“Sorry……”
Seeing this, Chu You hurriedly apologized to Xia Ji.
Xia Ji forced a smile and shook her head, instead comforting Chu You, “It’s okay, Sister You. It’s been many years now, I’m fine.”
Chu You looked at Xia Ji’s strained smile, and a sharp pang of sorrow welled up in her heart.
Eleven years ago, their father disappeared in the wilderness; eight years ago, their mother died on the battlefield… That year, Xia Ji was only eight years old.
Even with the support of the community and the compensation system, how did such a fragile child manage to endure those long, lonely nights alone?
She had barely managed to slowly heal from the wounds of her childhood and grow up, only to suffer the blow of losing a close friend in her second year of middle school.
Xia Ji’s sensitive and fragile personality, her habit of seeking approval from others, were all deeply connected to her difficult upbringing.
Thinking this, Chu You’s heart softened. She stepped forward and gently hugged Xia Ji’s slender shoulders, her voice softening considerably: “Don’t say sorry… Actually, to have lived all this time on your own, you’ve already been incredibly, incredibly brave.”
At these words, Xia Ji looked up at Chu You, first stunned.
Then her eyes reddened slightly, and a complex, hard-to-read emotion flickered faintly in her gaze.
Chu You smiled and reached out, affectionately pinching Xia Ji’s slightly cold cheek, trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere: “Alright, alright, no more sad talk~ From now on, you don’t have to push yourself so hard. We can be friends who rely on each other… If you ever need help, just come to me, okay?”
Hearing words like “friend” and “rely on each other,” Xia Ji solemnly nodded, her voice slightly nasal, “Mm!”
She then forced a brighter smile and changed the topic, her tone deliberately light: “Actually… after what happened at school that day, Chen Xinyu and Lu Ran also disappeared… I don’t mean anything else by it, I just feel like, maybe no one will bother me anymore.”
“So, Sister You,” she looked at Chu You, her eyes filled with a sincere plea, “you… you won’t fight with anyone anymore, okay?”
Chu You nodded without hesitation, agreeing firmly: “Alright, I’ll listen to you. No more fighting!”
She promised decisively, but in her heart, she thought: If this silly girl knew the real situation of Lu Ran and Chen Xinyu now, she’d probably be scared pale.
Chen Xinyu and Lu Ran were classified as “missing” rather than being hunted as “Pollution Aura Carriers,” which was entirely Lin Mo’s doing.
He suppressed the matter because he didn’t want to bring unnecessary trouble to Chu You.
After all, Chu You’s official identity was just that of an ordinary high school student, at most tagged with some martial virtue.
The surveillance clearly recorded her going to the old teaching building during the incident. If the true facts were reported—how could an ordinary high school girl hold out against two Oracles and Pollution Aura Carriers until Lin Mo arrived?
Combine that with the demon aura detected at the scene…
Not even Gu Qiancheng, but even a three-year-old child would be the first to suspect her.
Chu You resolved to verbally reassure Xia Ji first to ease her mind.
As for when it truly becomes unavoidable… she would have to fight back!
Xia Ji looked at Chu You for a while, fingers unconsciously tugging at the edge of her clothes.
After hesitating, she softly asked, “Sister You… are you free tomorrow, Saturday? I—I want to go out with you.”
At this, Chu You snapped back to reality and looked at Xia Ji.
The silly girl’s face was full of expectation but tinged with a hint of timidity.
Chu You’s heart softened, wanting to immediately say yes.
But… the headquarters investigation team was about to arrive, and after returning home, she would have to inject the chameleon serum.
In the next few days, she would be wearing a completely unfamiliar face, appearing at several locations planned with Lin Mo, to deal with the investigation team arriving at Binhai at any moment.
Thinking of this, a trace of apology appeared on Chu You’s face.
She looked at Xia Ji and her voice unconsciously lowered.
“Sorry, Xia Ji. These two days on the weekend I… I…”
Before she could finish, the small flame in Xia Ji’s eyes visibly dimmed, and a look of disappointment inevitably crossed her face.
Seeing this, Chu You’s mind raced desperately to find a reasonable excuse that wouldn’t hurt Xia Ji.
As she thought, an idea suddenly flashed, and her mouth ran ahead of her brain: “Remember Lin Mo—the one you saw before? I made plans with him to go out this weekend.”
