0p0 Chapter 222 Sorry, I’m late
Chapter 222 Sorry, I’m late
It was so quiet that you couldn't hear anything.
It seemed as if she was the only person left in the world.
The darkness was like an impenetrable net, trapping her tightly. At this moment, every trace of sound seemed to be magnified countless times.
The suffocating feeling I had when I was a kid and accidentally got trapped in a cellar while playing hide-and-seek with my friends has come back to me.
For a full day and night, there was nothing in the dark cellar except for the smell of various foods and mold.
She was only six years old at the time. She kept shouting and crying, but no one came to save her.
Xu Fangli curled up in the driver's seat, staring intently at the dim light on the dashboard. At this moment, she felt as if she had returned to the cellar when she was six years old.
At the time, her parents and grandfather searched almost the entire city of Haicheng, and even called the police, but they still couldn't find her.
Later, it was a neighbor's child who woke up and said he thought he saw her go into the cellar, and that's how they found her.
What about this time?
She curled up in the seat, trying to fall asleep, but she just couldn't.
The darker the world is, the clearer the mind becomes.
As the panic subsided over time, I felt even more sounds piercing through the darkness and entering my ears.
For example, the distant waves crashing against the coast, or the chirping of unknown insects hidden in the grass.
It was so quiet that she could even hear the slightest vibrations in the air.
These fluctuations were like an invisible hand, constantly provoking Fang Li's taut nerves.
Her body began to tremble slightly. Suddenly, a scream from some unknown animal came from outside the car, which startled her so much that she quickly buried her face in her knees.
And the northern city at that time.
The black car sped through the night.
The moment Jiang Bei received Han Xi's call, he immediately contacted his men and learned the direction Fang Li and Lu Jie had driven away in the evening. He instructed them to continue to confirm the exact location while he drove in that direction.
"How about it?"
Han Xi sat in the back seat, gripping his phone tightly in his hand, his dark eyes looking towards Jiangbei through the rearview mirror.
Jiangbei: "We found that Lu Jie's car got on the highway heading towards Beicheng, but we're not sure which exit he took."
"Let them continue their investigation."
"Yes."
Fang Li curled up in the chair, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. Fear prevented her from even crying out loud; she could only bite her lip and desperately try to stop herself from making a sound.
Time passed slowly, yet also swiftly without us noticing.
Every second felt like a year.
At this moment, Fang Li's longing for the man who had left during the day reached its peak.
Han Xi.......
Perhaps the heavens heard her plea, for suddenly, a blinding beam of headlights pierced the night.
Fang Li subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes. As her blurry eyes adjusted to the bright light, she vaguely saw the tall, handsome man running towards her step by step under the lamplight.
Fang Li blinked, her gaze lingering on the scene.
As she looked at it, her eyes welled up with tears, which rolled down her cheeks.
Fang Li couldn't help but cover her face and sob softly.
Han Xi, Han Xi, if only this were true, if only you were really standing in front of me right now...
"Ah Li!"
The car door next to me was suddenly pulled open, and a familiar voice, carried by the cool evening breeze, entered the car.
Fang Li's suppressed sobs stopped abruptly, and her heart leaped into her throat.
Before she could even look up, she was pulled into a pair of strong arms.
He still carried the chill of the night, yet his chest was so warm it made you want to cry.
"Han...Xi..." Fang Li couldn't help but choke out the man's name.
"Yes, it's me." A series of tense and worried kisses landed on the top of her head.
It's the familiar, cool rosin.
It's a body temperature that starts off slightly cool but gradually warms you to the core.
Fang Li still had tears in the corners of her eyes, and she stood there blankly as the man hugged her tighter and tighter, as if he wanted to embed her into his body.
I don't know how much time passed; it might have been a long time, or it might have been just a few seconds.
The dazed Fang Li finally felt the reality and realized that what she was seeing was not an illusion; the man she had been longing for had really come.
The tears in Fang Li's eyes condensed again, gathering more and more until finally...
"Waaah...!" And then she burst into tears!
"Han Xi... Han Xi, you've finally arrived..."
"Sorry, I'm late."
For the first time since she became sensible, Fang Li cried loudly and without any regard for her image in front of someone.
She looked up at the man in front of her through her tears. "You, how did you know I was here?"
Han Xi was wearing black trousers and a white shirt. His clothes looked no different from usual, but Fang Li's gaze immediately fell on his right leg, which was bent and half-kneeling inside the car.
His neatly pressed trousers were slightly dusty, and he was still wearing hotel slippers.
It was only then that she noticed his hair was not as neat and stylish as usual, but rather disheveled and hanging over his forehead. His face seemed calm, but his eyes still held a lingering anxiety.
"It's Lu Jie."
The mention of Lu Jie instantly filled his eyes with gloom.
"He sent me a message, but didn't tell me where you were. I had someone locate your phone to find this place."
"I'm sorry, I... I didn't intend to come here with him. He took photos and threatened me, I..."
Fang Li gripped Han Xi's clothes tightly, her tears soaking his garments.
Thinking of that photo, a dark look flashed across Han Xi's eyes. He gently patted Fang Li's back and comforted her softly, as if soothing a child: "It's okay, I know."
"Han Xi, I'm so scared. There's no one here. I hear all sorts of strange noises, and I feel like there are so many eyes watching me. I..."
"Don't be afraid, it's alright, I'm here."
Lu Jie's car was simply abandoned by Han Xi on the side of the road.
On the way back to Beicheng with Fang Li in his arms, she stayed curled up in his arms, hugging his neck tightly, and sobbing softly from time to time.
Later, perhaps she was exhausted from crying, she fell asleep in his arms.
After making sure she wouldn't hear him, Han Xi looked down at Jiang Bei, who was driving, with a cold expression.
"Go smash that car!"
Jiang Bei didn't even turn his head: "Yes."
The black sedan, bathed in the dim light of dawn, sped back to the northern part of the city.
When we arrived at the hotel entrance, it was nearly five o'clock, and dawn was breaking on the horizon.
Han Xi carried Fang Li all the way back to the hotel room.
Jiang Bei saw them to the door and then left without going in. He watched them go inside and then turned to leave.
in the room.
Han Xi gently placed Fang Li on the bed and then pulled the blanket over her.
The woman on the bed had a fair face, her cheeks were covered with tear stains, her clear eyelids were slightly swollen, and she occasionally sobbed softly in her sleep.
Han Xi felt a pang of heartache.
He looked at her calmly for a while, then tucked the blanket around her and silently got up.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, his hand was tightly grabbed by a soft, delicate hand.
"No, don't go..."
Han Xi turned around abruptly.
The woman on the bed still had her eyes closed, but her small face was scrunched up in unease.
Her red lips trembled slightly, and moisture seeped from the corners of her eyes again.
"Don't go, don't leave me, don't..."
Han Xi felt as if he had been hit hard on the head with a club, his heart aching and sore.
He quickly took her hand in his own, knelt down beside the bed, gently patted the blanket over her, and coaxed her in a hoarse voice, "It's okay, I won't leave. Don't be afraid, I'll stay here with you."
Perhaps it was his voice that reassured Fang Li, because gradually her sobs subsided.
Han Xi kept patting her until he was sure Fang Li had fallen asleep again, then he slowly got up, supporting himself on his knees.
He gently released her hand and dragged his slightly numb legs into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, he came out of the bathroom again, holding a warm towel.
He leaned over and sat on the edge of the bed, carefully and gently wiping away the tear stains on Fang Li's face before stopping and quietly watching her.