Trust, Purple Clad's Doubt

I ended up taking Purple Clad back with me.

Just like Fatty said, she'd latched onto me.

She put on a pitiful act, saying she only knew me in this world, had no friends, no family, not even money or an ID. If I didn't take her in, she wouldn't be able to get anywhere.

She wasn't wrong. In her current state, her only options for survival were to sell herself. Of course, another method would be deception and trickery; she certainly had the potential for it.

Just like how she turned a paper napkin into a hundred-yuan bill right in front of me.

I called Xie Yi. He sounded very busy.

I told him about my meeting with Abe Ichinan and that Abe Ichinan had the other Twin Fish Jade Pendant.

His reaction was calm, as if he already knew.

"So I'm just bait, right? So you all knew this from the beginning? You knew all along that Xie Xiaotang, Gu Song, and Zhuanghe were replicas, knew they killed the originals and took the other Twin Fish Jade Pendant, and then that pendant fell into Abe Ichinan's hands. Is that it?" I bombarded him with questions in one breath. I really felt uncomfortable.

Xie Yi said softly on the phone, "Do you believe everything she said?"

I froze.

Was Abe Ichinan lying? Was it not like that?

Xie Yi sighed, "Jiang Xiaobai, do you know what your biggest problem is?"

I didn't say anything, wondering what my problem could be.

Seeing my silence, Xie Yi slowly said, "Your biggest problem is that you don't trust your companions, your comrades. You always have a suspicious attitude towards your own people. When others call you a pawn, bait, you start to believe you really are a pawn, bait. You think your superiors and companions are all using and plotting against you. Jiang Xiaobai, to be honest, you've disappointed me."

Xie Yi hung up the phone directly.

He actually hung up on me.

I had been using the speakerphone, so Fatty heard our entire conversation.

I looked at Fatty. He had a calm expression on his face.

"Was I wrong?"

Fatty nodded. "Yes."

I pursed my lips. Fatty said, "At least I've never doubted Old Shu, nor anyone from the Ninth Bureau. This isn't the first or second time we've cooperated with the Ninth Bureau. Many times, we've been able to entrust our lives to each other. Although I work for money, in my heart, they are all comrades and brothers I can entrust my life to!"

I frowned. Fatty spoke without any pretense, as if he were stating a very ordinary fact.

He continued, "Just like now, they've entrusted your safety to me, so I have to be there the moment you're in danger. I'll be direct if I can, but if I can't, I'll risk my life to let you escape first. No matter what you think, I can't betray their trust in me."

He shrugged as he said this. "So Xie Yi is right. You don't consider them your own people. You still can't integrate into the Ninth Bureau team. You've always seen yourself and Xu Qiuyan as outsiders. Even though you're doing work for the Ninth Bureau, you don't feel a sense of belonging or identity in your heart."

I sat in the passenger seat, staring blankly ahead.

Fatty sighed and patted my shoulder. "It's not your fault. Perhaps you've been through too much, and you're wary of everyone. But I can assure you, the people in the Ninth Bureau are worth your trust."

With that, he started the car.

Purple Clad sat in the back seat. She didn't say anything.

Her gaze was fixed on the window, and I didn't know what she was thinking.

Back at the hotel, I called Xie Yi again.

When the call connected, he didn't say anything.

We remained silent for about ten seconds before I softly said, "I'm sorry."

Xie Yi sighed, "Jiang Xiaobai, I don't even know what to say to you."

I said, "I'll continue to pursue Abe Ichinan. I'll get the jade pendant she has back."

Xie Yi said, "Be careful of Abe Ichinan. That woman is very cunning. To be honest with you, she doesn't have the Twin Fish Jade Pendant at all. The one you saw was fake. It was a trick to draw out the real one, her goal is to get the one you have."

My heart leaped. I subconsciously took out the pendant I had and looked at it for a long time. I wasn't sure anymore. When I held both jade pendants, did I get them mixed up? No wonder she had that expression when I tried to put the two jade pendants together.

"Are you listening?" Xie Yi asked.

I said, "I'm listening."

But a vague worry was growing in my heart.

"I, I once put the two jade pendants together. I'm not sure now..."

Before I could finish, Xie Yi said, "You're worried the one you have has been swapped?"

I gave a wry smile.

At that moment, Purple Clad's voice came from behind me: "Don't worry, the one you have is real."

I looked at her and asked, as if seeing a ghost, "How did you get in?"

Purple Clad pointed to my room door. "Just like this!"

I had clearly closed the door, but how did she open it?

"The jade pendant you have is real," Purple Clad said solemnly, ignoring my confusion.

Xie Yi asked from the other end of the phone, "Who is speaking?"

I hesitated and said awkwardly, "It's the Nightmare I mentioned to you. I didn't mean to at the time, I just showed her the Twin Fish Jade Pendant. I thought it wouldn't have any effect in a dream, but who knew..."

"Nightmare? Since she said the one you have is real, it shouldn't be fake. But what do you plan to do with her?" When Xie Yi asked this, I always felt a hint of a strange smile in his tone.

"I don't know, but I need to get her an identity first."

Xie Yi said, "Leave this to me. Alright, you can handle this matter yourself. Things are tricky on my end. Let's meet up and chat properly when I have some free time."

"What about Abe Ichinan's matter?"

"Didn't I say you can handle it yourself?"

"Alright then. I plan to return to Lin City tomorrow. I want to see Uncle Long and Aunt Qin."

After hanging up the phone, I let out a long sigh.

Then I turned to Purple Clad and said, "It's best to knock before entering someone else's room and get their permission before going in."

Purple Clad shook her head. "You're not 'someone else'."

I was speechless.

Just then, the doorbell rang. I rolled my eyes at Purple Clad and went to open the door. Standing at the entrance was Xu Qiuyan. When she saw Purple Clad in my room, she looked a bit taken aback. I quickly explained, "She just arrived."

Xu Qiuyan smiled. "Why do you need to explain?"

I was stunned for a moment. She continued, "We don't need to explain things to each other."

I gave a wry smile.

"I heard from Fatty about your call with Xie Yi. Perhaps we were indeed wrong."

Xu Qiuyan said as she walked in.

"Actually, I'm the same as you. I never fully believed them. I always felt they were just using us." Xu Qiuyan shared the same view as me.

"But I've changed my mind now. If they just wanted to use us, there would be many more suitable people than us. Besides, Old Shu entrusted the Twin Fish Jade Pendant to you so readily, which should also be a sign of trust in us."

Xu Qiuyan sat down on the sofa and casually picked up the bottle of mineral water on the table, taking a sip.

I also sat down. "I actually believed Abe Ichinan's words. She warned me to be careful of Fatty and not to be used as a pawn. I didn't consider our mutual positions. If Fatty hadn't shown up then, those ninjas might have killed me."

Purple Clad, who was still standing there, spoke up. "They wouldn't have killed you."

Xu Qiuyan asked curiously, "Why?"

Purple Clad pouted, seemingly unwilling to answer Xu Qiuyan's question. Xu Qiuyan smiled charmingly and looked at me. I also felt like Purple Clad was competing with Xu Qiuyan, with a hint of jealousy.

So I asked her, "Why? Could you really deal with those ninjas?"

Purple Clad said proudly, "Of course I could. But I wouldn't need to. You could handle it yourself."

Me? I pointed to my own nose.

I really didn't have that kind of confidence.

Purple Clad said, "You have the ability, but for some reason, you don't use it? Why is that?" She crossed her arms, resting one hand on top to support her chin, with a look of confusion on her face.