Chapter 95 Gu Shiyan Delivers the Card

In November, the five of them arrived in the capital to compete in the provincial tournament.

It was lunchtime when they landed at the airport. The school had arranged for them to arrive a day early so they could adjust to the environment.

Professor Wen would not arrive until the next day.

The school had specially reserved private dining rooms for the competing teams; each table accommodated two teams.

By chance, they ended up sharing a table with the first team.

Ten people sat down together, but not one spoke.

Because of what happened last time, the members of the first team now avoided them whenever they crossed paths.

“Why isn’t Gu Shiyan here yet?” Xu Yan glanced at his watch.

Gu Shiyan had come to the capital a day earlier than they had, apparently for something important.

“Let’s start eating. He said he’s not coming,” Qi Changbai read the message on his phone.

Luo Xing got up to go to the restroom.

She pulled her coat closer around her.

Standing in front of the sink, she called her grandmother.

Ever since the last incident, Luo Xing called whenever she had a free moment, even though her grandmother was almost exasperated by her constant calls.

Hearing that familiar voice on the other end, Luo Xing finally felt at ease.

Just earlier, Assistant Song had messaged her, saying that the old gentleman felt responsible for everything that had happened and wanted to make it up to her.

The compensation had been entrusted to Gu Shiyan to bring to her, and he hoped she would accept it.

They hadn’t said what exactly it was.

“I’m sorry…”

A woman’s muffled sobs drifted intermittently from one of the stalls.

“I didn’t want to either, but I can’t help it. I know I’ve let you down…”

Luo Xing was so absorbed in listening that she forgot to leave. Suddenly, the door opened and the woman inside stepped out.

Their eyes met.

The woman wore a mask and a hat, so only her eyes were visible.

She quickly lowered her head and washed her hands again.

Eavesdropping was never a good thing, but Luo Xing hadn’t meant to—it was just that the woman’s crying was so affecting.

“It’s you.”

The gentle, slightly hoarse voice left Luo Xing momentarily stunned. Did this woman recognize her?

“Hello,” Luo Xing responded, a bit surprised but still polite, though she didn’t recall such a voice.

“Oh, you probably don’t remember me. Last time I accidentally knocked your phone out of your hand.”

Just then, a voice came from the woman’s phone, “Where are you? I’ll come find you.”

A deep, pleasant male voice plucked gently at Luo Xing’s quiet heartstrings.

“I won’t tell you, but you’ll find me anyway, won’t you? You’ve been searching for so long.”

With that, the woman hung up and looked directly at Luo Xing.

“Oh, I remember now,” Luo Xing said, drying her hands with a tissue.

“Funny how fate works—we meet again here,” the woman remarked.

Luo Xing smiled and nodded.

They’d only met once before; after a brief exchange, they went their separate ways.

Luo Xing walked ahead and was the first to return to the private dining room.

After everyone had finished eating, they headed straight back to the hotel.

There wasn’t much to say between their team and the first team anyway.

Luo Xing, holding her phone, walked behind Shen Que.

Last time, she’d managed to get Qizhi’s signed photo for Yuncai and even arranged for Yuncai to take a picture with him.

She’d thought this would help Yuncai let go of her obsession with Qizhi a little.

But Yuncai was still online, speculating about why Qizhi had terminated his contract.

She analyzed it all with Luo Xing.

Knowing the real reason, Luo Xing couldn’t say anything—no one would want their painful past exposed to strangers.

Yuncai had read a post somewhere and now suspected Qizhi had terminated his contract because of a woman.

She tried typing, then sending voice messages, but finally just called Luo Xing.

“Hello,” Luo Xing cleared her throat.

“I sent you the post—did you read it? Some people are saying Qizhi left because of a woman, and that tonight they’ll reveal who she is. Everyone believes it and is waiting for the announcement.”

Luo Xing frowned. Given Lu Yuan’s background, there was no way such a scandal could break out.

“It’s probably just some attention-grabbing rumor,” Luo Xing said, not paying much mind as she followed the team.

“We’ll know by midnight. I’m keeping an eye on the person who posted it. By the way, it’s gotten really cold in the capital these days, so dress warmly.”

“I know. My mom messages me every day with the temperature. With her around, the weather app on my phone is basically useless.”

“Gu Shiyan, weren’t you not coming?”

Ahead, Xu Yan was staring at Gu Shiyan, who stood by the flowerbed at the entrance, phone in hand, brow furrowed as he stared at the screen.

Luo Xing, still listening to Yuncai’s banter, looked up.

He must have been running—he was still sweating, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“You’re all here too?” Gu Shiyan replied absently, his gaze passing over Xu Yan and landing briefly on the last person in the group before pulling away.

Having run into each other, Xu Yan naturally went over to chat.

Luo Xing stayed back, speaking on the phone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gu Shiyan, who, after exchanging a few words with Xu Yan and Qi Changbai, walked straight toward her.

Shen Que was still in front of Luo Xing, and Gu Shiyan stopped in front of Shen Que.

He took a card from his pocket. “For Luo Xing.”

Shen Que didn’t take it. It was clearly a bank card.

Remembering what Assistant Song had told her—and with Yuncai just having hung up—Luo Xing put her phone away and walked over.

She’d expected a small gift at most, not a bank card.

“I can’t accept this. Please return it to Grandpa Gu for me,” Luo Xing said, refusing the card.

Standing before Gu Shiyan, she noticed his phone was still on the call screen.

He kept redialing a number, but no one was picking up.

“If you don’t want it, then return it to him yourself.” With that, he stuffed the card into her coat pocket without waiting for her to react.

Shen Que’s gaze lingered on the card. He had no idea what had happened between Luo Xing and Gu Shiyan, or why Gu Shiyan would give her a bank card.

He wished he could ask Luo Xing as casually as he used to.

But now he couldn’t. He was afraid of hearing an answer he didn’t want.

Naturally, Luo Xing didn’t explain the card’s origin—only the Gu family knew what had happened with her grandmother.

Before leaving, Luo Xing heard Gu Shiyan asking the lobby manager if he had seen a certain girl, showing him a picture on his phone.

“Let’s go back to the hotel,” Xu Yan called from the front.

Midnight.

At half past ten, Shen Que had reminded Luo Xing to get some sleep—no sleeping in tomorrow.

She was used to staying up late, but at half past ten, sleep wouldn’t come. She lay in bed, eyes closed, listening to music through her headphones.

Somehow, she drifted off.

In her sleep, she turned over and the headphones slipped out.

Her phone screen suddenly lit up in the darkness.

One message after another popped up, their sounds muffled by the headphones.

Luo Xing lay with her back to the phone, her small face buried in the blankets.