeped out by his calling, but a strange feeling rushed through her young heart. She kept Jing Chi and had the best doctors save him by removing the five bullets from his body.

The doctors all said it was a miracle he survived such serious injuries, he was already half dead.

The two syllables "Zhaozhao" saved Jing Chi.

Wei Zhaozhao was WeiXun's precious daughter. He originally wanted to whitewash her identity and send her to university in China, but Wei Zhaozhao did not like studying much. She had scared away several private tutors with her rebellious personality, leaving WeiXun helpless. He could only keep her by his side and teach her the business.

Jing Chi's identity was very sensitive. Here, he was not trusted. He abandoned his past name and identity, taking on the alias "Chaoyang", and swore allegiance to WeiXun.

"I've never seen so much money in my life."

After his first successful deal with WeiXun where he received his share, Jing Chi was overjoyed. This made WeiXun slowly gain some trust in him.

WeiXun thoroughly investigated people's backgrounds before hiring them. Learning about Jing Chi's past and impoverished upbringing, as well as his early business ventures in college, WeiXun felt he was trustworthy.

People who coveted wealth could be trusted, this was WeiXun's philosophy.

Later when Jing Chi shot his own team members, he completely eliminated WeiXun's doubts. WeiXun started involving him in more deals, slowly grooming him to be "one of them".

Of course, the most important reason was...Wei Zhaozhao liked him.

With money and a woman, how could Jing Chi not devote himself wholeheartedly?

"Why do you call yourself Chaoyang?" Wei Zhaozhao often asked Jing Chi this question.

Jing Chi sat with her on the ridge overlooking the crimson clouds in the distance, frowning slightly, his eyes filled with tenderness.

"For a long time, I wanted to become the morning sun."

Envying him, jealous of him, the girl I loved went crazy for him.

Author's note: Xu Chaoyang: Hey! I didn't agree to the product placement!