Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The next day, at dawn, Qu Yi Xian woke up.

She lay still for a moment, listening carefully to the noises from the next room.

Last night, not long after she hung up on Yuan Ye, Sheng Zi had added her on WeChat.

Qu Yi Xian hadn’t wanted to respond. Her phone had already been tossed onto the pillow, but before sleeping, she picked it up again and accepted Sheng Zi’s friend request.

Sheng Zi’s WeChat ID was “Tianxing Outdoor Club Leader Li Sheng,” and his profile picture seemed to have just been updated—it was a full-body photo of him standing between a G-Wagon and a Patrol.

Qu Yi Xian, bored out of her mind, zoomed in on the profile picture to examine the background, trying to figure out where it was taken—it looked like on National Highway 315, or maybe in the Yardang formations of Nan Baxian.

Most likely it was still on National Highway 315; if she hadn’t “hijacked” the car midway, Fu Xun would have already passed through the Water Yardang yesterday and continued further.

Her finger swiped to exit WeChat.

As soon as she did, a notification popped up—Sheng Zi had sent her a smiling emoji.

Qu Yi Xian thought Sheng Zi must have a 1970s-style mindset—was he still stuck in the early days of the internet, greeting people with a smiley face?

She didn’t reply.

After a while, Sheng Zi carefully sent an “elderly” emoji—a bunch of roses.

Qu Yi Xian rolled her eyes completely and angrily tapped back a “?”

Sheng Zi, seeing she finally responded, was very happy. “Little Master Qu, I heard you’re going to Sha Liang to fix the car tomorrow?”

Qu Yi Xian was too lazy to type, so she just sent another question mark.

Sheng Zi said, “It’s a long story.”

“Boss Fu signed a seven-day contract with me. The payment was fully settled upfront. Tonight, Boss Fu informed me that he’s returning to Nanjiang tomorrow, but I still have three days left on the contract. Boss Fu is a good person; he ended my work early and let me go home.”

Qu Yi Xian waited for a while, and after reading that message, she twitched her lips and perfunctorily said, “Well, congratulations then.”

Sheng Zi sent another “elderly” emoji, this time an animated image of two wine glasses clinking against a backdrop of roses.

He said, “Thanks,” then added, “But I feel the payment was too much like a windfall from the sky, a bit unsettling. So, on Boss Fu’s suggestion, I’ve decided to spend the next three days assisting with your work.”

Qu Yi Xian: “…”

What does that have to do with me?

She politely expressed, “No need. If you feel uneasy about the money, I can help you spend it.”

On the word “money,” everyone’s brain is usually alert. Sheng Zi almost immediately replied, “Little Master Qu, you jest. There’s a reason Boss Fu would suggest that.”

“I can fix cars.”

Why didn’t you say that sooner!

Qu Yi Xian rolled her eyes and said, “Then I’ll take your car back to Sha Liang tomorrow.”

Sheng Zi replied, “Okay.”

Qu Yi Xian asked again, “Is Fu Xun covering your food and lodging?”

Sheng Zi: “Boss Fu has settled that.”

Qu Yi Xian didn’t know what expression to show…

She hesitated for a moment and asked one last question, “What time is he leaving tomorrow?”

Sheng Zi: “Seven o’clock. Yuan Ye will take him to the airport.” He thought for a moment, then thoughtfully added, “Little Master Qu, if you want to see him off, we can depart in the afternoon instead.”

Qu Yi Xian muttered to herself, “Does he not have legs? You want me to send him off?”

“Then we’ll leave at eight.”

Sheng Zi had no objections.

He sent a colorful, rotating art-font emoji and said good night.

Qu Yi Xian nearly blocked him.

She held back, persuading herself that hitting someone was wrong; violence couldn’t solve problems. The world is beautiful, she told herself, and one must learn to respect others’ hobbies and aesthetics.

Finally calming down, she pulled the blanket over her face and went to sleep.

The noises next door were not quiet.

But the person making them wasn’t Fu Xun—it was Yuan Ye.

The room’s soundproofing wasn’t great. He was loudly giving Sheng Zi instructions to be careful of her temper, and Qu Yi Xian heard everything.

She suspected a little: had Fu Xun heard her shout at Yuan Ye yesterday, “One mouthful of ‘Boss Fu’ at a time, you’re his little secretary” too?

It didn’t matter if he had; anyway, they wouldn’t see each other for a while.

