"It looks like we can't leave Luocheng." After Jiang Xue failed to buy train tickets, she tried to buy plane tickets, with the same result.
All ticket purchases had failed.
That mysterious organization had immense power and influence. Qing Chen did not want to be confined to a single city, so regardless of their intentions, it was better not to expose himself yet.
Jiang Xue suddenly asked, "By the way, Qing Chen, how come I haven't seen your parents these past two years? Do you live here alone?"
"Mm." Qing Chen nodded. "They got divorced. I live here alone. By the way, Aunt Jiang Xue, what do you do for work?"
"I'm an art teacher at Baimǎ Primary School next door." Jiang Xue did not elaborate. She stood and picked up the bowls and chopsticks from the table. "I'll wash these."
"No need. Just leave them there, I'll wash them later," Qing Chen said.
"No. You already cooked for us, how could I let you wash the dishes too?" Jiang Xue ignored him and went into the kitchen, leaving Qing Chen and Li Tongyun in the living room.
At that moment, little Li Tongyun suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Big Brother, you never even looked directly at my mom before. You didn't invite her inside today just because you thought she was pretty, did you?"
Qing Chen was speechless. "What are you even talking about? Don't overthink it."
"My mom really is very pretty," Li Tongyun muttered softly.
Qing Chen did not know whether to laugh or cry. Kids these days had way too many thoughts.
But it was not because Jiang Xue was pretty. It was because she knew things he wanted to know, such as that mysterious organization and the Inner World.
Jiang Xue worked efficiently. Before long, she had washed every bowl and chopstick in the sink. Seeing dirty clothes in the bathroom, she gathered them into her arms. "Qing Chen, it can't be easy living here alone. From now on, bring any dirty clothes to Auntie, and I'll wash them for you. Come on, Xiaoyun, let's go home. Your Brother Qing Chen still has to study."
"Wait, I can wash them myself..."
Before Qing Chen could finish, Jiang Xue took Li Tongyun by the hand and left, not giving him any chance to react.
Qing Chen stood blankly in the dim little room. He had never expected her to do something like that.
He returned to his bedroom and slowly lay back on the bed, considering what he should do in the future.
There were already 999 unread messages in the class WeChat group. Everyone was discussing Travelers.
Even what had happened to Jiang Xue that night was gradually becoming a topic of conversation among the people of Luocheng. Perhaps it would even make the trending searches tomorrow.
Students, office workers, and even the truly powerful and wealthy were all closely watching those three words: Travelers.
He glanced through the class group chat history. Whenever someone discussed the traits of Travelers, Nan Gengchen would always eagerly jump in and say that these Travelers must be outstanding people themselves...
At that moment, Qing Chen honestly hoped Nan Gengchen would travel to Prison No. 18.
Although that would mean he could no longer hide his identity, Nan Gengchen's expression at that time would probably be spectacular.
Qing Chen opened a search engine, wanting to see whether He Xiaoxiao had posted a guide yet. However, the other party's livestream was still black, with no new updates whatsoever.
He checked WeChat again. His mother still had not sent him a message.
Just as he was preparing to sleep, his phone suddenly rang.
Caller ID: Mom.
Qing Chen sat up and answered. "Hello?"
Zhang Wanfang said from the other end, "Xiao Chen, Mom already transferred your living expenses to your dad."
However, Qing Chen had not seen any living expenses in a very long time.
"Mom, this week..."
Qing Chen wanted to say that he had to pay book fees, but before he could finish, Zhang Wanfang said over the phone, "Haohao suddenly came down with a fever, so I won't be visiting you this weekend. All right, go to bed early. Don't let your studies fall behind."
"Mm, okay." Qing Chen hung up after saying that.
He had finally received the call, but she seemed to have already forgotten about him skipping class.
Still, it did not matter.
At that moment.
"Qing Chen, Qing Chen, are you there, are you there, are you there?" Nan Gengchen sent him a message in the middle of the night.
"What is it?" Qing Chen asked.
"I found a group online just now. It says all Travelers are welcome to join and chat. Are you going? I'll send you the group number," Nan Gengchen said excitedly, already acting every bit like a Traveler.
Qing Chen said, "Neither of us is a Traveler. Why would we join?"
Nan Gengchen paused for a moment. "Just to check it out? Maybe we can learn something new. What if one day we both travel over? Wouldn't it be good to get some information in advance?"
"I'm not going. You go ahead," Qing Chen said.
He had no interest in Traveler groups at all right now. What if it was a trap set by that mysterious organization, waiting for everyone to walk into it?
Maybe there was no danger, but he did not want his freedom restricted either.
Only a blockhead like Nan Gengchen would rush toward every bit of excitement.
"If you're not going, forget it. I'll go check it out," Nan Gengchen said.
After saying that, Nan Gengchen went silent.
A little while later, Qing Chen had just started feeling sleepy when Nan Gengchen appeared again. "Qing Chen..."
"What now?" Qing Chen asked helplessly.
"The group owner says he's a Traveler. He says he brought back several hundred pairs of high-tech socks from the Inner World. Not only do they prevent odor and sweating, they can also make you walk like the wind and extend your life. He says they use nanotechnology to stimulate acupoints or something... Want two pairs?" Nan Gengchen asked.
Qing Chen: "???"
What the hell kind of socks are those, brought back from the Inner World?!
Scammers these days were getting way too outrageous. Could they latch onto any trending topic?
He knew this Traveler group was unreliable, but he had not expected it to be this unreliable.
Qing Chen asked, "Did you buy any?"
Nan Gengchen replied, "It's not like I have any money. If I did, I might buy a pair to try..."
Qing Chen held it in for a long while. "...Impressive."
Nan Gengchen continued, "There's also a Traveler in the group who says he got some genetic medicine from the Inner World. Drink it, and you can become a superhuman."
"Mm. What else are people in the group saying?"
"There's another Traveler in the group who says he knows several rich older women over there who are offering huge sums for children. He can introduce people to them."
"Mm... What else are people in the group saying?" Qing Chen more or less understood now. This group had truly gathered all the scammers into one nest.
He even suspected that everyone in the group except Nan Gengchen was a scammer, and Nan Gengchen was the only fool.
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