CH 9

Xie Fei didn’t rush to explain himself. Instead, he smiled at the aunt’s question. “Beautiful aunt, my sister fell earlier. Do you happen to have tissues?”

The aunt was dazzled by Xie Fei’s smile. Then she was immediately elated by his address and was now coaxed. Seeing that the man had an amiable attitude and the girl wasn’t afraid of his presence, the aunt realized that she had misunderstood. But it was never in the aunt’s dictionary to be embarrassed over such a thing. With a smile on her face, she turned around and looked into her bag.

“I have, I have. Auntie will find it for you.”

Seeing this, the rest of the passengers sighed in relief, their apprehension fading away.

“What a handsome young man ah, are you in high school?”

“Sister, quickly find a place to sit down ah. I have a first aid kit here. Do you need alcohol? What about band aids?”

“This is an urgent matter but you should also pay attention to your safety, even if you’re in a hurry. In our company, Old Wang from upstairs was caught fooling around with his colleagues a month ago. He ran too fast and fell down and became paralyzed!”

There were a lot of tourists inside the bus, all dressed up like aunts and uncles. They’ve always been keen on these kinds of family matters, particularly those about ethics and scandals. Now that somebody spoke up, the rest immediately followed.

Under the endless chatter of the seven mouths and eight tongues1, Xu Lingyi put on her shoes again, and retrieved her belongings from Xie Fei. She held her phone and sunglasses in one hand. In a low and inaudible voice, she turned to Xie Fei. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Xie Fei still felt guilty. After all, he was half-responsible for Xu Lingyi’s fall. He escorted Xu Lingyi and found an empty seat. He borrowed the first aid kit from one of the passengers and gave it to her. Seeing that Xu Lingyi began to treat her wounds, he tentatively reached out and asked, “Is everything okay?”

Xu Lingyi paused her movements but said nothing, losing herself in a daze.

A long time passed before Xu Lingyi raised her head. It was clear that she was still lost in her thoughts as seen with the slightly unfocused eyes and the blank expression on her face. Under his gaze, there was a faint trace of fear and paranoia that was deeply being suppressed. Xie Fei was so stunned that he almost forgot what he just asked. Seeing that Xu Lingyi had no intention of answering, he changed the topic and asked: “Are you going somewhere”

“Nanshan City.”

Xie Fei was surprised. “But it’s so late……”

Xu Lingyi lowered her eyes and looked out the window.

He watched her actions and seeing that she wasn’t in the mood anymore, didn’t ask any more questions.

“Take care of yourself then ah.” Whether Xu Lingyi listened to him or not, Xie Fei sincerely suggested that she should go to the hospital to treat her wounds as soon as she got off the bus. He gritted his teeth and added that he’d bear the medical expenses.

However, Xu Lingyi simply turned around and said in a soft voice. “Aren’t you getting off yet?”

So she wants me to leave right away?

Xie Fei sneered in his heart. He leaned back against the seat in a leisurely and comfortable manner. “Wait until the next station then I’ll get off.”

The driver waited until Xu Lingyi settled before taking off. From their spot, it wouldn’t be long until they got there.

Xu Lingyi had an odd look on her face. “Are you sure?”

Xie Fei raised a brow. If he didn’t, what else would he do?

“This is a direct bus from Xining to Nanshan.” Xu Lingyi informed him in a calm voice. “When we arrive, it should be the Nanshan City bus terminal.”

“......”

Xie Fei momentarily blanked out. Then, he rushed to the back door, flustered. “Master! Please stop the bus!”

He just came to the village a few days ago and the only place he’d been to was Shaoyang Town while riding his small tricycle. How could he even know the situation of the buses in the area? In his haste, he just got on the bus and subconsciously treated it as any other ordinary city-village bus. He thought there’d be a lot of stations on the way and he’d get off on the next stop since it wouldn't be so far. If worse comes to worst, does that mean he’d have to walk back……

“Didn’t the boy watch the news?” The driver’s rough voice echoed from the front. “Recently they’ve been investigating long-distance buses that randomly stop to get or drop off passengers. If we're reported there's a heavy penalty.”

