Li Shi was puzzled why this rich lady insisted on driving to his small hometown alone at this late hour. After setting an alarm, he continued to write his thesis.
In between, He Ya Ru sent him two location updates when she took breaks at service stations.
An hour and a half later, at one in the morning, his alarm rang. He stood up from his chair, stretched, and went downstairs with his car keys.
Downstairs, his mother had already gone to bed.
Trying to stay quiet, he left the house and drove to the highway exit in town.
He parked his car on the side of the road and called He Ya Ru, letting her know he was on the side of the road at the Yuan Yi Town exit, waiting for her with the hazard lights on.
He then scrolled through the news on his phone and came across some gossip about a famous online author that was on the trending list. He read it intently but it left him feeling confused, it seemed like a messy jumble he wasn't accustomed to.