Chapter 82: Full Responsibility for Driving Against Traffic

The nursing home was quite a distance from the station. It took over an hour before Xu Qing finally drove Lin Xiao there. At the end of August, with students heading back to school, the station was bustling with people.

While at the nursing home, Lin Xiao had contacted Zhou Zhi a few times. Zhou Zhi had also gone to Kyoto Lingwu—not just him, but even Liu Ruyan and Ji Boxiao had set off for Kyoto Lingwu as well. Zhou Zhi had left a few days earlier. At the time, Lin Xiao hadn’t known he would be going too, so he hadn’t mentioned it to Zhou Zhi. Otherwise, they could have traveled together and at least had each other for company along the way.

After dropping him off, Xu Qing left straight away, leaving Lin Xiao feeling a bit helpless. He had hoped to chat with her while waiting for the train, but it seemed he was destined to wait alone.

This was Lin Xiao’s first time leaving Xun City. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t excited at all. Though he was deeply reluctant to part with the nursing home, he also longed to see the world beyond. His destination was Kyoto Lingwu, but what awaited him there was still a mystery.

As he waited quietly for the train, Lin Xiao’s eyes happened to fall on two familiar faces—none other than Ji Boxiao and Liu Ruyan. Lin Xiao cursed his luck inwardly; clearly, he must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed to end up on the same day’s train as those two.

He muttered to himself, “They can’t see me, they can’t see me!” Right now, the last thing he wanted was any entanglement with them.

But as luck—or fate—would have it, Liu Ruyan spotted him almost immediately. For some reason, when their eyes met, Lin Xiao thought he saw a hint of delight in Liu Ruyan’s expression. Ji Boxiao soon noticed him as well and, without hesitation, strode straight toward Lin Xiao.

Inwardly, Lin Xiao was shouting, “Go away, go away!” But as the two drew closer, he could only resign himself to the encounter. He wasn’t afraid of them—dealing with the pair would be as easy as turning his hand. He simply didn’t want any connection with them; it only made him feel sick.

“Lin Xiao, I finally found you!” Ji Boxiao called out as he approached.

Lin Xiao, uninterested in the least, turned his face away, ignoring him. The snub made Ji Boxiao’s face darken with embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Liu Ruyan’s face lit up with an unusual brilliance upon seeing Lin Xiao. In truth, she had already begun to regret her previous decisions. Ji Boxiao’s performance during the last secret realm had left her feeling he was unreliable. Because of this, the Ji family had not regarded him as the true heir. Had there been anyone else in the Ji family with more promise, Ji Boxiao’s status as heir would have been revoked long ago.

Since she couldn’t find a better support in Xun City for now, she’d reluctantly stuck with Ji Boxiao. But once in Kyoto, perhaps she could find a new “tree” to shelter under.

This time, as she laid eyes on Lin Xiao, she immediately sensed something different about him. In the two months since they’d last met, he seemed even more striking. There was a new, irresistible aura about him that drew her in, making her wonder why she’d never noticed it before.

Lin Xiao’s presence here could only mean he knew she was leaving for Kyoto today and had come especially to see her off. Clearly, he still cared for her! At this thought, Liu Ruyan’s heart fluttered with secret delight. If he behaved well, she wouldn’t mind keeping him as a backup.

“Lin Xiao, are you trying to act tough? Don’t think I can’t call someone to teach you a lesson at a moment’s notice!” Ji Boxiao threatened.

Lin Xiao sighed inwardly—wasn’t his attitude obvious enough? He really couldn’t be bothered with this guy. Without a word, he raised his hand.

“Security! Security! Someone’s causing trouble here, aren’t you going to do something?” Lin Xiao called out, summoning the station’s security guards. Although it would have been easy for him to deal with Ji Boxiao himself, he didn’t want to make a scene in such a public place and risk negative consequences.

The guards, not far away, hurried over at his call and quickly spotted the surly Ji Boxiao.

“Sir, please don’t cause a disturbance at the station. Otherwise, I’ll have to escort you out,” the guard said sternly.

Ji Boxiao hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to embarrass him like this. Noticing the curious looks from the people around them, he didn’t want to make things worse and left sullenly. Seeing his cowardice, Liu Ruyan’s face flashed with disdain. How had she ever been blind enough to follow such a spineless man?

The train would be boarding soon, and Liu Ruyan knew she needed to talk to Lin Xiao. She walked over to Ji Boxiao.

“Brother Boxiao, I know you want to deal with him. Wait here; I’ll go have a word with him.”

Ji Boxiao eyed her suspiciously. He had noticed her attitude toward him had changed lately, but he hadn’t cared much—after all, he only saw her as a tool for his own amusement.

“Fine, go talk to him. Let him know I won’t let him off, even in Kyoto!”

“I understand.”

Liu Ruyan returned to Lin Xiao, making his face sink with discomfort, as if he’d just swallowed something bitter. He was about to call for security again when Liu Ruyan spoke first.

“Lin Xiao, don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to cause trouble—I just have something to say to you.”

Lin Xiao refrained from calling security again, but his tone was anything but polite. “I don’t think there’s anything for us to talk about. If you have something to say, say it. If it’s nonsense, keep it to yourself.”

“Lin Xiao, I admit I misjudged you before. I realize now that I was wrong. I also know you still care about me—otherwise, why would you make a point of coming here today when you knew I was leaving for Kyoto? I’ll give you another chance; we can be like we were before.”

Her words made Lin Xiao feel a wave of disgust. How many times would it take for her to accept the truth? Just how much had the original owner of this body fawned over her for her to draw such conclusions?

“Liu Ruyan, let me say this one last time—don’t flatter yourself. Relationships are a journey; you can look back, but you can’t go back. If you try to go against the current, you’ll bear all the consequences. There’s no possibility between us anymore.”

“Stop being stubborn. I know you still care about me. I’ve already admitted I was wrong—what else do you want? If you didn’t care, why are you here?”

Lin Xiao was at a loss for words. He’d never encountered anyone so shameless.

Just then, the station’s announcement sounded:

“Dear passengers, the G580 train to Kyoto is about to arrive. Passengers who have not yet checked in, please proceed to ticket inspection. We wish you a pleasant journey!”

Lin Xiao couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on Liu Ruyan. He waved his ticket and made his way to the gate, leaving Liu Ruyan standing there, confused and frustrated. So he really hadn’t come for her. And what was he going to do in Kyoto?