Chu You felt her cheeks flush and forced herself to continue, “Actually, you guessed right, I… we…”
At this point, an inexplicable embarrassment surged, and she couldn’t bring herself to say the last two words.
However, Xia Ji’s expression instantly brightened upon hearing this.
She blinked her sparkling eyes, full of understanding and teasing laughter.
“You’re a couple, right? I knew it!”
Hearing the word “couple” so clearly from Xia Ji’s mouth, Chu You felt all her strength drained.
A mixture of helplessness and embarrassment welled up in her heart.
She could only avoid Xia Ji’s gaze and awkwardly, vaguely nodded in acknowledgment: “Mm… yes…”
Xia Ji fully accepted this explanation and immediately leaned forward, affectionately hugging Chu You’s arm, her tone cheerful: “Since Sister You is going on a date with your boyfriend, then we’ll meet next time! It’s okay!”
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she released her hold and walked to the desk, bending down to open the drawer.
When she turned back, in her hand was a bracelet carefully braided with red string, adorned with a delicate, small emblem—
The emblem was almost identical to the one sitting on the desk, a relic left by her mother Hu Jing, except this one was inlaid with a green crystal at its center.
“This is…?” Chu You’s eyes widened slightly.
She glanced involuntarily at the desk behind Xia Ji, where the red crystal emblem still lay.
Xia Ji smiled softly, took Chu You’s wrist, and carefully tied the bracelet on with gentle, focused movements.
“Both these emblems were left by Mom…” she explained quietly as she tied it, “Back then, before Mom left, she came home on leave and brought back these two emblems. She told me to wear one, and give the other to Chen Xinyu… Mom said these are symbols of sincere friendship.”
At this, a faint loneliness flickered across Xia Ji’s face, but she quickly composed herself.
She lifted Chu You’s wrist, carefully examining the green emblem that shimmered warmly in the light, her voice soft as a feather: “Now, I want to give it to you, Sister You…”
She lifted her eyes, looking at Chu You with a hint of nervousness, “Do you think… I’m strange?”
Chu You looked at the girl before her—half a head shorter than herself, pure eyes mixed with a trace of unease—and the softest part of her heart was gently touched.
She didn’t answer directly but suddenly raised the wrist wearing the emblem into the light, letting the green shimmer dance vividly.
Turning to Xia Ji, she gave a bright and sincere smile: “Thank you, Xia Ji.”
Her voice was clear and warm, “I really like it, truly.”
…
…
Chu You chatted with Xia Ji a while longer.
Seeing that it was late, she stood to take her leave.
Xia Ji accompanied her to the door, and the two waved goodbye by the entrance.
On the way home, the evening breeze was slightly cool, but Chu You’s mood carried a warmth, and her steps grew naturally lighter.
Just as she unlocked the door with her key, a figure came into view—Lin Mo, leaning casually against the corridor wall, as if he had been waiting for her.
His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then naturally dropped, precisely catching the new ornament on her wrist.
“Looks like,” he said flatly, emotionless, “senior got a gift she really likes, huh?”
Chu You changed into slippers and went straight to the living room, collapsing into the soft sofa with a comfortable sigh.
She lifted her wrist, deliberately swinging the red string bracelet, the green emblem glinting in the light.
With a hint of pride, she showed it off to Lin Mo: “I have such a great personality, I can make friends anywhere… unlike some people, tsk tsk~”.
Hearing this, Lin Mo made no comment but slowly stepped closer.
While Chu You’s attention was still on the bracelet, he suddenly bent down, both hands slamming on the back of the sofa with a thud, instantly trapping her in the narrow space between his arms and the sofa.
Startled by the sudden move, Chu You quickly pulled back her arms, instinctively crossing her hands over her chest, curling up, and glaring at him with full vigilance.
“Resorting to tricks when you can’t win, huh? Stay away from me, Lin Mo! We still haven’t settled what happened in the storeroom!”
Hearing this, Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips.
“Settle accounts? Senior, need me to remind you of some basic legal knowledge?”
He paused, an innocent glint in his eyes.
“I didn’t want to… have that reaction, but at that moment, senior and I were so close. I’m a normal man—having a physiological reaction is only natural, right?”
He lowered his head again, warm lips almost brushing Chu You’s sensitive earlobe.
His breath stirred the strands of hair at her ear as he teased softly—
“And I didn’t take off my pants, so is that illegal too?”
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