Kill Me In The Last Minute (GL) - Chapter 10

Staring at Meng Baisheng’s smiling face, Zhang Sinan could hardly believe it. He had to walk closer to be sure the man standing in front of him was real.

Five years ago, Captain Meng was reported dead in an avalanche during a mission in the snowy region of Rongya. Yet here he was, alive and well, right in front of Zhang Sinan.

“The way you’re looking at me is kind of creepy,” Meng Baisheng said with a laugh. “Like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Zhang Sinan gave a dry, forced smile. “Honestly, I was hoping I had.”

“This isn’t the place to talk,” Meng said. “Let’s go to Deyin’s place. We can have a drink.”

Seeing Zhang Sinan hesitate, Meng teased, “Or you could go make a wish first—maybe wish for a happily-ever-after with the Liu family heiress.”

As soon as Liu Yiqing was mentioned, Zhang Sinan’s expression turned serious. Without looking back, he started walking and said, “Right now, I just hope Jiang Deyin’s private bar is still open.”

Meng Baisheng chuckled and followed after him.

—

Meanwhile, Liu Yiqing and Citou stood bored by the roadside. Liu kept glancing toward the direction Zhang Sinan had walked off to. She occasionally pulled out her phone, scrolling to her call history. Her finger paused over Zhang Sinan’s name, but instead of calling, she locked the screen and opened her small shoulder bag. That’s when she noticed something — Zhang Sinan’s keys were still inside.

Her brows furrowed. Clearly, something was off. “Citou, call Sinan and ask where he is.”

“But didn’t he say we should head back first?” Citou asked, recalling what Zhang Sinan had told them before leaving. He looked at Liu Yiqing.

One look at her expression was enough. Citou quickly took out his phone, scared to argue.

—

In a quiet path behind the wishing tree, Meng Baisheng and Zhang Sinan walked side by side.

“I saw you from the car,” Meng said, “You’re still hanging around that Liu heiress.”

“So that’s why you told me to go make a wish?” Zhang Sinan replied.

“Just being around her doesn’t mean you’re together,” Meng smiled. “But back then, I always thought you two looked good together.”

“That was back then,” Zhang Sinan muttered.

At that moment, his phone rang. He answered.

“Zhang Sinan, where did you go?” Liu Yiqing’s voice didn’t sound happy.

Zhang looked toward the road, where a black Porsche had suddenly made a U-turn, wind from its tires blowing in his face. He calmly replied, “Just catching up with an old classmate. Haven’t seen each other in a long time — figured we’d go somewhere and talk.”

Liu Yiqing, holding her phone, thought she heard a woman laughing in the background. She immediately asked, “A female classmate?”

Zhang Sinan glanced at Meng Baisheng, who was smirking mischievously. He replied into the phone, “Not exactly.”

“Not exactly?!” Liu Yiqing suddenly felt she had asked the right question. “That means yes!”

Zhang Sinan: “…”

At that moment, the black Porsche pulled up beside Liu Yiqing. The rear window rolled down, revealing Lin Peichuan smiling at her.

“Miss Liu, may I offer you a ride?”

Liu was about to say “Who needs a ride from you?” when she heard a woman’s voice through the phone: “What do you mean, ‘not exactly’ a girl?”

A wave of irritation suddenly rose in Liu Yiqing. She hung up and smiled at Lin Peichuan. “Sure.”

Citou was completely confused as he took his phone back from her. He never expected their boss to accept a ride from the guy in a suit. He glanced at the screen, which still showed Zhang Sinan’s name, then quickly followed Liu Yiqing into the car.

Back on the path, Zhang Sinan slowly lowered his phone and said to Meng Baisheng, “That was Yiqing.”

“Still playing the loyal sidekick?” Meng asked with his hands in his pockets, looking over at Zhang Sinan.

Zhang Sinan answered calmly, “Right now, it’s just me and Citou looking out for her.”

Meng Baisheng paused for a moment, her thoughts drifting. After a while, she walked to the road and flagged down a car. Turning her head to the still-distracted Zhang Sinan, she said, “Come on, let’s not keep Boss Jiang waiting. I’m afraid if she gets impatient, she might throw something weird into my drink—like ketchup.”

“Let me say this now—if you get drunk, don’t start dragging me into your drunken antics!” Zhang Sinan quickly caught up, opened the back door, and got in.

Meng Baisheng smiled and held the door, pausing briefly as she glanced in the direction of Qingjiang Dock.

“What are you looking at?” Zhang Sinan grew suspicious when she didn’t get in right away.

Without a care, Meng Baisheng ducked into the car. “Let’s talk when we get to the bar. And hey, don’t go slipping any aphrodisiacs into my drink just because I’ve had a few. I might actually think you’ve been pining for me all this time.”

Zhang Sinan: “…”

Her offhand remark startled the driver so much that his sunglasses fell to the floor. As he bent down to pick them up, he accidentally pressed the horn. After Meng Baisheng shut the door, Zhang Sinan gave the driver a quick look, then turned to her and said, “Trust me—aside from Lu Heye, no one could ever fall for a girl like you.”

“Oh yeah?” Meng Baisheng looked at him and grinned. “Honestly, if Lu hadn’t confessed to me back at camp, I would’ve thought he had a thing for you.”

Zhang Sinan leaned back into his seat, trying to get comfortable, goosebumps rising on his arms. “Sometimes I really don’t get girls’ twisted sense of humor.”

