He liked what she said – “Our future may be full of thorns, but as long as we face these challenges hand in hand, we will definitely conquer them together.”
Marriage was only the beginning of a new life, not the end.
After lunch, he took her to the train station. He greeted the station master. The train was set for Yale City and Jasper Milton had bought her a first-class ticket.
When Stella Grace was about to walk towards the platform, she realized that she was reluctant to leave him. She turned her head and looked at him.
The corner of Jasper’s lips curved up slightly. He was calm and composed. Even though he was out of the military base, he still stood straight and tall. His assuring gaze gave Stella a sense of security.
No matter how reluctant they were to leave each other, they knew they had to part ways.
Stella got on the bullet train. A notification came to her phone.
She tapped on the screen and saw Jasper’s message.
“I’ve reserved a presidential suite at Yale Grand Hotel for you. You will be staying at No. 2106. I’ll be coming in tomorrow and I’ll be staying next door, No. 2108. I’ve booked the entire 21st floor. The surveillance system will be reorganized today. If you can’t sleep tonight, you can call me anytime. Do not take the pills.”
Stella looked at Jasper’s message tearfully.
Although it was only a text, she could imagine the way he would have said it. Calm and cool, but always gentle.
He sure acted fast.
“Okay, I won’t take them. Be careful on your way back. Contact me when you are free.” Stella replied with another text.
She looked out of the window as the bullet train started moving.
Her heart was no longer filled with sorrow. Instead, it was filled with traces of warmth and her newly-found meaning in life.
She called an oversea number.
The phone was answered from the other end.
“Senior, It’s Stella. I’d like to inquire you about something. A friend of mine suffered a brain injury due to an explosion and lost his memories three years ago. Can he be treated with hypnosis?” Stella asked humbly.
“There are several possibilities for amnesia. First is subjective consciousness, the second is cerebral damage and the third is nerve compression.
If it was subjective consciousness, the patient would lose his memory selectively. Inducing a forceful hypnotic treatment might be able to treat it.
If it was cerebral damage, then it would be a case for Neurosurgeons.
As for nerve compression, it would depend on what was compressing on the nerves. It could be a tumor, maybe blood stasis, or even fragments of objects.
I would suggest consulting a Neurosurgeon to know exactly what the problem is.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you, Senior. I’ll hang up now.” Stella said politely.
“Good luck. Oh, by the way, I will be holding a conference in A country next month, you should come too.” the senior invited.
“Next month? Sure. Save some time for me, and don’t leave right after the conference. I need your help.” Stella persuaded him to stay.
“Haha, you’re better than me now. Why would you need my help?”
“You’re joking, aren’t you? How could I ever compare to you? Alright, I’ll stop here. Call me in advance before you arrive next month. I’ll arrange my schedule to attend your conference. I’ll see you when you’re here.” Stella felt that her connection was dropping, so she quickly finished her words.
“Okay, goodbye.”
She ended the call and leaned against the chair.
In the past, she had thought that Jasper liked Bettany Hadley. She didn’t care if Jasper could remember her. If he did remember her, it would make her feel ashamed instead. She could not endure that shame.
But now, since she knew that Jasper liked her, there were still some beautiful memories between them that she wanted him to remember. The days ahead would only get better.
The corner of her lips twitched as she closed her eyes.
The bullet train sped for more than three hours. At half-past 5 p. m., Stella’s cellphone rang.
When she saw that it was from Rolland Cher, she answered, “What’s wrong?”
“Have you arrived at Yale City?” Rolland asked warmly.
“Not yet. I’m still on the bullet train.”
“When will you arrive? I’ll pick you up from the train station. I’ve reserved a hotel for you,” Rolland said with a soft smile.
“There’s no need for that, I’ve already reserved a room online. Thank you.”
“Ah. If you say so then. But this is your first visiting Yale City, I must treat you to dinner, otherwise, it would be too rude of me. After all, you came to Yale City because of me.”
Stella smiled and answered, “That’s right, you’re the one who hooked me up with this job. Therefore, I should be treating you to dinner instead. I’ll arrive in about an hour, you can pick me up then. You should choose a place, it’s my treat.”
“Let’s talk about it when we meet.” How could Rolland ever allow a lady to treat him?
Stella hung up the call.
She had a good impression of Rolland. He was a businessman, and his ex-girlfriend’s father was a geologist. These may prove useful to her in the future. They ought to talk more about it when they met..
An hour later, Stella came out of the station with her luggage.
When Rolland saw her, he waved his hand enthusiastically.
Stella smiled and walked towards him.
He took Stella’s luggage and said, “I’ll take you to dinner first, then I’ll send you back to your hotel. It’s your first time in Yale City, right?”
Stella smiled and remained silent.
She once came to Yale City three years ago. Jasper was on a mission here, which caused him to lose his memories. She too almost lost her life here. It was a sad place for her.
Rolland put her luggage in the car boot and opened the door to the passenger seat.
Stella sat in and buckled her seat belt.
Rolland sat in the driver’s seat and spoke, “Yale City has the best lamb shank and burger. The Scholar is the most well-known restaurant in Yale City that makes both of these two dishes. Are you allergic to anything?”
“No,” Stella replied dryly. Looking ahead, she paused for a while and asked, “Is your ex-girlfriend’s father the best researcher in the industry when it comes to deciphering ancient geographical landscapes? Is there anyone else?”
“Well, everyone in that industry knows each other. With regards to your question, my ex-girlfriend’s father would know more about it.”
Stella looked at him and asked casually, “Why did you and your ex-girlfriend break up?”
“I’m short-tempered and I get irritated easily. She couldn’t take it anymore after a long time. So she broke up with me and I agreed.” Rolland explained briefly.
Stella smiled lightly and asked, “Does your current girlfriend know about your ex-girlfriend?”
After a moment of silence, Rolland questioned, “Are you analyzing me?”
“Judging from your expression, you look a little regretful. You are still in love with your ex-girlfriend and you still stay in touch with her father. Also, you are on good terms with him. This shows that your ex-girlfriend or your ex-girlfriend’s family still like you. So I am very curious whether your girlfriend knows about it?”
Rolland’s face dropped, “She knows about it. My current girlfriend is my ex-girlfriend’s best friend and also my subordinate.”
Rolland explained and looked at Stella. “However, when I went to A City to look for you, I’ve already broken up with my girlfriend. I am single now.”
“It seems like you will reconcile with your ex-girlfriend?” Stella guessed.
There was a strange fluctuation in Rolland’s eyes. “We’ll see, maybe not.”
His cellphone rang, and he answered the call.
She noticed that his face was very pale.
Rolland hung up and looked at Stella. “I’m sorry, I can’t treat you to dinner anymore. My ex-girlfriend was murdered.”
Stella, “…”