Back to the Future 1999: Raining at the Same Time

On both sides of the door, Chen Xi and Qian Eri put their hands on the handles.

Rotate, open the door...

"Anya, let's go, hurry up!"

……

"Click——"

Almost the next moment after Chen Xi went out, the sound of the lock twisting was heard again, and Leah raised her head again, almost begging.

"Brother Chenxi, are you back to take Liya away?"

She hurriedly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned around and was about to throw herself into the arms of the person who came in.

But an unfamiliar smell froze her in place before she could make any move.

"Chen Xi?"

Chieri looked at the timid girl in front of her with tears in the corners of her eyes with confusion.

"What is your relationship with Chen Xi?"

"No, no...! Wuwuwu...Liya, Liya doesn't know anything."

The hard shell in her heart was melted away, but the person who brought her warmth was not there, so a simple inquiry made her so scared that she squatted down with her head in her hands, her body shaking uncontrollably.

After just a glance, Chieri didn't waste any more time on her and turned her gaze to the receptionist.

The moment he was fixed by that gaze, the receptionist seemed to hear the coins in his pocket making a continuous and harsh clinking sound.

"Investigator, may I ask for your instructions?"

He calmly hid the purse in the drawer, then approached Chieri in a flattering manner.

But when the other person's face, which was so greasy that it was reflective, got close to her, Chieri immediately lost the desire to communicate.

But this was no big deal. He had been using mystical magic since he entered the room, and soon found the key point he wanted - the certificate card on the table that he had not had time to hand over to Leah for safekeeping.

"This is?"

As a rookie, he naturally had never been assigned anything like this, but...

"Chieri!"

The ignored senior chased after him angrily, and was about to start his sermon, but when he stared at the thing in Chieri's hand, his words changed in tone for some reason:

"How did you get that thing?"

"this?"

He shook the business card in his hand, and the senior, who was originally nonchalant, accidentally glanced at the name on it and quickly snatched it away.

"Stanley's? How did that old woman's stuff appear in this place?"

"Perhaps you should ask this little girl about this question."

He pointed his finger behind him and saw Leah squatting behind him, trembling and grabbing his trouser leg.

The moment the door was pushed open by the senior, Leah suddenly jumped behind Chieri as if she had a stress reaction, hiding her body as much as possible.

However, none of the three people present felt any compassion.

The senior flipped over the card in his hand again and again, and he couldn't understand why that guy Si Tanlu would hand this thing over like that.

He tried to find even the slightest trace of forgery on it, but the result was bound to disappoint him.

"Little friend, tell me, how did you get this thing?"

Perhaps because it touched upon a little bit of the issue of male self-esteem, the senior's voice unconsciously became louder and sounded a little fierce.

But as he watched the other person shrinking back behind Chieri, he also realized his own problem.

He cursed in his heart, but he didn't know whether the target of the curse was himself or Si Tanlu.

"Don't be afraid, little boy. Tell me, how did you get this?"

As a Foundation investigator, I'm well aware of the basic principle of special circumstances requiring special treatment.

He gently placed his palm on Leah's head, trying to soothe her.

However, this action made the girl in front of him tremble even more violently.

He tried to make his movements as gentle as possible and kept comforting her, which finally made Leah open her mouth slightly.

"It's... it's Brother Chenxi. He saved me and brought me here."

"They said I could get a new home here... As for the rest, I really don't know anything."

"No, don't hit Leah anymore. Leah knows she's wrong. Leah... Leah..."

The figure before my eyes gradually overlapped with the one in my memory...

If you have never seen the light, everything in the darkness seems bearable.

But when the fig leaf of family affection is torn off, the pain that a child under ten years old cannot bear is suddenly placed in front of him. Anyone will collapse, become sensitive and fragile.

The panting sound became louder and louder in the tone of crying. The moment the senior realized something was wrong, he quickly hugged Leah in his arms, stroking her back, protecting her from suffocating and fainting due to the fierce surge of emotions and memories.

"Yes, your brother is right. No one will hurt you here. Welcome to your new home, child."

While gently picking up Leah, he winked at Chieri.

Chenxi, it’s Chenxi again.

Why is he everywhere now? The Hand of Reshaping, the Egyptian investigation, and most importantly... the dream revealed by Si Chen, which was related to Chen Xi.

