Silence

As the sun sets, Yuze's team members enjoyed their share of drinks beside the beach cafe in the heart of Shanghai. Tonight was their welcome party for all the newbies who will join the police force in the future. At the cafe, they played a mini ice breaker game to get the energy up. Xinyan relaxed as she enjoyed a sip of her mojito. As she looked around, Yuze wasn't there. Officer Lu, who was on his phone for the whole time, didn't seem to worry too much. 

"Officer Lu, is Officer Jiang coming? I don't see him." Xinyan leaned in and asked in a relaxed manner because she didn't want to come off too strong. 

"Oh, our team leader? He doesn't really join us. He's probably in the car now." Officer Lu laughed as he was watching a variety show on his phone. Xinyan nodded. She looked at other people who were enjoying their time, discussing various sports and hobbies. 

Interesting group, she thought. Xinyan excused herself as she went to the bathroom, but truthfully, she kind of wanted to know what Officer Jiang was up to. Since she was supposed to be his partner, she didn't want to look too selfish, especially since she was new. Xinyan wanted to learn more and to gain more knowledge. 

Xinyan walked outside as the weather cooled down. There was a lighthouse on her right side and she saw a man who looked like Officer Jiang was standing there. As she walked closer to him, Yuze didn't seem to notice her. 

"The sky looks like a painting." Xinyan smiled as she enjoyed the slight breeze. She turned to Yuze who had his eyes closed. He didn't mutter a single word. As he opened his eyes, he only looked at the horizon. It reminded him of Haoran as they were fooling around. 

"Yuze, when we graduate from university, let's get a job at the beach so we can work and play every day. How does that sound?" Yuze looked at him and laughed.

"How about thinking about how we're going to complete our project...It's going to be due tomorrow morning, and we didn't even write a single word." Yuze rested his arm on Haoran's shoulder. 

"Yuze, promise me something?" 

"What?" 

"If I'm not here one day, remember to take care of yourself. Don't eat instant noodles every day." Haoran was a kind-hearted young man and an only friend to Yuze who struggled to make friends since he was young. 

"Where are you going?" Yuze asked in curiosity. 

"..." Haoran smiled and looked at Yuze, "Promise me, no matter where I am... take care of yourself." That was the last time they saw each other. In the end, it was Yuze who finished their final project. 

Yuze remembered watching the news of his friend's disappearance, and he was in shock like many other people. He didn't understand why til this day. 

Xinyan stood beside Yuze around ten minutes without talking. The awkward silence was getting to her. As she looked on the horizon, it was already dark with minimal lighting except for the lights in the cafe. 

"Officer Jiang, should we head back?" Xinyan turned to Yuze, who ignored her whole existence for the past ten minutes, finally muttered a single word. 

"Hm." Before Yuze reached the cafe, he stopped mid-way. Just then, he noticed he forgot to bring his anxiety medication. 

"Is something the matter?" Xinyan saw his expression changed in a matter of minutes. Yuze struggled to make his trembling hand stop and when she saw that, she said nothing. As she looked around her, there weren't many people outside. 

"Officer Jiang, I'll be right back. Please wait for me." 

After a few seconds, Xinyan came back with a hand warmer and a hot cup of hot chocolate from the vending machine. Yuze didn't expect her to come back so quickly. Xinyan looked away and handed the warmer and hot chocolate to him. 

"You don't have to say thank you. Since we're partners, I can't just leave you." Xinyan blushed because Yuze was very handsome. After a few minutes, Yuze felt much better. He didn't know how the trembling stopped, but he was feeling way better than before. 

Yuze stood up and said, "Let's go. We still have work tomorrow." His expression was cold and stern again. Xinyan sighed and stood up. "Back to square one all over again. Why did I step up and help him?" 

As they headed back to the cafe, everyone stopped drinking as Yuze came into the room. The atmosphere feels kind of tense, Xinyan thought. 

"For those who drank tonight, take a day off tomorrow. For those who didn't, we still have work to do." Yuze walked away as he went to the front and paid for the service. Everyone looked at Xinyan. "What did you do to Officer Jiang? He's usually not like this." Officer Lu asked her and Xinyan stammered, "I did nothing. Seriously, I didn't." 

"Xinyan, I didn't know what you did, but Officer Jiang is like a changed person. He usually punishes us when we drink too much. And his temper was something else." Officer Han, who was also a teammate with Yuze, was in shock. 

"Is his temper really that bad?" Xinyan asked them and they all nodded. Yuze's expression remains unchanged while he waited behind Xinyan. 

"Are you finished?" 

Xinyan turned around in shock because she didn't expect Officer Jiang to be behind her. She nodded quickly and moved out of the way. Everyone pretended nothing happened, and they quickly got their things ready. 

Xinyan looked outside the window as they drove back to the station. She cannot forget about Yuze's cold expression. She wanted to know more about him and how he became like this. Xinyan believes that behind every smile, tears, or pain... everyone must have a story.