At that very moment, a dust-covered SUV was parked outside the Xie Family's quiet villa.
The driver's side window rolled down, and a wisp of smoke drifted out.
Ding.
His phone lit up.
Qin Ci looked down. It was a message from Hua Jian.
Hua Jian: [No.]
That single word was enough for Qin Ci to understand.
He swore under his breath, then bitterly cursed Huo Bing.
It was all that idiot's fault. If he hadn't suddenly appeared, Xie Zhitan would never have misunderstood him.
Qin Ci might not have been particularly bright, but even he could tell that Huo Bing wasn't the only reason Xie Zhitan seemed determined never to see him again.
"...He's just bullying me on purpose because he knows I like him."
"Tch. It's not like I, Qin Ci, have any shortage of people. One phone call, and I could get a whole roomful of university professors to fuck."
But none of them would be Xie Zhitan.
Qin Ci held an unlit cigarette between his teeth, his gaze fierce yet somewhat lost.
Xie Zhitan clearly didn't want him tagging along. Was he still going to shamelessly follow him?
On an ordinary morning, Xie Zhitan boarded a flight to Y Country, traveling light.
The first-class cabin was comfortable, with few passengers and little noise.
But he had felt slightly uneasy ever since boarding.
Every time someone entered the cabin, Xie Zhitan instinctively tensed.
When he saw an unfamiliar face, his heart slowly settled again.
This continued until the plane began to taxi.
They could finally take off. Qin Ci really hadn't followed him this time.
Xie Zhitan paused as he took off his glasses, but soon lay back and closed his eyes as though nothing had happened.
On long flights, Xie Zhitan preferred to rest with his