Chapter 13

Luo Xiao’s wife had an imposing aura. Clad in a pair of red high heels and sunglasses, she walked up to Qu Ling’er and asked airily, “You’re Qu Ling’er?”

“I am, and you are?” Qu Ling’er asked curiously.

The woman took off her sunglasses. Although she was already middle-aged—she looked good for her age—and very elegant.

“I’m Luo Xiao’s wife. I came to withdraw the case. Lass, you’re not bad—feisty—I admire you. But if your father can sell you once, he can sell you a second time. Be careful!”

“I understand. Thank you for your reminder,” Qu Ling’er replied politely.

The woman did not say anything else. She put on her sunglasses and turned to leave.

Qu Ling’er stood by the roadside and felt like she had nowhere to go when she suddenly heard the continuous honking of horns from not far away. She turned around and saw a car in a public parking lot by the street with its lights on. The driver’s window rolled down and Luo Yichen’s face appeared. He waved at her and said, “Come here.”

Qu Ling’er looked at him in astonishment. In that instant, he was like a superhero in her eye—the light in her darkness.

Luo Yichen was probably afraid of being recognized, so he quickly put on his mask and said in a low voice, “What are you standing there for? Come here quickly.”

Qu Ling’er immediately snapped out of it. She walked around to the front passenger seat—opened the car door—and got in. She looked at Luo Yichen and felt surreal.

Luo Yichen quickly rolled up the window and turned around to see Qu Ling’er looking at him in a daze. He reminded her, “Fasten your seatbelt.”

“Oh.” Qu Ling’er quickly looked away and blushed. She lowered her head and fastened her seatbelt.

The car started slowly. Qu Ling’er suddenly remembered her identity card and asked softly, “Brother, did you bring my identity card?”

Luo Yichen looked straight ahead and did not answer. Instead, he asked, “How long have you been in the police station?”

Qu Ling’er replied, “About three to four hours.”

“Were you bullied?” Luo Yichen asked.

Qu Ling’er shook her head. “No, they just asked me a few questions and then left. No one bothered about me but they would not let me go.”

Luo Yichen fell silent again.

Qu Ling’er said softly, “Brother, can you send me to Feng’an Road? I’ll alight there. Can you give me back my identity card? I’ll stay in a hotel.”

Luo Yichen was stunned for a moment before saying, “I didn’t find your identity card. Come back with me to look for it.” Actually, he already had her identity card with him. But when he heard that she was going to stay in a hotel, he did not want to return it to her—It was not safe for a young girl to stay in a hotel.

“Oh, alright.” Qu Ling’er did not think too much about it and nodded meekly.

“Are you not going home? You are going to stay in a hotel?” Luo Yichen asked.

Qu Ling’er bit her lip and said aggrievedly, “I received the admission letter from Beijing University today—I can report to school in 10 days. So, I want to stay in a hotel in the meantime and complete the admission procedures. The most important thing is to transfer my household register from the Qu family to the school so that I don’t have to go back there in future.”

Luo Yichen was a little surprised. It turned out this lass wanted to leave the Qu family and be independent. He reminded her, “There’s no mandatory requirement to change your household register when you enroll in school. If your family doesn’t agree, there’s nothing you can do.”

Qu Ling’er lowered her eyes. She knew this—it was the reason she felt helpless. Even though she had grown up, there was nothing she could do.

When the car was about to reach the neighborhood, Luo Yichen said, “You haven’t had dinner yet. Go and buy something to eat.”

Qu Ling’er glanced at the side of the street and shook her head. “No, I have no appetite. We’ll see after I find my identity card.”

Luo Yichen did not say anything and drove into the neighborhood. After entering the house, he realized that Qu Ling’er was still standing at the door.

She looked up at him and said softly, “Brother I shan’t go in. Can you help me find my identity card?”

Luo Yichen looked away—took off his mask and hat—and said, “Find it yourself.”

Seeing that Luo Yichen had no intention of helping her find it, Qu Ling’er changed her shoes. She entered the house and went straight to the sofa. But after searching for a long time, she could not find her identity card. Where is her identity card?

Luo Yichen watched as she searched for her identity card. He calmly poured a glass of water—took a sip—and asked, “Haven’t found it yet?”

“Mm…” Qu Ling’er was lying on her stomach and searching under the sofa. “I probably remembered wrongly. But if I didn’t lose it in your house, I definitely wouldn’t be able to find it…”

She began to doubt her memory. Could it be that she did not lose it when she took out the Post-it note, but somehow dropped it outside afterwards? Without her identity card, she had nowhere to stay!