The Complete Guide to the Use and Care (41-end)

75

Chapter Seventy-five

Ji Linxi arrived at Su Yuyang’s house. Neither Su Yuyang nor Ling Miao was in and Yan Li was still asleep.

Knock knock knock. A frantic knocking came from the door. Clearly, the person knocking was using a lot of force. It woke Yan Li, who complained with annoyance, “Ling Miao, go open the door.” Then she pulled the blankets up and went back to sleep.

Less than a minute later, the knocking started up again.

“Ling Miao—” Yan Li raised her voice and shouted Ling Miao’s name but got no response at all.

“Where’s he gone?” Yan Li unhappily got out of bed and ran a hand through her messy hair as she walked barefoot to the door.

“Ah—who is it?” Yan Li opened the door in a bad mood.

The door opened to reveal Ji Linxi, panting for breath. Yan Li stared at him for several seconds and frowned. “Linxi? Are you here for Ling Miao? He’s not here.” She wasn’t fully awake yet; her voice was hazy, the indolence in it especially piercing to the ears.

Ji Linxi seemed entranced by the voice. He stared at Yan Li, seeming to forgetting why he had come.

“Linxi?” Yan Li called softly.

Ji Linxi had a burst of energy and his head cleared. He held out the tablet to Yan Li and said coldly, “Take this back. As for finding someone to draw your album cover and the art for your lyric book, I suggest you ask Ling Miao. Compared to him, my skills are garbage.”

“But…”

“No buts about it.” Seeing that Yan Li wasn’t taking the tablet, he put it on the shoe rack and warned again: “Yan Li, if you keep disturbing my life, I think we don’t have to stay in touch.”

Ji Linxi had reverted to the attitude Yan Li had seen when they had first met: cold and heartless, as if he cared about nothing around him aside from himself. Yan Li stared at the tablet on the shoe rack and slowly picked it up. Ji Linxi turned and headed for the stairs, his footsteps swift, as if worried Yan Li would chase him down. But Yan Li was a star and had to be careful that her address was not revealed, so of course she wouldn’t stick to him like glue. As soon as he went down a few floors, he wouldn’t need to worry about Yan Li any more.

Yan Li held the tablet in her hand and stared after the fleeing Ji Linxi.

She bit her lip, ripples of emotion surfacing in her eyes. Her breath came faster; she seemed to be holding something back.

Ji Linxi’s silhouette disappeared around the corner, the sound of his footsteps growing fainter until they could no longer be heard.

Yan Li clutched the box in her hand. Preparing for the worst where the paparazzi were concerned, she picked up her feet and headed for the stairs.

Yan Li didn’t know how many floors Ji Linxi had gone down. She prayed she’d catch up with him before he left the apartment.

“Ji Linxi, Ji Linxi…” Yan Li recited Ji Linxi’s name. Her footsteps grew more hurried and she almost lost her footing several times.

“Ji Linxi!” On the third floor, Yan Li finally glimpsed Ji Linxi’s silhouette and called out.

Ji Linxi turned to look at Yan Li, frowning with unease. He started going faster down the stairs.

“Ji Linxi, don’t you run!” Yan Li had made up her mind to catch Ji Linxi, and the more he ran the more she wasn’t willing to give up.

Ji Linxi seemed not to hear Yan Li’s shouts. His resolute footsteps made Yan Li’s heart sink lower and lower until she had to use her last resort.