Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 672 My Sister 7

Yun Si's radiant smile and clear eyes shone like a searchlight on the shadows in Zhou Hui's heart.

The question, "Why didn't they come together today?" was like a heavy hammer blow, shattering the facade of peace that Zhou Hui had carefully maintained. The color drained from Zhou Hui's face, and her nails dug almost into her palms as she barely managed to maintain her posture.

"Oh...yes, yes, they...they were going out of town to look at some project today, it's really unfortunate..." She stammered, her voice dry like sandpaper, her eyes darting frantically toward the orphanage entrance, as if searching for some non-existent way out.

Most of the thugs at the entrance had quietly slipped away, leaving only one peeking out from afar. Upon meeting A-Cheng's cold, sweeping gaze, the thug immediately shrank back into the depths of the alley like a frightened rabbit.

"Oh, I really missed your return." Yun Si seemed oblivious to Zhou Hui's disheveled state, her voice remaining gentle, but the knowing look that seemed to understand everything made Zhou Hui feel uneasy.

She took the hand of a little girl beside her, smiling warmly: "Is the headmistress here? Let's go see her."

The dean's office is still the same as I remember it, slightly old but clean and cozy.

When the elderly headmaster with white hair saw Yun Si, tears welled up in his cloudy eyes. He tightly grasped her hand and talked on and on about the children after she left, his words full of love and relief.

Yun Si listened patiently, occasionally responding with a few words. Her gentle and sincere words, filled with care, temporarily restored the warmth of the room.

Acheng and Xiaopeng did not go inside, but instead stood guard at both ends of the corridor outside the dean's office.

Xiao Peng leaned casually against the window, but his gaze was sharp as an eagle, silently covering the entire courtyard and several entrances and exits; A Cheng, on the other hand, had his back to the door, his figure as upright as a pine tree, which perfectly blocked the path from the corridor to the courtyard.

Zhou Hui was squeezed into a corner by this invisible pressure, and could hardly breathe.

She could only manage a forced smile, echoing the old dean's words, but her mind was already far away. The presence of those two bodyguards was too overwhelming, like two silent mountains, completely isolating her from any potential outside help.

She stole a glance at Yun Si, who was gently straightening the old dean's collar. The calm and composed demeanor of Yun Si was a stark contrast to the turmoil in her heart.

The gap... the enormous chasm shattered the last shred of hope in her heart, leaving only a chilling fear—the plan had completely failed, and the other side might already know!

The children's singing broke the delicate atmosphere in the room at just the right moment.

Encouraged by the old director's gaze, Yun Si smiled and took Zhou Hui's hand: "Come on, Huihui, let's go listen to the children sing! Didn't we love performing in the yard when we were kids?"

Her tone carried just the right amount of nostalgia, which sent a shiver down Zhou Hui's spine.

The children lined up, singing nursery rhymes in their tender, clear voices, their innocent faces beaming with joy.

Sunlight shone on Yun Si as she listened attentively, occasionally clapping along for a child, her smile bright and genuine.

This warm and sincere scene, however, was full of irony in Zhou Hui's eyes at this moment.

Before her lay a bright future and warm protection for Yun Si, while she and her adoptive father struggled to survive in the depths of despair. Jealousy

Jealousy and resentment gnawed at her heart like venomous snakes again, but were quickly overwhelmed by an even greater fear—how could she possibly end this?

How to face her adoptive father's wrath? Even more terrifying is... how will Yun Si handle this matter?

Just as the children finished singing a song and Yun Si was about to go forward to distribute more snacks, Zhou Hui suddenly stood up as if she had been burned.

"Oh dear! Sisi!" She raised her voice dramatically, trying to cover up her panic. "Look at my memory! I just got a call. My boyfriend suddenly has something urgent to attend to, and I have to go there right away!"

She hurriedly rummaged through her bag for her phone, pretending to show it off, even though the screen was dark. "I might... I might have to go now. I'm so sorry, I'll definitely spend more time with you next time!"

A hint of understanding flashed in Yun Si's eyes, but her face instantly showed an expression of understanding and a little regret: "Ah? So urgent? That's a pity. Then you should go quickly, work is important."

As if granted a pardon, Zhou Hui practically jumped up from her seat: "Yes, yes, yes! I'm so sorry, Sisi! I'll treat you properly another day!"

She spoke rapidly, not even daring to look Yun Si in the eye, and didn't bother to say a proper goodbye to the old director. She practically fled the courtyard.

Her hurried and disordered steps, the chaotic rhythm of her high heels striking the concrete floor, fully revealed her inner collapse.

The old dean looked at Yun Si with some confusion: "Why is this child suddenly so busy..."

As Yun Si watched Zhou Hui's almost hasty retreat disappear beyond the rusty old iron gate of the orphanage, the gentle smile on her lips slowly faded, leaving only a coldness deep in her eyes and a faint sigh.

She squeezed the old director's hand back and said softly, "Director, people grow up and have their own lives. Shall we continue to look after the children?"

Outside the welfare home, on the street corner

Zhou Hui practically ran a hundred meters out the door before daring to lean against the cold wall to catch her breath, her heart pounding as if it would burst out of her throat. Cold sweat had soaked her back.

Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone and dialed the number she had memorized countless times. Her voice was choked with sobs and barely concealed fear: "Dad... It's all over! Everything's over! Yun Si brought bodyguards! Two! The really tough kind, they scared our people away at first glance... She even asked me why you weren't here... She must know! What do we do... Dad, we're finished..."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before Zhou Chenghai's low, suppressed roar of rage came through: "...Useless! You can't even handle this simple matter! Bringing bodyguards? She...she's really climbed the social ladder and become a phoenix?"

"You get back here right now! And throw away all your random stuff! Turn off your phone! Do you hear me? Turn it off! Don't leave any evidence against you!"

Inside the welfare home

While drawing with the children, Yun Si received a small tablet from A Cheng without her noticing. The screen displayed a real-time map, clearly showing a small area centered on the orphanage, with a red dot quickly moving away marked on it.

Below are a few lines of concise text information that record the approximate time and direction of the only phone call Zhou Hui made after leaving the welfare home (not a recording, based on base station signal analysis).

Yun Si glanced at it quickly and handed the tablet back without saying a word. She looked at the child's crookedly drawn smiling face with "Sister Sisi" written on it, and her heart softened, followed by a surge of complex emotions.

On the way back

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed Jinshui City in a warm golden hue, but the atmosphere inside the car was somewhat somber.

“Miss,” Acheng said, sitting in the passenger seat, glancing at Yun Si through the rearview mirror. His voice was steady but respectful. “The ‘tails’ at the entrance had mostly disappeared twenty minutes after we entered. The car that picked up Zhou Hui later had a temporary license plate. We tracked it until it lost signal near a logistics park in the suburbs. There’s too much mobility there.”

Yun Si gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar street scenes rushing past the window and softly hummed in agreement: "Thank you for your hard work."

Xiao Peng added, "Miss, the phone call Zhou Hui made before she left was directed to an old community slated for demolition in the suburbs. The signal was unstable, so the exact location couldn't be determined. The call was very short, and the content is unknown, but there were signs of significant emotional fluctuation."