It's Not Her

Xiuying couldn't hide the happiness she was feeling, this feeling of being close to him. Xiaofan, in her ghost form sat staring at Xiuying.

"Alright, alright. It's time to shower!" Xiaofan said, "I can't be a ghost and be dirty too."

Xiuying nodded, "Sure,"

They switched, Xiaofan stood up from the sitting position she found Xuiying in. "Doesn't your leg hurt from sitting like this?"

But Xuiying was too engrossed in her daydream, to have heard Xiaofan.

Maid Yue came in to meet the Empress in her white inner clothing, "My lady,"

Xiaofan looked up at the woman. "Oh you're here! I want to be soaked in a hot bathe, go get it prepared and bring me food."

Maid Yue mouth fell open, "What? Didn't you just eat?"

Xiaofan realized this and gave a dry laugh. "I want more," when did she eat? It was that Xiuying that had eaten not her!

The maid was baffled but she bowed nonetheless. She quickly went to get it prepared.

Fifty five minutes later, Xiaofan was reading a historical book while munching on biscuits.

As she was reading her mind went back to her mom and Jin Yunshen.

He must be worried. She looked up at the sky wondering just when she would be able to return. Since she was given a second life and Xuiying given the same. Xiuying was able to take possession of her real body, but what of she? Wasn't she allowed that privilege? Why? Just why? In as much as she wanted to help Xiuying get her husband to love her, she wants to be in Yunshen's arms too!

And then, to see we mother's smiling face. She missed that woman terribly, and, what if her mother has been hospitalized? The woman was too fragile.

_________

It was yet another fruitless day, with all the effort put together, there was still no news about his love.

Jin Yunshen eyes was totally shut as he massaged his head.

"Sir," the secretary called.

"Hmm,"

"The madam is here,"

"Let her in," Yunshen said.

"Yunshen, you haven't been home since yesterday." The woman's complain came from the door.

He looked up at her but didn't say anything.

She couldn't allow him treat her this cold anymore. "Let's go home. You look so stressed, you have gone down in size all in the name of finding that..." The word got stuck in her mouth as Yunshen turned to stare daggers at her.

"You have nothing to say, use the door." He picked a file and started working on it. She lingered a little bit more but still left as he wasn't paying her any attention.

She couldn't force him to do as she wanted and bugging him wouldn't help her.

As the clicks against the tiled floor caused by her heels died away, he closed his eyes again.

Yes, it was true that Xiaofan was no where to be found but he believed she was alive somewhere! She was still very much alive, his heart mind and soul told him so.

Just that, where exactly was she?

There was yet another knock on the door, the door opened to reveal his secretary. "Sir, the meeting is about to begin."

Yunshen got up from his sitting position, straightened his suit and sauntered away, the secretary picked up the important files and followed suit.

As the designing team leader kept briefing everyone on the new design, Yunshen's mind was drifting further and further away. Thoutghs of Xiaofan filled his mind, what was she doing right now? Has she eaten? If she was kidnapped, has the kidnappers given her food? Or they just let her go hungry?

No, they really shouldn't. She loves eating a lot, she shouldn't be starved!

Then his thoughts drifted away on how he will punish the criminals, if he is able to catch them. One by one, he will get rid of their limbs, one by one he will make them regret ever being born on Earth.

Xiaofan, just where are you?

"Sir?"

"Sir Yunshen?"

Yunshen opened his eyes to see everyone looking at him, yes, they always did after she went missing, he hadn't been himself.

"The meeting has been concluded sir, what do you think about his idea?" The secretary asked. "Or you need time to review it all over again?"

Yunshen with his lips pressed into a thin line nodded, he stood up and exited first.

"Submit your designs on my table, I'll deliver them to the president, he wants to review them himself." The secretary announced, gave a light bow and left.

The employees started whispering amongst themselves.

"Wow, did you see? He wasn't paying attention."

"Yes, he has been like this for a while now."

"All because of that girl, I wonder if she went into hiding for him to just find her."

"That make a little bit of sense."

"She must be dense if she did that!"

"Shhhh!" The team leader shushed them. "If the president hears y'all, do you think your tongue will still be intact?"

The girls realized they have said a lot and kept quiet then quickly exited the meeting room to continue the gossip in their personal office.

Yunshen's phone rang, he saw it was one of the investigators he hired and picked up.

"Sir, I think we found something. By the Hai river,"

The statement made Yunshen stop dead in his track, causing his secretary to bump into him.

"I'm sorry sir, I wasn't looking just now." Yunshen didn't even bother turning to him.

"It's a body of a young model, maybe, maybe you'd help us with recognition."

The hand holding his phone shook, no way! It can't be her!

He dashed into his private elevator, meanwhile the secretary tried to stop him.

"The new investor is on his..." His voice died down when he saw his president enter the elevator. "Way," he sighed and went into his own office.

"Almighty, on behalf of our president and for the sake of our employees, I beg you to bring back miss Ying. Bring her back, safely to our master... We please oh Lord." He folded his hands in prayer and meditated on it.

_________

The hold up was shocking, Yunshen couldn't sit still not could he move from his current position.

Horns blared, motorists screamed from their car windows.

He just sat there, praying in his mind it wouldn't be her! It shouldn't be his woman. Yes, he wanted her back so bad, but not like this! Not found dead and overfed with water... No! Never!

Twenty minutes later, the road cleared up.

By the time he got to his location, the sky was gloomy and crying. He stepped out into the cold rain, cars blocked the part to where the investigator was.

News reporters were around trying to get their hands on some juicy news. He made his way to the investigator, when the man saw him he screamed.

"Ah, master Jin. You didn't even wear a nylon to shield you from the cold weather! Here," he started pulling his own nylon to give to Yunshen but he stopped him.

"It's alright!" They were literally screaming as it was hard to hear in the rain, the ambulance siren and the police siren conjoined.

"Where's the body?"

"It's over!" He pointed to a stretcher not too far from them. It had a black leather bag on it.

Yunshen realized he couldn't move, his legs failed him. He was scared! So scared that the face might send him into coma.

"Sir, it's over there. Let's go," the investigator urged him.

When they got there, he took out a note pad and ran under the ambulance open booth. Sheltering himself from the rain.

"Sir, it says here that this young lady was stabbed! There's nothing more we could find, we could only wait for you to get here and see if it was—" he quickly stopped himself from continuing that statement. "Then we can have an autopsy carried out to know what other thing this young lady might have suffered. Her stomach is bloated too, which explains she had been in the water for very long, some part of her body is some how unrecognizable, like her face, and her skin colour has made a drastic change. From white now, she's brown."

Yunshen still didn't have enough word to say, there was even nothing to say. He just couldn't open his mouth. And when he did, words failed him. He simply nodded and the investigator put his notepad away and came to open the leather bag, he stopped Midway pulled two masks out, he passed one to Yunshen. "You will be needing it! She..." Stinks.

Slowly but steadily he opened the bag, when he spread it wide the smell assaulted Yunshen's nostrils, he could feel whatever he had eaten seeking to come out from his mouth. He covered his mouth and started coughing, the smell was terrible.

He was able to calm down and percive the disgusting smell, coming from the body, he wiped the rain from his face and looked down at the body. He examined her for a while more before constantly shaking his head. "It's not her!"

"It's not her‽ Sir are you sure about this‽" The investigator was surprised he could examine her under seconds and conclude it wasn't his woman. "But sir..."

"It's not her! That's not Ying Xiaofan!" He felt himself breath! Yes! It wasn't her!