Chapter 48

Qin Chi drove for nearly ten minutes, while the teammate in the passenger seat maintained a tilted head position, gazing out the window.

The lotus spirit had appeared in the middle, but the petals were pulled back before they could touch her face.

Qin Chi recalled the first moment they locked eyes in the precinct lobby and the wave of emotions that surged in her eyes.

He seemed to understand that feeling.

His father was stricter with him than his older siblings. While other kids were enjoying themselves at the amusement park, he was at home memorizing various mutated creatures. While others were sleeping in, he had already started his morning physical training.

He dared not show any dissatisfaction in front of his stern and severe father; only when his mother came to see him would he…

Xu Qiao didn’t have any elders in her family; Lu Yang was considered family, but he was only sixteen and still needed Xu Qiao’s care.

No matter how mature she usually appeared, encouraging the stuttering Sun Fushan or caring for the socially awkward Meng Li, she was still only twenty. Suddenly being taken to the police station was overwhelming.

Among the three of them, Jiang Rui had his mother to support him, and Zhao Feng seemed to be the perpetrator. Only Xu Qiao, clearly innocent, had no one by her side.

Just the thought of her teammates could evoke her grievances. If it had been her late grandfather, she probably wouldn’t have cried so secretly.

“Do you want some milk tea? There’s a shop up ahead.”

Glancing outside, Qin Chi slowed the car.

Xu Qiao didn’t dare to speak much; she quickly glanced over and nodded.

Qin Chi parked the car by the roadside. “You wait here; I’ll send you the menu.”

Xu Qiao nodded.

Watching him get out of the car and walk towards the milk tea shop with his back to her, Xu Qiao hurriedly took a towel from her small space, wet it with her powers, and pressed it against her face.
—-
After wiping her face, Xu Qiao lowered the sun visor and looked into the makeup mirror, seeing her red-rimmed eyes.

The lotus spirit emerged again.

Xu Qiao hugged the flower and quietly explained, “I didn’t mean to. The more you comfort me, the harder it is for me to hold back.”

The water gathered in front of her and formed words: 【That woman is too unreasonable; it was clearly Jiang Rui who insisted on coming over.】

Xu Qiao replied, “That’s what family is like. When angry, they will surely favor their own child and tend to find fault with others first.”

She believed Jiang Rui would explain the situation to his mother clearly, but she didn’t care about Jiang’s mother’s opinion of her. She was upset about all the messy situations.

Qin Chi sent over a photo of the menu.

Xu Qiao was distracted and ordered a strawberry yogurt.

Qin Chi replied: 【Just to whet your appetite, eat more later.】

Xu Qiao smiled, looking towards the milk tea shop, only to see Qin Chi suddenly holding a plate of strawberries.

Xu Qiao was taken aback. Did he really ask the staff to use his own strawberries to make yogurt?

Given Qin Chi’s attention to food and daily living, the strawberries he picked must be naturally ripened and full of flavor, right?

With this small distraction, Xu Qiao finally shifted her focus, no longer dwelling on her bad feelings.

When Qin Chi returned, he had only one cup of yogurt in hand, which he handed to Xu Qiao.

Xu Qiao smiled as she took it. “Thank you; you really are my good teammate.”

She didn’t lean over anymore, inserted the straw, and took a sip from the cup.

Qin Chi noticed her surprised glance as she lifted her eyes. Although the redness around her eyes remained, she had regained her usual vibrancy and cheerfulness.

“It’s really good! I’m actually a bit hungry now,” Xu Qiao responded with satisfaction.

Qin Chi said, “I bought two cups. I have another one stored in the space. I’ll treat you next time.”

Xu Qiao nodded. As the car started moving again, she took a deep breath and proactively began recounting the encounter between Zhao Feng and Jiang Rui, omitting Zhao Feng’s nonsense or foolish comments.

Qin Chi didn’t comment on the actions of the two suitors, only asking, “Do you need my help?”

Xu Qiao replied, “What can you do to help? I should be able to persuade Jiang Rui to give up. As for Zhao Feng, he doesn’t listen to reason. If it comes to fighting, even if I’m not afraid of revealing my powers, I still can’t beat him.“

Previously, Uncle Lu was able to intimidate Zhao Feng for two reasons: first, Zhao Feng was young and inexperienced, and second, Uncle Lu’s stern demeanor was naturally awe-inspiring.

