Unexpected Interruption

“Hmm? Did you actually think I was going to kiss you?”

Mo Linyu’s deliberate provocation only served to make Li Yue bristle.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed Mo Linyu away. Then, she pulled the Holy Sword from the ground and tossed it directly to Mo Linyu.

“Get on,” she commanded, “it’s time for us to depart.”

“And here I thought you were going to abandon me?”

Mo Linyu remarked, settling onto Li Yue’s back seat.

Li Yue would never dare to leave her behind and ride off alone. Should Mo Linyu suddenly transform on the road, a mere accident would be the least of their worries; being mistaken for a cross-dressing pervert, however, would be a monumental disaster.

Given it was the height of summer, the night air remained stiflingly hot, which explained why Mo Linyu wore no helmet.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the ground, while the surrounding trees rustled softly in the night breeze.

From the back seat, Mo Linyu took a deep breath, the air redolent with the scent of earth and plants. The motorcycle’s roar had likely disturbed the quiet, for occasionally, the chirping of insects and the distant caw of crows could be heard.

This stretch of woodland, though likely planted by human hands, had, over years of growth, evolved into a small, thriving ecosystem.

“Oh, I can see light,” Mo Linyu remarked, resting a hand on Li Yue’s shoulder.

Ahead, the rugged path was nearing its end.

Li Yue, glancing at the navigation system’s display, confirmed, “Yes, we’ll be back on the main road momentarily.”

Yet, just as the tree lines on either side were about to vanish, Li Yue abruptly slammed on the brakes. With a screech of tires, the motorcycle left a short, harsh skid mark on the pavement.

“What is it?”

Mo Linyu’s body, propelled by inertia, pressed firmly against Li Yue’s back.

Li Yue offered no verbal response; she simply pointed ahead.

At the exit of the woods, several black sedans were parked, their headlights illuminating the surrounding area and shining directly onto the road before the motorcycle.

More than a dozen figures, impeccably dressed in suits, stood there. The glare of the car headlights from behind them obscured their faces, leaving Li Yue and Mo Linyu unable to discern their expressions.

Clearly, however, they were awaiting the arrival of the two women.

Mo Linyu, her brow furrowed, narrowed her eyes and asked:

“How did they know we would emerge from this specific junction?”

“This road is a one-way street,” Li Yue explained, “unless we abandoned the path and cut straight through the woods, this is the only exit. But… a motorcycle is hardly suited for that.”

Even as Li Yue offered this explanation, she was already preparing to turn the motorcycle around.

“Wait.”

This time, however, Mo Linyu’s hand rested on her shoulder, holding her in place.

“I think I see some familiar faces.”

Mo Linyu squinted, scrutinizing the scene. Among the throng of dark-suited figures, illuminated from behind as if on a stage, two stood out conspicuously.

This was because they were not dressed in suits, but in maid uniforms.

“Xia Xi, Dong Lu… is that you?”

Due to the backlighting, Mo Linyu found it difficult to see clearly.

Yet, upon hearing their young mistress’s call, the two maids quickly stepped forward from the crowd.

The maid named Xia Xi, her hair tied in twin braids at the back of her head, her broad forehead framed by airy bangs, exclaimed, “Miss, you had us worried sick!”

“You two, why are you here?” Mo Linyu inquired.

“We came to find you, Miss!”

As Xia Xi spoke, the suited man who had previously interacted with them emerged from behind the maids.

“Miss Mo,” the man began, “we apologize for the misunderstanding. Your father was gravely concerned for your safety, which is why he dispatched us to bring you home… We will escort you back to the estate. Please, try not to lose contact for an entire day again.”

Li Yue raised an eyebrow, casting a pointed look at Mo Linyu.

“‘…Lose contact for an entire day?’”

‘So, this girl had run off to her house early in the morning, spent the entire day, and was now out late, all without informing her family in the slightest?’

‘As a young lady of her standing, it was only natural for her family to be worried.’

Noticing Li Yue’s slightly chiding gaze, Mo Linyu nonetheless asked, “Then why didn’t he call my phone?”

