The helicopter slowly flew away, and Xiao Tang, still shaken, watched the entire mountainside tremble and collapse like an earthquake. He patted his chest to calm himself while pulling up the rope ladder.
“Where’s Jiang Liu? What about Koudan?” Seeing only two people return, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
When Jiang Xiaosi heard his question, she turned around, her eyes filled with tears, and clung to the window, staring outside. She tried to use her pearl to locate Jiang Liu, but she couldn’t sense anything. Could something have really happened to him?
Although he was a zombie and couldn’t die again, being buried alive under all that debris would be impossible to escape from. And who knew what lay beneath that dark hole? It was a volcano, after all—what if it was filled with lava? But what worried her most wasn’t her dad; it was Koudan. Even with her skills, Koudan was still human, and her chances of survival were slim.
The more Jiang Xiaosi thought about it, the more terrified she became. Shen Mo was holding her hand, and his palm felt even colder than hers. Yet, his face remained calm as he answered slowly, “They didn’t make it out.”
Xiao Tang turned pale and exchanged a glance with Lin Qiang, swallowing hard. “So, what do we do now?”
Shen Mo shook his head, staring at the half-collapsed mountainside. They were buried dozens of floors underground—unless someone like the Foolish Old Man could move mountains, who could possibly save them? All they could do was pray that fate had granted them another way out.
“Where did you get the helicopter?” Shen Mo asked.
“It was transporting the blood. We intercepted it. The pilot’s in the back.” Xiao Tang explained.
Shen Mo turned around and saw two men tied up and huddled in the corner.
“We don’t know anything! We were just paid to deliver the goods. We don’t even know what we were transporting! The mountain collapse has nothing to do with us, officer. We’re telling the truth!” one of the pilots pleaded.
Xiao Tang shrugged at Shen Mo, indicating that they seemed genuinely clueless. Just then, Shen Mo’s expression tightened, and his body shuddered. Xiao Tang quickly moved closer.
“Professor, are you alright? Are you injured? There’s a first-aid kit here! What happened in there?” Xiao Tang asked anxiously.
Shen Mo gently shook his head. His internal injuries were severe, and he needed to meditate and heal immediately. “I’ll explain everything once we get back.”
Seeing Jiang Xiaosi still clinging to the window, he pulled her back and wrapped her in a blanket.
“Xiaosi, your father will be okay. Don’t worry.” Shen Mo reassured her, softly stroking her head. Jiang Xiaosi looked up, startled. It was the first time she had heard Shen Mo call her “Xiaosi” instead of “Jiang Xiaosi.”
Her voice choked with emotion. “I’m sorry. If I hadn’t acted impulsively and jumped down, you could have saved Koudan.”
Shen Mo shook his head. That girl had clearly fallen for Jiang Liu—there was no way he could have stopped her. Besides, she had dropped the copper coin by accident. If she hadn’t tried to make up for it, she would have felt even worse.
Jiang Xiaosi fell asleep in his arms, tears still on her face. Shen Mo gently wiped them away, his mind filled with terrifying memories of Mei Xin and the searing hatred that had burned inside him for so many years. This time, he was determined to end it once and for all.
Back in Taoyuan City, Jiang Xiaosi clung to Shen Mo’s sleeve, unwilling to let go.
“Professor, can I stay with you for now?”
Shen Mo instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that if she went home alone, the shop would be filled with all sorts of creatures. It wasn’t safe, especially since Mei Xin had already seen her. Finally, he nodded.
This time, Jiang Xiaosi didn’t cheer excitedly like usual. She remained downcast the entire time.
Lin Qiang and Xiao Tang took the two captives back for questioning, hoping to find any leads. They also began a full investigation into Mei Zhai Tianfu.
As soon as Shen Mo got home, he quickly sent a message to Yi Xiu, trying to suppress his worry. He then headed to the kitchen to prepare two large bowls of noodles for himself and Jiang Xiaosi. After a moment’s hesitation, he poured a few drops of liquid from a bottle into Jiang Xiaosi’s bowl.
Usually, Jiang Xiaosi loved his cooking, but this time, she only ate a few bites before putting down her chopsticks.
Hearing Shen Mo coughing continuously, she frowned with concern.
“Professor, are you seriously hurt? Should I go back to Tuoguxiang and get some medicine for you?”
“I have plenty of medicine here. It’s just a minor injury. No need to fuss.”
Jiang Xiaosi knew he was pretending to be fine. With that huge stone falling on him, any ordinary person would have been crushed or broken in half. His mind had been focused entirely on saving her and Koudan at the time, leaving him defenseless. How could he not be seriously injured?
“I just have a bit of a cold. Why don’t you go out and buy me some cold medicine? I’ll take a nap first.” Shen Mo said, coughing as he headed to his room.
Jiang Xiaosi was speechless. He had been coughing this whole time because of a cold? The house was full of medicine, yet there was no cold medicine? Did he never get colds?
She plugged in her phone to charge and went out to buy medicine. The pharmacy owner saw how young she was and recommended all sorts of random cold medicines. Jiang Xiaosi didn’t bother to sort through them, buying a large bag full of anti-inflammatory pills, cough medicine, and fever reducers.
