Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 78

“Have you packed everything?”

Qin Yun stood at the bedroom door, her voice filled with worry. Chu Xi pulled the zipper of her suitcase and nodded silently, not offering a verbal reply.

“Can you please not be angry with me anymore?” Unable to get a response, Qin Yun asked pleadingly, showing weakness. Chu Xi turned around to look at the woman she loved. She easily read the reluctance and concern in Qin Yun’s eyes.

“I’m not angry with you. My attitude was too aggressive that day, and it was right for you to hit me.”

“Hug me…” Qin Yun lowered her eyes and pleaded. Chu Xi opened her arms and embraced her, wanting to properly soothe her emotions.

Qin Yun buried her face in Chu Xi’s neck, her hands tightly gripping the hem of Chu Xi’s clothes: “Everyone says it’s dangerous over there. I don’t want to let you go.”

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine, I promise you… I received a message from Qu Ye. Zanda has already rendezvoused with him and said the situation is urgent and they can’t wait for me to arrive. They have to act early. I must rush over to deal with the aftermath.”

“But I’m worried!” Hearing Qin Yun’s tearful complaint, Chu Xi’s heart almost melted. She cupped her girlfriend’s chin and kissed her deeply, unable to wait a moment longer.

Chu Xi placed one foot between Qin Yun’s legs, roughly pushing her against the wall.

The brazen, almost suffocating kiss seemed to convey that she was also very reluctant to leave. They were in the throes of a passionate relationship; how could they endure the pain of separation?

Qin Yun responded eagerly, but no amount of kissing felt like enough. She wished she could give all of herself to Chu Xi; she longed for more love and affection from the person in front of her.

Chu Xi’s warm palm traveled across the vast plain to the proud peak. Just as things were about to spiral out of control, a jarring phone alarm broke the rising intimacy.

Her rationality instantly returned. Chu Xi stepped back, rubbed her lips, and reluctantly gave a hurried goodbye: “I need to get to the airport… Don’t worry too much. I’ll message you every day to say I’m safe. Wait for me to come back, be good.”

With that, Chu Xi dragged her suitcase, preparing to walk out of the bedroom. Qin Yun grabbed her arm: “I’ll drive you to the airport.”

“Don’t see me off. I won’t be able to bear leaving.” Chu Xi sighed, but Qin Yun clung to her, refusing to let go: “I just want to spend a little more time with you. I don’t want to waste even one extra second.”

Chu Xi kissed her forehead lovingly: “Let’s go.”

On the other side, Ling Xi was also packing her luggage. The upcoming trip was a sunny road leading to seeing her loved one, so her mood was unprecedentedly good.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted her folding of clothes.

When she opened the door, the visitor instantly dragged Ling Xi’s good mood into a deep abyss.

The door was slightly ajar, and Lin Fangwan stood in front of it.

The bruise on her mouth hadn’t completely faded. The consequences of her deceit caused her eyes to flicker away, and her hands, clasped together, were intertwined from nervousness.

“Can I come in?” Lin Fangwan whispered, but Ling Xi had no intention of inviting her in: “If there’s anything, just say it here.”

Ling Xi’s coldness was expected by Lin Fangwan. She knew her actions had once again messed up their relationship.

She stammered and hesitated for a long while before finally saying: “I came to say goodbye.”

“You shouldn’t have come on this trip in the first place. Leaving quietly would have been the best choice.”

Ling Xi did not try to keep her from leaving. She even wished for this woman to quickly disappear from her life out of disgust.

Lin Fangwan pressed her hand against the door gap. Even though Ling Xi was pressing the door tightly, causing red marks on the back of her hand, she didn’t feel the slightest pain in her heart.

“I’m sorry.”

These simple three words instantly ignited Ling Xi’s anger. Usually gentle-tempered, Ling Xi rarely exploded: “What good is an apology! Lin Fangwan, you shouldn’t have appeared in my life. Why couldn’t we just part ways cordially? Why does my life become a complete mess every time you show up? How long are you going to torture me?”

Ling Xi’s questioning left Lin Fangwan speechless. She choked up for a long time without speaking. She had sincerely repented, even foolishly hoping that there was still some fate left with Ling Xi. But at this moment, she finally realized that it was impossible. Because in Ling Xi’s eyes, besides disgust, there was no sign of lingering affection.

“I’m sorry…” Besides a pale apology, Lin Fangwan didn’t know what else to say. She took a step back, ready to leave, but Ling Xi suddenly called out to her: “Wait a moment.”

Ling Xi’s inexplicable request to stay rekindled hope in Lin Fangwan’s eyes. She stood frozen in place, thinking Ling Xi had softened.

But soon, Ling Xi’s actions irrevocably severed this seemingly hopeless relationship.

The gift Lin Fangwan had painstakingly prepared was thrown to the doorway, completely unopened.

She was like an executioner, coldly and mercilessly cutting off their connection.

“You should know very well what you did to Bo’er in the restaurant that day… The reason I didn’t expose you was because I wanted to keep some dignified memories of our past.”

Lin Fangwan was stunned. She looked at Ling Xi in disbelief: “You… you know everything…”

“There were no cameras in the private room, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any outside. If you insist on lying to the end, the video is still on my phone, and we can confront it right here.”

