"——Ji Chunzao ran away from home."
Yan Jingxing learned the news three days later. After learning the news, he felt his chest began to feel tight.
However, the girl did not come to class for two days. She didn't seem to be at school or in the dormitory at all.
That day, after Ji Chunzao told him, "I want to let it go!", the two parted ways.
She didn't specify what she was going to do. Even if Yan Jingxing asked, she would just reply: "Don't worry, leave it to me. Just wait patiently!" with a mysterious attitude.
It was a coincidence that Yan Jingxing knew the cause of this incident. He originally went to the office to find his uncle this morning, but he saw a familiar figure of a parent at the door.
A middle-aged woman with gray hair and a thin body, carrying a bag.
Isn't this Chunzao's aunt?
He was startled, and subconsciously stopped in front of the office door, peeking inside secretly.
"Excuse me, are you...?"
She asked the teacher who came forward.
"I am Ji Chunzao's parent. Has she come to school?"
"Ji Chunzao?"
The teacher turned to look at his colleagues.
"I know her, which class is she in?"
"I'm from Class 1, Grade 2." Someone said, "But the head teacher, Mr. Gao, is not here these two days..."
The school has not officially made the news public, and some teachers do not know the specific situation. But the gossip has already spread among the grades. After all, almost all the people in the cram school are from the experimental middle school, and there are several people involved in the class.
When Yan Jingxing came to school the next day, he could feel that the atmosphere in the morning classroom was different from the past, with an atmosphere of impatience and uneasiness.
He heard the classmates around him discussing the accident last night. Everyone said that Teacher Gao suddenly went crazy and injured several students. Now he has been arrested and locked up in a mental hospital.
"Yes, what a coincidence, Teacher Gao is not here. Where are the other teachers, have they seen her?"
Several teachers teaching Class 1 exchanged a few words with each other and quickly came to a conclusion.
"I didn't see her in class."
"I asked the students in the same dormitory as her. Ji Chunzao didn't come to school in the past two days."
"Is she staying home and sick?"
"No, she hasn't been at home these days." Aunt Chunzao replied, "That's why I came to school to look for her."
There was a lot of chatter in the office, and the teachers' expressions became serious.
"She is neither at school nor at home. Could it be that she ran away from home?"
Yan Jingxing, who was standing outside the office, heard the teachers' conversation. He turned around, his back pressed against the wall, and his heart was pounding.
Chun Zao... ran away from home?
His first subconscious reaction was regret.
He obviously knew the danger existed, but because of that dream - if different opportunities came together, things would change dramatically - and such selfish thoughts, he didn't stop Ji Chunzao.
"Did you call the police?"
"Call the police?" Aunt Chunzao immediately shook her head, "No, she will come back. I'm just here to ask, so don't take it to heart."
The teachers looked at each other and watched the middle-aged woman turn and leave the office.
…
As soon as she went out, she saw Yan Jingxing and her eyes immediately widened.
What happened at the entrance of the mall that day obviously left a deep impression on the other party.
"you……"
"Chun Zao is gone? Where did she go?"
"Don't she often hang out with you? I'd like to ask you."
Aunt Chunzao replied angrily.
"I guess she went to the beach. She often sneaks out and comes back wet after swimming all day, and I can't control her."
"Even so, will she not go home?"
"Who knows, it didn't happen before." The woman left a word and left in a hurry.
"I'll go find her!"
Yan Jingxing shouted behind her, but the other party ignored her.
…
"what are you doing here?"
Yan Jing was walking in the corridor and bumped into another acquaintance.
"That person just now must be Chun Zao's aunt."
The captain, the classmate, held a large stack of homework books and quickly buried her head. She stuck her head out and looked towards the woman's back.
"Did Chun Zao do something again and the teacher called him a parent?"
I thought you had broken off your relationship with Chun Zao.
As if she had read through his thoughts, Xie Yuzhi added:
"We are roommates after all. I haven't seen her in the past two days. I thought I went to find aliens with you again. But judging from your expression just now, do you know the reason why she didn't come to school?"
Xie Yuzhi looked at him with an inquiring look like "What are you feeling now?"
Yan Jingxing sighed and said, "Let me help you." He took away half of the homework books piled high in her hands, and the two of them walked towards the office again.
