"Oh..." Lin Li nodded. He was a little curious. ’With medical technology so advanced these days, Zhang Yuxi’s mother is in poor health, and they can’t even cure her? What kind of illness could she have?’
She had only just escaped danger, and her emotions were just starting to stabilize. Although Lin Li was curious, he knew it wasn’t the right time to ask. He decided he would wait for a better opportunity in the future.
After a drive of more than twenty minutes, Lin Li pulled the van up to the jewelry store.
It was already past eleven, but the lights in the jewelry store were still on. Liu Lan must not have gone home; she was probably waiting for Zhang Yuxi to return.
Although they hadn’t spoken, Liu Lan knew Zhang Yuxi well. She knew that after something like this, Zhang Yuxi wouldn’t go home but would come back to the shop instead. So, she was waiting there for her.
"Well, I’m heading back," Lin Li said to Zhang Yuxi as she got out of the van. "If you need anything, call me anytime."
"Okay," Zhang Yuxi said with a nod and a smile. "Drive safe."
Lin Li started the van and drove toward home. He’d been out for over two hours; the half-eaten watermelon he’d left at home probably wasn’t very cold anymore.
’When I get home,’ he thought, ’should I put that half-eaten watermelon back in the fridge to chill some more before eating it?’
Zhang Yuxi watched Lin Li’s van drive off, her gaze following it until it disappeared around a distant corner. Only then did she look away and turn toward the jewelry store.
At that moment, Liu Lan was standing in the doorway of the jewelry store, watching her with tears welling in her eyes.
Zhang Yuxi quickened her pace, running to Liu Lan.
"Ms. Liu," Zhang Yuxi choked out. The older woman opened her arms, pulling Zhang Yuxi into a hug. "You scared me to death!" she said.
"Did those thugs... hurt you?" A thought seemed to strike Liu Lan. She let go of Zhang Yuxi, took a step back, and looked her over carefully, her eyes filled with worry.
"No," Zhang Yuxi said with a smile. "They were going to, but Lin Li showed up just in time, so they didn’t get the chance."
"We really have Mr. Lin to thank for this! We’ll have to thank him properly."
"Mhm."
"Let’s get you inside," Liu Lan said. "You’re covered in dust. Go take a shower, then get a good night’s sleep..."
Zhang Yuxi nodded and followed Liu Lan into the jewelry store. The second-floor office had a private bathroom and a personal lounge for her to rest in.
Ever since she was kidnapped the night before, she had been a nervous wreck, constantly on guard in case the thugs tried something. She hadn’t slept a wink.
After taking a long, thorough shower, Zhang Yuxi changed into clean pajamas and lay down on the bed in her lounge. She replayed the events of the past twenty-some hours in her mind; it had been a truly terrifying ordeal.
At first, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear as she recalled what had happened.
But when the image of Lin Li appearing before her all alone and taking down every last thug with just a few quick moves flashed through her mind, her fear instantly vanished.
’How can I ever thank Lin Li?’ With her mind finally at ease, Zhang Yuxi mulled over the question and, before she knew it, drifted off to sleep.
While Zhang Yuxi was falling asleep, Lin Li arrived back home.
CLICK.
He flipped the switch, and the pitch-black room was instantly flooded with light.
Because he hadn’t turned off the Refrigeration Spiritual Artifact when he left, the house was still pleasantly cool, just as it was before he went out.
He shuffled into the living room in his slippers and reached for the half-eaten watermelon on the coffee table he’d been thinking about.
"The temperature’s still okay, no need to put it back in the fridge to chill," he mused. "I’m covered in dust. I’ll take a shower first, then come back and eat it."
...