Going Home

Xue Ming was going home.

From the elevator of the Five Kings Council, they arrived at the twenty-sixth-floor Star Gazing Platform. At the end of the platform, the two stepped onto a transparent plastic steel suspension bridge.

This bridge led directly to the other side of the high wall, much more convenient than when Xue Ming had walked over for the first time.

After crossing the bridge and making a wide turn, they reached the entrance to Moon Alley.

The familiar black Volga was still parked by the roadside.

Xiao Qi pressed the car key, and the doors automatically opened. She instructed, "You sit in the front, the passenger seat!"

Jiang Xueming, without a word, carrying the silver briefcase, got into the back seat.

Xiao Qi pouted, "Disobedient."

Xue Ming explained, "I'm scared."

Xiao Qi didn't understand, "The fatality rate for car accidents in the passenger seat is indeed high, but my driving skills are excellent. Are you afraid I'll get into an accident?"

Xue Ming continued to explain, "I'm afraid you'll touch my leg."

Brother Qi pursed his lips and adjusted the brim of his driver's uniform cap. He could see her mischievous smile in the rearview mirror, "If you sit in the back, won't I be able to touch your leg?"

Jiang Xueming said, "Just drive properly."

"Mr. Jiang Xueming! Please sit tight, we'll take you back to Anshan Health Center right away!"

Brother Qi asked, "Want to listen to music?"

Xue Ming replied, "No need."

Brother Qi asked, "Want to open the window?"

Xue Ming replied, "No need."

"Then we're departing now, the total distance is approximately..." Brother Qi started the car and paused, "I still don't know the total distance, the journey will take forty minutes, and an appointment is required."

Jiang Xueming interrupted, "I'll eat when I get back, don't worry about it. Turn on the air conditioning in advance, thank you."

Before he finished speaking, Xiao Qi slammed on the accelerator and shot off.

The last time Xue Ming had come here by car, he had fallen asleep.

This time, he was full of curiosity, wanting to understand how this car reached the station at minus seventeen thousand meters underground.

The Volga drove out of Moon Alley. Along one side of the road, many old street signs could be seen.

Passing Longhua Avenue and Kunlun Third Road, they left the underground city. Immediately after, the car plunged into a brightly lit tunnel.

After another five hundred meters, there was a memorial archway at the end of the tunnel, like the markers that all big cities set up on the main roads of their highways.

The horizontal plaque of this memorial archway bore the words "Nine Realms."

Behind the archway, there were three checkpoints and five security stations, along with eight large guard towers and many armed personnel on duty.

Brother Qi flashed her ID and passed through the checkpoints. At the deepest point, the road branched into thirty-two ramps. They took one of these ramps into a strange building.

Jiang Xueming sat in the car, unable to see the situation of the ceiling and floor outside the window. He only knew that the car had suddenly stopped in a hemispherical room where the ceiling was invisible, and curiosity arose in his heart.

"Why did we stop?"

Xiao Qi replied, "Wait a moment, don't rush."

A buzzing sound suddenly echoed in the spacious room, as if some massive mechanism was beginning to charge.

The objects outside the car window began to recede, and the entire car's center of gravity began to shift.

Jiang Xueming saw the situation outside the window clearly. The vehicle he was in was like a ball thrown into a large drum, moving with the shifting of the entire building.

Xiao Qi started the vehicle in response, "This is my favorite part of the journey!"

The Volga climbed the wall along the soft, rounded incline of the room. The road ahead also became clearer, with two guide markers emitting glaring red light leading the way.

Xue Ming could feel from the changes in gravity that this was an almost vertical uphill road.

"Mr. Xue Ming, we have now boarded the ring-shaped expressway. Please fasten your seatbelt." Xiao Qi sped wildly through the unobstructed circular passage, "This is a treasure of the Nine Realms Station's industrial department from the Soviet era. We were supposed to take an engineering elevator for over four hours to reach the surface, but with this ingenious expressway, we can return to HK in just ten minutes."

As she spoke, Brother Qi took out her phone, opened the navigation map, and showed Mr. Xue Ming a projected model of the underground expressway.

It was a series of extremely complex structures, resembling donuts of various sizes. These rings formed a composite road system.

They were coupled and spliced by a huge central hub, like a railway, allowing for route adjustments by grouping different levels of donut roads.

The ferocious roar of the Volga's engine echoed in the passage.

Speed limit signs flashed by occasionally on the ground, along with the distance to HK in kilometers.

In just seven minutes, they had entered the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.

The exit of the tunnel was getting closer. The summer sun of July shone on the car windows.

At this moment, Jiang Xueming finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally sure that he had seen daylight again, and that this was not some crazy dream.

Then--

--Then they got stuck in traffic.

Xiao Qi's features contorted, her expression tense.

She hammered the horn seventeen times, grinning, and twisted her head, afraid the handsome guy in the back seat would see her exaggerated road rage face in the rearview mirror.

