ASA Ch24: Tenant

Chapter 24: “Qin Ge, what is your sea area like?”

Xie Zijing straightened up, though he still had a smile on his face, his expression had begun to become wary.

“What did Professor Lu tell you?”

“Answer my question, and I’ll tell you.” Qin Ge didn’t back down. He was gripped by an unease that he couldn’t quite explain, and he grabbed Xie Zijing’s collar. “While patrolling, did he tell the self-consciousness in your ‘sea area’ that it is disgusting, no one would like it, and that no one else should be allowed to enter it except him?”

The two of them were very close. The midday sun was intense, and on the walls of the alley, the light was gradually pushing back the shadows. Qin Ge’s dark brown eyes were filled with tension, and Xie Zijing looked into his pupils as if he were gazing into deep, pitch-black waters, tempting him to dive into them.

“I don’t like this.” Xie Zijing said softly, “I don’t like you and Professor Lu sharing my secrets behind my back, whether you’re doing it out of concern or just curiosity.”

Qin Ge held onto his collar tightly, not letting him escape even a bit. “Xie Zijing, how can this be curiosity? I want to help you; I want to know what really happened to you.”

“That’s not a good thing!” Xie Zijing raised his hand and delivered a heavy blow to the wall behind Qin Ge. “I’ve already told you, it’s disgusting… Please, don’t look.”

He looked so unfamiliar. He was completely different from the Xie Zijing that Qin Ge had interacted with and seen during this time.

“Who told you that your ‘sea area’ is disgusting?” Qin Ge softened his voice and said, “Xie Zijing, I just need the answer to this question.”

Xie Zijing grabbed his wrist and pulled his crumpled collar away from Qin Ge’s hand.

“I don’t need anyone to tell me. Xie Zijing lowered his head and adjusted his clothes without looking at Qin Ge, “It’s disgusting to begin with.”

Qin Ge didn’t know how to communicate with Xie Zijing.

Disgusting was a very strong negative word. Even if Xie Zijing’s ‘sea area’ was extremely narrow, the room Qin Ge saw was still clean and tidy. It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with “disgusting.” Was there something disgusting in the locked drawers, bookshelves, and wardrobes? But at the time, Qin Ge couldn’t open them, and Xie Zijing still told him that his “sea area” was disgusting.

If no one had influenced Xie Zijing, he might have thought that his ‘sea area’ was abnormal and not right—but never “disgusting.”

He wouldn’t even care if the guide entering the “sea area” liked it or not.

Qin Ge silently recited the multiplication table to calm himself down. When Xie Zijing turned to walk out of the alley, he immediately held Xie Zijing’s hand.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized to Xie Zijing. “I shouldn’t have inquired about your situation with Professor Lu without your permission. I was wrong.”

Xie Zijing didn’t respond but also didn’t continue walking forward.

“You said that once you fix the lock, I can enter the ‘sea area’ again to take a look. Is that still valid?”

“Not welcome.” Xie Zijing said stiffly, “Only my lover can freely enter and exit my ‘sea area,’ not you.”

Qin Ge: “…”

Xie Zijing turned to look at him with a challenging look in his eyes.

Qin Ge didn’t like how Xie Zijing was shifting the topic. “Never mind. Work overtime with me tonight.”

Qin Ge had made up his mind to get the answers he wanted. If Xie Zijing’s “sea area” had really been influenced by Lu Qinglai, then it wasn’t just Xie Zijing with a problem; Lu Qinglai had a problem as well.

There were only five psychological adjusters in the whole country, a rare and precious group. Lu Qinglai was a professor at New Hope Academy, and if he were acting strangely, the entire new generation of Sentinel guides would become unusually dangerous.

On the way back to the Crisis Management Office with Xie Zijing, Xie Zijing unusually remained silent the entire way. They stood on opposite sides of the subway vehicle, and the midday subway vehicle was not crowded, making the distance between the two even more apparent.

Qin Ge called Qin Shuangshuang.

“Aunt Qin, Lu Qinglai became an adjuster after you, right?”

On the other end of the phone, Qin Shuangshuang sounded surprised. “Yes, I was the third one, he was the fourth, and you’re the fifth.”

Qin Ge bit his lip.

“Have you ever patrolled Lu Qinglai’s ‘sea area’?”

