But this call was the first one to come in, and from the way the caller asked, it was likely he had seen Liu Mo. He must have seen Liu Mo! With this thought, Yang Tianyi instantly perked up.
"My name is Yang Tianyi. May I know your surname? Could you tell me where exactly you saw Liu Mo, and are you sure it’s him?"
On the other end of the phone was, naturally, Xia Liang. If not for the inconvenience with Qingxue, he would have taken Liu Mo directly to the security office. Of course, he wouldn’t disclose his own name now.
"Ah, I’d rather not reveal my name. Liu Mo is on Chenghua Avenue right now, by the trash cans at the entrance of an alleyway."
"Really!" Yang Tianyi was extremely excited, his voice rising a few notches.
"Really. I’m watching him from nearby. You guys should hurry over."
Hearing this, Yang Tianyi took several deep breaths.
"Thank you, Mister. Please keep an eye on him, but be careful. He’s a vicious criminal. We are on our way now. If what you say is true and we successfully apprehend him, you will receive a reward of one Yuan."
"Alright, thank you. Please come quickly."
After he hung up, several police cars were already pulling up to the security office with sirens blaring just two minutes later.
"Listen up, everyone! When we get there, take that guy down immediately. If he dares to resist, make him suffer!" Yang Tianyi instructed his subordinates in the car. As someone who had been catching vicious criminals for many years, his temperament was nothing like the gentle and refined colleagues portrayed on television.
His good temper had long been worn away by countless cases of bloodshed and fatalities.
Xia Liang and Qingxue had arrived downstairs at her apartment building.
Xia Liang carried Qingxue on his back into the elevator, and they quickly reached the fourth floor, where her home was.
Her parents were away on a business trip due to an urgent matter that had come up.
The apartment, with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, was decorated very cozily.
"Finally home." Qingxue let out a comfortable sigh, lazily sinking into the soft sofa. She squinted, her face a mask of contentment.
Xia Liang saw something he shouldn’t have and felt a bit embarrassed.
"Er... Qingxue, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now so I don’t disturb you."
"Uh..." Qingxue froze for a moment. When she came back to her senses, her pretty face flushed red with embarrassment. After all, if it weren’t for Xia Liang, her life would have been ruined, yet she hadn’t even said thank you.
"Um, Xia Liang, thank you so much for today. It’s already very late, and it wouldn’t be safe for you to go back alone. Why don’t you just stay here for the night?"
"Eh?" Xia Liang was taken aback. He obviously hadn’t expected Qingxue to say that and still felt it was a bit inappropriate.
"Er, me staying at your place might not be right," he said.
"Not at all, not at all." Qingxue hurriedly waved her hands. "There’s a guest room, so it’s no trouble. Besides, I don’t have a boyfriend, so there won’t be any misunderstandings. As for you... if you’re afraid, then just forget it."
Having said this much, Qingxue forced herself to look up at Xia Liang calmly. Since she had made the offer, Xia Liang gave up on the idea of going back.
"I’m not afraid. Besides, I don’t have a girlfriend."
For some reason, she felt much more at ease hearing that Xia Liang didn’t have a girlfriend.
"I’ll get you a clean towel." As she said this, Qingxue was about to stand up, but she had forgotten about her sprained ankle.
With a cry of pain, Qingxue felt her right foot go weak, and she started to fall toward the ground.
Xia Liang’s eyelids twitched. Without a second thought, he flashed forward and caught her, preventing the fall.
A few seconds later, they both realized their current position was indeed quite intimate.
"Ahem," Xia Liang coughed. "Um, are you alright?"
Qingxue’s delicate face was flushed crimson. Xia Liang felt this wasn’t a sustainable position, so he gently placed her on the sofa. Qingxue lowered her head and spoke softly.
"Um, I can’t move. Why don’t you... go to my bedroom and get it yourself? A clean bath towel is in the wardrobe."
"Alright." Xia Liang nodded and walked into Qingxue’s bedroom.
If Qingxue’s best friends knew about this, they would be shocked. She disliked having strangers in her home, yet today she had let Xia Liang into her bedroom. Perhaps it was because he had saved her, causing her heart to pound in her chest.
Xia Liang glanced around the bedroom, noting its extreme neatness and the pleasant fragrance lingering in the air. He quickly spotted the obvious wardrobe and moved to open it. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.ɴet
"Wait! Come out, get out!"
Suddenly, Qingxue’s anxious voice came from outside, which made Xia Liang pause. He had already opened the wardrobe doors, revealing her everyday clothes hanging inside. Not only that, but her personal undergarments were also in the two drawers below.
"Hurry out!" Qingxue called out again, her voice filled with urgency.
Snapping back to reality, Xia Liang took a deep breath. "Oh, okay."
He quickly averted his eyes, closed the wardrobe door, and walked out of the bedroom. He found Qingxue staring at him, her face beet red, as she asked nervously, "You... you didn’t open the wardrobe, did you?"
Hearing this, Xia Liang couldn’t help but recall what he had just seen. Looking at her flustered expression, a faint smile touched his lips.
Seeing his smile, Qingxue’s face flushed red all the way to her ears. She grabbed a sofa pillow to hide her face. Just as an ambiguous tension began to fill the room, the phone suddenly rang. Xia Liang quickly answered it.
"Hello, this is Yang Tianyi!"
From his tone, it seems they caught him. A slight smile appeared on Xia Liang’s lips.
"Thanks to the clues provided by Mister Xia, we have successfully apprehended the suspect. We need you to come to the station to give a statement. Are you available?"
Hearing this, Xia Liang glanced at Qingxue’s swollen red ankle.
"Ah, I’m not available at the moment. Would tomorrow be okay?"
"Of course. We will await your arrival tomorrow. Goodbye, Mister Xia."
After Yang Tianyi hung up, Xia Liang looked back at Qingxue, who seemed to have regained some of her composure.
"Um, Xia Liang, help me to the bedroom. I’ll get it for you," she said, her face reddening once more, though she forced herself to keep her head held high.
"But, your foot?" Xia Liang was clearly hesitant.
"It’s nothing." Qingxue waved his concern away and struggled to her feet, but Xia Liang quickly stopped her.
"Forget it. Just wait a moment. I’m quite skilled at therapeutic massage. Let me help you with it. You’ll definitely feel much better."