MLiS – Chapter 15.2

Let’s Just Divorce

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Luo Lan stepped out of the operating room. She was welcomed by heavily armed soldiers guarding the operating room, and several policemen waiting with ugly faces.

A policeman noticed Luo Lan and wanted to come over, but was intercepted by soldiers. The policeman could only harden his face and shout, “Luo Xun?”

Luo Lan removed her surgical mask and asked with weariness, “What’s the matter?” 

She was engrossed in fighting Death for 13 hours and was now exhausted. Her brain had completely turned to paste. She just wished to find a place to sleep right away.

“We have received a report that you have illegally performed gene-repair surgery. Please come with us and cooperate with the investigation.”

“Oh, okay!” Luo Lan agreed without delay. She bypassed the soldier and strolled to the policeman.

A few policemen gawked. So simple? 

They saw the ferocious soldiers had no intention to stop her. Finally, they could lead Luo Lan out.

They were about to leave the hospital when Chen Sha strode to catch up, “The operation was approved by me. I also need to cooperate with the investigation.”

Several policemen glanced at each other.

Chen Sha stated, “We happen to be in the same place. In this way, you can save a trip.”

With a feeling of “It seems reasonable, but I can’t tell what’s strange“, several policemen led Chen Sha and Luo Lan into the police car.

Luo Lan got into the police car and found Chen Sha beside her, “Why are you here?”

Chen Sha answered her question with a question, “Are you tired?”

Luo Lan was exhausted to the point she couldn’t speak. There was no way to save her face right now so she nodded honestly, “Fortunately my physical ability is A. Otherwise, I would have passed out long ago.”

Chen Sha voiced, “Close your eyes. Have a rest.”

Luo Lan tugged the corners of her mouth, smiling reluctantly. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in a blink.

The police car sped away in the night.

Luo Lan’s head gradually tilted to the side.

Chen Sha sat upright, motionless as if waiting for something to happen.

However, Luo Lan’s body seemed to have its own error-correction function. When she was about to lean on Chen Sha’s shoulder, she would sit up straight again and continue to sleep.

Then, after a while, her body would tilt to the side again.

She kept swaying, continuously tilting to his side just to sit up straight. 

The time she was about to correct herself, Chen Sha maintained his upright figure and quickly moved to Luo Lan’s side. At last, Luo Lan’s head rested on his shoulder.

Chen Shan set his hands on his knees. His figure stayed still and he stared straight ahead.

Luo Lan shifted as if she detected something was different. She furrowed her brows and let out an “Mn” from her lips, with a long trail of a thick nasal sound.

Chen Sha held his breath and dared not move.

Luo Lan’s brows loosened like she had found a comfortable position. Her head sank against his neck and she slept peacefully.

Chen Sha breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of the car speed, he preserved his upright figure, becoming an unshakable figure that allowed the person on his shoulder to sleep soundly.

————·————·————

When Dawn was breaking, Luo Lan’s breath became rapid. Her expression was in agony. 

Chen Sha reckoned that she was in a nightmare and called out in a soft voice, “Luo Lan, Luo Lan…”

Luo Lan jolted from the nightmare and saw Chen Sha close at hand. She paled from fear and shrank herself to the door of the car.

“It’s just a dream…” Chen Sha bent over to appease her.

Luo Lan exerted her strength to extricate herself from his approaching hand. Her eyes clouded with fear as if he had transformed into a man-eating beast who would tear her to pieces at any given moment.

His heart was astringent. He retreated right away, “No matter what you dream, it’s just a dream.”

Chen Sha’s calm voice was like a basin of cold water that sobered Luo Lan’s mind. 

She inhaled a few deep breaths and slowly settled down. Glimpsing at the appearance of Chen Sha, she knew that he had misunderstood. But, there were some things she could not explain. Hence, she could only make the best of a bad bargain and let him misunderstand.

She moved her gaze out of the window and glossed the situation over, “This is the police station?”

No matter how slow the car was, they would have arrived at the police station within an hour from the hospital. Yet, right now, she could see the first glimmer of dawn. 

Several policemen stood outside the car listlessly and kept stealing a glance at her with strange eyes.

