Chapter 95: Selfish Courage She has always been able to cross this quagmire...

After dinner, in order to avoid more problems if things were delayed any longer, Xu Sirui suggested flying back to Beijing.

"Can I buy a plane ticket without my ID?" Zhu Yingning was a little worried. Her ID card had been snatched away by Liu Guifang, and she left in a hurry and didn't have it with her.

"I remember you can get a temporary boarding pass at the airport, which you can use to buy a ticket. Anyway, I'll figure out how to get the plane ticket first, and then apply for an ID card after arriving in Beijing."

Fortunately, she had already turned sixteen years old a year ago. Otherwise, she would have needed to be accompanied by a guardian whether applying for a temporary boarding pass or reissuing her ID card. She would either be stuck in a difficult situation or have to go back to find Liu Guifang, which would be like walking into a tiger's mouth.

After arriving at the airport, they asked the staff, completed the check-in procedures smoothly, and bought a ticket back to Beijing at around 3:00 p.m.

Xu Sirui's money was already stretched thin, barely enough for two economy-class tickets. This was a definite downgrade for him, but Zhu Yingning, beside him, acted like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden. She held the tiny ticket with both hands, carefully smoothing out the edges as if it were gold foil. This naive, naive air of innocence greatly mitigated his annoyance at the prospect of facing the screaming and crying children in economy class.

"Do I need to buy you a safe to store it in?" he asked with a smile.

Hearing that he was mocking her, she snorted and said, "This is my first time flying. Anyway, I will keep this ticket well."

"Everyone has their first time flying," he said sarcastically. "My first time wasn't as awkward as yours."

“…Xu Sirui!”

Zhu Yingning was so angry that she was about to strangle him when several armed police officers with serious expressions and big strides suddenly came in from the other direction of the terminal hall.

Her heart trembled, and she instantly put away her playful expression. She straightened her body and stared nervously in the direction they came in.

She was afraid that Liu Guifang had called the police.

Although she knew rationally that this was unlikely, her heart still began to pound in her chest as the armed police gradually approached them.

Missing persons typically wait 24 hours before being filed. However, Zhu Yingning vaguely remembered watching a TV series called "Story Club" where a minor girl went missing. Her parents reported her to the police, suspecting she had been abducted and trafficked. The police immediately filed a case and dispatched. What if her mother had gone to the police station with the same excuse...

Just as she was feeling confused, her left hand was suddenly covered by another. She turned around and happened to meet Xu Sirui's gaze. He also looked nervous, his lips slightly pursed, his brows slightly furrowed, but he still forced himself to appear calm. He took her hand, his fingers slipping through hers and clasping them tightly, as if this could provide her with some kind of support.

The armed police drew closer, their leader gazing at them with hawk-like eyes. It was hard to tell who was more terrified. Their clasped palms oozed with a sticky dampness. Zhu Yingning used all her willpower to hold herself down on the chair, preventing herself from running around like a rat in a gutter.

A noise.

A man sitting next to them suddenly jumped up, turned around and ran away. The police rushed over and subdued him in a few moves. The passengers waiting for the flight nearby were frightened and screamed to avoid him.

Later, through the conversation between the police and the man, everyone knew that the man was a fugitive robber who used someone else's ID card to board the plane. He was recognized by the security staff and reported to the police on duty.

After the police escorted the suspect away, Zhu Yingning breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize her entire back was soaked. She moved her fingers and pulled her hand out of Xu Sirui's grasp.

He uttered an "Ah" as if waking from a dream, withdrew his hand, and his fingers unconsciously fell on his knees.

Both of them were silent.

Influenced by this incident, after getting on the plane, Zhu Yingning no longer had the excitement she had just now. Instead, she seemed to be worried. She sat in the window seat, pursed her lips and stared out the window in a daze.

**

It was already dusk when she got off the plane. Blown by the evening breeze, Zhu Yingning slowly recalled something she had forgotten for a long time: "By the way, Xu Sirui, my brother..." She found it difficult to speak when she mentioned Zhu Jixiang, and even lowered her voice a few notches. "Did he come to see you? Did he cause you any trouble?"

If she hadn't said it, Xu Sirui would have forgotten the existence of Zhu Jixiang. Only when she asked him about it did he recall and answer, "He called Xu Zhengkang, but Xu Zhengkang ignored him. I did arrange to meet him, but then he kept calling me, begging me to let him live in my house. I got annoyed and blocked his number."

“…”

Hearing this, Zhu Yingning was so ashamed that she almost fainted. She calmed down and said with difficulty, "Can you lend me your phone? I'll call and ask where he is now."

Xu Sirui was a little unhappy: "Do you still want to control him?"

She nodded and replied softly: "...Yeah."

I want to control him not for any other reason, but because I don't want him to continue staying in Beijing and cause trouble for you. She didn't say this.

Zhu Jixiang was like a ticking time bomb; who knew what shameful things he would do next? Even more mortifying than her own embarrassment, she felt even more ashamed by the hideousness and vileness her family displayed in front of him. It was like a patched garment; she tried so hard to cover it up, but they were intent on ripping the patches off and showing it to him.

Xu Sirui wanted to teach her a lesson, but seeing how embarrassed she was, he couldn't bear it. He put his hands on his waist, sighed softly, and compromised: "...Okay."

He took out his cell phone, removed Zhu Jixiang's two numbers from the blacklist, and handed the phone to her.

