Chapter 263: Chapter 263

Mr. Li’s anger cooled slightly after drinking some herbal tea. He frowned at the two tense children and said, "What are you standing there for?"

Li Xianglu hurriedly pulled Qin Xi to sit on Mr. Li’s right-hand side, while she sat beside Qin Xi, effectively shielding herself from view.

Mr. Li was aware of his granddaughter’s little trick and found it slightly amusing, though he kept a stern face and said, "Qin Xi, do you realize your mistake?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Xi immediately stood up and nodded, saying, "Grandpa, I know my mistake. I didn’t keep an eye on Xiangxiang."

Mr. Li nodded and said, "Good, it’s good that you understand where you went wrong. The initial handling of the situation was acceptable; you informed the family in time. But what was with the conflicting statements later on? Do you think the public security officers are fools?"

Li Xianglu rubbed her hands nervously, carefully hiding behind Qin Xi, thankful that his broad back was hiding her completely.

Mr. Li shook his head helplessly and said, "Do you think there’s no one monitoring Jiang Xinhua?"

Li Xianglu was startled and exclaimed, "Ah!"

Mr. Li sighed and continued, "Mr. Deng’s lecture at the school was a significant event, and the security arrangements had been decided before the semester began. The security personnel had already thoroughly checked everyone at the school for any suspicious individuals."

Li Xianglu murmured to herself, wondering about the explosives. If she hadn’t discovered it and put it in the Storage Ring in time, it might have caused a huge panic.

Mr. Li went on, "Jiang Xinhua has always been full of suspicions, but he’s too cunning. His appearance was only to cover for someone more secretive—the person you saw behind the curtain today, the one wounded by Iro."

Li Xianglu asked curiously, "Who is he?"

Mr. Li replied, "The school’s boiler man."

Ah, Li Xianglu began recalling what the boiler man looked like in her mind but struggled to remember; he seemed to be an inconspicuous figure.

Only then did Mr. Li say, "On the surface, you two have done a merit, but what exactly was Iro’s motive for injuring that person? Did you think the public security won’t find out after you coordinated your testimonies?"

Li Xianglu remained silent, knowing they couldn’t let Iro be ruined by this. If it was proven that Iro brought explosives into the school, a conviction wouldn’t be too far-fetched—that’s evidence.

Mr. Li waved his hand irritably and said, "Alright, go eat something and rest. We’ll have news when the Lu Family arrives tonight."

The two of them left, and Qin Xi pulled Li Xianglu back to their room first. Su Yan smiled and told Sister Xing in the kitchen to reheat the dishes and soup, as the two kids hadn’t eaten lunch, and neither had Mr. Li, who had only taken a few bites before being called away.

Back in the room, Li Xianglu was preoccupied and distractedly changed her clothes behind the screen. Qin Xi stood there without turning away and said word by word, "What about that package of explosives?"

Li Xianglu was startled, her eyes flickered, and she dared not look at Qin Xi.

Qin Xi sighed and asked, "Is it timed?"

Seeing the situation, Li Xianglu knew that there was no avoiding it now. The explosive was already in her Storage Ring, and it was timed at that. Even if she took it out, she wouldn’t be able to turn it off herself and could only rely on Qin Xi. So, she nodded and said, "Yes."

Qin Xi’s brow furrowed as he looked around the room and said, "Did you check the time on it?"

Li Xianglu shook her head and responded, "No, I didn’t. When I entered the hall, didn’t I go to talk to you? When I came back, I felt that my backpack was heavier, and when I felt inside, I found something strange. I listened, and there was a ticking sound. It scared me, and I suspected it was a timed explosive, so I put it away." Li Xianglu didn’t want to say exactly where she put it, but she knew that Qin Xi could probably guess.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Xi knew Xiangxiang had the ability to store items; he had already confirmed this. In his previous life, he had seen some mythological TV series with objects called ring space storage treasures. He just never thought that such magical treasures really existed in this world, and that his beloved actually had one.

He hadn’t intended to ask, as Xiangxiang seemed unwilling to talk about it, but the current situation was urgent. He was worried that if the explosive went off inside the Storage Ring, it might affect Xiao Xiang and the people around them. However, since Xiangxiang was just nervous and not panicking, he was sure about one thing: time stood still inside that storage treasure, much like every time the girl took out piping hot steamed buns and dumplings from her bag.

Thinking this, he couldn’t help but want to laugh. He had long felt something was off with the girl. Half an hour out of the cafeteria would’ve surely turned buns cold and soggy, but hers were always as if they just came out of the steamer, and she didn’t bother to hide it, silly girl. Fortunately, the one who discovered this was him.

However, now was not the time to reminisce about these things. Qin Xi said to Li Xianglu, "Change your clothes and go have dinner first. I need to step out." Some things couldn’t be discussed over the phone.

Li Xianglu called out, "Why don’t you eat something before you go?" Qin Xi waved at her and strode off.

Li Xianglu, who had changed her clothes and freshened up, absentmindedly looked at the sesame oil chicken in front of her, with no appetite. Normally, she would have been able to devour the whole thing.

Su Yan, who was sitting beside her, also noticed the girl’s unusual behavior and frowned as she said to Li Huai Ren, "That’s enough from you. Look at you, scolding the child so much she won’t even eat. What a waste if the food is left over!"

Li Xianglu was moved to tears by the first few sentences, but wished that last line hadn’t been said!

Mr. Li, looking somewhat wronged, said, "I’m just upset because these kids always think things are too simple, acting like if they hide it, no one will know."

Su Yan nodded in agreement, "Indeed, treating others like fools. But with the Lu Family involved in this affair, it won’t turn into a big problem. Don’t worry, everyone. Let’s eat quickly. This was specially bought by Sister-in-law Xing, saved for you to eat together when you returned in the afternoon."

Li Xianglu tore off a bit of chicken skin and chewed it; indeed, it was delicious, but with her mind preoccupied, she still lacked appetite and simply soaked the rice with some spare rib soup before sitting in the courtyard to wait.

It wasn’t until seven o’clock that Qin Xi returned, pushing his bicycle. Li Xianglu jumped up and ran over, following behind him.

Qin Xi parked the bicycle and said, "We’ll go out at midnight. Is there food left? I’m starving."

Li Xianglu leaped out promptly, only to find Sister Xing hadn’t left the kitchen. She had heated up the food and made mung bean soup, beginning to serve the meals.

Now that the matter was being dealt with, Li Xianglu’s appetite improved somewhat, and she felt hungry, eating quite a lot.

By a little after eight o’clock, the Lu Family arrived, including Iro, Lu Anna, and the rarely seen Mr. Lu.

ps: I have to go out for business tomorrow, and I need to prepare some materials at home in the evening, so I’ll update only up to here today. I’ll make it up to everyone this weekend! See you tomorrow.