Love You

There are three days left until the Lantern Festival.

Xue Ming returned to Bu Liuxing's old house as scheduled, but had to leave after only a few words with Aunt Mei. He came and went in a hurry, without stopping for a moment.

The reason is simple--

--Aunt Mei was from a wealthy family; around the Spring Festival, the motorcade from her residence could stretch all the way to the intersection of Chima Avenue.

In addition, Xue Ming and Xiao Qi agreed to stop by Bai Zijin's hometown in Shanwei halfway on their way back home for the holiday to visit Bai Ziqing's father.

The two were not engaged, nor could they be considered a proper boyfriend and girlfriend. Xue Ming had no objection to visiting her uncle, but Xiao Qi was starting to get nervous. Meeting the parents was like taking an exam; no matter how good your grades were, you couldn't blame the teacher for being blind.

The teacher in question is her father.

After saying goodbye to Aunt Mei and Meteor, Xue Ming and Xiao Qi drove to West Kowloon to take the high-speed rail home.

You might ask, where did Bailu go?

--She's currently exercising at JoeStar, carrying bricks and building structures, and doesn't have a moment to rest.

Xue Ming hopes her younger sister can grow up quickly; there are no familiar faces left in Hengyin, her hometown, and it's no longer home.

Moreover, the situation is different now. Jiang Xueming is no nobody; he is the BOSS's handpicked leader of the [Nameless] school. Now that he has the dragon-headed staff in his hands, the BOSS has no intention of taking it back—in the eyes of the other passengers, Jiang Xueming is a [big shot] in the Abyssal Railway.

If Bailu returns to the surface, she will likely encounter far more trouble than she would underground.

So Xue Ming left his sister at the station to spend the New Year with [JoeRank]'s uncles.

Once on the high-speed train back, Xue Ming kept making phone calls.

--Call the lobby manager to order materials for the manufacture of weapons and equipment.

--Call Ms. Fenxing to order gas masks and corrosion-resistant materials for clothing.

--I called Wen Bucai to inquire about my younger sister's physical and mental health.

--I called my sister and asked if Uncle Jack was acting strangely.

--Take Xiao Qi's phone and call Hunter King, asking about the attributes of the BOSS's Red Mountain Stone Life-Protecting Talisman over and over again.

An hour and a half passed, and the high-speed train departed from West Kowloon. Xue Ming didn't say a single word to Xiao Qi.

Oh no, I mean, just borrowing the phone.

He thanked the Hunter King repeatedly, then disconnected the communication, took out the cat bell to examine it carefully, and took out a wool wheel and an electric pen from his tool bag to begin polishing.

Xiao Qi is almost asleep.

She had hoped this time would belong to the two of them, at least for sweet dates and sightseeing.

Unexpectedly, my employer is a workaholic even on holidays, never showing any sign of rest. When there's nothing to do, he'll open his e-reader and keep reading "The Great Rift of All Things".

It's not that this is bad--

Xiao Qi is already a very straightforward and decisive girl. She doesn't care about her employer's cold treatment of others. After all, when he is kind to people, he is extremely kind.

There was just a tiny bit of disappointment in my heart.

This sense of loss gradually intensified, and her competitive spirit drove her to want to cause trouble for her employer.

So Bai Qingqing hugged Xue Ming's arm and suddenly whispered in her employer's ear.

"If you suddenly sneeze..."

Xue Ming's eyes swept over the characters in the book, and he casually replied, "That must be me thinking of you."

Xiao Qi was overjoyed and kept flipping through the pages of her employer's e-book, afraid that her employer would spend too much time on the book and wanting Xue Ming to finish reading it as soon as possible.

Xue Ming didn't mind. He had already read this part, so jumping to several large chapters was no problem for him. He treated it as a review and reinforcement.

Xiao Qi whispered in Xue Ming's ear, "What if I get woken up by my phone in the middle of the night?"

Xue Ming: "You must be acting crazy."

