Ziyue's sudden change left Zhang Lei completely at a loss, as if struck by lightning from a clear sky. Before he could recover, his phone began to ring—it was Tao Yi calling.
Seeing the phone vibrating on the coffee table, Ziyue asked, "What's that?"
"That's Tao Yi's, isn't it? I'll get it." Still reeling from the surprise, Zhang Lei replied to Ziyue without overthinking her question and picked up the phone.
"Hello? Who's this?"
"It's me." Tao Yi's voice came from the other end.
Upon hearing Tao Yi's voice, Zhang Lei's eyes lit up. "Forgot your phone, huh? What's with you?! What's that brain of yours even for? Sigh, such a big kid, still making me worry about you. How should I even scold you? Forgetting your phone isn't your fault, but if you want your big brother Lei to bring it over, then I can very responsibly and directly tell you—I don't have time."
"…" On the other end of the line, Tao Yi was speechless.
He replied helplessly, "Stop rambling, I get it. Just come over. I'll cover your fare! Plus, I'll pay you for your trouble! Alright, Brother Lei…"
"Alright, after all these years of friendship, would your brother not help you out?! Just wait!" Zhang Lei's attitude made a complete 180-degree turn after hearing Tao Yi's response. After speaking, he hung up the phone.
Ziyue looked at Zhang Lei as if she were observing a strange creature and asked, "Was that Tao Yi's voice just now? How did he get inside that thing? What were you talking about? I couldn't understand a word. What did Tao Yi call that black object? A phone or something? What's going on?"
Actually, Ziyue's tone was slightly cold, but her dazed expression masked it all.
But because of that, now it was Zhang Lei and Lin Lin's turn to look at Ziyue like she was a strange creature.
"Why are you looking at me like that? What's wrong?" Ziyue asked, noticing their gazes. Although she was worried about Tao Yi's safety, after calming down slightly, she realized that Zhang Lei didn't seem like someone who would harm Tao Yi. Perhaps that black thing was just another thing she didn't know about, like how she hadn't known about the television two days ago.
So Ziyue tried to play along, and as she asked her question, she made a motion as if she was unconsciously touching her face, her expression looking as pure and innocent as possible…
Lin Lin's eye twitched, her mouth cornered into a slight grimace, and she looked at Ziyue as if she were an idiot. With a helpless tone, she said, "That… that's Tao Yi's cell phone. Kid, you don't even know what that is?"
She then crawled out from under the covers, moved beside Zhang Lei, and whispered, "Is this girl someone Tao Yi picked up from the countryside? Has he really stooped to the level of deceiving little girls?"
"Don't jump to conclusions. Do you think a country girl could be more intense than you? I think this girl is just naturally clueless…" Zhang Lei whispered back.
"Forget it, let's go out and get some food. I just checked Tao Yi's fridge—it's spotless," Lin Lin shifted the topic, not wanting to joke anymore. In truth, she had always thought that Ziyue's earlier comment was just a joke.
As she spoke, Lin Lin walked towards the bathroom and glanced at Ziyue. "Don't worry, little sister, since he unconsciously covered you with a blanket, it shows he still cares about you, right?"
"Join us for breakfast. My treat," Lin Lin said, in an unexpectedly generous tone, while entering the bathroom. "Yue'er, mind if I borrow a towel?"
"Towel? Tao Yi and I use the same one…" Ziyue replied.
Lin Lin poked her head out, her face falling, and with a lowered gaze, she said, "Then what are you worried about? Zhang Lei mentioned that Tao Yi is a neat freak; if he didn't like you, he wouldn't let you use the same towel as him…"
Ziyue nodded, a cute smile appearing on her face. "I'll go home with you later; I'm a bit worried."
"Alright, thanks…" Lin Lin replied and then closed the bathroom door to freshen up.
"Yue-jie, how exactly did you handle yesterday's matter? I feel a bit uneasy…" Zhang Lei, unlike Lin Lin's carefree nature, was still a bit concerned.
Ziyue smiled, "Just call me Yue'er. Don't worry, I'm just feeling uneasy myself. As for what I did… I'd rather not say."
Seeing that Ziyue didn't want to elaborate, Zhang Lei didn't press her further, though he still felt nervous inside.
In fact, Zhang Lei had already decided that regardless of how Ziyue handled Ling Qing yesterday, he would pack up his things today and prepare to leave Xuanwei City, maybe even leave Hedong Province altogether.
Before long, the three of them finished freshening up, and Zhang Lei decided to take a taxi to the antique shop where Tao Yi worked.
Of course, Zhang Lei was only doing this to earn the fee for his troubles.
Tao Yi was sitting by an eight-immortals table, resting his chin on his hand, gazing out the window in a daze. Old Qian had not yet arrived at the store.
When he saw the taxi stop at the entrance and realized there were three people inside, Tao Yi raised his eyebrows.
In a flash, Tao Yi stood up and muttered, "Oh no, they followed me. All I did was cover her with a blanket, was that really necessary?"
Tao Yi paced around the shop, and seeing Zhang Lei and the others at the door, he had no choice but to put on a smile to greet them.
"Sister Yue, haha... good morning! The weather's great today..." Tao Yi said with a forced smile as he opened the door.
Ziyue, walking in front, glanced at Tao Yi with disdain in her eyes.
"So scared of me? Do you think I'll eat you?" Ziyue feigned anger.
