150: Video call!

Outside the villa, Zhao Jiaqi paced back and forth on the clean, reflective marble floor, her expression a mix of indecision and complexity.

Her footsteps were hurried and chaotic, her heels tapping “da da” against the ground, the sound exceptionally clear in the silent night.

As she walked, Zhao Jiaqi couldn't help but yawn, her mouth wide open, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, as waves of drowsiness washed over her.

She hastily pulled out her phone; the screen lit up, and the glaring light made her instinctively squint.

When Zhao Jiaqi saw that it was already past ten at night, she felt even more helpless.

She had to get up early for work tomorrow; she couldn't just wait outside this villa all night.

Zhao Jiaqi mumbled softly, her voice filled with complaint and anxiety: "Didn't she say she'd be out in a bit? How many 'bits' has it been? Gu Xiaoxiao wouldn't just stay in her room and live there, leaving me to wait outside alone, would she?"

At this thought, Zhao Jiaqi's expression instantly became extremely vivid, her brows tightly furrowed, looking as if she had been betrayed.

But soon, she shook her head again, comforting herself, "No, no, it shouldn't be. Gu Xiaoxiao shouldn't be so heartless."

She firmly believed that her good friend, Gu Xiaoxiao, would absolutely not be so cruel as to leave her outside to suffer from drowsiness, hunger, and cold!

But immediately after, other thoughts popped into Gu Xiaoxiao's mind, and she began to guess wildly:

"Could it be that Lu Chen won't let her leave? Or did he do something to Gu Xiaoxiao?"

As soon as this possibility came to mind, Zhao Jiaqi's face instantly turned pale, and her body trembled slightly.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt this possibility was extremely high; after all, Lu Chen had a reputation as a playboy, what wouldn't he do?

Moreover, this was his territory; Gu Xiaoxiao going in was like a lamb entering a tiger's den, at his mercy!

Perhaps... he was even now being wantonly devoured by that perverted wolf, Lu Chen!

This thought quickly took root in Zhao Jiaqi's mind, growing wildly like weeds, making her increasingly flustered.

As Gu Xiaoxiao's good friend and sister, she felt she had to prevent such a thing from happening!

And didn't she come here with Gu Xiaoxiao late at night precisely to prevent such a situation from arising?

Zhao Jiaqi, anxious as she was, no longer cared about anything else and rushed towards the villa's main gate.

But before she could step through the gate, two graceful maids extended their fair, slender arms, firmly blocking her way.

Zhao Jiaqi was slightly startled, then urgently said, "I need to go in and see my friend."

However, the two maids were very firm; although they smiled, their tone carried an undeniable sternness: "We apologize, but without Mr. Lu's orders, you cannot enter."

Zhao Jiaqi grew even more anxious; her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

She opened her mouth, wanting to try again, but seeing the two maids standing their ground, the words caught in her throat.

A hint of helplessness flashed in Zhao Jiaqi's eyes as she realized that forcing her way in was not an option.

After a brief standoff, she reluctantly gave up for the time being, retreating with somewhat heavy steps.

In her helplessness, Zhao Jiaqi frantically tapped on her phone screen, her fingers trembling with tension, missing the target several times.

After much effort, she finally dialed Gu Xiaoxiao's number, pressing the phone tightly to her ear, her heart pounding as if it would burst from her chest.

The 'du-du' sound of the phone ringing, each ring felt like a heavy knock on her heart.

Zhao Jiaqi was filled with anxiety, silently praying that Gu Xiaoxiao would answer the phone quickly, continuously muttering:

"Xiaoxiao, you must be okay, answer the phone quickly, answer the phone quickly..."

What Zhao Jiaqi didn't expect was that the call actually went through, unlike what she had imagined, where the phone would go unanswered or be directly hung up.

When the 'du' sound of the call connecting rang out, Zhao Jiaqi first froze for a moment, looking at her phone screen as if to confirm if it was real.

Once she confirmed the call had indeed connected, she let out a breath, gently patted her chest, and tried to calm her wildly beating heart.

Zhao Jiaqi held the phone tightly to her ear, her brows slightly furrowed, asking urgently and with concern:

"Xiaoxiao, what are you doing? Didn't you say you'd be out in a bit? Why haven't I seen you yet?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if she was pondering how to answer, and after a while, Gu Xiaoxiao's voice slowly came through.

"Uh... I still have some work I need to report to Mr. Lu, um... so it got delayed a bit... uh... how about you go back first? I'm sorry... ah... Jiaqi..."

