Only through extreme adversity can one truly appreciate peace.

Morning.

Cornelia called for Sister Qin's taxi.

Then, the two of them and a dog embarked on a journey to find Su Cheng.

Li Guanqi also got into her own car.

She first asked for leave from school, then instructed the driver uncle to follow the taxi ahead. Finally, she sat in her sedan, lost in thought.

Why was Cornelia so confident?

How did she know Su Cheng's location?

And she was going to find him!?

'According to real-time monitoring data from the meteorological department, an extremely abnormal temperature fluctuation phenomenon has occurred in the XX District of Flame City. Within a short period, the temperature has drastically risen from normal cold conditions to scorching heat, then sharply dropped again. This kind of extreme and abnormal weather condition is unprecedented, and meteorological experts currently cannot provide a definitive explanation....'

"Uncle, what's happening with the weather in Flame City?" Li Guanqi asked, somewhat surprised by the audio from the car radio.

"The weather in XX District is currently very abnormal."

The driver answered.

"Why is this happening?"

Li Guanqi was greatly shocked, as this violated the laws of nature; it was an absolutely impossible abnormal state.

The driver shook his head, "I guess it might be some kind of catastrophe caused by the interaction of natural forces. After all, nothing in this world is absolute..."

She couldn't explain the reason either, as it was too sudden and abnormal. No one could clearly say what was really going on.

Li Guanqi nodded, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart. She checked her phone again, and sure enough, major news outlets and social media platforms were flooded with this news. Authorities were urgently advising citizens to stay away from XX District and avoid approaching it.

In the group chat, everyone speculated that this abnormal weather was likely related to Su Cheng.

Thinking of this, Li Guanqi's heart sank heavily.

Just then, the driver ahead suddenly shouted urgently, "Second Young Miss, XX District is just ahead!"

Li Guanqi quickly looked up and out the window.

What met her eyes seemed like two completely different worlds: one side was a normal morning, the other was unbearably hot. The scene was distinct, yet presented before her eyes with startling reality.

"Please continue following that taxi ahead," Li Guanqi instructed the driver calmly.

"Alright. But Second Young Miss, please take protective measures," the driver nodded seriously and turned on the car's air conditioning system.

Soon, Li Guanqi noticed that the flow of vehicles and pedestrians pouring out of XX District was becoming denser, and the road was severely congested.

Many panicked drivers were speeding, creating a chaotic scene.

"Is the situation this serious?" Li Guanqi frowned.

As the car approached the edge of XX District, she couldn't help but roll down the window to observe the situation outside.

However, a wave of hot air nearly scorched her cheek. The scorching wind tousled her hair and stung her eyes, forcing her to immediately close the window.

"Second Young Miss, the road ahead is completely blocked. I'm afraid we can only stop here..." the driver said helplessly.

Through the windshield, Li Guanqi clearly saw a serious accident ahead. Several cars were stuck in the middle of the road, causing a chain-reaction collision.

The surroundings were in chaos, traffic completely paralyzed. Continuing like this, the extreme weather would only cause worse effects.

"What about that taxi we were following?" Li Guanqi suddenly realized the taxi they had been tailing had disappeared.

"Like us, it's stuck up ahead and can't move," the driver replied, then suggested, "Should we contact rescue first and have you evacuated from here?"

"No need, I'll wait a bit longer," Li Guanqi politely declined the driver's suggestion. She gazed out the window, seeing the crowd outside growing more agitated. Curses, cries, and police sirens rose and fell, the scene increasingly out of control.

'The sun, sometimes large, sometimes small; sometimes long-lasting, sometimes brief; sometimes near, sometimes far; either shining upon the vast universe, or scorching and cleansing the mortal world.'

This phrase left by Su Cheng involuntarily surfaced in her mind. She couldn't help but clench her small fist and murmur, "Since it has already scorched and cleansed the mortal world... then what about shining upon the vast universe?"

"Sometimes large, sometimes small; sometimes long-lasting, sometimes brief; sometimes near, sometimes far..."

Just as she continued muttering, the corner of her eye caught a strange person pedaling a bicycle past her car. He wore loose casual clothes. If it weren't for the unusually odd sun-shading item tied on his head, she might not have noticed him at all. Looking closely, it turned out to be her own small pillow.

Her own pillow!?

"Su Cheng?"

Li Guanqi was slightly stunned, not daring to believe it.

"Su Cheng, stop!! Wait for me!!"

At that moment, Cornelia suddenly stuck her head out of the car ahead and shouted loudly at Su Cheng.

But due to the overwhelming noise around them, Su Cheng didn't hear her. He didn't even turn his head to look. He just kept his head down, pedaling his bicycle, looking like he was in a hurry to leave. He soon disappeared around a street corner.

Ignoring the weather, Cornelia, along with the dog, had already rushed out of the car and was running in the direction Su Cheng had gone.

For a moment, Li Guanqi also instinctively unlocked the car door.

"Young Miss, the weather outside is too hot!"

The driver, however, seemed to have anticipated her actions. He quickly got out of the car and blocked the door she was about to open.

"It's fine."

Li Guanqi shook her head and said. Then she tried the other door, preparing to get out again. Unfortunately, the driver hurried over and stood in front of the door, adamantly refusing to let her out.

"I said it's fine."

She furrowed her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly, showing a hint of annoyance.

"Young Miss, I cannot knowingly let you face danger..." But before the driver could finish his sentence, a rumble of thunder came from the sky. Dark clouds gathered, and the surroundings instantly darkened.

The sky turned black...

"Whoosh!!"

Immediately after, a fierce wind and torrential downpour poured down! Bean-sized raindrops hammered on the car roof, producing a dense, muffled sound.

People fled in all directions, the sound of the storm rising and falling. Such a strange phenomenon left Li Guanqi standing there dumbfounded, momentarily unable to believe it.

She snapped back to reality, "Uncle, get in first!!"

"Oh, okay." The driver, covering his head, hurriedly got into the driver's seat. While wiping himself, he complained, "This weather is really bizarre. It was scorching hot just a moment ago. But I heard on the news report that this rain will disappear quickly, and it will return to the hot state soon."

"Shining upon the vast universe...?"

Li Guanqi looked out the window at the haze-covered sky and suddenly felt her heart beating violently, because the proverb matched.

Was Su Cheng the cause of all this?

"Young Miss, what are you saying?"

The driver, seeing Li Guanqi sitting motionless in the passenger seat through the rearview mirror, couldn't help but ask with concern.

"Nothing..."

Li Guanqi took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions in her heart, and said softly, "Uncle, the rain isn't heavy anymore. I'm getting out. I'm not going to XX District, I'm returning to Flame City."

"Then please take a few umbrellas," the driver urged helplessly.

"Okay."

However, the moment Li Guanqi placed one foot out of the car door, the torrential rain abruptly stopped!

The sunlight once again bathed the earth, its bright rays falling upon her fair and delicate cheeks, as if the strange phenomenon from moments before had been merely an illusion.

However, contrary to what one might expect, the searing high temperature in the air did not return; instead, it had completely vanished after the rain.

Could it have been caused by Su Cheng's departure?