Chapter 88: Migang is the only way to Jiwu Temple and Luquan.
Qin Ge felt that it had been a long time since he heard Xie Zijing’s irreverent talk, and now it felt somewhat like a reunion after a long absence.
Xie Zijing, however, was serious and earnest. Back in the room, he urged Qin Ge to take a bath and ordered quite a bit of food. In this private space with no one else around, Qin Ge finally relaxed completely.
After eating a little, he quickly became drowsy.
Although he had rested occasionally over the past three days, most of his time had been spent either preparing for the patrol or organizing its content. Tourette syndrome was not a condition Qin Ge often dealt with, so he spent a lot of time researching, constantly verifying it against Liang Tianlu’s symptoms.
Seeing Qin Ge swaying while eating, Xie Zijing urged him to rest.
Because he was tired and because he was with Xie Zijing, Qin Ge let his guard down and said whatever came to mind: “Shall we do it?”
“Dream on.” Xie Zijing wiped his mouth carelessly and pushed him onto the bed, “Go to sleep.”
Qin Ge, wrapped in the quilt, sat up again after laughing for a while: “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”
Xie Zijing was also tired. If Qin Ge didn’t rest, he wouldn’t either. They had no time for private chats, and everyone at the crisis office was counting on Qin Ge, with Lei Chi often supervising Qin Ge’s work in the office.
Brushing their teeth in front of the mirror, Xie Zijing yawned.
Finally lying in bed, they were truly relaxed. Xie Zijing held Qin Ge in his arms and kissed him. The taste of mint toothpaste lingered in both their mouths.
Qin Ge, undeterred, asked again: “Shall we do it?”
“No.” Xie Zijing stared into his eyes, “You’ve really turned into a rabbit; your eyes are red.”
Qin Ge felt a bit disappointed. He kissed Xie Zijing’s chin, his lips brushing against the slightly rough stubble. Xie Zijing hadn’t shaved properly again.
The hand stroking his hair was gentle. Qin Ge closed his eyes: “Lion…”
The Barbary lion, lying by the bed, lifted its paw and gently patted Qin Ge’s head, just like Xie Zijing did.
Leaning in Xie Zijing’s arms, Qin Ge smiled and fell asleep almost immediately, having a dreamless, peaceful sleep.
Xie Zijing turned off the light and took a deep breath. The scent of Qin Ge’s body wash and shampoo made him feel an indescribable sense of peace.
“Good night,” he whispered.
With Qin Ge’s patrol report, the workload at the crisis office was greatly reduced.
The young office director was quite moved: “We could use a mental health coordinator here too. Not just for these severe cases, but even in the regular work of sentinels and guides, there are often situations needing ‘sea area’ counseling.”
Lei Chi nodded: “I heard Qin Ge mention that he found quite a few suitable candidates during this year’s college entrance exams. It’ll take time.”
The crisis office was very busy. Notices requesting cooperation had been sent to various cities, and all kinds of information related to Liang Tianlu were being gathered.
“Where are Qin Ge and Xie Zijing?”
“Xie Zijing is Qin Ge’s potential partner, so he’s probably accompanying him for rest.” Lei Chi looked at the blazing sun outside the window, “They still need to find Jiang Yong today…”
“Oh, I remember. The witness in that embezzlement case, right?” The director smiled, “If they need any assistance, just let us know. We’ll provide whatever we can.”
He took a sip of tea and suddenly saw, in the yard downstairs, a bald head and a blond youth taking a selfie.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen Qing Meizi in person,” the director said, looking at Qing Meizi and Leo, “Of course, it’s also the first time seeing Quan Nu. They get along well, don’t they?”
Qing Meizi’s sharp ears caught the director’s murmurs from the second-floor corridor. He looked up and saw Lei Chi, and smiled: “Do you want to join?”
Lei Chi: “No.”
But as soon as he said it, he immediately thought of Bai Xiaoyuan. He had already sent the photo of him and Qing MeiZi to Bai Xiaoyuan, who was so excited that they had talked on the phone for nearly an hour, though it was all about Qing Meizi.
Saying goodbye to the director, Lei Chi quickly went downstairs. He thought Leo would definitely match Bai Xiaoyuan’s taste too.
But whether Bai Xiaoyuan liked Qing Meizi or Quan Nu, the photos he sent to Bai Xiaoyuan would definitely include himself.
I’m not bad either. Lei Chi squeezed between Qing Meizi and Quan Nu, smiling slightly at the camera. He thought this angle made him look very handsome.
Qing Meizi glanced at the phone: “Your smile is really ugly. Mr. Leo, shall we go over there to take pictures? Strike a pose, okay?”
Leo: “A pose?”
Qing Meizi leaned against a tree trunk, twisted his waist, and struck a classic model pose: “Like this.”
Leo: “…Why do I need to take these kinds of photos?”
Qing Mei Zi: “Apart from prophecy, my abilities also include… By the way, did I tell you?”
“Not yet,” Leo understood, “…Alright.”
Qing Meizi squatted down and fiddled with the Casio selfie camera in his hand. Lei Chi squatted beside him and whispered, “How much do you plan to sell the photo of you and Quan Nu?”
