“You know, the kid from the Li family, he’s a good kid but a bit introverted,” the cleaning lady told Yi Yu.

“Does he get along well with Li Xiaoting?” Xu Yi asked, shielding his eyes from the sun. Yi Yu silently walked behind him, forming a shadow to block the sunlight.

“Pretty good. If you go straight ahead and turn left, there’s a tree. The two siblings used to play house there when they were little.”

After thanking the aunt, Xu Yi and Yi Yu left the community to meet up with Li Xiaoming and the others. On the way, people came and went. Once they got in the car, neither of them spoke, each lost in their thoughts.

Li Xiaoming and Wang Qiang were already waiting for them in the dormitory. After Xu Yi closed the door, Li Xiaoming began, “Li Yuan has a good reputation in his class. His classmates say he’s very helpful and always willing to help when something comes up.”

Yi Yu handed Xu Yi a piece of bread. “Eat something, we still need to go out this afternoon.”

Li Xiaoming reached out his hand. “Is there more? Wang Qiang and I are both hungry.”

Yi Yu sat down. “There’s a small shop nearby.” Xu Yi smiled as he tore the bread and shared it with them. “Do you remember what Li Yuan said? He said Li Xiaoting couldn’t have committed suicide.”

Wang Qiang swallowed a piece of bread in one bite. “Li Xiaoting was also a good student back in the first year of high school. But for some reason, she completely changed in the second year. She stopped talking and always avoided going home with Li Yuan.”

Yi Yu asked, “Avoid going home with him?”

“Yes, Li Yuan’s friends told us that Li Xiaoting always avoided him.”

Xu Yi started connecting the dots. “Li Xiaoting used to be a good student. What happened to her that caused the change? Li Gang mentioned she was pregnant.”

“But Li Xiaoting never had a boyfriend, her classmates confirmed it,” Yi Yu interrupted, opening a milk straw and placing it in front of Xu Yi.

Li Xiaoming and Wang Qiang looked at each other. “Are you two a couple?”

Xu Yi quickly denied it. “How could that be? We’re just partners.” Yi Yu neither confirmed nor denied, only saying, “The bread is a bit dry.”

Xu Yi didn’t dare to drink the hot milk. “So, the only two men she had contact with were Li Yuan and Li Gang.”

The worst thought was often the truth. Li Xiaoming felt a chill. “If that’s the case, it’s too terrifying…”

Wang Qiang finally remembered some missing information. “Oh, Li Yuan said that after Li Xiaoting died, he would often go to that tree in their neighborhood and sit there for hours.”

Yi Yu recalled the missing book on the bookshelf. “We’ll go there tonight.”

Li Xiaoming suggested, “How about in the afternoon? I’m worried we might run into the system hunter tonight. Wang Qiang and I encountered one this morning. We don’t know which unlucky person got caught.”

Xu Yi yawned several times. Yi Yu replied, “My brain needs to rest this afternoon.”

That night, no matter how Li Xiaoming looked, he didn’t think there was anything hidden in the tree. Wang Qiang, using his excellent physical strength, climbed the tree but found nothing. It wasn’t until he looked down that he saw something shiny. “Look, it looks like there’s something over there.”

Xu Yi followed Wang Qiang’s direction and saw that, because Yi Yu had a cleanliness obsession, the task of digging was left to Yi Yu and the other two. After digging for ten minutes, they found an iron box.

Xu Yi picked up the iron box and noticed it had a combination lock. “We’ll open it when we get back. Let’s leave first.”

Just as they were about to leave, the system hunters appeared, several of them. Yi Yu grabbed a stone and threw it to distract them. “You guys take Xu Yi and go first, I’ll stay.”

Xu Yi was stunned and insisted on staying to help, but Wang Qiang knocked him unconscious.

Wang Qiang regretted it afterward. “Did I hit him too hard?”

Li Xiaoming didn’t have time to worry. “Can you handle it alone?”

Yi Yu nodded and ran off.

When Xu Yi woke up, he found himself in complete darkness, with only a faint light from the balcony. Yi Yu was behind him, injured and preparing to treat his wound.

When Xu Yi saw him, he felt relieved. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Yi Yu hadn’t returned.

Xu Yi stared at the wound, which was oozing fresh red blood. His trembling hand didn’t dare to touch it. “Are you an idiot?”

Yi Yu comforted Xu Yi. “It’s fine, once you wake up, help me treat it. I… can’t reach it.”

Xu Yi took a cotton swab. “It hurts. Bear with it.” Yi Yu’s veins were visible, and Xu Yi didn’t know why, but tears started to fall.

Yi Yu felt the wetness. “Don’t cry, it really doesn’t hurt that much.”

Xu Yi tried to hold back the tears. “It’s going to leave a scar.”

Yi Yu turned around and wiped Xu Yi’s tears. “It’s fine, don’t cry.”

Xu Yi’s voice trembled. “Why did they take me away? I could have stayed to help you.”

After Xu Yi said that, Yi Yu leaned in and kissed his forehead.

Xu Yi felt the warmth. “What are you doing?”

Yi Yu hugged him, resting his chin on Xu Yi’s shoulder. “This is the answer. I can’t let you take risks.”