Chapter 308: 308
So Snow White’s real name was Violetta?
If you were called Maria, I might have believed it, but this name seems completely unrelated!
Looking at the little girl’s clear and penetrating eyes, Fu Qian felt a surge of emotion.
“What were you going to do just now?”
He thought for a moment and then asked.
“I was going to find my mom.”
...
To find her mom… there was no doubt that she was the target he was searching for.
Looking at the very young face before him, Fu Qian started to get a slight headache.
This escort mission was getting more and more out of hand.
“What’s your mom’s name?”
Fu Qian tried to coax the answer out gently.
“Mom is just called mom.”
Violetta looked at him puzzled, with an expression of ‘isn’t that obvious’.
…
Before Fu Qian could react, the woman in the front row was already sporting a wry smile that said she knew it would be like this.
Clearly, the couple had asked the same question earlier.
“What is your name?”
As Fu Qian was pondering, he didn’t expect that after answering the question, Violetta would stare at him and ask in return.
And with this question, Fu Qian noticed that the middle-aged couple also pricked up their ears.
Clearly, they were still cautious about this hitchhiker of theirs.
“Fu Qian. You can also call me Doctor,” he replied with a smile, having prepared for this question.
Doctor…
The middle-aged couple seemed perplexed by the nickname, but Violetta’s eyes lit up.
The next moment she sat up straight and nodded earnestly at Fu Qian.
“Nice to meet you, Doctor,” she said.
This little girl really knew her Snow White story!
Fu Qian silently applauded in his heart.
According to the fairy tale, the kind Snow White, to flee from pursuit, entered the forest and was helped by seven dwarves.
The leader of the dwarves was often called Doctor or Know-It-All, which is why Fu Qian had deliberately chosen such a nickname for himself.
Adults like the couple in the front row were unlikely to remember such trivial details.
However, the little girl clearly knew it, which significantly closed the gap between them for a moment.
Still, even after the greeting, Violetta didn’t say much more and continued to sit quietly in the back seat.
Well taught, she knows not to talk too much to a strange man.
Watching the little girl curl up like a cat, Fu Qian mentally gave her a thumbs-up.
“Don’t worry, we should reach our destination in no more than an hour,” said the driver in the front row, breaking the silence.
Although his tone was very natural, and there was nothing unusual in his words,
Fu Qian subconsciously felt that he didn’t want him to continue getting to know the little girl.
It wasn’t a particularly strange reaction.
Violetta was all by herself, and she seemed very innocent.
Anyone getting too close to such a little girl might appear to have an ulterior motive.
Of course, he did indeed have an ulterior motive.
Fu Qian was not bothered by this and naturally started chatting with the two people in front.
From their conversation, he learned that they were indeed a couple.
The man was named Torrance, and the woman, naturally, was Mrs. Torrance.
This Virtuous Couple could indeed be described as a match made in heaven, handsome man and beautiful woman complementing each other, and presently, they have been harmonizing as perfectly as the strings of a lute for many years.
The purpose of this trip was to venture out on a journey, striving to rescue their marriage, which was hanging by a thread.
Perhaps it was precisely this emotion that subconsciously led them to exude more goodwill towards the people around them.
Fu Qian acknowledged this with bravery, as according to his observations, most middle-aged couples at this stage wouldn’t even entertain the thought of reigniting passion.
As they chatted along the way, the intensity of the rain showed no signs of letting up.
The surging raindrops pelted the car, forming a thick film of water on the windows and sealing the interior into an isolated world.
Meanwhile, this path without any forks seemed endless as they drove on it, showing no sign of a destination in the horizon.
It wasn’t clear if they sensed something, but the atmosphere in the car gradually grew silent, and Mrs. Torrance even seemed to be on the verge of dozing off.
“Strange—”
Just then, Torrance suddenly spoke up, his tone carrying an indefinable puzzlement.
At the same time, a clap of thunder sounded, cutting off his words abruptly.
Ah!
Mrs. Torrance at his side was obviously startled, emitting a sharp scream.
“It’s okay!”
Torrance instinctively offered reassurance, yet he furrowed his brows, murmuring to himself.
“It just looks familiar, I keep feeling like I’ve been here before…”
Familiar?
Fu Qian turned to look at Violetta beside him.
The little girl, who should have been the most likely to scream, remained quiet, sitting still.
Pressing her lips together, she said nothing, her eyes fixed in a particular direction.
Fu Qian followed her gaze and as lightning flashed again, it illuminated the surroundings as clear as day.
In the middle of the narrow road stood a tall straw man, blocking the way forward.
Its position was bizarre and its appearance far from that of a conventional straw man.
First and foremost, the most eye-catching feature was the bright red cape draped over the straw man, as vivid as blood against the night sky and unaffected by the ravages of the raging storm.
Its round head was not only large but also lacked any sort of hat, and rather than having its hands stretched out to the sides, they pointed neatly in the same direction.
To proceed, one would have to head straight into it. Next, Mr. Torrance naturally turned the steering wheel, following the direction indicated by the straw man’s hands, making a ninety-degree turn and a new path appeared before them.
Hush!
Seeming to have realized something, Violetta looked at Fu Qian, putting two fingers to her lips and silently hushing him.
Indeed, the little girl could see it too!
And she didn’t want him to speak of it.
Fu Qian discreetly diverted his gaze, continuing to engage in conversation with the Torrance Couple in front of him.
In fact, this was not the first occurrence.
In the past half-hour, Fu Qian confirmed that they had encountered this entity at least three times.
Each time, Mr. Torrance showed no sign of noticing anything amiss, simply turning the corner as directed by the straw man.
There was something evidently amiss with this road.
Even so, Fu Qian didn’t believe speaking out was a good idea.
Firstly, even if he and Violetta warned them, the couple might not believe it.
Secondly, the thing exuded a sinister vibe.
Even if the couple did believe his “ghost stories” and decided to hit the gas straight on, he guessed the outcome would likely not be pleasant.
“The road feels a bit off.”
After continuing through the torrential rain for another hour, Mr. Torrance decided to give up.
“Let’s find somewhere to rest for a bit, and we can resume our journey when it gets light.”
Fu Qian glanced ahead; Mrs. Torrance was already showing signs of exhaustion. Faced with this typical scenario, she did not express any objections.
Violetta by his side remained silent as well.
“Sure!”
And shortly after the four of them reached a consensus, a hotel emerged from the dense forest in the distance.