Something Beautiful and Wicked

They rode for hours through long and endless roads, grasping the view of karst hills along countryside valleys. Shi Ailin had been to main cities throughout the country, and beyond it, but she hadn't taken the time to appreciate the beauty of small towns and rural areas.      

Most of the roads were empty, and it felt peaceful as if they were away from the noise and large crowds.      

Luo Wanting pulled over to stop for gas.      

Shi Ailin walked inside the empty gas station to pick up some snacks, a physical map of the province, flashlights, tampons, and an on-the-go pack full of other essentials. As she went to the counter, Luo Wanting joined her to pay for the gas while the local news channel played in the background. It reported missing people the families are concerned about. There are no leads, and the local police are searching for more information.      

Shi Ailin paid attention briefly as she stared at the lower screen of the screen that flashed about the increasing crime rate. The counter clerk noticed her looking at it. "Those people will be found," she said.      

"How do you know?" Shi Ailin questioned.      

"What do you mean, dear?" she replied. "They'll be found when they're dead, as most people who've vanished in this town. One way or another, if they're not already buried."      

Shi Ailin looked at the woman as she rang them up with scrunched brows. The middle-aged woman continued with a sigh. "This area is usually peaceful, as are many of our neighbouring towns. But, you've seen the news. The crime rates are going up, and there is no telling why."      

Shi Ailin and Luo Wanting glanced at each other.      

"Is there any specific reason?" Shi Ailin inquired.     

The store clerk shook her head. "Not that any of us know."      

"Why do you think people are vanishing?"     

She shrugged. "Don't know. Happens all the time. But it's not good that it's happening more than ever."      

The woman had a point, Shi Ailin thought. After the confrontation with Shi Ma, Luo Wanting and Yuan Shun took care of the bodies of the people that died, and she didn't ask or inquire about what they did with them. They either returned them to their families by placing them in spots for people to find, or they were buried, thus vanishing forever. Shi Ailin started to feel guilty, but she had to remember it was an us or them moment.      

 The store clerk gave them a bag with their stuff.      

"Thank you," Shi Ailin muttered, following Luo Wanting toward the car.      

"Be safe!" The woman said.      

They slid back inside and started to drive away. Shi Ailin sat deep in thought.      

"Wanting," she said softly.      

"Yes?" he answered.      

"Have you ever been afraid…well, of getting caught for what you do?"     

Luo Wanting kept looking at the road ahead. He sighed. "Always," he told her. "It's not a simple task."      

"Then why do you do it?"     

He glanced at her briefly before paying attention to the road. His lips curved slightly. "It's what established us. We committed crimes, we make money, and then we invest it towards the companies we build. Sometimes it can be thrilling, and other times are exhausting. But I told you since the beginning. I am not the good guy or the prince you deserve."      

Shi Ailin looked at him. To her, Luo Wanting was impeccable. He was polished and refined, respectable, amiable, charming. He was devilishly handsome and dangerous, but not a danger towards her. He exuded a sexual charge that she wanted to entwine with her body and her soul.      

"Who said I wanted a prince charming?" she questioned. "I'd rather have you."      

He smiled.      

They kept driving, and Shi Ailin kept paying attention to the roads. When they were passing by independent stores, Shi Ailin noticed a two-poster board with a sign. "Can we stop here?" she told Luo Wanting. He then kept driving up the road to turn around, and they parked in front of a small wooden shop.      

They got out of the car and stepped inside. It was so small that three people could fit in it. There were shelves of jars of exotic fruits inside; others were pastes and jams. There were fresh bread and eggs in woven baskets.      

"Why did we stop?" Luo Wanting questioned softly.      

She observed each shelf, finding apricot jam within the various flavours. She smiled and grabbed one for purchase, alongside some bread. "My mother would eat this every morning," she said. "If she were to pass by. This is somewhere she'd stop."      

"Let me ask the clerk," he said.      

He then approached a young man, who looked about Shi Ailin's age. The chances of him or anyone remembering their customers were slim.      

"Apricot jam," the young man said. "Not the most popular, but very delicious."      

"Do you often get a lot of customers?" Luo Wanting questioned. It wasn't a very kind one, but he wanted to get to the point.      

"Not really, sir," he replied. "We are in the middle of nowhere. Not many stop by this shop; many travellers often gravitate toward the city. We're independent and connected to a farm."      

"How do you manage fresh food?" Luo Wanting asked. "If the sales are not hot."     

"We make them, and we sell. What we don't sell, we'd eat it or ship them to the markets."      

"I see," he replied. "How long have you been running the shop?"      

"Since I was nine, sir," the shop clerk replied.      

Luo Wanting smiled. "Do you often get couples that pass by here?"      

"Mostly, families or truck drivers who pass by."      

Luo Wanting showed him a picture. "Have you seen this couple by chance? The woman would have requested the apricot jam and bread."      

The young man looked at the photo. "Can't remember, sir. My memory isn't that great. Why are you looking for them?"     

"They're missing."      

The young store clerk's eyes widened. He then quickly said, "I wouldn't know about that. Sorry, sir." Luo Wanting looked at him, his eyes narrowing. The man looked nervous as his hands shook slightly as he entered the cash in the register, giving them their change.      

"Have you heard of the increasing crime rate in this area?" Luo Wanting questioned him.      

The man gulped. "Increasing crime rate? I live nowhere. I mustn't have noticed. Don't spend too much time watching the television."      

"I see then," Luo Wanting said with an unkind smile. "Sorry to waste your time."     

"Not a problem," he replied nervously.      

Luo Wanting left with Shi Ailin trailed at his side.      

"What's going on?"     

"They've passed here," he said. "He betrayed knowing them when he looked at the photo, and then he started acting nervous when I started to ask questions."      

"Why wouldn't he tell us then?"     

Luo Wanting shrugged. "He could have been threatened."     

"By whom?"     

"It could be anyone. Even your parents themselves, but it confirms that we might be on the right track. But we need to keep going. We can't attract too much attention. That's why I didn't press on the matter."     

Shi Ailin registered what he said. "All right, then," she said. "We can't stay too long on a single spot."      

They went back inside the car, driving towards the city.