She turned over and heard Fu Xun’s reminder: “Poor soundproofing—watch out, she’ll settle accounts with you later.”

Then, silence.

Yuan Ye was clearly afraid of her thunderous methods, keeping his voice low, and Qu Yi Xian couldn’t hear a thing. Her mind itched as if being scratched by cat claws.

She sat up.

The door next door opened and closed.

This time, there was more sound. Yuan Ye’s voice came from behind the door, pretending to be considerate while calling out to Sheng Zi: “Remember to buy breakfast for Little Master Qu when she wakes up. She likes the beef soup across the alley, add vinegar, keep it mild, and sprinkle plenty of scallions.”

Sheng Zi replied in a muffled voice, “Got it.”

After a moment, he said again, “Boss Fu, take care.”

This time, complete silence.

Qu Yi Xian dawdled but eventually got up.

Before Sheng Zi could go buy the beef soup, she stopped him. After breakfast, she got into the Patrol and headed to the repair shop.

Her toolbox was already complete in the Cruiser; she only needed to buy a pair of shock absorbers to replace them.

Having experienced the traffic jam a few days ago, Qu Yi Xian deliberately took a detour. Once in Sha Liang, while the day was still cool, she let Sheng Zi start the repairs.

She acted as his assistant, handing him tools.

Qu Yi Xian had led a team before and was used to dealing with cars. She could immediately tell if Sheng Zi was truly capable.

After watching for a bit, she asked, “Do you usually do live streams? How much do you make in a year?”

Sheng Zi, distracted, replied, “Not much. I don’t have much fame, only about a thousand fans. Mainly I rely on being a team leader to supplement household income.”

Qu Yi Xian wore a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a square scarf pulled under the glasses, almost covering her entire face.

Sheng Zi crawled out from under the car and was startled to see her like that.

Qu Yi Xian handed him a bottle of water and took off her scarf to drink.

“I want to ask you something,” Qu Yi Xian said, turning around. “Do you know Fu Xun’s background?”

Sheng Zi scratched his head and laughed. “You’re so familiar with Boss Fu, why do you need to ask me?”

Qu Yi Xian coldly retorted, “Which eye of yours saw us that familiar?”

He had seen with both eyes!

But he didn’t dare say that. He took a sip of water; his hands were greasy from gasoline, leaving fingerprints on the bottle.

Qu Yi Xian handed him a tissue. “Wipe it for now; wash later.”

Sheng Zi, flattered, took it and rubbed his palm with it. “I’ve driven support vehicles before, never talked to Boss Fu in the same car. He usually speaks little; we’re all big guys—what common ground could we have?”

“You spent four days in the same tent, and you felt nothing?” Qu Yi Xian asked again.

The word “felt” seemed to hit Sheng Zi’s nerve. He suddenly realized something—when a woman asks about another man, what other reason could there be besides liking him?

He brightened up and said, “Boss Fu is a really good person.”

After finishing the standard opening, Sheng Zi racked his brain for a memory. “The official departure was on the second day of the contract. The first day I used to buy supplies and give the vehicles a full check-up. That counts as preparation, technically outside the contract. But this trip was tight on time, so from the moment I reached the rendezvous point, I started getting paid.”

He had never given anyone emotional advice and didn’t know where to start, so he just said whatever came to mind. “Boss Fu probably doesn’t have a girlfriend. If he does, it’s not going well.”

Qu Yi Xian asked, “Why do you say that?”

The more she showed concern, the more Sheng Zi felt he was right.

He smiled kindly, his face full of warmth. “When I’m in a relationship, I want to be glued to her twenty-four hours a day, even twenty-five if possible. Boss Fu barely contacts anyone and I’ve never seen him reply to a text. Once, I saw his phone; the screen was completely clean. Forget hookup apps, there wasn’t even a normal social app.”

Normal social apps?

Seeing Qu Yi Xian puzzled, Sheng Zi explained, “Like WeChat, QQ, Taobao, Weibo… nothing at all.”

“Maybe people with high education have hobbies different from simpletons like me. I usually kill time scrolling short videos or playing mobile games. When he’s free, he checks the vehicles for issues, or reads a book. If there’s a boiler set up, he cooks a good meal. If it weren’t for current wildlife protection policies, I’d worry he’d take a bow and hunt. He lives far from the lifestyle of someone in the information age.”

Qu Yi Xian vaguely remembered that night in Fu Xun’s tent; he had been reading.

