Chapter 30: Leave as Soon as Possible

Wei Qu hadn’t yet processed what was happening when that group slammed the door shut. Then, as they made their way to the innermost part of the shop, they came face to face with him.

Apparently, they hadn’t expected to find someone there; for a moment, all of them froze. But they recovered quickly. The one closest to Wei Qu grabbed him and yanked him behind the half-height counter in front of the traditional medicine cabinets.

Just as Lin Buwan reached the middle of the street, she saw a group of people rush into the pharmacy and lock the door behind them. That wasn’t the important part. The real problem was that only moments later, another crowd, brandishing blades that flashed with cold light, came charging after them.

She halted immediately. She recognized the knife-wielding men—they were the five burly men who had come downstairs with her not long ago.

They stopped in front of the pharmacy, tried the door, and found it locked. Pressing their faces to the glass, they peered inside for a long moment but saw no sign of anyone. Scanning the area, their gaze finally met Lin Buwan’s.

A glint of cruelty flashed in Xie Jun’s eyes when he saw her. He turned away, replacing it at once with a genial smile, and strode towards Lin Buwan.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous as the man drew closer; now that she saw the weapon in his hand up close, there was no mistaking it for a child’s toy—it was real, and deadly.

“Miss, did you happen to see a few college students pass by?” Xie Jun’s tone was polite enough.

But Lin Buwan glimpsed the murderous intent in his eyes. She lowered her gaze, concealing her own hostility, and feigned fear on her face.

“I don’t know… but just now I saw some people run that way,” she replied, pointing to a narrow alley two shops down from the pharmacy.

Xie Jun followed her gesture, and one of his men immediately ran off to check.

Lin Buwan was tense—if that alley turned out to be a dead end, she’d be finished. Luckily, fortune favored her; a shout soon rang out, “Boss, it’s a through alley!” Relief washed over her.

But she’d barely begun to relax when Xie Jun turned back, staring at her intently for a long moment.

Lin Buwan frowned ever so slightly, enduring his piercing gaze, trying her best not to betray any other emotion.

After a while, Xie Jun finally looked away, offering her a faint smile and a word of thanks. When he and his men disappeared into the alley, Lin Buwan waited another five minutes to make sure they weren’t coming back, then darted to the pharmacy door.

“Wei Qu! Wei Qu, are you in there?” She rapped quickly on the glass, not daring to call out loudly for fear of drawing Xie Jun and his men back.

Wei Qu heard Lin Buwan’s voice and, summoning his strength, broke free from the man holding him. Emerging from behind the counter and finding only Lin Buwan outside, he hurriedly unlocked the door.

“We need to get out of here now, or I’m afraid they’ll come back for us,” Lin Buwan said, pulling at his arm to hurry him away.

“Wait,” Wei Qu said, unmoving. Under her puzzled gaze, he turned back to his original spot, grabbed his bag from the water, and swept all the medicine from the counter into it without a second thought. Zipping it up, he ignored the stunned group still frozen behind the counter, and dashed back to Lin Buwan’s side. The two of them vanished from the pharmacy entrance in an instant.

On the way, Lin Buwan told Wei Qu what had happened outside, and he recounted his own experience inside the shop. After exchanging information, they agreed it was best to return to the apartment.

Rushing back to the twentieth floor, they arrived just in time for a dramatic scene.

Ji Dong, Qin Wei, and their friends—seven or eight people in all—were locked outside the door. They were pounding furiously on Wu Xiaofei’s apartment, shouting.

Listening for a while, Lin Buwan pieced together what had happened. Apparently, Wu Xiaofei had finally seen Ji Dong for who he was; hurt and with her mind cleared, she’d taken advantage of everyone being out that day to gather some supplies, then hurried home and kicked all of them out.

What puzzled Lin Buwan was that they’d lived there for so long—they must have had keys. How could they all end up locked outside?

After she’d watched the spectacle and returned home, Hua Xiao gave her the answer.

“She begged us,” Hua Xiao shrugged. “She offered some supplies in exchange for us helping her change the locks. We didn’t want to at first, but she was so persistent that Yu Su finally agreed to help.”

Hearing this, Lin Buwan was at a loss for words. There was no point in blaming them, but she couldn’t praise them either. Best to just say nothing at all.

“Pack your things. We’re leaving tonight,” she instructed gravely, choosing not to comment further.

“Huh?” Hua Xiao blinked in confusion, completely unprepared for the sudden announcement.

Lin Buwan explained her encounter with Xie Jun, shared her and Wei Qu’s suspicions, and mentioned seeing Xie Jun’s men armed with cold weapons.

To put it bluntly, she had a feeling Xie Jun had marked them as targets.

She wasn’t afraid of trouble, but they were outnumbered and outgunned.

Among them, only Wei Qu could take a hit—the others… well, best not to mention it.

“So… where are we going?” Hua Xiao asked, her face pale with anxiety.

Lin Buwan and Wei Qu exchanged glances; they hadn’t figured that out either.

“We’ll leave first. Better than getting cornered at home.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than someone knocked at the door.

Hua Xiao jumped, looking at her in fright.

Her reaction made Lin Buwan sigh and rub her forehead in exasperation.

Before she could say anything, Wei Qu had already opened the door, revealing Ji Dong and his group.

Lin Buwan got to her feet, facing them with a frosty expression. “What do you want?”

“Xiao Wan, we have nowhere else to stay. Could we use your old apartment for a while?” Qin Wei smiled stiffly, her voice gentle as she stated their request.

Lin Buwan frowned, clearly displeased. She no longer lived there, and would soon be leaving anyway, but that didn’t mean she wanted to let them stay.

But then she realized: if Xie Jun and his men decided to take their anger out on them, they’d surely come back looking for trouble. If Qin Wei’s group moved in, then…

“The lock on that door is broken. If you want to stay there, go ahead. But let me say this first: times have changed. You’d be better off finding somewhere else. If anything happens, don’t blame me.”

She knew Ji Dong couldn’t stand being provoked; to his ears, her words were as good as a refusal.

“Don’t worry. We won’t hold you responsible.”