Chapter 88: Salvation

That voice!

Yu Qing’s heart leapt violently, almost bursting through her chest.

She stared in disbelief through the crack in the door, wanting to confirm her suspicion.

A boy dressed in ordinary jeans and a hoodie, holding several thick Reference Books, was standing a few steps away, frowning in this direction.

He was tall and handsome, his face filled with seriousness—and if you looked closely, there was a faint hint of concern?

Li Ming!

He was the one who helped me!

Li Ming seemed to have just walked out from between the nearby bookshelves and happened to witness this scene.

His gaze quickly swept over the black-clad man straining to push the door, then shifted to the boy inside—cornered, pale, and wearing heavy glasses.

For some reason, this unfamiliar man in front of him gave Li Ming an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Just a moment ago, Li Ming had been studying in the Reading Area not far away, but his mind was restless, replaying the words Cheng Qinghuan had said to him yesterday.

And also, thoughts of Yu Qing.

Yu Qing had been missing for days. Li Ming had tried to find him more than once.

Every time he contacted him, Yu Qing would reply, but whenever Li Ming tried to arrange a meeting or even make a video call, Yu Qing always refused with various excuses.

This only deepened Li Ming’s unease.

Logically, though Yu Qing was a good friend of nearly four years, he shouldn’t be so invested—just as many said, university friends often lost touch after graduation, becoming near strangers.

Zhang Li and Zhang Haoxuan weren’t worried about Yu Qing at all.

They only chatted occasionally on their phones and didn’t care that they hadn’t met for almost a month.

Li Ming had asked himself more than once if he was overthinking, trying to persuade himself not to meddle.

But every time he thought of his unfortunate friend possibly suffering unknown hardships, he couldn’t help wanting to care more.

Adding to that, Cheng Qinghuan had suddenly said some inexplicable things, further confusing his thoughts.

As his mind spun in chaos, he accidentally caught sight of a boy hurrying past.

For a moment, Li Ming hallucinated—seeing Yu Qing in that figure.

Too similar.

The posture, the aura—they overlapped again and again with his memories of Yu Qing.

So, almost involuntarily, he followed.

After trailing him for a while, Li Ming intended only to observe and confirm—but unexpectedly, he witnessed this scene.

In broad daylight, inside the Library, someone was trying to use force against a student?

And both were male?

Li Ming couldn’t stand this. The voice in his heart urged him forward, and he did just that.

The man in black pushing the door froze, clearly not expecting an idiot to suddenly appear.

He glared at Li Ming viciously, hissing, “None of your business. Get lost!”

Li Ming’s heart shivered under his ferocious gaze, but when his eyes met the terrified, desperate gaze through thick glasses in the door crack, a surge of hot blood rushed to his head.

That look…

In a flash, Li Ming remembered the cryptic words Cheng Qinghuan had sent him on his phone.

“Li Ming, when you go to the Library tomorrow, pay more attention to your surroundings. If you really care about Yu Qing’s safety, trust your instincts.”

Instinct, huh…

Li Ming silently recited those words in his heart, a glimmer of understanding mixed with more doubt rising within him.

But now was not the time to resolve them.

At this moment, his instincts screamed at him.

The person being hunted before him might be related to Yu Qing’s disappearance.

If he wanted to know more, he couldn’t just stand by.

He couldn’t watch and do nothing.

“The Library is a place for studying! If you keep this up, I’ll call security!”

Li Ming frowned, unyielding, maintaining his composure from start to finish.

He raised his voice, trying to draw the attention of anyone nearby, and strode forward.

Li Ming’s arrival and interference clearly disrupted the pursuers.

The Student Union members, seeing this, abandoned any thought of stepping in.

The leading woman glanced at the rigid Fu Mingxuan, snorted with laughter, then spoke to those beside her.

“An outsider is helping. Let’s leave before things get complicated.”

With that, she gestured for the others, and they all left together by elevator.

Meanwhile, the black-clad man blocking the door hesitated at Li Ming’s stern shout.

In that brief moment of slackness, Li Ming dashed forward and forcefully shoved the man aside, then yelled into the room, “Close the door, quick!”

As soon as he spoke, Yu Qing, acting on instinct, slammed the door shut with all his remaining strength, fingers trembling as he felt for the old-fashioned bolt on the inside.

Click!

He slid it into place!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At once, the door shuddered with frantic pounding and muffled curses.

“Damn! You looking for trouble, kid!”

The man outside snarled, low and vicious, but before he could act further, the leader arrived and pulled him away.

“Move! Someone’s coming!”

The leader barked, grabbing the furious man and dragging him off.

Outside, chaotic footsteps and scuffling echoed—perhaps Li Ming was blocking them, or perhaps they feared being discovered. Either way, they fled in a hurry.

Yu Qing only knew the banging stopped soon after, the footsteps fading away.

When everything outside finally went silent, Yu Qing slumped against the cold, heavy wooden door, body limp, heart pounding so hard it felt like it would explode.

She gasped for breath, every inhale trembling with the shock of survival.

The pain in her abdomen flared sharper from tension and effort, making her curl up, forehead pressed to her knees, sobbing softly in a muffled, broken voice.

Outside, quiet returned.

Li Ming stood by the door, able to faintly hear the low crying from within.

His hand hovered in midair, poised to knock, but after a moment, he sighed and lowered it.

After a while, Yu Qing’s crying gradually subsided.

Then, a gentle knocking sounded, along with Li Ming’s concerned and confused voice.

“Are you alright? Inside—are you okay? Don’t worry, they’ve left.”

Hearing Li Ming’s voice, Yu Qing jerked her head up, tears and sweat streaking through the carefully-applied pale makeup on her face.

She stared at the door that now separated her from danger, her emotions churning.

Li Ming again…

He actually saved her—at a time like this, in this way.

What should she do?

Open the door?

Let him see her disheveled, strange appearance?

How could she explain?

Continue deceiving him?

Or not open the door at all?

But he’d just helped her—she couldn’t justify refusing.

And…

Was it really safe outside now?

While Yu Qing struggled internally, Li Ming’s voice came again—this time, with a tone that brooked no refusal.

“Please open the door. I need to confirm you’re safe, then I’ll leave.”

“If you need help, I can assist you.”

There was a reassuring strength in his words. If she had been a girl inside, she might have surrendered to his concern on the spot.

Unfortunately, Yu Qing was a guy—at least psychologically—and very familiar with Li Ming.

At this moment, she really didn’t want to face him.

But…

Did she have to be that heartless?

Yu Qing hesitated.

If she rejected him now, it felt like she would be severing ties with Li Ming forever.

But was that truly what she wanted?

She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within, and forced herself to stand.

She adjusted her messy wig and glasses, wiped the tears and sweat from her face—even though she knew it was useless.

Then, with trembling hands, she slid back the bolt that had saved her life.

Click.

The heavy wooden door creaked open a sliver.

In the dim light, Li Ming stood outside, tension and a hint of wary curiosity still on his face.

His gaze passed through the crack, landing on Yu Qing.

He studied the boy who had so bewilderingly reminded him of someone else.

Inside, Yu Qing lifted her face.

Through the thick glasses, her eyes met Li Ming’s—filled with confusion and concern.

Separated by a narrow doorway, the two stared at each other.

The air seemed frozen, broken only by the silent drift of old paper within the archive room.