Chapter 10 The Mysterious Visitor

The deafening roar of the plane continuously pounded my eardrums. My body could clearly feel the tremendous pressure from the taxiing and ascending of the aircraft, a pressure that made my heart slightly uncomfortable. However, what made me even more uneasy was the last sentence from Mile's phone call. What had this guy experienced in that place?

Perhaps due to nervousness, I tightly gripped the armrest of the chair, closed my eyes tightly, and continued to do so until the plane entered the stratosphere. Only then did my mind begin to stabilize somewhat. At this moment, Jiang Mingyue turned her head and softly said in my ear, "Shen... Shen Tuo, can you let go of my hand?"

I turned my head to look at Jiang Mingyue, whose face was slightly red. Our eyes met, and she lowered her head to glance at her hand. I noticed that I was tightly holding her hand. I quickly released her hand and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't notice!"

While Jiang Mingyue was rubbing her hand, reddened by my grip, she smiled faintly and said, "Do you... have something on your mind?"

I understood Jiang Mingyue's meaning. She had already seen the scene of me talking to Mile on the phone moments ago. I looked at her captivating eyes and sighed deeply. At this moment, my heart was in chaos, but I didn't know where to start. She seemed to understand my thoughts, smiled, and said, "Have you heard of Murphy's Law?"

I turned to look at Jiang Mingyue. She still maintained that signature smile on her face and said lightly, "Anything that can go wrong, no matter how small the probability, will go wrong."

I nodded slightly, and at this point, Jiang Mingyue continued, "So, when things are uncertain, don't think about the negative side!"

I nodded again. At this moment, Jiang Mingyue opened the small table, took out a deck of playing cards from her bag, and mischievously said, "Let's play a game!"

"A game?" I looked at her in confusion.

"Yeah, I'll predict your future with the cards!" Jiang Mingyue said, quickly shuffling the cards in her nimble hands. The deck seemed to come to life in her delicate fingers. After shuffling, she smiled and said, "Draw one card; let me see!"

I skeptically drew a card from the deck and handed it to Jiang Mingyue. She picked up the card, looked at it, then looked at me, and said, "Draw another one!"

I drew another card, and Jiang Mingyue glanced at it, grinning, "It looks like you're going to have some romantic encounters soon."

"Really?" I curiously took the two cards from her hand. One was a peach blossom, and the other was a heart. It did seem to have some meaning. My expression softened a bit.

At this moment, Jiang Mingyue smiled and said, "See, distracting your attention makes you feel better, right?"

"Hehe." I smiled faintly. Throughout the rest of the journey, Jiang Mingyue kept trying various ways to cheer me up. In our conversation, I learned that Jiang Mingyue was not only a top student but also a returnee who had studied cryptography in the United States for five years. After graduating, she was planning to return to work in China. She had already found a job but decided to take a few months off before starting work to relax and explore the beautiful landscapes of her homeland.

Time flies when you're having fun. As the noise of the plane grew louder, we landed at the airport in Guizhou. As soon as the plane landed, I immediately dialed Mile's number. However, his phone remained switched off, increasing my concern. What had this guy experienced, and why was his phone still off? At this moment, Jiang Mingyue had already stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, patted my shoulder lightly, and said, "We'll meet again someday!"

"Yeah." I nodded blankly. However, Jiang Mingyue stood in front of me without moving. After a while, she suddenly grabbed my hand, took out a pen, and wrote some strange symbols on my hand. I looked at those symbols, furrowing my brows, about to ask her what those symbols were. But when I looked up, she had already gracefully walked into the crowd.

I gazed at the symbols in my hand, lost in thought as I disembarked from the plane. It was already late at night, and a drizzle was falling outside. After collecting my luggage, I attempted to find a car to take me to Yunju. However, my requests were rejected by several drivers, partly due to the remote location and heavy rain, and also because most people hadn't heard of a place called Yunju in the vicinity of LaHai Ridge.

In despair, I had no choice but to find a nearby hotel using my phone, planning to stay for the night and hoping to secure transportation to Yunju the next day. While waiting for a ride, I made several calls to Miler's phone, but still, no one answered. Staring at the increasingly heavy rain outside, I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "Miler, where on earth are you? What have you been through?"

