Chapter 168: Awakening of Consciousness (25)
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Lu Jia’er held his hand gently and fixed a gentle gaze on Yuan Miaomiao. “I have a friend suffering from memory loss and want to try this method of recovering memory with genetic means.”
Yuan Miaomiao was a bit confused. “Your friend?”
Jin Xiangdong, who was sitting at Lu Jia’er’s side, was nervous, but Lu Jia’er was able to stay calm. She nodded. “Yes, a close friend.”
Yuan Miaomiao nodded. Something obviously was on her mind. “Can you tell me some specifics about your friend?” She continued.
“She was in some accident and has lost all memory of her previous life completely.” Lu Jia’er gave a vague answer.
“That bad? What kind of accident?” Yuan Miaomiao frowned.
“She is not sure herself. For such cases, is it possible to recover memory through your experiments?” Lu Jia’er probed.
“Well… I cannot give you a confident answer yet. However, if she wants to try it, she can contact the University of Medical Sciences.” Yuan Miaomiao said.
Lu Jia’er looked at Yuan Miaomiao and added, “She wants to undertake the experiment privately.”
Yuan Miaomiao was shocked to hear this. “Privately? No, we cannot perform experiments privately. The University of Medical Sciences must put this on record and there will be follow-up matters afterwards.”
Lu Jia’er was fully aware of the process of such experiments. She wrapped the topic up. “If so, I will tell her what you said!”
Yuan Miaomiao apologized to Lu Jia’er. “Sorry, Professor Lu. I wish I could be of more help.”
Lu Jia’er put on a smile. “I am the one that is intruding. Your research has brought hope to many people.”
Yuan Miaomiao smiled apologetically. “Miaomiao, do not speak to others about this.” Jin Xiangdong cautioned her.
However, as soon as he uttered those words, he regretted doing so. Since he cared too much about Lu Jia’er, he had made a common mistake. The more a person told others not to make something public, the easier the information would be leaked.
Just as he thought, Yuan Miaomiao grew suspicious of his words.
Lu Jia’er hurried to explain. “What Ace means that he does not want the cooperation to be affected due to my private need.”
Yuan Miaomiao bought this explanation. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”
Lu Jia’er kept her eyes on her. She believed that given Yuan Miaomiao’s moral quality, she would not speak of this matter. However, since she was a clever girl, she had obviously grown curious about Jin Xiangdong’s words. As for what she would imagine, Lu Jia’er would have to trust luck.
The dinner had come to an end. Lu Jia’er and Jin Xiangdong called cabs for Jason and Yuan Miaomiao and then called a designated driver to drive them home.
In the car, Jin Xiangdong held Lu Jia’er’s hands tightly. Lu Jia’er put her head on his shoulder. “Do you think I am acting unnecessarily hasty?”
Jin Xiangdong replied in a low voice. “A little bit!”
Lu Jia’er heaved a sigh. “Recently, I have been getting a feeling as though something is going to happen.”
Jin Xiangdong rubbed the back of her hand. The fact that Lu Jia’er had become so sensitive was because she knew what was at risk for this matter. This fear could not be understood by others.
He could not bear this fear in her place. The only thing he could do was to keep her company.
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it!” Jin Xiangdong used the old saying to comfort her.
“Of course. But if it is possible, I do want to try it.” Lu Jia’er said.
Jin Xiangdong knew what Lu Jia’er meant by ‘try it’. Somehow, he was worried. “Let’s take our time.”
Leaning on Jin Xiangdong, Lu Jia’er said in a soft voice, “I know what you are worried about, but how can we know what the results will be if we do not try?”
But whether the results would turn out to be good or bad were currently unknown. In his everyday work, Jin Xiangdong was never afraid of failure. However, when it came to Lu Jia’er, he was filled with trepidation and fear.
Jin Xiangdong did not reply. Lu Jia’er raised her head and looked at him. The light in the car was dim, but even so with Jin Xiangdong so close to her, she could still tell that his looks were handsome. The worry in the depth of his eyes was evident.
“Ace, you have changed.” Lu Jia’er reached out and stroked his eyebrow, smiling.
Jin Xiangdong lowered his head and said three words, “Because of you.”
“Is this good or bad?” Lu Jia’er chuckled.
Jin Xiangdong replied, “All I can say is that, even heroes fall for beauties.”
Lu Jia’er giggled. “Are you calling me a beauty?”
Jin Xiangdong denied it. “No. I am calling myself a hero!”
Lu Jia’er reached out and pinched him. Jin Xiangdong took her into his arms. Outside, the streets were crowded with people and vehicles. The moonlight spilled into the car. Two hearts were closely linked together.
When they were about to arrive at home, Jin Xiangdong’s phone began to ring.
It was Jason.
