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Chapter 525: Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty-Five: Going Out Alone
After the man had safely passed through the temperature check and had his information logged, the staffer still explained as always, "You’ll need to wait two hours. If it’s cold outside, you can wait over there."
The man didn’t speak, but just nodded his head and then walked over to a corner to sit down.
Looking at the name filled out on the registration form, the staff suddenly remembered who this person was.
"It’s actually Lian Jiyue from the Heart Talk Team. I knew he looked familiar."
"But what was he doing out alone? The roads outside aren’t easy to travel, are they?"
"Who knows? We don’t understand the world of the big shots. Maybe he just went out to clear his mind?"
"..."
Lian Jiyue, in the corner, looked out the window, his standoffish demeanor preventing the staff from daring to approach him, and they could only quietly guess amongst themselves.
Of course, Lian Jiyue heard what they were saying.
The title of Lian Jiyue from the Heart Talk Team had a nice ring to it.
...
Mao Zhihang and Lin Tianzhen closed the shop and returned to the villa, only to see Mao Qiqi squatting on the ground, absent-mindedly petting Local Tyrant Gold.
Qiqi had always been with her family, but since the Apocalypse began, she hadn’t had a single companion by her side. She used to be very popular at school, often having classmates over to do homework or watch TV.
Now, it seemed Qiqi had come to think of Lian Jiyue as a good friend, right?
"Qiqi, your mouth could hang an oil pot," Lin Tianzhen joked as she squatted beside her.
"Mom, you’re not comforting me," Mao Qiqi continued to pout, thinking that Lin Tianzhen would comfort her like Sister Xiao Jin would.
"What’s there to comfort? It’s normal for kids to be upset for a bit," Lin Tianzhen wasn’t too worried. They had once had a kitten named "Dian Dian" at home, and when it got lost after a while, Qiqi also felt sad for a few days but ended up being fine, right?
But with such heavy snow outside, was it really okay for Lian Jiyue to run out there alone?
Suddenly, Mao Qiqi, petting Local Tyrant Gold, paused her hand mid-air.
The comfortably reclining Local Tyrant Gold opened his eyes, wondering why the person massaging him had stopped.
"Mom, Xiao Yue is back!"
Mao Qiqi, overcoming her previous dejection, excitedly turned around and said.
"How do you know he’s back, Qiqi?"
Mao Zhihang looked toward the door. No one was knocking.
"I just know. He will come in soon,"
Mao Qiqi stared at the little blue dot that had stopped at the base entrance on her small map, feeling a surge of happiness. That was Xiao Yue, no doubt about it.
Su Jin still trusted Mao Qiqi’s judgment, so before everyone had their meal, she filled the small iron basin Lian Jiyue used to eat from with lots of chicken and ribs, setting it aside.
And after everyone had finished eating, Huang Yunxiang didn’t put away all the dishes. She used a clean plate to cover the portion of food, keeping the meal from cooling too quickly.
Guo Yang and the others also learned about Lian Jiyue’s sudden disappearance.
Now that Qiqi said he was on his way back, they all curiously didn’t retire to the secondary house but instead watched Nie Qing, Lu Guanhai, and Su Xiangzhe play poker.
As the three played, Guo Yang couldn’t help but join in with Yin Chengtian and Shi Jin for a round of Fight the Landlord—who wouldn’t want to join in after watching?
As the minutes ticked away, the door eventually echoed with a rhythmic knocking.
"Isn’t Qiqi going to open the door?"
Lu Hao asked.
"No, I’m still mad,"
Mao Qiqi had a pouty look that amused Su Jin, causing her to laugh.
After Lu Hao opened the door, he indeed found Lian Jiyue with snowflakes all over him.
"..."
"..."
Lian Jiyue deeply felt that he couldn’t pretend at all in front of Lu Hao, thankful that Huang Yunxiang and Lin Tianzhen came over to the rescue.
"Oh my! Xiao Yue, where did you run off to? Qiqi was almost worried to death," Huang Yunxiang said.
Huang Yunxiang, looking at Lian Jiyue standing at the door with no reaction, thought that he seemed even more foolish...
Lu Hao made room for Lian Jiyue and saw that he was holding a few bags in his hands.
"Here’s your New Year’s gift."
The family watched as the silent Lian Jiyue took a red jacket-skirt out of the bags and handed it to Mao Qiqi.
Mao Zhihang suddenly remembered the words Mao Qiqi had said to Lian Jiyue at the dinner table a few days before.
Qiqi had said, "Xiao Yue, New Year’s is about celebrating together, being happy together. Someone who likes you will give you new clothes to wear, and you’ll celebrate the start of the New Year with everyone."
So had Lian Jiyue gone out to find a New Year’s gift for Qiqi?
"Did you go out alone to find a New Year’s gift?"
Mao Qiqi looked at the clean new dress and asked Lian Jiyue.
Lian Jiyue tried to muster a smile and nodded his head, then took out the other packages and handed them to Lu Hao.
The Crystal Cores were his gift to the Heart Talk Team; he had nothing else to offer.
"..."
Lu Hao received the heavy package and opened it, only to find several packs of Crystal Cores inside?!
Su Jin looked at the various Crystal Cores and then at Lian Jiyue. Had he fought to get these by himself?
"Gifts."
Lian Jiyue communicated to Mao Qiqi with his mind, knowing that she could hear him.
To his surprise, Qiqi suddenly burst into tears, and Lian Jiyue, along with the family, panicked. He was back, wasn’t he? Why was Qiqi still crying?
"You’re not allowed to run off on your own anymore; we’ll worry about you," Qiqi said, feeling both aggrieved and touched. She had been worried and angry today, and just learned that Xiao Yue had gone out alone to find her a New Year’s gift. All her previous worries and anger turned into deep emotion, and she couldn’t help but cry.
"Yes, Xiao Yue, you slipped out without a word, and we’ve all felt uneasy the entire day. Look at how heavy the snow is outside, it’s so dangerous," Lin Tianhui joined in.
She could tell that while the family appeared calm on the surface, they were all genuinely worried inside. After all, they had lived together for so long, and everyone had come to regard him as a quiet companion.
Lian Jiyue, holding back the unfamiliar feelings in his heart, nodded.
For the first time, he felt like he was part of the group.
And after Su Jin urged him to hurry up and eat, he went to the dining table and saw the plate of food that was set aside for him and his own bowl and chopsticks, which surprised him for quite some time.
Was this the first time, he had been saved a meal?
Lin Xiuyuan and Guo Yang looked through the packs of "gifts" brought back by Lian Jiyue. There must be a few thousand Crystal Cores, right? By himself?
"Didn’t expect the kid to be so warm-hearted," Lin Tianzhen commented while looking at the new red jacket-skirt. It wasn’t just Qiqi who was moved, she felt touched as well.
"Why do I feel like this youngster is up to no good?" Mao Zhihang whispered to his wife Lin Tianzhen.
Lin Tianzhen, observing Lian Jiyue gobbling his food at the table and Mao Qiqi chattering non-stop beside him, turned to glare at her husband, "What’s wrong with that? How is he up to no good?"
