Section 2

"No trouble at all, Auntie," Qin Xiaonan ran into the elevator, cheerfully looking up as she replied, "We are on the west side, and you are on the east side. Although it is not very convenient, this shows the sincerity in seeing off our guests"

The meal was quite acceptable; apart from the fact that the intermediaries, Gui Xiao and Lu Yanchen, never communicated with each other, everything was perfect. Throughout the meal, Lu Yanchen did not even glance at her. Even when Xiao Cai Ming asked, "Captain Lu, were you and Gui Xiao neighbors in the past? Classmates, or...?"

Gui Xiao, frightened, tore off her clothes, snow choking her mouth and nose, coughing desperately, and looking around in a panic

Xiao Cai's car is located to the east of the parking lot, and Lu Yancheng's car is also not far away

He? Cute? The boy's father actually laughed, "That little rascal is a real troublemaker."

As Gui Xiao instinctively dodged, the shadow of his hand flashed before her eyes. Lu Yancheng paused for a moment, then flicked the dirty snow off her bangs with his fingers: "Aren't you afraid?"

Gui Xiao felt a tingling sensation in her back, and her legs went weak

Gui Xiao was startled outside the door, watching as someone pushed half a roasted lamb past her, accompanied by the rich aroma of grilled meat. In a hurry, she stepped aside and retreated.

Xiao Cai was choked, let out a forced laugh, and stiffly gazed out at the heavy snow: "The snow in Inner Mongolia is truly heavy, haha ... ... "

My heart suddenly feels very heavy

"Alumni," Lu Yancheng replied, "not familiar."

At that time, the two had known each other for more than a year. Gui Xiao liked him so much that she carved his name on her arm, yet she still pretended to be reserved, insisting on maintaining her composure. She would only pass by the senior three classroom during choir rehearsals on Wednesdays and Fridays, or during music class, pretending to go for rehearsals or classes.

Returning home with my wife and children is always quite troublesome, and handling the household registration is also a hassle. If you need any assistance, feel free to reach out to me

Unfortunately, she does not understand that with Gui Xiao around, Lu Yancheng would truly be cold enough to freeze someone to death

Aren't you the one I broke up with back then? You already have children, so why do you still act as if I owe you something?

Gui Xiao did not dare to look closely at the boy's brows and eyes: "I am going to the restroom."

According to his cousin, Lu Yancheng is quite proud, exceedingly intelligent, and sees through everything clearly; he understands exactly what schemes others have in their hearts. The closer the relationship, the less he allows you to pretend.

Come back

Gui Xiao looked at him in surprise: "Did you not say -- this year?"

... ...

The three returned to the private room, and the little boy boldly jumped into his father's arms, exclaiming, "Dad!" After shouting, he went to sneak a look at Gui Xiao and Lu Yancheng. As a result, everyone in the room, like Gui Xiao, realized that they had all misunderstood the situation.

Lu Yancheng walked up to her and stood still before her

Gui Xiao was momentarily taken aback

He just covered her face with his coat, fearing that it might scare her

Under the pale moonlight, he tilted his head slightly, as if he had not heard anything, and threw a shadowy figure onto the snow. The next one was also swiftly tossed out; he did not use excessive force, but those individuals could not get close. Fortunately, Qin Mingyu had already rushed over upon hearing the screams, and with a swift motion, he knocked down another one

The voices of the crowd praising the little boy were locked behind the door.

Only then did the few men accompanying Gui Xiao dare to approach

The aluminum glass door on the right was pulled open from the outside. Lu Yancheng, holding a half-finished cigarette, leaned against the doorframe, squinting as he assessed her: "The woman is downstairs."

And his son, who is known for his gloomy demeanor, is named Qin Xiaonan

Fearing that others might notice something was amiss, he decided to follow the directions described by the little boy, walking to the end of the corridor, turning right, descending a few steps, and heading to the corner between the fourth and fifth floors to look for the restroom

Quiet

The old elevator descended slowly, accompanied by a metallic grinding sound of unknown origin

... ...

