A sense of unease crept over Lu Xue. She asked, "What did Mr. Chen tell you?"
The neighbor heaved a sigh and said, "Last time, Mr. Chen was so preoccupied with setting the time and meeting place with you that he forgot to exchange contact information. So he couldn't reach you directly."
Han Xiaolv asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Is something wrong with this old gentleman?"
The neighbor nodded. "Mr. Chen had a minor car accident on his way back yesterday. His car collided with a non - motor vehicle. Neither of them was seriously injured, but they both suffered some minor injuries. He's now in the hospital ward. Mr. Chen said he couldn't make it to the appointment on time. Since he didn't have your contact information, he called me and asked me to wait here for you."
Hearing that Mr. Chen wasn't seriously injured and was on the road to recovery, both Han Xiaolv and Lu Xue heaved a sigh of relief.
But after that moment of relief, a tinge of disappointment welled up in their hearts. They had gone through so much trouble to meet Mr. Chen, only to find that they couldn't see him.
Han Xiaolv felt dejected. "We've made another fruitless trip. We don't even know when we'll be able to meet Mr. Chen next time."
The neighbor quickly said, "This time, Mr. Chen asked me to give you his phone number. You can contact him to set the next meeting time! Anyway, Mr. Chen feels really sorry about this. He said he'll arrange another meeting as soon as he's out of the hospital."
Lu Xue quickly replied, "It's okay. We're not in a hurry. We can wait!"
After all, she had been back in the country looking for Mr. Chen for so long. She had waited for months, so a day or two more didn't matter. It was better to let the old man recover first.
Since they couldn't find Mr. Chen, they had to return empty - handed, retracing their steps.
When they came, they were full of enthusiasm. But on the way back, they were both dejected and didn't even talk to each other in the car.
After they had driven for quite a while, Han Xiaolv suddenly sensed something was off. She glanced at the rear - view mirror a few times and turned to Lu Xue.
"Lu Xue, don't you think the car behind us has been following us?"
Lu Xue also took a look but wasn't suspicious. "Are you overthinking it? Maybe it's just a coincidence that we're on the same road."
Han Xiaolv shook her head. "The road we're on is so secluded. It can't be a coincidence that this car is on the same road as us. I saw this car behind us when we came here, and it's still behind us when we're leaving. It even left at the same time as us. That's hardly possible!"
Lu Xue frowned and asked, "Are you sure it was behind us when we came?"
Han Xiaolv nodded. "I'm sure. I saw this car several times."
They looked at each other, then stopped the car. The car behind them also stopped immediately.
Han Xiaolv and Lu Xue quietly grabbed some self - defense items in the car and got out. They walked over and knocked on the car door.
The owner of the car probably didn't want to open the door at first. But Han Xiaolv and Lu Xue were so persistent, knocking on the door non - stop. They weren't going to leave until the door was opened.
The two girls blocked both sides of the car, leaving the person inside with no way out. After a while, the window was rolled down nervously.
Lu Xue was shocked when she saw the driver through the open window. She blurted out, "Mu Ziyue! Why is it you?!"
Mu Ziyue stuck out her tongue nervously. "I... I really didn't mean to follow you. I just wanted to see where you were going today, so I quietly followed behind..."
Lu Xue couldn't help but laugh. "You've been following us for a long time. Did you find out anything?"
Mu Ziyue swallowed nervously. "Apart from driving around all day, I didn't find out much. But at least I've been keeping an eye on you for my brother!"
Mu Ziyue's thinking was really simple. She was keeping an eye on Lu Xue for her brother. If her brother suddenly changed his mind and wanted to find Lu Xue, she could immediately tell him where Lu Xue was and help her brother chase her back.
When Han Xiaolv saw that it was Mu Ziyue in the car, she finally felt relieved and hid the small scissors she had secretly put in her bag.
"Mu Ziyue, since we're all friends, there's no need to be so sneaky! If you really wanted to go with us to find Mr. Chen, you could have just called us. We could have gone together!"
Mu Ziyue was naturally not interested in Mr. Chen, but she had seen from afar how the two of them had come away disappointed.
She leaned out of the window and smiled at Lu Xue. "I saw what happened just now. The old gentleman you're looking for isn't there, and you haven't even set the time and place for the next meeting. Instead of looking for a place to stay on your own during this time, why don't you move back? You can leave when you want. What do you think?"
Lu Xue hesitated for a moment and didn't say a word.