At the same time, at Lotus Flower High School, Lin An wandered around in several circles but found no sign of Xia Qi.
Even so, he did not give up and kept trying to call her.
However, no matter how many times he dialed, Xia Qi’s phone remained powered off.
It was as if she were determined not to be found by anyone right now.
At this, Lin An simply put his phone away and began shouting Xia Qi’s name directly.
Consequently, the result was predictable; he didn’t find Xia Qi, but he did summon the school security guard.
Just as Lin An was forced to give up and prepare to leave under the guard’s watchful eye, a figure suddenly blurred past, scaled the school’s iron gate, and landed gracefully on the ground.
Naturally, this person could only be Xia Qi.
Her appearance not only left Lin An stunned but made the guard beside him feel completely numb.
“Holy crap, when the hell did you sneak back in there?”
The guard kept thrusting his handheld flashlight toward Xia Qi’s face. By now, Xia Qi was soaked through by the rain.
Her fresh, short hair clung to her face, partially obscuring her freckles.
Combined with a frame that lacked prominent curves, she looked like a young lad no matter how one looked at her.
The guard directly mistook her for a boy and immediately moved forward to seize her.
However, Xia Qi was faster.
She didn’t let the guard touch her at all, darting past him and grabbing Lin An’s hand before sprinting away.
Because they were running so fast, the wind shredded the umbrella in Lin An’s hand within a few moments.
One “drowned rat” had become two.
“Hahaha! Did you see ? That dog of a guard actually thought he could catch me. He really underestimated a track and field athlete like me!” Xia Qi stopped under the eaves of a convenience store and laughed heartily.
As she laughed, she looked at the person beside her, who was soaked to the bone with his glasses askew, and her laughter grew even more uncontrollable.
“I’m relieved to see you’re okay,” Lin An said, letting out a sigh of relief.
Xia Qi froze.
She stopped laughing and went silent, merely turning her head to gaze at the drifting rain outside, appearing somewhat lost in thought.
“Since I’ve found you, I need to tell Qiu Yu and the others quickly so they stop looking,” Lin An said, immediately fishing out his phone.
Hearing this, Xia Qi’s pupils shrank slightly, and her face showed surprise. “Song Qiuyu and the others have arrived? They’re all looking for me too?”
“Yes,” Lin An nodded.
“Then I’ve really made a fool of myself. I was originally thinking about throwing my bouquet to Song Qiuyu when I get married this summer vacation!” Xia Qi gazed at the rain.
“If Qiu Yu knew what you were thinking, she would probably be very happy.” Lin An turned to look at the person beside him.
Then, the person beside him suddenly closed her eyes slowly.
Her whole body leaned against him like a kite with a broken string, her facial expression full of distress.
Seeing this, Lin An reacted quickly and felt her forehead, only to be instantly startled by the heat.
“How is it this hot… Xia Qi, hang in there. I’m taking you to the hospital first!”
Because of this, Lin An’s message was delayed.
Almost at the same time, under the Minghai Bridge, Song Qiuyu had already gathered news from a girl that Xia Qi had never been there.
“Thank you, little sister. You’ve been a big help!” Song Qiuyu squatted on the ground and patted the girl’s head.
The girl looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old.
According to her own account, she had severed ties with her parents long ago due to certain events and survived by working odd jobs.
When she had money, she rented a coffin room; when she didn’t, she slept under bridge arches.
As for what kind of work a girl this age could do, Song Qiuyu naturally wouldn’t press for details.
However, with the internet being so developed now, perhaps she was a fellow creator or even a web novelist.
“You’re welcome, Lemon Brother…” The girl’s face remained flushed as she stared straight at her.
“Since my friend isn’t here, I’ll be heading out. Anyway, thanks for today!” Getting goosebumps from being watched so intensely, Song Qiuyu spoke in a gentle tone while lightly trying to pull the hem of her clothes out of the other’s hand.
“Lemon Brother, I really like the short videos you guys film!” The girl, however, still gripped the hem tightly.
“Yes, thank you for the support!” Song Qiuyu felt increasingly that something was wrong, and her movement to tug her clothes away became slightly more forceful.
“Lemon Brother, I…” The girl’s face turned even redder, and she gripped the clothes even tighter.
Song Qiuyu was shocked. ‘Where does this little girl get such strength? She’s actually stronger than me!’
“Xi’er, how is the situation on your end?” At that moment, Jiang Xiao’s voice came from the exit of the bridge arch.
“Jiang Xiao?” Song Qiuyu looked over subconsciously.
“Xi’er…” The girl looked at Song Qiuyu strangely, feeling that those two syllables combined didn’t sound much like a boy’s name.
Moreover, the person who just shouted—that voice was very familiar, like Lemon’s…
“Ah, that’s a nickname! That’s my nickname!” Sensing the girl’s reaction, Song Qiuyu spoke hurriedly.
The girl was stunned for a moment.
Taking the opportunity, Song Qiuyu yanked her clothes free, grabbed her umbrella, stood up, and walked quickly toward Jiang Xiao.
Then, the girl actually stood up as well and followed directly behind. Seeing this, Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but quicken her pace.
The girl quickened hers to match.
“Xi’er, who is that behind you…?” The light in the bridge arch was dim.
When Jiang Xiao saw Song Qiuyu clearly, he also spotted the girl behind her. He narrowed his eyes and spoke warily.
“She’s a fan of our short videos. She just told me that Xia Qi hasn’t been this way!” After saying this, Song Qiuyu held up her umbrella, took a deep breath, and feigned composure as she turned back to say goodbye to the girl.
“Xi’er…” The girl stopped walking.
She looked at her at first, but then her gaze shifted to Jiang Xiao, slowly revealing hostility.
She stomped her foot and pointed angrily at Jiang Xiao.
“You! What exactly is your relationship with Lemon Brother? Why can you call him by such an intimate nickname!”
There was more or less a sense of gritting teeth in her tone.
“…”
Hearing this, Song Qiuyu suddenly seemed to understand.
Among her fans, besides those who called her “Wife,” there were also those who called her “Husband.”
Could it be that the girl in front of her was one of the latter?
“What relationship?” Jiang Xiao sighed, feeling somewhat helpless.
As e spoke, he threw an arm around the shoulder of the person beside him and said with a brilliant smile, “This kind of relationship!”
The girl’s entire face darkened, her eyes cold.
“Let’s go.” Jiang Xiao frowned and led Song Qiuyu away directly. Just because of Jiang Xiao’s appearance and actions, the unease in Song Qiuyu’s heart began to dissipate.
Still, thinking of the girl’s eyes, she couldn’t help but want to look back.
“Don’t look back.”
“Jiang Xiao, that girl…”
“Yeah, she’s probably one of your ‘girlfriend fans’—the type who screams at me to stop stealing their husband.”
“So you think so too?” Song Qiuyu’s eyes sparkled. She stopped walking and led Jiang Xiao back.
“Wait, Xi’er, what are you doing?” Jiang Xiao was bewildered.
Seeing them return, the girl was also a bit dazed.
But after two seconds of confusion, she stepped forward with a hint of expectation.
A smile appeared on her face as she said bashfully, with a slight air of infatuation, “Lemon Brother… I like you! Can you be my husband? I’ll earn lots of money to support you!”
Song Qiuyu raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
She hooked her arm around Jiang Xiao’s shoulder and said in a joking, laughing tone, “Don’t be afraid, little sister. This guy couldn’t handle me even if he tried. If anyone’s doing the handling in this relationship, it’s me handling him!”