The Carcass

Smiling, Si Weimin looked at Xu Jia Li while she was driving, his eyes was full of love and adoration as he finally had the chance to be with her. He couldn't believe his eyes, he tried to blink as he squeezed her hand – convincing himself that everything was not a dream.

He wanted to tell her how much he loved her but he just couldn't allow himself to scare her off again. Things happened so fast that he was afraid it would end up too soon. Being together now was such a blessing he never wanted to waste.

Even though they already had an agreement, he still wanted her to feel that every day was special.

He observed her every action, the way she flipped her hair, the way she curved her lips when she saw something funny, the way her eyes glowed when she heard his sweet nothings, the way she bit her lower lip when she was shy, and most importantly, the way her cheeks blushed every single time he teased her which he found very fresh and amusing.

He gulped down all the new memories he acquired of her. She was an oasis in the desert, only she could satiate the thirst in his heart.

He grinned as he saw her glanced his way putting that enigmatic smile on her face. The smile on her beautiful face almost took his breath away. He couldn't believe that she was with him, right there, smiling that gorgeous smile of her.

"Hey, why are you smiling?" she chuckled as she focused her attention on the road.

"I just love the scenery."

"Which one? The buildings?"

He laughed as he heard her beautiful voice with a hint of humour in it. "Most probably, yeah."

He saw the naughtiness in her eyes as her next action took him by surprise. In a tick of a second, Xu Jia Li stepped on the accelerator and drove fast – hitting a 140 mph. She went full speed as she laughed merrily, still facing the road.

Si Weimin's first reaction was to be mad, his concern for her knows no bound that he became a worry-freak when it came to her. But after hearing her giggled like a child free of worry, he couldn't help but smile as he watched her having fun.

Not hearing his complaint like the first time, she slowed down and looked at him questioningly.

"Aren't you mad?"

"Nope."

"Eh, but why not?"

"I can't take the happiness from your face."

He saw her become silent as she turned her gaze away.

"I love seeing you happy. You can drive when you're with me. It will make me feel less worried. Still, let Wang Guo drives for you."

"So unfair. You should be annoyed at the very least." She pouted as she continued driving in a normal speed.

"Oh, aren't you a bit cunning my love?"

He laughed as he raised his hand to touch her smooth, delicate face. He felt her shiver as she curved her lips forming a sweet but meek smile.

This very moment was something that he wanted to be captured in his heart forever, she was an exquisite beauty he would never be tired of looking at. He was very happy seeing that she was warming up to him now.

"Where are we going anyway, love?" He asked as he continued caressing her cheeks.

"I need to visit an old friend."

He only nodded as he saw her turned to another road where it led to farms and greeneries. He was very curious about this old friend of her. However, he only gazed her way and did not ask anymore question. He valued the trust she had given her and that's enough for him right now.

After 10 minutes or so of driving, the concrete road ended as they were led further to a rough road. Xu Jia Li was focused on her driving while Si Weimin took his phone and began taking photos of her secretly. He smiled as he changed his wallpaper with her photo.

He was engrossed with admiring her pictures when suddenly, a loud screech startled him as Xu Jia Li stepped on the brake hard. He saw her head slightly hit the steering wheel due to the sudden impact. He saw her eyes grew big as her breathing became fast.

Full of concern, he held her face and looked at the part that hit the steering wheel. A red patch could be seen on top of her right brow. He was so worried but after seeing that aside from that, she wasn't hurt. He breathed a sigh of relief and asked,

"Are you alright?"

But instead of answering, she shouted, "Ahh! What was that?" with her finger pointing in front of the car.

Si Weimin looked at what she was pointing at and saw a dead sheep lying on the ground just half a meter away from the car. He turned his gaze on her and held her hand.

"Hey, love, it's alright now."

"Where's the man?"

"What man?"

"The man holding the sheep."

"There's no one there, love."

"No, there is. Did I kill him? How about that? Did I just hit it? Did I kill it?"

"No, hell no. You stopped even before the car could hit it. See? It's lying there, half a meter away from the car."

"B-but, t-the man? Where is he?"

"Okay, let me go and check there."

Si Weimin was about to open the door when Xu Jia Li grabbed his suit and said, "Hey, d-don't go there alone. I'll go with you."

"You better stay here. I won't be long, okay?"

"No, let me go check with you."

Si Weimin couldn't do anything to make her stay inside so instead of arguing, he helplessly nodded and went out of the car. He walked to the driver's seat and immediately opened the door even before Xu Jia Li could.

He held her hand tightly as they walked closer to the dead sheep. He was thinking so hard on why it suddenly appeared there. He looked all around him, studying the place as he searched for clues that might help him know why a sheep would suddenly appear in this place.

He also looked for the man she said she saw earlier. He somehow blamed himself for not focusing on the road. He was too preoccupied with taking her picture that he didn't see what she was talking about.

He once again scanned the place, it had no houses and even animals could not be seen nearby. He gazed at her and saw her eyeing the dead sheep. The white coat was smeared with red patch as it was covered in blood.

It was clear that someone put it there. A lot of questions were boggling his mind as he led Xu Jia Li closer to the sheep.

Xu Jia Li stepped and slightly bent her knees to examine the carcass on the ground. Si Weimin stood behind her as he looked around the place. After a while, they both leaned forward and saw a small plastic folder hanging on its neck.

They both looked at each other as a frown formed on Xu Jia Li's forehead.

"What's that?"

"Don't touch it, let me."

Si Weimin touched the neck of the sheep and took the plastic folder. After getting it, Xu Jia Li handed him a handkerchief in which he used to wipe the blood stain on the folder as he handed it to her. He then moved the carcass on the side of the road so they could pass.

He wiped his own hands and asked her to follow him in the car. He waited as she reluctantly dragged her feet towards the car. Curiosity was written on her face. He opened the door of the passenger seat as he asked, "Let me drive, okay?"

Seeing the questioning look on her face, he only smiled as he closed it and went to the driver's seat. After putting the seatbelt for her, he also put his. As he was about to start the engine, he heard her speak, "Let's not go right now, I think it'll be better if we head back."

"Are you sure? We could still go."

"No. Not right now. Let's head back."

Si Weimin nodded and turned the car around. Back on the road, Si Weimin couldn't help but look at her. He wanted to make sure that she was alright.

"Are you okay, love?"

"Y-yes. Just a little taken a back."

"Don't worry, I'm always here. Nothing to be afraid."

"No, I'm not afraid. I'm just thinking about the man. Believe me, I saw a man there. He was holding the sheep."

"I believe you. I believe you."

"I have to open this folder now."

After speaking, Xu Jia Li opened the folder and saw a letter folded in half. With trembling hands, she slowly opened it. Her eyes grew bigger that they protruded from the sockets.

Seeing her reaction, Si Weimin stopped the car and got the letter from her.

"Don't dig the grave of the distant past. You might get hurt. Look behind you, I see your every move."