Chapter 1772: Accomplices, In Trouble, Bold and Ruthless
Chapter 1772: Accomplices, In Trouble, Bold and Ruthless
That night, although living under the same roof, they naturally slept separately.
Yan Chi wasn’t that anxious; he just knocked on her door before bed to say goodnight, and they ended up lingering at the doorway for quite a while.
Lying on the bed, Jiang Ruan thought about everything that had happened during the day. She buried her head under the pillow, still feeling flushed and warm inside.
But Qi Lie specifically sent a message:
"Wolves come out at night, little girl, be careful and protect yourself."
Jiang Ruan gritted her teeth, "What are you always thinking about? Senior isn’t that kind of person, and we aren’t in the kind of relationship you’re imagining."
"Don’t tell me you’re still living together tonight? Jiang Xiaoruan, are you crazy?"
Qi Lie knew Jiang Ruan was bold; after all, having dared to sneak out to race cars behind the back of Uncle Jiang, she certainly had guts. But when he thought about Jiang Ruan telling him that they were staying at Yi Garden, he felt quite scared.
"Jiang Ruan, aren’t you afraid of your dad finding out? Sneaking around under Uncle Jiang’s nose, who gave you the guts?"
"Do you believe that if your dad catches you two, he’ll definitely tie Yan Chi up and drag him behind the car, making him run after it, parading through the streets."
Upon hearing this description, Jiang Ruan could visualize the scene, "Probably not, my dad almost never comes here."
"You’re totally gone," Qi Lie sighed, "You’d better hope you don’t get caught, or you’ll be in for it. But I’m kind of curious about Uncle Jiang’s reaction if he finds out."
"If we get caught, I’m doomed, and you won’t get away either."
"... "
"Since you know about it and didn’t tell my dad, you’d better pray we get through this smoothly."
Qi Lie’s breathing became heavy, "Jiang Xiaoruan, you’re heartless!"
"Were you kind when you sold me out?"
"... "
Qi Lie lay on his bed, completely shutting himself off.
You two acting like you’re in an affair, while I have to be scared, wishing you success in your escapades? What kind of logic is that?
As expected, there’s a price for being a spectator.
**
The Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays were combined, and although they lasted for a long time, Jiang Ruan and Yan Chi didn’t spend every day at Yi Garden. After a few days of staying there, they would meet there every few days.
Their courage grew bigger and they became bolder.
In Qi Lie’s words:
Absolutely audacious!
While they remained open about it, Qi Lie was scared out of his wits.
The National Day holiday hadn’t yet ended when he hurriedly bought a high-speed train ticket and fled back to school.
"School hasn’t started, why are you going back so early?" Qi Lie was studying at a university out of town, and naturally, Ruan Mengxi hoped her son would stay at home a bit longer.
"I suddenly remembered that I have a paper to write, and if I go back in a few days, I’ll struggle for a ticket and probably end up squeezing onto a crowded train."
Qi Lie had bought a nighttime train ticket and essentially fled Beijing overnight.
He felt that if he stayed there any longer, he would end up scared to death.
With Qi Lie returning to school, the next encounter might be during the winter holidays, so Jiang Mutang organized a gathering for a group of them.
Jiang Ruan naturally attended the gathering that day; everyone knew Qi Lie had a good relationship with her, but when he saw her today, he acted as if he was seeing a plague, trying to avoid her.
This made Jiang Mutang laugh, "Qi Lie, did you have a fight with Ruan Ruan?"
"No," Qi Lie forced a laugh.
"You’re avoiding her."
"I just..." Qi Lie didn’t dare to tell the truth.
His early return to school was unusual; Qi Lie was a good student, but it didn’t mean he liked staying at school. Normally on holidays, he would leave on the last day, so his early departure was unusual. Moreover, he deliberately avoided Jiang Ruan, causing Jiang Mutang to scrutinize him and say something that nearly made him spit out his drink:
"Could it be that you confessed to Ruan Ruan, got rejected, and feeling heartbroken, you decided to leave this sad place overnight?"
Qi Lie almost went crazy.
Your Jiang family is toxic, what nonsense is this?
"There’s no way between us, I couldn’t possibly leave for that reason!"
Jiang Mutang just smiled, "So..."
"Something else prompted your departure, and it’s related to Ruan Ruan."
Qi Lie felt he had fallen into Jiang Mutang’s trap.
"Here, have some water," Jiang Mutang poured him a glass of water and handed it over, "After dinner, we’ll chat."
Jiang Mutang wasn’t one to gossip, but Jiang Ruan had been acting unusually throughout the holiday. Usually, she loved taking her two younger brothers around, but recently, these two twins kept running to their house.
They said Jiang Ruan was often not at home and couldn’t be found, and complained that she surely went to play with cousin Taotao, not taking them.
But when Jiang Ruan usually goes to Taotao’s place, she wouldn’t ignore her brothers and often goes to the old house to accompany grandma.
This holiday, her behavior was entirely out of the ordinary.
She seemed bright and cheerful every day.
She hid herself in front of her elders, but even when this group of peers met privately, some clues inevitably revealed themselves.
Jiang Mutang worried something had happened to her or that she made some bad friends.
He wanted to know what was going on with Jiang Ruan, but at that moment, Qi Lie sipped water and turned to him, "Bro, let me tell you, some things are better left unknown, or they might bring about calamity."
Jiang Mutang sneered lightly, thinking to himself:
Calamity is a bit overstated; he did want to see what could scare someone into fleeing Beijing in such haste.
However, later on...
Jiang Mutang wished he could lose his memory, forget this ever happened.