"I don't know, that's why I want to find her. When school is over... No, forget it, I'll just ask the teacher for leave today."
Xie Yuzhi glanced at his profile.
"Chun Zao will be fine."
"Huh? Why?"
Yan Jingxing asked strangely.
"Intuition. In my opinion, she is a special person. I am not so kind as to help others casually. Just like when everyone sees me, they will think that I will achieve something in the future; I have the same feeling when I see her. a feeling of."
"..."
To be honest, Yan Jingxing didn't understand what she was talking about. Was she praising herself? Judging from her calm expression, that's probably not what she meant.
"I think what you meant that day was that you weren't going to continue to be friends with Chun Zao? Why do you feel like you have a pretty high opinion of her?"
"The two are not contradictory. No matter what kind of person she will become in the future, I still find it unbearable to talk about 'alien' all day long."
Xie Yuzhi put down her homework on the unoccupied desk and smoothed her hair hanging around her ears.
"In short, I think if Ji Chunzao chooses to leave people's sight one day, it must be because she has been disappointed in everyone. But now, hasn't she met you? So don't worry, she knows what she knows."
Yan Jingxing didn't think anything would happen to her. In fact, what he was really dissatisfied with was——
"The problem is, I treat her as a friend, but I make my own decisions without saying a word. Don't you know that others will be worried?"
Xie Yuzhi blinked and said again:
"Maybe she felt in danger, so she didn't want to involve you."
"Is it dangerous...I know this too."
Yan Jingxing held his chin and tried hard to think about the problem from Chun Zao's point of view.
Because of the vague memory of his childhood encounter, it became Ji Chunzao's biggest psychological obstacle when using his summoning ability.
But she said she didn't want to stand still, and she must have been affected by his appearance in the process - in short, she finally mustered up the courage to face it proactively.
That’s why you have to face it alone? But this...
Isn't that a bit too brave?
"Oh, no, I still can't let go. I want to find her."
When Yan Jingxing walked out of the office again, he had already made up his mind.
"me and you togather."
But what he didn't expect was Xie Yuzhi's reaction next to him.
"……ah?"
He looked at her strangely.
This person said he didn't want to have anything to do with Chun Zao, but in fact he didn't let go at all.
"is this necessary?"
"This is my decision, I'm not discussing it with you." The girl frowned, "I will call a car to take you there now. If you are on the way, we can go together, but if you don't want to, we can also separate and find our own way. ."
"...I hope you can give me a moment, thank you."
Yan Jingxing asked him honestly.
"Very good." Xie Yuzhi nodded with satisfaction, "Do you know where she is now?"
"I heard from Aunt Chunzao that she often goes to the beach to play alone."
"I see, the seaside...but isn't this target range too big?"
"I might know where she went."
Yan Jingxing whispered.
On the edge of the sea, it is vast and free. Only one person will not affect the surroundings.
If Ji Chunzao is looking for a place to do what she wants to do, it is indeed the most suitable place.
The problem was just like what the girl in front of me said. She only knew the two keywords "near Baiyue Town and the beach", but the scope was still too large, and it was impossible for them to find it.
However, if... if Ji Chunzao wants to be found by him, the answer may be the only one——
"Then let's leave now."
Xie Yuzhi clapped her hands without asking any more questions, acting extremely decisive.
Fifteen minutes later, the two junior high school students carrying schoolbags had left the school gate.
*
"It should be in that direction. Along the road, can you see a rest stop? It's near there."
The black car drove smoothly on the suburban road.
Yan Jingxing, who was sitting in the back seat, pressed his face against the window, watching the scenery outside the car window passing by quickly, vaguely recognizing familiar intersections and signs, and explaining the location and direction to the driver.
Xie Yuzhi did not sit in the passenger seat, but sat next to him, holding her schoolbag and closing her eyes to relax.
Occasionally he couldn't help turning his head to look at her.
The girl's eyes were closed and she was sitting upright, her thick eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings, casting shadows on her eyelids on her snow-white face.
Xie Yuzhi's breathing was long and steady, and Yan Jingxing began to wonder if she was really asleep. She was so motionless that she looked like a statue carved from jade.