“It was precisely because your calls went unanswered that we grew anxious.”

“Calls went unanswered?”

Mo Linyu retrieved her phone from her waist pouch—it was encased in a thick, gaudy leather cover, its surface adorned with sparkling rhinestone stickers.

Li Yue, witnessing this display of astonishing femininity, couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

Yet, upon waking her phone, Mo Linyu spoke with an embarrassed air:

“…Ah, it seems I accidentally set my phone to silent mode.”

The screen displayed over a dozen missed calls and scores of unread messages, not only from Xia Xi and Dong Lu but, more recently, even from her father himself.

Mo Linyu briefly sifted through her memories of this life; her father had seemingly never been so agitated as he was today…

‘Though he usually paid her little mind, he still grew anxious when it truly mattered.’

Li Yue narrowed her eyes, asking, “Is that so? So all of this was just a misunderstanding?”

Another maid, with shoulder-length hair, stepped forward. She appeared significantly more composed and older than Xia Xi.

“Miss,” she began, “Master is exceedingly worried about you. Although he is not currently home, he specifically instructed us to ensure your complete safety. Should anything untoward happen to you, we would be unable to explain ourselves to him.”

“It’s fine, Sister Dong Lu,” Mo Linyu replied, “I wasn’t in any danger.”

Mo Linyu offered this assurance, yet both the men in black suits and the two maids concurrently cast their gazes toward Li Yue and the motorcycle behind her.

The maid named Dong Lu continued, “We hardly believe your experiences today were without peril.”

This remark instantly displeased Li Yue.

“Hah? Why are you looking at me?”

Pointing at the suited man, she retorted, “If that man had just approached us properly, would things have escalated to this point? You directly tried to grab your young mistress! We thought they were kidnappers! Had it not been an emergency, do you truly think I’d be willing to let someone who can’t even ride a bicycle properly ride my precious motorcycle?”

The suited man, visibly put in a difficult position by such accusations, attempted to explain: “…We were unaware of your background, nor did we know your relationship with the young mistress. We couldn’t simply reveal her identity. At the time, our sole priority was to get her away as quickly as possible.”

Li Yue paused, reflecting.

Indeed, at the roadside rest stop, the suited man hadn’t directly intervened. Instead, he had first summoned two female security personnel (SP) and attempted to “invite” Mo Linyu into their vehicle.

Yet, they hadn’t been nearly as courteous to Li Yue. ‘Perhaps, in their eyes, she was the real threat?’

In response, Dong Lu inquired, “So, Miss, if you would be so kind as to tell us, who are you…?”

“She is my friend, and we are currently investigating something together.”

Before Li Yue could even utter a word, Mo Linyu had already provided the answer.

Xia Xi blinked, appearing as if she wished to ask more, but Dong Lu gently restrained her.

“The young mistress’s private affairs are not for us to pry into,” she stated.

She said this first, but then her tone shifted.

“However, young mistress, a friend who rides an unlicensed motorcycle on the highway and speeds… that is simply too dangerous for you.”

While everything said was true, Mo Linyu’s brow furrowed nonetheless.

“Wait,” she demanded, “how did you know about any of this? And how did you even find us?”

‘An unmanned rest stop on a suburban road, without even surveillance cameras…’

“It was your phone’s GPS, Miss.”

Dong Lu answered Mo Linyu’s query with candor.

“To locate you, we tracked your phone, watching as you traveled from the city along the highway, arriving here at a speed of two hundred kilometers per hour.”

“And then, Father sent four cars of people to drag me back?”

Despite her phone being tracked, Mo Linyu found herself unsure whether to be angry or not. Ultimately, she simply stated:

“This was my oversight. For today, let’s just go back.”

Li Yue, however, interjected, “Wait, aren’t you going to drop me off first?”

‘If Mo Linyu were to simply leave in their car, then she herself would be…’

A look of distress crossed Li Yue’s face.

Fortunately, the young mistress Mo understood her predicament, and she proposed:

“How about you come back with me and stay the night? We can continue our investigation tomorrow.”

“Huh?”