"Oh, what's with you this morning? Why are you playing this game now? It's giving me a headache," Tao Yi thought, complaining inwardly, but he dared not say it out loud.
Even so, Tao Yi's mouth couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Not afraid of you eating me, afraid you'll suck me dry, okay?"
Tao Yi's voice was low, so those who entered afterward, like Zhang Lei, couldn't hear it. However, Ziyue's eyes flashed with a cold light, and her delicate hand quickly reached for Tao Yi's thigh.
She twisted it hard.
"Ow…" Tao Yi whimpered softly.
With a soft cry, it wasn't Tao Yi who called out—it was Ziyue.
"What's the matter, Sister Yue?" Tao Yi looked at Ziyue's hand and then back at her, seeing her wide, beautiful eyes filled with regret.
Ziyue quickly forced herself to suppress her expression, deeply regretting forgetting about that damned connection between her and Tao Yi. She squeezed out a smile and said, "I'm fine, I just hurt my nail a bit."
Yeah, right. You could probably punch through a steel pipe, but you hurt your nail? Who knows what you're plotting again.
Tao Yi muttered silently to himself but didn't dwell on it. His attention shifted to Zhang Lei. "Brother Lei, give me my phone."
"Huh? What's the rush? We just got here. Don't make it seem like you want to kick me out before I've even warmed up," Zhang Lei teased, moving confidently to sit down at the eight-immortals table.
Lin Lin followed closely, playing the perfect sidekick.
"…" Tao Yi was speechless.
Resigned, Tao Yi opened his wallet and grumbled, "Here's your delivery fee, but mark my words—someday I'll make you pay for this."
"Pfft, like I'm afraid of you. Why don't you try now?" Zhang Lei taunted, snatching the money from Tao Yi's hand in a flash.
"Stop wasting time, honey. We still need to go back and pack," Lin Lin interjected, sensing that her tip was secured and tugging Zhang Lei's hand to prevent any more pointless chatter between him and Tao Yi.
"Pack? Where are you going?" Tao Yi asked, puzzled.
Zhang Lei sighed. "Although Ziyue said everything's fine, it's better to be safe than sorry. We're planning to hide out at my parents' place. It'll be easier to handle things if something does happen."
"Yeah, sounds good. Wait for me, then. I'll ask for leave once the boss arrives, and help you pack."
This was merely an excuse. In truth, Tao Yi didn't fully trust Ziyue's assurances.
"No need, I'll go with them," Ziyue, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up again, her lips curled into a faint smile. Her pure appearance combined with her curvaceous figure made her seem even more enigmatic.
Especially to Tao Yi, who could barely keep his eyes from popping out. Was this really the same fierce Sister Yue?
"Oh my god, Sister Yue, what's happened to you? Even though we haven't known each other for long, and our relationship isn't that deep, you did save my life! So, no matter what, I wouldn't just leave you hanging! Come on, let's go to the hospital..." Tao Yi hurriedly stepped forward, reaching out his arm to grab Ziyue.
Ziyue's beautiful eyes widened, and Tao Yi immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Are you crazy, kid? You're the one who's sick!" Ziyue lowered her voice and then continued, "I'll give you your answer when we get back. Don't say anything stupid!"
"…" Tao Yi forced himself to swallow back his words and actions.
But he still felt uneasy, so he spoke again: "What exactly are you here for, Sister Yue?"
"Hey, stop it, Turtle! Yue'er already said she's worried about us, and here you are, being all wishy-washy." Zhang Lei, clearly impatient, checked his watch, acting as if he was extremely busy and grabbed Lin Lin's hand.
"What?! What did you just call her?"
At this very moment.
Zhang Lei didn't notice.
When he said the word "Yue'er," Tao Yi's expression changed.
Our friend Tao Yi suddenly felt like he was struck by lightning, experiencing a strange sensation of being crispy on the outside and tender on the inside…
"Yue'er? What's the matter, Tao Yi? Are you even normal? You pretend to be clueless about you and Yue'er's relationship, and now you're acting weird in all sorts of ways. Are you sick or something? I even worry you might corrupt my Zhang Lei," Lin Lin chimed in, scolding Tao Yi.
"Sister Lin, it's fine. I have something to discuss with Tao Yi. Can you guys wait for me outside?" Ziyue's voice was unexpectedly gentle.
So, Zhang Lei and Lin Lin left together.
The cool breeze blew away the charred smell lingering on Tao Yi, and he stared blankly at Ziyue as she approached him.
"Sister Yue, what's going on? What kind of medicine do you have hidden in your gourd?" Tao Yi struggled to control his twitching mouth and spoke with difficulty, "Please, just tell me—are you crazy, or am I?"
"Buy me a cell phone on the way back. That's all. I'm leaving now."
It was just one sentence, and it completely took Tao Yi by surprise. He had expected Ziyue to state her purpose and threaten him.
As she reached the door, Ziyue's curvaceous body turned back, her eyes glistening with a few crystalline tears, and her voice carried a hint of grievance, "Is it wrong for me to be kind to your friends?"
With that, she left Tao Yi, who was now lost in thought, staring at her retreating, graceful figure...
"I get it, she's crazy… No, no, it's definitely not that, I must be the one who's gone mad! Mad enough to start hallucinating!" Tao Yi frantically scratched his head, feeling the urge to rush to the hospital's psychiatric department immediately.
But just before he lost his mind completely, Tao Yi suddenly realized, "Wait, that crazy girl just now… did she say… she wanted a phone?!"