A Cunning Scheme

When I said that—especially the latter part—the four of us present were all taken aback.

A faint warmth spread through my heart, followed by a pang of bitterness. I nearly gave in to that surge of pity, ready to capitulate to her pleas.

But then a thread of clarity tugged at my thoughts, and I managed to hold onto my reason, refusing to let emotion sway my decision.

“Xiao Qi… I like you too. I like that you can stay by our side forever. But… those people have designs on you. They will never allow this… Please, listen to me. We’ll do our best to send you back to your homeland. When there’s a chance, we’ll come visit you. As long as the green hills remain, there’s no shortage of firewood. You need to live well—only then can we meet again, right?”

I answered with difficulty, though inside I was filled with worry, knowing full well that things would likely not go as smoothly as I made them sound.

Xiao Qi listened solemnly to my words, momentarily at a loss for a reply. But then Yang Laoer and Linghu Laosan spoke up almost simultaneously.

“I, Yang the Second, certainly don’t want you to leave either, Xiao Qi. But Old Fourth is right. We can’t just stand by and watch a beautiful little girl like you fall into the hands of those heartless scumbags. Who knows what inhuman things they might do?”

Yang Laoer looked indignant. From my estimation, he had probably thought of something unsuitable for children.

“Xiao Qi… um… I… don’t want… don’t want you to leave either. I… I haven’t even… had a proper talk with you… yet… sigh…”

In comparison, Linghu Laosan’s words were hesitant and halting, but the meaning was clear enough, wasn’t it?

Xiao Qi blinked, looking first at me, then at the other two. Finally, as if seeking help, she turned her gaze toward Big Brother Guo.

Guo Hao met her eyes, then let out a slow sigh. “Xiao Qi, Old Fourth is right. We don’t want to part with you either, but more than keeping you by our side, we want you to live well. Those bad people outside, they… sigh… Anyway, Old Fourth, from what you said, it seems you already have a way to send Xiao Qi out safely. Am I wrong?”

I gave a bitter smile but didn’t directly answer Big Brother Guo’s question. Instead, I looked at Xiao Qi with tender pity and asked softly, “Xiao Qi, listen to me. Let us send you off properly. Don’t worry—we’ll search for your brother and sister. As long as they’re at Tianwu University… Go obediently. Wait for us to graduate, and then we’ll come visit your homeland. Is that good?”

Xiao Qi hesitated for a long time, then finally nodded gloomily. Her large ears drooped, making her look utterly dejected and despondent.

I sighed again. Though I deeply pitied her in that state, this was a matter of life and death. I had no choice but to make her fly far away.

Seeing that Xiao Qi had finally agreed, Big Brother Guo immediately pressed, “Old Fourth, you sound so confident. You must have a safe way to send Xiao Qi out, right? Hurry, tell us! What’s the plan?”

Hearing his frantic urgency, I could only give a wry smile. Then, raising my hand, I pointed gently at Yang Laoer and Linghu Laosan. “This whole plan starts with that mess you two made when you were teasing me!”

Old Linghu and Yang Laoer, caught off guard by being singled out, were momentarily baffled.

“Damn, what does this have to do with us? Old Fourth, stop teasing. Spit it out! Seeds need to be planted early—time waits for no one! Stop dawdling!”

Yang Laoer, uncomfortable under my slightly resentful gaze, blurted out.

Linghu Laosan, blushing, quietly tugged at Yang Laoer and whispered something to him. Then Yang the Second’s expression turned somewhat embarrassed, and he muttered hesitantly, “Old Fourth, you’re way too petty. Why are you still holding onto that? We’re all brothers here. It’s not like we recorded anything or made a scandal. It was just… internal viewing…”

I heard him getting more and more crude and sleazy, so I put on a stern face and snorted coldly. I was about to snap back a few words for the sake of arguing, when Big Brother Guo lightly coughed and spoke up, “Old Fourth, stop throwing a tantrum. What’s the plan? Just tell us plainly.”

Hearing his instruction, I knew time was of the essence. So I sighed, set aside my grudges with these two perverts (one overt, one covert), and began to lay out my plan in detail.

****

The four of us—no, the three people and one fox—listened, all slightly dazed.

After I finished laying out everything, Yang Laoer clicked his tongue in amazement. “Old Fourth, your plan is downright cunning to the extreme… I think you’re actually Xiao Qi’s sister, aren’t you? If you weren’t born under the sign of the fox, how could you have such a devious mind?”