Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“The day I received your call…” Fu Xun suddenly spoke, “I was on duty at the station, the last shift.”

He rarely explained.

He never cared whether others misunderstood him.

Chasing her from Zhaixing Tower here was instinctual.

Qu Yi Xian seemed to smile. “Why are you explaining this to me?”

Her tone carried both disdain and scorn.

“You don’t owe me anything, nor have you wronged me. My anger was simply because of a bad mood.”

…Yeah, right.

She was blaming him!

Blaming him for lying, blaming him for pretending to be good, blaming him for needing to disguise even his disappointments.

Her lips drooped slightly, her brow lightly furrowed, and her gaze was dark and heavy.

Fu Xun knew she was saying one thing but meaning another.

On the way here, the words he had prepared became unnecessary under Qu Yi Xian’s refusal to talk.

She didn’t care about the truth he spoke of and had no intention of hearing explanations.

Otherwise, with her personality, she would have grabbed his collar in the private room and demanded answers, instead of showing that pitiful, slightly heart-wrenching expression and slamming the door.

Qu Yi Xian was different from all the women he knew.

Her arrogance and overbearing attitude were manageable on her own. Therefore, all her emotions were external; she wasn’t afraid of others seeing through her thoughts or creating gaps.

You could treat her well, or dislike her—everyone was like a stone to her, no difference.

To put it nicely, it was personality.

To put it harshly, it was impermeable.

But people who armored themselves like this usually had fatal weaknesses—untouchable, unspeakable.

Realizing this, Fu Xun immediately relaxed.

He looked at her calmly for a moment before saying, “I have a flight back to Nanjiang early tomorrow.”

Qu Yi Xian glanced at him sideways. “Why tell me this?” She didn’t care at all.

Wait…

She straightened and asked, “Bao Bu Xun?”

“Now that I know where he is, there’s no rush.” Fu Xun released her wrist, but didn’t step back, still keeping her pressed to the corner of the wall, leaning slightly closer. “Listen carefully, I’ll only say this once.”

His brows were relaxed, all the impatience from before gone.

“Four years… Even if someone is dead… after rain and wind, the bones should see the light of day again.” He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a business card, handing it to her. “Do you know why after all these years you’ve had no leads?”

The alley light was too dim; Qu Yi Xian could only see the thin layer of laminate on the card.

She took it, unable to make out the gold-embossed name and details. She looked up, her ambition boldly and unashamedly exposed to him. “I’ll rely on your guidance, Mr. Fu.”

She enunciated each word, especially “guidance,” as if forcing it through clenched teeth—gritting her teeth would not be an exaggeration.

She didn’t trust Fu Xun.

Unlike Peng Shen, who treated Fu Xun with respect, unquestioning deference, almost blind obedience.

Fu Xun didn’t answer directly.

He pondered for a few seconds, then turned to look at the small supermarket they had come from. On closer inspection, he saw a vague figure at the doorway, hunched, standing motionless in the corner of the light.

Somewhat like a shadow, somewhat like a ghost.

From the moment Fu Xun noticed someone staring, to the moment he realized whose gaze it was, it took three minutes.

He guessed it was the man who had been standing behind the counter in the supermarket.

Qu Yi Xian followed his gaze, looked carefully, and realized it was Wang Kun.

Since learning tonight that Fu Xun had been the volunteer at the Sonam Daje Nature Reserve back then, she had harbored strong hostility toward him—far beyond unfriendly, almost as if targeting a class enemy, sparing no effort.

“Even from that far away, were you worried he might overhear?”

“I’m interested in him,” Fu Xun replied, turning back, unconcerned by her bad attitude. “Throughout history, deals are about equal exchange. I don’t lack money. We can exchange information we’re interested in—what do you think?”

Hearing “I don’t lack money,” Qu Yi Xian found him even more annoying.

How could someone with such a good-looking face say things so irritating?

She pursed her lips, reluctant to cooperate. “How do I know you’re not just fooling me?”

Fu Xun smiled. “If you’re not satisfied, I can give you a check. Fill in any amount you like.”

Only then did Qu Yi Xian seriously appraise him, realizing he wasn’t joking, and asked earnestly, “What do you want to know?”

“Say whatever comes to mind.” Fu Xun lit a cigarette and asked, “Do you want one?”

Qu Yi Xian wasn’t in the mood; she paused to think.

Since Fu Xun was the investor in Starshine, he had the authority to access personnel records for all of Starshine’s past years.

Regarding Wang Kun, she wasn’t the only route for him to know.

With that understood, she took a breath. “Wang Kun was fired by me. The process wasn’t honorable—do you really want to hear it?”

Fu Xun narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling. “I want to hear.”

“He used to be in the position Yuan Ye holds, roughly deputy team leader. Before stepping down, he was a hero in the Mount Siguniang rescue, saving more than a dozen college students.” She finished the good part and moved to the bad. “But Wang Kun is soft-hearted and a bit reckless. A couple of years ago, while guiding a client, they begged Wang Kun to lend them a car. Less than half an hour later, there was an accident.”

Her voice was low but heavy. “The client had no license. After the accident, they were paralyzed from the waist down. Their wife brought a carload of relatives to pressure Wang Kun into paying.”