Even though Qin Chi was strong, he was still a B-class, and his gentle and refined personality probably wouldn’t intimidate Zhao Feng.

Xu Qiao’s plan was to continue to ignore Zhao Feng. No matter how much he pursued her, he wouldn’t dare to act recklessly in the base. One day, when she could truly advance to A-class, she would personally invite Zhao Feng outside the base and beat him half to death, seeing if he would still have the courage to come near her.

Qin Chi suggested, “It’s simple. I can challenge him as your teammate. If he wins, I won’t interfere with his pursuit of you. If he loses, he won’t bother you again. With his arrogant personality, he might refuse the challenge, but if he accepts, he should be willing to accept defeat.“

Xu Qiao responded, “But doesn’t that mean you’ll expose your powers?”

Qin Chi said, “I won’t use my powers; I’ll just use a B-class sword.”

Xu Qiao stared at him in shock.

Qin Chi quickly met her gaze for a moment before looking ahead again. “Do you trust me?”

Xu Qiao glanced at his hands on the steering wheel, her emotions complicated. “I want to trust you, but I’m afraid you’ll get hurt.”

There are always uncertainties.

Qin Chi reassured her, “First, he won’t be able to hurt me. Second, even if I do get injured, you can treat me in time, so there’s no need to worry.”

Xu Qiao found it hard to make a decision immediately.

They arrived at the restaurant, which Qin Chi had chosen as a hotpot place, where he had reserved a private room.

At that moment, Xu Qiao did have an appetite, and it was an appetite stemming from needing to vent. She asked Qin Chi, “Can you handle spicy food?”

Qin Chi inquired, “How spicy?”

Xu Qiao replied, “Medium spicy; I can’t handle it if it’s too hot.”

Qin Chi said, “That’s fine. I’ve tried spicier before.”
—-
After choosing the soup base, they ordered several large plates of meat.

They had two sets of hotpot utensils, and Xu Qiao didn’t hesitate with her teammate, busily enjoying the meal. When she was on her second serving of beef, the lotus spirit emerged, finding an empty bowl to shrink into a lotus flower, comfortably soaking in the water instead of enduring the spicy heat along with Xu Qiao.

Xu Qiao smiled as she picked up a piece of hotpot meat and offered it to the lotus flower’s bowl. “It’s really delicious; why don’t you give it another sniff?”

The lotus flower closed its petals, refusing the kind gesture.

Qin Chi gently moved the bowl where the lotus spirit resided to the edge, preventing the rising steam from burning it.

Xu Qiao continued to eat.
—-
After they were full, they left the restaurant. It was nearly eight o’clock, and night had fallen. The streets were filled with teammates finishing their meals and couples out for a walk.

Qin Chi sat in the car, glancing at his little teammate lazily lounging against the seat back. “You might not have had a good day, but I envy you a bit.”

Xu Qiao looked at him, puzzled. “What do you envy me for this time?”

Qin Chi replied, “I envy you for being only twenty years old with such a rich life experience. You have someone pursuing you, and you’ve even been to the police station. Compared to you, my life is pretty bland.”

Xu Qiao said, “…If it weren’t for our familiarity, I might think you were deliberately mocking me.”

Qin Chi continued, “Your experiences of being pursued aren’t exactly enviable, but I’d actually like to try being taken away by the police.”

Xu Qiao gasped, “You can’t be serious!”

Qin Chi hadn’t started the car yet; he smiled at her. “Have you ever thought that the reason you felt so wronged this time at the police station was because you lacked experience? If you go a few more times and get familiar with it, similar situations in the future won’t matter anymore.”

Xu Qiao retorted, “I don’t want to break the law.”

Qin Chi suggested, “I’ll break the law, and you can accompany me for the experience.”

Xu Qiao stiffened. “What law are you going to break?”

Qin Chi pointed at the sky. “Something minor, like violating the base’s aerial security regulations?”

Flying-type spirits can carry ability users through the air, and wind abilities can also allow users to fly. Therefore, when the base was first established, these types of ability users often chose to fly for transportation. Over time, this led to aerial accidents, either due to competition among flying spirits or ability users losing focus and causing “collisions.”

As a result, all four major bases established aerial security regulations. Ability users were prohibited from flying in any form, except for law enforcement personnel and a few special circumstances, such as encountering mutated creatures or natural disasters.

Xu Qiao thought that this version of Qin Chi was quite abnormal, resembling a drunken rich kid from a TV drama.

