Chapter 145
Because she had learned from the system that the perverted murderer wouldn’t return before 9 p.m., Xie Mi was extremely arrogant.
Not only did she turn the murderer’s room upside down, but she also strutted around the factory with the kidnapped child in tow, inspecting the entire place.
Little Shen Yiqing, resigned to fate, was tucked under this strange sister’s armpit. As she sometimes ran and sometimes slid across the floor, his little head bobbed up and down, and he completely gave up struggling.
There couldn’t possibly be such a foolish villain, he thought; this sister must be a good person.
But his sister’s way of thinking was a little strange.
She clearly knew this was the villain’s lair, yet she didn’t seem nervous at all.
Humming a jarring tune, tapping here, kicking there, looking here and there, she looked as if she were on a casual sightseeing trip.
But…
He looked up to steal a glance at her profile. Seeing her calm, unhurried demeanor, for some reason, he didn’t feel so scared anymore.
…
After some winding detours, Xie Mi successfully led Little Shen Yiqing out of the factory.
What came next was simple.
They would walk five kilometers to the road to flag down a car, shamelessly beg a driver for a ride, take the car to the nearest town, borrow a phone from a passerby to call the police, and then wait for good news.
Sometimes, solving a problem could be that straightforward and blunt.
After all that, Xie Mi was hungry.
The compressed biscuits weren’t enough. Her eyes fell on a steaming wonton stall across the street.
After thinking for two seconds, she looked down at the child beside her.
“Boring. Let’s spend some of your money.”
Still not recovered from the thrill of their escape, Little Shen Yiqing blinked: “?”
This sister, who seemed as capable as the Monkey King, appeared to be a big foodie.
He took two tattered bills out of his pocket and led the foodie sister to the wonton stall to buy two bowls.
Watching him pay, she remarked, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen real money.”
He: “…?”
She then told the stall owner, “Less salt, more seaweed, extra dried shrimp. Thanks.”
Little Shen Yiqing scratched his head.
When the wontons arrived, his stomach growled uncontrollably. Having long eaten spoiled food, this bowl of wontons was a heavenly delicacy to him.
The aroma made his mouth water constantly, but he still dared not be too greedy. Carefully, he held the spoon, scooped a bit, and gently brought it to his mouth.
He couldn’t eat messily—what if the sister disliked it and kicked him out…
Uh?
The sister across from him had already started devouring hers at lightning speed and, with shocking quickness, snatched a wonton from his bowl.
“….”
Well, then, time to eat!
So the big sister and the small boy started eating without regard for appearances. Comparatively, Xie Mi looked hungrier, like she hadn’t eaten for half a month.
After they were full, Little Shen Yiqing obediently pushed the remaining coins toward Xie Mi, then ran over to grab a package she had casually placed nearby, standing tensely at her side.
He was still a little afraid she might kick him out.
Although they were now in town, with people passing by, he couldn’t trust anyone.
After all, half a month ago, he had been abducted on a crowded road by a seemingly kind man.
Now, he dared only to follow his sister.
Suddenly, the sister bent down and stared at him seriously.
He nervously pressed his lips together, clutching the package tighter. “I… I…”
I can help you carry things, I won’t make noise, I promise not to cause trouble.
Before he could finish, his thick bangs were suddenly parted. Her face appeared clearly before his eyes.
She took a hair clip from the back of her head and clipped his bangs up.
Then she revealed a warm, sun-like smile he had never seen before.
“How cute~”
Little Shen Yiqing froze.
So, the wish he had made day after day in that dark, sunless little room… really had been heard by Heaven.
A celestial sister had truly come to save him.
…
That evening, Xie Mi brought Little Shen Yiqing back near the abandoned factory.
No other reason—she just wanted Shen Yiqing to see this with his own eyes.
As the perverted murderer, who had finished hunting, entered the factory, the lights inside suddenly turned on. Then came the sound of footsteps, the villain’s unwilling shouts as he was captured, and the children’s weak cries…
Soon after, the murderer was escorted into a police car, and the children were carried out one by one.
Seven children in total. Among them, Xie Mi saw a familiar figure.
Little Xiao Jingxi, cowering in fear in a police officer’s arms.
Suddenly, something tugged at her clothes.
Xie Mi looked down to see a small hand tightly gripping her hem. The boy instinctively tried to hide behind her.
Following his fearful gaze, she saw the murderer already seated in the police car.
The fear born of long-term abuse didn’t vanish immediately. Even though the man was now caught, just seeing him still provoked terror.
Xie Mi gently held his small hand, squeezing it firmly.
Only now did she finally understand Shen Yiqing’s background.
Why he was absent in the original text, why even the system could not detect his information.
Because he was a person created merely to highlight the tragic experiences of the male lead, Xiao Jingxi, someone who in the original text didn’t even have a name and was supposed to have died long ago.
Including the remaining six children.
…
A familiar voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
[Xu Shuangrong: What on earth is going on? Who called the police?]
[System: I have no idea.]
[System: In the original text, it was on the seventh day after Xiao Jingxi was kidnapped that the murderer killed the second-to-last child and was caught by the police while disposing of the body. Only then did the matter end.]
[System: There shouldn’t have been anyone calling the police!]
[System: You managed to convince seven-year-old you to follow along, but before entering the factory, the police, who had already set up an ambush, intercepted you and sent you back to the village. You didn’t even see eight-year-old Xiao Jingxi.]
[System: This is too bizarre.]
[System: Could it be a butterfly effect from time travel, where your actions changed the plot?]
[System: Was it the car driver you flagged down on the road who noticed something and called the police?]
[System: Or was it because you were too conspicuous in the village, and a villager called?]
[System: Impossible! These people had no connection. How could they know there was a murderer holding children here?]
[Xu Shuangrong: …]
Even the clever Xu Shuangrong couldn’t figure it out this time.
[Xu Shuangrong: Can I try again?]
[System: No. You can only travel once at the same time point. After traveling once, you cannot do so again for a short period. You have no more chances.]
[Xu Shuangrong: …]
This was truly ghostly.