Xiao Qi immediately laughed out loud, making the sound of wiping glass. Then, Xue Ming raised his hand and started wiping the high-speed train window, trying to cover up the waiter's embarrassment with the real sound of wiping glass.

With each syllable of Seventh Brother's laughter, Xue Ming's fingers moved in rhythm.

So Seventh Brother laughed even harder.

Before the young woman's Madness Index exceeded A+, Xue Ming decided to use a kissing attack.

He hugged Xiao Qi's head, which was letting loose, and kissed her forehead.

Immediately afterwards, she went from wiping the glass to giggling.

Xiao Qi knew that Xue Ming wanted her to behave herself, as it wouldn't be appropriate for others to see.

But she didn't care.

She didn't care at all.

My phone suddenly lit up; it was Jason Megan calling.

Xue Ming put down the e-reader and immediately gestured with her fingers to Xiao Qi, signaling Xiao Qi to be quiet.

He then answered the call and spoke seriously.

"Jason?"

Happy New Year, Jiang Xueming.

"Rare."

"I should apologize. I was taking extra classes with the Air Force for a while, and then you asked me to do intelligence work. I never thought about the Chinese New Year. I hope you won't mind that I'm wishing you a belated Happy New Year."

Thank you, I hope you're happy too.

"I didn't sleep last night, I kept thinking about Red Star Hill. I hope you won't get involved. After all, you're just emerging from your chrysalis, while I'm beginning my metamorphosis, about to become a butterfly—I've been stuck in this state for a very, very long time."

"Yes, you're better than me."

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm not competing with you. This time I'm serious. You can go somewhere else to get a mission and come back safely. You and 9527 are a perfect match, like the Chinese idiom 'a perfect union,' right? Is that how it's described?"

"Um."

"I learned about your past from the Hunter King, and I think—you should have a new home soon, and in a couple of years, I might even be able to teach your children to speak Dacian, so I thought..."

What are you thinking?

"I"

What are you thinking?

"I envy you, Jiang Xueming. Everything is so beautiful. I can't let my selfish desires destroy all this beauty."

"I'll hang up now if there's nothing else."

"Hello! Hello?! Are you listening?"

Xue Ming frowned angrily and shouted into the phone.

"I can't hear you! I can't hear you! It sounds like you're saying that you miss Wendy, you want to go to Red Star Hill, but you're too weak! Let's go together!"

Immediately afterward, Jiang Xueming abruptly cut off the communication and blocked Jason's phone number.

Xiao Qi swayed her head and came closer.

"What's the matter?"

Jiang Xueming's expression was exaggerated, filled with surprise and horror. "I've prepared all the materials! The semi-finished products have even been delivered to the construction site! The team leader said the event is over, is that even possible? I wasted so much time painstakingly studying Eastern and Western giant myths, reading that tattered book over and over again six times, a full six times!"

Xiao Qi immediately hugged Xue Ming's neck. "Okay, okay, baby, don't be angry."

Xue Ming was still aggrieved. "How could he say such a thing? He even wants to teach our children the Dacian dialect? Where does he get the nerve? What's the point of learning that stuff?"

Xiao Qi secretly gloated while grinning foolishly.

Xue Ming finally regained his composure. "Seriously, I'm quite angry."

Xiao Qi: "Why?"

Xue Ming gestured dramatically as he explained, "I feel looked down upon. This is the first time I've ever felt this way, and I'm very indignant—no matter how Jason Megan mocked, ridiculed, or personally attacked me before, I would at most slap him back with a weak, ineffective slap."

Xiao Qi: "Which time are you talking about?"

Xue Ming: "The time he called me 'hot girl'."

Xiao Qi: "You slapped his face so hard it's swollen, and he doesn't even feel any pain or itching?"

Xue Ming: "My ATK is very high, and I've already saved up a lot of energy to achieve that attack effect."

Xiao Qi: "Okay, go on."

