A Chan – CH 132

Chapter 132: A Smooth Sailing Life (1)

Li Weiyi was taken by Xu Yi to an unfamiliar place.

A clean and elegant two-story building nestled in the mountains, with a large courtyard surrounded by a bamboo fence. The mountains were densely forested, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers. Not far away were high cliffs overlooking a vast valley.

Normally, Li Weiyi would feel refreshed and relaxed in such a place. Now, she only felt uneasy about the silence.

Xu Yi took her hand and led her around the house. Li Weiyi noticed an empty chicken coop in the backyard, seemingly abandoned for a long time. She asked, “Who lived here before?”

Xu Yi replied, “An elder who was very important to me. She worked hard her whole life, left her hometown, and didn’t like to associate with people, so her children built this place for her to live out her days.”

“Her children are really filial.”

Xu Yi smiled without saying a word.

The two walked to the bottom of the bamboo fence, where there was a flat lawn with many wildflowers. The sunlight shone lazily, and everything was incredibly peaceful and beautiful. Xu Yi held her waist and lowered his head to kiss her, but Li Weiyi turned her head away.

He looked at her without speaking.

Li Weiyi blushed shyly and pointed in the direction of the bodyguards: “There are still people there! Let me say it again, I’m still a minor. If you want to kiss me, wait until 2022.”

He straightened up, smiled, and said calmly, “Okay, there’s plenty of time.”

Li Weiyi felt a chill run down her spine and immediately said, “I want to see what the house is like.” She wanted to stay close to the two bodyguards to avoid being alone with him again.

The two went back inside, and the bodyguards followed, sitting in a corner of the living room.

Xu Yi actually gave her a tour. After they walked around, Li Weiyi yawned. Xu Yi asked, “Tired?”

Li Weiyi nodded. He led her to the door of a bedroom and said, “The bedding is all new. You can sleep for a while. I have some things to take care of. I’ll call you for dinner later.”

Li Weiyi nodded obediently, went inside, and immediately locked the door after hearing the footsteps fade away. She wasn’t sleepy, but she didn’t want to stay with Xu Yi any longer. She sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the tree branches and hillside outside, wondering where Zhang Jingchan was and how he was.

She looked up again, glancing at the cliff not far away.

—

When the knocking sounded, Zhang Fengming jumped up in fright, instinctively wanting to jump out the window, but this was the fifth floor.

There were two more knocks at the door. Zhang Fengming drew his dagger and approached step by step. His throat was dry, and he asked in a low voice, “Who is it?”

A familiar voice came from outside: “It’s me.”

Zhang Fengming’s expression relaxed, then he frowned again: “Xu Yi?”

The man said in a low voice, “I’ve come to pick you up. Open the door first.”

They were in the same boat after all. Zhang Fengming concealed the dagger behind his back with one hand, opened the door, and “Xu Yi” quickly entered. He glanced back at the stairwell, closed the door, and appeared extremely cautious.

“Why are you here?”

“Xu Yi” said, “The police are watching too closely. I arranged for two people to keep watch. There’s a car downstairs; let’s go quickly.”

Zhang Fengming gave him a cold look: “Where have you been these past three days? The rest of us are all wanted.”

“Xu Yi” remained unfazed, even under immense pressure, and said calmly, “It was only a matter of time before I was wanted. The police are looking for me everywhere. While I’m still out there, I can arrange my escape. Otherwise, if I had to hide too, who would pick you up?”

Zhang Fengming’s anger subsided somewhat. Among them, Xu Yi had always been the most resourceful, and in the past two years, he had become their de facto leader. Given the logic in his words, Zhang Fengming didn’t want to stay there a moment longer: “Let’s go! I can’t sleep here.”

The two quickly went downstairs, where a somewhat old and inconspicuous car was parked. “Xu Yi” tossed a car key to Zhang Fengming, who naturally got into the driver’s seat and looked up at “Xu Yi”: “Aren’t you coming with me? Didn’t you say the boat arrives at 11:30? We don’t have much time.”

“Xu Yi” nodded: “Let’s go together.” He opened the passenger door.

—

Li Weiyi couldn’t stay in the room any longer. Although she wanted to avoid Xu Yi, she also wanted to know what he was doing; she couldn’t just sit and wait to die.

With a mix of fear and courage, Li Weiyi sneaked out of the room. There were only two bodyguards downstairs, and the door to the next bedroom was closed.

Li Weiyi went over, pressed her ear to it, and listened. There was no sound. She carefully opened the door and glanced around—no one was there.

She went in and gently closed the door behind her. It was a study connected to a bedroom. Li Weiyi quickly walked to the desk, where a computer and a mini printer sat, and a box of red inkpads was tucked in the corner.

Li Weiyi’s eyelids twitched. Good heavens, this was a close call. Could Zhang Jingchan have guessed right? Was Xu Yi writing a suicide note, shifting all the blame onto Zhang Jingchan? Was he planning to print it out and then put his fingerprint on it? That way, he could avoid any handwriting issues.

She searched the desk but didn’t find the suicide note. Just as she cracked open a drawer, someone emerged from the bedroom.

Li Weiyi quickly withdrew her hand, took a few steps back, and flashed him a bright smile: “You were in there? No wonder you didn’t respond when I called you.”

Xu Yi had just washed his hands and was wiping them with a tissue. His gaze swept across the table, and he smiled slightly: “Looking for something? Is something missing from the room?”

His tone and demeanor were so normal that Li Weiyi felt relieved and replied, “I wanted to find a book to read.”

“There are no books here.” He pulled her hand and sat her down on the sofa. Li Weiyi asked, “What were you doing just now?”

“Want to know?”

She nodded.

He touched his lips: “Give me a kiss, and I’ll tell you.”

Li Weiyi gave a dry laugh and lowered her head: “Ah Chan, I think you’re acting really strange this time. You keep trying to kiss me. You weren’t like this before.”

He slowly replied, “This time is different from before. Too much has happened. I just want your comfort.” He turned and gently pressed her down onto the sofa.

Li Weiyi’s heart pounded. Xu Yi smiled faintly. “No one can see now. Although your body is only 17, your soul is 25. Stop refusing; I’m your rightful boyfriend.”

He lowered his head to kiss her, and Li Weiyi turned her head away. He kissed her again, and she dodged again. He wasn’t angry at all, just teasing her like a kitten, a faint smile on his face. He simply held her chin and asked affectionately, “Why are you dodging? Hmm? I don’t understand. Don’t you like me anymore?”

Li Weiyi felt a chill run down her spine. Even though they were both laughing, she suddenly realized the unseen reality—Xu Yi had already seen through her, and this whole time he was just teasing her for amusement, watching her act, watching her panic, watching her suppress her emotions. She had clung to the hope that she could numb him.

The dark, crimson pupils before her were clearly Xu Yi’s eyes; he no longer bothered to pretend. Li Weiyi suddenly realized—because he no longer needed to pretend. In a few hours, the 17-year-old Li Weiyi would wake up. That Li Weiyi had only spent two months with Zhang Jingchan and knew almost nothing. That Li Weiyi would only see Zhang Jingchan commit suicide out of guilt, and even with the blurring of the timeline, would be more inclined to believe what she saw.

Xu Yi might serve a few years in prison. If he wanted to, then he could pursue the Li Weiyi of that time. The young Li Weiyi knew nothing and had completely given up on Zhang Jingchan. When she’d wake up in 2022, it would probably be too late.