The following morning, Xu Xiaoqing woke up early from her bed and stared at the ceiling with a dazed expression in her eyes.
"Last night... wasn't a dream..."
Her face gradually blushed with shyness. Xu Xiaoqing turned over, rolling around on the bed, her heart anything but calm.
The sensation of last night's kiss seemed to linger on her lips, and those events were vivid in her mind, clearly not a dream – and even if it had been, Xu Xiaoqing couldn't have forgotten it.
Too embarrassed to utter a word, Xu Xiaoqing buried her head in the pillow.
The memories of last night, combined with the previous night's surprise visit, now threatened to short-circuit her brain.
How was she to face Ning Fan from now on?
This was the most troubling question in Xu Xiaoqing's heart; after doing such a thing, she felt she was no longer marriageable!
Was she to simply give herself to Ning Fan and, after her sister married him, become both the young aunt and a lover on the side?
Xu Xiaoqing couldn't stop her mind from racing with all kinds of scenarios, and she was feeling completely overwhelmed.
Therefore, Xu Xiaoqing chose to temporarily avoid everything. Staying in her room was still safe, and as long as she stayed put, there was no need to worry about how she would face Ning Fan and her sister later on.
Honestly, having done what she did, Xu Xiaoqing felt like she had betrayed her sister.
It wasn't until Xu Ruolan came to call her that she crawled out of bed, got dressed, and cautiously walked out.
"What's wrong with you, feeling unwell again?"
Noticing Xu Xiaoqing's unusual behavior, Xu Ruolan couldn't help but express concern.
This little sister seemed familiar, reminiscent of a time not so long ago when the young girl was much like she was now.
Thinking about it carefully, it certainly wasn't as simple as not feeling well. Xu Ruolan's eyes, filled with suspicion, scrutinized her sister as if trying to see right through her.
"No, no, I'm coming down right now."
After noticing Xu Ruolan's probing gaze, Xu Xiaoqing scurried down the stairs like a startled rabbit, then dutifully sat at the dining table waiting for her sister Xu Ruolan and Ning Fan, the main cause of her current state.
However, though Xu Ruolan did come down, Ning Fan was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn't until Xu Ruolan had started eating that Xu Xiaoqing subconsciously asked, "Are we not waiting for Ning Fan?"
Usually, if Ning Fan was home, they would definitely eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, but today was strange – her sister seemed to have no intention of waiting for Ning Fan and had already started eating.
Xu Ruolan put down her chopsticks and looked at Xu Xiaoqing as she explained, "Ning Fan had to go out for something."
Today, Ning Fan had woken up very early. When Xu Ruolan got up, he was already preparing to leave, so it was just the two sisters for breakfast that morning.
When Xu Ruolan mentioned that Ning Fan had already left, Xu Xiaoqing was stunned for a moment, her reaction delayed.
After waving her hand in front of the younger girl for quite a while, Xu Xiaoqing finally snapped back to reality, and Xu Ruolan couldn't help but ask, "What in the world is wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, just that my mind has been a bit off lately..."
After making an offhand response, Xu Xiaoqing lowered her head and began to pick at her breakfast, also not wanting her sister to see the expression on her face.
"Your mind has been a bit off?"
Such an answer truly left Xu Ruolan completely baffled.
However, since Xu Xiaoqing had no intention of revealing the truth, Xu Ruolan, as her sister, did not plan to force it.
As noon arrived, at Zhonghai Airport, Teng Zhong and Teng Xi appeared there, having disguised themselves; at the moment, they looked no different from ordinary people.
After the two walked out of the airport and casually hailed a taxi, they arrived at the Zhonghai International Hotel.
They had already found out that Teng Feiyue, who had run away from home, was here, and because of Teng Feiyue, they planned to put aside their tasks at hand for the time being, ensuring Teng Feiyue's safety was the priority.
Teng Zhong stood outside the suite, confirmed the door number, and then knocked on the door, while Teng Xi waited by his side.
"Miss Feiyue, it's us. Please open the door, the master is very worried about you," Teng Zhong said while knocking.
However, after knocking for a while, there was no response from inside the door; it was as if no one was there.
Waiting outside for two minutes, Teng Zhong and Teng Xi exchanged glances, and then Teng Zhong, with a loud bang, kicked the door open.
Having forced the door open with brute force, they immediately entered the room, only to find no trace of Teng Feiyue; it was empty.
Thus, they searched all over the room—closets, under the bed, bathrooms—not a single spot was overlooked.
But after a lengthy search, they found that there was no sign of Teng Feiyue in the room, not to mention any of her belongings.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
Teng Xi furrowed his brows and couldn't help but ask Teng Zhong.
According to the hotel staff, Teng Feiyue hadn't left since returning last night, and therefore, she should have been in the room.
But there was no sign of Teng Feiyue in the room, leading Teng Xi to doubt whether Teng Zhong had remembered the door number incorrectly, wondering if this room was not Teng Feiyue's at all.
Teng Zhong shook his head, confident that this was Teng Feiyue's room, yet also found it strange that she wasn't there.
If she wasn't here, then where could she be?
The two left the room and began to search separately. If Teng Feiyue was safe now that was good, but if she, like Huayang, had fallen into Ning Fan's hands, then they would be in trouble.
While Teng Zhong and Teng Xi were searching the hotel, Teng Feiyue's figure appeared in the center of Zhonghai City.
She was still dressed as she had been upon arrival, wearing a pair of large sunglasses, walking down the street while taking in her surroundings as if she were simply a tourist.
Teng Feiyue had guessed early on that Teng Zhong and Teng Xi would find the Zhonghai International Hotel since she had checked into the hotel using her real identity. With the Yunteng Family's resources, such trivial matters were easily investigated.
However, Teng Feiyue did not intend to sit around and wait for capture. Since she had left, she had no plans to return, at least not until she had found some clues.
So, before Teng Zhong and Teng Xi's arrival, Teng Feiyue had run out of the hotel in advance. As to why the hotel staff would say she hadn't left, naturally, she had bought them off with money. Teng Zhong and Teng Xi had received false information, and they were completely fooled by Teng Feiyue.