Qin Shuangshuang chuckled and then spoke seriously, “Are you kidding? Psychological adjusters cannot patrol each other’s ‘sea areas.’ The first thing we learned after becoming adjusters was to build sea barriers so that we wouldn’t be affected by others while working.”

“I know,” Qin Ge said softly. “So, does that mean the only one who has entered Lu Qinglai’s ‘sea area’ is Professor Zhang?”

“Probably.” Qin Shuangshuang heard the sound of her drinking water. “Every psychological adjuster has to be tested by him to obtain the certification. Since Lu Qinglai could get his qualification, he must have been confirmed by Zhang Xiao, just like you and me.”

Although the study of “sea area” had been around for a long time, the establishment of a complete and systematic system of psychological adjusters in China began with the return of the first psychological adjuster, Zhang Xiao. He created a sea area research major that was tailored to the conditions of Sentinels and guides in China and started promoting the unfamiliar term “psychological adjuster.” After that, every person who obtained the certification had to undergo a “sea area” test.

Lu Qinglai had passed Zhang Xiao’s test, which meant that Lu Qinglai had no malicious intent.

In Qin Ge’s impression, Zhang Xiao had a strong ability to patrol “sea areas.” He could dive deep into the “sea areas” of others, excavating hidden memories that even the individuals themselves were unaware of. If Lu Qinglai had ill intentions or was trying to control Sentinel guides, he wouldn’t have been able to pass Zhang Xiao’s patrol.

“Is there anything wrong with Lu Qinglai?” Qin Shuangshuang asked, “Do you want me to ask Zhang Xiao for the details of the time back then? I know him quite well.”

“Not for now,” Qin Ge said in a low voice. “My suspicion has no concrete basis, so I want to confirm first. Aunt Qin, please don’t worry about this matter. If I find any real doubts, I will let you know.”

After hanging up the phone, Qin Ge couldn’t help but look at Xie Zijing, who was standing near the other car door.

How to confirm it? He was quite bewildered. His only source of information had adamantly refused to cooperate.

The two of them returned to the Crisis Management Office, and Bai Xiaoyuan was busy touching up her makeup, preparing to leave.

“These schools in Anhui are out of control. Sentinels and guides are staying together!” She quickly applied powder to her face while complaining, “Damn it, they’re all seventeen or eighteen years old, full of youthful energy. If they start something tonight, will they even be able to leave the hotel tomorrow?”

Xie Zijing said, “Sounds exciting.”

Bai Xiaoyuan gave him a look, “After I get to the hotel, I’ll rearrange things. Also, there are three Sentinels from Second Middle School who need to stay at the hotel overnight. Their homes are too far, and they might not make it by eight tomorrow.”

Qin Ge said, “You can handle that. I have no objections. Just make sure to keep all the receipts in order.”

Bai Xiaoyuan rushed out in a hurry, and Tang Cuo was still in the Special Management Committee. In the office, only Qin Ge and Xie Zijing remained.

They didn’t speak much anymore and started to focus on their work.

In the blink of an eye, it was dark outside. Qin Ge’s phone kept vibrating on the desk with messages from Bai Xiaoyuan in the group chat.

Xie Zijing finished his work and checked his WeChat. As he read the messages, he couldn’t help laughing.

“A guide student and a Sentinel student in Anhui have found each other attractive and had a response. Bai Xiaoyuan and the chaperone teacher are both dumbfounded.”

Qin Ge immediately raised his head, “…Is it going to be a problem?”

“No problem; they’re isolated, and they’ve taken suppressants,” Xie Zijing said. “Although Bai Xiaoyuan spends all her time chasing stars and reading adult content, don’t forget that she’s a Sentinel.”

Qin Ge thought, how could he forget?

Female Sentinels were a rare breed among Sentinels, and they were known for their strong overall abilities, surpassing even male Sentinels in many respects. Unfortunately, Bai Xiaoyuan had a Sand Cat as her spirit animal, which was too small in size and lacked the intimidating presence, so she had always stayed in the office and didn’t have the capacity for field work.

Finally, the two of them started chatting normally. Xie Zijing glanced at Qin Ge, who was rapidly typing on the keyboard, and it took him a while to come up with a topic he thought Qin Ge might be interested in. “When Sentinels and guides have a response, do their ‘sea areas’ undergo any changes?”

