Become a Knight Across the World

Chapter 324

After returning to Z City, Yun Yi remained somewhat silent for several days.

He no longer gets angry at Li Yuetian as easily as before. Although he still dislikes him, he now has a more indescribable scrutiny and a hint of awe that he himself is unwilling to admit.

Lin Yue observed all of this without saying a word. Some growth requires him to understand it for himself.

On a weekend morning, Yunyi woke up early, but instead of getting up immediately to play games or wander around as usual, he did not.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, but Xu Yun's pale and fragile face appeared before his eyes.

A powerful urge seized him. He had to go see her.

Once the thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed. He sat up abruptly, quickly washed and changed his clothes, his movements carrying a rare determination.

He seemed somewhat absent-minded while eating breakfast, his chopsticks unconsciously poking at the porridge in his bowl.

"What's wrong?" Lin Yue put down her milk and glanced at him. "You seem distracted."

Yun Yi hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Sister Lin Yue... I... want to go out today."

"Where to?" Lin Yue's tone was calm. "To...to see Xu Yun." Yun Yi's voice lowered, somewhat uneasy, unsure of Lin Yue's reaction.

After all, Xu Yun's identity was special, and her misfortune was largely caused by him.

"Come back early. Don't cause trouble."

There were no objections or further questions, and Yun Yi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a slight warmth in his heart.

"Yes! I know!" He nodded heavily, quickly finished the porridge in his bowl, grabbed his coat, and rushed out the door.

Based on the bits and pieces of information he had heard before and through inquiries, Yun Yi knew that Xu Yun was being held in a juvenile detention center in the suburbs of Z City.

He took a bus for nearly two hours and walked quite a distance before finally seeing the complex of buildings surrounded by high walls and electric fences.

Strict, cold, and isolated from the world. This was Yun Yi's first impression of the juvenile detention center.

The process of obtaining visitation permits was more complicated and stressful than I had imagined. Registration, identity verification, questions about relationship, inspection of personal belongings…

Finally, he was led into a spacious visiting room. The walls were cold and white, with thick transparent partitions separating the rooms. There were rows of fixed tables and chairs, and the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

Yun Yi sat down in the designated spot, his fingers unconsciously twisting together, his palms slightly sweaty. He nervously stared at the door on the other side of the partition.

Time ticked by, and finally, the door opened. A slender figure in a uniform blue ward uniform walked in slowly, head bowed, accompanied by a female wardens.

It's Xu Yun.

Her hair was cut shorter and neatly tucked behind her ears, revealing her clear facial features.

Her face was still somewhat pale, but compared to the deathly ashen look she had shown the last time we met, it had a bit more color in it.

His eyes were timid, filled with a cautious fear, like a small animal that had not yet recovered from being frightened.

When she looked up and saw Yun Yi sitting across the partition, she was visibly stunned.

Disbelief, surprise, shame, panic... a complex mix of emotions made her instinctively want to lower her head, her fingers nervously clutching the wide hem of her dress.

The female warden whispered something to her, gesturing for her to sit down. Xu Yun then seemed to snap out of her daze, stiffly sitting down in the chair opposite her, never daring to look Yun Yi in the eye.

The two stood separated by a thick partition, holding walkie-talkies, speechless for a moment. The air seemed to freeze.

"You..." Yun Yi broke the silence first, his voice a little hoarse with nervousness, "Are you... alright?"

Xu Yun's body trembled slightly, and she nodded very slowly, her voice barely audible, coming through the communicator with a slight static: "...Um. It's...it's alright."

There was another suffocating silence.

"Is the food here... okay? Is it cold at night? Is anyone here...?" Yun Yi racked his brains trying to find something to say, eager to express his concern, but he was too clumsy to know where to begin.

"Everything...everything is fine." Xu Yun interrupted him softly, as if afraid he would ask more questions that would be difficult for her to answer. "The guards...are quite considerate. My roommates...are also fine."

She finally mustered her courage, quickly glanced up at Yun Yi, then quickly looked down again: "Brother Yun Yi...you...how did you get here? Are you alright? After that day..."

"I'm fine! I'm perfectly alright!" Yun Yi quickly said, his voice involuntarily rising a little. "Sister Lin Yue saved us, we're all okay! You don't need to worry!"

Xu Yun's eyes flickered, as if she remembered something, and her fingers clenched even tighter.

"I...I'm so sorry..." Her voice choked with sobs, "It's all my fault...If it weren't for me...you wouldn't have encountered those dangers...and almost..."

"Stop saying sorry!" Yun Yi interrupted her, his tone urgent and sincere. "The ones who should be apologizing aren't you! They're the scum who hurt you and your mother! You've already... you've already paid the price!"

He looked at the blue dress she was wearing, and at the lingering fear and inferiority in her eyes, and his heart felt as if it had been violently clenched.

“Xu Yun,” his voice softened, trying to make his words sound firmer, “that wasn’t your fault. You were just trying to protect yourself, to protect your mother…and later, you protected me and those girls too. Sister Lin Yue said…”

He paused, recalling Lin Yue's comment, and felt that it might give her some strength: "Sister Lin Yue said that the way you protect others is really cool."

Xu Yun suddenly raised her head, her eyes instantly reddening, tears welling up in them.

"Really...really?" Her voice trembled violently.

"Of course it's true!" Yun Yi nodded vigorously. "Why would I lie to you! So... so stop thinking of yourself as a monster, a jinx! You're not!"

Xu Yun finally couldn't hold back her tears, and large drops rolled down her cheeks. She hurriedly lowered her head, wiping them with the back of her hand, her shoulders trembling slightly as she suppressed her sobs.

This was the first time since she arrived that someone had affirmed her and told her, "It's not your fault." This pure kindness and affirmation from the outside world was like long-awaited rain to her parched and desperate heart.

Seeing her cry, Yun Yi felt bad too, and awkwardly comforted her, "Don't cry... everything will be alright... if you behave well, you'll definitely be able to get out soon... then..."

He wanted to say, "I'll come pick you up then," but he felt that the words seemed too ambiguous and rash, so he swallowed them back.

Xu Yun cried for a while, and her emotions gradually calmed down. She wiped away her tears, and when she raised her head again, her eyes were still red and swollen, but there seemed to be a faint glimmer of light in them.

"Thank you for coming to see me, Brother Yunyi," she said softly, trying to force a smile, but it sounded somewhat stiff. "Telling me this... I... I'm very happy."

Visiting time always flies by. When the warden signaled that time was almost up, the two of them paused for a moment, as if they had only just begun to speak.

"I...I have to go." Xu Yun stood up, her eyes showing reluctance.

"Yes!" Yun Yi quickly stood up as well. "Can I...can I still come to see you in the future?" he asked cautiously.

Xu Yun looked at him, her eyes flashing with surprise and anticipation, but also with a hint of hesitation and inferiority. In the end, she nodded gently: "...Mm."

"Then take good care of yourself! If you need anything... uh..." Yun Yi wanted to say he would bring her something, but the rules of the juvenile detention center were strict, and he didn't know what he could and couldn't bring.

“I lack nothing.” Xu Yun seemed to understand what he meant and gently shook her head. “I’m very happy that you came to see me.”

Accompanied by the guards, she walked towards the door, turning back every few steps. Just before the door closed, she turned back again, giving Yun Yi a deep look, her eyes filled with complex emotions that were hard to describe.

Yun Yi stood alone in the empty visiting room, his heart filled with mixed emotions, a feeling of suffocation mixed with a sense of relief.

He was right to come see her.