In the morgue, Alex, the forensic scientist, was examining the body. It was already decompose, but because of the cold river water, the decomposition process was slower and therefore, the autopsy was easier.

"Oh my, whoever killed this poor girl must be really angry," Alex mumbled to himself as he took a closer look at the stab wounds on her upper torso. There were approximately five wounds on that area alone. Each one of them was deep. Although each of them was deep, it couldn't be the fatal blow that killed the girl. "Three stab wounds on her thighs. Two on her left arms. Four minor cuts on her cheeks." He counted the number of wounds on her body and jotted it down in his notebook. "Cause of death: probably excess loss of blood from the wounds." Alex then jotted it down in his notebook along with a few descriptions of the wounds.

The doors behind him swung opened and four figures walked in.

"Oh jeez! How could you stand the smell?" Chun asked. He covered his nose with a handkerchief, while backing a few steps away from the corpse.

"I'm used to it," Alex replied. He wrote more notes down in his notebook and looked up at them, "I'm just finished with the external examination. The victim had to suffered a total of 14 cut wounds on her body. Four are minor cuts on her face. Five are on her upper torso, three on her thighs and two on her left arms. All of them are deep, but not deep enough to kill her. The cause of death, at this point, is probably the excess loss of blood."

"Sounds like the murderer wants to torture the victim," Aaron said. He stood next to Alex and eyed the corpse carefully. He didn't mind the smell. The only thing that bothered him was how ruthless the murderer was.

"Exactly," Alex agreed. "Furthermore, the murderer seemed to plan everything before he attacked. It wasn't just an impulse. He knew what he was doing. He dismembered the body just like a skilled butcher!"

"This guy is so sick!" Calvin exclaimed when he inched closer to the body to have a clearer sight.

"Do you find any evidence on her body?" Aaron cracked the big question.

"No." The disappointed answer echoed throughout the cold room.

"We're just a step into the investigation, yet we already hit a dead end," Calvin complained.

"Anyhow, we have to continue. I don't believed this guy can escape from the law forever," Aaron said surely.

"Aaron's right. We have to get this guy behind bars," Ella nodded.

"Oh, what about the cigarette butts and the wooden chair we found?" Calvin suddenly remembered.

"I doubt that we can find anything useful. Although the cigarette butts are new, at least they appeared so, there's no fingerprint or anything of that sort. And the chair doesn't help much either. I already sent them to the lab for further tests. Hopefully, we can find some saliva on the cigarettes that will provide us some DNA samples," Alex answered.

"That's a relief," Chun said in a slightly muffled voice. He still had his handkerchief over half of his face.

"I will send you the victim's fingerprint when I'm done with this. I think you guys should leave. I'm about to start the internal examination. It will not be so pleasant to watch," Alex warned. Who would want to watch him cutting up a dead body?

"Uhhh, then we will leave. I really can't stand the smell any longer!" Chun said and quickly turned to leave.

"You're a big chicken!!!!" Calvin's voice trailed right behind.

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

"The old couple is bickering again!" Aaron said to himself but Ella overheard it. She laughed heartily.

"The way you guys treating each other is ...funny," Ella commented, "And like brothers."

"Yup. We are."

"Aw... How nice!" Ella smiled and together with Aaron, walked out of the morgue.

---------------------------------------------------

Zhen walking down the crowded sidewalk. He was looking for his next sacrifice. He was tired of the models at the agency where he worked. They were plain and boring. He needed someone...Someone special to spice things up!

His feet led him into a a busy mall. "Perfect! There must be someone worthy in this bunch of people!" He thought. A devil's smile curved his lips.

Zhen walked from store to store. He quickly scanned everyone that he walked pass. All of them surely enjoyed wasting money. When he passed by a jewel store, he noticed a couple. The girl was nagging her boyfriend to get her a diamond ring. Her boyfriend gave up to her words and fished out his checkbook. That ring would cost him a fortune! Zhen ignored them and moved on. "Lin would never do such thing. She would be the perfect girlfriend any guy could dream of....Only if she was still alive...." The image of the past flashed back in his mind. Her honest smile, her rosy cheeks, her thoughtful actions, ... Her everything... Just then, he realized he missed her more than he thought. She filled the empty void deep inside his heart. Without her, it was nothing but a hollow shell.

Lin had dominated his heart for so long that he felt like she was always watching over him. Watching his every movement, his every thought. Yet, that feeling wasn't enough. He needed her physically, not just mentally. He wanted to walk down the street holding her hand, and yell out for the whole world to know how much he loved her. He wanted to build a perfect family with her, and have beautiful children to take care of. He wanted to be like everyone else. Having a good wife waiting for him at home with a hot meal, while the kids would be jumping up and down to greet him home. Was it too much to ask for? No, he didn't think so. It was what every man had. That was everyone, except for him. What a pity. Who was there to blame? His heartless parents? Definitely.

