Half an hour later, the bicycle was gone from where they had parked it. Qin Mei was dumbfounded—the bike had been stolen again.
Qin Xiang slapped his forehead. He felt like they were being taunted. 'How dare they steal his bicycle? They must have a death wish.'
He was furious, but also embarrassed. 'If word of this got back to his unit, he'd be laughed to death.'
"What should we do?" Qin Xiang asked Qin Mei. The bicycle belonged to Jie Jingjue.
"Report it?" Qin Mei asked in return. Even if they did, the chances of getting it back were almost zero. The bike she and Jie Jingchen had lost at the hospital was reported, but it was like a stone dropped into the ocean—gone without a trace.
"Report it?" Qin Xiang agonized for a few seconds before slumping his head and saying to Qin Mei, "I can't afford the embarrassment of going to the police to report it."
"Losing a bike isn't embarrassing. Stealing is what's shameful," Qin Mei said, reaching out to pat Qin Xiang's shoulder.