"He is not your child after all," Gui Xiao pretended to admire the snow scene, "What a pity, he is so adorable."

Until then, standing outside the door, Gui Xiao stared blankly at the sign labeled "Men" on the restroom, lost in thought for quite a while

After a few drinks, Qin Mingyu truly revealed his chatty nature, speaking about Lu Yancheng without pause. He even stood up solemnly to toast, asking Gui Xiao and the others to help Lu Yancheng as much as possible, so that his return to the capital would be smoother.

The man behind continued to add: "In fact, the team has not yet decided whether to return to Beijing, they are hesitating, and they cannot be considered unemployed; at most, it can be regarded as short-term unemployment"

After the man finished speaking, he belatedly introduced himself to Gui Xiao as Qin Mingyu, a member of the Lu Yancheng squad.

A rather sturdy man, when mentioning his son, suddenly blushed: "My son, you see, knows that all the men in our squad are bachelors, and he loves to cause trouble during matchmaking events, calling the brothers in our squad 'dad'. He has managed to scare off quite a few girls. I apologize, Miss Gui Xiao."

With the increasingly oppressive throbbing, the pain pulsates rhythmically.

Because he threw his coat to Gui Xiao, Lu Yancheng, wearing only a shirt, was in the icy cold and snow. He kicked a few who still wanted to get up, giving them a heavy kick, which made everyone behave themselves. He then brushed off the dirty snow and mud that had been kicked onto his body.

When pressed further, she would smile at her and say: "You are always hovering in front of me, aren't you just waiting for me to pay attention to you?"

Gui Xiao and others were waiting on the outer side of the driveway, while Xiao Cai passed between the two cars, heading towards his own vehicle. Just as Gui Xiao was momentarily distracted, trying to locate where Yan Chen was in the darkness, a sharp scream suddenly erupted, "Ah!"

"Not necessarily going back." Lu Yancheng extinguished the cigarette butt on the snow of the windowsill, his pitch-black eyes resembling black pebbles submerged in a viewing pool, glistening with moisture yet cold and devoid of emotion

In the elevator, Qin Mingyu suddenly asked: "Did all five of you come in one car?"

Lu Yancheng kept silent with the handwritten note in his pocket

Gui Xiao was stunned and had not yet reacted when several dark figures rushed out

Although Xiao Cai said so, he still felt that going to the parking lot with Lu Yancheng would inevitably lead to being "frozen to death" by this team leader Lu, so he grabbed Gui Xiao's arm to act as a "lubricant"

"I told you to come back, do you hear me?" Lu Yancheng's voice deepened

Gradually, some rationality was regained

No need." She continued walking

Gui Xiao was truly taken aback.

No, Guixiao realized that her voice was too trembling, and turned her face away, "... ... What is there to be afraid of?"

The meal is finished

Qin Xiaonan also rushed in: "Dad, I called the police using that uncle's phone!"

Guixiao felt a shiver run through him

Lu Yanchen hooked the car key with two fingers, without responding

Unexpectedly, Gui Xiao completely failed to grasp the essence and instead pulled herself down to observe the entire process.

She let out an "oh" and turned around

"Come back," Lu Yancheng said from behind, "I will take you after I finish smoking"

Lu Yanchen pursed his lips and glanced at her with a challenging look

Gui Xiao gritted her teeth and turned back: "Didn’t hear it."

She would often drop small pieces of chalk as she passed by, pretending to be startled and shyly looking at him, only to find him continuing to play with the remaining piece of chalk as if nothing had happened... Later, when they were together, Gui Xiao feigned innocence and asked him: "Why did you always like to throw chalk pieces at me back then? Were you secretly in love with me?"

The heart is restless, unable to settle down

They were pushed a few times; they are trying to steal the car

In a single-parent family, the child lives with the father. To facilitate care, Qin Xiaonan lives alone in a rented apartment in Erlianhot and attends school by herself. In short, she manages everything on her own

The footsteps came to a halt at dawn

Qin Mingyu smiled and said, "Well done!"

