chapter 6 ( can't let go )

 Li Qi entered his house, didn't turn on the lights, and sat in the dark. Her words echoed in his ear. "I don't want a killer in my house. Leave and don't come back. "I don't want to see your face again." Anger rose in his chest, and he shouted, "Okay." "Why am I thinking about that?"

 Then he left his house and went to a brothel, where he appeared to be a customer. When he went in, the host greeted him. "Hello, Mr Mo Chou, You can use room number five. "Your hostess will be with you right away." Li Qi went to the room and sat there.

 After a while, a tall, burly woman walked in. At first sight, it's not immediately apparent that she's a transgender woman. She's very pretty and feminine. 

"You're coming earlier than you used to, you usually come in the middle of the night, is there a problem?" the woman asked.

 "Why would there be a problem?" Li Qi retorted, looking at her indifferently. 

"Are you bothered by my presence? Would you like me to leave?"

 Then he stood up. She approached him, locking eyes with him, and said,

 "Well, you seem uncomfortable, and something is bothering you. Let me entertain you a little. Do you want something to drink?" 

He shook his head. She began to take off what she was wearing and put it on the bedside table, then whispered to herself, "It looks like it's going to be a rough night."

Indeed, it was as she had predicted; Li Qi engaged in rough sex with her, his hands tightening around her neck. In the heat of the moment, his eyes shut tight, but behind them, Mandolin's face haunted him. With each passing moment, his grip on his partner's neck grew tighter. She sighed loudly and said, "You are a good man, and I love you." "I love you." Li Qi loosened his grip, snapping back to reality.

After they finished having sex, Li Qi began getting dressed while his partner remarked,

"You were more aggressive than usual. But I'm the perfect match for you."

She smiled, but his smile was forced. She continued, 

"If any other woman were in my place, you would have killed her immediately."

Li Qi turned immediately and stared at her with flaming eyes. The woman got frightened and said, 

"I don't mean anything bad. I'm sorry. I'm sorry; please forgive me."

Li Qi took his shoes in his hand and left the room. Another woman entered the room minutes after he left and asked,

"Why did this customer come out in such a hurry that I thought he killed you and fled from the scene of the crime?"

Li Qi's partner admitted, 

"Indeed, he was killing me, but I know how to deal with him. I should not stop him or fight back against him when he is suffocating me. On the contrary, I must relax completely until he loosens his grip. But tonight he was so angry that I thought he would really kill me."

The other hostess asked,

 "But why did he come out like this as long as you kept it under control?"

"I don't know!" "I commented that if it had been a woman other than me, she would have died in his hands, so he looked at me with a terrifying look, and then I apologized, and he quickly left."

The other hostess interjected,

 "Oh, you mentioned to him what actually happened; he actually killed another woman before."

Li Qi's partner got emotional and said,

 "What? And how did he get away with it? And how is he allowed to be here?"

The other hostess answered,

 "He didn't actually kill her, but he didn't know. He just strangled her so hard that she passed out, and because she was taking a type of drug, she seemed to be dead. The house took a lot of money from him, convinced him they'd handle the body, and begged him not to come back. Because he is more violent than even the girls who are accustomed to violent sex can handle, he did not return there, and no house accepted him except us. He really believed that he killed her."

Li Qi's partner commented,

 "So you sacrifice me, and you don't care about my safety?"

The other hostess was defensive,

 "What do you say? We are all in danger here. At least you are strong and you can act wisely. You know how to control any situation. You understand this type of man very well, but we may see someone who looks shy and ordinary, but in reality, he is sadistic and horrid.

"By the way, Mr. Mo Chou is not sadistic or having fun choking his six partners; he's almost unconscious and never enjoys torturing me." Li Qi's partner said.

The other hostess left her, saying, "Rest a bit; you must be exhausted," and walked out.

 Li Qi returned home, stripped off his clothes, and tossed them into the washing machine. Then, he took a shower before heading to bed, where he stretched out. After a few minutes, he began crying and continued to do so until he fell asleep.

Li Qi woke up in the morning with puffy eyes and a tired face. After taking a bath, he looked in the mirror and felt an urgent urge to cry. So he slapped his face and scolded himself, "Stop this nonsense; don't cry; stop; what's wrong with you?" Tears streamed from his eyes onto his cheeks as he continued to slap himself. Eventually, he washed his face and went to the kitchen to make breakfast, saying to himself, "Control yourself; what you're doing is so ridiculous; are you losing your mind or what? Forget everything and live your life as usual." Once he finished breakfast, he sat down at his computer to do some work. Afterward, he got dressed and headed out. Unable to prevent himself, he went to Mandolin's office and waited at a pub across the building, hoping to catch sight of her leaving. However, after the working hours were over, he didn't see her among her colleagues. Li Qi then went to her home and waited from a distance until he saw her leaving with two suitcases, accompanied by the property guard. Tense, he hailed a taxi and followed her to the airport, keeping close behind until she entered the departure gate. Hastily returning home, he connected his computer to his phone and transferred a photo of Mandolin's passport to his computer. He had taken a copy of her passport during their second meeting in her apartment while waiting for her to come home. He contacted a hacker he regularly worked with to obtain the information he needed and awaited a response impatiently. Within a few hours, the hacker provided the city Mandolin had travelled to in China, the hotel she was staying at, and the length of her stay. Booking the first flight, Li Qi followed her to the hotel provided by the hacker, ensuring her existence firsthand before moving to another hotel to avoid chance encounters. He continued to closely monitor her movements, persistently tracking her until he knew her new address. He then searched for an apartment on the same street as Mandolin's, finding one with a view of her window—the exact feature he desired. Obtaining a professional camera with high magnification, he fixed it in front of his window to observe and record her movements. From his vantage point, he could only catch glimpses of Mandolin inside her apartment when she was passing by the window. The camera had the ability to record a video of what was happening in front of it and store it on the memory card inside, allowing Li Qi to closely monitor Mandolin's activities. Li Qi was deeply bothered by the fact that the more he observed her, whether through the camera or when she departed from the building, the sadder he became, and the need to sob grew stronger. Despite being able to see Mandolin, this persistent feeling of sadness and the urge to cry remained, causing him significant distress. To regain his composure, he decided to seek help from a therapist. He also changed his nickname from Mo Chou to Li Chao to cover up his identity, as he usually does.

When Li Qi walked into the therapist's room, he felt hesitation. However, before he could retreat, the therapist welcomed him professionally. "Welcome, Mr. Li Chao, How can I help you today? I'm ready to hear from you." 

Li Qi sat in front of the therapist on the chair, but he was still unwilling to speak. The therapist encouraged him by saying,

 "What is bothering you, Mr. Li Chao? What brings you here today?"

 As the therapist repeatedly addressed him as 'Li Chao,' Li Qi began to feel relatively comfortable and safe, as if he were speaking on behalf of someone else.