Chapter 96: A Fateful Encounter on Xining Road

It was already 8 PM when the two girls disembarked from the bus, their hands clasped together. They remained unusually quiet throughout the journey, an unspoken understanding guiding them to the familiar T-junction.

There, the streetlights stretched their shadows long across the pavement.

This was the very spot where they had always parted ways after school, ever since their third year of junior high.

Gu Xuexuan took Lin Duo’s other hand, her smile sweet and genuine. “Thank you for fulfilling one of my dreams,” she said. “Don’t worry, I promise I’ll never make such a capricious request of you again.”

“Xuanxuan… will we still be friends?”

“If you don’t dislike someone like me, then of course we will! But summer vacation is almost over. Once we’re both boarding at school, we won’t have many chances to meet up anyway.”

“That’s true…”

Another silence settled between them before Gu Xuexuan spoke again. “Xiaoduo, it’s getting late. Our parents will worry if we get home too late. Bye-bye!”

“Wait, please!” Lin Duo called out, stopping Gu Xuexuan, who had already turned to leave. She bit her lip lightly, then whispered, “Xuanxuan, I’m sorry.”

Gu Xuexuan sighed. “This time, I was the one who was too willful. What do you have to apologize for? You’re just too kind, too indecisive. Boys love to bully girls like you. I’m truly worried you’ll be led astray by some bad man in the future.”

‘I’m sorry, I’ve been deceiving you all this time. I’m actually a boy.’

These were Lin Duo’s thoughts, yet he couldn’t bring himself to voice them.

****

The fruit store was already closed. Lin Duo skillfully used the key to open the door to their second-floor apartment. Wu Bijuan greeted him with a beaming smile. “How was it? Did you have dinner? I’ve saved some leftovers for you. Did you have a good time with little Xuanxuan today?”

“Yeah, it was pretty good.”

Lin Duo responded vaguely, ate a few bites of food, and then retreated into his bedroom. Staring at the junior high graduation photo on his desk, he felt a pang of sadness.

With only a week left until school started, the cram school courses concluded, leaving a week of free time. During this period, Gu Xuexuan also returned to her usual self, still holding hands with Lin Duo when they went shopping, but never making any special gestures, as if a weight had been lifted from her mind. Lin Duo, too, used this free week to rest and spend more time chatting with his adoptive parents.

It was clear that the Yue couple genuinely adored their adoptive daughter as if she were their own, smiling at even a glance.

One day, as Lin Duo was minding the cash register and browsing the internet at the fruit store, he received a call from Shen Jing’an.

“Hello, Lin Duo? I’ve already moved back into the dorm today!”

“Huh? Isn’t registration still three days away?”

“Hmph, my home was just too boring, and with everyone watching me, I had no choice but to sneak back to school. But now I’m the only one on this floor of the dorm, and it’s so dull. Hurry up and come keep me company!”

Given the positive experience with boarding during her first year of high school, Lin Duo had already paid the accommodation fees for the second year.

Truthfully, Lin Duo was quite reluctant to leave his adoptive parents, but life at the fruit store was indeed rather monotonous. Although his adoptive parents loved him dearly, they weren’t in the same age group and didn’t share much common ground. He genuinely missed that boisterous little girl.

When his adoptive parents heard Lin Duo wanted to return to school early, they were reluctant but didn’t stop him. They helped Lin Duo pack his luggage and took him to the station early the next morning.

Shen Jing’an was sprawled on her bed, bored, browsing the internet. Hearing the door open, she immediately sprang up and gave Lin Duo a bear hug as he entered. “Duoduo~ I missed you so much~”

“Stop, stop! Don’t be so sickeningly sweet, okay?” Lin Duo unceremoniously pushed her away, preparing to unpack his box, but shivered first. “I say, isn’t the air conditioning a bit too low? It’s freezing!”

“Hmph, just put on a jacket!”

“You really don’t know how to save electricity for the country…”

Lin Duo was highly efficient, reorganizing the contents of his box in just fifteen minutes. He then stood on a chair to tuck the empty box onto the top of his wardrobe. Shen Jing’an, however, was exceptionally mischievous. She seized the opportunity to poke her head under Lin Duo’s short skirt. “Hehe, I want to see the color of your panties! Huh? Why are you still wearing safety shorts? Aren’t you hot in the middle of summer?”

“Precisely to prevent perverts like you from peeking!” Lin Duo retorted, giving his roommate a hefty headbutt before jumping off the chair.

Following that, another intense argument ensued, until Shen Jing’an finally, reluctantly, agreed to raise the air conditioner’s temperature by a mere degree. Then, the two sat side-by-side at the desk, checking their summer homework while chatting idly.

****

Before they knew it, it was noon. Lin Duo and Shen Jing’an went out to eat something near the school, then visited a stationery store to buy some new supplies. They returned to campus chatting and laughing.

As they neared the school gate, a small black minivan slowly pulled up behind them. A middle-aged man’s head poked out of the window. “Little sisters, excuse me. I have a client who said they’d meet me on Xining Road, but I can’t seem to find it.”

The middle-aged man’s northern accent struck Lin Duo as familiar, so he patiently gave directions. “Uncle, this road is quite secluded. You need to drive straight ahead, then take the sloped small path at the next intersection, and then turn left.”

The middle-aged man scratched his head, looking somewhat confused. “It’s that complicated, huh? I’m new here for business, and all these little roads and alleys in Nan’an City make my head spin. Would you mind leading the way for me?”

Xining Road was only about a five-minute drive from there; it was just a bit tricky to find due to all the winding turns. However, having lived there for over a year, Lin Duo knew the area well and readily agreed without much thought. Shen Jing’an felt a slight sense of alarm, but she noticed only the middle-aged man in the car, and it was broad daylight with plenty of pedestrians around, so she dismissed her worries.

Guided by Lin Duo, the minivan smoothly arrived at Xining Road. It was a very short, rather quiet street, though at the intersection ahead, two old men were playing chess in the shade of a tree. The middle-aged man extended his arm from the car window, waving enthusiastically. “Old Zhang! Old Zhang, I’m here!”

The two old men turned, looking somewhat bewildered.

The middle-aged man continued to shout, “Hey, Old Zhang, did you forget? We had an appointment!”

Just as Lin Duo was still curiously watching the exchange, Shen Jing’an suddenly shrieked. Her mouth and nose were being covered from behind by a wet wipe. Lin Duo realized something was wrong and immediately screamed, “Help!”

Unfortunately, as soon as he finished shouting, the middle-aged man in the car lunged out halfway, covering Lin Duo’s nose with the same wet wipe. A pungent odor filled his senses, and soon, Lin Duo felt the world spin, his consciousness blurring. The last thing he saw in his mind was the man’s sinister smile.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

I’m Not the Saintess! I’m a Good-for-Nothing Young Master!

Female ProtagonistGender BenderReverse Pursuit

Read Now →
Not interested