The horrible memories flooded his mind with anger.

He clenched his fingers into fists. His knuckles turned whiter than they already were.

He had to continued and finished what he started.

He had to end the suffering they had caused him...

--------------------------------------------------

Aaron, Chun, Calvin and Ella returned to the police department. What they heard from Alex didn't brighten their hopes at all.

"What are we going to do now?" Calvin asked as they all sat down around the round coffee table in the resting room.

"Wait," the simple, one-word answer came from Aaron.

"Wait for what? For him to kill another innocent victim?" Chun turned sharply to face Aaron. He ignored the coffee he was making.

"I meant wait for the test results to come out. Remember the cigarette butts and the chair? There might be something useful," Aaron corrected his previous reply.

"Oh, and I thought...Sorry!" Chun laughed weakly and returned to the half-filled coffee cup in his hand.

"Hey, Chun, mind getting us one too?" Calvin suggested.

"No. But I will put cyanide in yours," he warned.

"You dare to commit a murder right inside the police department?" Calvin stood and put up his fake concern face.

"You two sure love to tease each other, don't you?!" Ella said. She enjoyed watching them debating over the tiniest matter imaginable.

"As I said, they're an old couple!" Aaron said with a sigh. Chun brought everyone a cup of coffee and took the chance to slapped Aaron's head. "Hey! Why did you hit my head?"

"That was for calling me and Calvin 'an old couple'. We are barely over twenty five, you know!" Chun replied after he took a sip of his coffee.

Before Aaron could reply, his cellphone rang. "Aaron Yan Ya Lun, pick up the phone!" Gui Gui's high-pitched voice kept repeating the sentence. She recorded it as his ring tone a few days ago. Chun choked on his coffee and Calvin looked like he would be overloaded as he tried to suppress his laughter. Ella just let out a smile. She thought it was sweet.

Aaron immediately took his phone out of his pocket and flipped it opened. "Hi Gui Gui!" He said. His voice was soft all of a sudden, and his face lit up. "No. The investigation isn't going anywhere! But we're waiting for the test results to come out to see if the murderer left anything behind. We're hoping to find some DNA sample..." He paused to listen to her response. "Sure! I will come over tonight. Of course I will remember! OK, bye! I love you too!" He whispered delightfully,and hung up.

"Oh dear God! How could Love changed a person so much? He looks like a total idiot!" Chun raised his arms up and asked the heaven, but in his case, all he could see was the white ceiling.

"Aaron, that ring tone is....It is really something!" Calvin couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

"You two stop making fun of him!" Although Ella said so, she couldn't resit the urge to laugh along with them.

"See, you're laughing too!" Chun pointed his index finger at her.

"Arg! You guys are too much!" Aaron rushed out of the room, trying to hide his face.

"Ooh, he's blushing!" Calvin shouted.

"These guys are too much! And they are corrupting Ella too!" Aaron thought. He scanned his face with his hands and felt it was indeed became hotter. Why was he blushing? It was no big deal! Gui Gui's voice was his ring tone. Her dinner invitation...No big deal. It was what lovers usually do. Right?

Yet, he couldn't stop himself from smiling like a fool.

Jiro had over heard everything. His fingers rolled to formed two hard fists. He felt his whole body was shaken in anger...

Gui Gui belonged to him and no one else. He would win her back.

Aaron had taken so many precious things away from him. He wouldn't let it happen again.

------------------------------------------------------

Zhen had found his new sacrifice. After hours salvaging the streets....He finally found one.

He saw her walked out of a convenience store with two bags full of snacks. She was beautiful. Amazingly beautiful. With her eyes sparkled like crystals under the yellow street lights, and her silky black hair danced with the breeze. Perfect.

He got a chance to talk to her when one of the bags torn and the snacks fell on the road surface.

"Here, let me help you," he said politely and bent down to pick the stuff up for her.

"Thank you!" She said sincerely.

"Not a problem!" He replied. "Are you interested in being a model?"

"Pardon?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Your eyes are too mesmerizing that I forgot to properly introduced myself." He saw a satisfying smile across her delicate lips. "My name is Jason Wang. I work for Elite Model Agency. I saw you walked out the store just then. You have so many beautiful features. I believed that you have a potential to become a model," he praised her. When he saw her eyes lightened up proudly, he knew he had succeeded.

"Really? You really work for Elite Model Agency?" The girl asked hopefully. She hope it was real. She hoped she would become a famous model, and live a luxurious life.

