Chapter 1294 1294: BAI ZE AND XIA LI'S MEET-UP (IV)
Chapter 1294 1294: BAI ZE AND XIA LI'S MEET-UP (IV)
"DO you really, actually want to come with me?" Xia Li asked, turning to look at him. It felt like she had asked him the same question at least ten times since they left the cafe.
Bai Ze smiled helplessly from the driver's seat. "Yes, Xia Li, I really want to come," he said again.
He was currently driving them towards Qianmen Street. Earlier, when Xia Li mentioned she was planning to go there to look for some books, he had immediately volunteered to not only drive her, but to go with her to the bookstore and keep her company. It was the perfect excuse to spend more time with her.
Weirdly enough, Xia Li had shown an awkward expression when he first offered. He thought little it at the time, especially since she said yes in the end. He just thought maybe she was feeling shy. But now, after hearing her ask him over and over if he was sure he wanted to go, he couldn't help feeling she might not want him there. That thought made him feel a little sad at first. But then he remembered that Xia Li wasn't the type to just agree to something if she really didn't want to do it. So that meant there had to be another reason she kept asking him that question.
Bai Ze wondered what that reason could possibly be. The thoughts went around in his head for a minute. Then he realized there was a simple solution. Well, why couldn't he just ask her directly?
"Why do you keep asking me that, by the way?" he finally asked, keeping his tone light. Then he added, trying to make it sound like a joke, "Do you secretly not want me there?"
"No, no, it's not that at all!" Xia Li said quickly, shaking her head. She fiddled with the strap of her bag. "It's just... the specific bookstore we're going to, well, it's not really a normal bookstore."
Bai Ze blinked, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. He felt a new kind of curiosity mix with his confusion. "Okay," he said slowly. "Just how 'not normal' are we talking about here?"
"Uhm," Xia Li started, sounding a little embarrassed. "Let's just say it's more of a specialty store than a regular bookstore. They sell all kinds of... merch. For a specific hobby."
Bai Ze just felt even more confused now. He glanced over at her for a second before looking back at the road. "I don't really see a problem with that?"
"It's because of the specific... hobby it's for," Xia Li mumbled, her voice barely audible. She let out a small sigh. "You know what? It's probably easier if you just see the place for yourself."
Even though the entire conversation had made him ten times more curious, Bai Ze just shrugged it off. He let it go for now and focused on driving the rest of the way.
***
Bai Ze looked at the narrow entrance that led down a steep set of stairs. After parking his car in a nearby lot, Xia Li had led him to this old building. He had assumed the bookstore would be inside the building itself, and he was about to head for the main door. But Xia Li had gently pulled him by the sleeve towards this separate, sunken entrance instead.
He looked at the narrow entrance again. He couldn't even see where the stairs ended, the darkness swallowed them up just a few steps down. That meant no natural light reached the bottom at all. Just how far underground was this place? More importantly, why would any kind of bookstore be set up in a spot like this? Then he remembered what Xia Li had said about it being a specialty store, not a normal bookstore. Was this the reason she had seemed so hesitant for him to come along?
"Bai Ze, come on," Xia Li's voice said, pulling him out of his thoughts. She was already standing at the top of the dark stairs, looking back at him expectantly.
When he saw that, Bai Ze quickly walked forward, stepping in front of her.
"Let me go first," he said. He wasn't about to let her walk down into a dark, unknown place alone.
He heard a soft chuckle from behind him. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw Xia Li looking at him, her cat-like eyes full of clear amusement. "You know I've been down here plenty of times before on my own, right?"
Bai Ze's face flushed with heat. But even after hearing that, he just turned back around and continued walking down in front of her. Even if she had been here alone before, he was with her now. So he saw no reason why he shouldn't be the one to go first.
When they reached the part of the stairs where the light from the entrance completely disappeared, Bai Ze planned to turn around. He was going to offer Xia Li his hand so she could walk more safely in the dark. He wasn't doing it just to have an excuse to hold Xia Li's hand. It was purely for safety. Definitely.
But before he could even turn, a pair of soft hands landed gently on his shoulders from behind, making him stiffen in surprise.
He tried to calm himself down and kept walking. He really didn't want Xia Li to notice how much her simple touch had affected him. He focused on taking steady steps and tried to think about nothing at all. Because of that, he could lead them to the bottom of the stairs with no trouble.
At the end of the stairs, he could see a single, heavy-looking door. The only reason he could see it was because a small, flickering fluorescent light was attached to the wall beside it. Bai Ze frowned. Why did this whole place feel like it was straight out of a low-budget horror movie?
"Go ahead, Bai Ze," Xia Li said from behind him. She gave his shoulders a light, encouraging squeeze. "Open the door."
Bai Ze took a few steps forward and did as he was told. He reached out, pushed the heavy door open, and stepped inside. The moment he did, his eyes went wide with complete surprise.