Chapter Twenty: Found Together

Xin Gan lay quietly, and Cheng Jiu stayed by her side, accompanying her in silence. The atmosphere between them was subtly tense, neither mentioning the incident when he had snapped at her. After a long while, Cheng Jiu checked the time and said, "You're not in the best health, and it's normal to have trouble adjusting to the plateau. Get some rest. I'll come back for you once I've found his other relatives. I'm leaving now."

Xin Gan responded softly, "Thank you." After settling Ah Songli, she planned to return to Yong City. This had been her purpose in coming to Beiyu from the beginning.

Cheng Jiu returned to the team and immediately sent someone to investigate whether Ah Songli had any remaining family. He assigned Xiao Shi to the task. When Xiao Shi learned it was the child Xin Gan had brought back, he instantly understood the situation and set about his work without delay.

Jiang Tang had tried several times to see Cheng Jiu, but each time she came, he was unavailable—either in training or out on business—always busy. It was difficult for Jiang Tang to even catch a glimpse of him. Unwilling to give up, she went to Jiang Yang to ask what Cheng Jiu had been busy with lately.

Jiang Yang replied, "I don't know. Ninth Brother hasn't had me accompany him on any missions lately. Xiao Shi probably knows—he's always running around."

"If I ask Xiao Shi, he won't tell me. Can you find out what's going on?" Jiang Tang pressed.

Jiang Yang suggested, "A-Tang, why don't you just tell Ninth Brother how you feel about him? If you keep this to yourself, never breaking the ice, I don't think he'll ever realize your feelings."

Jiang Tang lowered her gaze. "I remember he once mentioned something—his family had arranged a childhood betrothal for him, but he’d never met the girl. At the time, I thought he was just making conversation—who still has arranged marriages these days? I didn't take it seriously until now, when I believe he was telling the truth."

Jiang Yang was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"The Miss Xin you saw the other day is Cheng Jiu's fiancée," Jiang Tang said after a pause. "At least, that's my guess."

Jiang Yang was shocked. "Really? Then why did Ninth Brother say she was a relative?"

"He told me later she wasn't a relative," Jiang Tang replied.

After several days of effort, Xiao Shi finally located Ah Songli's relatives in a small town ten kilometers away, near the Lüjiang River—a two-day drive. Upon learning this, Cheng Jiu sent Xiao Shi to the inn to inform Xin Gan.

Ah Songli was overjoyed at the thought of returning home, but he was also reluctant to part with Xin Gan, who had cared for him all this time. He wanted her to accompany him, and she agreed; she needed to see him safely home before she could rest easy.

Cheng Jiu approved of Xin Gan joining them, but told her to pack a change of clothes, as they would need to spend one night on the road.

It was Xin Gan's first time riding in Cheng Jiu's car. Cheng Jiu drove, Xiao Shi sat in the passenger seat, and both accompanied her. In the back, Ah Songli sat beside Xin Gan, visibly tense, glancing warily out the window. Sensing his unease, Xin Gan patted his shoulder gently and offered a few quiet words of comfort.

With her head lowered, her long hair veiled half her face, lending her an air of extraordinary gentleness. Watching the scene in the rearview mirror, Cheng Jiu’s gaze darkened, his eyes deepening in color.

Xiao Shi grinned. "Ninth Brother, maybe I should drive instead?"

Cheng Jiu cast him a lazy glance. "What, I let you rest and you're still not happy?"

"No, not at all, how could I be unhappy?" Xiao Shi replied quickly, glancing over his shoulder and rubbing his nose.

Cheng Jiu drove with steady skill, though Xiao Shi was uneasy about letting the team leader do such work—after all, it wasn't right for the leader to handle these tasks himself.