Chen Xi, are you a friend or an enemy?

"We'll take this little girl back to headquarters first. We'll come back to you later to record the man's appearance!"

The receptionist, who was suddenly called, was so surprised that sweat broke out on his face, but he immediately responded flatteringly.

……

Is it Chen Xi?

After returning to the foundation, Chieri did not immediately report Chen Xi's whereabouts to Arcana.

He rubbed the crystal pendant on his chest with his fingers and began another divination.

The road... a road that Chie couldn't see clearly, lying in the void filled with only mist.

Then, there were dots of light, more and more dots of light... and then...

"what!"

A tingling sensation suddenly shot into her head, and Chieri quickly loosened the necklace.

She reached out to soothe its hot body, but even though they were already old friends, Chieri felt an unfamiliar sensation - cracks?

Frowning, Chieri dialed Arcana's secret line.

"Ms. Arcana."

"I'm glad you still remember me, my child. How long has it been since we last communicated?"

Taking a deep breath, Chieri ignored Arcana's angry tone and continued:

"I request that the mystic arts be amplified through the use of reshaping technology."

"I assume you're not writing to me this time to make such a frivolous request. What bargaining chips do you have to offer?"

"I have Chen Xi's whereabouts."

Even though the voice was lowered, Chieri still keenly caught the slight gasp from the other end of the communicator.

"Even at the greatest cost?"

"There's no point in trying this, Miss Arcana."

"Thank you very much for rescuing me from that rainstorm and allowing me to see the most mysterious thing in the world."

"Chen Xi, my goal from the beginning to the end has always been Chen Xi. I want to see him clearly."

"Hum~"

"Then enjoy your game, and don't get smashed to pieces by that wall~"

The conversation ends here.

On the other end of the communication, Chieri held the cracked necklace, her expression gradually becoming solemn.

And the other end...

"Hehe~ Is the game of hide-and-seek finally over, my little music box~"

With a flip of the wrist, a pull, and the sound of something falling onto the table.

"What kind of performance will you give me this time~"

The chain gradually tightened, and the object being dragged was unable to break free at all.

But soon, another thing came over on the table, dragging its chains and trying to compete with Arcana.

"Haha, the day you started moving, it really surprised me for quite a while~"

"Sure, you two will be together forever."

The black liquid wrapped around the wrists of the two puppets on the table at the same time, connecting them together, but the other end of Chen Xi's hand was still stretched out and was firmly grasped by Arcana.

"Chen Xi..."

……

"Is this... my identification card?"

"I remember I only gave this thing to one person. Where did you get it from?"

The male investigator stepped aside to let the girl behind him pass, and a flash of surprise flashed in Si Tanlu's eyes.

"Who is this girl?"

"Anyway, she's not Chenxi's daughter."

Si Tanlu looked at the investigator in front of him who was trying to hold back his laughter with a puzzled look, trying to recall what he had done to cause such a misunderstanding.

"She was a little girl I rescued on Chenxi Road. She had been suffering from domestic violence for a long time. Maybe they couldn't stand it anymore, so they rescued her."

"Is that right?"

Looking at the little girl who was still hiding timidly in front of him, Si Tanlu imagined the scene when Chen Xi rescued her.

Knowing that he was still the warm and kind person she remembered, Si Tanlu felt relieved for some reason.

"Hahahaha, I told you you'd care. The relief you show is so obvious."

The merciless ridicule was met with an even more merciless pulling of the hair by Si Tanlu.

"It hurts! Can't you be a little gentler?"

Although he shouted loudly, this seemed to be his real purpose.

"Stop talking nonsense. If you have the time, why don't you take this child away and make arrangements for him?"

"The information revealed in Si Chen's recent dreams has not yet been sorted out."

"If Chen Xi can really walk in a rainstorm, then he must be brought into the foundation no matter what."

……

"Are you listening carefully?"

“Of course!”

Another punch came flying, making him grimace in pain.

Leah, who was hiding weakly on the side, stared at the two of them with fear and a hint of confusion.

"Mom and Dad are arguing? It feels different... Brother Chenxi, Sister Anya."

"A sister who looks just like Anya... When will I be able to meet her?"