"Cari? What's wrong?"
"I don't like them," Cari said.
Even though he hadn't even seen the person's face or exchanged a greeting, he refused to go near them while pulling Qiong Xing away quickly.
"Cari? Do you know this person?"
"No. But… they feel… gross. I don't like it."
Cari had always been a bit shy, but his strong refusal surprised both Joa and Qiong Xing.
They exchanged glances and feeling taken aback.
"Gross? You mean scary?"
"I don't know… my back feels weird."
Qiong Xing lifted Cari gently into his arms to calm him down.
As he stroked his back and reassured him that everything was fine, he hugged him tightly.
"It's rare for Cari to react this strongly," Joa observed. "But we can't risk anything happening, so let's head back today."
Although the situation didn't seem dangerous yet, forcing him to stay longer would be unfair.
Qiong Xing carried Cari and leaving Lian to Joa.