Qin Chi unlocked the car door and handed the choice to her. “You have one minute. If you don’t get out of the car within that minute, I’ll take off.”

Xu Qiao’s adrenaline shot up, and she struggled in her mind over whether to stay or leave. Finally, as the minute was about to end, she tightened her grip on the armrest and gritted her teeth, asking, “What if we suddenly fall while flying?”

Qin Chi reassured her, “Don’t worry, I won’t joke about the safety of my teammates.”

Xu Qiao closed her eyes.

Since they were flying, there was no need to start the car. Qin Chi simply summoned the wind to lift the car, taking off into the air amidst the surprised shouts of nearby pedestrians.

Xu Qiao felt a slight tremor and tried to open her eyes. Outside the window, they were already at the height of the tall buildings lining the streets. Through an uncovered bedroom window, she saw a mother playing a game with her child and a young couple next door dancing to music.

Leaning closer to the window, Xu Qiao realized that the car had already risen to about the tenth floor.

Suddenly, the window rolled down, letting in a cool breeze.

Xu Qiao suppressed a gasp and turned to look at Qin Chi, who was laughing as the wind tousled his short hair. The normally composed and mature Qin Chi seemed surprisingly carefree.

As the car ascended higher, surpassing the heights of all the nearby buildings, sirens could be heard in the distance.

Qin Chi changed direction and accelerated.

Xu Qiao asked, “Is this the way to the district?”

Qin Chi replied, “Yeah, it’s just for the experience. We shouldn’t delay the police for too long.”

Xu Qiao: “…”
—-
Today was the seventeenth day of the lunar calendar, and the full moon hung high in the sky. Just as Xu Qiao felt a mix of anxiety and excitement, a figure suddenly flew by under the moonlight.

It had to be from the police station, so Xu Qiao chose to look down and avoid eye contact.

In response to the warning shout, Qin Chi complied and stopped flying.

Captain Gao approached the car, raising his flashlight to scan the interior. Not recognizing Qin Chi, he did recognize the blushing girl in the passenger seat and frowned. “Xu Qiao?”

Xu Qiao felt even more embarrassed.

Captain Gao shifted his anger to Qin Chi. “What kind of nonsense are you up to at this hour? Have you been drinking? Get out of the car!”

He automatically assumed Qin Chi was Xu Qiao’s boyfriend or another suitor, especially since the other two suitors were feeling jealous.

A minute later, Captain Gao held a breathalyzer up to Qin Chi’s face, instructing him to blow into it.

Upon seeing the results, Captain Gao became even angrier. “You haven’t been drinking but you’re still acting crazy? Come on, get in our car.“

So, Xu Qiao accompanied Qin Chi in the police car once more.

It was a minor case, and Captain Gao focused on questioning Qin Chi’s mental state. Qin Chi answered every question and was very cooperative.

Captain Gao’s punishment for him was to suspend his driver’s license for fifteen days and impose a fine.

Qin Chi handed over his driver’s license, traded points, and after listening to a lecture, he and Xu Qiao left the precinct.

Standing outside the precinct, Qin Chi asked his little teammate, “Since it’s your second time here, don’t you think that as long as you haven’t broken the law, going through the procedures at the police station isn’t such a big deal?”

Xu Qiao looked at the shadows of the two of them on the ground and quietly said, “Thank you.”

Qin Chi smiled and pulled out a bicycle from his space. “I saw you enjoyed riding, so I bought one too. I didn’t expect it would come in handy tonight.”

Xu Qiao asked, “How long will it take to ride back from here?”

Qin Chi replied, “If we’re not in a hurry, about an hour?”

What was there to be in a hurry about at night?

Xu Qiao hopped onto the back of his bike and asked his back, “If you can’t drive for half a month, how will you get around?”

The subway was extensive, and lower-level ability users rarely spent large amounts of points on cars. Taxi services in the second ring were almost non-existent.

Qin Chi answered, “The second school is on summer break, so I usually rest at home. If I need to go somewhere, I can take the subway or ride a bike.“

Xu Qiao couldn’t imagine him squeezing onto the subway.

Qin Chi asked, “What are you thinking about Zhao Feng’s situation?”

Xu Qiao fell silent.
—-
In the end, between the trouble of involving her teammate once more and the prolonged suffering of being entangled by Zhao Feng, Xu Qiao chose the former.