Chapter 43

Such a bustling crowd was enough to scare Ji Xun off after just experiencing it once. He wasn’t as tall as the people around him, and those adults seemed to have swallowed up all the available oxygen, making it increasingly difficult and strenuous for him to squeeze through. Worse still, Ji Xun had no idea how much longer it would take to get out, and the mingled scents made him feel a little nauseous.

Human joys and sorrows are never truly shared.

After struggling through with immense difficulty and breaking out in a sweat, amidst the brilliant fireworks bursting across the night sky, everyone around him was jumping and cheering!

A sudden explosion sounded every now and then, even more startling than the fireworks.

Under such wretched conditions, Ji Xun dragged Zhao Zhanlei behind him and squeezed forward for five or six minutes.

Finally...

The crowd was no longer so dense, and the oxygen grew abundant.

Ji Xun let out a breath.

"Stone, just wait here, I'll go by my—” Ji Xun said as he turned his head back.

"!!!"

Seeing that the person he was holding onto wasn’t Zhao Zhanlei, but Fu Shuxing, Ji Xun was scared enough to have nightmares!

He quickly tried to pull his hand away, but his wrist was held tightly in Fu Shuxing’s grip.

If one plan fails, resort to another.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Ji Xun quickly pulled up his mask and lowered the brim of his hat.

Besides, the surrounding light was dim anyway!

Unable to see Fu Shuxing’s face, Ji Xun grew a little bolder. He tried to disguise his voice with a strange tone, "Ah ya, zhen si dui bu zhu a da xiong di, wo ren cuo ren liao."

"Who did you mistake me for?" Fu Shuxing’s voice remained flat and level.

Maintaining that posture, he pulled Ji Xun aside. Once they stood still, he raised a hand and snatched the oversized hat right off the little guide’s head, only to find him wearing a pair of large sunglasses.

He took off the sunglasses.

And then he saw that the mask had been pulled up almost high enough to cover his eyes.

Fu Shuxing reached out again to pull off the mask.

Ji Xun tugged at his scarf. Though useless, he still attempted to wrap his face in it to escape the terrifying reality before him.

"Ji Xun," Fu Shuxing’s voice dropped, laced with displeasure.

Good grief, it was enough to make a person shiver with cold.

Ji Xun didn’t dare to act up any further.

He obediently lowered the hand grabbing his scarf, drooping his little head and darting his eyes everywhere except at the Fu Shuxing standing right in front of him.

"Who did you mistake me for?"

"..." Ji Xun whispered, evasively looking away, "Xing-ge, why are you here..."

Fu Shuxing didn’t answer. His voice grew cold as he asked again, "The fireworks show just started, and you didn't watch it, instead blindly burrowing through the crowd. Who are you going to see?"

Ji Xun: "..."

"Are you mute?"

"I..." If possible, Ji Xun really wanted to retort, *What business is it of yours who I'm going to see?!* But he lacked the courage... Fu Shuxing’s grip on his hand was so strong, his fingers so hard, as if he might crush him with just a little more force.

How unlucky.

How could he be this unlucky!!

Out of everyone to grab, why did it have to be Fu Shuxing?!

Knowing him for so many years, Ji Xun was well aware that Fu Shuxing was genuinely angry by now. He wisely chose to play the role of the adaptable hero for the time being.

Ji Xun said weakly, "I'm not going to see anyone. It was too crowded over there, the air wasn't fresh, and I wanted to get away for a bit..."

"Do you want me to repeat what you just said?"

"What?"

"'Stone, just wait here, I'll go...' Where were you going?"

Ji Xun’s heart thumped anxiously, yet his facial management remained surprisingly decent. With an ultra-quick reaction, he took over the words: "To the restroom! I wanted Stone to wait here while I went to the washroom. I drank too much soup tonight!"

Fu Shuxing cast a cool gaze down at Ji Xun.

Ji Xun felt his confidence falter under that stare and forced a smile, "Xing-ge, you haven't said why you're here yet. Didn't you say it was childish and you didn't want to come?"

Fu Shuxing: "When did I say that?"

