Looking at the shiny handcuffs once again clasped around her wrists, Gu Qiqi let out a sigh—what an unlucky streak, a family misfortune; why had she been crossing paths with the police station so often lately?
Neighbor Aunt Zhao and the others had also rushed over. Having heard the huge commotion in Qiqi’s yard earlier, they thought the demolition crew had come to tear down the houses again, so they arrived indignantly to help. But the police showed them an arrest warrant, and they had no idea what the charge meant. Seeing the armed officers, they were too scared to even whisper. Still, everyone understood that Qiqi’s current predicament was all for the sake of their homes, so the neighbors were all teary-eyed.
Qiqi, with a sense of righteousness, cooperated fully and even seemed a bit eager to get into the police car—she hoped the police would leave quickly so they wouldn’t run into Rong Yi, who was coming back from buying medicine. That guy was so hot-tempered, and now the police were all armed—too dangerous. With his abilities, once he recovered his demonic power, he could probably rescue her again in a couple of days, right?
But constantly breaking out of jail like this wasn’t a solution. She was clearly a good citizen, yet she was being treated like a terrorist, forced to hide in dark corners—it was really frustrating.
The car swayed as it drove, and Gu Qiqi’s dizziness flared up again. Crouching in the police car, she felt like she was about to collapse. Even though she had taken two pills, the wind outside had brought back that chilling sensation—a cold that welled up from deep within, as if her heart was pumping ice water instead of warm blood. Her limbs went numb, her whole body felt like it was submerged in a freezing river in the dead of winter, trembling violently.
She hoped the car would reach its destination quickly so she could lie down and sleep for a while. But halfway there, the car suddenly stopped. The police chief took several calls, his tone shifting from stern to sycophantic, then mumbled “mm-hmm, oh” for a few minutes before finally hanging up.
Then the car turned, drove on for a long time, and finally stopped.
The door opened, and a pair of warm, strong hands reached out to the girl: “Qiqi, are you okay?”
Qiqi struggled to open her eyes and saw a face swaying before her—was it Senior Brother Lu’s?
“Senior Brother, why are you here…” she murmured.
“It’s okay, I’m here to take you back.” Lu Wei helped her out of the car and immediately noticed how weak she was. He asked quickly, “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
Before she could answer, his hand was already on her forehead. He frowned, then skillfully took her pulse: “You have a cold and a fever.”
Qiqi nodded. Her senior brother’s hand felt dry and warm, carrying a faint scent of disinfectant, which inexplicably brought her a sense of calm.
She let out a soft “mm,” relaxed completely, and collapsed toward the ground.
※※※
When she woke again, it was evening.
The setting sun cast gentle, lingering light through the sheer white embroidered curtains into the room, illuminating the elegant patterns on the fabric, creating a hazy and cozy atmosphere.
Qiqi saw Senior Brother Lu sitting in a chair by the bed, lost in thought. He was still wearing a clean white cotton casual shirt, with sharp brows and a refined demeanor, his features as warm as ever. But now there seemed to be a layer of melancholy on his face—perhaps it was the pallor of someone just recovering from a serious illness?
She softly called out, “Senior Brother Lu,” and Lu Wei immediately snapped out of his reverie. A smile as warm as a spring breeze spread across his face as he leaned in and asked with concern, “Qiqi, you’re awake?”