"Yes! Here's my card," he took out a card and showed it to her. It was true the he worked at Elite. It was NOT true that he would turn her into a model.

What he would turn her into?

His next sacrifice....

"So it's true!" The girl squeaked with joy. "You think I can become a model?"

"Yes! Absolutely! Why don't we stop by my office and I will show you what we can do to help you," he offered. She looked hesitated.

"But it's getting late, and I have to go home," she said.

"I see. How about you give me your name, your phone number, your age and your address? Those are the basic information that I need."

"Oh sure!" She nodded. "I'm Lillian Chung. I'm 24 years old, and I live........." her voice trialed off in his mind. He was focus on calculating her zodiac sign. 24? So she was an ox then. Ox is next to rat in the Chinese Zodiac. It was just perfect!

"OK, got it. Thank you! I will call you tomorrow!" He said and smiled.

She turned to leave, thinking her life would change to a positive direction tomorrow....

He crept up from behind and knocked her unconscious. The street was barely lit with many lights were already out. No one was around to witness it. At least that what Zhen thought...

He carried her bridal style back to an abandoned parking lot where he hid his car. It was just a few yards away. Zhen shoved her into the back seat and tied her up with the ropes he prepared in his trunk. As a final touch, he stuffed a piece of cloth into .

"You pretty little thing will be my next sacrifice!

-------------------------------------------------------

"Oh !" Aaron cursed under his breath. He just realized the time...It was 5:30 PM. He promised Gui Gui to go to her house for dinner at 6:00 PM. He would be late, and Gui Gui would kill him! "I have to go now. Bye guys!" And he sped out of the room. Jiro walked in at that very moment.

"He's going to Gui Gui's house tonight, right? He said something about coming over tonight in their phone call," Chun purposefully mentioned the fact. "They're really in a good term, don't think about breaking them up." He warned Jiro.

Jiro ignored Chun's words. He walked away.

In his mind, Gui Gui belonged to him. She was fated to be his only one.

"Hey, Chun, what happened between them?" Ella finally asked the question she'd been dying to know the answer for.

"You want to know the story?" Calvin popped in.

"Well, I'm just curious," but Ella didn't want them to think she was a noisy person.

"We will tell you anyway...Since you're .. uhm...One of us now!" Calvin said cheerfully.

"OK, so it's all started six years ago," Chun pushed Calvin aside and began to tell the story with his best storytelling voice, "When we were still in the police academy. Jiro, Aaron, Calvin and me were best friends. In fact, we were all childhood friends. We were all had the same dream, that was to become detectives and help putting bad guys in jail. Aaron and Jiro were the top students in the school. No one could really decide who was better. Then, in our second year, a new student transferred into our school. Her name was Jade, Jade Chen. She was smart and beautiful. Jiro instantly fell head over heels for her. We used to make fun of him when he blushed madly just seeing her walking down the hallway. Ahh....Good times!" He paused, reminiscing the past.

"Anyway," Calvin took over. "Jiro finally gathered up his courage to ask her out. And she agreed. It was too obvious that they both had feelings for each other. So they went out and officially became a couple. Everyone knew they would surely get marry the day after they graduated. That was how deeply in love they were. I remembered we threw a big party at Jiro's house to celebrate the end of his bachelorhood. We drank and drank....By the end of our third year, they already planned their wedding! But things turned up-side-down during the field trip in the mid-semester of our fourth year. All the students were divided into teams and went camping. It was actually a competition to see which team reach the mountain top first. Of course, all five of us were in a team. We were in the lead when a storm hit us. It came so sudden that we weren't fully prepared. We got caught up in the overflown stream that fateful night. Jiro sprained his ankle because of the wet bedrock underneath so Calvin and I helped him to get to the stream bank first. Aaron was left leading Jade. But......." Calvin felt a ball of emotions stuck in his throat, stopping the words to come out.

"It's OK. I understand," Chun patted Calvin's shoulder.

"What happened next?" Ella asked. She didn't want to sound too desperate to know the ending of the story.

"Well, nothing good ever came out of that trip. Aaron led Jade through the rushing water, on top of the unstable bedrock. He slipped...And since she was holding on to his arm, she slipped too. The strong current swept her away from Aaron's reach....She stretched out her arm and Aaron tried to grabbed it, but he couldn't. The water was too fast....And before we knew it, she was out of our sight. Jiro, of course, couldn't do much because of his sprained ankle. He had to watched his beloved being washed away with the current...The next few days were worse. We were desperately looking for her. Days passed, then weeks...No sight of her body. She was never been found. Jiro was REALLY, and I mean really mad at Aaron. He blamed Aaron for not hold on tight to her. He blamed Aaron for losing her..."