Ji Xun said, "This afternoon! You said— 'Hah, childish.'" When saying the word "childish," Ji Xun even mimicked Fu Shuxing’s deeply disdainful sneer from earlier.

Fu Shuxing coolly countered: "And then?"

Ji Xun: "…………" There was no "and then." Fu Shuxing indeed hadn't said he wouldn't come at that time.

But! Really!!

Calling it childish didn't that mean not wanting to come?

And coming here didn't that mean admitting he was childish too?

There was a logical connection there, right! Thinking that way made total sense!!

Ji Xun had a mountain of reasoning in his heart, but didn't dare voice it. He secretly stole a glance at Fu Shuxing's expression.

It hadn't improved.

And heaven knew what he was angry about.

To defuse the immediate crisis, Ji Xun forced another smile, "It's my fault, I was guessing wildly. If I'd known Xing-ge you were coming, Stone and I would have waited for you so the three of us could have some company."

Fu Shuxing released the hand he was holding, slid his hand into his pocket, and said calmly, "Go to the restroom then."

Ji Xun: "Ah, okay!"

And as luck would have it.

The restroom was just a few dozen meters away.

Ji Xun rubbed his wrist, which had been held by Fu Shuxing for quite a while. A gust of night breeze blew by, sending a sudden chill down his spine.

His mind raced through several thoughts, and he handed his school bag to Fu Shuxing, "Xing-ge, hold this for me, I'll be right back!"

The women's side already had a long queue.

The men's room, however, was much emptier.

Ji Xun had just made up the excuse randomly; he didn't actually need to use the restroom. The moment he stepped inside, he began seriously searching for other exits. The ventilation window was too high—pass. The window behind the washbasins had security bars and couldn't be squeezed through—pass...

Seeing how small the restroom was with no other escape route, Ji Xun pulled out his communicator.

He decided that of the thirty-six stratagems, running away was the best.

He wouldn't meet up tonight after all.

Just as Ji Xun was about to message Bo Huanchen, he suddenly remembered Zhao Zhanlei and immediately called him instead.

The call connected quickly, and Zhao Zhanlei’s voice sounded frantic— "Xunxun!! Where did you run off to?!"

Zhao Zhanlei had been as panicked as a headless fly and completely forgot he could use the communicator.

"I'm in the restroom now." Ji Xun raised a hand to cover his mouth and whispered, "Stone, squeeze out of the crowd and walk to the edge. Xing-ge is here too, and unluckily, he caught me. Listen, hurry up and find him, help me stall him, and I'll try to resolve this within ten minutes."

Over the line, Zhao Zhanlei panicked, "I haven't even squeezed out yet! How far are you?"

"Then call Fu Shuxing first. Just tell him you lost me. Divert his attention somehow while I look for an opportunity."

"Alright!" Zhao Zhanlei had been struggling forward when his tone suddenly relaxed, "Ah, I've squeezed out! Where are you guys? I think I see the restroom... Where is Xing-ge?"

Ji Xun thought to himself: *Isn't Fu Shuxing right on the edge of the crowd?*

——"I'm right here."

Hearing Fu Shuxing's voice behind him, Ji Xun was so startled he dropped his communicator!

Fu Shuxing caught it, hung up the call, and slid it into his own pocket.

Ji Xun: "!!!!"

With his back turned, Ji Xun closed his eyes deeply. Caught in the act yet again—this time with human witnesses and concrete physical evidence, there was no escaping. He took a secret breath, hardened his heart, and stamped his foot fiercely. Turning around, he decided to launch a preemptive strike, angrily yelling at Fu Shuxing, "Fu Shuxing, why'd you suddenly speak up?! You scared me to death!!"

Things didn't go the way Ji Xun wanted.

Fu Shuxing asked directly, "Resolve what within ten minutes?"

Ji Xun: "..."

To cover up his guilty conscience, Ji Xun raised his voice even higher: "Why are you eavesdropping on people?! That's my privacy!"

Men walking in and out of the restroom couldn't help but glance at the bickering Sentinel and Guide.

