When Xu Tingyu saw the news, what she cared about wasn't whether her identity had been completely exposed.
Instead, she was concerned about whether the exposure of her return to the country would have any impact on the investigation of Cai Lan's case.
What she cared about most was whether being with Shen Yan would put him in danger.
So she made a prompt decision. "I'm not going back with you. Shen Yan, take a good rest tonight and leave Kyoto as soon as possible. I have a place to stay. I'll go back there."
Shen Yan had no idea why she suddenly changed her mind.
"Are you trying to draw a clear line from me because of the news? These media are just spouting nonsense. We don't have to care about it."
"If you're going to stay away from me now and ask me to leave, how can I leave with peace of mind? Have you ever thought about your place in my heart?"
He was a bit anxious, almost on the verge of saying that he loved her so much that he'd even give his life for her.
But he also knew better than anyone that he couldn't say that.
If he did, he'd only be pushing Xu Tingyu further away from him.
Seeing his agitation, Xu Tingyu immediately grabbed his forearm. "Listen to me. I'm not trying to draw a clear line from you."
"I just think that Cai Lan's death was targeted at me. He was silenced because he called me."
"So, it'll be very dangerous for you to be with me. If something happens to both of us at the same time, it'll be all over. I won't even have anyone to call for help."
"So, you're my backup. Do you understand? If the real target of this mastermind is me, I believe you'll definitely avenge me."
"Of course, I don't really want things to get to that point. It's just that we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. We'd better stay apart."
"Don't worry. I'll hire bodyguards, and the place I'll stay in will be very safe."
She half - truthfully rambled on for a while, but Shen Yan didn't believe a word.
"If you insist on staying away from me, that's fine. Then go stay with Qi Shifeng. I believe Qi Shifeng can protect you well."
Shen Yan was a man, and a man with feelings for Xu Tingyu.
So he knew very well that Qi Shifeng was also sincere towards Xu Tingyu.
If there really was danger, he'd protect her with his life, just like he would.
Since she didn't want to stay by his side, it was okay for her to be with Qi Shifeng.
"No, I can't bring risks to Qi Youyou either. I really have a place to stay. The Xu family's old mansion is now in my name. I'll stay there."
The facilities in the Xu family's old mansion remained unchanged, and even the original password was still the same.
Moreover, the security system of the villa was quite good. There were cameras all around the house, and there were many patrols in the community.
In short, it would be very safe for her to hire a few bodyguards and stay in the Xu family's old mansion.
Hearing that the old mansion was in her name, Shen Yan was a bit surprised.
He had once thought about buying this house and giving it to Xu Tingyu.
But no matter how many times he asked, he was always told that the house had its owner.
He thought it had been bought by someone else, so he went looking for the buyer, but he never found anyone.
In the end, this matter just faded away.
He never thought that this house would now be in Xu Tingyu's name.
"This house was bought by Qi Shifeng. He took me to see it. It's almost the same as before. There are people taking care of it regularly."
"It'll be absolutely fine to move in."
Xu Tingyu was still trying hard to convince him.
At this point, Shen Yan didn't know what else to say. He personally arranged bodyguards for her and then took her to the Xu family's old mansion.
Seeing that everything was really as she had said, and it was almost the same as in his memory, he felt a bit more at ease.
"Alright, you should go back quickly too. Be sure to stay safe. We both need to be safe."
It was already very late. Xu Tingyu kept urging him to go back and rest.
Both of them were extremely exhausted. She felt light - headed, and she believed Shen Yan was in a similar state.
Moreover, just as that internet celebrity had said, he had been taking care of her on the plane and hadn't rested as well as she had.
Seeing that the bodyguards were in place, Shen Yan didn't insist anymore and left first.
As soon as Xu Tingyu entered the house, Qi Shifeng called her for a video call.
Needless to say, he must have seen the news.
She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Where exactly are you now?"
Qi Shifeng was clearly really angry. As soon as his handsome face appeared on the screen, he immediately asked.
She didn't want to tell the truth, so she said vaguely, "I'm really in Kyoto now, but I'm back for something. I'm very busy."
Hearing her perfunctory answer, Qi Shifeng was so angry that he looked like he was about to cry. His breathing became much heavier.
"Humph, very busy? Being very busy means going to the police station with Shen Yan? Xu Tingyu, what exactly do you take me for? I don't even know your whereabouts."
"However, both legally and in reality, I'm your husband, yet you deceive and hide things from me like this."
He was both angry and heart - broken.
Especially when he saw the trending search, he felt cold all over.
She had returned to Kyoto and was with Shen Yan, but she hadn't said a single word to him.
Was there really no place for him in her heart?
"I said I'm back for something. But how did you know I was at the police station? Did you send someone to investigate me?"
Xu Tingyu remembered Cai Lan's warning not to tell any of the Qi family members about their deal.
So, was there any connection between these things and him?
Otherwise, how did he know her whereabouts?
"I didn't investigate you. After you guys made it onto the trending search, someone leaked the information. Not only do I know, but everyone knows."
Qi Shifeng was both angry and aggrieved. His eyes were red.
She was still saying that she was back for something and didn't even seem to want to explain.
Moreover, she even asked him if he had investigated her.
She was on guard against him.
Xu Tingyu didn't reply but directly opened the trending search list.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for her to find a photo taken at the police station. It was a picture of them entering, taken by someone and posted online.
Although it wasn't very clear, one could still tell that it was Xu Tingyu and Shen Yan.
"I got into a fight and was taken to the police station today, and unexpectedly saw Young Master Shen and Xu Tingyu. I heard they were also brought in for fighting."
"Sure enough, whether you're rich or not, when you see someone you don't like, you just settle it with your fists."
Instead of reflecting on his own behavior, this person was even excited that he had ended up in the police station for the same reason as Shen Yan and the others.
This post quickly gained popularity.
Someone asked in the comment section, "Did these two fly back just to get into a fight?"
"What kind of feud is this? I've already prepared my snacks and drinks. Hurry up and tell the story."
"Come on, do they really have to fight in person? Can't they just send someone else?"
"You don't understand. It's more fun to take revenge with your own hands."
...
Everyone in the comment section was joking around, but all Qi Shifeng cared about was why they had gotten into a fight.
Did they come back to Kyoto just to fight?
Or rather, they came back to fight but didn't even bother to talk to him?