Later, Qin Sili did indeed find Lu Chiyan deep in the remote mountains.
Their group of classmates had been taken camping on a remote, deserted mountain where there wasn't even any phone reception. Only after night fell did they realize something was wrong and run down the mountain in the dark, only to find the surrounding area completely deserted, without a soul in sight.
A few of the more timid girls immediately burst into frightened tears. Lu Chiyan was one of the braver ones, so he led everyone along a road. They walked for nearly two hours before they finally spotted a gas station.
Luckily, the gas station had a convenience store that was open twenty-four hours a day, which was how Lu Chiyan had managed to make that call to Qin Sili for help.
Qin Sili rushed to the gas station in a panic. He thought Lu Chiyan really had been abducted and trafficked and had only just managed to escape. He was worried sick.
Yet when he arrived at the gas station, what he saw was Lu Chiyan squatting by the roadside with a Coke in hand, happily drinking away.
Qin Sili: "..."
"Qin Sili! You're finally here!" The moment Lu Chiyan spotted Qin Sili, he sprang up and ran over, throwing his arms around him. "Family! I've finally found my family!"
Qin Sili: "..."
Besides Qin Sili, other parents had also come to the gas station to pick up their children, and inevitably, there were a few scoldings. In the middle of the night, the gas station, which should have been quiet, was as bustling as a market.
Listening to the parents around him, Qin Sili more or less understood what had happened. He looked at Lu Chiyan, a little speechless. "You're pretty capable for someone so young. You even lied to me about going to a classmate's house. What, are you classmates with a caveman?"
"Well, I was afraid you wouldn't let me come..." Lu Chiyan's voice gradually faded, his words utterly lacking conviction.
"Then if you're so capable, don't call me to come pick you up." After that angry remark, Qin Sili turned and headed toward where he had parked.
Lu Chiyan hurried after him. "Are you angry? You're the only family I have now. Who else was I supposed to call? Don't be angry!"
When Qin Sili ignored him, Lu Chiyan offered him the Coke in his hand. "Don't be angry. Have some Coke, my treat!"
Qin Sili glanced at the bottle in Lu Chiyan's hand, already more than half empty, and was even more speechless.
"What? You're turning your nose up at me?" Lu Chiyan's lips turned down as he said pitifully, "You really aren't my biological older brother. It's barely been any time at all, and you're already turning your nose up at me... I'm so pitiful. Nobody loves me anymore..."
Qin Sili: "..." With all that drama, it'd be a real waste if you didn't become an actor someday!
Unable to withstand Lu Chiyan's wailing, Qin Sili sighed softly, took the Coke from his hand, and took a perfunctory sip.
The moment he swallowed, his brows knitted tightly, his face a picture of pain.
Lu Chiyan was amused. "Qin Sili, why do you look like you're drinking Chinese medicine when it's just Coke?"
Qin Sili frowned. "I don't like it."
"Tch, you have no taste. Coke is the best drink in the world!" Lu Chiyan took the Coke back and muttered, "If you won't drink it, I'll drink it myself."
Qin Sili returned from his thoughts. The twelve-year-old Lu Chiyan overlapped with the Lu Chiyan before him, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
That familiar feeling was back.
This was how Lu Chiyan should be!
Drinking his Coke, Lu Chiyan asked Qin Sili, "Then if you don't like Coke, what do you like drinking?"
"Water," Qin Sili said.
Lu Chiyan: "..."