“He violated the fleet rules first. No one could take the blame for him. Besides losing his savings, he had to compensate with a leg. Even this small supermarket was opened for him with aid from the team leader. He never recovered from this, wasting his days, living like a mess.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why are you asking about this?”

Fu Xun exhaled smoke. His gaze, wherever it had landed, suddenly turned to her. “I want to understand you better.”

Qu Yi Xian “…” You’re insane.

Of course, the words hovered on her lips, circled a few times, and were swallowed back.

Fu Xun had the talent to make others need him; in any situation, he never looked defeated or shabby. Qu Yi Xian hated him, but even hating him, she had to treat him like a revered lord.

People are all the same species, breathing the same air, standing on the same land—why is the gap between humans so vast?

She felt irritated, yet had to calmly ask, “Is it your turn to speak?”

“You’re looking in the wrong direction.” He crushed out the cigarette, lowering his head, voice hoarse. “I’ve studied your rescue routes.”

Qu Yi Xian sneered.

She felt tricked again—and this time, she had jumped into the trap herself.

Fu Xun knew what she was thinking. After a moment’s pause, he said, “For that Jiang Yuan rescue, I paid all the helicopter costs myself.”

“Qu Yi Xian.” He reached out, holding the back of her neck, pulling her closer.

Having just smoked, Fu Xun still carried the lingering scent of tobacco.

Qu Yi Xian was still processing the deep bomb he had casually dropped, completely forgetting to resist.

He lowered his face, his nose almost touching hers.

So close, his voice was like surround-sound bass, circling her ears. “I may have something you want.”

After Fu Xun left,

Qu Yi Xian stood in the alley for a moment, then, as if nothing had happened, returned to the supermarket to eat instant noodles.

Wang Kun couldn’t resist seeing her slurp the noodles so deliciously and made a cup for himself, though he was stingy and only used the instant bag.

After taking a bite, Wang Kun asked, “Who’s that person?”

Qu Yi Xian didn’t answer.

She had just revealed Wang Kun’s past in front of Fu Xun and felt a bit guilty, not wanting to involve Fu Xun further, so she picked a marinated egg from the shelf and added it to her noodles. “What, worried about me?”

She stirred it with her fork, cut the egg in half, and gave one half to Wang Kun. “Seeing you guard the door like that… I was actually kind of touched.”

Wang Kun blushed at her words, chuckling awkwardly. “Not really…”

Qu Yi Xian smiled, speaking deliberately. “Not really? Then I was touched for nothing.”

She lifted a forkful of noodles to her mouth, and before swallowing, added, “That won’t do. The egg counts as yours; I’m not paying for it.”

Wang Kun’s face immediately fell.

This time, Qu Yi Xian truly laughed. She thought to herself that she was being pretty mean.

Back at the hotel, Qu Yi Xian first called Yuan Ye.

The phone rang two or three times before someone sluggishly picked up.

Yuan Ye said, “Hello?” cautiously, “...Master Qu?”

Qu Yi Xian, annoyed, snapped, “All that extra fat you’ve packed isn’t for nothing? And your voice isn’t even louder than mine.”

Yuan Ye pouted, thinking, why bring up the hard-earned weight?

He had little energy, voice weak: “I’ve just been scared all night, feeling drained.”

Qu Yi Xian snorted coldly. “So you know you’ve wronged me!”

Yuan Ye snuffled twice, explaining, “President Fu won’t let me tell you. Every time I try to sneak a tip, he glares at me.”

Qu Yi Xian: “And you’re feeling aggrieved?”

“Of course.” Yuan Ye, sensing her tone had softened and that she wasn’t planning to hold a grudge, immediately perked up. “What happened tonight between you and President Fu? You left, he chased after you. The whole table of dishes—just me and the team leader finishing them. Half wasted.”

Qu Yi Xian twitched her brow slightly, thinking Yuan Ye still needed a lesson. Since the situation was suitable, she wanted to fish for gossip.

She remained silent, and Yuan Ye immediately understood. He forced a chuckle. “Master Qu, calling me this late at night, what’s the matter?”

“Come with me to Sha Liang to fix the car tomorrow,” Qu Yi Xian said.

She didn’t mention it, and Yuan Ye almost forgot her car was still out in the desert. He quickly replied, “Okay, okay, I’ll come get you tomorrow morning… uh, seems like that won’t work.”

Qu Yi Xian squinted, holding back irritation. Yuan Ye continued, “President Fu’s early flight tomorrow.”

Oh, he mentioned that.

“So?” Qu Yi Xian asked.

“President Fu asked me to send him,” Yuan Ye said. “He said he’ll come back; the G-Wagon stays in Starshine’s garage first.” Then his tone shifted, suddenly flirtatious: “Oh… President Fu also said, if you drive it, he’ll give you the keys.”

Qu Yi Xian “…” couldn’t respond to that.

Yuan Ye kept grinning. “Master Qu, we’ve been partners for so many years, so close—you shouldn’t keep things from me.”

Qu Yi Xian, teased into embarrassed anger, snorted coldly. “Every other word is ‘President Fu’—you’re his little secretary, aren’t you?”

Yuan Ye froze, moved his phone, and saw the call had ended; the screen was back to the home page.

He scratched his head, feeling especially aggrieved.

His Master Qu was on her period and so fierce!