Noticing that he had stopped in his tracks, Jing Chu asked, “Why did you stop?”
He remained silent and continued walking.
When the herd of lions approached them, Pei Yi nonetheless got a great shock despite having been through all sorts of experiences. Jing Chu instructed them to return to their den and they agreed.
The humans slowly made their way up the spiral staircase to the treehouse.
There were two houses upstairs, one for Fat Lass and one for the three of them. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, Fat Lass hurriedly proceeded to boil some water.
Pei Yi scanned the surroundings in the house and found that it exuded a familial warmth.
“I couldn’t see clearly just now, but how many houses did you build in total?”
Jing Chu answered, “Four. Two upstairs and one below for the kitchen. Afterward, I decided to build another one for the storage of firewood. That’d be enough for us.” Pei Yi proceeded to get some food, after which they began eating together with Fat Lass and Pei Yi. They finally settled down and began adjusting to the new environment.
“Thank you for building this home for us together with Fat Lass. I like it very much.”
“Fortunately, you came by to help us deliver and move the items inside. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had all the necessary items. We can stay here in the long run. The sky is about to turn bright very soon. Let’s all get some rest. Pei Ling is tired too,” said Jing Chu.
Fat Lass stood up and said, “Sis Jing Chu, I’ll go to bed now, then.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
Fat Lass had now become friends with the marsupial lions, despite being afraid of them in the past.
Hence, she was perfectly fine with sleeping alone and did not feel afraid at all.
The lamps in the room were powered by an adapter attached to the power bank. Although the lights were dim, it was much better compared to candles.
Jing Chu coaxed Pei Ling to sleep before helping Pei Yi clean the blisters on his feet.
“I’m afraid that you wouldn’t be able to adapt to living in such conditions. After all, you must have gotten used to living in luxury. It’s a major change to be moving here all of a sudden. There’s no television, refrigerator, or air conditioner.”
“My mother and I used to live in worse conditions. This is nothing compared to the life I used to lead. Besides, I’m glad to have you and Pei Ling by my side. I haven’t got to enjoy a proper mental break in a really long time. I used to have to think about so many things. I can finally rest my mind and relax now. Jing Chu, I’m not lying to you, I really find this carefree lifestyle to be enjoyable.”
Jing Chu looked up and held his gaze. “From now on, you shall be in charge of educating Pei Ling. Hence, I’ve prepared quite a few number of books and lots of paper and stationery. After all, I’ve never been to school and I taught myself how to read and write. Fat Lass is barely literate as well. We’ll have to count on you.”
Pei Yi looked at her with glistening eyes and agreed, “Sure.” He then asked, “Can we jump around here?”
“Yes, it’s very sturdy. Are you afraid that it’d collapse?”
“I’m just afraid that we might fall off when we’re getting intimate. That’d be no joke, but since you said it’s sturdy, I can put my mind at ease.”
“…”
After cleaning the blisters and abrasions on his feet, Jing Chu lay down on the bed. Dog tired, she did not wish to move at all.
Pei Yi was just as exhausted. However, he could not seem to close his eyes and doze off.
Somehow, he felt particularly at ease while staring at the sound-asleep Jing Chu and listening to the sounds of the rain as well as the roars of the lions.
He dozed off unknowingly.
Jing Chu felt as if she had slept for a long time.
By the time she woke up, the sun was already out and shining brightly.
Pei Ling was playing on his own quietly while Pei Yi was nowhere in sight.
“Pei Ling, where’s Daddy?”
“He’s cooking.”
She got out of bed, carried Pei Ling in her arms, and made her way downstairs to freshen up.
They had prepared lots of daily necessities, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, detergent, shampoo, and several other items.
After she was done washing up, Jing Chu brought Pei Ling to the kitchen. She was greeted with the sight of Fat Lass cooking and Pei Yi burning some firewood.
“You’re up.”
Jing Chu answered, “Yeah. What time did you guys wake up?”
“A while before you did.”
“I forgot to ask you this last night. What did you write on the note that you had left for Qin Guo?”
“I told her that we had left and that she ought to do as she deems fit.”
Jing Chu could totally imagine Qin Guo’s reaction. “She must have broken down in despair.”
“It’s indeed very sudden, but I had given her two chances to leave. Well, everyone’s destiny is different. However, from what I know about her, she would probably take over my position and continue to stay in the DK Organization. It’d be inappropriate for someone from the headquarters to take over since they’re not familiar with the situation in R Nation. Hence, Qin Guo is the best candidate.”
“Doesn’t that mean that there’ll be no turning back for her?”
“Yes. I’ve set the email to be sent to the headquarters automatically this morning. I believe they’ve already seen it and they’ve probably hit the roof. I reckon they must be sending their men to look for me. However, it doesn’t matter anymore even if they resent me for betraying the organization. I didn’t have a choice anyway. I would have left openly if I could.”
Jing Chu smiled and said, “There’s no reception here, and we won’t know what’s happening in the outside world anyway. That’s good since we won’t need to worry or think about anything.”
Pei Yi shared the exact same thoughts.
Qin Guo still did not discover anything unusual in the morning, and she only found out about Pei Yi’s departure when the headquarters called her after they failed to reach Pei Yi.
She could not believe her ears at first. However, she knew that the headquarters were definitely serious about it.
She then discovered the note that he had left for her.
Qin Guo finally realized that Pei Yi had long been planning to leave for good. After all, it was a major decision that could not be made in just a few days.
Qin Guo teared up at the thought of the words that he had said to her last night. She felt miserable for both Pei Yi and herself, for she knew how powerful the DK Organization was. She believed that Pei Yi would be nabbed and executed sooner or later, especially since he was one of the top leaders who knew the most about the organization.
Qin Guo could not help but get upset the moment she imagined Pei Yi being arrested. She felt that Jing Chu was the one who influenced him to change his mindset and leave the DK Organization.
From then on, Qin Guo never lived in peace again.
She was stuck in a huge dilemma.
Although she did not wish for Pei Yi to be arrested, she did not like the idea of him living a carefree life in a faraway place. Even if Pei Yi gets nabbed, I can at least beg for mercy and they might spare his life. That way, he’ll never get to be with Jing Chu.
Several days passed, and she had also assumed the role that Pei Yi held in the DK Organization. Yet, there was still no news of him at all.
Why couldn’t they find him?
The DK Organization had deployed all the members across the globe to search for Pei Yi but never once succeeded.
It was as if he had vanished into thin air.
They could not find a single trace of him at all.
Although the news of Pei Yi being wanted was kept within the DK Organization at first, it was somehow leaked and the entire world was now aware.
