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Ziya, feeling displeased, didn't say much but angrily mentioned another matter: Severe Cold had arrived in City A, and was working at YaYa's place. The mention of YaYa made Ziya's heart tighten. Although Severe Cold no longer had anything to do with her, the hidden sadness within her still burned at times.
YaYa had been dismissed from the hospital, and there was also what Sun Meng said about her being innocently pregnant—what was that all about? Severe Cold couldn't fall into YaYa's hands. With that thought, Ziya waved her hand dismissively at Liang Chao and left quickly with an air of pride. She arrived at the World Trade Center, where Zhiqing had yet to come out. Ziya anxiously waited by the car for quite a while. Holding her phone, she felt an urge to call Severe Cold but couldn't let go of her proud self-esteem. After all, even ordinary friends would feel distant if they hadn't been in touch for a long time, let alone the many unpleasant things that had happened between them.
"Have you been waiting long?" Zhiqing emerged from the World Trade Center, holding a beautiful plastic bag.
"It's nothing; I just waited a bit," Ziya tried hard to conceal her slightly awkward expression. Noticing what Zhiqing was holding, she asked, "What did you buy?" As she spoke, Zhiqing handed the plastic bag to Ziya.
Ziya pulled out a delicate red satin box from the bag and looked puzzled as she got into the car with Zhiqing.
"Look! It's a gift for you," Zhiqing said as she started the car and backed out.
"What... what is this? Why do you have to give me something?" Upon hearing that it was a gift for her, Ziya felt uncomfortable continuing to look at it. Why should someone buy her something? There should be a reason for receiving gifts! It wasn't Valentine's Day, it wasn't her birthday, and they weren't at the point of exchanging gifts with each other.
Ziya appreciated the simplicity of her relationship with Zhiqing. She had seen too many relationships that began due to romance or ambiguous feelings but ended in misunderstandings that led to breakups—love turning into hate and becoming strangers, losing even the most ordinary friendship.
"Don't misunderstand; inside is a statue of Guanyin. Did you think it was a ring or something?" Seeing that Ziya seemed inclined to return the item, Zhiqing secretly rejoiced that she had almost impulsively bought an expensive pair of rings earlier but decided against it. Instead, she bought a statue of Guanyin (888) next door as a token of blessing and well-wishing for Ziya, hoping she would always be happy and free from illness.
As they spoke, they arrived at the 'Apollo' café mentioned by Liang Chao. Entering the dimly lit café interior, they were greeted by several heavily made-up waitresses dressed provocatively and a few male waiters in bowtie uniforms who welcomed them with smiles.
"Welcome! Please come in," the waitstaff greeted them with professional smiles that masked their shamelessness. Ziya scanned the faces among them but did not find anyone familiar. Normally, she would never step foot in such a place; most young people working here pretended to be something grand to cater to men who enjoyed such environments. The girls here tried hard to present themselves as innocent little things to entice lonely and lecherous men.
Zhiqing and Ziya entered together and scanned the room again but still did not see YaYa.
A waiter approached them with a polite smile and asked, "May I ask what services you two require?"
"We're here to find someone."
"Find someone? Who?"
"Lin Yaya, is she here?" Ziya stepped closer, worried that the other person hadn't heard clearly, and repeated, "Lin Yaya."
"Uh, she went out today and hasn't come back yet."
"When did she leave and who was she with?" Ziya and Zhi Qing both paused, secretly wondering: Could Severe Cold and YaYa have gone to a hotel together?
"Earlier, a man was talking to her, then he left. After that, YaYa asked for leave and went out, that's all." The waiter noticed that they didn't seem interested in making a purchase and even withheld his stiff professional smile.
Ziya and Zhi Qing exited the café. "Where to?" Zhi Qing activated the car's lock, which emitted a sharp beep, the taillights flashing to indicate it was unlocked.
"I'm not in a hurry; let me make a call first." Ziya turned back to gaze at the café. The sky had turned overcast, and night was gradually approaching. She dialed Severe Cold's number, but a fluent Mandarin voice responded.
'The number you dialed is not in service.'
"How did it go?"
"Couldn't get through." A sense of disappointment tightened around Ziya's heart. Since Severe Cold had come to City A trying to gather information about her, why would he change his number? Even if he did, he should still have his original number! Yet he hadn't indicated anything.
"Well, how about we go to my place for dinner, or we could grab something to eat somewhere?" Zhi Qing looked up at the dark gray clouds, which seemed to signal impending rain.
"Well, you should take me back to Small Town Story. My parents must be worried since they haven't seen me all day."
"Alright!" Zhiqing readily agreed, starting the car and reversing.
As the car entered the residential area of Small Town Story, the security guard at the Guard Room was already familiar with both Zhiqing and Ziya, allowing them to pass through without any hassle.
"Let's go upstairs and sit for a while," Ziya said with a smile as she got out of the car.
"Sure!" Zhiqing replied enthusiastically, following closely behind Ziya up to the third floor.
Anqing and Liu Haoming were wondering why Ziya hadn't come home yet when they heard the sound of keys unlocking the door. Ziya came in, changed her shoes, and handed another pair of men's shoes to Zhiqing, who followed her inside.
"You're back?" Anqing had initially planned to scold her daughter for being late but swallowed her words when she saw her future son-in-law, Zhiqing, was also there. She greeted them both with a warm smile instead.
"Hello, Auntie, Uncle," Zhiqing said earnestly, earning praise from Ziya's parents for his straightforward demeanor.
"Good, good. Sit down; you two haven't eaten yet, right?" Liu Haoming shifted slightly to make room for Zhiqing beside him.
Ziya understood her parents' intentions, but how could they know what their daughter was truly thinking? She couldn't bear to disappoint their eager expectations. While she silently appreciated Zhiqing's quiet support, she also felt that he was a good man for family life. They were both admiring each other and drawn together... but deep down, Ziya knew she couldn't let Zhiqing bear any burdens because of her.
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