The hotels near the airport had impressive names, often including "International" or "Hotel," but upon entering those supposedly grand and pricey establishments, disappointment set in. My chosen lodging was one of these places—its name did not match its reality.

The room emitted a musty odor, with a stiff bed and a basic bathroom. Apart from a television of indiscernible vintage, there was little else. I pinched my nose, surveying the accommodations with a myriad of frustrations. However, having a place to stay temporarily while away from home provided some comfort, especially since I would be leaving the next day. With these thoughts, my mind calmed down a bit. After a brief wash, I lay on the bed, fidgeting with my phone, checking the route from my current location to Yunju while making repeated calls to Miler's phone, yet still receiving no response.

I turned on the television, listened to the rain outside, but sleep eluded me. At that moment, I noticed the strange symbols left by Jiang Mingyue on my hand. Her exquisite face and captivating eyes immediately flashed in my mind. Intrigued by the symbols, I counted them—eleven in total. A sudden thought crossed my mind: could these be a phone number? Armed with a pen and paper, I transcribed the symbols, deducing that the number must start with 1. If I could confirm the first symbol as 1, the rest would become relatively easier to guess.

After about an hour of deciphering, I successfully decoded the symbols into a phone number. Although uncertain of its accuracy, I entered the number into my phone. After hesitating for another half-hour, I mustered the courage to dial the number. Following a brief ring, the familiar and pleasant voice answered, "Hello? Who is this?"

"Hehe, it's Shen Tuo," I replied with a smile.

Jiang Mingyue seemed stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you to decipher it so quickly!"

"Your password was too simple," I modestly remarked.

Jiang Mingyue chuckled and said, "It was indeed quite simple!"

Feeling somewhat tongue-tied, I suddenly didn't know what else to talk to her about. So, I cleared my throat and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Just entered the hotel, getting ready to sleep... sigh," Jiang Mingyue sighed.

"What happened?" I curiously inquired.

"A bit disappointed," Jiang Mingyue admitted.

"What's the matter?" I pressed on.

"I had plans to go out with a friend, but after I arrived, I learned she couldn't make it due to some issues. Looks like I need to rearrange my original plans!" Jiang Mingyue said helplessly.

"Where were you planning to go?" I asked.

"LaHai Ridge..." Jiang Mingyue's words sent a shiver down my spine.

"LaHai Ridge? What were you going to do there?" I couldn't control my emotions as I questioned.

"Nothing much," Jiang Mingyue seemed unwilling to elaborate, swiftly changing the subject. "How about you? How's it going?"

"I... also need to go to LaHai Ridge!" I said calmly.

"Your friend is in LaHai Ridge?" Jiang Mingyue asked in astonishment.

"Yes, have you heard of Yunju?" I inquired.

"Yunju?" Jiang Mingyue's tone raised slightly, and she continued, "Your friend is in Yunju?"

"Yes, we agreed to meet in Yunju!" I replied casually.

"What?" Jiang Mingyue said incredulously, "That place..."

She hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Jiang Mingyue remained silent. Instead, she asked, "Which hotel are you staying at?"

"XX International Hotel!" I barely finished speaking when I realized someone was calling me. In haste, I said, "I have another call; I'll hang up first!"

"Alright!"

After ending the call, I immediately answered the other one. A girl's voice came from the other end, "Are you Shen Tuo?"

"Yes, who is this?" I asked curiously.

"I'm Miler's friend!" The girl's voice was somewhat hoarse. Filled with suspicion, I asked, "Do you know where Miler is?"

"Yes, he's with me, but he's encountered a bit of trouble," the woman's voice remained calm and composed.

"What happened? Is he okay?" I asked anxiously.

"Just some minor issues," the woman sighed.

"Where is he? I want to see him!" A sense of foreboding crept over me.

"Tell me your location, and I'll send someone to pick you up," the woman said calmly.

"Okay!" I provided my location to the woman on the phone, and she hung up. Clutching my phone tightly, a multitude of questions swirled in my mind. What had Miler gone through? Who was this woman calling me?