"But it was just an accident! Aaron wouldn't want it to happen," Ella interrupted.

"Even you understand that!" Calvin let out a sign. "Only if Jiro could see it the way you do. Aaron didn't feel any better than he was. He put all the blame on himself. He let Jiro beat the heck out of him on the final day of the search. Lucky we were there to stop Jiro, or else Aaron would be resting beneath the earth by now!"

Ella was speechless. She didn't know what to say. She didn't expect to hear such a sad story.

"Yeah...We tried to knock some sense into Jiro's head. Obviously, it didn't work out well. Jiro clenched onto the so-called truth that Aaron was the cause of Jade's death. Jiro was in a depressed state for three years! And he would beat Aaron to death wherever, whenever he saw him. Aaron never fight back," Chun shook his head, "It was bad."

"Our friendship shattered. Jiro went on his separate way. We rarely saw each other. Only Chun, Aaron and me still stick together. So much for our unbreakable friendship," Calvin said bitterly.

"Did Gui Gui have anything to do with this?" Ella asked.

"That was three years later. Jiro met Gui Gui by chance when she went to his department for an interview for her first article. They became friends. She was the one that brought him out of his depression. He started to have feelings for her. Then, may be Heaven was playing with them, Aaron met Gui Gui at a conference. He fell for her. And she returned his feelings. Jiro was plunged into sorrow and disappointment again. He blamed Aaron for Jade's death. Now he blamed him for stealing Gui Gui. Two girls on a row! They had a big fight on Gui Gui's birthday. The day she finally accepted Aaron's confession.Jiro couldn't stand the blow. He transferred to a different city," Chun continued.

"Does Gui Gui know about Jade's death?"

"Yes, she does. Aaron told her everything. She tried to clear things up between them, but evidently, she failed. Three years had passed. I don't know what made Jiro transferred back here. Probably because of Gui Gui." Calvin was thinking hard.

"Probably," Chun agreed. "Jiro better not come in between them or else I will break his neck!" Chun's threat was no joking matter. He meant it.

"I seriously doubt that Gui Gui will break up with Aaron. I mean just look at them!" Calvin pointed out a fragile fact.

"You can't be sure of what will and won't happen in the future," Chun said thoughtfully.

Ella kept silent. The story she just heard wasn't digest in her mind yet.

No wonder why Jiro showed so much hatred toward Aaron.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Ahhh, open up, honey!" Gui Gui held a little spoon in front of Aaron's mouth. They were sitting at her dinner table, and Aaron had to finish the dinner she cooked.

"What are you doing?" Aaron moved backward.

"What? You don't want me, your girlfriend, to feed you?" Gui Gui asked furiously.

"Well, I can eat by myself," Aaron replied, still keeping a distance away from her spoon.

"You're unbelievable! Just open up!" She ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" He didn't dare to reject when she looked like she would devour him.

"That's a good boy!" Gui Gui let out a silly smile. She fed him the food. While he swallow everything down his throat without tasting any. Her cooking was....not good so there was no need to chew it for long!

"How is my cooking?" She asked him happily.

"It's...It's wonderful!" Aaron managed to say with a mouthful of rice.

"Really? It's the first time I cooked and you like it! I should cook dinner for you often. Or maybe I can make you those cute lunch boxes!" Gui Gui suggested.

"NO!" He wanted to stop the nightmare before it started. "I mean....I don't want you to tired yourself. You have work to do...And we can always grab some lunch at restaurants, right?" He smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah...I guess you're right..." Gui Gui realized she didn't have the time to cook everyday. Usually, she went out for lunch and bought something home for dinner. Her schedule was just as hectic as his. "But no worries! I will cook for you on your birthday!!!"

"Ok, if you said so..." Aaron couldn't reject the idea.

"Here, finish it up!" Gui Gui scooped another spoonful and shoved it into his mouth. "Yay!" She clapped her hands happily when he finished the dinner she made. "Here's your dessert," she said and pulled him into a kiss.

They kissed passionately...And neither wanted to stop.

After finally broke apart, Aaron inhaled deeply. His lung filled with the fresh aura of her hair. "Your dessert was too sweet for me. You know I don't like sweets," Aaron teased.

"Well then don't ever come close to me!" Gui Gui pretended to be mad and moved further away from him.

"Aw come on! I'm just kidding!" He followed her to the living room.

"No!" She said and ran away from him.

"Come back here, Gui Gui!" Aaron chased after her.

They two of them chased in each other around the house.

Their laughter escaped the locked door into the starry night.