“Why?” Tang Qi stepped forward to help Luo Xun push her bicycle. Luo Xun wanted to dodge but couldn’t, and was forced to stop. “If you don’t want to be bullied too.”
“I’m not afraid.” Facing Luo Xun, Tang Qi softened her attitude, her voice incredibly gentle. “He can’t do anything to me.”
Luo Xun shook her head and walked out. Tang Qi followed behind her. The students had basically all left, leaving the entire campus in a profound silence. Seeing no one around, Luo Xun breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t try to shoo Tang Qi away again.
A car was parked at the school gate. The driver was waiting anxiously. Seeing Tang Qi, he sighed in relief and ran over. “Young Miss, you’re finally out.”
Tang Qi nodded, then turned to ask Luo Xun, “Do you need to get your bike fixed?”
Luo Xun shook her head. She was short on money and couldn’t afford repair fees, even if it was just a single yuan. Tang Qi didn’t press the matter, instead smiling. “Perfect. That gives me a reason to give you a ride home.” Before Luo Xun could refuse, she lifted the bicycle and walked to the back of the car, ordering the driver, “Open the trunk.”
The driver hurriedly opened it. Luo Xun wanted to stop her, but Tang Qi had already placed the bicycle inside. Because the bike was too large, the trunk couldn’t close and would have to remain open while driving.
Luo Xun didn’t know much about cars, but she recognized the emblem of this one and knew it was expensive. She pursed her lips, standing there at a loss.
Tang Qi pulled Luo Xun’s hand. “Get in. Where’s your home?”
Seeing Luo Xun silent and unmoving, Tang Qi felt both heartache and amusement. Her Luoluo was still so stubborn.
Tang Qi blinked. “If you get home early, you can read a bit longer, do other things. Otherwise, by the time you walk home, it’ll be too late.” This sentence seemed to strike a chord with Luo Xun. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly gave an address.
“I sound like a human trafficker,” Tang Qi laughed a few times, opening the car door with an inviting gesture. “Please get in, my Little Princess.”
Luo Xun blushed furiously and was pushed into the car in a daze.
The back of the car was very spacious. Once inside, Luo Xun felt somewhat constrained and awkward. Her pale face flushed red with embarrassment. She bit her lower lip nervously, not knowing what to do.
Tang Qi found the current Luo Xun unbearably cute and couldn’t help wanting to kiss her. She coughed lightly, took a bottle of cola from the car fridge, and forcefully handed it to her. “Hot, aren’t you? Cool down.”
The ice-cold cola gave off a comfortable feeling on the summer night. Luo Xun swallowed hard. She’d never had cola before, only heard from others that it was delicious. After thinking for a moment, she handed it back to Tang Qi. “No need, I… I’m not thirsty.”
Tang Qi’s heart ached. Her Luoluo, who should have been enjoying everything… it was her fault. She should have come looking sooner…
Although her heart was sad, she didn’t show it on her face. She smiled and twisted the cap open. “It’s to cool both of us down. The weather’s too hot.” Saying this, she offered it to Luo Xun again. “I can’t finish this whole bottle myself anyway. Let’s split it?”
The cola was cold, and the sound of the cap being twisted open released a fizzy noise. Luo Xun swallowed again. “Then… you drink first.”
“Alright.” Tang Qi didn’t stand on ceremony with her. She tilted her head back, drank a few mouthfuls, and then passed it to Luo Xun. “Here.”
Luo Xun took it and carefully had a sip. She felt the icy liquid rush down her throat, a gas bubble rising in her stomach, followed by a tiny, quiet burp.
Her eyes lit up, and she couldn’t resist taking another sip.
Watching her hold the bottle and drink happily, her cheeks puffing out like a little hamster, Tang Qi still couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch the bun on her head. She chuckled softly, teasing: “Do you think this counts as an indirect kiss?”
“Pfft!” Luo Xun couldn’t hold back a cough, and the cola in her mouth sprayed out. She looked at Tang Qi in a panic. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
She looked close to tears. Seeing the clean car seat now splattered with soda, she wanted to wipe it but was still holding the cola bottle. Flustered and not knowing what to do, her whole person visibly paled. “I’ll pay for it…”
She wanted to use her clothes to wipe it, but Tang Qi stopped her. Tang Qi felt a bit upset—she hadn’t meant to scare Luo Xun. She forced a smile. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have teased you.”
She’d searched so many years for her Luoluo. Suddenly finding her, she’d gotten a little carried away for a moment.
“The car…” Luo Xun pointed at the seat. Tang Qi shook her head, taking the cola from her hand. “It’s fine. Just needs a wipe.” Seeing Luo Xun still looked worried, Tang Qi couldn’t help herself. “Luoluo, you don’t need to be so nervous.”
She gently hugged Luo Xun, slowly patting her back. “It’s okay, it’s okay. You never have to worry or be afraid with me.” Her Luoluo… what kind of life had her Luoluo been living all these years?
Luo Xun calmed down in Tang Qi’s embrace, only then realizing she was being held loosely in Tang Qi’s arms. She quickly pulled back, her face flushing again at Tang Qi’s earlier words. “I didn’t want to cough. You startled me.”
“It’s all my fault.” You had to coax your wife. Tang Qi felt she was doing a very good job at this. “Just a joke. I’m a girl, what are you afraid of?”
Luo Xun thought about it and agreed, no longer dwelling on Tang Qi’s words.
The System: “Oh, Luoluo, you’re too innocent. Girls are something to be afraid of too! The Host is a big bad wolf…” It was shut away again.
The car twisted and turned through the streets, gradually moving away from the skyscrapers of the city center into an area with low houses and sparse lights.