Although he knew the answer in his heart, seeing Ji Xun's reaction made Fu Shuxing's heart sink straight to the bottom.

He shoved both hands into his pockets, his cold gaze fixed on the little guide in front of him, and stopped talking.

It takes two to tango; while Ji Xun chattered away in a flurry, Fu Shuxing remained completely silent. Ji Xun felt like his toes were curling into the floorboards, and just as he felt he couldn't hold on any longer, Zhao Zhanlei finally arrived fashionably late in his peripheral vision.

Ji Xun's eyes lit up, and he hurried over, "Stone!"

With great tacit understanding, Zhao Zhanlei blocked Ji Xun from view and bit the bullet as he smiled at Fu Shuxing, "Xing-ge."

The three of them walked the entire way in silence.

Ji Xun was cowardly enough to only dare walk beside Zhao Zhanlei, though he occasionally threw a glance at Fu Shuxing's pocket.

His communicator had been confiscated by Fu Shuxing.

It seemed completely impossible to go see Bo Huanchen tonight, but he still had to send a message to let him know, otherwise what would Bo Huanchen do if he waited at the entrance forever?

Yet, looking at Fu Shuxing's freezing, three-foot-frost face, Ji Xun ultimately lacked the courage to ask for it back, and could only stealthily use Zhao Zhanlei's communicator instead.

Ji Xun had been exceptionally good at memorizing numbers since childhood.

Even though he had only glanced at that unfamiliar communicator number once, he had already memorized it.

He lowered his head and typed quickly—
*[Sorry Huanchen, an unexpected accident happened, I can't come find you tonight. Let's meet another time!]*

As soon as he sent it, Ji Xun shoved the communicator back into Zhao Zhanlei's pocket.

Convinced he had operated completely undetected the whole time.

The massive fireworks were still blooming—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—as colorful as could be.

Yet the thick smoke lingering in the high altitude long after the fireworks faded refused to disperse.

The night wind was somewhat strong tonight.

With a gust, the smoke drifted away to other airspace.

Because the smoke blocked flying visibility, all flyers were temporarily restricted from taking off.

The three of them sat inside Fu Shuxing's flyer, exchanging no words.

Ji Xun twisted his fingers together and quietly reached out to grab the school bag held by Fu Shuxing.

Fu Shuxing deliberately moved it aside.

Ji Xun switched hands and reached for it again, only for Fu Shuxing to pull it away once more.

Ji Xun pouted, feeling wronged, "I want to read..."

Fu Shuxing cast a cold glare at Zhao Zhanlei.

Zhao Zhanlei's scalp tightened. He rubbed his index finger and thumb together and said, "Xing-ge, tonight's affair really isn't what you think. I wanted to see the fireworks, so Xiaoxun came to accompany me. That Bo family business, Bo Huanchen—it was all a total coincidence. We only found out after we got there, right Xiaoxun?"

Ji Xun nodded immediately!

How could Fu Shuxing possibly believe that? He looked coldly at Ji Xun: "What did I say that night?"

The atmosphere inside the flyer was frighteningly cold.

Ji Xun knew it: once Fu Shuxing found out, nothing good would ever come of it.

He pinched the hem of his pants, remembering that night. Though lingering fear remained, anger flared up as well. Pouting, Ji Xun retorted, "Do you have to control everything under the sun, even what friends I make? I don't have a spiritual beast, and Bo Huanchen doesn't have a spiritual beast either. So what if we huddle together for warmth and comfort each other? You look down on him for being an illegitimate child, and you look down on me for being a little good-for-nothing. We're both people you look down upon, so hanging out together—"

Zhao Zhanlei was scared out of his wits!

He lunged forward to cover Ji Xun's mouth, breaking out in a cold sweat. *Ancestor!! You cannot say things like that!!!*

"Mmm-mmm-mmm!" Ji Xun refused to yield! He still wanted to speak!

Fu Shuxing's jaw tightened rigidly, his face turning livid. Hearing Ji Xun say those words, anger pushed him to the point of laughter. "So you think I've been targeting you?"