Chapter 95

Jiang Ji let go of Qin Qingzhuo’s hand and stood up, taking a deep breath.

The previous agitation had dissipated somewhat, and his expression had become more serious.

He walked towards the two people with a stern face, calling out, “Chen Jiang Bei.”

The duty staff turned their heads to look, and on the other side of the tracks, a tall and long-legged teenager dressed in black stood. Even in the darkness, his demeanor was intimidating.

“You’re her…?”

“Her brother,” Jiang Ji said.

Out of caution, the staff member bent down to confirm with Jiang Bei, “Is he your brother?”

Jiang Bei nodded, “Yes.”

“What’s your name?” the staff member asked again.

“Jiang Bei,” Jiang Bei said softly.

The staff member finally relaxed and stood up straight, saying to Jiang Ji, “Your sister is quite bold, sneaking onto the train without a ticket. If our attendants hadn’t just checked the tickets and found her, she would have been on that train by now.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Ji said.

Separated by the railway track, the staff member pointed to the nearby elevator, “Go to the ticket gate, I’ll take your sister over there.”

Jiang Ji nodded.

A few steps away, Qin Qingzhuo thanked the young lady at the ticket gate and turned to look at Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji walked up to him, without saying anything, suddenly raised his arm and hugged him.

Qin Qingzhuo patted his back with his palm, “It’s okay, as long as we found her.”

Jiang Ji didn’t say anything, just lowered his head, tightened his arms around his shoulders, the strength in his hug felt like he was holding on tight.

Although aware that there was someone standing nearby, Qin Qingzhuo didn’t break the hug, letting Jiang Ji hold onto him.

They stayed like that for over ten seconds before Jiang Ji calmed down his emotions and let go of him, holding his hand, “Let’s go.”

Qin Qingzhuo followed him, not forgetting to ask the young lady who had been standing nearby at the ticket gate, “Are you coming up with us?”

“Oh,” the girl seemed to snap out of her daze, nodding, “Yes.”

The three of them walked towards the elevator without speaking at first. After a while, the girl turned around and asked quietly, “Can you sign something for me?”

Qin Qingzhuo was taken aback for a moment but quickly nodded with a smile, “Of course.”

“Thank you, thank you,” the girl restrained her excitement and became more talkative, “Actually, when you both ran over just now, I had a feeling it was you, but I didn’t dare to confirm. It wasn’t until you showed me your ID that I was sure you were really Qin Qingzhuo… I really love your songs, and I especially like the songs from Asperatus Band. I watch every episode of that program.”

Jiang Ji didn’t have the mood to deal with other things right now, but upon hearing her words, he still said, “Thank you.”

“It really should be us thanking you,” Qin Qingzhuo said. “We’ve been searching for a long time today, and Jiang Ji hasn’t recovered yet. By the way, letting us in, will it cause you any trouble?”

“No problem, no problem,” the girl waved her hand. “I just saw that you were in a hurry, so I made an exception in handling the situation.”

The elevator reached its destination, and the three of them walked towards the ticket gate. The staff member on duty was already outside with Jiang Bei, asking about the reasons for her running away from home.

“Is your brother good to you?” Seeing Jiang Bei nodding, the person continued, “Then why did you still run away from home?”

Jiang Bei remained silent.

“If you have any difficulties, just tell me…” before he could finish his sentence, the ticket-checking girl walked up to him and whispered, “Brother Xu, I know them.”

“Are they your friends?” He straightened up.

“They’re both celebrities, singers.”

“Oh…” he was somewhat surprised, looking towards Qin Qingzhuo and Jiang Ji.

Qin Qingzhuo took off his mask, walked over, and shook hands with him. “Thank you so much. If you hadn’t stopped her in time, we wouldn’t know what to do if she had really followed the train.”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” he seemed quite enthusiastic. “I just asked a few more questions because you don’t look like the girl’s parents, and I was afraid of any misunderstandings.”

“Appreciate it,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled. “You did the right thing.”

The two of them signed autographs for the ticket-checking girl. The staff member patted Jiang Bei’s back, saying, “Go with your brother.”

Jiang Bei walked towards Jiang Ji, but he ignored her, putting his hands in his pockets and turning away to head towards the exit.

Qin Qingzhuo walked over, crouched down, and thanked both of them. Then, holding Jiang Bei’s hand, he left the train station.

Just a few steps away from the exit, looking through the window, Qin Qingzhuo saw Jiang Ji standing there, looking down at his phone with a furrowed brow, his expression not good.