Xie Fei’s eyes darkened as soon as he heard these words. Listening, the driver continued: “The last bus from Nanshan to Xining has already left. If you’re so anxious to go back, you can only use a car.”

It’s impossible for him to take a car. Even if he carpooled from the city, it’d cost around 50 or 60…..

Xie Fei only felt a thousand arrows piercing his heart and his whole body was now frozen, ready to turn into mush.

“Oh, right,” the driver shot the last arrow at Xie Fei’s chest. “The two of you haven’t paid the tickets yet. One person is 30 yuan.”

“.......” Xie Fei’s shoulders deflated, his figure drooping more and more.

The bus sped through the highway as the village houses and fields surrounding them flashed by.

Forced to accept reality, Xie Fei sat behind Xu Lingyi, his complexion turning back to normal. He sent a WeChat message to Ah Fu, reminding him to retrieve the tricycle he left at the village entrance. He also told him to take care of the guests in the inn. Then they chatted for a bit before ending their conversation.

It turned out that as soon as Xie Fei left the inn, Xu Lingyi went to find Ah Fu and asked him to use his divination techniques to find someone for her. Ah Fu had no reason to refuse so he accepted her request. He found out that the person was in the same city as Xu Lingyi. They were in the southwest, facing the waterfront, which was less than 20 li2 away from the person’s residence. When Ah Fu talked about the target, he mentioned that “the golden sky is weak and the body is ill.” As soon as Xu Lingyi heard this, she suddenly rushed out of the inn without greeting him goodbye.

Thinking of the words he accidentally overheard yesterday, Xie Fei suspected that Xu Lingyi was actually looking for her fiance who went missing right before the wedding. Judging from Xu Lingyi’s reaction, it seemed she finally had a clear direction.

He turned his head and looked back at the seat in front of him. He sensed that Xu Lingyi was a little out of wits--shouldn’t she call the police for help if she wanted to find someone?

Unexpectedly, just because of one divination, she lost all rationality and instead acted on her emotions, leaving the inn. Her reaction mirrored a desperate man clutching on a life-saving straw--even if the straw had no basis whatsoever. Even if that straw was some sort of psychological wishful thinking or just a coincidence, she’d still grasp it.

Xie Fei gazed out the window, watching the scenery pass by under the soft twilight, sighing.

At 6:30, they finally arrived at the Nanshan bus terminal.

Xie Fei thought that Xu Lingyi would immediately dash out of the bus the moment it stopped. To his surprise the other party was as steady as Mount Tai. She didn’t get off until the driver hastened her to leave. In an exasperatingly slow manner, she got up.

The two people walked to the door. Suddenly, Xu Lingyi asked. “Little Boss, don’t you want to go back?”

Xie Fei smiled good naturedly at her and asked, “Does Ms. Xu need some help?”

Xu Lingyi bit her lip and hesitantly asked, “If it’s not too much to ask for……can you accompany me to find someone?”

Xie Fei’s eyes widened in surprise. With Xu Lingyi’s attitude and disposition before, he thought that she’d be the type of person who was unwilling to let other people know about her private affairs, much less a stranger to get involved in them.

He observed her inquisitively. The moment their eyes met, Xie Fei suddenly became enlightened. Perhaps it was similar to the case of being “too close for comfort.” Now that the goal was near, the uneasiness in Xu Lingyi’s heart must have also increased. One, she was scared that she wouldn’t find anyone there. Two, she was afraid she’d hear news that the person she loved had died. Too many factors added with the unpredictability of the unknown caused her to panic, anxiety levels rising. This caused her to instinctively reach out and ask someone she knew for help.

“Who are you looking for?” Despite having some speculations, Xie Fei still wanted to confirm.

After a long while, Xu Lingyi whispered, “My fiance.”

When the sun finally set, Xie Fei accompanied Xu Lingyi and rode a taxi. Anyway, now that he’s in the city, it wasn’t much trouble to go with someone on a trip. His intuition also told him that although Xu Lingyi looked perfectly normal, she must have accumulated a lot of negative emotions and was on the verge of breaking down. Her mental state was really worrying.

No matter what was said, Xu Lingyi was his guest. Xie Fei didn’t want her to encounter any accident.

