Just as Xu Jingqian said, the ancient town was indeed worth exploring.

Without time to plan, Qi Yu aimlessly strolled along the streets after dinner. She kept walking forward until she reached a less crowded area, then turned back.

Along the way, she stopped here and there. Qi Yu tried yak meat skewers, drank freshly squeezed orange juice, and bought many colorful small bracelets. Passing by a letter shop, she even wrote a letter to her good friend, Yu Zhi. If all goes well, it should arrive by this time next year.

After finishing the letter, half an hour had passed. The sun had long since set, and the entire ancient town was enveloped in a deep blue sky, which quickly turned to an inky black.

Qi Yu tried to find her way back to the homestay from memory, but the winding alleys of the ancient town all looked similar. Before long, she found herself lost.

She stood still and opened her navigation app to search for the homestay, but the next moment, she switched to her chat with Xu Jingqian from the morning and sent him a message without hesitation: “I’m lost.”

Almost instantly, Xu Jingqian replied, but instead of sending a location, he asked, “Where are you?”

Qi Yu stared at the three words for a while to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. She stood there, a bit dazed, and didn’t reply. Xu Jingqian then called her directly.

“Stay where you are,” he said in his pleasant voice. “It’s normal to get lost with so many small paths here. Send me your location, and I’ll come get you.” Qi Yu felt a bit disoriented, like a wound-up robot, doing whatever Xu Jingqian said.

After sending her location, Xu Jingqian hung up, and the chat box immediately showed two more words: “Wait for me.”

In the few minutes waiting for Xu Jingqian, Qi Yu regretted not just using her navigation to get back. At the same time, she found herself looking forward to Xu Jingqian’s arrival. The former feeling was stronger, and with immense guilt, she silently apologized a hundred times, then resolutely used her navigation to find her way back.

Xu Jingqian just missed her, and he received her message saying she had returned.

He stood at the alley where Qi Yu had been, bent over and breathing heavily. He had run all the way, afraid that Qi Yu would be scared waiting alone while lost.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case. Qi Yu was an adult and traveling alone by car. Unless her phone was off, it was almost impossible for her to get lost.

Xu Jingqian didn’t overthink it. Whether Qi Yu was joking or not, as long as she was safe, that’s all that mattered.

Qi Yu returned before Xu Jingqian. She looked around at the entrance, and not seeing him, she went back to her room. After some thought, she sent him a message asking if he had returned.

Xu Jingqian didn’t reply.

After taking a shower, she checked again, but still no reply.

Qi Yu felt guilty about today’s events. She shouldn’t have said she was lost, and she shouldn’t have run away. If she were Xu Jingqian, she would be angry too.

With a anxious heart, she sent Xu Jingqian an apology message.

Still no reply. He must be really angry.

Qi Yu sighed, scratching her leg where she had been bitten by mosquitoes, leaving two red welts.

It was too itchy, and she didn’t have any anti-itch cream or mosquito repellent in her luggage. She had no choice but to send a message to Xu Jingqian, even sending a photo of the mosquito bites to prove it.

This time, Xu Jingqian replied: “I’ll bring it to you.”

He had seen Qi Yu’s message about being lost after his shower, rushed out, and got sweaty again. When he returned and saw the light on in Qi Yu’s room, he went back to his room to shower again, naturally missing her subsequent messages.

Xu Jingqian placed the mosquito repellent at Qi Yu’s door and knocked lightly on the glass.

Knock, knock, knock. He had only taken a few steps when the door opened. Qi Yu, with her half-dried hair draped over her shoulders, rushed out and called his name. Xu Jingqian turned to look at her, “Is there something else?”

She shook her head, looking guilty. “I’m sorry about tonight.”

“Why are you saying sorry?” Xu Jingqian found her expression a bit cute.

Qi Yu looked down, her fingers intertwined. “I didn’t expect you to come pick me up. I got scared and… ran away.”

Scared of him?

Xu Jingqian looked at Qi Yu, who seemed dejected and aware of her mistake. He reflected and thought maybe he had been too abrupt, scaring her. He softened his voice, “I understand. Go back to your room.”

“Can you… not be angry?” she asked tentatively.

“Do you think I’m angry?” Xu Jingqian asked.

Qi Yu nodded.

“I’m not angry.” Xu Jingqian sounded a bit helpless, wondering what made her think he was angry. Seeing the obvious scratch marks on her smooth legs, he added, “Go back inside. Don’t get bitten by mosquitoes again. I’ve left the repellent at your door.”

“Oh.”

Only after he was gone did she remember to say thank you.