By the time Qin Manjiang returned to his place, it was already ten at night.
The phone call from Xi Wutong earlier had made it impossible for him to keep turning a blind eye to the strange things about Nie Yunzhen.
Standing at the door, Qin Manjiang stared into space for a while.
How should I approach talking to her?
For the moment, he had no idea either.
Click-
The faint sound of the door opening broke the silence of the night.
The living room was quiet. Nie Yunzhen wasn't there?
Xiaobai bounded over, wagging his tail, and licked Qin Manjiang's ankle.
Hearing the movement in the living room, Mi Qiao emerged from her bedroom with a complicated expression, holding a sticky note, and handed it to Qin Manjiang.
"Mr. Qin, Miss Nie left this for you."
Nie Yunzhen?
Qin Manjiang looked at the sticky note in Mi Qiao's hand and slowly took it.
There wasn't much written on it. The handwriting was delicate, and the brief message read-
[I remembered some things. I'm still alive to finish that one thing.]
[You're different from me, Qin Manjiang.]
[Stay alive.]
Mi Qiao glanced at Qin Manjiang's expression and asked softly, "Mr. Qin, are you in some kind of trouble?"
"...No." Qin Manjiang shook his head. Whether intentionally or otherwise, Mi Qiao must have read the note Nie Yunzhen had left.
Words like [Stay alive] were far too unsettling. He couldn't blame Mi Qiao for asking how he was doing.
"Then... I'll go get some rest. You should turn in early too, Mr. Qin. Good night!"
Mi Qiao spoke with a smile.
"Wait!"
Qin Manjiang suddenly called out.
"What is it?" Mi Qiao asked, puzzled.
"When did you find the note Nie Yunzhen left?" Qin Manjiang asked.
Mi Qiao lowered her head,