Luo Lan checked her personal terminal in disbelief, it was already more than 5 o’clock in the morning. Falling into bewilderment, she whispered to Chen Sha, “Did something happen on the road? How come we just arrived at the police station?”

Chen Sha ignored her. With his typical poker-face, he got out of the car and went straight ahead. Several policemen opened the way like small attendants, Luo Lan could only trail behind him in silence.

After entering the police station, according to the regulations, Luo Lan and Chen Sha should be separated to give their own statement.

The two policemen in charge of the interrogation initially assumed that Luo Lan would count on the Commander’s support for her and made a fuss. They did not expect Luo Lan to be so cooperative.

They asked and Luo Lan answered. In less than half an hour, Luo Lan explained her ‘crime’ clearly. She even took the initiative to tell the police, “As per the rules in the hospital, there are video recordings of all operations. If you need evidence, you can ask the hospital for it.”

The two policemen were at a loss, they peeked at each other. This was the first time they encountered such a cooperative criminal. They replied with a complicated mood in their heart, “The Commander is your guarantor, so you can go back. However, before the investigation results come out, your movement will be limited and you can’t leave Alikarta. You also must cooperate with the investigation at any time.”

“I understand.”

Luo Lan walked out of the interrogation room with her mind weighed down. She tilted her head up and noticed Chen Sha was waiting outside.

He faced the window with his back to her, still in his yesterday’s military uniform. He stood tall and straight, resembling a peerless sword awaiting to wrest control of the strike the Fate bestowed.

Luo Lan recalled her dream. Her heart was startled and she paused her movement

Chen Sha promptly turned around. He keenly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Luo Lan concealed her emotions and replied, “I answered the questions from the police frankly. I don’t beat around the bush nor do I mince the truth. There should be no problem with it, right?”

“It’s alright.”

Chen Sha didn’t seem to mind what she said at all. He didn’t even ask a word about it.

The working hours had not yet begun. In the silent corridor, only they walked side by side.

Luo Lan was dispirited, without anything to talk about, she unconsciously blurted out, “Those policemen aren’t aware of my true identity. They have no idea of what’s truly going on and they seem to regard me as your mistress.”

Chen Sha remained silent.

“They didn’t ask and I didn’t explain. Anyway, Zong Li knows about it so it’s not like I deceived the police.”

Chen Sha was still silent.

Luo Lan called to mind that Feng Lin was taken away by Zong Li. She showed her concern, “How is Feng Lin?”

Chen Sha finally reacted and warned, “Feng Lin has someone powerful backing her. You don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

Luo Lan was reminded of her awkward identity and shut her mouth. As a foreign princess, keeping her distance from Feng Lin was the greatest help she could offer to Feng Lin who was accused of treason.

When they reached the parking lot, they saw that the person who came to pick them up was the old-fashioned and solemn An Da.

Luo Lan was struck by surprise. He tugged Chen Sha’s clothes and spoke under her breath, “Isn’t he the Consul’s person? Why is he here?”

Chen Sha only gave a faint “Oh”^[1] 

She couldn’t decipher what it meant.

“Will you be scolded by the Consul?” Luo Lan was a little nervous.

“He never scolds people.” Chen Sha’s words were very honest. Except, the latter half of his sentence was omitted, “He is the kind that beat people directly to the hospital.”

Luo Lan was relieved. She had a clear conscience. No matter what the result was, she could accept it calmly. As long as she didn’t drag Chen Sha down with her.

The three of them got in the car, Luo Lan saw that An Da and Chen Sha had no intention to converse. Therefore, she politely requested, “Can I get in touch with my colleagues via video?”

Chen Sha nodded and An Da replied, “Please do as you wish, Madam.”

Luo Lan opened her address book and contacted An Na.

“How is Zeni?”

An Na was prepared and transferred Zeni’s latest inspection report at once to her. While Luo Lan browsed the report, she inquired about Zeni’s post-operation response.

She finished reading the report and instructed An Na to increase the dosage of the two gene medications.

