Huihuizi Arrives

At midnight, the reservoir was quiet and noisy all at once.

It was like a landscape painting that had somehow come to life.

Fang Xian carried the paper figure under one arm, a fishing rod in his left hand and the Fire Axe in his right. He patrolled the reservoir, searching for anything suspicious.

Most importantly, he had to stay away from the water.

From the glimpse Fang Xian had caught of the thing in the reservoir, he knew that washing his hands or fishing at the water's edge could get him dragged in the moment he let his guard down.

There was something else, too.

"Sure enough... There's something like fishing bait here."

"That means people have been active around Changzhao Reservoir."

"There's a good chance they're feeding the strange fish and placed the paper figure here to drive away anyone who comes to catch it."

"But I can't be sure."

Fang Xian had always put caution first.

It was Friday night.

No.

It was Saturday now.

Fang Xian spent the whole night circling nearly half the reservoir, but found nothing.

When he looked back, he saw that Xiao Jiu had fallen asleep.

A snot bubble was even swelling from her little nose.

Fang Xian doubted Obsessions needed sleep. Xiao Jiu was only sleeping because she was [Drowsy]—in other words, lazy.

It was the middle of the night, so Fang Xian didn't wake her.

He watched the riverbank, trying to work out what might have happened there.

He kept at it until the eastern sky grew light.

Morning.

Nine thirty-eight.

Sun Heng and the others were eating breakfast in the dining room.

For college students on a weekend, it was clearly still a little early for breakfast.

"He Qi, where did you run off to last night?"

"Without you, we played Fight the Landlord all night!"

Sun Heng asked between spoonfuls of congee.

He Qi rubbed his hands together. "I went to bait a fishing spot."

Weng Nannan looked around. "Where's the fish?"

He Qi looked embarrassed. "They weren't biting yesterday, and then it rained and soaked all my bait..."

His excuses only made it funnier.

The couple were genuinely anxious for him.

They'd given him an opportunity, and he'd wasted it.

This trip was supposed to give him a chance with Cai Qi!

Not with a fish.

"Oh, right, boss... Where's that guy Fang Xian?"

Mentioning Cai Qi reminded Sun Heng to ask the innkeeper, who was reading a newspaper nearby.

The innkeeper paused. "Isn't he with you? I wouldn't know."

"I checked this morning and his door was shut tight. He's probably sleeping. I guess he's skipping breakfast."

Sun Heng glanced toward the stairs to the second floor.

Something felt a little strange.

It was almost ten, and Fang Xian had gone to bed so early last night. Surely he should have woken up by now.

But...

Fang Xian was only an extra member of their group.

He didn't matter.

Sun Heng had already planned the day's activities. Giving He Qi and Cai Qi a chance together was one goal, but having fun himself came first.

With that in mind, Sun Heng began telling the other three about the plan.

The innkeeper listened and offered a few useful suggestions.

Just then,

the sound of a car engine shutting off came from outside the inn.

"That sound... That's a fine car."

The well-traveled innkeeper quickly put down his newspaper. "A Sky Steed X7. That engine's roar is pure art."

He immediately checked the day's reservations, then got up to greet the arrivals.

Sun Heng and the others couldn't identify a car by its engine, but they knew Sky Steed, and they knew what an X7 meant.

"More guests?"

"I wonder what kind of person drives an X7."

Weng Nannan spoke softly.

Even Cai Qi, sitting beside her, grew curious.

A moment later,

the innkeeper opened the door wearing an all-too-obvious smile.

"Come in, ladies. This way."

"Right here!"

He was even more attentive than he had been the night before.

Sun Heng wondered why.

Then he saw two beautiful women standing in the doorway.

These days, calling someone a "beauty" was usually just a polite greeting, no different from calling a man "handsome." It barely meant more than being friendly to the person in front of you.

But these two

were beautiful beyond any doubt.

The woman in front wore a silk blouse with the collar slightly open, revealing delicate collarbones. Her cuffs were turned back, giving her a crisp, capable look and the poised air of a sophisticated city woman. Her lovely eyes shifted beneath her striking features, making the men present swallow without thinking.

The girl behind her drew even more attention.

She looked about eighteen or nineteen.

Her cotton-linen shirt and bright blue straight-leg jeans framed a shapely figure, and she wore canvas shoes. She seemed like the sum of every young man's fantasy of the perfect girl.

Her black-rimmed glasses added to her literary air. It was a quality most people struggled to imitate, usually with clumsy results, but this girl embodied it completely.

"Boss, I have a reservation. The deluxe suite."

"Could you make it quick? Sorry for the trouble. I've been driving for an hour and a half, and I need a little rest."

In front of strangers, Huihuizi always presented herself as cool and capable.

The innkeeper agreed at once.

Damn.

They're gorgeous.

I've never seen anyone this beautiful before.

Should I ask them to make a Tremble video with me? It might bring in more customers.

The innkeeper's mind raced as he led them upstairs.

"Yizhou, come on up."

Song Yizhou answered. Carrying a small suitcase, she politely declined the innkeeper's offer to help and took it upstairs herself.

Only after Song Yizhou disappeared into the stairwell

did time seem to start moving again.

"Ow!"

Weng Nannan gave Sun Heng a hard pinch from behind.

Sun Heng hurriedly looked away.

He couldn't keep staring.

No matter how beautiful she was, he couldn't look anymore.

Seeing a girl that beautiful in real life was honestly a little unreal.

Rubbing the spot Weng Nannan had pinched red, Sun Heng noticed out of the corner of his eye that He Qi still looked deep in thought.

"Stop looking!"

"She's gone, and you're still staring!"

Sun Heng nearly lost his temper. Was that the beauty He Qi ought to be looking at?

As if he had a chance with her!

"No... Sun Heng, don't you think the beautiful girl with the suitcase looked familiar?"

He Qi strained to remember.

Sun Heng was about to give his friend an earful.

To his surprise, the usually haughty Cai Qi spoke up for He Qi.

"I thought so too. I feel like I've seen her somewhere."

"Wait..."

Sun Heng froze and searched his memory.

Wasn't she...

the incredibly beautiful girlfriend Fang Xian had shown them a picture of during the ride yesterday?

Could that be real?

Fang Xian had sounded certain yesterday, but Sun Heng hadn't really believed him. He'd taken it as a casual joke. After all, they were just strangers who'd crossed paths on a trip.

But now...

In a remote place like Changzhao Reservoir, there was almost no chance that a random photo from the internet would turn up in person.

"Was Fang Xian telling the truth?"

"Is that beautiful woman really his girlfriend? Did she come here to see him?"

Sun Heng and He Qi looked miserable.

As if they'd just swallowed rocks.