Jin Xiangdong picked up. A moment later, he started to frown. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes, I am.” He heard Jason’s reply.
Jin Xiangdong turned over to look at Lu Jia’er. “What is the combination for the door lock of your apartment?”
“What is going on?” Lu Jia’er asked.
“Jason went back on his words. He wants to patch things up with Su Han.” Jin Xiangdong said.
“Is this a spur of the moment thing because he was drinking?” Lu Jia’er wondered.
“Do you want to give him the combination or not?” Jin Xiangdong asked again.
Lu Jia’er thought for awhile. Then, she took out her phone and sent Jason a WeChat message. “112898.”
Not long after Jin Xiangdong hung up his phone, he received another call from Jason. “Ace, Su Han is gone!”
Hearing this, for a moment, Jin Xiangdong was not sure if this was the alcohol talking or it was what really happened. He tried to seek confirmation, “What did Amy say?”
“Amy is shut down!” Jason said.
Jin Xiangdong remembered what happened last time. For the sake of safety, Jin Xiangdong told the designated driver to turn around and go to Lu Jia’er’s old apartment. On the way, Lu Jia’er called Su Han but her phone was powered off.
When Amy opened the door for Lu Jia’er and Jin Xiangdong, they saw an anxious Jason pacing around like ants in a hot pan.
It was abnormal that Amy would be powered off. Because whenever Su Han was at home, literally, she relied on Amy for everything apart from eating, writing and sleeping.
Lu Jia’er checked the apartment inside and out. Su Han did not take anything away with her and there was no sign of forced entry. Could it be…
Lu Jia’er dashed out from the bedroom and asked Jia’er, “When Amy wa.s.s turned on, what did she say? Did Su Han leave any message?”
“Amy said Su Han left no message.” Jason replied.
“Did she go on a book tour?” Jin Xiangdong wondered.
Lu Jia’er shook her head. “I contacted her yesterday afternoon. She did not mention any travelling plans. She is not the kind of person that would run off without saying anything.”
“How long was Amy powered off for?” Jin Xiangdong asked, upon further thoughts.
“For 30 hours!” Jason said.
“30 hours?” Jin Xiangdong repeated this number.
Lu Jia’er was alarmed. “Call the police now!”
Contrary to Lu Jia’er and Jason who were anxious, Jin Xiangdong remained composed. “Call Ian now.”
Lu Jia’er came back to her senses at once. “Okay, I’ll call him right away!” With that said, she picked out her phone and called Ian, but n.o.body answered.
She tried a few more times. Still, her calls went unanswered.
“He is not answering!” Lu Jia’er updated Jin Xiangdong.
Hearing this, Jin Xiangdong frowned. His worry deepened. “Jia’er, come with me. We need to leave now.” He said.
Lu Jia’er had some idea of what was going on judging by Jin Xiangdong’s looks. “Right!”
The disappearance of Su Han sobered Jason up right away. “Ace, I will go with you!” Jason said.
Then, the three of them left together. They were heading to the elevator when Lu Jia’er suddenly felt dizzy. Luckily, Jin Xiangdong reacted fast enough. She fell into his arms.
This was exactly what Jin Xiangdong had been worried about. He was seized with tension at once. In that instant, Jason understood what happened.
The two looked at each other. In order to avoid the surveillance cameras, Jin Xiangdong carried Lu Jia’er to the staircase. As soon as they shut the door, Jin Xiangdong told Jason at once. “There is a phone in my upper pocket. Call Miaomiao. There is another phone in my trousers pocket. Take the SIM card out from that one, yours, too.”
Hearing this, Jin Xiangdong took out his and Jin Xiangdong’s frequently used cell phone and removed the SIM cards. Then he called Yuan Miaomiao as directed by Jin Xiangdong.
The call was put through soon. Jin Xiangdong did not waste his time. He came straight to the point. “Miaomiao, this is Jin Xiangdong. I have an unreasonable demand. Can you go to the lab at F University right away?”
Yuan Miaomiao, who had just arrived at home and ready to take a shower, was curious to hear Jin Xiangdong speaking with such urgency. “What is going on?”
“I cannot explain over the phone. Please go to the lab at F University!” Jin Xiangdong urged her.
While confused, Yuan Miaomiao replied immediately. “Okay, I will go there now!”
After he hung up the phone, Jin Xiangdong said to Jason. “It is not convenient for them to take actions in this community. But when we go out, it’s hard to tell. Jason, how sober are you now?”
“Completely sober!” Jason said.
Jin Xiangdong nodded. “Good. You will drive later.”
Then, Jin Xiangdong carried Lu Jia’er back to the elevator and went down to the parking lot. When they got into the car, both Jin Xiangdong and Jason put on stern looks. There most likely would be a soul-stirring fight waiting for them. Whether they could arrive at the lab of F University would be up to their abilities.