Chapter 79 The Second Road to Exile (21)

The off-road vehicle sped away with a roar.

Lin Yuan sat in the back seat, pondering the identity of the delicate man who had just stood next to Shi Xianyu. Though he couldn't quite recall the nature of his relationship with Shi Xianyu, the sight of someone approaching her still made him uneasy. The thought that the man might harbor intentions toward her made his entire expression darken. His disfigured face was already intimidating enough, and now, with his blackened expression and silent demeanor, he seemed even colder and more unapproachable.

The burly man in the passenger seat twisted around, shooting him a sidelong glance. "Hey, newbie, why do you look even more imposing than me? You treating us like your drivers just now?"

Lin Yuan replied without any change in expression, "I didn't."

The strong man was clearly displeased. "Watch your attitude!"

Lin Yuan frowned at him, puzzled, genuinely not feeling that his attitude was problematic.

The bald driver fanned the flames, "Boss! He's obviously looking down on you!"

Raising his voice, the burly man barked, "Hey, newbie! Are you looking down on me?!"

Lin Yuan: "………"

The bald man slammed his palm on the horn, making it blare incessantly. "Boss! He won't even acknowledge us, his arrogance is off the charts!"

The burly man was incensed, but the squad's rules forbade internal fighting, so he could only jab his finger at Lin Yuan menacingly and threaten, "Believe it or not, I won't take you on any missions anymore!"

Lin Yuan's eyes widened slightly.

Could such a good thing really happen?

……

Today, Lu Li spent a longer time at the childcare center.

Previously, she had only attended a single class, but this time she stayed from morning until four in the afternoon. Shi Xianyu waited for her outside the park, and when she saw that small figure running toward her with unbridled joy, the weight in her heart finally lifted.

It seemed today had been a happy day at the center.

Lu Li threw herself into Shi Xianyu’s arms, happily holding up a paper doll for her to see, her eyes curving into tiny crescents.

"Did you make this in class today?" Shi Xianyu took the paper doll, praising her with a smile, "Well done! Our little Li is getting more and more impressive~"

Lu Li couldn’t wait to share her news, grabbing her sketchbook and scribbling: The teacher praised me!

Then she wrote: I came first in the relay race!

"So amazing? Then I must give little Li a proper reward." Shi Xianyu patted her head. "What would you like as a reward?"

Lu Li tilted her head in thought, then drew a big-headed doll on the sketchbook, with little braids tied atop its head. She wrote: I want my hair done like this.

Shi Xianyu laughed, "Of course, I’ll braid your hair like that when we get home, and tie it with bows too, how about that?"

Lu Li was overjoyed, sitting in Ye Liuyun’s car, her little feet wiggling with happiness, making even the usually stern driver break into a chuckle.

Once back at the RV, Shi Xianyu brought out all sorts of hair ties and clips, ready to show her skills.

She set a mirror in front of Lu Li, picked up a comb, and carefully began to do the little girl's hair.

The strands were soft and smooth in her palm. Remembering what Lu Li looked like when she first met her, Shi Xianyu was filled with an indescribable sense of accomplishment. The girl in the mirror was clean and beautiful, with none of the former traces of neglect.

All these changes had taken place in just a few short days.

In that time, Lu Li had grown paler, her face had filled out, and her once straw-like hair had turned black and glossy.

Because Shi Xianyu spent every day with her, she hadn’t noticed the transformation until she paused to think about it now.

Could it be the fruits and vegetables from the Spirit Herb Garden? After all, those foods were infused with spiritual energy—no wonder they were so effective for physical nourishment.

As she thought this, Shi Xianyu glanced in the mirror herself.

……

She didn’t seem to have changed much.

Her face was the same, but her skin was better than before, her eyes clearer, her complexion healthy.

She looked in the mirror every day while washing up, so she couldn’t see any significant difference, nor did she know how dazzling she might appear to others.

Lu Li sat quietly on the sofa, letting Shi Xianyu fuss with her hair. Bored, she reached for an A4 paper from the table.

Shi Xianyu noticed and suddenly remembered those were documents Lin Yuan had collected.

"Li, look through these again. See if anyone looks like the one who took your mother away."

Lu Li flipped through a few, pulled one out, and handed it to Shi Xianyu.

Shi Xianyu: "???"

That fast?

"This one?" Shi Xianyu glanced at the remaining papers, uncertain. "Why don’t you finish looking through them all first?"

Lu Li shook her head and wrote in her sketchbook: It’s this one. I remember him.

Shi Xianyu examined the face on the paper—a deep brown complexion, a thick beard, a scar running from the temple to the jaw, and a fierce glint in the eyes.

Beneath the photo were the name, gender, date of joining, and date of leaving the squad.

"No address… I wonder where he is now," she mused, frowning. "Lin Yuan should know. I’ll ask him when he gets back."

