Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Qu Yi Xian sat back down.

She tore open the cigarette pack, grabbed a pack, and tossed it to Peng Shen without looking at Fu Xun. “Who is he?”

Peng Shen didn’t take Qu Yi Xian’s little temper seriously. He lit a cigarette and scolded, “No manners, your stubborn temper, all spoiled by Yuan Ye.”

He flicked the ash and sent Yuan Ye out to call the waiter to bring the dishes.

Once Yuan Ye left, and the private room door was closed again, Peng Shen tapped the ashtray and said, “Mr. Fu is the founder of the Xinghui Rescue Team and its sole investor.”

The fact that Xinghui had an investor was not a secret within the rescue team.

It was just that the investor kept a low profile, staying in the background. Peng Shen had also kept it to himself; no one knew who the investor actually was.

Qu Yi Xian, hearing the term, didn’t immediately react.

She looked up at Fu Xun, sitting across from her.

He kept his head down, playing with his phone, as if the conversation didn’t concern him at all.

Qu Yi Xian’s gaze drifted from his lowered eyes to the line of his jaw.

His side profile was exquisite. Even though she normally found him insufferable, she had to admit Fu Xun’s jawline was truly beautiful. Like it had been cut with an art knife, every angle precise, flowing smoothly from chin to ear, restrained and refined—like a priceless work of art.

Qu Yi Xian shook the teacup in front of her, so absorbed that she didn’t notice the tea spilling and wetting her fingers.

No wonder Peng Shen sent Yuan Ye away. With her temper just now, capable of flipping the whole dining table with one second’s delay, if he knew there were four people in the room and only she was kept in the dark, he might have been the one to take the brunt of her anger.

But she wasn’t angry.

Why should she be?

Her rage earlier was for Fu Xun playing with her.

Now it was different. Just Fu Xun’s new identity alone was enough to keep her adjusting for a while.

She smiled, all the sharpness in her brows gone, raising her cup in a way that concealed her emotions. “My apologies for the oversight.” She lifted her head and drank the last half mouthful of tea.

Peng Shen breathed a sigh of relief, about to ease the atmosphere, when he heard the crisp sound of the cup. Qu Yi Xian’s brows went cold again, her voice like she’d just been pulled from an icy abyss, unthawed. “What does he mean by ‘see you’?”

……

Peng Shen felt a little awkward.

He couldn’t guess what Fu Xun was thinking, afraid that saying the wrong thing would escalate tension between the two. One was a long-time friend, the other a capable right-hand man—he couldn’t afford to offend either.

He cleared his throat and politely added more water to Qu Yi Xian’s cup. “This is partly my fault… My original intention was to introduce you to Mr. Fu, but my wording was poor and caused a misunderstanding. I deserve the blame. Yes, I deserve it!”

This excuse was too shallow; even Peng Shen couldn’t convince himself, let alone Qu Yi Xian.

He knew Qu Yi Xian wouldn’t let it go easily, so he didn’t give her a chance to speak. Pretending to just remember, he said, “If I hadn’t mentioned it, you probably wouldn’t remember. Your connection with Mr. Fu isn’t any later than your acquaintance with me.”

Only then did Qu Yi Xian show a little interest, slightly raising her brow to look at Peng Shen.

The encounter at Hukou on the Yellow River had been purely as two passing travelers—it hardly counted as a connection. Besides that, she really didn’t remember any other significant intersection with Fu Xun.

Peng Shen pinched his cigarette and first asked in return, “When you returned from Nanjiang and decided to stay in the northwest, you asked me about someone—the volunteer at the Sonam Dargye Conservation Station. Do you remember?”

Qu Yi Xian’s relaxed handling of the teacup froze instantly. Her whole body tensed, like a blade sheathing all its sharpness, waiting to strike again. Her gaze fell straight on Fu Xun.

Peng Shen wouldn’t bring this up without reason. At this moment, anyone could guess it was related to Fu Xun.

That had been the night Jiang Yuan went missing, the last rescue call Qu Yi Xian had made.

The Sonam Dargye Conservation Station was the earliest established among the five stations in Kekexili and the closest to their camp at the time.

It had been a place where Qu Yi Xian had pinned all her hopes.

But apart from that phone record, the station had remained like a distant, unattainable sanctuary in Kekexili.

Over the long time that followed, Jiang Yuan became a knot in her heart, and the Sonam Dargye Station became a scar on that knot, still etched deep inside her.

After returning to the northwest, Qu Yi Xian had asked Peng Shen about who had received her call that night.

Peng Shen got her the full list of all the members serving at the Sonam Dargye Conservation Station at that time. She remembered clearly—Fu Xun wasn’t on it.

She couldn’t figure out the connection between Fu Xun and this matter, feeling a little impatient. “I remember.”

Peng Shen lit another cigarette, and as he exhaled, he raised his chin slightly through the smoke, pointing at Fu Xun. “The one who answered your call was Mr. Fu.”

Qu Yi Xian’s mind went blank for a moment. She was silent for a few seconds, and when she spoke again, her usual calm was gone. “How is that possible? On the volunteer list you gave me, he wasn’t there.”

Her reaction was unexpected for Peng Shen.

In his view, for a woman to remember a man she’d never met, it was either because of a favor done or a deep hatred.

But Qu Yi Xian and Fu Xun’s situation didn’t look like the second kind…

And now, it seemed… not the first kind either.

