Journey of Lies

First, there was a squeaking sound from the pipes for a second or two, followed by shaking.

The people in front quickly crouched in the corner, leaving Jiang Xia in a dilemma between going up and down the stairs.

In her panic, her arm was grabbed, and Jiang Xia, still swaying, crashed into Sheng Zhi's arms.

Sheng Zhi pulled her to the side against the wall, pressing her head down with one hand to shield her beneath him.

About six or seven seconds later, the aftershocks stopped completely.

The security guard, speaking in Thai over a walkie-talkie, quickly led the group downstairs after confirming it was safe.

After the aftershocks, the people who had been resting and waiting in the lobby all retreated to the outside, chattering about whether they should go upstairs.

Jiang Xia brought down half a bottle of water, drank it all in one go, and then ate the two pieces of chocolate that Sheng Zhi gave her.

The two stood facing each other, and Jiang Xia said earnestly, "Thank you for earlier."

Sheng Zhi smiled and said, "Meeting me is a good thing, isn't it?"

Suddenly, the hotel lobby, which had been lit up, went dark; the temporary generator had broken down.

A group of people were getting anxious and rushed forward to ask when they could go upstairs to get their luggage. Even those who were willing to stay longer were now in a dilemma.

Jiang Xia didn't squeeze through; she called Ren Jiayi back first.

"Jiang Xia, I saw the news! Are you alright?! I was so worried about you. Are you safe now?"

"I'm fine. I just grabbed my belongings. I saw that all the flights to Chiang Mai after me have been canceled. Are you okay over there?"

"Nothing happened in Chiang Mai. The tremors were mainly felt in the center of Bangkok... I'm really worried about you being alone in Bangkok. How about I contact a friend to pick you up?"

Hearing Ren Jiayi's urgent concern, Jiang Xia felt a warmth in her heart, but looking at the main road that was completely blocked, she said, "No need, I'll figure out how to get to the airport later. I'll contact you again when I can fly to Chiang Mai."

Just as Jiang Xia hung up the phone, she saw Sheng Zhi bring over a helmet.

"I took a motorcycle taxi to my friend's place."

"Could you give me a ride to the airport? Don Man or Suvarnabhumi, either is fine," Jiang Xia asked.

Sheng Zhi flipped through the local post in his hand, "I just checked, the road to the airport is blocked, even motorcycle taxis can't get in, let alone if you go there there are no flights."

"I have nowhere to go right now, so I think I'll spend the night at the airport and see what happens," Jiang Xia said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder as she explained her plan.

"Forget it, the airport is full of stranded passengers right now. Do you think you can squeeze past them?"

He had long realized that Jiang Xia was not someone who dared to get into conflicts with others; most of the time, she was passive.

"My friend has extra rooms, want to join us?" Sheng Zhi weighed the helmet in his hand and offered it to her, "If you trust me."

Jiang Xia, clutching her bag strap, glanced subconsciously at her helmet, then at the local motorcycle taxi drivers waiting by the roadside.

The crowd outside the hotel has started arguing with the hotel staff; it's now the fifth hour after the earthquake.

……

Forty minutes later, Jiang Xia sat at the back of the motorcycle, her hands on Sheng Zhi's shoulders. The motorcycle driver at the front kept weaving in and out of traffic, making Jiang Xia almost dizzy.

"How much longer?" Jiang Xia asked him, craning her neck.

Sheng Zhi turned to look at her, and was about to speak when the motorcycle taxi driver slammed on the brakes, nearly throwing Jiang Xia off.

Jiang Xia exclaimed in surprise and subconsciously hugged Sheng Zhi's waist. After sitting down, she let go of his arm and instead gripped his shirt hem tightly.

Sheng Zhi suppressed a smile and replied, "About ten more minutes, we'll be there soon."

Jiangxia did not respond.

She regretted going with Sheng Zhi. She hadn't even figured out who his friend was. What if he was a bad person?

This is Jiangxia's fourth day in Bangkok.

The warm, humid wind enveloped every inch of her skin, and the unpleasant exhaust fumes hit her face, making it hard to breathe.

The motorcycle taxi driver skillfully weaved between the vehicles. Jiang Xia wore a helmet, and sweat streamed down his eyebrows from the brim of the helmet. His entire scalp was covered in sweat, and he couldn't even scratch it.

Swaying back and forth, Jiang Xia felt a bit dizzy from low blood sugar. She had initially been clinging to Sheng Zhi's clothes to avoid suspicion, but in the end, she simply leaned against his back and took a nap.

"Jiang Xia, wake up, we're almost there."

Hearing the sound, Jiang Xia groggily opened his eyes, looking around at the low-rise buildings in a daze.

This place is very different from the districts in the city center; Chinese characters can be seen everywhere in the shops along the street.

"There are many Chinese people in this area; you could call it a Chinese neighborhood."

