It was close to noon when Ning Li came out of the garage.
While taking off her gloves, she said, “Ask them to pick up the car in a few days.”
Ji Shu nodded. “Okay.”
He could not help but look back again. “Hey, when do you think I can take it for a spin?”
Ning Li closed the door behind her, blocking his line of sight, before locking up the garage.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Gu Tinglan’s attitude was enough to explain everything.
The value and significance of this car to the Gu family were far more than outsiders could imagine.
This was the first time she saw Gu Siyang this nervous, and it was just for this car.
After going back, Gu Siyang would probably never be able to touch it again.
Ji Shu also saw the issue and only casually mentioned this.
Seeing that Ning Li had already locked the door, he pulled his hair in chagrin.
“Sister Li, are you going back now?”
Ning Li looked down at her body and saw some stains on her clothes. She was also sweaty.
“I’ll go back home and get changed first.”
“Shall I drive you?”
Ning Li picked up her backpack and waved her hand. “There’s no need.”
She did not want to run into Gu Tinglan and Gu Siyang again.
“I booked the high-speed train for this afternoon, so I’ll head to the station after packing.”
…
Cheng Xiyue drove his car and came to the old city. Finally, he stopped at an intersection.
There were dilapidated buildings on both sides.
He glanced to the alley on the right.
“Little Ning Li’s home is there, right?”
He had come once and had a vague memory of it.
However, since it had been at night and it had been raining then, he had not seen it very clearly.
Only now could he get a clearer look.
Cheng Xiyue’s car was low-profile enough. There were also a lot of cars parked haphazardly on the street nearby, so it did not attract too much attention.
The stone path was uneven, and the two sides of the building were crowded, with rusty metal bars over the windows. Some people were hanging their laundry outside.
A few women were gathered around for a chat. Someone opened the door and splashed soiled water on the ground outside. Some children were running about, laughing.
Cheng Xiyue looked at this chaotic scene with mixed feelings.
He had investigated Ning Li a long time ago and he knew quite a lot about her life growing up in Lincheng all these years.
However, when he saw this scene in person, he still felt indescribable emotions.
Little Ning Li had lived in such a place for the first seventeen years of her life.
He thought about the Ye family’s villa, which was situated in one of the best neighborhoods in Yunzhou.
Every time he saw Su Yuan, she was always dressed exquisitely and nobly.
There was not one part of her body that was not well taken care of.
Anyone who saw Su Yuan could see that she had lived a life of respect and privilege.
Even though the Ye family had no relationship with Ning Li, Su Yuan was still her biological mother.
If Su Yuan had been willing, she could have reached out to Ning Li so that Ning Li would not have had to grow up in this situation.
Cheng Xiyue looked at Lu Huaiyu.
Lu Huaiyu was sitting in the passenger seat as he looked over there. His face looked calm without showing any emotion.
Cheng Xiyue sighed silently.
Even he felt sad at seeing this scene, what more would Lu Huaiyu feel?
Around that time, several people crossed the road as they walked and talked.
“Is it confirmed? Did she really come back?”
“Yeah! Someone saw her yesterday. It’s really her! But she went out again in the morning. She should come back later, so let’s wait.”
It was some distance away, so Lu Huaiyu and Cheng Xiyue could not hear the conversation clearly.
Cheng Xiyue looked at them and frowned slightly.
Those people looked like trouble. They seemed like thugs.
It really was not safe for Little Ning Li to stay here by herself.
It was no wonder that Lu Huaiyu had insisted on coming over today to pick Ning Li up after knowing that she had come back alone.
Cheng Xiyue asked, “Is Little Ning Li at home now?”
“She went out in the morning and seems to be busy, so I don’t think she’s at home.”
Lu Huaiyu had already asked earlier.
Ning Li’s train was scheduled for 4:00 pm, so there was still time.
“Then…do you want to give her a call? Do you think she went straight to the station?”
Cheng Xiyue looked at the time. It was only 1:00 pm.
They did not know if Ning Li would still come back.
Lu Huaiyu shook his head. “She should be back soon. Let’s wait a while.”
Ning Li had just replied to his message saying that she was going home to pack her things.
She would be home soon.
…
Half an hour later, a cab stopped at the intersection.
Ning Li got out of the car and walked towards her house.
Across the street, she turned around without noticing Cheng Xiyue’s car.
Cheng Xiyue was happy to see her.
“She’s back! Let’s go over there!”
Just as he said this, he changed his mind again.
“Um… Forget it. Let’s wait a little longer. She still has to take some time to pack her things. Lu, you can just tell her that we’re here.”
Lu Huaiyu nodded, took out his phone, and sent a message to Ning Li.
…
As soon as Ning Li entered the building, she felt that something was wrong.
Although it was daytime, the building was very old. The city development did not enforce any standards of maintenance, so the hallways were very dark.
She slowed down her pace and held the phone in her pocket with one hand as she clutched her backpack with the other.
The hallway was very quiet. The only sound was of her footsteps as she walked up the stairs.
Finally, she came to her front door.
There were a few more markings of forceful entry on the door, and the doorknob seemed to have a cut on it.
There was also red paint on her door that read, “A life for a life!”
The pungent smell of spray paint stung her nose and stabbed her mind.
Suddenly, the door opened.
…
Lu Huaiyu waited for a while, but Ning Li still had not replied.
Even if her phone was on silent, she probably would have looked at her phone once she got home.
Cheng Xiyue wondered. “What’s wrong with Little Ning Li? Has she still not responded?”
Suddenly, the figures Lu Huaiyu had seen earlier came to mind.
His eyes were stern and he immediately pushed the car door open to get out.
