Even if the call hadn't come, I hadn't planned to keep cycling for much longer. I was preparing to find an uninhabited place and then head into the deep mountains, lest I have another intimate encounter with Shao Zi. Then I really would have been unable to clear my name even by jumping into the Yellow River.
I answered the call. It was from someone asking whether I wanted to renew the insurance on the vehicle. I brushed him off a few times and hung up, then sent Fan Xin my current location through the chat app and called her, telling her to bring a few people and, while she was at it, several new tires to replace the ones on the vehicle. Dragging it along wasn't a solution, and the tires on this off-road vehicle had been used for years. They were due for replacement anyway.
Fan Xin readily agreed. After all, she had benefited quite a bit recently, so she had no problem handling a few small tasks for me.
I called Liu Da and told him to use the chat app to receive the location where Shao Zi and I were. Then I waited for him to fly the helicopter over.
Because of the awkwardness earlier, Shao Zi and I stopped talking for a while. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long. The helicopter's shadow appeared on the horizon, and Liu Da soon climbed down from it.
"Brother Tian, what happened? You're both sitting there without saying a word. It's creepy. What's wrong with Shao Zi?" Liu Da chuckled and went over to check on Shao Zi. Shao Zi merely snorted and ignored him completely. Instead, she came over and tugged at my sleeve. "Master, don't be angry. Shao Zi was only joking."
"Why would I be