His steps halted, Qin Qingzhuo pulled Jiang Bei to the side and squatted down to look at her, saying, “Jiang Bei, remember to apologize to your brother later.”

Jiang Bei lowered her head and didn’t speak.

“Your brother has been looking for you all day, and he must be in a bad mood now,” Qin Qingzhuo said. “But he’s a soft-hearted person. As long as you apologize, he won’t be angry.”

After a few seconds, Jiang Bei nodded.

Qin Qingzhuo lifted his hand and ruffled her hair, then stood up, holding her hand, and left the train station.

Jiang Ji waited outside the exit, and when he saw Qin Qingzhuo and Jiang Bei coming out, he put down his phone.

“Ride the motorcycle with Jiang Bei back,” Qin Qingzhuo walked over and said, “I’ll take a taxi and meet you at home.”

“I just called one for you,” Jiang Ji said. “You go home first; I’ll take Jiang Bei back to the rehearsal room.”

“Let’s go back together; being too impulsive won’t help with communication. Jiang Bei must have had a reason for doing this.”

After a moment of silence, Jiang Ji still hadn’t changed his mind: “Let me handle this, come on, I’ll accompany you to the roadside to wait for a taxi.”

Qin Qingzhuo could tell that Jiang Ji’s stubbornness had resurfaced. Once he made up his mind, no one could persuade him otherwise.

In fact, Qin Qingzhuo didn’t intend to intervene too much in this matter. After all, he didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of the situation between the siblings. It was more appropriate for them to resolve it themselves.

Seeing Jiang Ji’s firm attitude, Qin Qingzhuo didn’t say anything else: “Let’s go then.”

Just as he was about to hold Jiang Bei’s hand and move forward, Jiang Ji said again, “Let her walk by herself, no need to hold her hand.”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t move, and Jiang Bei slowly withdrew her hand on her own.

Jiang Ji held Qin Qingzhuo’s wrist and walked forward with large strides, showing no intention of waiting for Jiang Bei.

Every few steps, Qin Qingzhuo would look back to see if Jiang Bei was still following behind, but he didn’t say anything.

Having witnessed the entire process of Jiang Ji searching for Jiang Bei, he could understand Jiang Ji’s current reaction.

When they reached the roadside, the taxi Jiang Ji had ordered on his phone had arrived.

“Get some rest when you get back,” Jiang Ji squeezed Qin Qingzhuo’s hand. “Send me a message when you get home.”

“Okay, ride slowly on the way,” Qin Qingzhuo said, then glanced at Jiang Bei not far away. “When you get home, have a good talk with Jiang Bei, don’t be too harsh.”

“I know,” Jiang Ji said.

Watching Qin Qingzhuo get into the car, Jiang Ji helped him close the door, then stood on the roadside watching the taxi drive away before turning to look at Jiang Bei.

Jiang Bei walked slowly with her head down, barely moving a meter.

Originally, he had planned to settle the score with Jiang Bei after returning home, but now, seeing her like this, he suddenly felt a nameless anger rising in his heart, the anger he had tried so hard to suppress surged up fiercely.

He looked at Jiang Bei, lowered his voice, and commanded, “Walk faster.”

But Jiang Bei seemed oblivious, still lowering her head and moving forward slowly.

Jiang Ji watched her, feeling the anger in his chest accumulating with each small step she took.

He walked towards Jiang Bei, taking a few steps until he was in front of her, causing Jiang Bei to stop in her tracks.

“You’re walking so slowly,” Jiang Ji said coldly. “Are you trying to run away when I’m not looking?”

“I’m not running,” Jiang Bei turned her face away, sounding indifferent. “I just wanted to go out and clear my mind.”

“Clear your mind? Where do you want to go to clear your mind?”

Jiang Bei remained silent, looking around aimlessly.

“Speak up,” Jiang Ji’s tone became more severe.

“I don’t know.”

“Adapting to circumstances, huh,” Jiang Ji chuckled coldly, “pretty cool.”

Jiang Bei remained silent, just sneered.

“What about food and drink,” Jiang Ji mocked, “planning to return to your old ways?”

“Why do you care what I do?” Jiang Bei said tonelessly, “Anyway, I can support myself and not cause you any trouble.”

“Fine, thanks,” Jiang Ji’s expression turned cold, he looked at her sternly, “Chen Jiang Bei, you better learn your lesson. Remember what I said last time, if you dare to steal again, then get the hell out of my life. I don’t want to raise a thief!”

