"You're turning hostile already? I was just kidding," the young man chuckled.
The moment the young man spoke, Yan Ruoruo's expression turned awkward. "I knew you couldn't be that kind of person."
The young man smiled without a word.
Mu Anxiao and Zhang Yan stepped off the bus. She looked around and asked, "Where did they go?"
"Over there," Zhang Yan pointed to a coffee shop not far away.
Mu Anxiao furrowed her brow. "Isn't that the place we went to that other day?"
"You noticed," Zhang Yan said with a smirk.
Mu Anxiao glanced at Zhang Yan. Just as she was about to step forward, her phone rang.
"Answer it," Zhang Yan reminded her.
Mu Anxiao sighed, took her phone out of her pocket, looked at the caller ID, hesitated for a moment, and then answered, "Hello, where are you?"
"Almost there. Just wait for me at the bus stop over there, I'll come find you," Feng Qishi arranged from inside a taxi.
"Got it," Mu Anxiao replied, hung up the phone.
"Was that Feng Qishi calling?" Zhang Yan asked.
Mu Anxiao put her phone back into her pocket and said, "Yes, he said to wait for him at the station."
"Then wait," Zhang Yan mused. Then he added, "I think you can let it go. Feng Qishi is Shen Yan's descendant, after all. Perhaps this is his destiny. I don't think you need to keep going like this."
"Keep going like what?" Mu Anxiao looked at Zhang Yan and asked.
"You don't need to keep yourself so tense all the time. I feel like if you continue this way, you'll gradually lose your judgment and your sense of self," Zhang Yan stated directly.
"I think I'm doing fine right now. As for judgment, I haven't made any mistakes," Mu Anxiao insisted on her own assessment.
"Alright, I won't talk about you anymore," Zhang Yan pouted and turned his face away.
Though Mu Anxiao said that, she had actually taken Zhang Yan's words to heart. She walked to the edge of the road and looked at the cars passing by, and the people on the other side of the road chatting and laughing. Her heart sank.
Zhang Yan walked up behind Mu Anxiao and stood in silence.
"Are you feeling any better?"
Hearing the voice, Mu Anxiao looked down at the soul child and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I came to see you. A few days have passed," the soul child said.
Mu Anxiao glanced at her palm. Just as she was about to try and use her powers, Feng Qishi arrived.
"Long time no see," he said, running up and slapping Mu Anxiao's palm.
Mu Anxiao blinked in surprise and exclaimed, "What are you doing?" She then turned to look at Feng Qishi.
The soul child vanished.
Feng Qishi laughed. "I thought you'd be more composed. Turns out after hanging out with Yan Ruoruo, you've become quite the dramatic one." He then removed his hand.
Mu Anxiao glared at Feng Qishi, then turned to Zhang Yan. "Let's go."
Feng Qishi casually responded, "Alright."
Mu Anxiao ignored him and walked around the bus queue towards the coffee shop from that day.
Feng Qishi naturally stepped up to walk alongside Mu Anxiao. "You pig-brain, don't you feel awful being with people like that every day?"
"I've told you very clearly. What do you mean by these insinuations?" Mu Anxiao said, looking straight ahead.
"No meaning, but I think your judgment is flawed."
Hearing Feng Qishi's words, Mu Anxiao suddenly stopped.
Feng Qishi also stopped, turning to look at Mu Anxiao, who had slowed down by two steps. "I know you don't like hearing me talk like this, but I think you should shift your focus."
"I'm telling you, you... believe me," Mu Anxiao said coldly.
Feng Qishi let out a soft snort. "I'm afraid I can't believe you this time. After we're done dealing with Yan Ruoruo's situation, I want you to come with me to see Feng Feng."
"I still need to find Shi Momo," Mu Anxiao said decisively.
"Shi Momo is doing just fine."
"How do you know she's doing just fine?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
"She's been using looking for me as an excuse to find my brother. She's been laughing and joking at my place every day, but my sister is completely different. She looks very unwell."
Mu Anxiao looked at Feng Qishi's serious expression and asked, "Have you ever seen me smile since the first time you met me?"
"No," Feng Qishi replied with finality.
"I became like this after experiencing a sad event. I feel like your sister's situation is similar to mine. She'll get better after some time," Mu Anxiao said.
"My sister is not like you," Feng Qishi said coldly.
Hearing Feng Qishi's words, Mu Anxiao's eyes darkened. "If she's not like me, then she's not like me. After we're done with Yan Ruoruo's matter, I'll go with you to see your sister."
"You said it," Feng Qishi pointed at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao forced a smile and said, "I said it."
Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao's incredibly stiff, forced smile and said, "You'd better not smile. It's too ugly."
Mu Anxiao had never thought she looked ugly when she smiled. Now, hearing Feng Qishi say that, she realized she had indeed become almost unrecognizable to herself. However, the sadness from Shen Yan's departure weighed heavily on her heart like a stubborn stone, resurfacing every time she attempted to use her powers.
"What's wrong?" Feng Qishi asked.
Mu Anxiao came back to her senses, looking at Feng Qishi's face, which was identical to Shen Yan's. "It's really strange. Why do you look exactly the same as in your past life?"
"Fine, I'll choose a location, alright?" Feng Qishi said impatiently.
"Yes..."
Just as Mu Anxiao uttered the word, Zhang Yan quickly said, "Yan Ruoruo and her online friend are coming out."
Upon hearing this, Feng Qishi turned and glanced at the hand Yan Ruoruo was holding within the young man's arm, and sneered. "Heh, didn't Yan Ruoruo say my sister stole her boyfriend? Is this her boyfriend then?" As he spoke, he took out his phone.
"What are you doing?" Mu Anxiao asked.
"What I do is none of your business," Feng Qishi said. With a few clicks, he took several photos of Yan Ruoruo and the young man. "Done."
"What are you going to do with these photos?" Mu Anxiao asked, a sense of foreboding rising within her.
"It's time for my mom to apologize to Feng Feng," Feng Qishi's lips curled upwards.
Mu Anxiao remained silent, a storm brewing within her.
At the Feng family residence, Feng Mu, sitting on the sofa, suddenly had a realization and picked up her phone to call Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi looked at his phone and smiled. "Such great chemistry. My mom is calling me." He then answered it.
"Feng Qishi, you've even started lying to me."
"How have I lied to you?" Feng Qishi asked deliberately.
"Ruoruo clearly has a boyfriend, and you said she was meeting someone online. You... dare say you weren't lying," Feng Mu said angrily.
"Wait a moment," Feng Qishi said, ending the call. He took the phone from his ear and quickly sent the photos he had just taken to Feng Mu via MMS.