"I still have some things to take care of, so let's part ways here," I said to Zhiye as we walked out of the school gate.

"The sky suddenly became gloomy, it might rain. Do you really have to do it today?" Zhiye looked at the dark sky worriedly.

"Well..." I hesitated for a moment before replying. To resolve the doubts in my heart, I planned to go to Su Yuqian's place and take a look. So regardless of the weather, I had to go.

"Then I'll accompany you," Zhiye said.

"No need, I can handle it on my own. It's not something difficult," I replied.

"Maybe I can help, Jie..."

"It seems like I don't need any help."

"Isn't it true that the more people there are, the stronger we will be together?"

"I can handle this on my own."

"But what if it rains later and Jie gets wet?"

"It's fine, if it really rains, I can find a place to take shelter."

"Does Jie dislike me?"

Zhiye asked with a slightly hurt expression.

"How can I have such thoughts of dislike?"

"Then why do you always reject my kindness..."

Zhiye said softly. It's not that I don't want to accept others' kindness, I just wanted to do this on my own.

"Well then... let's finish this before it rains," Zhiye said.

"Yeah," I replied and started walking towards Su Yuqian's house. Zhiye followed behind me.

After walking for a while, Zhiye spoke up, "Jie, can I ask what you need to do?"

Hearing Zhiye's question, I stopped in my tracks.

"Did I ask something I shouldn't have? If so... I apologize for asking," Zhiye said apologetically.

"It's not something you shouldn't ask. It's okay to tell you," I replied. Zhiye seemed fully focused, as if waiting to hear what I would say next.

"I'm going to Su Yuqian's house... to see if she's there..."

As soon as I said that, Zhiye's face turned gloomy.

"She suddenly disappeared, it's really hard to understand... and why does it seem like none of you know her, even though she used to exist, and she was in the same class!"

Unconsciously, my emotions became a bit agitated.

"I'm sorry..."

Calming down, I realized it wasn't their fault. I had no reason to get angry at Zhiye. I sat down leaning against the wall.

"Jie... no matter what, I will be by your side... Now, we're going to Su Yuqian's house to find Su Yuqian, right?"

"That's right."

"Then please cheer up. I will help you," Zhiye reached out her hand with a smile.

"Well... how can I be defeated by setbacks?" I held Zhiye's hand and stood up, relying on her strength. I looked at the sky, which was gradually being covered by dark clouds. "We have to hurry..."

Zhiye nodded and we ran together towards our destination. When we arrived at Su Yuqian's house, we found the door tightly closed and the courtyard covered with fallen leaves. The iron gate had a big lock covered in rust, suggesting that nobody had been living there.

Seeing this scene, I couldn't accept it in my heart. But Zhiye went towards a nearby house. What was she doing?

"Excuse me, is there someone living in the house next to you?" Zhiye asked an old lady who was watering flowers in her own yard.

"Ah... that one... nobody has lived there for a long time..." The old lady looked at the slightly dilapidated house that hadn't been taken care of.

"Well... this person moved away, or... what's the owner's name?"

Zhiye continued to ask.

"I don't know where this family moved, but I remember the owner's name... it was Chen, not Su," the old lady replied.

"Are you sure it's Chen? Not Su?"

"Though I'm old, my memory is still good... the owner of this house was surnamed Chen, they moved away a few years ago, leaving this empty house abandoned. It's a pity..."

To be continued...

The old woman said with a regretful tone,

"Thank you for your help."

Zhiye bowed and walked in from the door,

"Jie..."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't get any information about Su Yuqian. The homeowner is also named Chen and has already moved away."

Zhiye said apologetically,

"Impossible... How could this be..." I knelt on the ground, pounding the ground with my fists in frustration,

"Jie... Maybe this lead is dead-end, but there might be other... "

Zhiye stopped me from indulging in such extreme behavior. I looked at my bloodied fists. What on earth had happened?

Pitter-patter... The sky suddenly started to rain,

The raindrops, as big as beans, directly soaked our clothes,

"Jie... let's find a place to take shelter from the rain."

Zhiye helped me up, but it felt like my brain had stopped functioning, and my body instinctively moved forward with Zhiye.