This was Lü Qingqing's first time seeing Hu Jia in his amnesiac state. The previous two times Hu Jia had lost his memory, Lü Qingqing had seen him after he had read his memo and with Li Yang accompanying him.
But this time, there was only her by his side.
And it was in such an awkward situation.
What to do?
Lü Qingqing wanted to call for help, but she dared not rashly stand up from the water.
"Miss?" Seeing Lü Qingqing staring at him blankly, Hu Jia felt uneasy. Wasn't he chasing that murderer? How did he end up in the water all of a sudden?
Also, what was with this woman's gaze?
He seemed to be staring intently.
Hearing Hu Jia call out to her, Lü Qingqing snapped out of her daze. "Uh, that..." Lü Qingqing didn't know how to explain for a moment.
"Uh, Miss, could you tell me what happened? And where did my clothes go?" Hu Jia was a bit embarrassed, hugging himself with his arms, looking as if he was afraid of showing too much.
"Uh, that..." Lü Qingqing thought for a moment: "Turn around first, I'll get your clothes."
Hu Jia's clothes had been left by him at the city gate.
Lü Qingqing scrambled ashore. Fortunately, Zhan Ruoxuan hadn't taken Hu Jia's backpack. Lü Qingqing peeked inside; the memo was gone, presumably taken by Zhan Ruoxuan.
But fortunately, there was a men's shirt in the bag. Lü Qingqing had seen this shirt before; it was one Hu Jia had taken to Xiajiezi Village for a change of clothes.
It was a good thing he hadn't returned home after coming back to the city, or things would be truly awkward now.
Lü Qingqing put on the shirt and picked up Hu Jia's discarded clothes to hand them to him.
"Mine?" Hu Jia was very surprised because he didn't remember owning such clothes, nor that backpack. It was so ugly!
"I'm leaving now." Fearing Hu Jia might have questions, Lü Qingqing decided to make a quick exit.
"Wait!" Hu Jia was in a state of confusion and had many questions.
Where was this place? How did he end up here?
And whose was that bag?
But Lü Qingqing didn't dare to stop. All she wanted was to escape.
"Miss, this bag isn't mine. If anyone comes looking for me, tell them to find me at No. 8 Lai Long Lane." Behind her, Hu Jia's voice was especially clear in the night.
Looking for me, you idiot!
Lü Qingqing ran home in one breath, her mind a mess. In his eyes tonight, she was just a stranger. But what about tomorrow?
Thinking about what had just happened, it was truly embarrassing.
She hoped Hu Jia would forget all about it as soon as he got home, preferably forgetting her face too.
Lü Qingqing chanted silently in her heart while trying to fall asleep.
Suddenly, she sat up with a toss.
What did Hu Jia say when they parted?
Where was he supposed to go? Lai Long Lane? What number?
Lü Qingqing remembered very clearly that every day after work, Hu Jia walked to the left. Lai Long Lane was to the right of the Special Operations Unit.
It's over, it's over.
How could she have forgotten that Hu Jia retained memories from before he was 22? The home he remembered must have changed owners long ago.
Lü Qingqing's sleepiness vanished instantly. That guy had clearly gotten the address wrong.
Should she go out and look for him?
If she did, it would be awkward meeting him.
If she didn't, it would be even more awkward meeting him tomorrow.
After much deliberation, Lü Qingqing found an excuse for herself: if she didn't find Hu Jia, Yu Yue would kill her.
It was already two or three in the morning, and the entire city of Chongqing had fallen asleep.
Lai Long Lane, along with Yiren Lane where the Special Operations Unit was located, was one of Chongqing's Four Great Lanes. Yiren Lane was a concentrated residential area for high officials and wealthy merchants, while Lai Long Lane was known throughout Bashu for its concentration of academies and rich humanistic culture.
In 1893, the famous "Yujun Academy" of Eastern Sichuan was first established in Lai Long Lane. Chongqing's first institute of mathematics and science, "Chongqing Mathematics Academy," and Chongqing's first higher elementary school, "Baxian Higher Elementary School," were also established here.
Striding through the alley, the only weak light illuminating the lane showed the vitality of this old city.
Hu Jia said he was at Lai Long Lane, at what number?
Lü Qingqing was so annoyed she wanted to hit her head. In her panic, she hadn't heard Hu Jia's words clearly.
"Hu Jia?"
"Hu Jia, are you there?"
After all, it was late at night, so Lü Qingqing could only call out softly.