All the warriors of the Oasis lived within the same community, and Building 3 wasn’t far from here. But as a newcomer, who knew how long Lin Yuan’s first mission would take.

She remembered Ye Liuyun mentioning that leading a team out usually took two days or so.

Of course, they never stayed out too long, since food and water were hard to carry in bulk and would affect the load on the armored vehicles.

Shi Xianyu carefully tucked the paper away and continued braiding Lu Li’s hair. "After dinner, I’ll go ask around. You stay in the RV and don’t wander off, be good~"

Lu Li nodded with a bright smile.

……

For dinner, they had three-flavor dumplings. Since Shi Xianyu planned to find Lin Yuan afterward, she cooked an extra portion, packed it in a thermal lunchbox, and went to look for him.

As she wandered the community, she noticed the clear hierarchy.

Captains like Ye Liuyun, who controlled the war vehicles and weapons, lived in detached houses with large garages. Veterans like Bearded enjoyed decent accommodation, but newcomers like Radish were all housed in the few dormitory buildings at the community’s edge, each with their own small room.

Building 3 housed both men and women. The place was a bit chaotic; there were no door numbers to guide her, so she wandered through the halls, her fair appearance starkly out of place among the rough surroundings.

She encountered several young warriors along the way, both men and women, all of whom eyed her curiously.

Their stares made her feel awkward.

She hesitated, thinking maybe she should go back and wait for Ye Liuyun to return so he could bring her to Lin Yuan.

Unknowingly, she reached the end of the corridor. Ahead was the washroom and toilet. Just as she was about to turn back, she saw Lin Yuan emerging from the washroom carrying an enamel basin.

He stood at the cement sink, scrubbed his arms a few times, then tipped the basin over his head, drenching himself from head to foot.

Water droplets sparkled in the sunlight.

The streaming water traced over his scarred, muscular form, the ridges of his shoulders, back, and waist exuding a sense of raw power.

The longer Shi Xianyu watched, the more her face flushed. She lowered her head, eyes fixed on the pink thermal lunchbox in her hands.

Lin Yuan noticed her, shook the water from his dark hair, and walked over.

"Looking for me?" he asked.

His tall figure cast a shadow over her, making her hesitant to look up. Her gaze flickered briefly over the abdominal muscles at his waist, and her cheeks burned.

She replied in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s, "Mm…"

There were quite a few curious glances around them. Lin Yuan frowned and swept his eyes over the crowd before saying, "Let’s go to my room."

Shi Xianyu clutched the lunchbox and followed him in silence.

He walked ahead; she trailed after him step by step.

He stopped at the door, and she, distracted, bumped into him.

Her nose met his broad, damp back—a close encounter. She couldn’t tell if the dampness was from the water still clinging to his skin or the sweat from her own nervousness.

How embarrassing…

Why couldn’t he at least put on a vest? Perhaps because he was just rinsing off—there didn’t seem to be a private shower here. Was he showering now because he just got back from his task? His first mission didn’t take long; he returned surprisingly quickly…

Her thoughts scattered. The room dimmed again as he closed the door.

As if unwilling to be observed by others, he drew the curtains as well, then switched on a small lamp, casting a dusky, ambiguous glow over the room.

Shi Xianyu grew even more nervous.

There was an inexplicable sense of anxiety and timidity, a fear that something might happen, even though she knew it was unlikely.

"Are you afraid of me?" Lin Yuan frowned, sensing her tension.

"Ah… ah? No," she glanced up at him quickly, then lowered her eyes at once. "Not afraid…"

He paused for a moment, then turned his head slightly, assuming she must have been startled by his face.

"What are you holding?" he asked in a low voice.

Shi Xianyu blinked, then hurriedly handed it over. "I made dumplings. I didn’t know if you’d eaten, so I brought you some."

Lin Yuan was indeed a bit hungry. Without ceremony, he opened the box and began to eat.

The steaming dumplings were much tastier than the canteen’s set meals, and besides, meals at the canteen required points—points that could only be earned on missions.

"The information you gave me—I had Li look through it. She said it was this guy…"

Shi Xianyu pulled a folded paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Lin Yuan.

"Do you know where he is now?"

Lin Yuan glanced at the face on the paper, nodded, and said, "I’ll take you to him after I eat."

He polished off more than twenty dumplings in no time, even drinking the last drop of broth.

Shi Xianyu watched silently, thinking that next time she’d need to make a bigger batch—one bag wasn’t enough.

When he finished, Lin Yuan pulled on his vest, grabbed his water bottle, and said, "I’ll take you to find him."

Shi Xianyu nodded, picked up the lunchbox, and followed him out.

As they walked down the corridor, she overheard two people muttering in a nearby room, "That newbie’s just no good—way too fast."

Lin Yuan paused, his eyes sharp and a touch confused. "Too fast at what?"

Shi Xianyu’s face flushed. She nudged him lightly, "They’re talking about how fast you eat. Let’s hurry up and go."

……