Chương 3: 3
I swear, my gaze had never been more sincere. I glanced at the couple behind us and said, "I swear I'm not lying to you, Ling Xuan. She has nothing to do with me. I don't even know her name..."
Her face showed signs of doubt, but then she recalled something. "But... but I saw you two... you both went into that hotel."
I held her hand and said, "That night was all a misunderstanding. I admit I did go into the hotel with her, but it doesn't mean anything. If you don't believe me, we can go talk to her right now." I stood up, pulling her hand, intending to walk over to that table.
Ling Xuan held onto my hand tightly, stopping me. After all, girls can be shy about these things. How could she just confront a stranger like that? Besides, what if it truly was a misunderstanding? Wouldn't that be utterly embarrassing?
Of course, I didn't care about such things. I was ready to do whatever it took to clear things up.
Ling Xuan's tears had dried by now, but she still looked uncertain. I said, "If you don't want to confront her, there's another place we can go—somewhere that will definitely prove my innocence."
Before she could respond, I grabbed her hand and hurried toward another destination.
"We're here." I let go of her hand and pointed to a grand, golden building.
"This is..."
"This is the hotel you saw that night." I finished her sentence, glancing up at the glowing sign that read "Yihe Hotel."
"Come on, let's go in." Without waiting for her to object, I dragged her inside.
We found the manager at the front desk. I spoke directly, "Excuse me, do you remember me?" While I asked, I subtly made a hand gesture behind my back with my right hand.
The manager looked surprised at first, then flashed a peculiar smile. "Of course, I remember. You're the guest from that night..."
"Exactly. I stayed here with a young lady that night. I have a favor to ask—could you show us the check-in records from that night?"
"Certainly." The manager agreed without hesitation, smiling all the while. Before long, he pulled up the records on his computer and showed them to Ling Xuan and me.
I smiled and said to Ling Xuan, "Here, see for yourself."
Ling Xuan looked at me suspiciously before turning her attention to the computer screen. After a few moments of searching, the tension on her face began to ease.
"Well?" I asked her, feeling at ease myself now that things seemed to be getting resolved.
On the screen were the records of all the hotel guests who had checked in that night. It didn't take long for Ling Xuan to find both mine and the girl's details. However, our room numbers were different.
I closed the laptop and handed it back to the manager. "Now do you believe me? I never lied to you..."
"But... but why did you..." Ling Xuan's tears welled up again, and I panicked, pulling her out of the hotel before the manager's polite smile could fade.
By the riverside, the noon sun was at its peak, though the thick trees along the bank provided enough shade. The long path was empty, just me and Ling Xuan, walking hand in hand back toward the school.
"Ling Xuan, you know..." I said, watching the shadows stretch across the ground. "There are some things I didn't want you to know about."
"Like that night... I didn't want to drag you into this mess, so I didn't tell you..." I stopped walking and gently took her by the shoulders. "Things have been dangerous here lately. I don't want you to get hurt."
Ling Xuan lowered her head and murmured softly, "It's all my fault... I shouldn't have been so jealous and made such a mess, worrying you..."
I shook my head, brushing a hand across her cheek. "It's not your fault. The real ones to blame are those shady figures hiding in the dark. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been at that hotel that night, you wouldn't have seen it, and there would have been no misunderstanding."
She looked up, puzzled. "Shady figures?"
I nodded, glancing at the sky. "Alright, it's getting late. We should head back to school. I'll explain everything to you eventually, but not right now. Just trust me—I would never hurt you."
At that moment, my gaze was firmer than ever, and I could feel Ling Xuan's grip tighten around my hand. I knew that whatever had happened between us was in the past now, and after this, our bond would only grow stronger.
By the time we returned to the school, it was already past one o'clock. Class would start in about thirty minutes. Ignoring the glares from the group of girls, Xiao Rui and I left.
Before leaving, I made sure to greet the girls who usually looked after Ling Xuan. Unfortunately, all I got in return were cold stares.
I gave Ling Xuan a helpless smile. I swear, my intentions were pure.
"Let's go, Xiao Rui," I said, turning to him.
"Where to?" Xiao Rui seemed a little distracted.
"To get some food, of course. I'm starving." I chuckled, rubbing my stomach.
"Oh..." Xiao Rui glanced at me, a strange look on his face.
"What is it?" I laughed again, but Xiao Rui's expression grew even stranger. "What? Is there something on my face?"
He shook his head, his eyes shifting. "Did you settle things?"
"Of course." I was in a good mood, walking with long strides. "We've been together for so long—there's nothing we can't work out. Besides, it was just a misunderstanding."
Xiao Rui stayed quiet for a while, then muttered under his breath, "I don't get it."
I grinned. "Well, of course. You're still young."
We walked into a nearby restaurant, ordered a few dishes that seemed decent enough, and sat there watching the crowd go by.
To be honest, I was really hungry. I hadn't eaten anything all morning and had spent so much energy flying here with Xiao Rui. There had been a chance to eat earlier, but in the end, I hadn't gotten a single bite. Although Xiao Rui didn't say anything, I knew he was hungry too. Even with all the weird and mysterious things we deal with, we still have to eat. After all, we're only human.
The food came quickly, and without a word, we both dug in. The food was pretty good, and within ten minutes, we were leaning back in our chairs, patting our full bellies and laughing.
"That was great. Are you full?" I asked, glancing at the mess in front of Xiao Rui. It definitely wasn't less than mine.
"Yeah..." Xiao Rui looked at me and, for once, smiled.
I scanned the crowd around us, my eyes flashing with a hint of seriousness. "Good, then let's get going. We've got work to do."
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực