All the food they bought was placed on the table. Li Si and Bai Shasha found a small restaurant and ordered a plate of fried rice. Once they had a seat, they started eating. It was the weekend, and there weren't many people around; most students had left campus to have fun, so the restaurant wasn't too busy.
After eating their fill, both of them burped. Li Si thought she hadn't eaten this happily in ages—her face was full of satisfaction. Bai Shasha used a wet wipe to clean her mouth and hands.
"Sisi, let tell you, even just QQ chicken racks can buy you over. You're way too easily satisfied!"
Li Si glanced at the pile of chicken bones in front of her and playfully retorted, "Looks like I was the one who ate everything just now, huh? But half of the credit on this battle dal is yours!"
"Fine, fine, I won't deny it. By the way, National Day is coming up, and we'll have a holiday. Where do you plan on going to have fun?"
Bai Shasha walked out of the restaurant with Li Si, chatting as they strolled.
Li Si thought for a mont. "Hmm, I'm planning to roam around Beijing. What about you?"
"? Where else can I go? My parents won't let go far, and I'm not interested in nearby places. Bring so local specialties back for , okay? Don't forget!"
Bai Shasha sighed helplessly and jokingly threatened Li Si.
"Got it, my queen. Aren't you planning to go out with Cao Yufan during the holiday?"
"Him? Who knows? We'll see."
She replied with a slight hint of bashfulness.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind them. "Shasha, why didn't you wait for to eat?" They turned to look—well, speak of the devil! Cao Yufan appeared right on cue; it couldn't have been more perfect timing.
Cao Yufan wiped sweat from his forehead. At 1.85 ters tall, his towering fra swayed slightly. "I've been looking for you for ages. Just now, ng Xi invited to eat, but I didn't go."
The originally good mood was imdiately ruined once the na ng Xi was ntioned. Li Si cursed inside a thousand tis: "Stupid blockhead, stupid blockhead!"
Bai Shasha glared at Cao Yufan, turned around, and dragged Li Si away in one motion. Li Si couldn't even pull her back and had to plead incessantly, "Shasha, slower! I just ate, and if you walk so fast, I'm going to throw up! Slow down, slow down!"
Cao Yufan quickly caught up with the two girls, both just under 1.7 ters tall, in a few long strides. He grabbed Bai Shasha's wrist and, confused, said, "Shasha, why are you angry? I ca to find you right after the competition, didn't even shower. What more do you want from ?"
"I don't want anything from you! Didn't you say ng Xi invited you to eat? Go with her—I don't care, okay?"
Bai Shasha struggled to break free, her voice emotional and loud.
Cao Yufan tightened his grip, his face showing a flash of confusion. After thinking it through, his eyes suddenly lit up. Excitedly, he exclaid, "Shasha, are you jealous?"
"I am not! Let go, or I'll bite you!"
Bai Shasha's face turned red, though her mouth stubbornly continued listing his faults.
Li Si stood by watching, utterly speechless. "Is this so sort of drama? Did Qiong Yao's spirit possess them or sothing?"
"You two should find a place to sit and talk things out. Take your ti. I just rembered I've got sothing to do. I'll head off now, see you later!"
She tossed out a quick farewell in a playful Beijing accent, couldn't hold back her laughter, and darted away as if greased lightning, not caring what expressions were left on the pair behind her.
Approaching the school gate, Li Si was still smiling, her good mood persisting—until she saw ng Zijun. Instantly, her mood darkened like stormy clouds.
ng Zijun was standing in front of the girls' dormitory, looking around nervously as if he were waiting for soone. At this ti, they were only ordinary classmates. It was during his third year that he began pursuing her, so Li Si paid him no mind and continued walking.
"Hey, classmate! Can I ask you for a favor?"
ng Zijun's eyes lit up when he saw Li Si, and he hurried forward to speak.
Li Si reacted coldly, stepping back. "I'm busy."
She quickly walked into the dormitory, not caring about his reaction behind her. All she knew was that in this life, she wouldn't have any entanglents with him again.
Back in the dorm room, the others weren't there. Li Si locked the door and entered her personal space. She hadn't visited it for several days, and there were noticeable changes. Fruits now covered the ground, and the trees were laden with peaches and cherries.
She casually picked a peach, washed it by the river, and started munching on it as she surveyed her space. The warehouse was piled high with fruits and vegetables, and she still hadn't decided how to deal with it all. Thankfully, her space acted as a massive refrigerator, keeping everything fresh. Otherwise, it would've been a real headache.
Her house had also changed since taking root in the space. The forrly white surface of the steel structure was becoming increasingly refined, and the interior felt more spacious. Could the house be growing too? Li Si shook her head and quickly dismissed the thought.
National Day arrived in no ti. During this ti, many places bustled with crowds as people sought to make the most of their limited holiday. Scenic spots were absolutely packed, no longer about enjoying the scenery but about watching people.
