Chapter 13: A Sudden Disappearance

As soon as Xu Chen heard Xie Bingran say she had “something to attend to,” his expression instantly tensed.

“Where are you going? You’re not allowed to go anywhere today!”

His tone was resolute and his stance firm.

Xie Bingran stood and glanced down at Xu Chen, her eyes regaining that commanding “Bing Ge” glare.

“You didn’t talk to me at all in three years of high school, yet tonight you insist on dinner. What’s your motive?”

Xu Chen thought for a moment. That was hard to explain, so he replied offhandedly:

“Exactly because I haven’t spoken to you in three years. I just want to talk.”

Xie Bingran shoved her hands into her pockets again.

“Fine. Wait here until I get back.”

With that, she turned to leave.

But Xu Chen suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“You’re not going anywhere. I’m not letting you go.”

Xie Bingran froze—she hadn’t expected him to grab her like that.

At the same time, hearing “I’m not letting you go” seemed to strike something deep within her…

Her gaze flickered but quickly snapped back to its usual cold darkness.

With a twist of her arm, she easily slipped out of Xu Chen’s grip.

His hand throbbed with pain, and he looked at her speechlessly.

“Bing Ge really is strong. No wonder she’s called the ‘High School Warrior.’”

Facing her stubborn fierceness, Xu Chen felt a surge of helplessness.

He still missed the shy, well-mannered girl she used to be…

“Then how about this: wherever you go, I’ll follow,” Xu Chen said.

Xie Bingran sneered coldly:

“I’m just going to the bathroom. You want to follow me?”

Xu Chen: “If I could…”

Xie Bingran’s eyes gleamed icily: “Do you want to die?”

Xu Chen: “…”

Xie Bingran: “I’ll be in the first-floor restroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”

She slid her hands into her pockets and headed downstairs.

Well…

All that worry for nothing—false alarm.

Xu Chen shook his head helplessly, inwardly grumbling:

With Bing Ge’s current domineering aura, would she really be standing there peeing?!

…

Xu Chen munched on fries, waiting for Bing Ge to return, idly scanning the room.

McDonald’s twenty years ago differed little from today.

The food and décor details were almost identical.

Only the patrons’ clothing hinted at the era.

At this time, brands like Metersbonwe, Jeanwest, and Yishion were status symbols among county high schoolers.

The girl next to Xu Chen even had Metersbonwe logos on her socks—her family’s well-off.

Besides eating, customers chatted away—nothing like later years when everyone stared at phones, TikTok music blaring in the background.

Now that he thought about it, he kind of missed the era of feature phones.

At least people’s real-world connection felt closer.

…

Almost done with his fries, Xu Chen checked his phone. It’d been nearly ten minutes since Xie Bingran went down.

A faint unease crept over him.

“Oh no…”

He leapt up and hurried downstairs.

First floor. A cramped restroom entrance.

Xu Chen peered at the women’s room door. A passing aunt shot him a disgusted glare, as if he were a pervert.

He ignored it, calling “Bing Ge” twice into the restroom, drawing hostile stares.

No response from inside.

Just then, a hefty lady emerged from the women’s room.

She nearly bumped into Xu Chen and jumped in surprise.

He blocked her path. “Is anyone else in there?”

She clutched her chest. “No…no one.”

Xu Chen’s heart sank. He searched the first floor—no sign of Xie Bingran.

Pacing two quick laps, he stormed out of McDonald’s in anger.

He’d invited her out to keep her from getting involved in that off-campus case from his past life.

He didn’t expect Bing Ge to slip away—he was speechless and furious.

Rebirth didn’t mean he knew everything; unpredictable twists still lurked…

Evening had fallen, and dusk darkened the streets.

Xu Chen scanned the street corner, growing anxious.

He pulled out his phone—no number for Xie Bingran.

In fact, he didn’t even know if she owned a phone.

After all, they hadn’t spoken for three or four years until today.

He exhaled and forced himself calm.

At McDonald’s entrance, he called her name a few more times, again drawing curious looks.

Just then, figures emerged from a nearby alley behind him.

A group of smoking high school boys looked at Xu Chen in confusion.

Xu Chen recognized them as Bing Ge’s “underlings”—he’d seen them in the cafeteria at lunch.

One was Li Rui; like Xie Bingran, he was in Class 3, and his name had been on the morning’s disciplinary list.

“Sis?…I mean, Chen-ge!” Li Rui said.

Xu Chen approached them. “Where’s Xie Bingran?”

Li Rui flicked his cigarette and pointed behind them:

“Bing Ge went that way.”

Xu Chen: “Where did she go? What’s she doing?”

Li Rui replied:

“She said it’s personal business and told us not to follow.”

He took a drag and added:

“She’ll be back soon. Just wait, Chen-ge.”

Xu Chen looked around. Besides Li Rui, six or seven more boys stood there.

“Bing Ge might be in danger. I don’t have time to explain—I need to split up and find her.”

Li Rui blinked:

“But Bing Ge said not to let us follow.”

Xu Chen’s tone turned cold:

“She could be in trouble. We’ll worry about that later. I’ve got your backs.”

Seeing his serious expression, Li Rui stubbed out his cigarette:

“Alright—since Chen-ge says so! Bing Ge should be nearby and back soon.”

Xu Chen surveyed the bustling street at dusk.

It seemed Bing Ge had planned to handle her business before coming back to McDonald’s to meet him.

What kind of “personal matter” did she have to deal with…

A buzzcut underling squeezed through and spoke up:

“Rui-ge, I just came from over there. I saw Bing Ge go into the old department store at the back with two adults.”

Xu Chen: “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely—I saw it with my own eyes!”

“What kind of adults?”

“Just two uncles, in their thirties or forties. Never seen them before.”

The old department store stood barely two hundred meters ahead.

The building had cracked walls last year, long since emptied and cordoned off. Rumor said it wouldn’t be repaired until later this year.

Xu Chen thought a moment and pulled out his phone to dial the police.

“Hello, Officer? We just saw a schoolgirl being led into the old department store on Caiyuan Street by two suspicious men…Yes, the old department store on Caiyuan Street…Those two men don’t look trustworthy! A few classmates and I are heading over now…Please come quickly…”