Xue Ming: "But this time, this time I was really angry. I fought him, I confided in him, and Katusha and I repeatedly told him, 'A warrior is not alone'—but he still felt there was a kind of superstition to rely on, a kind of self-pity involved. It was as if as long as he left me in a safe place, he would be a great hero who carried the whole world on his shoulders."

Xiao Qi: "That's what a conflicted person is like!~"

Xue Ming: "But..."

Before the words had even finished --

--The phone lit up again, Xue Ming answered it.

Robert Tang Ning said, "Mr. Xue Ming, Mr. Jason asked me to call."

Xue Ming replied, "Don't call for him, make him write me an apology! Otherwise, I'll block you too!"

He turned off his phone screen and continued talking to Xiao Qi.

"I'm going to shatter his superstitions. This guy has a serious problem. Throw him in [JoeStar's] kitchen, and I'll have nightmares every night."

Xiao Qi laughed so hard she was shaking. She knew her employer was joking, but his serious expression was really cute.

The phone lit up immediately; it was Bailu calling.

Xue Ming: "Hello?"

Bailu: "Brother! Uncle Jason Megan asked me to ask you, where is the letter sent? Does it need to be written in black and white by his own hand?"

Xue Ming: "It's enough that you have the intention."

Bailu: "When are you coming back, brother?"

Xue Ming: "I'll be back after the Lantern Festival."

Bailu: "Do we have to leave again after we come back?"

Xue Ming: "Yes."

Bailu: "Can I come with you?"

Xue Ming: "You're too weak. If you were strong, I'd like to cling to your coattails."

Bailu: "Hehehe, yes! Definitely!"

Xue Ming: "That's all, I should get off the bus now."

Bailu: "Going to my sister-in-law's house?"

Xue Ming glanced at Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi was already used to being called "sister-in-law" and it didn't feel awkward at all. Liuxing called her that too.

Xue Ming immediately replied, "Yes, go see your uncle."

"Then you should really take care of yourself! Brother, get some designer bags, leather shoes, suits, and stuff like that. And maybe give them cigarettes and alcohol—" Bailu suddenly slapped her forehead as she said this, "Ah! I haven't spent much time with you in ages, brother. You know more about these things than I do. Sorry, I was just being nosy."

"Take good care of yourself, Bailu." Jiang Xueming talked about his schedule for the next few days. "I'll visit my uncle, then go back to Hengyin to meet up with some old friends, and then come back immediately."

Bailu: "Hmm! Is that Brother Ye Bei?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes."

Bailu: "Please also give my regards to Brother Ye Bei. Although I'm not familiar with him, from what he said, he's our benefactor."

Jiang Xueming: "Okay."

No goodbye was said--

--The call has ended.

In early spring, the two rented a car and drove to Xiao Qi's hometown Taohe Town.

This place is very far from the city center. Next to the Fuxing Hall, there is a Dongsheng Foam Factory, which was Bai Ziqing's father's workplace when he was young.

Xiao Qi grew up in the residential area of the foam factory. When she returned, Xiao Qi seemed like a different person. She greeted her neighbors and fellow villagers in Cantonese dialect with a very obscure accent. Even dialects have different slang terms and words, Xue Ming couldn't understand at all.

There were several women sunbathing at the town's health center. As soon as they saw Xiao Qi, they started shouting.

Xiao Qi answered casually for a few minutes, then blushed deeply and switched from her dialect to Mandarin.

"No, Auntie, no, I'm not pregnant—I've just gained weight."

Then she grabbed Xue Ming's hand and ran towards the old house.

When you get to the old building, next to the row of buildings called Taohe Street 36th Building, in front of the Furong Xing Sheng Supermarket, look up and you'll see Xiao Qi's old house on the second floor.

She pointed and said, "My dad lives here!"

Xue Ming: "Didn't you move?"