She walked back and forth without finding any trace of Hu Jia. Had he already left? Or did he actually live here?
Forget it.
Lü Qingqing prepared to head back.
Anyway, she had looked for him, fulfilled her obligation. Besides, he was almost thirty years old; he wouldn't really get lost, would he?
Relaxed, Lü Qingqing ambled along the lane, enjoying the rare leisure. She noticed the bougainvillea stretching out from the corner by the roadside, a vibrant red covering the wall, looking very beautiful.
Lü Qingqing reached out as if to touch it. Suddenly, a dark figure leaped over the wall from inside and landed right in front of her.
"Who?" Lü Qingqing felt ashamed of her two steps back. The figure, clearly not expecting anyone to be outside, was also startled.
"It's you?" The dark figure spoke.
Lü Qingqing froze. It was Hu Jia.
"Why are you here?" Both of them spoke at the same time, asking the exact same question.
Hu Jia responded with silence.
Lü Qingqing understood everything. It seemed he had indeed moved.
"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere," Lü Qingqing sighed. It seemed she had no choice but to send him to the Special Operations Unit for the night. They could explain things to Li Yang when he came to work tomorrow.
"Do you know what happened here?" Hu Jia didn't move, instead pointing behind the wall.
Lü Qingqing looked at the courtyard wall and shook her head. She couldn't see anything inside. It was likely that the house had changed owners.
Seeing Lü Qingqing shake her head, Hu Jia also looked a bit dejected and turned to leave.
"Hey..." Lü Qingqing called out to him, "Where are you going?"
"The police station!" Hu Jia said without looking back.
The police station? Lü Qingqing quickly chased after him. Brother, you're already part of the Special Operations Unit now; the police station has nothing to do with you.
"Uh, wait a minute." Hu Jia was walking very fast, and Lü Qingqing almost couldn't catch up.
"Hu Jia!" Lü Qingqing was anxious.
Hu Jia stopped and turned around, "How do you know my name?"
"I don't only know your name, but I also know you have a brother named Ou Wen, and several good friends: Li Yang, Yu Yue, Luo Wenwu," Lü Qingqing spoke rapidly. "Also, you have another name: Hu Ergou!"
Hu Jia's expression darkened, his face fierce and wary, "Who exactly are you?"
"My name is Lü Qingqing. I'm with the Municipal Police Department's Special Operations Unit, and you are in the same office as me." Lü Qingqing decided to tell this man everything she knew. Whether he believed it was another matter; the priority was to get him to come with her.
"Lü Qingqing?" The wariness in Hu Jia's eyes didn't lessen. "How old are you?"
Hmm?
Lü Qingqing blinked. Was this important?
"25, just had my birthday not long ago." But she still chose to answer.
"Mm, Qingqing jie." Hu Jia offered a greeting.
Qingqing jie? This man still thought he was 22.
Hahaha...
Lü Qingqing's lips twitched uncontrollably.
Ha, he actually called me 'jie'!
However, she wasn't planning to tell Hu Jia that he was actually 27 years old. After all, such a small advantage was rare.
Ahem!
Lü Qingqing cleared her throat. "It's like this. You are the captain of our Special Operations Unit. We just returned from a mission yesterday."
"Captain?" Hu Jia's eyes narrowed, as if deep in thought.
"Yes, you are the captain. You sustained a head injury due to an accident during a mission." Lü Qingqing continued, oblivious to Hu Jia's fists clenching tighter and tighter.
"An accident?" Hu Jia chuckled. "What kind of accident?"
"Uh..." Lü Qingqing's head ached. "I don't know."
Lü Qingqing truly didn't know much about Hu Jia's past. To avoid further questions from Hu Jia, Lü Qingqing pointed in the direction of Yiren Lane. "Over there is our office. Let's go there and rest for a while. Li Yang will explain it to you tomorrow."
Hu Jia glanced at where Lü Qingqing was pointing and gave a barely audible "Mm."
Lü Qingqing was very happy. As long as they could get through tonight, that would be enough.
The night was enchanting. Lü Qingqing walked cheerfully ahead, with Hu Jia following behind her. Lü Qingqing was still contemplating how to handle Hu Jia's barrage of questions later when she suddenly felt a strong gust of wind from behind. Just as she was about to dodge, an arm wrapped around her neck.
"Don't move, I have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead!"
Lü Qingqing: ...
So annoying!
Damn Hu Jia!
Cough, cough, I can't breathe!