Jiang Bei didn’t say anything, silently looking in the direction in the distance.

“Ready to leave, huh? Whether it’s the high-speed rail station or the airport, I’ll take you there.” Jiang Ji walked over, grabbed her thin arm, and started walking.

Jiang Bei didn’t move, resisting Jiang Ji’s dragging by the friction of her shoe soles against the ground.

Similar scenes had happened many times between the two, each time ending with Jiang Bei admitting her fault and Jiang Ji letting go, but this time, Jiang Bei remained silent, tears beginning to roll in her eyes.

Jiang Ji increased the strength in his hand, dragging her forward.

Jiang Bei realized that Jiang Ji hadn’t used much force before, because now Jiang Ji effortlessly lifted her shoe soles off the ground.

Different from before when he intentionally scared her, this time he seemed determined to send her away.

Although she had already made up her mind to leave the city, being dragged forward like this made Jiang Bei start to feel a little scared.

“I didn’t steal this time!” Jiang Bei suddenly exclaimed in panic, tears following immediately after.

Jiang Ji eased his grip slightly, but didn’t stop his steps, still dragging her forward.

Tears began to fall rapidly, Jiang Bei cried out, “I don’t want you to fail because of me, unable to become a star.”

Jiang Ji was stunned for a moment, then stopped his steps, stood still for a few seconds before loosening his grip, turning to look at Jiang Bei without saying a word.

Since Jiang Ji had lived with Jiang Bei, she had always appeared indifferent to everything, even if she made a huge mistake, she never took it seriously, nor had she ever cried like this.

Jiang Ji let go of her arm, looking at her, he asked, “Who told you that?”

“They said I’m a thief,” Jiang Bei answered irrelevantly, crying uncontrollably, “will you fail because of me, unable to become a star?”

“Are you crazy, Chen Jiang Bei,” Jiang Ji frowned, “Do you believe everything stupid people say? Are they the ones who decide whether I become a star or not? And why don’t you ask me if I want you to be a star or not?”

“But I…but I want you to be a star,” Jiang Bei sobbed after finishing her sentence.

There was a commotion not far from the exit, indicating that a train had arrived at the station.

Jiang Bei cried louder and louder, sobbing violently, tears streaming down her face.

Jiang Ji had never seen her cry like this before, and for a moment, he even found it somewhat amusing, mixed with a bit of bitterness and discomfort.

“Let’s go,” he exhaled softly, calming his emotions, “we’ll talk about it when we get back.”

Jiang Ji walked forward, this time his steps were not as big. Jiang Bei followed beside him, not dragging her steps as slowly as before, but she still couldn’t stop crying while walking.

When they reached the motorcycle, Jiang Ji unlocked it, seeing her tear-stained face, he took out a tissue from his pocket and threw it to her, his tone impatient, “Okay, wipe your own tears quickly, don’t wipe your snot and tears on me.”

He finished speaking and got on the motorcycle. Jiang Bei wiped her tears and blew her nose. Just as she was about to climb onto the bike, Jiang Ji turned his head and said, “Throw the tissue in the trash can. Holding it is disgusting.”

Jiang Bei lowered her head, walked to the trash can, threw away the tissue, and then walked back. Stepping on the motorcycle’s exhaust pipe, she climbed onto the back seat.

As they rode the motorcycle back, Jiang Ji finally felt somewhat relieved. In his mind, Shi Yao’s distorted face appeared due to the beating.

At that time, because Qin Qingzhuo was present, he didn’t want Qin Qingzhuo to worry too much, so he held back quite a bit of force when he struck.

However, thinking about what Jiang Bei had just said and the curse Qin Qingzhuo endured at the entrance of the internet cafe, he couldn’t swallow his anger.

I should have hit him harder at the time, Jiang Ji thought.

Half an hour later, the motorcycle stopped at the entrance of the rehearsal room, and Jiang Ji turned off the engine.

Seeing Jiang Bei still not moving behind him, he turned his head and urged, “We’re here, get off quickly.”

However, Jiang Bei remained motionless, lying on him.

Is she asleep? Jiang Ji pinched her knee, applying a little force.

Usually, when he did this, Jiang Bei would immediately wake up, but this time she didn’t react at all.

Jiang Ji felt something was wrong, pinching her more heavily this time, and then called out, “Jiang Bei.”

Still, there was no response from Jiang Bei.

“F*ck.” Jiang Ji cursed, grabbed Jiang Bei’s wrist to check her pulse, then started the engine, turned the motorcycle around, and drove away.