Peng Shen was a bit confused. After considering for a moment, he continued truthfully. “That list was the volunteers at the station at the time; it didn’t include him.”

He didn’t notice Qu Yi Xian’s face gradually darkening. Still intent on filling the gap left by Fu Xun’s casual comment, he went on, “I also only learned recently that Mr. Fu had been a volunteer at Sonam Dargye Station four years ago, otherwise, why would I have thought to introduce you in person?”

Qu Yi Xian lowered her eyes, staring at the now-cold tea.

After the brief shock came the frustration pressing in her chest, her palm’s warmth seemingly drawn away by the air-conditioning in the private room, leaving her fingers icy.

That night, the promise she had received from Sonam Dargye Station was—they would immediately send a car to check.

He had even asked in detail over the phone about the cause and effect, and Jiang Yuan’s abnormal behavior before leaving, the route they would take through Kekexili, and the specific features of Jiang Yuan and the vehicle.

But even after Qu Yi Xian had given up searching for Jiang Yuan, she never got to see the volunteers from the station.

Four years had passed, and the desire to question them had gradually faded as she continued doing rescue work.

It wasn’t some deep hatred; she shouldn’t have held a grudge for so long.

Even if Fu Xun had sent a car that night, the outcome would probably have been the same. Her Jiang Yuan wouldn’t have returned simply because Sonam Dargye Station lent a hand.

People should learn to be grateful…

…

Grateful my foot!

With that mental resolve failing, Qu Yi Xian, like a spring-loaded frog, couldn’t stay seated for a moment.

She felt the air in the private room was suffocating, mixed with a musty smell she hated, tightening her throat. Peng Shen’s concern and Fu Xun’s gaze only made the darkness inside her leak out bit by bit, making it hard to breathe.

She couldn’t stay there!

Once again, she kicked her chair, gripped her cigarette, and left without looking back.

At the door, Yuan Ye had just returned from calling the waiter, teasing a female staff member. Seeing the door slam open, the smile hadn’t even left his face before he saw Qu Yi Xian, like a live explosive, not glancing at him once, disappearing down the fire escape in a few steps.

Yuan Ye looked at the wide-open private room door, then at the fire escape where Master Qu was already gone, and asked in confusion, “Did she see me when she came out?”

She’s a grown woman, standing there—how could she not see him?

“No… why would she leave so arrogantly?” This was scarier than getting beaten up! Better to just hit him… at least then he’d die feeling at peace!

Small supermarket.

Qu Yi Xian returned, terrifying Wang Kun.

He hobbled on one leg, moving chairs and bringing tea and water, afraid to be negligent.

Qu Yi Xian didn’t say a word, lighting one cigarette after another until she finally spoke through the haze of smoke curling through the cramped shop. “Have you eaten?”

“No.” Wang Kun realized she was hungry.

He rummaged under the counter for a small notebook. “Your sister-in-law should be off work. I’ll ask her to buy more groceries on the way and make you a full meal.”

Qu Yi Xian glanced at him, bent over, and grabbed a cup of instant noodles from the shelf, tearing the packaging in a few swift motions. “Don’t bother my sister-in-law. I’ll eat this.”

She was in a bad mood and didn’t care about others’ feelings, tearing the seasoning packets as she said, “Look at this run-down supermarket. How much business can they get? Playing games and reading novels all day, don’t they know to do some housework? My sister-in-law works during the day and still has to serve you at night. I pity her; I pity her more than I pity myself.”

“Wang Tushen, watch out. One day I’ll pry open the corner of my sister-in-law’s wall, and you’ll die alone.”

Wang Kun didn’t dare talk back, standing there looking pitiful, scolded gray-faced by Qu Yi Xian.

Qu Yi Xian softened, stopped, and got up to pour water.

Just as she stood, someone lifted the door curtain and came in.

Qu Yi Xian raised her eyes, holding the kettle, and froze. “Why are you here?”

Fu Xun glanced at the kettle and instant noodles in her hands and said in a hoarse voice, “To find you.”

Without giving Qu Yi Xian a chance to speak, he slightly turned his body. “When I chased after you, the car scraped the alley. Come help.”

Qu Yi Xian looked at him suspiciously but put down the kettle and followed him outside.

The alley was lined with old buildings from more than ten years ago, packed together, making the passage narrow.

Just across the street, it was dazzling and bustling with cars and people, but inside, it was so dark that only the end of the alley had a single light.

Qu Yi Xian followed a few steps, murmuring, “Where did your car scrape?” In this broken place, a G-Class could even get in and scrape—it’s impressive, Fu Xun.

The man walking ahead suddenly stopped.

He turned, his whole figure engulfed in the alley’s darkness, silently staring at her.

Qu Yi Xian, looked at him for a few seconds, then realized, “You damn tricked me again!”

She rolled her eyes and turned to leave. The step she took was intercepted—Fu Xun grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the corner of the wall.

He was tall, and his looming posture completely blocked the light.

In front of her, she could see nothing but Fu Xun’s face, extremely close.

Before this, Qu Yi Xian only thought Fu Xun was tall, but had no concrete idea of his height. Just now, in the small supermarket, his head nearly touched the ceiling—the small shop could hardly fit him.

Now, trapped in a corner, with the height comparison, she could finally estimate—Fu Xun was at least 1.85 meters, probably close to 1.9 meters, no shorter!

She felt amused and impressed that, even trapped, she still had the optimism to estimate his height… someone capable of leading really has strong psychological resilience…