"Who are you?"
Lin Xiao Tian frowned, listening to the unfamiliar voice on the phone.
In the countryside, people generally didn't go out at this hour. There shouldn't be anyone at home!
"Haha, Xiao Tian, don't be nervous, it's me, Bai Fen!"
"Bai Fen?"
Lin Xiao Tian was taken aback. He listened carefully, and it was indeed her.
"Where's Yu Xiang jie? Is she there?"
"Yu Xiang has already fallen asleep."
"Fallen asleep?"
Lin Xiao Tian's brow furrowed.
If Qin Yu Xiang was asleep, why was Bai Fen at his house?
As if sensing Lin Xiao Tian's thoughts, Bai Fen added.
"Xiao Tian, it's my fault. My roof isn't repaired yet, right? So at night, bats often fly in. I told Yu Xiang that sleeping alone is too scary."
"Yu Xiang is kind-hearted and said she'd let me sleep at her place."
"I'm sorry to trouble you!"
Bai Fen said apologetically.
But Lin Xiao Tian still felt uneasy after hearing this.
Ever since his home was bugged with a camera last time, Lin Xiao Tian had become much more vigilant. So, every time he left home, Lin Xiao Tian would call back to confirm Qin Yu Xiang's situation.
If only Qin Yu Xiang had answered the phone today, Lin Xiao Tian might not have noticed anything. But now, Lin Xiao Tian hadn't heard Qin Yu Xiang's voice at all from beginning to end.
"Xiao Tian, should I call Yu Xiang?" Bai Fen asked.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't refuse, but he didn't agree either. He remained silent.
Bai Fen was understanding. A low whisper from the other end of the line came.
"Yu Xiang, Yu Xiang, wake up quickly, Xiao Tian is looking for you?"
Bai Fen called out several times. It wasn't until a while later that Lin Xiao Tian faintly heard Qin Yu Xiang's voice.
"Hello."
Qin Yu Xiang's groggy voice came from the phone, clearly not fully awake.
"Yu Xiang jie, it's me!" Hearing Qin Yu Xiang's voice, Lin Xiao Tian felt much more at ease.
"Oh... Xiao Tian, I'm sorry. I meant to wait for your call, but I somehow fell asleep while waiting."
On the other end of the phone, Qin Yu Xiang's voice was apologetic. Although it wasn't explicitly agreed upon, talking on the phone at night had always been a tacit understanding between them.
"Haha, it's okay, Yu Xiang jie. Can you video call?" Lin Xiao Tian was still a bit uneasy.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?"
"It's nothing, wait for me a moment." Qin Yu Xiang's voice disappeared.
After a while, Qin Yu Xiang's voice reappeared.
"Done!"
Lin Xiao Tian didn't hesitate and directly initiated the video call.
The lights in the room were as dim as ever. Qin Yu Xiang's delicate face appeared on the screen.
Qin Yu Xiang's hair was a bit messy, clearly having just woken up, and she was still yawning occasionally.
"Yu Xiang jie, are you okay?" Lin Xiao Tian asked.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired from just waking up." Qin Yu Xiang said, yawning again.
Seeing the relaxed expression on Qin Yu Xiang's face, Lin Xiao Tian's taut nerves relaxed considerably.
Just then, Lin Xiao Tian also saw Bai Fen at the edge of the camera.
"This is Bai jie, she's sleeping with me tonight." Qin Yu Xiang explained.
Lin Xiao Tian nodded. He already knew about this.
"By the way, Yu Xiang jie, are you two alone at home?"
"Ah? What do you mean? Are you suspecting someone is hiding in my house?" Hearing this, Qin Yu Xiang immediately became unhappy.
Seeing Qin Yu Xiang's angry expression, Lin Xiao Tian quickly explained, "No, Yu Xiang jie, I'm just a bit worried."
"Hmph! Fine, since you suspect, I'll show you. You'd better watch closely!" Qin Yu Xiang said, ignoring what Lin Xiao Tian was saying. She held her phone and started to move around the house.
"Look behind the door."
"And the kitchen."
"And under the bed."
"Is there anywhere else you want to see?"
Seeing Qin Yu Xiang's angry look, Lin Xiao Tian could only desperately explain that he was worried about her.
"Hmph! Who knows if you're really concerned or just pretending?"
"Of course I am!"
"Then why do you still suspect me?"
"I don't, I didn't..." Lin Xiao Tian felt helpless. He had just explained, but as expected, a woman's heart is hard to fathom.
After chatting for a while longer, Lin Xiao Tian ended the call.
Just then, Liang Xu came over to ask Lin Xiao Tian where he planned to stay for the night.
"Back to Jinsha Village."
"Are you sure?" Liang Xu was stunned.
"I'm sure."
"The car can't go on the mountain road, and the visibility is poor at night. It's too dangerous for you to go back alone," Liang Xu said with a grave expression.
"Uncle Xu, it's alright, I know the mountain roads very well," Lin Xiao Tian insisted on going back.
Even though he had video-called Qin Yu Xiang, Lin Xiao Tian was still uneasy.
Jinsha Village is not like a big city; the public security environment is not good, and any incident happens without warning. Moreover, after the incident last time, Lin Xiao Tian now attached great importance to Qin Yu Xiang's safety.
Liang Xu tried to persuade him a few more times. Seeing that Lin Xiao Tian was still determined to go back, he stopped trying to persuade him. He just urged Lin Xiao Tian to be careful, but he didn't know if Lin Xiao Tian had actually listened.
The car sped along the highway. After more than an hour, Lin Xiao Tian arrived at the entrance of the mountain road.
Liang Xu dropped Lin Xiao Tian off and didn't leave immediately. Instead, he turned on the car lights and stayed there until Lin Xiao Tian had completely disappeared from his sight before driving away.
From the highway to Jinsha Village, the straight-line distance is more than ten kilometers. But if you count the winding mountain roads, the distance is instantly lengthened.
During the day, Lin Xiao Tian could reach the village in half an hour with his physical strength. But now it was night, and Lin Xiao Tian didn't have night vision. He could only walk step by step carefully.
On the other side, after Qin Yu Xiang finished the video call with Lin Xiao Tian, she didn't fall asleep immediately.
Her head ached so much that she couldn't sleep.
Bai Fen, who was next to her, came over and started chatting with her.
"Bai jie, I'm really sorry. While we were chatting, I actually fell asleep first," Qin Yu Xiang said somewhat embarrassed.
"Hah, Yu Xiang, don't say that. Didn't I fall asleep too?" Bai Fen waved her hand.
"By the way, Yu Xiang, did Xiao Tian say when he'll be back?"
"Uh, he didn't say, but the mountain roads here are inconvenient. He usually comes back tomorrow morning or noon, right?" Qin Yu Xiang thought for a moment.
"Oh, oh, is that so!" Bai Fen said thoughtfully.
"Bai jie, why are you asking?"
"Hah, I was just thinking, Xiao Tian really cares about you. Do you know how anxious he was when he called just now and heard it wasn't your voice?"
"He was very anxious?" Hearing this, Qin Yu Xiang's face immediately showed a shy expression.
"Of course he was anxious! I saw that if I hadn't called you to wake up, he probably would have rushed back tonight."
"Bai jie, what are you talking about? How could he?" Qin Yu Xiang immediately retorted.
Hearing Qin Yu Xiang's words, Bai Fen's eyes narrowed slightly.