Free Web NovelChapter 80: Chapter 80: A Startling Realization
After Tang Yuanxiao and Su Li grabbed their luggage and said goodbye to Fang Luo, the expression on Su Li’s face instantly grew distant.
"I’m leaving," Su Li said, clearly having no intention of seeing Tang Yuanxiao off at the train station. "In six months, I’ll come find you to finalize the paperwork."
"Su Li." Tang Yuanxiao called out, stopping her just as she was about to leave. "You’re going to see your friend, right? I’ll walk you there before I go."
"No need. I’ll go by myself."
Su Li turned and walked away. Tang Yuanxiao paused for a moment, then followed her.
Su Li noticed him. She was about to turn and say something, but then she remembered the train station was in the same direction. She clamped her mouth shut, lowered her head, and quickened her pace.
Tang Yuanxiao also sped up to keep pace.
Once they passed the turnoff for the train station and she saw Tang Yuanxiao was still behind her, Su Li couldn’t take it anymore and whipped around.
"Why are you still following me, Tang Yuanxiao? The train station is that way."
Tang Yuanxiao didn’t speak, just stood there in silence.
"You should get going. Your train will be here soon," Su Li said with a frown.
Tang Yuanxiao gave her one last deep look before turning and striding toward the train station.
Su Li watched his retreating figure, let out a breath, and turned to continue on her way to Yin Cuihua’s house.
After walking for a while, she unconsciously shoved her hand into her pocket and felt something out of place.
She frowned, looking down at the stack of cash she pulled from her pocket.
She’d seen this money before. On their way here, Tang Yuanxiao had tried to give it to her, saying it was his New Year’s bonus and that she should save it for herself. Of course, Su Li had refused.
’I still have to return the money he sent home before. Why would I ever accept this?’
"When did he put this in here!" Staring at the money that had appeared in her pocket without her noticing, Su Li knew exactly what had happened.
Su Li stamped her foot in frustration and spun around, running back toward the train station. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
’The last time I was at the train station, I was running. I can’t believe it’s happening again.’
Panting and rushing, Su Li finally made it, catching Tang Yuanxiao on the platform just as he was about to board the train.
"Tang Yuanxiao." Su Li was breathless. Without another word, she stuffed the money straight back into his pocket.
"Su Li." The light that had ignited in Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes upon seeing her was swiftly extinguished by her action.
He was about to pull the money out and give it back to Su Li, but she clamped her hand over his.
"Are you trying to get me robbed the second I walk out of here? Shoving so much money at me in public?" Su Li demanded in a low voice.
Tang Yuanxiao’s hand froze. Seeing Su Li’s small, fair hand on his own deeply tanned one, his entire body suddenly went rigid.
Su Li didn’t notice his strange reaction. She was watching his movements warily, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he stopped moving. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
"From now on, don’t put my name on the money you send home. Just send it directly to your mother." Seeing that Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t moving, Su Li relaxed and let go of his hand.
Just as Su Li was about to pull her hand back, Tang Yuanxiao suddenly grabbed it.
Su Li was startled.
"Su Li, take care." Tang Yuanxiao gave her hand a quick squeeze and had already let go before she could react.
Hearing Tang Yuanxiao’s low voice by her ear and looking at her freed hand, Su Li froze.
"You..." she started to say, but all she saw was Tang Yuanxiao’s back as he boarded the train.
Tang Yuanxiao quickly vanished from sight, as if his words and the touch on her hand had just been an illusion.
"What was that all about..." Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Su Li vigorously wiped her hand, took a few steps back, and glared resentfully at the train door.
Meanwhile, Tang Yuanxiao, who had just boarded the train... felt like he was about to explode.
His face was bright red, and his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest.
A moment ago, to stop him from returning the money, Su Li had leaned in close. She hadn’t noticed it herself, but Tang Yuanxiao certainly had.
Su Li had run all the way here, so she was slightly out of breath when she arrived, her body naturally flushed with warmth.
And Tang Yuanxiao, a special forces captain with razor-sharp senses, had immediately caught the faint, sweet fragrance unique to a young woman emanating from her.
That proximity, that delicate scent, coupled with Su Li’s small hand pressing down on his large one... BOOM. Tang Yuanxiao’s mind completely short-circuited.
His mind went blank with a rush of heat, and on pure impulse, he’d grabbed her hand.
That moment had been incredibly brief, but to Tang Yuanxiao, it felt like an eternity.
He had turned and boarded the train, his entire body burning up. The hand that had held Su Li’s was frozen stiff, unable to move.
’The warmth and smoothness of her hand seemed to linger on his fingertips... How could he dare to move?’
Tang Yuanxiao’s blush lasted for a long, long time—so long that the man in the neighboring seat asked if he was sick with a fever. As for the hand that had touched Su Li’s... Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t even bring himself to look at it for a long time. Afterward, he tried to avoid using it for anything. He didn’t even wash it...
Su Li, of course, had no idea how Tang Yuanxiao was acting after boarding the train.
After Tang Yuanxiao boarded, the train doors quickly closed. Su Li turned away with a resigned sigh, but just as she was about to leave, an older train attendant called out to her.
"Hey?" the attendant exclaimed. "Young lady, aren’t you the one who jumped onto the train to catch those human traffickers last time?"
Su Li thought the man in front of her looked a little familiar. She gave an awkward smile. "Hello, ah... yes, that was me."
"I knew you looked familiar!" The attendant clapped his hands together and then suddenly lowered his voice. "Young lady, was it more human traffickers just now?"
His face was full of vigilance, as if he would have the train stopped if Su Li said yes.
Su Li was embarrassed. "No, no, it wasn’t."
His expression was a mixture of disappointment and relief. "Oh, it wasn’t? Well, that’s good. I’m much more careful about observing the passengers now. Anyone holding a child, I make sure to take a good look at them."
Su Li nodded. "I see."
"You bet. Just the other day, I almost had a woman dragged to the police station. Turned out she was a stepmother, and she was awful to the kid, so I suspected she was a trafficker... Sigh, that poor child. If I were that kid’s father, I’d beat that vicious woman to death..."
The attendant wanted to keep chatting with Su Li, but the train started moving, so he hurried off to his duties.
Su Li shook her head, said her goodbyes, and turned to leave.
She had only taken two steps when she suddenly froze and whipped her head around.
The train began to move with a CHUG-CHUG-CHUG, slowly pulling forward. Su Li’s face was a mask of utter bewilderment and shock.
When she had personally experienced the traffickers slandering her, claiming she had sold Little Tang Mo, she had been too stunned to process it fully. But now, after that brief chat with the attendant, a horrifying possibility suddenly struck her:
’In my past life, if Tang Yuanxiao caught the four traffickers, and if they insisted—just like today—that I was the one who sold Tang Mo to them, then... then...’
A violent shiver ran down Su Li’s spine.
It wasn’t impossible.
Judging by how Tang Yuanxiao had caught the traffickers today, even if he couldn’t catch them right away in her past life, he would have eventually caught them with his skills.
Thinking back, after Little Tang Mo disappeared, the village chief had sent a telegram to Tang Yuanxiao that very night. Logically, Tang Yuanxiao should have rushed back the moment he got the news.
But Su Li remembered that in her past life, Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t returned until six days after the incident.
Six whole days. That was more than enough time for Tang Yuanxiao to get back, catch the traffickers, and interrogate them.
’The traffickers from the last life were the same ones as this time. So the chances that they would insist I sold Tang Mo to them when they confessed were... one hundred percent!’
Su Li’s hands began to tremble as the events of her past life flashed through her mind one after another.