She hadn’t paid attention at the time, only remembered the pages were yellowed and aged.

Qu Yi Xian asked, “Do you know what kind of book he was reading?”

“Something about cultural relics…” Sheng Zi answered vaguely. “I glanced at it as I passed. There were photos of relics in the pages. But I don’t really study that, so I couldn’t understand it.”

When Fu Xun whispered in her ear last night, “I might have what you’re looking for,” she hadn’t taken it seriously at all.

She knew Fu Xun was the founder of the Xing Hui Rescue Team and its biggest investor. Most of the rescue team’s equipment was bought with the funds he allocated annually.

Besides that, she only knew that four years ago, Fu Xun had volunteered at the Sonandajie Nature Reserve. He had extensive outdoor experience and rescue skills.

Nothing else—no one had told her, and she knew nothing.

Out of curiosity, she wanted to know more about him. But the Fu Xun Sheng Zi described was very different from the Fu Xun she knew.

Cultural relics?

Why would he read about cultural relics?

Was he really treasure hunting?

“Little Master Qu,” Sheng Zi suddenly lowered his voice. “I recently browsed forums and found many posts about ghosts and strange occurrences. Some even mention soul swapping…”

He let his thoughts wander. “Look at Boss Fu—he lives like someone from a pre-internet era. Could he have traveled from that time? This expedition isn’t like normal outdoor adventures. There’s no purpose; he heads straight into deserts and wastelands. At first, I thought he was searching for Gobi jade; that’s about the only thing valuable in the desert. Now… I don’t think so.”

Qu Yi Xian didn’t believe him. Seeing him shrink into a bundle while talking, she sneered, “That’s all the courage you’ve got, and you’re out leading a team? Supporting from the rear?”

Sheng Zi “…”

Qu Yi Xian impatiently said, “Give me a copy of your route map for this expedition. I’ll take a look.”

Sheng Zi returned to the car and brought her the map. “Look, today we should enter Lop Nur from the Sanlongsha Reserve. Have you heard of the legends of Lop Nur?”

Of course, she had.

Most clients she led had never been to the northwest and were curious about this mysterious land. They loved hearing their leader tell strange and ghostly stories—the scarier and more unexplainable, the better.

Qu Yi Xian didn’t just repeat stories; she could invent some too.

After telling a story in autumn, she even skipped turning on the air conditioning.

Sheng Zi completely forgot his original intention of showing off. The more he spoke, the more mysterious Boss Fu seemed, and he shivered silently. He even thought that without Qu Yi Xian’s appearance, he might now be deep in Lop Nur, unsure of what fate awaited him.

After reviewing the map, Qu Yi Xian returned.

She looked up at the sunlight.

At this point, Fu Xun’s flight should have landed in Nanjiang.

She climbed back into Sheng Zi’s car and called Yuan Ye.

Yuan Ye was sitting in the G-Class driver’s seat, taking selfies for social media. Since Fu Xun wasn’t in his circle, he could show off without embarrassment.

Just as he was happily checking comments, he received Qu Yi Xian’s call.

He gave a fake smile showing eight teeth in the rearview mirror, in a surprisingly good mood, and called out, “Master Qu.”

Qu Yi Xian got straight to the point. “What industry does Fu Xun primarily work in?”

Yuan Ye didn’t know much about Fu Xun either, only a vague idea. “I’m not too sure. The team leader said Fu Xun’s family is in business, and it’s quite big.”

“Oh… right, you can search ‘Fu Yan’ on Baidu. Fu Xun’s Fu, Yan as in ‘perfunctory’.”

“I heard that’s his younger brother, biological.”

“Master Qu, why are you asking this?”

Qu Yi Xian glanced at her phone signal bar, which had no signal, pressed the brake, and started the engine. “None of your business.”

Yuan Ye got hit again, his eyebrows knotting in grievance.

He yelled into the phone, mercilessly: “You ungrateful, backstabbing woman! Scumbag woman!”

He hung up furiously, feeling really satisfied.

Damn, in his lifetime, he finally hung up on Master Qu.

Qu Yi Xian gave Sheng Zi a quick update and drove to find a signal.

After five kilometers, seeing the single weak bar on her phone signal, she stopped and typed “Fu Yan” into the search engine.

Scrolling rapidly through the long Baidu entry, she reached the bottom, where in the family relations section, she unexpectedly saw Fu Xun’s name, annotated as—“Genius cultural relic appraiser.”