"That place?"
The driver confirmed to him.
"right."
Yan Jingxing took a deep breath.
Ji Chunzao was at the place where they first met - he wasn't sure about the answer.
But he had nowhere else to go.
"Just stop here."
Xie Yuzhi slowly opened his eyes.
"I'll go down with him for a walk, so you don't have to follow me."
"But, miss..."
The driver spoke hesitantly. Yan Jingxing naturally noticed that the person who came this time was not the person who uniformed Teacher Gao last time. It seemed that Xie Yuzhi had more than one driver at home.
"Twenty minutes, just give us twenty minutes."
Xie Yuzhi put her schoolbag aside, pushed the door open from the passenger side and jumped out of the car with very neat movements.
…
Today's sky is gloomier than usual. Where the sea and sky meet in the distance, gray clouds are gathering, and the blue sky is obscured by haze, like a sign of an approaching storm.
The rolling seawater slapped on the rocks, like the wet tongue spit out by a giant sea beast; amidst the whistling wind, the waves were getting higher and higher, hitting the bedrock under the road, causing a huge splash of water.
"The weather is not very good. Is it going to rain?"
He pitched the tent with his hands and looked into the distance, feeling a little worried in his heart.
"We find her as soon as possible and leave as soon as possible."
The captain's attitude remained the same as before, as calm as if he had never been affected by the outside world.
The two of them walked along the guardrail along the coast. Yan Jingxing silently recalled the scene that day and determined his current location.
is it here?
We're already some distance from the rest stop, haven't we arrived yet?
No, it seemed that he ran away last time...
Or maybe I guessed wrong? This possibility is rather high.
He was so uneasy that he couldn't help but break the silence:
"What if Chunzao isn't here..."
"You mean you're not sure? Maybe our trip was in vain?"
"I said 'maybe' from the beginning."
"That's really too bad." Xie Yuzhi sighed, "Wasting my time is a felony. As punishment, I will ask the driver to leave you here and let you find a way back alone."
"..."
Yan Jingxing opened his mouth in shock, and then saw her frowning slightly.
"I'm just kidding."
"Don't scare people, okay? I don't think most people can tell if you are joking or not."
He replied angrily.
"I just want you to relax a little."
There was no element of "laughing" in Xie Yuzhi's expression. She quickly changed the subject.
"She didn't run away from home for no reason, right? Even if you find her, have you thought about how to persuade her?"
Yan Jingxing didn't answer.
The class captain didn't know the reason, but he knew it very well.
Can he convince Chun Zao to change his mind? Rather, can anyone really stop her from making up her mind?
Moreover, although he had obviously agreed before, in Ji Chunzao's view, his sudden return might have seemed inexplicable.
"If she can't be found here, do you have any other ideas?"
"Hmm... maybe in the nearby forest? Do you know which mountain her parents disappeared from?"
"You and I have the same idea. But if you want to organize people to search the mountain, it will be a different situation. Depending on the situation, you have to call the police first."
"Are you willing to make such a big deal for her..."
Although he knew that the girls around him didn't like this topic, Yan Jingxing couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that Ji Chunzao's statement that "the captain, classmate, takes care of her like a mother" was really not a casual statement.
"If you want to do it, you have to do it to the end. I don't like to give up halfway, that's all."
Xie Yuzhi stared at the undulating sea in the distance under the gray sky and replied in a low voice.
…
A few minutes later, Yan Jingxing saw an extremely familiar figure.
With such a long distance, she was like a small black dot standing on the rock. But he still recognized her at first sight and couldn't help shouting:
"Spring algae——!"
He was a little excited and immediately waved in that direction.
The girl turned around.
Every inch of her clothes was dancing in the strong wind blowing in her face, and her long black hair stretched back like dark clouds falling from the sky.
Then he heard laughter.
"Hehe...hahahaha...hahahaha..."
The clear laughter was drowned in the sound of wind and ocean tide in the background. Yan Jingxing was frightened when he heard the faint smile.
What are you laughing at? Why is it weird?
"——I succeeded!"
Ji Chunzao put his hands to his mouth and shouted with all his strength to the two people in the distance, so hard that he bowed down.
"I...succeeded!"