She arranged everything throughout and cut off the video. She was about to close her eyes for a rest when she heard An Da ask, “How long will it take to ensure Zeni passed the critical period after the operation and his life is saved?”

“Generally, around three or four days.”

“Three or four days…” An Da repeated, absorbed in his thought.

Luo Lan confirmed that he had no more questions and tipped her head against the window. She closed her eyes to sleep.

Arriving at their house, Luo Lan drank a can of nutrients and drew a hot bath. She threw herself into bed and wanted to continue to sleep. She couldn’t go to work, anyway. She didn’t have anything to do even if she was up all night.

Nonetheless, all kinds of thoughts kept coming and going in her mind. As one fell and another rose, she couldn’t sleep at all.

She recalled of her dream in today’s morning——

She was doing a gene surgery. She was proficient and confident in her every move as if she had done it many times. There were many people talking around her, but she couldn’t hear anything clearly. Eventually, she heard a familiar voice. She looked in the direction of the voice and found it was Dr. Mu.

He smiled and embraced her. He kissed her cheek, especially intimate with full of affection.

She was shaken by fear. Then, the scene warped.

She was in death-row prisoner clothes. She stood on the execution ground. Standing before her was the Consul. The masked Consul appeared to be like a cruel Grim Reaper. He coldly pronounced her sentence, “Execute her!”

Feng Lin pointed to her nose and scolded with contempt and fury, “You are a great liar. A condemned criminal dares to pretend to be a princess!”

Zi Yan was smiling with his eyes curved. Countless of his tarot cards flying around, intending to kill her.

Luo Lan fled in despair, but Chen Sha obstructed her. With a frosty face, he held a sword and pierced her.……

She roused up with a start just in time to see Chen Sha in front of her. She thought she was still in a dream.

Chen Sha then told her, “No matter what you dream, it’s just a dream.”. But, for her, sooner or later, it would come true!

Luo Lan turned over and sat up. She activated her zhi nao. Her initial plan was to watch some entertainment programs and relax. Yet, she caught a lot of news about her.

Luo Lan thought today’s incident would be done after a small-scale investigation. She had successfully completed the operation. As long as she made clear the causes and consequences of the incident, there should be no major problem. She did not expect that the genetic surgery of an ordinary orphan would become a malignant incident worthy of national concern.

She changed several channels in a row, all criticizing her for flouting the law and disregarding human life. Some media even launched a poll on whether to sentence Luo Xun with the death penalty.

Luo Lan wryly smiled. Seemed like she really had a Fate with the death penalty. Perhaps, in the end, regardless of her attempt to escape, she still couldn’t escape from the clutch of Death.

Luo Lan shut her zhi nao off and mulled over.

She didn’t understand politics. In any case, she still understood that the government had to explain to the public because things had escalated this far. If Zeni could survive the critical period, her life would be tolerated. If Zeni couldn’t survive, she would be a murderer with irrefutable evidence. If she wasn’t dealt with thoughtfully, the people’s wrath would be hard to quench.

No wonder An Da would condescend himself to pick them up in person. 

No wonder An Da asked her that question in the car. 

These three or four days were not ordinary three or four days. It’s just… The person the Consul worried about should not be her, but Chen Sha. He must fear that she would drag Chen Sha down and ruin his bright future.

Luo Lan pondered it over and came to a decision.

Since she had dragged Chen Sha into the water, she ought to do her best to remedy it and send Chen Sha ashore.

She plucked up her courage and changed her clothes. She combed her hair and put on some light make-up to cover the fatigue on her face.

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Footnotes

1. 唔 – wú. Oh (expression of agreement or surprise).↵

Attachments

Amoeba’s Corner

Hooray, I’m still alive?

Forgive me for disappearing for two whole months. I did say not to trust me.

Real Life happens, and now I’m back.

I also have deleted some of my notes from previous chapters and corrected some typos. Nothing major, though.

————·————·————

Sneak-a-Peek

“Oho~! What are you guys doing standing there? Are you guys filming a love movie?” Zi Yan’s eyes skimmed over them before he casually passed them and entered the conference room to take his seat.

Obligatory Closing
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This chapter words count (excluding title, footnotes, and TL’s corner): 2354

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