Finally, guided by Luo Xun’s directions, the car stopped at the entrance to a narrow alley. Tang Qi got out with Luo Xun and helped her take down her bicycle. “There aren’t any lights here. I’ll walk you home.”
Luo Xun pursed her lips. Seeing that Tang Qi wasn’t going to back down, she finally pointed towards the pitch-black alley. “My home is just inside, the third door.”
Tang Qi carried the bicycle and followed Luo Xun. This area was a collection of houses that hadn’t been redeveloped yet, the ground everywhere pitted and bumpy. The low houses and dilapidated yards formed a stark contrast with the tall buildings in the distance.
Finally, Tang Qi stopped in front of a wooden door. Although the whole area was rundown, this particular yard stood out as exceptionally broken, even for this place.
The so-called yard gate was just a wooden plank. The yard itself was completely bare, with nothing in it. Standing outside the yard, one could even see the damaged, drafty window frames.
“Putting it here is fine,” Luo Xun said, a little embarrassed. Tang Qi swallowed the words “move house” that were on the tip of her tongue. She knew Luoluo’s stubbornness; she wouldn’t just accept favors from others for no reason.
“See you at school tomorrow,” Tang Qi could only finally say in a low voice as a farewell.
Luo Xun nodded and murmured, “Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. I told you, I want to be your… friend.” Tang Qi smiled and flicked Luo Xun’s forehead with her finger. Luo Xun covered her forehead, not expecting Tang Qi to be so hands-on, and her eyes held a hint of accusation.
“Remember to miss me!” Tang Qi squeezed the little bun on her head, waved, and left.
Tang Jiu had bought a duplex apartment in a residential complex near the school and hired a housekeeper to take care of Tang Qi.
Back home, Tang Qi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After seeing the Book of the World, she had immediately transferred schools and hadn’t investigated Luo Xun’s situation at all.
“What is Luoluo doing?” Tang Qi asked.
The System quickly replied, “Luoluo is boiling water to wash her mother’s face. Mother Luo seems to be paralyzed in bed, unable to move.”
Tang Qi got up and called Tang Jiu’s secretary, asking her to look into Zhou Chenglong and Luo Xun. After hanging up, she agonized for a long time before slowly falling asleep.
On the other side of the city, Luo Xun had fed her mother rice soup and was cheerfully telling her about things at school. In her telling, all the schoolmates were very kind and friendly to her.
“I made a new friend today, named Tang Qi.” Luo Xun’s eyes were bright. “She’s a very good person.”
Hearing this, Mother Luo felt somewhat comforted. “You must get along well with your classmates.” Luo Xun nodded. “Don’t worry, Mom. I will.”
Early the next morning, Tang Qi woke up early and left the house carrying the breakfast she’d asked the housekeeper to prepare.
Luo Xun had fed her mother breakfast, changed her clothes, and walked out of her home. The school’s morning reading started at 6:50 AM. It was already 6:00 AM. Normally, riding her bicycle took forty-five minutes, so she definitely wouldn’t make it now.
Thinking of this, Luo Xun grew anxious, figuring she would have to run to school.
But she hadn’t expected that just as she stepped out of the alley from her home, she’d see a black car parked across the street. Tang Qi got out of the car and waved at her. “Over here!”
The summer morning sun was still dazzling. The sunlight seemed to form a halo behind Tang Qi. Luo Xun squinted, watching the hem of her dress sway slightly.
Tang Qi opened the car door, not giving Luo Xun time to think. “You’ll be late soon. Quick, get in.” She pulled Luo Xun over and stuffed a thermos into her hands. “This is breakfast.”
Tang Qi folded down the backseat tray table and took out chopsticks. “Let’s eat together.”
The thermos was large. Inside was a bowl of soup, several dozen small buns, and two sections of corn. Tang Qi took out two small bowls and poured a bowl of soup for Luo Xun. “A very light, mild soup. Try it.”
Luo Xun had been busy all morning without eating a single bite and was already starving. She couldn’t resist picking it up and taking a sip. Even though it was bone broth, it wasn’t greasy at all.
“Does it taste good?” Tang Qi asked.
Luo Xun nodded. Tang Qi picked up a bun and held it to her lips. “I really like these soup dumplings.” Looking at Tang Qi’s smiling face, Luo Xun’s words of refusal faded away as they reached her lips. As if bewitched, she leaned forward and took a bite.
The rich, savory soup flowed into her mouth, instantly soothing her hunger. One thing led to another. By the time Luo Xun came to her senses, she had already finished the soup, eaten a dozen or so small buns, and was gnawing on the corn.
The soft, glutinous corn was sweet. Every bite felt like fresh corn kernels bursting in her mouth. She ate it all, giving up on caring, and finally stopped only when she was burping from fullness.
Luo Xun didn’t even dare to look at Tang Qi’s face, thinking how she’d verbally refused, yet had eaten the other person’s food without any reservation.
“Having you accompany me to eat makes me feel like even breakfast tastes better,” Tang Qi said as she packed things away. Luo Xun hurriedly helped her tidy up. The car soon arrived at the school. Luo Xun checked the time: just 6:30 AM.
Normally, she had to pedal hard for forty-five minutes. Riding in the car, she’d felt nothing at all and arrived. Also, because she’d eaten her fill, she felt she was even faster at memorizing things during morning reading.
But this good mood lasted only until Zhou Chenglong arrived at school. After morning reading, Zhou Chenglong kicked the classroom door open, swaggered cockily to the back row, sat down, and started sleeping.
Luo Xun carefully shrank into her seat. It pained Tang Qi to watch. She knew that the key to changing this situation was dealing with Zhou Chenglong.
Before Tang Qi could come up with a plan, Zhou Chenglong suddenly kicked the desk in front of him. The desk toppled over with a huge crash. “Luo Xun, go buy my breakfast.”
😠