“At least fifty decent photos can be taken this trip,” Qing Meizi replied. “Fifty photos are enough to print a photo book. Pricing it at eighty-eight per copy is no problem. Just photos might be a bit dull and not attractive enough. If I write a few stories about Quan Nu and me, the price could go over a hundred…”
Lei Chi: “What stories have happened between you two?”
Qing Mei Zi: “Literary creation, you wouldn’t understand.”
“Is this Quan Nu?”
Gao Shu was browsing Weibo and showed his phone to Tang Cuo.
Tang Cuo, panting after completing three sets of bench presses, grabbed the phone and took a look: “Ah, yes, that’s him. I’ve only seen his photos before.”
On Gao Shu’s phone was a short video with over 100,000 shares, only twelve seconds long, showing a handsome young man looking down at a book. The young man had soft blond hair and blue eyes. Realizing someone was filming, he looked up and smiled at the camera.
The video’s poster’s ID was “Qing Meizi Master.” Qing MeiZi commented on Weibo, saying, “Because I filmed Quan Nu, Mr. Leo, my phone has become unlike any other day.”
Among the nearly 300,000 comments, the top one was: “Master! Where’s your photo with Quan Nu? I want to see it! Can you print the photo as a postcard?”
Qing Meizi replied only to this comment: “Postcard or photobook?”
Naturally, a string of enthusiastic fans below were clamoring for Qing Meizi and Leo to release a photobook together, promising to buy it out.
Gao Shu: “It’s all part of the scheme. There’s even a poll.”
Qing Meizi’s pinned Weibo post had been changed to a poll. In less than five hours, over 300,000 people had voted. Curious, Tang Cuo clicked on it, only to find the system seemed crashed, with nothing displaying. From the reposts and comments, he guessed that nearly all fans were demanding Qing Meizi and Quan Nu publish a book together.
Returning to the video, Tang Cuo couldn’t help but say, “He’s really handsome,” watching it for the fourth time.
Gao Shu weighed a dumbbell beside him: “He’s alright, not to the extent of all this hype.”
Tang Cuo: “Yeah, he’s no Xiao Yu.”
Gao Shu chuckled. Tang Cuo was about to speak again when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
The caller was Bai Xiaoyuan.
Tang Cuo answered and immediately asked, “Did you see the photo on Qing Meizi’s Weibo?”
Bai Xiaoyuan paused, then quickly replied, “I saw it!!! Quan Nu is so handsome!!! So incredibly handsome!!!”
Tang Cuo: “I heard there’s going to be a photobook.”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “I already have exclusive photos.”
Tang Cuo was curious: “Where did you get exclusive photos?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “Lei Chi. He ran into Qing Meizi and Quan Nu on his business trip, so now I have exclusive videos and photos of them.”
Thinking about all the favors he had gotten from Lei Chi, Tang Cuo quickly praised him: “Lei Chi is really good to you.”
Bai Xiaoyuan became alert: “What do you mean?”
Tang Cuo: “Lei Chi is a good guy, I’m just praising him.”
Bai Xiaoyuan snorted: “I know he’s a good guy.”
Tang Cuo: “You should treat him to dinner when he gets back, right?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “Tang Cuo, you weren’t like this before. Hanging out with Gao Shu, I think you’ve become complicated.”
Tang Cuo glanced at Gao Shu: “No, I haven’t.”
Bai Xiaoyuan laughed a few times, then suddenly remembered the main thing: “Enough about that, I have important news to tell you. Come to the crisis office after your workout; I’ll be waiting for you in the office.”
Tang Cuo: “What’s the important news?”
Bai Xiaoyuan: “We might have to go on a trip too. It’s related to Zhou You and Lu Qinglai.”
Zhou You and Lu Qinglai had been missing for a while and were recently discovered by the Western Office people.
A road accident had occurred outside a certain town. A pair of truck-driving uncles and nephews had accidentally driven off the road, leaving both in a coma. If not discovered by self-driving tourists that night, they might not have survived.
After emergency treatment, the younger man finally regained consciousness last night.
He told the doctor that it wasn’t an accident, but their passengers who had sabotaged them.
Both the uncle and nephew were ordinary people and didn’t know Zhou You and Lu Qinglai were special beings. Coincidentally, a nurse’s husband working in the hospital was from the crisis office’s Western branch.
Although no notice could be issued for Zhou You and Lu Qinglai, their information had been privately circulated within the Western Office. Almost everyone had a copy, and they also informed their families to notify the crisis office immediately if they saw these two suspicious individuals.
Zhou You’s handsome appearance and Lu Qinglai’s white-speckled hair made this duo quite memorable.
That night, the Western Office personnel rushed to the hospital and got a more detailed statement from the young man.
“Those two are definitely Zhou You and Lu Qinglai,” Bai Xiaoyuan said. “The crisis office suspects that after leaving the vehicle, these two used their spirit bodies to attack the driver and his nephew, causing the accident.”
Tang Cuo looked serious and moved to a quiet corner of the gym: “These two didn’t chase after Qin Ge but went directly over there?”
“They got off at Migang. The accident happened about three kilometers outside Migang,” Bai Xiaoyuan said. “Migang is on the way to Jiwusi and Luquan.”
