Following Ye Xingmian’s directions, the car quickly arrived at the entrance of the residential complex where Liu Yinuo lived.
The driver initially wanted to drive further in, but was stopped by the security guard.
The driver looked troubled.
“Miss, I can’t get in here. You’ll have to go in and check by yourself.”
“Mm, thank you, Uncle.”
Getting out of the car, Ye Xingmian nodded.
She hadn’t considered there would be a property security guard before coming.
Her expression was somewhat embarrassed, and she lowered her head uneasily.
The tall and sturdy security guard glanced at her and asked:
“Young lady, you don’t look familiar to me? Why are you dressed like that in the dead of winter? Here to see someone?”
Ye Xingmian intentionally covered the injuries on her body, so they weren’t easily visible from the outside.
“Mm… I’m looking for my classmate…”
“Alright, go on in. Need me to help you find them?”
“No need.”
“Why would you go out in this cold dressed like that? Not afraid of catching a chill? Here, take this coat for now. Just return it when you come back.”
The towering security guard didn’t seem as cold and indifferent as she had imagined; instead, he was surprisingly warm-hearted.
Ye Xingmian raised her head, her pink eyes carefully examining him, but she didn’t take the coat. She looked somewhat timid.
“Th…thank you… no thanks…”
Her back was small, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
Rejecting the security guard’s kindness, Ye Xingmian turned and fled.
“Strange.”
The security guard muttered, and was about to turn back to his slack-off.
That was nothing; he then hid in the air-conditioned guard booth, closed the barrier, and scrolled on his phone.
But then he noticed the taxi had already driven away.
Not far away, the yellow taxi was parked at an inconspicuous corner.
The middle-aged driver with sunglasses held his phone, talking to someone.
It was just that Ye Xingmian hadn’t seen him much, so she didn’t have a strong impression. If Qin Haiyue had come, she would have recognized him at a glance as her family’s driver.
At this moment, the driver’s tone was quite respectful.
“Second Young Miss, I took care of the task you asked today, but there was a small change in circumstances.”
“What?”
A youthful but steady female voice came from the other end of the line.
“Mm… that Ye Xingmian you asked me to observe, I find him a bit strange. His ID clearly says male, but from spending this time with him, I feel he doesn’t seem like a boy at all, but very much like a girl.”
“That’s not strange. There are plenty of boys who are very delicate and like to keep long hair.”
“No… I’m quite sure he’s not that type… forget it. Actually, what I mainly wanted to talk about is that child’s situation.”
“What happened to him?”
“Based on my observations, he seems to have been kicked out by his family.”
“Hm? Did something happen?”
“I don’t know. Outside, I could faintly hear arguing inside, but couldn’t make out what about. Sigh, the poor kid. He was already a foster child, and now he’s homeless. If he hadn’t said he had somewhere to go, I would have liked to bring him to meet you.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
“You mean my sister’s nominal lover has now been kicked out of the house?”
“Mm, that’s right.”
“That’s fine too. Try to prevent her from contacting my sister. Cooperation with the Luo family can still continue, but my father hasn’t been discharged from the hospital yet, so I’m temporarily taking over. As for why they shouldn’t meet, it’s also for Ye Xingmian’s safety.”
“Indeed… Second Young Miss is so clever and attentive, and full of kindness, even considering such things.”
The driver was filled with emotion.
“You’re not bad either, willing to run these errands.”
“After all, there’s money to be made.”
“Mm, the money won’t be lacking. I’ll need your help quite a bit in the future. Just keep an eye on my sister and make sure she doesn’t do anything foolish.”
“Got it.”
The call ended.
The driver rested his head on the steering wheel and spaced out for a while.
He felt that this Second Young Miss seemed to be secretly planning something, but what did that have to do with him?
As long as he got paid, that was fine. The work he did wasn’t risky.
And it wasn’t anything against his conscience. It was even doing good deeds. Why would he refuse?
It was a very short path, but the sub-zero temperature was enough to numb one’s hands and feet.
By the time she stumbled to the door of Liu Yinuo’s home, Ye Xingmian’s limbs had completely lost sensation.
Her whole body was shivering, lips turning blue.
‘At that moment, she really shouldn’t have stubbornly refused the security guard’s kindness.’
‘So cold… so cold…’
‘Come to think of it, how did I manage to endure so long when I first left home?’
‘But now I can’t even hold out for a short while. How strange…’
There was no heating in the hallway, but it was still much better than outside. Still, it was very cold.
‘And my stomach hurts so much.’
‘I feel a sticky sensation down below, a bit uncomfortable.’
So, knock.
Her hand on the door, her usual indecisive nature made her hesitate.
‘Are Liu Yinuo’s parents home?’
‘In my current state, will I be seen as some weirdo and chased away?’
‘Will I be looked down on?’
But the air was truly too cold to allow her to hesitate long.
Finally, she covered her stomach with one hand and knocked with the other.
After knocking, she pricked up her ears to listen for any sounds inside, and waited quietly for someone to answer.
But after waiting a long time, no one came to open the door, nor did she hear footsteps.
‘Could it be she’s not home?’
‘Maybe I have to wait at the door for a while…’
Ye Xingmian couldn’t help but feel a bit of despair.
‘Didn’t we agree yesterday that I would visit her at home?’
‘She shouldn’t have left, right?’
‘Liu Yinuo doesn’t seem like the type to break a promise…’
Ye Xingmian stubbornly knocked again.
But after waiting a long time again, she gave up.
She curled up at the doorway to preserve body heat, like a stray cat abandoned by its owner.
While huddled, she also cautiously pricked up her ears to listen for any other people’s movements.
If there were any, she would hide in a corner where no one could see.
After all, if others saw such a strange person at Liu Yinuo’s doorstep, they might think their family had been targeted by a beggar or something.
Or that they had picked up some bad habits.
There would be gossip.
Ye Xingmian didn’t want to cause them trouble.
So, since she wasn’t home, she would leave.
As for where to go, she hadn’t decided.
‘It seems there’s nowhere else to go but here…’
She could only wait for them to come back and take her in.
Or drive her out in disgust.
“Coming, coming! Who is it? Just knocking without saying a word. My parents aren’t home. If you’re looking for them, call… Huh? Where did they go?”
Just as Ye Xingmian was lost in her thoughts, the door beside her opened.
She was stunned. When she looked up, she met Liu Yinuo’s searching eyes.
That was the person she had just been hurting over, the one who occupied her thoughts.
And now suddenly appeared before her eyes.
She had messy hair with a few stray strands, wore a fluffy hooded pajama, and had faint dark circles under her eyes.
‘Could she have just woken up?’
She saw Ye Xingmian, and her expression first froze, then showed surprise, and finally she frowned deeply.
“Xingmian! You’re here? No, wait, why are you dressed like that? You look terrible. What happened? Forget it, just come inside first. It’s warm in here.”
A few light words effortlessly pried open the girl’s heart.