Chapter 28: Singleness and Deliberation

Xiao Shi looked to Cheng Jiu for help. Even if he knew the reason, he couldn’t tell Xin Gan. Xiao Shi pressed his lips together. After all, it was that group of people who had come looking for trouble, trying to burn them alive in the middle of the night. Anyone who dared do such a thing clearly wasn’t ordinary; they must have powerful connections. If the truth came out, Xin Gan would surely be terrified. So Xiao Shi was even more determined not to say a word.

Cheng Jiu ignored Xiao Shi’s glance, started the engine, and finally said, “It was just a normal fire. Don’t overthink it.”

Xin Gan pressed, “Was it really just an ordinary fire?”

“Mm.” Cheng Jiu gave a noncommittal grunt and said nothing more.

But Xin Gan stuck to her suspicions, convinced it couldn’t be so simple. She’d slept deeply the night before; if not for Xiao Shi waking her, she wouldn’t have escaped the blaze. Yet she felt no relief at having survived—only unease. She knew that every year, trouble erupted in Beiyu, big and small, always dangerous. And Cheng Jiu’s work placed him in the thick of such danger at all times; that was his duty.

That day, Xin Gan was still carsick. Even after taking motion sickness medicine, she felt uncomfortable and said barely a word.

When they stopped halfway for a break and to find food, Xiao Shi sidled up to Cheng Jiu and whispered, “Brother Jiu, I think Miss Xin might be scared.”

“Isn’t she just carsick?” Cheng Jiu replied.

“I don’t think so. Didn’t you notice?”

“Notice what?”

Xiao Shi shot him a look that seemed to say no wonder you’re single, then sighed. “Brother Jiu, has anyone ever told you you deserve to be single?”

Cheng Jiu gave a short laugh. “You looking for trouble?”

Xiao Shi immediately clammed up.

Cheng Jiu lit a cigarette, subconsciously slowing his pace. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xin Gan trailing behind, walking slowly and looking terribly pale, as if she might faint at any moment. He hadn't expected her to be so frail; since arriving in Beiyu, she’d been ill almost constantly, and now she was carsick too.

He asked Xiao Shi, “When I sent you to pick her up at the airport, was she carsick then?”

“I think so. Miss Xin’s skin is so fair—I thought all girls from Yongcheng were that pale, but now I realize she looked that way because she wasn’t feeling well…”

Cheng Jiu shot him a sharp look.

Xiao Shi scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly.

They found a place to eat. Cheng Jiu asked the owner for a bowl of dumpling soup, set it in front of Xin Gan, and said, “Eat slowly. The sun’s strong at noon. We’ll rest here for two hours before heading out again.”

Xiao Shi, immediately understanding, chimed in, “All right, Brother Jiu. I just need to use the bathroom. Asongli, come with me after we finish eating.”

Asongli: “…” Why do I have to go to the bathroom after eating?

Xin Gan ate delicately; her stomach was upset, so she ate much more slowly than usual, even though it was just soup. Cheng Jiu slowed down as well, as if to match her pace. After yesterday’s lesson, Xin Gan forced herself to eat at least half, fearing a lecture from Cheng Jiu about wasting food. She struggled, but she ate.

Even Asongli outdid her—he wasn’t carsick and ate more than she did. Xiao Shi praised Asongli’s hearty appetite; Cheng Jiu gave Asongli a glance, making him lower his head in embarrassment.

Xiao Shi seemed to be intentionally giving Cheng Jiu some space. As soon as Asongli finished, he eagerly dragged him to the bathroom, his actions so obvious that even Xin Gan noticed something was up.

She still had more than half a bowl left and really couldn’t eat any more. She set down her chopsticks and reached for some water. Across from her, Cheng Jiu asked, “Are you full?”