Zhu Yingning thanked him, took the phone and dialed one of the numbers first.

The power is turned off.

She hung up and dialed another one. This one rang a few times before being picked up. Zhu Jixiang's voice came out with a hint of urgency: "Hello? Is this Xu Sirui?"

"It's me." She said lightly.

Zhu Jixiang was stunned. After a pause, he asked tentatively, "...Sister?" He completely changed his attitude towards her in the past few days. As if he had found a savior, he asked in a trembling voice, "Sister, is that you?! Where are you? Are you in Beijing now? I was trying to contact you, but I can't find a way to contact you. You...you come and save me!"

She frowned: "What's wrong with you? Where are you? Calm down and explain things clearly first."

He spoke incoherently, and it took Zhu Yingning some effort to sort out his illogical speech. It was both simple and complex—after failing to contact Xu Zhengkang and Xu Sirui a few days ago, Zhu Jixiang, unwilling to give up, found a hotel nearby, hoping to find another opportunity to curry favor with them. But instead of finding that opportunity, someone else found one. Yesterday, after wandering around and returning to the hotel, he discovered that his bag, containing all the cash he had brought with him on this trip, had been stolen.

He immediately went to the police station to report the incident, but unfortunately the hotel's surveillance cameras were broken and didn't capture who stole his bag. Zhu Jixiang insisted that the hotel staff had colluded with the thief, but without evidence, the police wouldn't believe his story and simply told him to go back and wait for further information. They would update him on the case's progress.

Being penniless and having offended the hotel owner, Zhu Jixiang was kicked out as expected. From last night to tonight, he had been wandering outside all day, with only a cell phone that was almost out of battery, and he couldn't even go back to Province G.

After hearing his description, Zhu Yingning was overwhelmed. After asking for his current address, she hung up the phone and planned to go find him first.

Because Zhu Jixiang's voice was so intense, Xu Sirui, standing next to Zhu Yingning, also heard everything. He took the phone, casually put it in his pocket, and walked to the taxi stand at the airport exit. "Let's go."

"Where to?" She was a little confused.

"Go find your brother first." He joined the long line at the boarding point and dragged her in with him. He squinted at her and said unhappily, "Isn't that what you were planning?"

Her heart moved slightly, inexplicably, and all the embarrassment, shame, and subtle shyness suddenly disappeared, leaving only calmness.

She said, "No, I can go by myself."

Xu Sirui thought she was being polite and was about to retort when he met her eyes. She stared at him intently, her pupils as dark as ink, and said seriously, "I can handle this myself. Xu Sirui, you've already given me enough strength."

She had thought that family was like a quagmire, swallowing up her feet, legs, and hands. The wet mud wrapped around her inch by inch, like a frog in boiling water, dragging her deeper into the swamp and devouring her will and energy to escape.

But that's not the case.

She is not a lamb to be slaughtered, she has always been able to cross this quagmire.

She just lacked a little courage.

And he gave her the courage to choose selfishness.

The sincerity and determination in her eyes stifled Xu Sirui's rebuttal. He lowered his eyes to look at her and asked, "Are you sure you can do it?"

"I'm sure." She said, then added, "I might stay out for a few days, and then I'll go back after I'm done with it."

He looked down at her for a moment, said nothing more, and reached into his backpack for money.

"I don't need..."

Before she could even finish her refusal, he stuffed a hundred yuan into her hand. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "You're going to have to pay for a taxi to go look for your brother, right? Are you planning on just refusing to pay once we get there?"

Thinking about it, it made sense, so Zhu Yingning stopped refusing and clasped her fingers together to accept the taxi fare he gave her.

As they talked, the line was shrinking rapidly and it was almost their turn.

The security guards managing the traffic raised a flag, signaling that they could go to the driveway and select an empty car. Xu Sirui shoved her into the nearest car: "You go in first, I'll find the next one."

"Okay." She got in the car, fastened her seat belt, and looked back at him.

As soon as he saw her hesitant expression, he knew she was definitely planning something terrifying and fatal. His face flushed and he quickly stopped her: "Stop, don't say such cheesy words."

Snap——

With her seatbelt fastened, the driver asked her where she was going. She gave him the address, then rolled down the window, looked at him standing outside, and muttered unhappily, "...I was about to tell you."

"Don't say that!"

Xu Sirui turned around and tried to run.

Are you kidding? There are so many people here. If she says something earth-shattering, will he still be alive?

Xu Sirui has a very elastic skin. He feels at ease when enjoying the dedication and service of others. However, when it comes to expressing his true feelings, his skin is as thin as paper and will break at the slightest poke.

Words of gratitude seemed too pale at this moment. She had something deeper to say to him. The taxi started slowly. She cupped her hands to her lips, acting as a megaphone, and her voice was carried by the wind to the lane full of parked taxis. She said loudly:

"Xu Sirui, it's nice to meet you——"

So loud that the words echo.

After saying this, he felt quite carefree. The car carrying her pulled away and merged into the vast traffic, leaving Xu Sirui standing there, enduring the torment of the others' inquiring gazes. He felt a surge of heat rising from the soles of his feet, threatening to burst through his head. He opened the door of a nearby taxi and hurriedly threw himself in.

The car door closed, blocking out the outside gaze.

He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he looked up and saw the taxi driver's smiling eyes in the rearview mirror.

Xu Sirui was not feeling well again.