Haunting memories

After saying her goodbyes to Li Wei, Feng Tian instantly headed toward the bathroom on getting to her room. Quickly cleaning herself up before heading straight to bed and within an hour, after turning and tossing for a while, she finally found sleep.

In her slumber, Feng Tian sighed and pulled her bed cover closely before turning to her side, then suddenly, she felt a large hand grab her by the throat, immediately snapping her eyes open, she sucks in a breath as she is met by the face that has been haunting her non-stop in her dreams;

Her breathing become labored.

Fear! That was the proper name to describe what she felt at the moment, instantly feeling the grip on her neck loosen, she gasped loudly and immediately put her brain to work, but before she could react, she suddenly felt a large hand pull her by the neck again, and she watched the scene before her slowly began to fade.

Feng Tian gasped as she opened her eyes again, lightly turning to examine her new surroundings, then suddenly she heard a voice call out in anguish.

"Qi Sheng!" Feng Lin rush towards the battered Qi Sheng in tears,

Feng Tian sighed. Feeling the tears rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably watched helplessly as she watched Wang Hai slowly pick up a knife and handed it to the hesitant Bai Yi Chen who seems to be swayed by his malevolent intentions.

Feng Tian's voice, a cry for help, sounded from her throat. She reached for her surroundings in desperation but was unable to move. Her heart sank as she witnessed Bai Yi Chen hesitate for a brief moment before finally taking a dreadful step toward Feng Lin.

"No, please!! Miss, run," Feng Tian screamed only to realize that no sound emerged from where she spoke, immediately she roughly cover her mouth in horror, and her eyes widen as she watched Qi Sheng groan in protest while Wang Hai roughly pull Feng Lin up by the hair,

"Yi Chen no, don't do it." Feng Lin whispered to Bai Yi Chen who raises the knife and stabbed her.

"No!" Feng Tian cried out as she watched as Qi Sheng began to struggle to grab a hold of Bai Yi Chen, who immediately shove him off,

"C-chun Huan, run!" Feng Lin yelled at the scared female standing by the door.

Feng Tian gasped, unable to move her feet as she watched Feng Lin desperately grabbed unto Bai Yi Chen's shoulders,

"D-don't do it, I'm with our child." Feng Lin whispered, Bai Yi Chen's eyes flickering in hesitation for a moment before Wang Hai suddenly grab his hand, using it to repeatedly stab Feng Lin.

But the scene unfolded as it had in the past, as if the cruel hand of fate would not release its grip. She watched helplessly as Feng Lin's life was extinguished before her very eyes.

"No!!" Feng Tian cried out as she watched Feng Lin's lifeless body drop to the ground.

Feng Tian's voice, a desperate plea, was as futile in her dream as it had been in reality. She was immobilized, rendered powerless by the unremitting grip of her recurring nightmare. Her terror mounted as the nightmare continued to play out its cruel tableau.

Feng Lin's unwavering bravery in the face of imminent danger pierced Feng Tian's soul. Her own powerlessness gnawed at her, a feeling she had harbored since that fateful day.

As Wang Hai advanced, Feng Tian's immobilized feet emphasized her vulnerability. The oppressive atmosphere weighed her down, her helplessness intensifying with every step he took.

Frantically shaking her head in protest while trying to move her feet, Feng Tian wept.

Before she could scream, a hand on her shoulder pulled her back into the abyss of her nightmare.

★★★★★★★★

Bathed in sweat, Feng Tian jolted out of her sleep, her breath heavy. Immediately, she roughly run her hand through her hair before slowly reaching her hand towards her face to wipe the tears that were still rolling down her cheeks, trying to dispel the haunting images that had plagued her dream.

She adjusted her silk nightgown and got out of bed, heading to her apartment's window. The view outside, with the city lights twinkling in the distance, often brought her a sense of calm.

Feng Tian sighed as she gaze up at the view in front of her, she had specifically asked Li Wei to get her an apartment with a great view for times like this. Still lost in her reverie, she didn't even notice the man walking toward her with a blanket in his hands until he wraps it around her.

"Why are you so stressed, another nightmare?"

"When did you get here?" she asked. Slightly turning to face him as she adjusted the blankets,

"You were asleep when I got back, I was able to finish my shoot earlier." Charlie said with a smile,

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, and she immediately shook her head no,

"You should go back to sleep, you must be tired from your trip, I'm fine." she said. Charlie knew how Feng Tian was, whenever she was like this she would prefer to be left on her own, so he nodded, staring back at her one more time before heading back to bed.

The following morning, Feng Tian headed to the gym, her usual place to channel her emotions. Her forceful punches on the sandbag reverberating in the spacious, well-equipped gym, waking up Charlie, who then decided to join her as he quickly headed towards the bathroom to get ready.

"Wow! What did the punching bag do to you? Don't tell me you are imagining it's my brother's face."

"Morning," Feng Tian greeted as she swing the punching bag his way, Charlie smirked.

Feng Tian's punches were fierce, her pent-up emotions finding release in the rhythmic thudding of her gloves against the sandbag. Her exhaustion was evident, her movements carrying the weight of her inner turmoil. Charlie's concern was palpable as he noticed her tired appearance

"You good? You look like you didn't get much sleep last night." Charlie asked, quickly adjusting his footing as he grab the sandbag, but before Feng Tian could reply, they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening,

"Li Wei, good morning." Charlie greeted,

"M-Mr Wang, I didn't realize you were here, I would have prepared you a more suitable lodging than the CEO's apartment." Li Wei said while forcing a smile, his attempt to hide his distaste proving to be futile,

"Nah, I'm good here, isn't that right cupcake?"

"What are you doing here? I remember I didn't have an appointment till later in the day," Feng Tian asked as she proceeded to take off her boxing glove before heading to her office,

"Yes, you have a meeting with Mr. Hikaru Yamamoto the Japanese investor in the afternoon, by the way, what is he doing here?!" Li Wei said while whisper yelling out the last part, causing Feng Tian to roll her eyes at him for being dramatic.

"I can hear you, you know." Charlie yelled,

"Come on, Li Wei, Charlie is just a friend… well, a friend with benefits,"

"He's a Wang, the half brother of the person you are planning to destroy, you think he's really okay with you trying to destroy his family," Li Wei retorted,

"Trust me, he is. Besides I'm an adult, a woman with needs who is not planning to stay celibate like you."

"Anyway, enough about that, why are you here?"

"It's Qi yan, he came by this morning and threw a fit about wanting to see you."

"I'm guessing he didn't take my offer very nicely," Feng Tian said,

"Yes, the commissioner called and said he refused to drop the case, can I ask you why you asked the commissioner to assign him to you for a special duty?"

"He's still the same, looks like I have to solve this myself." Feng Tian muttered. Her eyes glinting with mischief, causing Li Wei to raise a brow at her remark,

"Any lead on Qi Sheng?" Feng Tian asked as she made her way toward the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee,

"We are working on it, but the man we placed on Li Bin has disappeared, I guess Sui An must have taken care of him before he disappeared."

Feng Tian nodded, she had already seen it coming, and moves like that were not going to affect her plans one bit, after all, she had worked her butt off for the past two years just so she could bring down both Wang Hai and Bai Yi Chen. Taking one last look at her coffee, she quickly empty the contents and made her way toward her room to prepare herself for the day.

By the time she was done, Li Wei was already waiting by the car with the driver, after settling in the car, she immediately gestured to the driver,

"Alright, to the police station."