102 True Friendship Revealed in Adversity

After she had steadied herself, Zhao Xin shifted her thoughts and stepped out of the hidden realm.

Just as in the life she remembered, that realm was linked to her spiritual strength. The more she trained it, the easier it became to take things from within.

She turned on the tap and, carefully controlling her power, drew some of the water from the realm into the bathtub.

Only enough water to cover the bottom of the tub had been added when she already felt drained.

Releasing her spiritual sense, she stripped off her clothes and sank into the bath, letting out a breath.

At present, her only advantage was that she lurked in shadow while Xuan Yichen stood in the light.

From the things she had learned in her previous life, Xuan Yichen was no easy man to deal with. No, she needed a way to make Xie Xitong return as soon as possible.

She dunked her head beneath the water and idly let her thoughts drift, soaking her whole body as the spirit spring slowly seeped into her skin.

The warm, soothing sensation was so intoxicating it was almost more delightful than opium.

No.

Zhao Xin’s eyes snapped open.

If he was not going to let this go, then why had he been so quiet these past few days?

Her heart gave a sudden jolt. Then she heard Zhao Qian pounding wildly on the bathroom door, her voice trembling with fear and tears.

“Cousin, cousin... Tongtong, Tongtong has had an accident in Blue River City.”

She shot up from the water, hastily wrapped herself in a bath towel, and opened the door at once. “What happened? Wasn’t everything fine just now?”

Outside, Zhao Qian’s eyes were already red as a rabbit’s, but her face had gone deathly pale. The hand clutching her phone would not stop shaking, and her whole body quivered like autumn leaves.

Zhao Xin had far more experience than she did, and quickly gathered herself. Using the advantage of her height, she steadied Zhao Qian’s trembling shoulders.

“What happened? Tell me quickly.”

“I... I don’t know.” Zhao Qian choked out through her tears. “Xia Xia just called and said Tongtong was in a car accident. No one knows the details yet. She’s rushing to the hospital now.”

“Cousin.” Zhao Qian seized Zhao Xin’s hand. “Cousin, let’s go too. If we don’t go to Blue River City to see her, I won’t be able to sleep tonight. My head’s all in a mess right now. I’m so worried about her.”

“All right, all right, don’t panic.” Zhao Xin looked her over, then untied the bath towel as she spoke. “I’ll change clothes. You put these on, and bring a coat and your wallet. We’ll go to Chen Zimo’s house now. They’ll probably head there overnight.”

Zhao Qian was only a middle school student, and by then she was utterly at a loss. Hearing Zhao Xin’s calm, orderly instructions, she did not hesitate at all and hurried off to find her wallet and two coats.

By the time she was ready, Zhao Xin had already changed into a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. She took the wallet from Zhao Qian’s hand and said briefly, “Let’s go.”

The adults were already asleep, so the two of them did not disturb them. They left the room quietly, locked the front door, and headed for the Chen household.

When they arrived, no one was home.

Zhao Xin made a swift decision. The two of them took a long-distance bus to the city, then boarded the earliest coach to the provincial capital. The Chen family had a private car, so they must have driven to the city and then flown to Blue River City. But the earliest flight might not leave for several more hours. They might still be able to catch up.

Zhao Xin had experience.

After a full four hours on the bus, they arrived in the provincial capital battered and shaken. As soon as they got off, they hailed a taxi straight to the airport, bought tickets for the earliest flight, and in the waiting lounge saw the anxious Chen family.

Xie Fanghua sat in a chair with slumped shoulders and bowed head; from a distance, her expression could not be made out. Chen Zimo sat beside her, head turned slightly as though speaking to her. Chen Guoqing stood nearby, pacing back and forth from time to time. Though he was trying his best to remain composed, the way he kept rubbing his hands together and walking restlessly about betrayed his anxiety.

Seeing Chen Zimo, Zhao Xin’s eyes lit up. She pulled Zhao Qian along and walked over quickly.

“Zimo.” Her voice carried urgency and concern.

“Brother Chen.” Zhao Qian’s voice was thick with tears.

Chen Zimo looked up and saw Zhao Qian, her face crumpled and her eyes red, and Zhao Xin beside her, full of worry.

“How did you get here?”

“Auntie.” Zhao Qian sat down on Xie Fanghua’s other side, slipped an arm through hers, and asked with a sniffle, “How is Tongtong? As soon as I heard, I begged Cousin to bring me over.”

In times of trouble, true feelings were revealed. Seeing how deeply Zhao Qian cared for Xie Xitong, Xie Fanghua felt a little comforted as well, wiping her tears as she said, “I’m not very clear on the details either. All I know is that the driver was drunk and drove the car off the road and onto the sidewalk, and then...”

Hearing this, Zhao Xin wore a look of anxious concern, but still comforted them. “Uncle, Auntie, Zimo, don’t worry too much. If you upset yourselves, who will look after Tongtong? Besides, the situation still isn’t clear. Tongtong has always been blessed; she’ll be fine.”

“It’s been hard on you two,” Chen Guoqing said with a sigh. “Young girls like you coming over in the middle of the night, with no adult to look after you. If anything were to happen, how would we answer to your parents?”

A man’s self-restraint was, after all, stronger.

“Yes,” Xie Fanghua said, wiping away her tears as she chided Zhao Qian, “Auntie knows you and Tongtong are close, but with no adults around, it isn’t safe at night.”

“Did you tell any adults before you came out?” Chen Guoqing asked.

“No. When I heard about this, I was completely beside myself. How could I have remembered to tell my parents?” Zhao Qian said, head lowered.

“Zimo, call Brother Zhao at once and tell him the two girls are staying with us so the adults won’t worry,” Xie Fanghua said to Chen Zimo.

“Mm.” Chen Zimo made the call, explained what had happened, and hung up.

Looking at Zhao Qian, who was crying beside his mother, and Zhao Xin, who kept offering soft words of comfort, Chen Zimo’s heart suddenly softened.

Some people did not know each other for long, yet it felt as if they had known each other for a lifetime.

After comforting Xie Fanghua a few more times, Zhao Xin found a place to sit. Just as she caught her breath, a plain handkerchief was handed to her from the side, followed by a voice as gentle as flowing water.

“Wipe the sweat from your forehead.”

“Thank you.” Taking the handkerchief, Zhao Xin replied softly. Even such a simple motion seemed to carry all the allure in the world.

She sat down beside him. Chen Zimo closed his eyes.

“I should be the one thanking you. If you and Qianqian had not come, our whole family would still be in utter panic right now, especially my mother.”

He glanced toward Xie Fanghua. With Zhao Qian keeping her company, she had regained a little composure.

“Really, thank you both.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll always be by your side.” A gentle hand came to rest over his. Chen Zimo turned his head and saw the most tender eyes in the world, heard the most moving voice.

At that moment, he felt his heart fall captive.