Chapter Seventeen: The Invitation

"Nangong, do you have time tomorrow?"
A clear, ringing voice sounded, and both Nangong Yuchen and Le Han looked over in surprise.
"Anqier?" Seeing the delicate figure approaching, Nangong Yuchen's gaze grew wary. He had no idea why Anqier had come to see him—was it about what happened last time?
As he hesitated, Le Han grinned and said, "Class Rep, thanks for this morning!"
"It's nothing!" Anqier waved her hand with a bright smile, then walked over to Nangong Yuchen and asked somewhat earnestly, "Nangong, do you have time tomorrow?"
"I do… Do you need something?" Nangong Yuchen was even more puzzled.
Anqier's beautiful eyes lit up, and she immediately invited him, "Could you please take me to Qinghu Town tomorrow?"
Qinghu?
The moment he heard those words, Nangong Yuchen visibly trembled, his face quickly darkening. That name was all too familiar to him.
"Qinghu Town, huh? I heard it's the most scenic town around here. Class Rep, are you planning a trip tomorrow?" Le Han picked up the conversation with a smile.
"Mm..." Anqier nodded with a smile, but before she could finish the word, she was abruptly interrupted.
"I'm not free!" Nangong Yuchen lowered his head, his voice cold.
Le Han, sensing his sudden change, was confused, but his instincts told him Nangong was in a foul mood, so he wisely kept quiet.
Meanwhile, Anqier's smile froze, and then she grew slightly angry, "You just said you were free a moment ago!"
"What's wrong with you? Whether I'm free or not is my business. Can't you go to Qinghu Town on your own?" Nangong Yuchen's tone grew harsh.
"If you don't want to, fine, but... but why are you so mean?" Anqier looked aggrieved, her cheeks flushed with anger. She had prepared herself for the possibility of upsetting Nangong Yuchen, but the reality was still hard to accept. Still, she couldn't give up, so she insisted, "Qinghu Town is so far, and I don't know the way. How am I supposed to get there alone? Besides, I heard it's your hometown, so I wanted you to take me. But you... you agreed at first, and now..." Her last words were shaky, almost in tears.
"I said I..." Nangong Yuchen suddenly felt a headache coming on. The thing he feared most was girls crying in front of him. Anqier's jewel-like eyes were brimming with tears, making her look utterly pitiful, on the verge of breaking down. His previously cold tone softened slightly.
Yet, he still didn't understand what this girl was really after. To him, Qinghu Town wasn't a place he was unwilling to return to—it was a place he simply couldn't go back to. So he couldn't agree to her request.
As he struggled to find a way to refuse, Le Han spoke up, "Nangong, just agree to it. If it wasn't for the Class Rep this morning, I might not be just lying here right now. Besides, no one in our class knows Qinghu Town better than you!"
Now Nangong understood why Le Han had thanked Anqier the moment he saw her—she had saved him.

"Alright, what time tomorrow?" Nangong Yuchen sighed in resignation.
Seeing him agree, Anqier's pitiful expression vanished, replaced by excitement. "It's settled, then. Let's meet at nine tomorrow morning at the C District Rapid Transit Station. I'll text you the exact spot tonight!"
Before Nangong Yuchen could say more, she dashed off in a flash.
"..." Nangong Yuchen was left speechless. He had been tricked—her act just now had been entirely deliberate, and he hadn't noticed at all. But as he thought about it, he still couldn't guess what she wanted from him.
Unable to make sense of it, he could only sigh inwardly, "It's been so long since I've been back to Qinghu Town. I wonder if it's still the way I remember it..."
"Heh! Nangong, I've heard Qinghu Town is full of mountains and rivers. Are you two planning to, you know, go wild in the wilds?" Le Han's beady green eye, barely visible through his bandages, squinted mischievously as he laughed.
"Go wild, my foot!"
"Ouch... Nangong, take it easy!"
...
District B, Tianhua Street.
After finishing her physical assessment, Nangong Kexin hurried over. Today, she was especially beautiful—her long, silky black hair was tied up with a hair clip, showing off her slender, swan-like neck. Her delicate face was as white as porcelain, glowing with an almost translucent sheen in the evening light.
Her eyes were limpid and pure, shining with innocence—so pure that one could not summon any wicked thoughts even upon meeting her gaze.
She wore a cute cartoon T-shirt on top and black capri shorts on the bottom, making her look even more youthful and charming.
Standing at the street corner, she kept scanning the surroundings, as if anxiously waiting for someone.
After a while, her phone rang in her pocket. She hurried to answer, and a male voice came from the other end. After giving her location, it was only a few minutes before a black sedan pulled up beside her.
The window rolled down to reveal a young man of about twenty. He smiled and beckoned her over.
"Brother Zhou!" Nangong Kexin's face lit up with joy as she quickly opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.
The young man had short, dyed blond hair and a handsome face. He turned to admire the beautiful girl beside him and asked with gentlemanly politeness, "Kexin, what would you like to eat later?"
"Huh?" Nangong Kexin was surprised. "Brother Zhou, didn't you say you were taking me to A District Prison to visit my parents?"
"Hah! Kexin, don't rush about visiting the prison. Let's have a meal first and talk about it tonight, alright?" the young man said with a smile as he started the car.
Hearing this, the joy faded from Nangong Kexin's face and her tone grew disappointed. "Brother Zhou, could you take me to see my mom and dad first? I... I really miss them."

Noticing her sadness, a hint of lust flashed across the young man's eyes. He quickly tried to comfort her. "Kexin, you do know why your parents were sent to prison, don't you? It's the Lu family, after all. We can't be too reckless, or even my father couldn't afford to offend them!"
Nangong Kexin's face, which had already darkened, grew even more troubled. She asked anxiously, "Then... what should I do?"
"Heh, don't worry about it. Leave it to me. I'll find the right opportunity to arrange for you to visit your parents."
"Oh..." Nangong Kexin lowered her head, her mood heavy.
The young man continued to reassure her, "So, don't be sad. Let's go for a meal, shall we?" As he spoke, he deliberately slowed the car, reaching out to put his right arm around Nangong Kexin's shoulders.
"Brother Zhou, what are you doing?" Nangong Kexin, already feeling down, stiffened instantly when she felt his touch. She brushed his hand away angrily.
The young man hadn't expected that reaction. In his surprise, he lost control of the car, which bumped into the roadside barrier.
Bang! Fortunately, the car wasn't going fast, so they only jolted inside.
"Brother Zhou, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Nangong Kexin's face turned pale as she looked at the shattered glass and the young man's sullen face, apologizing repeatedly.
After several seconds, the young man's expression finally softened and he forced a smile. "It's alright."
But his smile was much stiffer than before.
Nangong Kexin was a little frightened and quickly said, "Brother Zhou, I... I have something to do today, so I'll head back first!"
With that, she opened the door and hurried out.
Just then, the young man lowered his window and called after her, "Nangong Kexin, there's a dance tomorrow. I hope you'll come. Quite a few of my friends who work at the prison will be there!"
"Okay..." Nangong Kexin forced a smile, nodded, and ran off.
But she didn't get far before she crouched by the roadside and began to sob uncontrollably.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
At sixteen or seventeen, how could she not understand the young man's intentions toward her?
But if she wanted to see her parents in prison, this was the only way she could think of...