159. Seriously Criminal!

In the evening, Lu Ban was still working.

As for Qin Tiantian, the sound of her playing games in the living room had stopped sometime ago; she probably fell asleep.

Lu Ban checked the time; it was 6:30. Time to go downstairs for dinner.

Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; how can you have the strength to work if you don't eat your fill?

"The Wang Chuan?"

He called out as he put the computer to sleep, but received no response.

"Are you really asleep?"

Lu Ban arrived in the living room, only to find that Qin Tiantian was not curled up on the sofa sleeping with her beloved shark pillow.

She wasn't in the living room.

The game remains paused, with the shark-shaped plush pillow lying on the sofa and Air Friend sitting next to it.

But Qin Tiantian has disappeared without a trace.

"Could it be..."

Lu Ban went to the restroom and took a look.

Lu Ban in the mirror appeared innocent; he knew nothing.

Back in the living room, Lu Ban asked his Air Friend a question, and at the same time noticed that the living room window had been opened at some point, and the curtains were moving with the wind, bringing a slight coolness.

Lu Ban slowly approached the window and heard what sounded like a noisy commotion downstairs.

Looking out the window, Lu Ban saw a group of elderly people gathered downstairs, discussing something.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell suddenly rang, and Lu Ban pulled his head back.

He went to the door and looked out through the peephole.

The hallway was empty; there was nothing there.

Ding-dong—

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang again.

Lu Ban opened the door.

"I'm exhausted, you really have to thank me!"

Qin Tiantian carried several bags of takeout boxes into the house.

"Did you go downstairs to buy takeout?"

Lu Ban asked a question.

"Yeah, I figured you must be really busy right now, working on the movie quickly, so I just went downstairs and bought dinner. How thoughtful of me?"

Qin Tiantian proudly puffed out her chest in a very considerate manner.

"?"

Lu Ban wondered if he shouldn't have shown this woman the parts he hadn't finished.

Now look what's happened, people are at home urging me to update.

"Oh right, I saw water chestnut cake downstairs! Water chestnut cake, did you eat it when you were little? I didn't expect to be able to eat this in Jiangcheng!"

Qin Tiantian shook the plastic bag she was carrying.

"Oh, so they sell water chestnut cake downstairs."

Lu Ban glanced downstairs again, then closed the window.

Qin Tiantian then set out takeout orders on the table. It seemed she had gone to the backstreet and bought snacks such as pan-fried buns, fruit porridge, barbecue, fried skewers, wontons, and grilled meat wraps.

And of course, there's water chestnut cake.

Lu Ban had eaten two kinds of water chestnut cake. One kind was similar to jelly, crystal clear, and the other kind was made by steaming water chestnut flour and glutinous rice flour with brown sugar. He was particularly impressed by the second kind, which was made in a pressure cooker using a special wooden vessel.

Qin Tiantian bought the second type.

In fact, Lu Ban couldn't remember where he had eaten this kind of water chestnut cake, and of course, he didn't know where Qin Tiantian had eaten it either.

The TV switched to the news, and the two of them sat on the sofa in the living room eating dinner.

"Sweet soda is definitely the happiest drink; sugar-free is heresy!"

Qin Tiantian gulped down a large glass of iced cola without worrying about consuming too much sugar.

Indeed, with her middle school student-sized frame, even if she gained weight, she would probably only reach the level of a high school student. Kids these days are so well-nourished, Qin Tiantian might not even be able to beat her.

The news broadcasts local news from Jiangcheng, including the previously demolished Nanhua Private Renji Hospital and the shopping mall next door.

According to our station, Jiangcheng Industries, which acquired the Nanhua Private Renji Hospital and Fulai Shopping Mall, announced yesterday its renovation plan for the two buildings. After demolition, a Jiangcheng City Museum will be built to house artifacts and materials related to Jiangcheng's history collected by Jiangcheng Industries, and will be open to the public free of charge.

Jiangcheng police recently announced the formal arrest of the suspect in the previous serial murder case in Jiangcheng. The interrogation is proceeding smoothly. Meanwhile, police officials reminded the public to be mindful of their safety when traveling and to avoid going to secluded areas alone.

"Jiangcheng Ocean Park will soon open for trial operation. It is reported that the ocean park has introduced precious marine life such as penguins, seals, and dolphins. It covers a total area of 30 hectares and has a total planned building area of 200,000 square meters, including 15 exhibition halls and four large-scale interactive marine animal experience projects. It will become a good place for citizens to travel during holidays."

"A rare sight has recently appeared at Heshan Botanical Garden: thousands of lavender plants have bloomed in late autumn. This unusual blooming phenomenon has attracted crowds of onlookers. According to experts at the botanical garden, the flowering period of lavender is affected by various conditions such as temperature, humidity, and light. Although blooming in autumn is unusual, it is still possible."

"According to our overseas correspondents, the unusual storm that struck the Pacific Ocean recently has subsided, and the cruise ship 'Stars,' carrying 320 Jiangcheng City, has docked. Some passengers witnessed the volcanic eruption and the formation of islands during the storm and captured images on camera. Our reporters will continue to follow up on the safety of the passengers on the cruise ship."

"The botanical garden? I've been to Jiangcheng for so long and I've never been there."

Qin Tiantian ate her fruit ice porridge while reminiscing.

"You're not from Jiangcheng, and you didn't go to university here, so how did you get to Jiangcheng?"

Lu Ban couldn't help but ask.

He graduated from Jiangcheng University, so it's perfectly reasonable for him to stay here.

As for Qin Tiantian, as a virtual streamer, she doesn't need to show her face or attend any events, so there's absolutely no need for her to do so in a city like Jiangcheng where housing prices are extremely high.

"Me? I used to work in Jiangcheng, but I lost my job and didn't want to go back to my hometown for the time being. So I made some friends and became a virtual streamer. I can make money, so I'm too lazy to move. The internet speed here is fast!"

Qin Tiantian answered casually.

"You've worked before? Shouldn't child labor be prohibited now?"

Lu Ban couldn't help but complain.

"Get lost! I used to be a proper idol, a beautiful girl, okay?!"

Qin Tiantian slapped the table.

"You? My idol?"

Lu Ban found it unbelievable.

The aesthetic sense of young people these days seems a bit... criminal.

"Tsk, let's not talk about the past. Anyway, I'm pretty free now."

Qin Tiantian didn't intend to go into detail about her past experiences, as being an idol might have left her with painful trauma.

Lu Ban has high emotional intelligence and didn't ask any more questions.

After finishing their meal and sorting the trash, one of them continued working while the other continued playing games and watching videos.

Late at night, Lu Ban stretched and heard the TV still playing outside, but Qin Tiantian's voice was no longer playing.

Stepping out of the room, he saw that the guy was already asleep on the sofa, hugging a shark-shaped pillow.

Lu Ban took out a blanket from the closet, covered her with it, and then reminded the Air Friend and the Lu Ban in the mirror to keep an eye on her. After washing up, he went back to his room, closed the door, and prepared to go to sleep.

Before going to bed, Lu Ban took out his phone and casually browsed Weibo.

Soon, he saw the news about the cruise ship mentioned in the news he saw during dinner that evening.

It appears to be a cruise ship passenger who posted the video they filmed at sea during the storm.

As you can see, in the vast ocean, an island appears and disappears.

Lu Ban observed carefully, his brows furrowing.

Are there any buildings on this island?

Thank you to "Book Friend 20170330213445206", "I'm Just Lazy", and "Hidden Y" for the 100-coin reward!