Sheng Zhi's voice came from the front, and Jiang Xia then let go of his arms and grabbed the back seat frame instead, distancing herself from Sheng Zhi.

"Is your friend Thai?" she asked.

"He's a Thai-Chinese, don't worry, his Chinese is better than his Thai."

Hearing Sheng Zhi say this, Jiang Xia couldn't help but feel suspicious. After the motorcycle turned into an alley, she asked, "How did you two meet?"

"As I told you, I live and travel in Southeast Asia for many years, so it's normal for me to have a few local friends."

indeed.

Like Xu Xiujie, he also has a woman in the local area, perhaps a local Chinese... or Thai? Or European or American?

Jiang Xia thought of Lin Shuting, the psychologist from that day. Perhaps she was the kind of person Xu Xiujie liked—more intellectual, more gentle, and even able to offer him emotional support.

"arrive."

When I came to my senses, the motorcycle was already parked in front of an apartment building.

The alley is long, with exits on both sides. The apartment building looks to be a relatively new building from recent years, and the security booth is clean and bright.

This quiet alley is like a utopia in Bangkok.

After getting off the motorcycle, Jiang Xia couldn't unfasten the helmet buckle no matter what she did. Sheng Zhi paid nearly 1,000 baht and exchanged a few words of Thai with the motorcycle taxi driver.

Turning around, he saw that Jiang Xia hadn't taken it off yet, so he simply helped her untie it.

Upon being suddenly approached, Jiang Xia instinctively took a half-step back.

"Don't move."

With a click, the buckle was released, and Jiang Xia took off his helmet, his head covered in sweat.

Watching the motorcycle taxi driver drive away from the alley, Jiang Xia couldn't help but ask him, "Do you speak Thai?"

"They only know a few phrases, like 'sawadika' and 'kaponka,' those are just polite expressions."

As they were talking, a fair-skinned young man wearing the same floral shirt walked over.

"My friend..."

Before Sheng Zhi could introduce them, Hu Junxi greeted them first: "Hello~"

His accent is authentically Thai; even his intonation screams "Sawasdee ka!"

"My name is Hu Junxi."

Hu Junxi reached out to shake Jiang Xia's hand, his tone so exaggerated he almost seemed to be twisting his body.

Jiang Xia unconsciously glanced at Sheng Zhi beside her, and without bothering to pull her hand away, asked him in a low voice, "Didn't you say your friend speaks very good Chinese?"

Sheng Zhi clicked his tongue and slapped away Hu Junxi's hand that was holding on tightly.

"Speak properly."

Seeing this, Hu Junxi stopped teasing Jiang Xia and grinned, saying, "Just call me handsome little guy."

Jiang Xia forced a smile and nodded awkwardly, "Hello."

The three of them went upstairs together. Hu Junxi casually glanced at Jiang Xia and Sheng Zhi, "By the way, what's your name?"

"Jiang Xia," Jiang Xia said truthfully, since she was staying at someone else's house, "Thank you for your help. If it's inconvenient, I'll leave as soon as I find a new hotel..."

"No trouble at all, I just finished tidying up. Chaoyang's room is very comfortable."

After exiting the elevator, turn right and the first apartment is Hu Junxi's.

The apartment building has four units per floor, with each unit occupying a corner.

Upon entering, Hu Junxi introduced the room layout. Jiang Xia expressed her gratitude, but because she was covered in sweat, she didn't go into the room.

Sheng Zhi noticed that she wanted to take a shower, so he pulled Hu Junxi, who was still chatting, and said, "Come on, let's go to the balcony and look at the flowers."

"Flowers? My potted plants died a long time ago... Hey, you pulled my collar, you've really messed things up!"

"Let's go downstairs and buy something to eat, we're hungry," Sheng Zhi said, pulling Hu Junxi towards the door. He added to Jiang Xia, "We'll be back in an hour. Feel free to use the bathroom."

Hu Junxi then realized what was happening and clung to the door, saying, "Jiang Xia, feel free to use it. My shower gel has a special fragrance, it smells amazing... Okay, stop pulling me, I'll leave, alright..."

The door slammed shut.

Jiangxia looked around; the apartment wasn't particularly tidy, but it was still decent.

The bathroom was large and even had a bathtub, but she was tired and hungry and just wanted to take a shower and change into some comfortable clothes.

*

Once inside the elevator, Hu Junxi straightened his clothes as he asked, "Wouldn't it be too risky to bring her back?"

"The point is to follow her; that way, we can better know her whereabouts," Sheng Zhi explained casually.

Hu Junxi deliberately moved closer to Sheng Zhi and scrutinized him from head to toe, left to right.

"Shengzhi, something's not right with you."

"I didn't notice."

Your mind is in turmoil.

"You understand now?" Sheng Zhi raised an eyebrow at him.

Hu Junxi scoffed, raised his hand, and pressed the button for the G floor. "If things weren't chaotic, you'd be here for ages and still wouldn't know to press the elevator button?!"