You can take a glance at him casually

She was caught off guard and turned to leave, but he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. Although she was still struggling, she felt a sense of delight at the thought of receiving a sweet word from him. To her surprise, he chuckled softly and said, "Aren't you just waiting for me to pull you back?"

He lowered his head and took a puff of smoke, exhaling a somewhat misshapen smoke ring: "Didn’t you hear? Why are you looking back?"

After the two women finished speaking, they both breathed heavily, unable to utter any more words, their hearts racing as they stared in shock at the more than ten thugs who suddenly stood up, along with Lu Yancheng and Qin Mingyu. After all, they were facing the anti-terrorism squad, and those more than ten individuals were no match at all. Before long, they were all knocked down, lying on the ground, struggling and groaning.

Aunt, the restroom is just to the right after you go out, down the stairs, between the fourth and fifth floors. After saying this, the little boy got up from his seat and obediently pulled out each chair at the table: "Uncle, Aunt, please take a seat. You are our guests in Erlianhot..."

"The convoy is not very safe with five people in one vehicle," Qin Mingyu reasonably suggested

Lu Yanchen and the man behind him both had somewhat strange expressions

Do not come out!" Lu Yancheng's voice reprimanded softly

"Is it not acceptable for the girl to ignore you?" Behind Lu Yancheng, a rugged man in his thirties extinguished the cigarette in his hand, "Don't take it personally, our team, or rather, the former squad leader, has just been discharged a few days ago and is feeling restless, being sarcastic."

Everything is reasonable and justifiable

Xiao Cai said: "Ah, right"

What are you looking at? A voice appeared from behind.

The man behind him hurried to smooth things over: "Miss, please don't take it to heart, our team tends to speak rather bluntly."

No wonder the small person has a big spirit

Lu Chen!" Guixiao shouted loudly, his entire body frozen in shock.

Lu Yanchen fell silent for a while, then smiled at the man beside her and said, "Your son is up to mischief again"

Is that really the case? That kid is afraid of you and doesn't dare to cause trouble for you, Qin Mingyu chuckled, it is also possible that he has become bolder recently

Gui Xiao certainly knows who he is

The one being dragged is Lu Yancheng, and a dozen or so tall and strong men have already surrounded him

The crowd concurred

Eleven years ago, he left Beijing; ten years ago, the two of them broke up. It is also quite reasonable for this child to be around seven or eight years old

Her arm was pulled backward by a tremendous force, and a black cotton jacket almost simultaneously covered her head and face. Guixiao had no time to steady herself; in the sudden darkness, she was pushed out and collided with a car.

From roasted whole lamb to lamb offal, braised noodles, and mare's milk... One dish after another, Xiao Cai has managed to try everything that could be ordered. The bad luck that everyone felt in the afternoon when they left their cars at the gas station has dissipated, and they have warmed their stomachs and bodies with the drinks.

... ...

Gui Xiao hurriedly supported her and asked, "Are you alright?"

Of course, of course," Xiao Cai immediately assured, "A drop of water shall be repaid with a fountain of water. Not to mention the great help the team has provided, we will certainly assist in any way we can in the future

Xiao Cai smiled: "Then I will go to the parking lot with the team to get the car, you all wait at the entrance."

As dawn broke, Xiao Cai trembled in fear, running back from beside his car. Apart from being covered in mud and snow, he was not injured.

He is a repeat student, sitting in the last row of the classroom. During breaks, he enjoys leaning back in his chair against the wall, chatting casually with a few boys

Ah, it won't be too much trouble, will it? Xiao Cai politely declined.

So what do you still want to find him for

The child's joke was brushed aside

It turns out ... ...

He squints his eyes, gazes at her, and does not respond

Lu Yancheng smiled: "I just finished, the procedures below have not been completed yet, and now I am an unemployed drifter. So? Do you think it is not worth treating me to a meal?"

As the light on the snowy ground fades away, I strive to be a calm and magnanimous ex-girlfriend