Xia Hong sat to the side, smiling faintly as she watched Li Ming and Lin Xi banter flirtatiously. Suddenly, she felt a twinge of envy.
She had once yearned for this kind of love, but unfortunately, it had ended in tragedy. Gradually, she had come to terms with it. Love was a luxury she couldn't afford; she simply wasn't worthy of it. Instead, she focused on her own happiness. Living alone, responsible only for herself—it was actually quite comfortable.
Xia Hong shook her head and returned her attention to the documents in her hand.
Meanwhile, Li Ming suddenly realized he hadn't worn protection! If Wang Xin suddenly developed a baby bump, he wouldn't need to clear his name—everyone would know he was responsible.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Li Ming's back. He had been so stupid, thinking only of the momentary pleasure and forgetting something so important.
Li Ming took out his phone and quickly searched for information. He knew the remedy, but there was no such medicine in the prison! He would have to go into the city, which would take at least ten to twelve hours round trip. He wasn't sure if there was enough time.
Fortunately! When Li Ming searched for emergency contraceptive pills, he found they were effective if taken within 72 hours, with better results the earlier they were taken. This gave him some relief.
Li Ming silently cursed himself for being so careless. He couldn't waste time arguing with Lin Xi anymore. He placed the documents on the table and said directly:
"I need to go out for a while. Wang Keyan and her mother have already had their meeting. I'll drive her back and make a trip to the city. Do you need anything? I can buy it for you."
Lin Xi and Xia Hong exchanged glances when they heard this. Lin Xi was about to shake her head, but suddenly seemed to remember something, frowning with slight hesitation.
Li Ming naturally noticed Lin Xi's unusual behavior. Seeing her like this, she obviously had something she found difficult to say. Li Ming didn't press her, just saying:
"I'll leave first. Take your time thinking about it. Just text me when you decide. My phone will be on!"
Hearing this, Lin Xi finally nodded.
Xia Hong didn't need anything; supply trucks came every few days, and she had already purchased everything she needed.
Lin Xi took the jeep keys from the drawer and tossed them to Li Ming. After thinking for a moment, she added:
"If you leave now, you'll definitely be back very late. With me here, the prison will be fine. You can come back tomorrow during the day if needed."
Li Ming smiled slightly, knowing that Lin Xi's harsh words hid a soft heart—she was still concerned about him.
Catching the keys, he waved to Lin Xi.
"Got it, Deputy Warden!"
Without waiting for her response, he darted out the door.
In the room, Lin Xi's face immediately darkened.
"That damn Li Ming! Always bringing up sore subjects! What's wrong with being Deputy Warden? It's just one rank below him! I'll kick him down eventually! Hmph!"
Watching Lin Xi's anger, Xia Hong giggled and couldn't help teasing:
"Xiao Xi, I actually think you two make a good match. I've heard that bickering couples like you often have the most lasting relationships. Why not try talking to him about it?"
Hearing Xia Hong's words, Lin Xi became even more irritated.
"Hong-jie! What do you mean 'bickering couple'? He's nothing but bad luck! With him around, I can never catch a break. He's so annoying every day. I want to punch him every time I see his face! If you like him, you can have him! You two should date! I support it one thousand percent!"
Lin Xi rarely complained about Li Ming like this. Ever since Li Ming had come to the prison, she felt that everything had gone wrong, as if he had brought her bad luck.
Xia Hong shook her head with a bitter smile, thinking that Lin Xi must deeply resent Li Ming for taking her position. It seemed this pair of rivals wouldn't be getting together anytime soon.
As for herself and Li Ming? Xia Hong found the idea both amusing and absurd. Impossible... she didn't want to hurt anyone else again...
At the same time.
Li Ming took the keys and jogged to Wang Keyan's door.
The door wasn't locked, so Li Ming pushed it open and walked in.
He had assumed that after Wang Keyan met with Wang Xin, she would have cried for a long time, and certainly hadn't slept well last night. He expected her to be taking a nap to recover.
But Wang Keyan was surprisingly energetic, having found a mop from somewhere and was diligently cleaning the floor of her room.
She didn't even notice Li Ming entering.
Li Ming couldn't just keep watching, so he called out to her.
"Keyan!"
Wang Keyan had been so absorbed in mopping that she hadn't noticed Li Ming come in. Suddenly hearing a voice behind her, she jumped in fright and instinctively screamed.
"Ah!!"
Seeing this, Li Ming quickly covered her mouth with his hand to stop her from screaming further.
If the guards outside heard, they might think he was doing something inappropriate to Wang Keyan! Even if he explained, the guards might not believe him!
Li Ming quickly turned Wang Keyan around to face him, so she could see it was a person, not a ghost!
When Wang Keyan was turned around, she finally realized the intruder was Li Ming!
Her racing heart finally calmed down.
"Li... Big Brother Li! It's you! You scared me to death! How do you walk so silently?" Wang Keyan patted her chest, still recovering from the shock.
"Well! You were just too focused. You didn't even hear the loud sound of me opening the door."
Li Ming wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead. He suddenly realized that if rumors about him and Wang Keyan reached her mother Wang Xin, it would be disastrous!
He needed to keep his distance from Wang Keyan, at least within the prison where people might spread gossip.
With this in mind, Li Ming quickly stepped away from Wang Keyan.
"You don't need to clean the room. Pack your things. I'm going into the city and can drop you off on the way," Li Ming said flatly to Wang Keyan.
"You pack first, I'll wait outside the door. Just come out when you're ready." Without waiting for her response, Li Ming turned and left the room.
Wang Keyan stared blankly at Li Ming's retreating figure, feeling something was off. Li Ming hadn't treated her like this before. Now he seemed to be avoiding her like the plague!
Rubbing her lips where Li Ming had covered them, Wang Keyan dismissed it as overthinking. Since Li Ming was going to the city, she naturally needed to go back with him.
She had already packed her things, and the room was almost clean. Wang Keyan took one last reluctant look around, then shouldered her backpack and left the room.
At the entrance, Li Ming was indeed waiting for her, and had even brought the car over, just waiting for her to get in.
Li Ming waved to Wang Keyan, indicating for her to get in the car directly.
Wang Keyan didn't hesitate and sat in the passenger seat.
Although Li Ming would have preferred her to sit in the back, that would have been too obvious, so he let it be.
Li Ming drove to the prison gate, signed out at the security checkpoint, and was allowed to leave. Stepping on the gas, the jeep sped away.
On the road...
The vehicle drove smoothly along the mountain road, but the interior was unusually quiet. Finally... Wang Keyan sensed the awkward atmosphere and asked:
"Big Brother Li... why aren't you talking to me?"