Qin Ge replied, “Yes, but that’s not within my research field, so I don’t know much about it.”

Xie Zijing, pretending to be serious, asked, “What kind of changes? Do they turn yellow?”

Qin Ge responded, “…I don’t know about other Sentinels, but yours is definitely yellow.”

Xie Zijing asked, “Why?”

Qin Ge said, “Your ‘sea area’ is always yellow.”

Xie Zijing laughed for a while and then pretended to be serious, “Don’t slander me. The ‘sea area’ you’ve seen, it’s not yellow at all.”

Qin Ge thought, you brought up this topic yourself; don’t blame me.

“Then let me go in one more time to confirm,” he looked up and said to Xie Zijing.

Xie Zijing promptly replied, “No.”

The answer was expected by Qin Ge, and he could only lower his head and continue working. After a while, a shadow fell over his desk. Xie Zijing had walked over and was peering at his computer screen.

“What are you writing?” Xie Zijing quickly glanced at the computer screen, then looked down at Qin Ge. “Are you hungry? I’ll order takeout.”

Qin Ge said, “Don’t you not have any money? You used your salary in advance for the rent.”

Xie Zijing replied, “Then lend me some.”

Qin Ge said, “In that case, let me patrol…”

“Never mind.” Xie Zijing immediately interrupted him and reached out to ruffle Qin Ge’s hair. “Can we talk about something else?”

Qin Ge remained silent. He had a faint feeling that Xie Zijing seemed to be trying to please him deliberately.

Why? Because he yelled at himself a few times today?

Qin Ge thought there was no need for that.

“Don’t touch my hair.” He turned his head to avoid Xie Zijing’s hand. “I’m not angry; you don’t have to feel guilty.”

With a playful tone in his voice, Xie Zijing’s words rang out from above his head, “You have a really good temper.”

Qin Ge said, “Why do you like touching hair so much? …If you touch me again, I’ll let my rabbit bite you.”

Xie Zijing used his fingers to play with Qin Ge’s hair, swirling them around slowly. “What color is your ‘sea area’?”

Qin Ge repeated the same line, “Let me patrol your ‘sea area,’ and I’ll tell you.”

This time, Xie Zijing didn’t immediately deny. He continued to play with Qin Ge’s hair and finally spoke after a while, “Do you really want to know me?”

Qin Ge turned to look at him and said slowly, “I really want to know you.”

Xie Zijing smiled and didn’t seem entirely convinced. “Really?”

“Trust me, Xie Zijing,” Qin Ge said slowly. “I want to open your drawers and your bookshelves; I want to know more about you. Your ‘sea area’ is not disgusting to me. It’s just mysterious.”

“…Rounding it off, you’re confessing, right?” Xie Zijing bent down, staring at Qin Ge with a slow smile on his lips.

Qin Ge: “…”

He suspected that Xie Zijing had never learned to round off.

But he couldn’t avoid the passionate and tender gaze of the Sentinel. With Xie Zijing’s approach, he seemed to feel that powerful and scorching pheromone, like a hurricane, like sudden lightning and an inescapable thunderstorm, that shook his senses.

This moment felt so familiar, just like the first time Xie Zijing kissed him. It was in a brightly lit place, with Xie Zijing getting closer. Even the fluttering eyelashes of the Sentinel were no different from that day.

Qin Ge realized he remembered this so clearly.

Suddenly, Xie Zijing’s phone rang.

Both of them were startled, and Qin Ge’s face flushed. He pretended to stay calm and stepped back a little. Xie Zijing laughed quietly, reached for his phone, and with one hand on top of Qin Ge’s head, he lowered his head to plant a quick kiss on the back of his hand.

“Consider this a down payment,” he answered the call, “Bai Xiaoyuan?”

Bai Xiaoyuan was exasperated and spoke rapidly, “Xie Zijing, come to the hotel quickly! That little guide’s boyfriend is fighting with the Sentinel from Second Middle School… Damn, how does he have four boyfriends? Several of the teachers are guides, and I’m the only Sentinel here! Come over quickly, or the hotel will call the police in a while!”

The author has something to say:

Xie Zijing: Consider this a down payment.

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