. Two days had passed since Lin was rescued. Though she was already out of danger, her friends still couldn't stop worrying. There was one exception, however: he believed Lin would be safe, because only he knew how strong she was.
"Here so early? Is everything okay at home, Zhi?" The young man who always took the lead spoke to Zhi, who stood outside. Though they'd known each other for less than two days, some special factor had already brought the newly acquainted group together.
Zhi grinned at him. "Yeah, everything's fine. What was your name again? Kuo something? Oh, right, Kuo Zhe. That's hard to remember!"
Kuo Zhe laughed along. "Ha ha, I knew it. Even if you remember my name, you won't remember theirs, will you? She should wake up today, right?"
Zhi nodded matter-of-factly. "Definitely. I don't think it'll take more than half an hour."
"You're kidding, right? You're that sure?" "No way. The doctor said tonight at the earliest!" "Exactly! You're dreaming!" "I can't believe you. I didn't know you were such an idealist!" "Kuo Zhe, do you really believe him? I sure don't!" "Ye Zi believes him, though the odds might be low!" "Whatever. Maybe it'd be better if she woke up soon." "I can't stand you people. Stop arguing! We'll know in an hour!" The others, who'd been quiet until then, began talking among themselves. Only Kuo Zhe and Zhi silently watched the room's door.
Ten minutes...
Twenty minutes...
Forty minutes...
Fifty-five minutes...
A woman in a white coat came out of the room and told them, "Miss Lin is awake, but she's only willing to see one person right now. You, the new guy—go on in!" After the doctor spoke, everyone fell silent. Kuo Zhe patted Zhi on the shoulder. "Say hello to her for us. Tell her the Ou Family matter's all taken care of, and the main culprits are locked in the basement. Ask what she wants to do about them."
Zhi nodded, then slowly walked inside, clearly both excited and nervous...
The door closed automatically. Zhi looked at Lin, sitting propped up in bed, and felt something he couldn't put into words. She was still very weak, but she was smiling. Even that was remarkable to Zhi.
Before Zhi could speak, Lin spoke first, her voice exceptionally gentle. "Thank you for saving me that day..."
Zhi went blank for a moment, then managed a casual reply. "It was nothing. Maybe it was something I had to do..."
Lin smiled at that and asked, "I've been wondering why you were hiding in that box that day."
Zhi paused, then walked a little closer to the bed. "I was exploring nearby. I was tired, and the door to that little house happened to be unlocked, so I went inside. I'd planned to sleep on the floor, but I was afraid someone might find me, so I slept in the box instead."
Lin was surprised. That was completely different from what she'd imagined. She continued, "Exploring? What do you mean?"
Standing where he was, Zhi said, "Exploring. It's not like what you see on TV, but it's the same to me. I was tired of playing in the same place all the time, so I got on a bus and came out this way. I heard there was lots of space and not many people here, and that it was a lot of fun. That's all there is to it."
Lin was silent for several seconds, then spoke softly. "Come sit by the bed. I'd like to have a proper talk with you."
Zhi said nothing. He nodded and went over to sit beside Lin's bed, moving rather stiffly. Perhaps he was a little shy.
Looking at the somewhat bashful Zhi, Lin said, "It seems our relationship was destined long ago. Do you believe that?"
Zhi nodded, then shook his head...
Lin slowly moved her hand out from beneath the blanket and placed it beside Zhi's. "One day, we'll both understand. There's more to our relationship than simply meeting. My hand is so cold..."
Zhi's instincts told him to take Lin's hand and hold it tight. When he did, he fell silent. Lin's hand wasn't cold at all, as she'd claimed. It was warm.
Lin gave a soft laugh. "I was just afraid you'd feel awkward. Kuo Zhe and the others are still outside, right? Has everything been taken care of?"
Zhi closed his eyes and said, "The Ou Family matter's all taken care of. The main culprits are locked in the basement, waiting for you to decide what to do."