Gu Xiaoxiao's words were intermittent, as if she was trying hard to organize her thoughts, or as if she was secretly talking to her from a hidden place, so her voice was very soft and faint.

Zhao Jiaqi paused slightly, her tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and a hint of realization flashed in her eyes.

Then she helplessly pouted, grumbling discontentedly: "She truly is a capitalist; making you report work so late! It's absolutely despicable!"

Saying this, she even rolled her eyes, her face full of dissatisfaction with Lu Chen.

There was another moment of silence on the other end, a silence that made Zhao Jiaqi somewhat puzzled.

She couldn't help but tilt her head, a hint of curiosity in her eyes, wondering what Gu Xiaoxiao was actually doing.

After a good while, Gu Xiaoxiao's slightly flustered voice came through: "Jiaqi, don't speak so quietly, say something..."

Hearing this, Zhao Jiaqi was stunned again, her face full of confusion, her mouth slightly open, as if contemplating the meaning of the sentence.

After pondering for a long time, she finally reacted, frowning and saying in an annoyed tone:

"Gu Xiaoxiao, is your brain broken? You've reversed these few words in this sentence; are you trying to say you want me not to talk nonsense and speak quietly?"

After another long while, only Gu Xiaoxiao's faint 'mm' sound, like a mosquito, came from the other end of the phone.

The sound was so faint it was almost inaudible, as if she was afraid of being overheard.

Then Gu Xiaoxiao said again, "You go back first... I might be home a bit later, you... you don't have to wait for me."

Gu Xiaoxiao's voice was a bit shaky, carrying a hint of nervousness.

Zhao Jiaqi frowned tightly, a hint of worry in her eyes; she bit her lip, about to try and persuade Gu Xiaoxiao again.

But then she remembered that she was indeed very sleepy now, and she had to go to work tomorrow, and since Gu Xiaoxiao had already said so, there was nothing else for her to say.

So she prepared to hang up the phone.

Just before hanging up, Zhao Jiaqi suddenly remembered something else and quickly asked, "Oh, right, did you tell Lu Chen about that thing you wanted to talk about? Did he agree?"

A muffled, unclear sound came from the other end of the phone, as if Gu Xiaoxiao was trying hard to keep her voice down, or as if there was some interference around her.

As a result, the sound was intermittent, and Zhao Jiaqi couldn't hear it clearly at all.

Her brows furrowed again, and she pressed the phone even tighter to her ear, trying to make out what Gu Xiaoxiao was saying.

She thought Gu Xiaoxiao was reluctant to part with her and was too embarrassed to say it, and a warm current surged in her heart, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

So Zhao Jiaqi sighed and said softly, "It's okay. If Lu Chen agrees, then you can stay here for now. Our place is indeed a bit dangerous; that crazy Mu Beixuan might come looking for us again at any time. When I'm not busy in a few days, I'll find a new rental, and then you can come and stay there, how does that sound?"

As she spoke, she gently nodded, as if cheering herself on, and also as if comforting Gu Xiaoxiao.

This time, she waited for a long time but didn't hear Gu Xiaoxiao's voice, just as she was about to hang up.

Then came Gu Xiaoxiao's faint 'mm' sound, a voice as soft as a gentle breeze, easily missed if one wasn't paying attention.

Zhao Jiaqi shook her head helplessly, a wry smile on her face, and said softly, "Alright, alright, then you go ahead and be busy, I'm hanging up."

After speaking, she slowly put down her phone, still with a hint of worry in her eyes, gazing in the direction of the villa, standing for a good while before turning to leave.

After leaving the estate and reaching the city road outside, Zhao Jiaqi's steps noticeably slowed.

As she walked, she pondered her conversation with Gu Xiaoxiao, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt something wasn't quite right.

Gu Xiaoxiao's intermittent speech, her hesitation, and her unclear answers all had a strange undertone.

An incredible thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

Although she desperately told herself that it shouldn't be what she was imagining, that Gu Xiaoxiao wasn't that kind of person, this thought was like a nail, firmly rooted in her heart, impossible to shake off.

Zhao Jiaqi's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, her eyes filled with anxiety and unease.

As she walked, she suddenly stopped, standing by the roadside; cars whizzed past, their headlights flashing, mirroring her hurried and uneasy heart.

Zhao Jiaqi took a deep breath, calmed her nervous emotions, then pulled out her phone; the screen's light illuminated her slightly pale face.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she scrolled on the screen, opening her chat with Gu Xiaoxiao again.

After a moment of thought, Zhao Jiaqi gritted her teeth and tapped the video call button.