"Take a copy of Lingang evening news, thank you."

Li Qing reached out from the window and caught the newspaper. At the same time, he handed over a bill: "don't change it."

"Thank you."

His upper body retracted the car, Li Qing glanced at the newspaper, and then gave a slight meal on the headline "Zhong Ruoxi left Hong Kong, and the successor of the inspector's office became a mystery".

With a gentle sigh of relief, Li Qing pushed the newspaper aside and glanced gently at the rearview mirror. More than 20 meters behind his silver gray car, a taxi kept flashing its headlights under the falling night.

"There are so many flies this summer," sighed Li Qing. Li Qing started the car and squeezed into the surging traffic on the road.

Hongqiao Coffee language tea, this shop is located in the downtown of Gangbei, with simple decoration but elegant style.

Li Qing reversed the car into the free parking space, got out of the car, looked up at the dark red plaque, and walked in.

It's 6:30 in the evening. The night in Gangbei city has just filled up. Looking at the street outside from the window, it's a gray and gloomy color.

Many boys and girls were laughing in a low voice in the store. Li Qing found a seat by the window and sat down. He put one hand on the table and looked out. The taxi immediately behind his car had stopped by the side of the road. Two young men in short sleeves came down from the car. One was looking around the store and the other was leaning against the side of the road to make a phone call.

"Sir, sir."

"Ah?" Li Qing looked back from the window and looked at the sweet smiling waitress.

"What would you like to drink, sir?"

Li Qing's voice was low: "is there a private room?"

"Yes," said the waitress with a smile, "but the price is a little more expensive. How many people are there?"

"All of you can take me." Li Qing said hurriedly and stood up.

The waitress's smile was slightly stiff, looked at Li Qing in confusion, and then turned to lead the way in front. She felt that Li Qing's face was familiar, but she couldn't remember his exact identity for a while.

The two men walked through the hall into the warm corridor.

I felt the man behind me suddenly pull his arm. The waitress screamed and suddenly turned around.

"Don't be afraid," said Li Qing, stuffing a thick pile of money into the waitress's hand. "Just find a private room and pick up some things. If someone asks, just say I'm in it, okay?"

Facing the bright eyes, the waitress subconsciously nodded.

"Great." Li Qing smiled, "where's the back door?"

The waitress held out her other hand and pointed to the end of the corridor. Her body could not help shivering slightly.

"Thank you." Li Qing nodded, rubbed her sideways, and soon disappeared at the end of the corridor. Only the waitress stood there, stunned for a while, hurriedly stuffed the money into her pocket, rubbed her cheeks and walked back to the front desk: "private room 3, a cup of cappuccino, a small craftsman's cake, two pistachios and walnuts..."

Li Qing opened the back door and walked to the slightly secluded street.

A business car came slowly from a distance and stopped at Li Qing's side.

Look around and make sure no one is following. Li Qing bends to open the door and drills in. Xie Yuyan is sitting inside.

The two looked at each other. Xie Yuyan raised his chin slightly and said coldly, "drive."

The car started and disappeared into the night

Li Qing pulled at his collar and slowly breathed out a breath. He turned his head and stared at Xie YuYan's exquisite cheek shrouded in the hazy night: "where are we going?"

"Lingang Biotechnology Research Institute," Xie Yuyan replied faintly, "Zhao Qili has always lived in the aseptic laboratory there."

Li Qing asked again, "did you find anything?"

Xie Yuyan thought: "There are some discoveries, but they are dispensable things, which are not of great value. However, you can rest assured, Mr. Thomson said. If it is genetic variation caused by excessive radiation, which leads to premature aging. If we still haven't had physical abnormalities for so long, there will be no risk. In other words, at least we are safe."

Li Qing frowned: "what do you mean that at least we are safe? That sounds awkward."

"Just be awkward." Xie Yuyan whispered, "we may also have some genetic variation, but the mutation site occurs in the recessive gene. Although it will not cause harm to ourselves, it may be passed on to the next generation. Of course, this probability is very small, and you don't have to take it too seriously."

Li Qing hesitated slightly. She couldn't help but put her hand into Xie YuYan's clothes and gently stroked her lower abdomen. Xie Yuyan has an excellent figure. She has been pregnant for two months, and her lower abdomen is still flat and greasy, without any sign of being pregnant.

"Li Qing." Xie Yuyan called, stretched out his jade hand and grabbed Li Qing's wrist.

