Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Flaming Lips: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

Leaving the counselor's place, I called Xu Qiao to take a leave, temporarily entrusting the care of Xiao Bao to the nanny. I also made arrangements with Officer Zheng, having someone else keep an eye on Xu Qiao for now.Officer Zheng, upon learning that I would be away for a few days, personally called me. With a hoarse and weary voice, he asked, "Have you found your brother?""Not sure yet," I replied, sitting on the bus heading to the airport, gazing out the window.I've known Officer Zheng for only about two years, but he seems to have aged more than five years since we first met. During these two years, he and his team have been working almost non-stop on the case of the Other Shore Flower, with little progress to show for it.His rank is not low, and because of my father's incident, he often conveys a sense of indebtedness towards me. Perhaps asking him to help find Stan Wallace could speed things up. However, I don't want to trouble the police with personal matters; they have

Upon hearing this, Judy Richardson turned to look behind her again. When she refocused on me, her brow furrowed slightly."What are you talking about? How could Stan Wallace possibly be here?"It seemed as if I didn't understand her response. I gripped her tighter, feeling that my question wasn't clear enough. I rephrased, "Then... will my brother come later?"Judy Richardson's brows knitted even more tightly, and her lips pressed together in frustration. She hadn't worn a coat, probably planning to go back right after the call. Now, it seemed like my anxiety had rubbed off on her, and her hands trembled occasionally. "He won't come, Gloria Kit. I told you before, none of us know where he went."She let out a long sigh, then gently pulled away from my grip and turned me around by the shoulders. "If he doesn't want to see you, your persistence will only make him feel troubled. Why do you have to do this?""Go back, okay? Don't do this."Judy Richardson persuaded, pushing me out of

Stan Wallace only paused for a moment before looking away, saying, "It's cold outside.""Does the clothes not fit?" His gaze swept over the pajamas I had tossed onto the bed, quickly changing the subject.Since I had already taken them off, I could only nod with a stiff neck, "A bit tight."Normally, at this point, he should have refocused his attention on my figure, but Stan Wallace seemed indifferent, giving a perfunctory, "Mm."I bit my lip, feeling a sense of embarrassment at having miscalculated."Let's eat first." Stan Wallace leaned back against the headboard and turned on the TV, tugging at the collar of his hoodie as if in frustration.I glanced at the food, took a deep breath, and hesitantly walked over to Stan Wallace, sitting down on the sofa next to him. I crossed my legs and placed my hands on my lap, saying, "Brother, I want to talk to you."Only now, under the warm yellow light, did I truly see Stan Wallace. Compared to two years ago, his features were sharper, h

The taxi had been driving for a while, and Stan Wallace showed no sign of wanting to speak, which made me increasingly anxious. The taste of loss is something you only need to experience once; there shouldn't be a second time.Just as I was trying to figure out how to get him to open up, my phone suddenly rang. A Whatsapp video call invitation flickered on the screen, with the caller's profile picture being a very sexy and revealing girl. Apart from her head, her fiery body seemed almost ready to jump out of the screen. She looked... not like a good person.Worried that Stan Wallace might see and misunderstand that I hadn't learned my lesson, I shifted my body slightly to the side.The caller was Xiao Li. Although I had only worked at Zero Degree Club for one day, I had helped her out of a jam, and we had exchanged contact information and kept in touch. With her, I could also gather information about Xu Qiao's activities at the club. Zero Degree Club had a wide range of "businesses,

Given that I used to harass Stan Wallace every time I drank two years ago, fearing he would disapprove, I argued my case, "I drank quite a bit during college, and my tolerance is pretty good. Two bottles won't get me drunk."Seeing Stan Wallace scrutinize me, I bit down gently on my lower lip, "Brother, I'm leaving tomorrow."Stan Wallace seemed surprised by my mentioning my departure, his right hand, which was resting on the table, slowly curled up a bit, rubbing his middle and index fingers together. Apart from this, he showed no further signs of disagreement.Not giving him more time to consider, I waved at the waiter and, with practiced ease, said, "Two dozen beers, please."Stan Wallace had never been against me drinking, as long as it was in moderation. To show my harmlessness, I only took two bottles for myself, pushing the rest towards Stan Wallace.After half a glass, I continued with the topic Stan Wallace had just brought up, "Brother, I'm not afraid of them anymore. I'