Chapter 372: She Actually Ran Away

Jiang Baobao returned to the Base, but the three little ones and the five big boys had not yet woken up.

She did not disturb them, but instead pulled Shen Lingfeng along to brew two cups of coffee and went to the balcony where the two of them usually talked.

The scenery at this villa of Jiang Baobao's was very good; looking out from the balcony, one could see an entire massive, specially constructed artificial lake.

Shen Lingfeng held the cup in his hand, his gaze fixed on Jiang Baobao's face, looking as if he had something to say but was holding back.

"Lingfeng, do you have something you want to tell me?"

Jiang Baobao noticed his abnormality and took the initiative to ask.

Shen Lingfeng did not seem surprised that she had noticed, but nodded very honestly.

He pondered for two seconds before saying: "Do you... have a rough idea in your heart of who it was that made a move on you yesterday?"

Jiang Baobao was startled upon hearing this; a look of surprise flashed quickly across the depths of her eyes before being buried even deeper.

She quickly adjusted her emotions and then asked back, pretending to be nonchalant: "How could I possibly know?"

Shen Lingfeng paused slightly and did not speak.

A moment later, he suddenly grabbed Jiang Baobao's hand.

Jiang Baobao was stunned, her expression suddenly dazed for an instant.

Immediately after, she heard Shen Lingfeng say in a low voice: "Maybe it's because I was frightened yesterday; I'm just afraid that you'll carry everything on your own and refuse to tell anyone else..."

Jiang Baobao's heart skipped a beat, and a strange feeling suddenly flashed through it.

Shen Lingfeng continued to speak slowly: "Since you say you're fine, then I believe you, but... if you really encounter any trouble in the future, I hope I am the first person you think of. Don't make me worry like I did yesterday again, okay?"

His tone was gentle, and by the end, he even sounded somewhat cautious.

Jiang Baobao's gaze flickered for an instant, and an incredible thought suddenly popped into her mind.

This tone of Lingfeng's... could it be that he also likes her!

Wait a minute... why did she use the word "also"?

A certain person's passionate confession from last night flashed through Jiang Baobao's mind, and her mood instantly became even more complicated.

She then quickly dismissed the thought she had just had.

Lingfeng had been her good buddy for so many years; to take a step back, if it were possible for them to be together, he surely would have expressed his feelings long ago. How could he have waited until today?

It must be that she was overthinking it!

It was all that guy Li Beijue's fault!

He had almost driven her neurotic!

Jiang Baobao grumbled to herself for a long time, and only then did the strange feeling in her heart dissipate.

She patted Shen Lingfeng's hand in a carefree manner and replied: "Don't worry! I won't have any issues!"

A curve appeared at the corners of Shen Lingfeng's lips, his gaze slowly falling on their overlapping hands.

When...

would he be able to bravely explain his feelings to Baobao?

It seemed the longer he dragged it out, the less he dared to speak, for fear that they wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore...

The two finished their coffee and chatted for a while longer, then Jiang Baobao returned to her room, intending to rest a bit more.

Who would have thought that just as she lay down on the bed, her phone rang.

Jiang Baobao saw it was a call from Cai Xiaotang and hurriedly answered it.

As soon as it connected, she heard the loud voice of the person on the other end, speaking joyfully: "Morning! Are you happy about winning the competition yesterday!"

"Of course I'm happy, but why are you only congratulating me now?"

Jiang Baobao laughed as she listened to her good friend's voice and deliberately asked back with feigned dissatisfaction.

Immediately, she heard Cai Xiaotang speak even more indignantly: "Who says I waited until now! I called you so many times last night! But none of them went through. I thought you guys were drunk, so I specifically waited until this morning!"

Jiang Baobao was startled upon hearing this and finally realized.

After she was rescued yesterday, she had completely forgotten to turn her phone back on. On the way back just now, she had seen the missed call notifications and had thought about calling Cai Xiaotang back.

But as soon as she started chatting, she forgot again.

"Hello? Why aren't you saying anything? Is it because you feel you wronged me and now you're feeling guilty?"

Cai Xiaotang didn't hear Jiang Baobao's voice for a long time and asked again.

Jiang Baobao suddenly snapped back to reality and, feeling truly a bit guilty, prevaricated: "I... my phone ran out of battery, and I drank too much last night, so I forgot..."

As she spoke, she hurriedly changed the subject: "By the way, I've been too busy these past two days and haven't had a chance to ask you, how does it feel after getting married? Is it different from what you imagined before?"

As soon as these words were out, the person who fell silent became Cai Xiaotang.

"Hello? Xiao Tang?" Jiang Baobao asked, deliberately suppressing a laugh.

Only then did Cai Xiaotang hurriedly reply: "Uh... it seems, it's just... Li Xiao is... quite busy. I live in such a big house by myself, it's a bit boring. As for the rest... there's nothing else..."

Cai Xiaotang looked around at the familiar environment of her own home, her tone inexplicably lacking confidence.

Jiang Baobao assumed she was nervous or shy, so she let her off the hook and didn't continue to ask.

The two chatted about other things and agreed to meet up when they had time, then hung up the phone.

Cai Xiaotang threw her phone aside, curled up comfortably on the sofa, happily played a movie, and grabbed some snacks from the side.

"Small houses are better... in such a big house, when you go to the restroom at night, it's almost as if there's an echo..."

Cai Xiaotang muttered to herself in a low voice and then looked at her phone with a guilty conscience.

Seeing that there were no messages on it, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She had run out first thing in the morning; those bodyguards... shouldn't have discovered it yet, right?

Even if they did, so what!

It was the same wherever she lived anyway. Li Xiao's place was so stifling, and there was always someone watching; it was better to find a place where she could be comfortable by herself!

Besides, Li Xiao was so busy... maybe he didn't have time to worry about her, and... perhaps he was already dealing with those "opponents." It wouldn't be long before she could divorce him!

Cai Xiaotang tried hard to find reasons to comfort herself, and soon she cast the matter to the back of her mind, happily enjoying her hard-won "freedom."

On the other side, the moment the bodyguard discovered that Cai Xiaotang had "snuck away," he contacted Li Xiao directly.

"Shura, just as you guessed, the Madam..."

The person on the other end said halfway, then hurriedly corrected himself: "Miss Cai really couldn't help but return to her own home. Do you want us to go and bring her back now?"

"No need."

On the other end of the phone, Li Xiao curled his lips slightly: "Keep a close watch. I will go over personally later."

"Yes!"

The person on the other end of the phone acknowledged the order and hung up the phone quickly.

Li Xiao tossed his phone aside casually, stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the wine glass in his hand, his expression somewhat amused.

He had deliberately not returned for several days; he hadn't expected that a certain restless woman truly wouldn't disappoint him.

It's just that...

The amount of time she endured in the villa actually far exceeded his expectations.

He had even thought she wouldn't be able to stay for a single day...