On the way to their destination, Xu Lingyi changed from being the silent and taciturn woman to someone who took the initiative in telling her story. She told him how she approached Ah Fu for a divination and naturally, she also mentioned her fiance.

“He’s a very responsible person. Even if he really wanted to break up with me, he’ll tell it clearly in person. It’s impossible for him to go missing after a single phone call.”

The neon lights and shadows were reflected in her hazel eyes, scattering about. She blinked and revealed a hint of confusion in them. “These days, I’ve been having nightmares. In the dream, he’s covered with blood and I, I suspect that he had an accident…...”

Xie Fei listened carefully and finally asked, “Have you asked his relatives and friends about him?”

“I did. I even called the police but there was no result. I really had no choice, that's why I went to Ah Fu to ask for a divination. His fortune telling is really effective.”

Xu Lingyi unconsciously played with her fingers and whispered, “There’s a private hospital in Mulan street. The president is my fiance’s personal doctor and it is just beside Luoxia Lake, which also happens to be southwest of Nanshan City.”

No wonder Xu Lingyi was so persistent with the divination’s result.

In the night, a gentle breeze passed by as the taxi drove into the quiet boulevard. On the left side of the road, a lake could be seen. Its surface shimmered like crystals underneath the street lights.

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a four-story hospital.

The two got out of the car and were faced with a sign declaring that the hospital would be temporarily closed. The whole building was shrouded in darkness. Only the lobby in the first floor and a room on the third floor had lights on. Through the glass door, an old man could be seen sitting behind the reception desk. Xu Lingyi quickly stepped forward and pushed open the door. The old man looked up and pressed the button that opened the door.

“Who are you looking for?”

“I……” Xie Fei choked out a word then sensed the cold air beside him. Xu Lingyi rushed inside.

“Stop! Stop that girl!”

The old man was in a hurry to stop her but when he stood up, he accidentally tripped over the chair. Xie Fei quickly went forward to help him but he also conveniently blocked the old man’s way of escape. He turned and didn’t forget to call out to his comrade, reminding her. “There’s a light on the third floor!”

“Hey! What do you kids want? Let go, I’ll call the police--”

The old man, who kept struggling, suddenly stood still as if someone blocked his acupuncture points. His eyes stared at what was behind Xie Fei, then he gradually lost focus, losing his energy. Shocked, Xie Fei subconsciously turned around and was met with a familiar and handsome face.

“Mr. Yu, how are you here?”

Xie Fei gawked in surprise, his expression a sharp contrast to Yu Li’s usual cold demeanor. The latter indifferently sneered at him. “You really went this far just to buy fruit.”

“Isn’t the situation bad? We should tell Brother Ah Fu--” No, Ah Fu’s divination can only calculate the general position. How could Yu Li know his specific location?

Thinking of this, Xie Fei directly asked what was in his heart. Yu Li laughed grimly at him. “You think only the bat can do divinations? Don’t waste your time thinking you can run away from me. It’s hopeless.”

“And where would I go ah?” Xie Fei loosened his hold on the old man and straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes. “It’s Ms. Xu who asked me for help.”

The look on Yu Li’s face toned down. “Meddling in other people’s business, you really have a talent in getting involved in such a mess. It isn’t safe.”

Originally, Xie Fei only heard the first half of the sentence and readied himself to refute, but after hearing the rest of it he could only grin. “Thanks.”

Yu Li glanced at him coldly. “What about the girl?”

“I can go and look for her. Or we can go together and have a look?”

The elevator was out of order so the two used the stairs. As soon as they reached the third floor, they heard Xu Lingyi’s voice, as if her soul was being tortured---

A man replied, voice hoarse and tone full of helplessness, “I’m not sick.”

“Then why are you in the hospital if you’re not sick?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t say.”

“You still want to hide this from me?”

“Ling Yi, don’t force me. You won’t be able to bear it.”

“Don’t force me? An Mingyi, you really dared to fool me. Believe me or not, if you die I’ll die with you!”

Hearing the couple’s bittersweet words, Xie Fei ‘s foot slipped and he almost fell but he immediately caught the corner of Yu Li’s clothes. He was about to say “sorry” when his expression suddenly froze.

The air travelled between them when the man gritted out an answer.

“I’m pregnant.”