「Ten minutes earlier.」
Bewildered, Fu Yi clutched a cup of milk tea, consulting the map on her phone as she looked around in confusion.
Having just exited the subway, she found herself lost in the vast sea of people.
Jinling Music and Art Museum… It's nearby, isn't it?
But how do I get there?
Although reluctant to admit it, she realized she seemed to be lost.
"Lost?"
Someone asked softly from beside her. When Fu Yi turned around, she saw an unfamiliar woman.
She appeared to be about four or five years older than Fu Yi, with a beautiful and serene face, a loose ponytail draped over her shoulder, and a warm smile.
She seemed as casual as if she were out buying groceries, dressed in a loose, casual long skirt and a knit sweater, with a grocery basket in hand, filled with fresh meat and vegetables recently purchased from the supermarket.
What a reassuring older sister type!
Fu Yi's eyes lit up, and she moved closer, pointing at the map on her phone. "Excuse me, how do I get to this place?"
"The art museum?"
The older woman tilted her head to look, then shook it and said, "The mobile signal here isn't good; your positioning is off. You should have exited from Exit B to get to the art museum. This is Exit C; you're going in the opposite direction."
"Huh?" Fu Yi was stunned for a moment.
The older woman raised her hand, pointing to a tall building in the distance. "Just go over there, turn right, and then go straight. I'm actually headed that way to buy some fresh seasonings. Why don't we go together?"
"Ah, thank you!" Fu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and followed a step behind her.
Sensing her slight wariness, the older woman seemed to smile and turned back to ask, "Someone in your family works at the Social Security Bureau, right?"
"Hmm?" Fu Yi was puzzled and instinctively tensed up.
Then, she noticed the cell phone the older woman was holding up, which had a location-tracking phone charm just like her own.
"Don't worry, it's the same kind," the older woman said with a gentle smile, walking ahead. "Are you here alone? For a vacation?"
"No, I'm here for a competition."
Relieved by the shared item, Fu Yi explained, "It's a contest for environmental research projects. Jinling is hosting the selection, and I submitted a paper to try my luck."
"That sounds very impressive," the older woman marveled.
"It's just fluff, really, not much different from a seven- or eight-year-old kid standing in a square holding up a sign urging everyone to care for the environment. It all depends on luck. If I'm lucky, I'll get extra points for my college entrance exams."
"That's still quite impressive. When I was your age, I didn't even know what a research paper was… Are you here to see a performance?"
"No, a classmate has an exam. I came to cheer him on, but I overslept, and now I'm too late." Fu Yi sighed in resignation. "I might as well just treat him to a meal."
"You must be close. Is your classmate a boy or a girl?"
"A boy, but not in the way you might be thinking," Fu Yi shook her head. "You could say we're like good buddies, I guess?"
"Really? I envy you for having such a pure friendship."
The older woman smiled, her steps halting as she pointed to a nearby building. "This is the place."
"Ah, thank you!" Fu Yi said gratefully.
"It's nothing. I should be on my way…"
As she turned to leave, she seemed to see something and paused, her eyebrows raising slightly. "Would you mind if I wait with you?"
"Hmm?" Fu Yi blinked.
"After all, I've lived this long and still haven't seen someone play the violin," the older woman smiled, but that smile made Fu Yi slightly uneasy.
"I'd like to see it for myself."
"Uh…"
Fu Yi instinctively wanted to refuse, but under the older woman's gentle smile, she felt unable to say no. Thinking it might be nice to have someone to chat with, she slowly nodded.
"That's wonderful, thank you," the older woman said cheerfully, withdrawing her gaze from a camera in the corner. "By the way, little sister, what's your name?"
"Fu Yi. 'Fu' as in Master, and 'Yi' as in 'rely on.' And you, Big Sister?"
"Ah, my name isn't as pretty," the older woman said warmly, taking her arm as they began walking towards the examination area.
"My surname is Luo," she said. "My given name is just Xian."
「.」
"One more?"
The leader frowned. "What's going on?"
"Seems to be someone who gave her directions, just a curious onlooker," the operative on surveillance asked. "Should we get rid of her?"
"Forget it. Don't complicate things."
The leader said coldly, "Just take them all down together. Be quick about it. If there's any resistance, kill them on sight."
"Roger that."