"I'm a little worried," Li Qing said in a low voice. "Rain and smoke, can we talk?"

Xie Yuyan turned his head and threw his eyes out of the window: "it's not here. I'll give you this opportunity later."

Li Qing nodded and moved to the side, keeping a subtle distance with Xie Yuyan.

The bus left Lingang city center and arrived at Lingang Biotechnology Research Institute in an hour and a half.

Someone had been waiting there for a long time to guide Xie Yuyan and Li Qing. They entered the underground sterile laboratory unimpeded.

"Zhao Qili is inside. Go in and have a look." Xie Yuyan said and walked in front of Li Qing. About twenty or thirty meters ahead, when he was about to reach the end of the corridor, Xie Yuyan suddenly stopped and turned to face a large glass wall.

Li Qing immediately followed him and looked inside through the thick antibacterial glass. He saw an old man with thin silver hair sitting at the table with his waist bent. Compared with his bony body, the sick suit was like a loose sack covering his body.

Two researchers in sterile clothes put their palms on his shoulders to prevent the latter from falling suddenly. Dr. Thomson stood across the table, holding a math picture book in his hand and talking to the old man.

Li Qing narrowed her eyes and looked. There were three red apples and five yellow pears printed on the picture book. It was the kind of textbook commonly used in kindergarten to teach children mathematics. Obviously, Dr. Thomson is asking the old man to do math problems, but the latter's mind seems to be completely absent. He nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice, looking sleepy.

After five or six minutes, Dr. Thomson shrugged his shoulders helplessly and signaled the end of the practice. The two research assistants behind the old man helped the old man to bed, put some instruments on him, and then covered him with a thin blanket.

"Dr. Thomson is very excited. He has pushed off all academic activities in the past half a month." Xie Yuyan said softly, staring at the glass wall, "In a short period of more than ten days, it is a rare opportunity for any scientific research worker to completely study a person's later life until death and observe his physical changes. Such a time-saving, labor-saving and meaningful research is a rare opportunity."

"You kept your promise and didn't let him suffer." Li Qing said in a deep voice after a moment of silence, "thank you."

"Dr. Thomson is a Catholic, not a crazy science maniac. Even without your explanation, he won't let Zhao Qili die in pain."

Li Qing nodded: "but we still joined hands to deceive him. I'm afraid the damage to his soul is far better than his body."

Xie Yuyan took a look at Li Qing: "he has developed dementia symptoms. I'm afraid he can't even remember who you are."

While they were talking, Dr. Thomson came out of the sterility laboratory and said hello to Xie Yuyan: "Miss Xie, this is..."

He said that Mandarin has an unpleasant Western rolling sound, which gives people an extremely awkward feeling, but his pronunciation is quite clear.

"Li Qing," Xie Yuyan said.

"Oh, it's Mr. Li." Dr. Thomson stretched out his hand to Li Qing. "Hello, I often hear miss Xie mention you."

Li Qing shook hands with him, then quickly released it and asked, "how's his situation?"

Thomson held out his hand reluctantly: "he is now as old as a 97 year old man, but his intelligence has degenerated to the level of a three-year-old. My office has detailed research records. Would you like to go with me?"

"No need." Xie Yuyan shook his head slightly. "We'll take a look here and go."

"Well, if you need anything, please let me know," Thomson said. "But I suggest you avoid contact with him now. His organ failure is very serious. If you get mental stimulation, it is very easy to cause life-threatening."

"Thank you." Li Qing answered and watched Dr. Thomson leave.

"Ninety seven years old..." Xie Yuyan whispered, "if Zhao Qili didn't meet this change, I'm afraid he would live longer than us."

Li Qing propped one hand on the glass wall and stared at Zhao Qili's wrinkled old face in the sterile laboratory for a long time.

Zhao Qili suddenly grabbed the sleeves of the researchers around him, opened his eyes and stared at Li Qing without blinking. His turbid eyes were full of curiosity, like the eyes of a child when he saw amazing things. His lips wriggled for a moment, as if asking the researchers who came outside to see his own man and woman.

Li Qing took a deep breath: "let's go."

"Yes." Xie Yuyan lit his head.

At the moment when Li Qing turned and left, Zhao Qili suddenly raised his dry palm like an eagle's claw and waved it to him as a farewell. The action was so ordinary, but it showed a natural and unrestrained pleasure of looking down on life and death.

This novel has been translated by www.readwn.com and if you are reading this somewhere, they have stolen our translation.