Chapter Nine: Still Unable to Let Go

Lost in thought, she was startled when the man from earlier approached after finishing his call. “Are you alright?” he asked. Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together and managed a small smile. “I’m fine.”

He pointed to her face and arm, worry creasing his brow. “You should go to the hospital and have it checked. It would be a shame for a girl to be left with a scar.” Xiaoxiao brushed it off, instead turning her concern to him. “Your car doesn’t even have its license plates yet—what a pity. Judging from your accent, you’re not from Kunming, are you?”

“It must be fate that we both ended up in this situation today.” The man smiled, extending his hand in introduction. “My name is Xi Mintang. I’ve just been transferred here to Kunming, and I’m still unfamiliar with everything. I hope you’ll look after me.”

She had heard this sort of official pleasantry more than enough times in recent years, but today, for some reason, it sounded especially pleasant—perhaps because they shared a sense of mutual misfortune. She grasped his hand warmly in return. “Ni Xiaoxiao, a native of Kunming.”

They chatted idly for quite some time. Only then did Xiaoxiao learn that Xi Mintang had been sent over from Shanghai. Young as he was, he had already been made a regional manager—his composure was clearly a cut above most. No wonder, even after his car had been damaged, he could still speak so calmly and lightly joke with someone over the phone. Xiaoxiao found herself quietly admiring him.

When the traffic police arrived and completed a brief investigation, Xi Mintang, with practiced ease, reminded her that the damage had to be assessed within three days. She smiled and nodded, watching him walk away. The officers dutifully helped move her car to the roadside. Thankfully, the area was secluded—had it been in a busy part of town, someone would have snapped a photo, and the news crews would have been there in no time. She had no desire for that kind of fame.

Her phone inside the car rang incessantly, making it impossible for the officer to take her statement. She had no choice but to duck inside, fishing it out from the shards of broken glass. It was Lin Shuo calling again. With a sigh, she answered before he could speak. “What is it? I’m busy right now. If it’s nothing important, I’ll hang up.”

Lin Shuo hurriedly asked, “Where are you? What happened just now?” She offered the officer an apologetic smile, then turned away, covering the receiver as if she didn’t want anyone to overhear, and replied in a low voice, “I’m really in the middle of something. Sorry.”

Just as she was about to hang up, a passerby exclaimed, “Look at that! Does that count as a traffic accident?” Xiaoxiao quickly ended the call; she had no intention of letting him know just how frustrated she was at that moment.

When the routine was finally over and the officers had left, Xiaoxiao stood in the shade of a tree. The Kunming sun was always scorching, and as the days grew hotter, it became even more unbearable. Snatching a brief moment of leisure from the chaos of life, she called the insurance company without hurry. Sure enough, as Xi Mintang had said, the agent provided her with the address and contact for the assessment. She soon got in touch with a repair shop, and before long, a tow truck arrived. The workers, clearly experienced, hitched her secondhand QQ to the back of the truck. As she signed the paperwork, she caught sight of a car slowing down nearby. Lin Shuo was inside, watching her from behind the glass, his eyes cold as he took in her rather sorry state under the harsh sun. Without a word, he rolled up the window and drove off, speeding away.

Xiaoxiao stood frozen, wondering if her eyes had deceived her. But those eyes, that nose, that jaw—it was unmistakably Lin Shuo.

In the rearview mirror, her image grew smaller and smaller, nearly vanishing from sight. Yet Lin Shuo’s expression had lost its earlier sharpness, replaced by a deep dejection. Hearing her scream over the phone had left him uneasy; her cold responses made him all the more anxious. He’d rushed around the city searching for her, and when he finally found her, his stubborn pride would not allow him to back down. He couldn’t understand it. With beautiful, alluring women all around him, what was it about this damn Ni Xiaoxiao that he just couldn’t let go of?

Lonely moments are not the time for love—Chapter 9: Still Unable to Let Go. End of update.