She knocked on Shen Mo’s bedroom door but got no response, guessing that he had fallen asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, she sat down and turned on her phone. It was flooded with messages and missed calls, but she ignored them and called Miao Yan first, explaining everything that had happened and asking for help to save her dad and investigate Mei Zhai Tianfu.
As soon as she hung up, her phone rang again.
“Xiaosi!”
“Zhang Qi?”
“Xiaosi, where have you been these past few days? I called and texted you so many times, but you never responded.”
“I was out doing field archaeology.” Jiang Xiaosi said, sticking out her tongue. She had forgotten to tell Zhang Qi before leaving.
“You’re back? Are you at the shop? I’ll come find you.”
Jiang Xiaosi shyly lowered her head. “Did you miss me?”
“I-I-I have something to tell you!”
“Alright, how about we have dinner together tonight? I’ll meet you at the Pizza Hut near Xingguang Cinema. After dinner, we can watch a movie. So much has happened these past few days, and I’m feeling so scared and anxious being alone.”
“Okay, see you at six!”
Jiang Xiaosi quickly took a shower and rummaged through Shen Koudan’s clothes, trying to find something suitable to wear. After all, Koudan had clothes of every style and size. But as she looked around the empty room, guilt and sadness washed over her.
She thought about making some porridge for Shen Mo but worried about her cooking skills. This was not the time to poison a sick person, so she ordered some porridge and side dishes from a nearby restaurant and kept them warm in the pot.
She took a taxi to Pizza Hut and looked around, but Zhang Qi was nowhere to be seen. However, a handsome guy was waving enthusiastically at her. She stepped outside and called Zhang Qi, but someone tapped her shoulder from behind. Turning around, she saw the same unfamiliar handsome guy. On a normal day, she might have been in the mood to flirt, but not today—not after everything that had happened, and not when she was about to meet her boyfriend.
“Xiaosi! It’s me, Zhang Qi! Don’t you recognize me?”
Jiang Xiaosi froze, nearly dropping her phone in shock. “Y-you…?”
“I went to the dentist you recommended on that card and got my teeth fixed. Am I that different? Do you only recognize me by my teeth?”
Jiang Xiaosi waved her hands frantically, sweating nervously. “Of course not! You were always handsome, and now you’re even more handsome. I just wasn’t prepared for the change.”
Jiang Xiaosi was alarmed to realize that she had no mental image of this boy. The only thing familiar about him was his voice. Even though his teeth had changed, his eyes hadn’t—so how could she not recognize him? Or maybe she had never really remembered him at all?
They returned to Pizza Hut and ordered pizza. Jiang Xiaosi noticed the admiring glances from the girls and waitresses around them and started feeling a little giddy.
“Xiaosi, the thing is…” Zhang Qi began nervously, watching Jiang Xiaosi struggle with her food. He hesitated to speak but then summoned his courage and announced seriously:
“Xiaosi, let’s break up.”
The sausage in Jiang Xiaosi’s mouth fell into her ice cream. “What?”
She thought he had asked her out to say something like, “Xiaosi, I’ve missed you so much these past few days. I’ve realized that I’ve fallen deeply in love with you.”
Instead, Zhang Qi fumbled to grab some napkins and wiped her mouth. “Xiaosi, please don’t be sad. You’re really a wonderful girl, but I don’t deserve you. I was serious about dating you at first, but I realized that I still see you as a little sister. I’ve fallen for someone else. Your bravery and optimism inspired me, and I’ve decided to be honest with myself and pursue my happiness without any doubts!”
Jiang Xiaosi stared in disbelief for a moment before finally processing that Zhang Qi was breaking up with her. Oh no, why did she have to suffer this blow right after losing her dad?
“You like someone else?”
“You’ve met her before. She’s the classmate from last time.”
“The tall girl who hit you with the basketball?”
Zhang Qi blushed and nodded. Jiang Xiaosi felt like crying but couldn’t shed a tear. Aren’t men supposed to have protective instincts and prefer petite girls? How could she lose to a girl with acne and tiny eyes? Was it because wild girlfriends were in vogue? Did Zhang Qi need a sense of security?
They say men turn bad when they get rich and will abandon their wives and children. Apparently, getting handsome can have the same effect! Jiang Xiaosi was on the verge of tears.
“Alright, if you want to break up, let’s break up. I wish you happiness. Tell that girl, if she wants to lose weight or get rid of acne, I have a doctor’s card she can use. That way, you’ll be a perfect match.”
“Really? You really forgive me?”
“Yes, why not? There’s nothing wrong with liking someone, and you never lied to me.”
Jiang Xiaosi realized that she wasn’t as heartbroken as she thought she’d be. She just felt a bit disappointed. Being dumped in her first relationship stung, but she was more concerned about her dad’s situation and had no energy left for love.
“So, can I finish this ice cream?” Jiang Xiaosi asked pitifully, knowing Zhang Qi would be paying.
“Of course! Go ahead!” Zhang Qi said, deeply moved, and generously agreed.
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