After their initial meeting several months ago, Li Zhi An met up with Yue Yue once again. He thought about going back to his team multiple times. But many times, he was afraid of facing his team mates. Yue Yue gave him the strength and courage that led to his decision of going back to Shanghai.
It was the evening before his flight back to Shanghai, he invited Yue Yue for dinner at a luxurious restaurant. She met him at the entrance before they headed in. She was dressed up in a dress and he dressed in black tuxedo. The waitress led them to their seat and gave each of them a menu.
"I'm very glad you made the decision to go back. It's a shame I still have to work here for just a little while." Yue Yue got out her purse and took out a small jewelry box. She handed it to him and explained, "This is my favorite necklace that I bought from Morocco. I'm giving it to you because I thought you'd needed it. This ethnic Moroccan necklace accompanied me for a long time and it represents good luck. There's a saying in Arabic: "Movement is a blessing. It's better to act than not to act." So, I am very happy for you." Yue Yue smiled as she looked at Zhi An as he took out the necklace.
"It's beautiful! I love the red stone in the middle." He took it out and wore it around his neck.
"It really fits you." She gave a thumbs up and both of them smiled.
"Thank you for the gift." Zhi An was touched by the special gift. He also got out a small bag and gave it to Yue Yue.
"What is it?" She was curious so she opened a small box inside the bag.
"This earring is exactly what I wanted. How did you know?" She took out her own earrings and immediately placed in the new earrings.
"How do I look?" She turned her head to each side and Zhi An also gave a thumbs up.
"You look very beautiful. The earrings are also very gorgeous." He said with a big smile on his face.
After their meals were delivered to their table, they all toasted one another.
"Cheers!" Both of them drank red wine before digging into their dinner.
After their dinner, Zhi An got a notification that the taxi was ready to pick him up. Yue Yue grabbed her belongings as they went outside.
"Zhi An, before you leave, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done. Thanks for accompanying me. After you get to Shanghai, send me a text. I wish you all the best!" She had mixed emotions while holding in her tears. Zhi An turned to her and said, "Thank you for reaching out to me when I was at my lowest. It was you who saved me from hell. I'll remember everything you've said to me." He reached out to her and gave her a goodbye hug.
Because of their work, it doesn't allow them to have time for dating. But Zhi An made a promise that after his things get solved, they can officially date. Although he had feelings for her, he wanted to protect her by not moving too fast. Long distance can be quite difficult due to their work nature.
"Until we meet again." Zhi An whispered to her and hugged her tightly one last time.
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The flight to Shanghai was swift with less than three hours duration. Zhi An got his stuff ready to go as he waited for other people to get off first. He was feeling a bit nervous but he took a deep breath and remembered what Yue Yue said.
After getting out, the first person he texted was Yue Yue. Letting her know he safely arrived in Shanghai. Secondly, he called Chief He.
"Chief He, it's me. Commander Li Zhi An. I'm back in Shanghai." There was a short silence over the other side. Chief He was dumbfounded.
"Li... Zhi An? Is it really you?" He was too shocked to even utter his name.
"It's me. I'm back." Zhi An repeated.
"You didn't even contact us for over two years! Where were you? Are you alright?" Chief He sounded very excited and shocked at the same time.
"I'll tell you when I see you tomorrow. I'll talk to you soon." Zhi An hung up and went outside since there were several taxis waiting. He got into one and told the driver the address.
"Lujiazui, number 88."
When he got to the location, he got his room key in a jiffy since there weren't too many people lining up. After unpacking his stuff, he took a quick shower and ate some light snacks afterward.
He received a notification from Yue Yue:
"Great to hear! Have plenty of rest and no matter what happens, don't give up! (happy face emoji)"
He smiled and replied, "Thank you, please take care of yourself. Eat well and have a goodnight sleep! (sleep emoji)"
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The next morning, he took the bus to the White Wolf Counter-Terrorism base unit. Before going in, he took a deep breath and remembered the words that Yue Yue told him.
"If you don't know the answer, you don't have to answer them. If you can, tell them about how you feel. Most of all, believe in yourself. You can do it!"
As he stepped in the building, he had a feeling of deja vu. The building itself remained the same, no new changes. There was no one in the building because of morning training at this time. He went and knocked Chief He's office room three times. When Chief He said come in, Zhi An opened the door.
Chief He got up the chair and gave Li Zhi An a big hug.
"Welcome back, Commander Li."
As they sat on the couch in the office room, Chief He poured some green tea for him.
"Where were you all these years?" He asked him.
Zhi An answered, "My hometown, Shenzhen."
Chief He was surprised, "Our team also went to Shenzhen for training exercises. Did you have a chance to meet up with your team mates?" Zhi An paused for a few seconds, "No, I didn't."
Chief He nodded and drank his jasmine tea, "How did you get through these two years? I'm very curious."
Zhi An remembered Yue Yue and he slightly smiled.
"There was a wonderful woman who helped me getting through tough times."
Chief He raised his eyebrows, "A girl? She must be a very special girl to win your heart. You were very stern and serious from before." Zhi An replied, "That was before, time changes people."
"That's true, too. By the way, your team mates should be in by now. Do you want to say hi to them?"
Zhi An closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, he got up and told the Chief that he'll say hi to them.
Zhi An thought to himself, "You are here now. You cannot turn back. You had two years of break."
He went to the lounge room and opened the glass door. Everyone from new recruit, team mates, to his best friends were all caught off guard.
They all started to mutter about him. Some people ignored him without greeting him. Xiao Xia, on of his ex-team mates came up to Zhi An and yelled at him without regarding him as her commander, "WHY DID YOU COME BACK?!! YOU SON OF A B- WHYY? WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?!!"