Lin's expression didn't change at all, as if nothing had happened two days earlier. She spoke gently. "When you go out, tell Kuo Zhe to release everyone except Ou Luo and Ou Le. They haven't done anything truly wrong. But Ou Luo and Ou Le are different. I want them to have a quick death. Don't make them suffer..."
Zhi found it very strange. Why? Why didn't Lin hate them? If it were him, he would never let them die so easily. Lin seemed to read his thoughts. "Rather than hate him, I'm more grateful to him. He's the reason we met. If this hadn't happened, I don't think we would ever have gotten to know each other, so I'm truly grateful to him. I've suffered a lot, but I feel it was all destined..."
Zhi fell silent. Most of what Lin said left him at a loss. Lin smiled at him and continued, "What I've said might confuse you, but I think you'll understand one day. Actually, I woke up that night. I waited until now to see you because I had a lot to think through, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to accept it all at once. But there's nothing I can do about that now. Could you tell me your name? I want to go exploring with you, too..."
"My name's—" "Yeah, once you've recovered, we'll go exploring together. My name is..."
Three days later, somewhere in Portugal.
Yu Qiuhua smiled at a man in a black suit. The man was one of those who had taken part in the rescue operation for Lin.
The man's face showed no emotion. He said coldly to Yu Qiuhua, "We rescued your daughter, and she's resting at home now. I hope this was a one-off incident. I don't want anything else happening to the boss's little sister. You understand, don't you?"
Yu Qiuhua quickly nodded and promised that he would protect his daughter next time.
The man gave a quiet snort, stood up, and turned to leave, leaving Yu Qiuhua sitting alone. He had never imagined that the Ou Family would be completely wiped out by the organization from China, and that they would rescue Lin. Now they'd made it clear that they considered her their little sister, and he could do nothing about it. Though he had some connections in the underworld, he wanted to avoid any conflict with a legitimate organization if he could. There was no choice; for now, he had to play the part of a good father. He picked up the phone and called the house in China where Lin was staying.
"Hello, Lin?"
"Yeah, Dad? What's wrong?"
"Are you feeling a little better? Your mother and I have been worried about you. If you don't feel well, come back here. I'll have your mother take care of you."
"Yeah, I'm much better. I'm fine, Dad. Everyone here is taking good care of me."
"All right, then. Rest at home and don't go out to have fun too much."
"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Dad."
"All right, I won't keep you. Get some rest."
"Okay. You should get some rest, too, Dad."
"I'll call again when I have some free time."
"Okay, bye, Dad."
"Goodbye."
After hanging up, the father and daughter both breathed a sigh of relief. They were both hiding things from each other and lying, but it was the best choice for both of them.
After putting down the phone, Lin turned to the others around her. "Six months of preparation—now we're finally getting started in earnest. Let's make these foolish adults answer for what they've done. Everyone, do your best! I hope that in five years, we can completely overthrow the current family alliance!"
Kuo Zhe followed up after Lin. "All right, aside from the meetings we need to attend, we should spend the rest of our time having fun. After all, we're only 13! What should we do today?"
(The first part of the Yaming Arc ends here. Now, let me explain who they'll be in a few years. Lin is Yaming, Zhi is Ming Jian, Kuo Zhe is Kuo Ming, Ye Zi is Ye Ming, and Lin's other friends are naturally the other Jet Black Specials. I won't reveal their names; their own special stories will come out in time. This Yaming Arc is mainly about Yaming's first sense of fate and her meeting with Ming Jian. It was probably the most meaningful experience of her life. Of course, some of you may be wondering who Zhen Yajie is, since she's always by Ming Jian's side now. All I can tell you for the moment is that Zhen Yajie met Ming Jian a year after this incident. If you want the details, come pester me until I'm willing to write special stories about the others.)
(To support Tail of Jet Black and learn more about its secrets, join the QQ group: 35017454. Come discuss this fascinating world with the author.)
Before you continue