Love Me if You Dare: Pristine Darkness

Chapter 93

In order to crack a child trafficking case, he had stood outside in the bitter winter for more than 30 hours. He was still young, but his legs had developed problems due to being frozen.

That day, both his daughters had been at the crime scene. But, because he had earlier locked them into the television cabinet, they had escaped everything. Unfortunately, his elder daughter Jian Yao had witnessed the unfolding of the entire massacre, and was unable to speak for a long time thereafter . . .

Pain and remorse, like a ferocious beast, ate away at Luo Langs heart. Every day, every night. He had previously considered surrendering to the police, but when he thought of prison life, and even the possibility of abandonment by his parents, he shrank from the idea . . .

In the end, the police did not come knocking at his door. He had escaped.

However, could one really escape?

From that day onwards, that blockhead was forever trapped in the living room of the Jian residence, holding a blood-stained machete, eyes full of tears, not knowing what to do.

The sky was almost dark. They could only see one anothers faces by the borrowed glimmers of light that lingered.

At that point in time, 36-year-old Luo Lang was not entirely conscious of what was going on. His gaze slipped from Bo Jinyan to Jian Yaos face, beside him. Out of the blue, a little spring of joy bubbled up in his heart.

What kind of eyes were those!

Those eyes were pure, jet-black, so calm and boundless. In this lifetime, he could finally see those eyes again. Her eyes were just like her fathers. Those were the eyes Luo Lang admired, revered, and had longed for.

He felt his legs go soft under him, and he collapsed on the ground.

He could not clearly distinguish whether the person in front of him was Jian Yao or Jian Yi. Behind him loomed sheer cliffs and precipitous rock faces, but he felt as if he were kneeling in the living room, that year.

Im sorry . . . Im sorry . . . He looked up at her, his expression indistinguishable between timidity and obsession. Please forgive me . . . forgive me . . .

His tears burst forth.

Even though he made no movement, Bo Jinyan grasped his gun and faced Luo Langs direction as he listened to the sounds. At this time, the gun in Jian Yaos hand was aimed even more precisely at Luo Langs forehead. She looked at his sudden pained appearance, and her mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions. She had no idea how to reply. Her tears gradually overflowed and blurred her vision.

At her silence, Luo Langs heart plummeted into icy depths. Perhaps people on the brink of death always had crazy thoughts. These past twenty years, every moment of every day, he had thirsted for her forgiveness. He even grabbed her trouser leg and looked up at her with eyes full of hope and expectation, brimming with deep emotion. Again, he said, Jian Yao . . . please forgive me . . . I dont want anything else . . . these twenty years, all I have wanted is a word from you . . . . forgiveness . . .

His tearful words caused a thread of sorrow to arise in Jian Yaos heart. She knew that he did not have long to live; even if he did not die of his serious injuries today, he would eventually be sentenced to death. Suddenly, all the experiences of their acquaintance came flooding into her mind. There was the hometown reunion organised by Li Xunran, where he had sat down placidly in a suit, smiled leisurely at her and said, Jian Yao, when I was younger I took you and Xunran fishing. There was the case when the masked killers were drawing closer, An Yan and Fang Qing had been blown up, she had been knocked to the ground due to the force of the explosion, it was he who had picked her up and faced the masked killer single-handedly.

In the past year or so, he had kept her company every single day, like a big brother, like a good friend, never overstepping his boundaries, always with gentle self-restraint. No one could see that he had been psychologically disturbed for so many years, not even she who had seen him every day . . .

But, forgiveness?

The moment he walked into dire straits, he had prayed for forgiveness for the sins he had committed against her father.

The barrel of Jian Yaos gun trembled slightly. The chill from distant memories invaded her chest. Unconsciously, she looked up and looked at Bo Jinyan. He seemed to have noticed her state of mind, and simply said, quietly, Do what your heart tells you to.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked once more at Luo Lang.

Luo Lang also stared at her.

I cannot forgive you, Jian Yao said slowly. Ill never be able to forgive you. She did not know why, but she felt as if a blunt knife was slowly grinding against her heart.

Luo Langs face was deathly white. As he stood there, stiff and dazed, he looked like a statue. Then, he laughed, very bitterly and very uneasily. He looked down and covered his face with his hands. As his tears rolled down, he said, I know . . . I know . . . I know . . .. He kept repeating this phrase, his spirit clearly on the verge of collapse.

Abruptly, a coldness appeared in his eyes. Jian Yaos heart jumped, and she was just about to say, Dont move! But it was already too late. Luo Lang, despite his serious injuries, was still so agile. He turned and jumped off the cliff!

This was a steep cliff, so deep and sinister that the bottom could not be seen. A wind blew upwards from the bottom.

Everything had taken place in the space of just a few seconds. Jian Yao had not even had the time to move forward.

Luo Lang hung from the edge of the cliff. Bo Jinyan, who had been nearest to him, had at the last minute swung his arm out wildly in an unconscious movement, and had actually grabbed his arm.

Perhaps because he had already decided to die, Luo Langs eyes had resumed their clarity and brightness. He laughed and, avoiding Jian Yaos eyes, stared instead at the person in front of him. Bo Jinyan, how did you know . . . that the butterfly killer was me?

Bo Jinyan did not answer him. His black sunglasses dropped off his face and fell down the cliff.

That year, when the masked killer group made their move to attack us, how did you know of their plans so you could warn Jian Yao with a text message? Bo Jinyan asked.

Luo Lang was taken aback.

Then, some sort of queer expression came over his face. Bewilderment, confusion, pain, treachery . . . he unexpectedly laughed and raised his fist. He pounded it fiercely into the back of Bo Jinyans hand, such that Bo Jinyan, pained, had no choice but to loosen his grip.

Luo Lang fell straight down.

Like a butterfly falling to the sky, like a person falling into a tomb. Carrying unsolved secrets, he flew on his own.

He finally no longer needed to be trapped by his own actions.

This abyss, these mountains, were quiet and vast, just like a dreamscape.

Jian Yao supported Bo Jinyan as they stood at the edge of the cliff. She said, The only thing he did at the last moment of his life was to beg for my forgiveness, but I didnt forgive him. To someone with an abnormal psychological state, was I too harsh and heartless?

Bo Jinyans face was devoid of sunglasses. The biting Ren county wind blew in his face. In the darkness, Jian Yao could no longer see his face.

He said, Hatred can never make people really happy. But, understanding and making allowances for someone who has become degenerate may not rescue him. His psychological state has already been abnormal for so many years, even if you gave him some understanding, there would be no way for him to become like a normal person. Your fathers death could have been the main stimulus and reason for him becoming abnormal, but the formation of such an abnormality is bound to be caused by many factors. Innate tendencies, environment, family these are all possible factors. You dont have to blame yourself for following your heart. Moreover, whether or not you had understood and made allowances for him, all the crimes that he has committed over the years, especially those where innocent victims died tragically, he can never be forgiven for.

Jian Yao was silent for a long time as she leaned into Bo Jinyans arms. They stood there quietly, holding each other, until they heard more and more police sirens wailing behind them, and more people were about to come.