Meng Baisheng chuckled, but her eyes looked a little distant, as if lost in thought.

Zhang Sinan glanced at her and said straight out, “Worried about your sister?”

“I’m more afraid she’s worried about me,” Meng Baisheng replied. “But now that you’re here, it’s time I clear things up about what happened back then.”

Zhang Sinan nodded.

Back at Qingjiang Dock—

Fu Bin and Su Zhaoyin were strolling slowly along the main road.

“When did you come back to Huayu from Amsterdam?” Fu Bin asked.

Su Zhaoyin, walking on his right and half a head shorter than him, looked up and replied, “Five years ago.”

“How’s Uncle Su doing?” Fu Bin met her gaze.

Su Zhaoyin smiled. “He’s great. My mom’s been taking good care of him—he even goes to the gym now.”

“That’s a relief. My mom’s been asking me to take her to Amsterdam to visit your parents,” Fu Bin said with a smile, remembering how his mother had bought a mountain of health supplements and was gasping for breath on the sofa.

“Tell Auntie not to worry. But what about you? How did you end up working undercover?”

Fu Bin replied, “After what happened in the Rongya Snowfields, I left the special ops team. I didn’t plan to stay in law enforcement, but I just couldn’t help stepping in when I saw things going wrong. A friend eventually recommended this job, and I signed up for undercover work.”

“You’re one of those people who were born to be a cop. You probably wouldn’t feel right doing anything else.”

“I just like it. The one who’s really born for this is Baisheng.” As soon as Fu Bin said that, he noticed her pause slightly. He looked over and caught the complicated expression on Su Zhaoyin’s face.

At the mention of Meng Baisheng, both of them fell silent.

“Sorry.” Fu Bin lowered her head.

“It’s all in the past,” Su Zhaoyin said with a dry smile. But Fu Bin could still see the lingering sadness on her face.

“We haven’t seen each other in five years. Want to grab a meal later?” Fu Bin asked.

Su Zhaoyin glanced at the gray Citroën nearby. After a moment of hesitation, she said, “How about tomorrow? I still have to go to school today.”

Fu Bin’s face lit up with a gentle smile. “Alright, then I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.” After Su Zhaoyin gave her the address, Shen Peng came over and called Fu Bin away. She motioned for Luo Qiying to drive Su Zhaoyin to school. After saying a cheerful goodbye, she left with Shen Peng in a hurry back toward the dock.

“Let’s go, Sister Zhaoyin,” Luo Qiying said with a bright smile, walking with her toward the Citroën.

At that moment, Su Zhaoyin’s phone rang. The screen showed the name “Yu Keli.” A smile appeared on her face as she answered the call.

“Are you free tonight?” came the deep voice of a man on the other end.

“Weren’t you coming back tomorrow? What—trying to surprise me?” Su Zhaoyin said with a sweet smile.

Seeing the happiness on Su Zhaoyin’s face, Luo Qiying easily guessed who she was talking to.

“Plans changed. I had something come up and rescheduled my flight. I’ll be back tonight. You—”

“Oh, right,” Su Zhaoyin cut him off, “Mu Bai really likes the new toy figures from Hanming Film Studio. Can you bring one back for her?”

The man paused for a moment before replying slowly, “The studio is too far from where I am… Sorry.”

“It’s okay…” Su Zhaoyin looked down. “Then I’ll come pick you up at the airport tonight.”

“No need. Just stay home. I’ll come find you.” Yu Keli’s voice was calm and steady.

“Alright,” Su Zhaoyin said softly.

After hanging up, she immediately met Luo Qiying’s curious, teasing gaze.

“Boyfriend?” Luo Qiying asked with a grin.

“Yep.”

“Sounds like you two have a lovely date planned tonight. Then let me wish you an early ‘good luck’ with it!” Luo Qiying laughed, her dimples showing.

“Thanks, Officer Qiqi,” Su Zhaoyin replied with a smile as she put her phone back in her bag.

But when they got close to the car, Su Zhaoyin didn’t see anyone in the back seat. Her heart skipped a beat as she leaned against the window—but there was no sign of Mu Bai.

“What’s wrong, Sister Zhaoyin?” Luo Qiying asked, pulling out the car keys.

“I… I don’t see Mu Bai inside,” Su Zhaoyin said, her voice trembling.

Luo Qiying quickly started the engine, and Su Zhaoyin flung the door open. “Mu Bai!” The back seat was empty, with only the slingshot and a few beer caps left behind. Mu Bai was gone.

“Oh no, did she sneak out to play?” Luo Qiying said anxiously.

Su Zhaoyin shut the car door. “I’ll go look for her.”

Luo Qiying grabbed her arm. “Qingjiang Dock is huge. Where would you even start looking? Let’s just ask Captain Fu to help. She can bring people to search for her.”

“No!” Su Zhaoyin’s strong reaction startled Luo Qiying.

Realizing she’d overreacted and sensing Luo Qiying’s suspicion, Su Zhaoyin quickly added, “Fu Bin’s too busy. I don’t want to bother her with this. Besides, Mu Bai probably hasn’t gone far—I can find her.”

“Then I’ll help you look,” Luo Qiying offered, clearly not comfortable letting Su Zhaoyin search alone.

“Thank you. But… can I ask one thing?” Su Zhaoyin looked at her and pleaded, “Please don’t tell Fu Bin. I really don’t want her to get even more stressed.”

Luo Qiying smiled and nodded in agreement.