“I…” Lin Fangwan wanted to explain, but Ling Xi raised her hand to stop her: “You should leave now. Disappear forever from my world, from my heart… Your phantom has lingered in my mind for far too long, so much so that I’ve dragged my ailing body through life until today… We must say goodbye to the past.”

Ling Xi was also saying this to herself. She resolutely closed the door and slid down to the floor, feeling helpless.

She had no more tears left to cry for Lin Fangwan. But her heart could not be fooled, because it still hurt. This complex feeling was hard to describe.

The heart is split in two, one half for the new love, one half for the old.

The pain was perhaps because the so-called old love was finally forced out of her heart. It was at this very moment that the chronic depression that had plagued her for years seemed to be extracted, and Ling Xi felt an unprecedented sense of relief and freedom. She smiled.

Lin Fangwan walked to the door, resting her forehead against it, and murmured forlornly: “Flower…”

The sound of high heels faded away. Ling Xi let out a sigh of relief. She could finally and properly start a new life, having gained the courage to step into Qiao Bo’er’s world.

“It will get better, Bo’er… Please wait for me.”

Ji Nancen’s slender fingers stroked the newly equipped weapon. She was absolutely in love with the contents of the armory.

She casually picked up a submachine gun, smoothly adjusted the sight, loaded it, braced it against her shoulder to test the angle, and excitedly cheered: “Senior, it looks like the regiment’s supplies are quite good.”

Luli Fa chewed on his cigar and puffed out a smoke ring. He looked especially smug upon hearing the praise: “Want to hit the firing range later and practice?”

“I’d be delighted…”

Zanda and Qu Ye were more serious than Ji Nancen. They selected a pistol and a hand grenade, and packed extra ammunition into their bags.

Luli Fa patted Zanda’s shoulder: “I have something good for you.”

Hearing about something good, the three curiously followed Luli Fa to a safe placed in the corner of the armory.

Luli Fa unlocked the safe and spoke: “I never thought you’d come back. I’ve been keeping this thing safe for you. I’m returning it to you today; it will definitely come in handy.”

With that, Luli Fa handed a gold-plated, engraved Desert Eagle to Zanda.

Zanda held his beloved gun and smiled faintly. Honestly, Qiao Di didn’t deserve to be shot with this gun.

“Damn! You’re amazing, Zanda. You can handle that?!”

Ji Nancen exclaimed. Luli Fa crossed his arms and boasted loudly: “Zanda once single-handedly counter-killed more than ten people at close range with this gun.”

Ji Nancen pinched Zanda’s muscular arm, a slightly awkward smile on her face: “Well, with arms like those thighs, he can handle it.”

“We’ve prepared almost everything. Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you going to stay and practice?” Luli Fa tried to persuade them, but Zanda shook his head: “We have a mission. We still have several hours of driving to do when we return, and we need to formulate a plan. After the deed is done, I’ll come back, and I’ll bring you a few bottles of good wine then.”

“Brother, take care! I’ll wait for your wine.”

Zanda smiled and struck a cool pose in farewell, then led the two away from the military regiment.

On the way back, Ji Nancen wasn’t speeding impatiently, but rather enjoying the leisurely drive.

Zanda rested his chin on his hands and chatted with the two: “Let’s visit the church tomorrow and learn the layout. That’s very important.”

“Sounds good. We can make a prayer while we’re at it. Perfect,” Ji Nancen teased lightly.

Hearing a notification, Qu Ye took out his phone to check it. He announced the good news with a smile: “Chu Xi has boarded the plane. She arrives at ten tomorrow morning.”

“That works out. We’ll pick her up at the airport and go to the church together.”

Zanda closed his eyes to rest after arranging everything. Ji Nancen asked, confused: “If we go to the church the day after tomorrow, what about Chu Xi? We still need to settle her down first.”

Qu Ye smiled and waved his hand: “You don’t need to worry about her. She has her own things to do.”

“Her own things?”

“She will be taking a lawyer to Qiao Sir’s company to handle commercial matters.”

“Oh! I get it now. It looks like Qiao Bo’er has something going on after all. You three pieces, plus me as an outside help, planning an entire game of chess—impressive!”

“Miss has great foresight. She anticipated that a falling out with Qiao Di would be inevitable in the end, so this arrangement is perfectly logical.”

“However… isn’t she a little too confident? Even PA-40 dare not interfere excessively with Qiao Di’s background. How can we few manage to crack him?”

“You can say we are three humble cobblers, or you can say we are ‘three men making a tiger’ [rumors become fact]. The more people underestimate you, the easier it is to strike. It’s not about strength in numbers; Miss Bo’er’s original words were that we are elite forces.”

“Then I have one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“After Qiao Bo’er is rescued, will you stay in Florence? When will you return to Xuancheng? What about Ling Xi?” When the focus shifted to the key issue, Qu Ye pondered for a moment, resting his chin on his hand.

“After the mission is complete, I will give you the money as agreed. Your mission will be successfully concluded. If you want to stay in the manor to rest for a while, that’s fine. Returning to Xuancheng is also an option. It’s up to you.”

“What about you two?”

“The Qiao Sir family has many businesses. If we successfully eliminate Qiao Di, it might take a long time to deal with the aftermath. We can’t return to Xuancheng for the time being. As for Ling Xi…”

Qu Ye drew out his words, leaving them in suspense: “Miss voluntarily turned herself in and returned to Florence. Ling Xi was the final link in this plan, so don’t worry, she has her own arrangements.”

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