"Hey! What the hell!" Xiao Qi yelled out the window at the car outside, "Oh, it's a Mazda! No wonder you're stuck in traffic!"

"Brother Qi," Jiang Xueming said sincerely, "Thank you."

"What's going on?" Xiao Qi patted her cheeks, forcing her expression back to normal, and peeked back at Mr. Xue Ming.

Jiang Xueming said solemnly, "After I take Panacea back to the hospital, if my sister's condition improves, this might be the last time we see each other."

"Oh, oh," Xiao Qi was momentarily lost in thought, "You're not going to keep taking the train?"

"There's no need," Jiang Xueming admitted, "The train ticket BOSS gave me is enough for my sister and me to live on for a while. That world is dangerous, I just want to live a normal life."

The car in front drove away.

Xiao Qi didn't react for a long time, and the horns from the car behind started their seventeen-count assault.

Jiang Xueming reminded her, "They're gone, Brother Qi, you're going to get a ticket."

"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Xiao Qi quickly stepped on the gas and continued their journey.

Jiang Xueming said, "During the thought review before, I was worried I'd end up in jail for a few days like Bu Liuxing. You told me it was okay, that you could help me get the medicine to my sister. Thank you."

Xiao Qi waved dismissively, "Hey! That's just work! Don't think too much of it."

Jiang Xueming added, "I'm a very insecure person. Honestly, more than once, I've suspected you had ulterior motives for me."

Xiao Qi's expression changed.

Jiang Xueming continued, "Like the first time we met, I thought you were actually an organ trafficking ring, planning to harvest my organs. I was prepared to sell my organs."

Xiao Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Xueming finally asked, "But after this trip, returning to the human world, I thought about how other attendants don't treat their employers as enthusiastically as you do. It makes me wonder and grateful, Brother Qi. Can you explain?"

Xiao Qi shamelessly replied, "I'm just purely lustful."

Jiang Xueming: "You have no intention of avoiding it at all?"

Xiao Qi: "No."

Immediately after—

—they had a strange conversation.

Jiang Xueming said politely, "Then I'll say, I never want to go underground again. We'll go our separate ways, and part on good terms."

Xiao Qi said expressionlessly, "Tonight, I'll crawl through your window via your internet cable and cook for your sister. In a few days, when Bu Liuxing gets out of jail, I'll invite a few good sisters over for a tea party at your place."

Jiang Xueming said righteously, "Trespassing is illegal."

Xiao Qi's gaze was vacant, "The more you learn about the law, the more you lose your humanity."

"Hahahaha!" Jiang Xueming burst out laughing, his inner unease growing stronger.

—He never intended to find a partner. At twenty-one, he wasn't of marriageable age.

Before his sister could live independently. He had no intention of dealing with another woman.

The awkward chat ended like that.

There was no outcome, no answer.

It was like both of them were joking, spewing nonsense to stay awake while driving.

They returned to Anshan Health Center.

Xiao Qi specifically escorted Jiang Xueming to the door of the ward.

They saw Jiang Bailu lying in the hospital bed, still asleep. They didn't enter immediately, planning to wait for the doctor to ask about her condition.

Xiao Qi brushed aside her bangs, putting on a wistful expression, and spoke in soft, cherished whispers, as if saying goodbye.

"You're really not coming back? Where will you live from now on?"

"It depends on how much money BOSS will give me," Jiang Xueming calculated the balance in his bank account. "If it's enough, I want to go back to my hometown first and settle some old family debts. My family is complicated, you don't understand this."

Xiao Qi nodded thoughtfully, "Ah, that's your family business, I won't ask. But I think you'll handle it reliably."

Jiang Xueming asked again, "What about you?"

"You care about me?" Xiao Qi started to giggle into her hand again.

Jiang Xueming didn't react further, just waited quietly.

As if she couldn't keep laughing, Sister Qi became serious, "It'll be the same as before. If you don't come anymore, what other job can I do? It'll just be picking up new passengers, preparing hotel rooms for them at the stations, arranging itineraries, and so on. Anyway, it's just miscellaneous tasks, and it won't stop me from looking at handsome guys. You know, I'm lustful! I just love good-looking faces!"

Jiang Xueming: "That's good."

Xiao Qi: "Mm, that's good."

The doctor walked over slowly from the corridor, calling for Xue Ming to come in for a detailed discussion.

Xiao Qi finally left. As Xue Ming entered the room, she ran away quickly, like she had wings, speeding downstairs without even saying goodbye.

Jiang Xueming sat by the bedside, listening to the doctor talk about Bailu's condition over the past two days.

His sister's condition showed no signs of rapid deterioration, which put his mind at ease.

After the doctor finished talking to Xue Ming.

Xue Ming placed the suitcase beside the bed and waited quietly for the doctor to leave. He planned to secretly inject his sister with Panacea.

He looked at Bailu sleeping, wanting to reach out and pinch her cheek, but carefully withdrew his hand halfway.

