Chapter 230: A Familiar Taste
Qiao Xing tried to curl himself up to ward off the cold night wind.
Night had fallen, and there wasn't a single star in the sky. She squatted on the ground, shivering, her fingers and feet frozen.
It's not so much that they're frozen stiff, but rather that they're numb from the cold; the cold is bone-chilling to the toes and fingers.
This was the first time she had truly experienced the bone-chilling cold, as if icicles were grinding against her bones.
Listening to the chirping of insects in the surrounding grass, in the pitch-black night, and the rustling of the wind blowing through the weeds, everything around her was constantly assaulting her psychological defenses.
She didn't know where she was or where to go; at that moment, she was truly desperate.
There's no way out.
A gust of wind made her dry eyes sting, and the tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally gave way and fell.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she unleashed her emotions and burst into loud sobs.
It seems that the louder you cry, the braver you become, and the more you can drive away the unseen ghosts and monsters around you.
After she vented her emotions, she couldn't cry anymore.
She picked up some pebbles from the ground and started writing and drawing on the cement road; she was writing her last words.
The temperature is only two or three degrees Celsius now. If she doesn't make it tonight and freezes to death here, at least when people find her tomorrow, she can leave something behind for the world.
Because her fingers were numb from the cold, she could barely hold the pebbles, and each time she made a cut, her fingers ached from the stones.
She cupped her hands, blew on them to warm them up, and then continued writing, her hands trembling.
After spending a lot of effort, she still couldn't write a single complete character, and since it was dark, she couldn't see what she was writing.
Finally, she gave up, threw the pebble away, stood up, and slowly walked in the direction the bus had left.
As I approached the bend, a faint white light flickered in the distance.
Qiao Xing thought it was her imagination. She rubbed her eyes and looked carefully toward the end of the bend. Sure enough, the white light was projected onto the waist-high grass to her left.
The light kept growing, ever larger, until she heard the sound of a car.
Qiao Xing stood there, stunned, staring intently at the bend in the road.
Less than a minute later, the beam of white light shone into her eyes, so bright and dazzling that Qiao Xing couldn't open them. She instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.
The car sped by, kicking up a cloud of dust, then braked sharply and came to a steady stop beside her.
Qiao Xing then lowered his hand and slowly turned his head to look.
She saw a man get out of the car, stride around the car, and come up to her.
"Qiao Xing".
Qiao Xing stared blankly at the figure in front of her; she had never heard such a beautiful voice before.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, and even the chirping of insects was much more intense than before.
Qiao Xing, however, felt no fear. It was as if the two headlights on the front of the car had dispelled the unseen ghosts around her, and even the wind around her had become gentle.
Seeing her staring blankly at him, Qin Ce waved his hand in front of her eyes and asked, "Are you alright?"
Qiao Xing dared not blink, fearing that what she was seeing was just an illusion.
A breeze blew by, lifting her hair and sending it flying through the air.
Qiao Xing slowly reached out to touch the man's face, but before she could touch him, a warm, large hand grasped hers.
The warm touch jolted Qiao Xing awake from her daze, and she threw herself into Qin Ce's arms, hugging his waist tightly.
Qin Ce paused for a moment, then placed his long, slender hand on her back. "It's alright, it's nothing."
As he spoke, he hugged her and ruffled her hair with his fingers.
Qiao Xing pressed her cheek against his chest, listened to his heartbeat, and closed her eyes in peace.
The surrounding area was filled with the dense chirping of insects, which Qiao Xing found particularly pleasant to hear.
After a long while, Qin Ce finally pulled her away, took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. "Let's get in the car first, it's cold outside."
Qiao Xing nodded and got into the car with him. The car's heater hit her face, making her feel dizzy.
She still felt like she was dreaming, not just now, but everything that happened today felt unreal.
She lowered her head slightly and smelled the fresh scent on the suit jacket—a familiar fragrance.
Qiao Xing turned to look at her. He was trying to figure out how to turn around. The road was too narrow, barely wide enough for two cars to pass. There was a mountain on the right and bushes on the left, making it difficult to turn around.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Qin Ce turned to look at her.
The car was dimly lit, but you could still see that her nose and cheeks were red and her eyes were swollen.
Her hand, clutching the coat, was just as red and was visibly trembling.
Qin Ce suddenly released the steering wheel, turned to the side and held her hands: "Are you still cold?"
Qiao Xing nodded. "It's cold."
Her voice trembled as she spoke; she had been frozen for at least two or three hours, how could she not be cold?
He freed one hand and pulled her coat tighter, leaving him in only a black shirt.
Then I turned the air conditioner up to the maximum, "and it won't be cold in a little while."
Qiao Xing nodded, then asked, "How...how did you find me?"
“I went to the police station to check the surveillance footage, and then I searched in this direction. It seems I was lucky.”
He didn't ask Lin Yu what he had done to her, as if she had simply gotten lost and he had found her.
"Then...how did you know I was missing?"
"The property management called me. You should thank Lin Xi this time."
If Lin Xi hadn't gone to the property management office in time, Qin Ce wouldn't have been able to come looking for her so quickly.
Given the weather and the desolate wilderness, who knows what might happen if we were delayed for even two more hours.
Qiao Xing pursed her lips and said nothing more.
"Are you feeling warmer now?"
"Um……"
Qin Ce then let go of her hand, started the car and drove off. There was a fork in the road ahead where he could turn around, so he turned around and drove back.
The road back was long. Qiao Xing leaned back in the passenger seat, tilting her head to stare at him.
Unfortunately, it was too dark to see Qin Ce's face; only his outline could be seen.
Qiao Xing was exhausted from all the day's activities. She covered herself with Qin Ce's coat and drifted off to sleep.
Qin Ce took out his phone and sent a message to Yang Han, telling him to stop looking for him.
Yang Han was still leading people to search for Qiao Xing. Upon receiving his message, Yang Han breathed a sigh of relief and quickly informed everyone to stop searching.
It was already four in the morning when I got home.
Qin Ce got out of the car to carry Qiao Xing up, but as soon as he unbuckled her seatbelt, Qiao Xing woke up.
She opened her eyes sleepily and saw the man's face so close to hers. In an instant, all her sleepiness vanished.
Qin Ce was also taken aback. "Awake?"
His breath hit Qiao Xing's face, their breaths mingling together, and Qiao Xing swallowed.
She forced a smile and whispered, "Thank you, Qin Ce."
Qin Ce paused for a moment, then put his arm under her knees and picked her up.
Qiao Xing immediately hugged his neck, her cheeks burning, "I can walk by myself."
"It's just a few steps."
He picked her up, slammed his foot on the car door, and turned to walk into the building.
Qiao Xing stared at his prominent Adam's apple, the sound of his heartbeat filling her ears, and her heart began to race as well.
"Press the elevator button."
Qiao Xing snapped out of her daze, quickly looked away, and reached out to press the elevator button.
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