Xie Mi had been ready to come clean, but a fan's remark that they were "cosplaying Xie Yeqing Kills the Donkey" left her speechless.
After thinking for two seconds, she nodded at the fans.
Shen Yeqing nodded beside her too.
The fan instantly brightened. "So it really is cosplay! You must be fans of both, right? Xie Bro fans and Xie Yeqing Kills Donkey CP shippers? I remember only Xie Bro fans like cosplaying their idol."
Xie Mi nodded again, and Shen Yeqing followed suit.
"Wow! Real live Xie Bro fans! Those candid photos only came out this afternoon, and you've already found matching outfits. That's amazing!"
Xie Mi and Shen Yeqing kept nodding.
At last, one of the fans noticed something was off.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"..."
After a moment of silence, Xie Mi suddenly started using sign language.
The fans were startled, their gazes turning pitying. But that pity quickly transformed into other emotions: confusion, shock, and wild delight!
"Old Xie!!!"
Xie Mi jolted!
Before she could figure out where she had gone wrong, the fan cried excitedly, "That Hand Seal! There's no mistake-it's Old Xie!!"
Xie Mi looked down.
Oh.
It turned out she had reflexively formed a Hand Seal while pretending to sign.
Another lingering side effect of that stage play.
Before she could react, a large, warm hand suddenly clasped hers.
The next second, Shen Yeqing's pleasant voice drifted into her ear on the wind.
"Run!"
Wind rushed past her ears as Shen Yeqing led her through the crowded throng and onto an empty street, running without pause beneath the amber streetlights.
The fans' excited cries rang out behind them.
Watching the man's broad back ahead of her, Xie Mi suddenly realized something. She tightened her grip on Shen Yeqing's hand and darted