Finally, he heard the roar of the Volga engine.

Seventh Brother seemed to have left.

In the car, Xiao Qi's eyes were red and her lips were pursed.

She looked wronged and shouted into the phone.

"Yangchun! Yangchun! Wuwuwuwu!! I'm heartbroken!"

On the other end of the phone, Ms. Zhao Yangchun was packing luggage for passengers. She was the manager of the customer service department and Xiao Qi's direct superior and best friend.

She rolled her eyes, looking like she had no will to live, and retorted to Xiao Qi, "How many times have you been heartbroken in the last three months?"

Xiao Qi: "Three times!"

Yangchun: "How many of them were real people?"

Xiao Qi: "Only one! The other two were just paper figures, right? I didn't get them! I didn't get them! Why did you bring up my sad memories! You're bullying me!~~"

Yangchun: "Ah? There's still one real person?"

Xiao Qi nodded: "Yes, yes! Yes!"

Yangchun tentatively asked, "Then how long have you... you... known each other?"

Xiao Qi was very honest: "Just two days. But I feel like my heart is about to break! Ahhhhhh! He's like an axe, splitting my chest open!"

Yangchun thought for a moment: "Hmm, did you confess to him?"

Xiao Qi: "Not yet. But I hinted multiple times, touched him inappropriately, and was practically wearing my confession on my face. This is the first time I've felt this way about a real person, you know?"

Yangchun felt helpless: "Your description sounds like someone from the Ancient Tomb sect, dating dead people all the time— is he very handsome?"

"Wuwuwuwu" Xiao Qi's wailing grew louder, "No more! He said he's not coming back to the station, wuwuwu! My handsome guy is gone!"

"I suggest," Ms. Zhao Yangchun said sincerely, "you try to get to know him better. It's only been two days. Don't scare him away."

"That's right." Xiao Qi immediately stopped crying. Although tears were still on her face, her expression had returned to normal.

Yangchun asked again: "How did you get along? Tell me? What did he call you?"

Xiao Qi: "He called me Seventh Brother."

Yangchun: "Oh, so he sees you as a brother."

"What should I do? Yangchun, what should I do?" Xiao Qi quickly asked, "Do I look like a man?"

Yangchun: "To be honest, a little. Xiao Qi, the girls from housekeeping and HR all see you as their dream lover. You look quite handsome in a suit. Don't be too rigid about gender."

Before she finished speaking.

Xiao Qi returned to the downstairs of the health center.

Jiang Xueming had just used Panacea on Bailu, finishing the entire syringe.

He held his sister's arm and saw the red spots and rashes on her slender forearm gradually disappear.

Bailu's complexion also became rosy.

Xue Ming felt that everything was getting better.

He heard the sound of a car braking downstairs. He remembered it was the sound of the Volga braking.

Perhaps Xiao Qi was back, had she forgotten something?

Jiang Xueming thought this and walked to the door, preparing to greet Seventh Brother.

Just as Xiao Qi came running all the way from the stairwell and rushed in front of Jiang Xueming.

She panted and asked earnestly: "Mr. Xue Ming! Have you always thought of me as a man?"

This question left Jiang Xueming bewildered. He could only find a compromise.

"It's okay. You could say that. I think you're a straightforward and clean person, and at first glance, your personality is indeed like a guy's."

Xiao Qi continued to ask: "Then do you like men?"

Jiang Xueming didn't speak, feeling that the question was difficult to answer.

"Then wait for me!" Xiao Qi turned and ran downstairs.

—What a strange person, Xue Ming thought to himself.

He saw Seventh Brother stumbling down the stairs in a hurry.

At this moment, Jiang Bailu woke up. She sat up immediately upon waking.

She realized her body had strength, her stomach no longer hurt, and her breathing was smooth. She quickly jumped out of bed and patted her flushed cheeks in the mirror.

She looked at her reflection in disbelief.

"I'm better?! Brother! I'm better?!"

She tore open her sleeve and saw that the hateful red spots on her fair arm had vanished!

Jiang Xueming smiled, "Yes, you're all better."

"Brother, who was outside just now?" Jiang Bailu crept up to her brother, looking as if she had something to hide.

Jiang Xueming was about to answer, "It was—"

"It's me!" Xiao Qi had already returned to the doorway of the ward.

She had changed into a long, crimson, off-the-shoulder evening gown, with heavy makeup, smoky eyeshadow, and false eyelashes. Her hair was pinned up, and she had a rose in her mouth. A scent of lavender perfume wafted from her.

Both Jiang Bailu and Jiang Xueming wore expressions of utter disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Qi covered her mouth dramatically and chuckled, "Is something wrong? I don't usually like wearing dresses."

Jiang Xueming: "No, it's just that you went downstairs and came back up..."

Jiang Bailu: "...in just thirty seconds."

Jiang Xueming: "It's not that I don't like women."

Jiang Bailu: "Sister, the speed at which you changed and put on makeup is inhuman."