In Beijing, Li Si wandered through courtyards with a small backpack for cover. She had visited so tourist spots last ti and realized she really loved Beijing. The ancient ambiance of the courtyards—grey bricks and tiles, wood and stone structures—felt captivating the more she saw. If she ever had the chance, she'd love to live in a courtyard house.
Recently, she had read a lot of material and developed an interest in courtyard hos. She rembered learning that many of them were demolished later on; the loss of such ancient culture was truly unfortunate.
Li Si was in an old alley, studying the stone lions in front of a courtyard gate, when her backpack was lightly tugged from behind. She turned to see a little boy about five or six years old, covered in dirt and wearing a filthy black suit. His small black hands were clutching her backpack, and his ssy hair frad a face sared with dirt, like a little kitten. His big, shiny eyes looked at her pitifully.
Li Si's mind raced. Could this be one of those scam groups using children as bait? She rembered reports about kids begging for money while adults monitored nearby.
She carefully checked her surroundings but saw no one. Could this child really be alone? On closer inspection, his clothes looked high-quality, more like he was lost.
"Little one, what's wrong?"
Li Si squatted down and tentatively held his small hand.
The boy looked at her, tears welling up in his eyes, his voice trembling, "Auntie, I can't find my mommy and daddy. I can't find my ho!"
"Don't be afraid, sweetheart. Don't worry—Auntie will help you. Here's the plan: co ho with , take a bath and have sothing to eat, then we'll go to the police station to file a report, okay?"
Seeing the boy's pitiful appearance made Li Si's heart ache. It didn't matter if his story was true or not; she decided to take him away from here first.
The boy obediently followed Li Si to her high-rise apartnt. On the way, she bought clothes and food for him. After bathing him and dressing him in new clothes, Li Si couldn't believe her eyes—this little handso boy was no ordinary child. The genes from his parents must have been top-tier; he looked like soone straight out of a TV show.
Li Si let him eat while talking. The boy said his nickna was Beibei, and his full na was Han Yinhao. He was five years old and had gotten lost in a hotel two nights ago while with his parents.
Li Si couldn't help but complain—how could parents be so careless? They even managed to lose their kid during dinner. Amazing! As soon as the boy finished eating, she took him to the nearest police station.
Two male police officers received her—one middle-aged, the other young.
After hearing Li Si describe the situation, they queried the boy's details across different districts. It turned out soone had filed a missing child report that matched the boy's na and description. The police inford his family, who were on their way.
Li Si felt relieved and figured it was a good deed done. The boy, however, tightly clung to her hand, refusing to let her leave.
Half an hour later, a large group of people surged into the station. Among them was an elderly lady alongside several n dressed in suits. The granny wore nice clothes and appeared frazzled but grateful as she entered, sobbing. They all sward toward Han Yinhao, who was sitting on a chair.
Li Si observed the boy's expression; he was so overwheld that he started crying loudly. It must be his family, without a doubt.
"Grandma! Boohoo... Grandma, I was so scared!"
The elderly woman hugged the boy tightly, patting his back and crying as she spoke, "You little rascal! How can you be so naughty? Do you know your mom and dad are going out of their minds? They've practically searched all over Beijing and couldn't find you. I think they were about to drop dead from grief!"
The boy looked around in the crowd. "Grandma, where are my mommy and daddy?"
The elderly woman held him firmly, caressing his face.
"Your mom couldn't stop crying and had to be hospitalized. They're a bit farther away and will arrive later. Don't worry. Now, tell Grandma how you've been these past couple of days. And where's the person who saved you? We need to thank them properly!"
Hearing this, Li Si quickly approached. "Ma'am, hello. I just lent a helping hand. Please don't worry too much about it. Now that the boy has found his family, I still have personal errands to deal with, so I'll take my leave!"
As she spoke, she stepped forward as if to exit.
"Auntie, don't go!"
Han Yinhao ran over and grabbed Li Si's arm, shouting.
"Young lady, young lady, please listen to ," the grandmother said, looking at Li Si sincerely and holding her hands. "You're a lifesaver for the Han Family. You can't just leave like this. There's so much we'd like to say to thank you. I'm too overwheld to even express myself right now. Can you stay a bit longer, please? At the very least, let us treat you to a al as a token of our gratitude, okay?"
The elderly woman's kind deanor ward Li Si's heart. She thought for a mont and, a bit embarrassed, replied, "Ma'am, you're too kind. Honestly, anyone in this situation would've helped. It must've been fate that I crossed paths with the child. Since you insist, alright then—but it's just one al. I'm not from here; I'm visiting from another town. After the al, I'll be heading back ho."
Li Si made her intentions clear upfront, not wanting excessive gratitude or attachnt. She planned to quietly slip away after the al; with the holiday still left, she wanted to make the most of her ti exploring!
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