"I promise I'll never do it again! You'll know all my whereabouts, Miss Wen!" Shi Xinxin raised three fingers in a solemn oath, which couldn't help but amuse Wen Xiaoxiao.
"Pfft, I wasn't really angry with you," Wen Xiaoxiao chuckled helplessly, shaking her phone. "I was just really worried about where you were. One slip-up and it could be a complete loss."
"I know, I know. Xiaoxiao is the best to me," Shi Xinxin flashed a sweet smile. "Don't worry, I've just returned. If I can successfully sign with the company, things will be more stable."
"Indeed," Wen Xiaoxiao sat down beside Shi Xinxin, taking her hand. Her expression was earnest. "No matter what, I just want you to be okay."
"Mmm..." Looking at Wen Xiaoxiao, Shi Xinxin's nose felt a little sore.
All along the way, Wen Xiaoxiao had stayed by her side, never leaving. How rare and precious was this friendship!
"We will be okay, forever and always, for eternity!" Shi Xinxin squeezed Wen Xiaoxiao's hand back, speaking with utmost solemnity.
"Mmm!" Wen Xiaoxiao also found herself getting choked up by the moment.
No matter what, she would accompany Shi Xinxin to the very end of this journey.
The afternoon arrived in a blink. The midday sun wasn't scorching, but rather cast a warm, languid glow on the skin. A gentle breeze rustled Shi Xinxin's hair, lending her an ethereal beauty.
Shi Xinxin walked along, her bag slung over her arm, at an unhurried pace. The clock had only just struck two.
The reason Shi Xinxin had left so early was twofold. Firstly, she had a naturally strong sense of punctuality and felt deeply apologetic if she kept anyone waiting, thus she habitually arrived early for appointments.
Secondly, today's meeting was also unusual. Her counterpart was a good friend and superior to Sheng Chenjin, and Shi Xinxin hoped to salvage some of her image in his eyes.
The journey from here to the coffee shop was only about half an hour. Yet, Shi Xinxin couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety. She forced herself to calm down, taking deep breaths until she slowly settled.
What she didn't expect was that Ji An had already arrived at the coffee shop.
Ji An stood on the second floor of the coffee shop, a prime vantage point for overlooking the surroundings.
Ji An held a coffee cup in one hand and a spoon in the other, stirring idly. His gaze, however, was fixed on the beautiful figure gradually approaching below.
Ji An recognized the person as Shi Xinxin instantly.
He glanced at his watch. As expected, only half an hour had passed, meaning she was half an hour earlier than the agreed time.
Ji An smiled faintly, inwardly sighing that she hadn't disappointed him; her sense of punctuality was indeed extremely strong.
Ji An also had a strong sense of punctuality, which added considerably to his good impression of Shi Xinxin.
Watching Shi Xinxin draw nearer, reaching the entrance of the coffee shop, Ji An put down his cup, preparing to go down and greet her as a courtesy. But then, he saw a blind elderly woman with a cane passing by Shi Xinxin; she seemed to be asking something.
Ji An paused, continuing to observe.
"Uh, excuse me, where is Mò Shì Lù..." The old woman was thin, her face sallow, her silver hair covering her head. Her eyes were vacant. She was asking Shi Xinxin in broken Mandarin.
"Ah, that road? It's a bit far," Shi Xinxin, being a helpful person, calculated the time and realized she had enough to go and come back. So, she said, "Grandma, let me take you there."
"Okay, okay," the old woman nodded repeatedly, looking quite pleased.
Because the old woman was blind, Shi Xinxin bent down and, for the most part, walked with her, supporting her.
Upon reaching Mò Shì Lù, Shi Xinxin breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to rush back – the old woman's legs were also not very convenient, which had taken considerable time.
"Young lady—" the old woman called out to Shi Xinxin again, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"What is it, Grandma?" Shi Xinxin turned around, carefully bending down to whisper gently in the old woman's ear.
As the old woman's hearing wasn't very good either, Shi Xinxin whispered into her ear.
"I... I can't find my way home." The old woman seemed to know that Shi Xinxin must have things to do, and she had already kindly helped her once. It was only out of desperation, tapping her cane aimlessly and still unable to find her way, that she timidly spoke up.
"Ah..." Shi Xinxin pursed her lips and glanced at the time. It was indeed a bit difficult.
"If you have something to do, dear, then go. I... I'll try to find it myself." The old woman was also understanding and didn't want to trouble Shi Xinxin.
However, Shi Xinxin couldn't bear to leave such an elderly woman alone. So, she decided to see it through: "It's fine, Grandma. Where is your home? I'll take you back."
"Oh, is that alright..." The old woman's hand, which was holding her cane, trembled with emotion. After all, such a kind person was rare these days.
"It's fine, let's just do good deeds till the end," Shi Xinxin playfully stuck out her tongue and said.
"Young lady... you are truly a good person." The old woman's voice couldn't help but crack a little. "Look for my son Zhang Bing's house. There should be a house number on the plate."
"Okay." Since she had agreed, Shi Xinxin would do her best.
Checking the house numbers one by one was quite a tiring task. Even the old woman couldn't bear to see it and told her she didn't need to search anymore, but Shi Xinxin persisted.
She couldn't help it; she was just that stubborn and warm-hearted.
"Ah, this isn't it either..." After finally finding a house with the surname Zhang, it was unfortunately just a coincidental match.
"Young lady, why don't you stop searching and go about your own business? I'll be fine." The old woman felt too bad and said again, "Don't let this delay you. I'm just an old woman, and there's nothing important about me."
"Grandma, you don't need to worry about me. If we keep searching house by house, we'll find it!" Shi Xinxin nodded heavily, clenching her fist, her face full of righteousness, as if she were cheering up Grandma, or perhaps encouraging herself.
When they finally found a house belonging to "Zhang Bing," Shi Xinxin was overjoyed. However, upon knocking and seeing who opened the door, it turned out to be someone the old grandmother didn't recognize at all.
"This..." What else could Shi Xinxin do but sigh and continue searching? She hadn't expected there to be people with the same name on the same street.
"Young lady, this is too much of a hardship for you." The old woman sighed heavily. "You really don't need to worry about me so much. We've already searched for so long, and the rest of the way isn't far."
"If it's not far, why not see it through?" Shi Xinxin retorted, taking the old woman's rough hand, her voice filled with hope. "It's okay, let's keep going, go!"
"Young lady..." The old woman was deeply touched but didn't know what to say.
By the time they finally found the old woman's home, it was exactly on time.