Luo Tianchen pushed through the dense crowd, panting. He rushed to Bingying, who was hunched over a square pillar, and tapped her shoulder.
“Huh? Luo Tianchen?” Bingying nearly cried out, startled by the touch, seemingly lost in concentration. Luo Tianchen swiftly covered her mouth and made a ‘shush’ gesture. Only after she nodded in understanding did he release her.
‘What in the world is with this spy movie déjà vu?’
“Uh, didn’t you get on the subway?”
“I was a little concerned,” Luo Tianchen replied concisely. Noticing the other person slowly walking away, he quickly followed with short steps.
“Oh? R-really?” Bingying asked, her face flushing.
‘Has this girl misunderstood something?’
“I’m going to leave you behind.”
“Whoa, wait for me!” She rushed forward in a panic, tightly clutching Luo Tianchen’s left arm with both hands.
‘Bingying, aren’t you holding on a little too tightly? Your chest is pressing against me.’
“Th-there’s no choice! There are so many people here. What if we get separated if I don’t hold on tight?” Her face was beet red, her bluster evident even to passersby.
‘This isn’t the Bingying I know at all! Give me back my serious, diligent class monitor! For a moment, I almost imagined Yang Mingzhi flashing a brilliant smile and a thumbs-up.’
‘So it was you! Just you wait!’
“L-let’s go,” Luo Tianchen said, pulling her along forcefully. Passersby turned to stare. Bingying, however, appeared surprisingly docile, offering no complaints about being dragged.
‘Honestly, this is truly dangerous. While Bingying’s ample chest is obvious at a glance, feeling it directly is an entirely different experience.’
‘What a terrifying weapon of mass destruction! It’s comparable to a missile—no, it’s on the level of strategic nuclear weaponry. If word of this got out, it would surely cause the end of the world!’
“Hey, Bingying.”
“What is it?”
“You absolutely cannot hold other people like this,” Luo Tianchen said, looking intently into her eyes.
“Huh! Honestly, what kind of person do you take me for? I-I’m not some frivolous woman! I would never do this to anyone else!”
‘Is that so? Though there seems to be some misunderstanding, it appears she’s telling the truth. I’ve saved the world once again.’
Outside the subway station, the crowd finally thinned. Under Luo Tianchen’s gaze, which implied ‘we shouldn’t get lost now,’ Bingying reluctantly let go of his arm. Together, they began searching for the figure they had seen earlier.
“Ah, there they are!” Bingying exclaimed suddenly.
Following her pointing finger, Luo Tianchen spotted the dark figure. Indeed, it was Yao Xinchang. Her unique beauty, a blend of loli and maiden, was simply inimitable.
Having experienced his first confession from a girl, Luo Tianchen’s impression of her was exceptionally deep, not to mention he had personally witnessed her corpse later.
Now, she was smiling and linking arms with an older man, much like Bingying had done moments ago. The man’s face was etched with an indescribable expression. They walked towards a taxi, their intentions for later all too obvious.
“Th-that…” Bingying said, cautiously tugging at Luo Tianchen’s sleeve as she looked at his grave expression. “A-although she confessed to you, you didn’t accept her, did you? In fact, it’s good you didn’t!”
“Sh-she seemed so innocent at school, but who knew she was like this behind everyone’s backs! S-so please don’t be sad over a woman like that, okay? If you don’t mind, I-I could also…”
‘What is this woman even saying at a time like this? Has her brain been kicked by a donkey?’
“Is *that* your focus right now?!” Luo Tianchen could not help but deliver a chop to her head. Bingying yelped in pain, squatting down and tearfully rubbing the spot he hit.
“Are you an idiot? I don’t care who she’s with! I care about *why* Yao Xinchang is alive again!”
“Th-that’s right! We clearly saw…” Bingying finally snapped back to reality, likely recalling the scene from that morning. Her face turned exceptionally grim. “B-but she…”
“Hey, does Yao Xinchang have any twin sisters?”
“I haven’t heard of any…”
“Then this matter is far more complicated,” Luo Tianchen said, taking a deep breath. Even if the police were completely incompetent, he would never believe that someone he had personally seen dead could suddenly rise from the grave.
Even if, by some stretch, Yao Xinchang hadn’t truly died and had merely been hospitalized, her injuries could not have been faked. How could she possibly be out of bed and flirting with men in just half a day?
“Listen carefully, Bingying.” Luo Tianchen placed both hands on her shoulders, speaking with utmost seriousness. “We might have stumbled into a major case, and the truth behind it will be something we can neither imagine nor accept.”
“If you trust me, call the police immediately and wait for them right here. Stay put, okay?”
“Huh? What about y-you, Luo Tianchen?”
“Me? I’ll follow them. Don’t worry, if I detect any danger, I’ll pull back immediately. I’m not the type to get carried away by a moment’s impulse and disregard my own life.”
“We’ll stay in touch by phone, just like usual. Is that alright? Your task is crucial, so make sure to complete it well.”
This plan was based on the usual task assignments within the student council. Bingying likely hadn’t grasped the gravity of this case yet, but that was enough. As long as she waited patiently and didn’t cause trouble, Luo Tianchen was confident he could handle everything alone.
He believed she would agree to this strategy because she had always listened to him, executing his words unconditionally.
‘He knows this is despicable, but just for now, he hopes she will allow him to slightly exploit her youthful innocence.’
“No.”
‘Huh?’
“I won’t.”
“…Why?”
“Because you’re always like this! You always say you’re giving me the most important task, but in reality, you go and do the most dangerous things yourself!”
‘Why has this girl suddenly become so clever today? Did she take some miracle drug?’
“Then what do you want to do?”
“I know you won’t let me go alone, so… take me with you!” Her eyes sparkled, filled with longing and fervent desire.
‘If I were to make an emoji out of you right now, with “Veteran driver, take me with you” written beside it, it would perfectly fit.’
“Fine… come along then.” Luo Tianchen sighed again, feeling as though he had exhaled a lifetime’s worth of sighs today.