Xiao Qi explained, "He's sentimental and doesn't like it. I've made a lot of money, haven't I? I told my dad I wanted to buy him a big villa, a car, lots and lots of amazing things, but he didn't want any of them."

Xue Ming: "Why?"

Xiao Qi thought for a moment, considering whether she should explain things clearly.

In the end, she confessed.

"--Dad wasn't an ambitious man. He wanted to stay here his whole life. The neighbors were all old friends he'd met at the foam factory. If he went to the city center, he'd have to make new friends, and there would be lots of cars and people, but it would be lonely. He didn't like that. I'm not around him often either; I have my own life now."

Xue Ming: "That's why you care so much about your aunt."

The "aunt" mentioned here refers to Bai Ziqing's biological mother.

Xiao Qi: "Yes, Dad is a very devoted person. He feels that meeting Mom was the luckiest thing in his life, and he hopes that they can stay together forever. But he's a coward; when Mom wants to leave, he never tries to stop her."

Thinking of this, Xiao Qi began to frown and feel indignant.

"That's not how I am! Xue Ming! I have to hold onto what I like! Even if it's not mine, I'll snatch it! That's called learning from the experiences and lessons of the previous generation!"

Xue Ming: "I can tell."

After saying that, Xue Ming walked towards the small supermarket.

He went to the shelf and chatted with the owner, asking what kind of cigarettes the locals liked to smoke, which he planned to bring to his uncle.

Xiao Qi immediately said, "My dad doesn't smoke."

He then went to inquire about the drinks.

Xiao Qi immediately said, "My dad doesn't drink."

He finally asked Xiao Qi, "Where's the milk? I can't come in empty-handed."

Xiao Qi said in the end.

"You should bring him a gift, how about some Want Want Wangzai?"

Xue Ming in surprise, "Wangzai Milk?"

"Yes!" Xiao Qi nodded vigorously, "He really likes drinking Wangzai milk, and he really likes sweets! Also, he absolutely loves guns."

Xue Ming was even more surprised. "Huh?"

Xiao Qi quickly replied, "Motorcycles and guns, he likes all the things boys like, even though he's fifty-five this year, he still likes them a lot. I bought him so many toy guns, and also electric motorcycles. When I was little, he would ride his motorcycle to take me to school."

After thinking for a long time, Xue Ming bought some things from the nearest fruit stand.

Immediately afterwards, he went upstairs and knocked on the door.

--But what's really strange is that...

The brand-new door had no lock; it opened by itself after only a few light knocks.

Seventh Brother rushed in, shouting incessantly.

"Dad! Dad! I'm home, Dad?"

Xue Ming, with her sharp eyes, noticed that in the newly renovated house, a memorial tablet with a black and white photograph was placed on the shrine next to the television.

"Xiao Qi."

He wasn't quite sure if the elderly man in the photo was Bai Ziqing's father.

The offerings in front of the memorial tablet were rotten and smelly, as if they hadn't been tended to for a long time.

"Xiao Qi."

Xue Ming called out to Bai Ziqing, urging her to take a good look at the memorial tablet.

"Xiao Qi, look carefully."

On the other side, the young woman, who had been cheerfully entering the room and putting down her things, began searching for her father everywhere. She refused to listen to Xue Ming's words and kept rummaging through drawers and cabinets, her face growing increasingly pale.

Jiang Xueming tentatively asked, "Xiao Qi? This memorial tablet?"

"Found him!" Bai Ziqing pulled a spirited-looking middle-aged man out from under the bed in the bedroom. "Dad!"

"Oops, caught! You can't fool me anymore!" The uncle grinned as his daughter grabbed his ear. "Let's go home!"

Bai Ziqing: "Yes! Dad! I'll give my son..."

She changed the subject halfway through her sentence.

"The male customer is back!"

The Bai family father looked at his daughter.

He glanced at Xue Ming again.

I looked at my daughter again.

"Even if you have money, you can't keep Xiao Bai. Tell me honestly, which club does he work at?"