Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Yuan Ye cupped his bowl and leaned closer. “What big rat?”

He slurped the noodles in his mouth, eyes rolling, looking every bit like those gossiping old women in the village square who loved to add their own exaggerations.

Qu Yixian tapped the edge of her bowl and broke off half a steamed bun, handing it to him. “Yuan Ye.”

Yuan Ye went “ah,” and in a few quick gulps swallowed the noodle soup, slurring, “What big rat did you just say?”

Jiang Yun looked over as well.

Her bowl of beef noodle soup barely touched, with the chopped scallions and cilantro pushed aside with her spoon, she sipped the soup in small sips.

Qu Yixian stayed silent.

It seemed that, for now, only she knew that Fu Xun had brought a ferret.

She let out a soft chuckle, her gaze flicking toward Fu Xun, silently suggesting: Ask him yourselves!

Not surprisingly, Yuan Ye immediately redirected, asking Fu Xun, “President Fu, you keep rats too?”

“Is it like one of those Dutch pigs, the small hamsters?” Jiang Yun asked.

She had been worried about having no common topic with Fu Xun, so she jumped in: “I’ve raised those too, and even a chinchilla, like the one in Hayao Miyazaki movies—so soft to the touch, and super cute.”

Qu Yixian actually didn’t want to ruin the mood, but she couldn’t help herself, and asked, “I haven’t seen photos on your social media. How long ago did you raise them?”

Jiang Yun’s smile faded, her voice lowering: “Back in college.”

Qu Yixian nodded. “And now?”

Jiang Yun looked at her with a wronged expression, all remaining smile gone: “I gave it away.”

Qu Yixian: “…”

Yuan Ye: “…”

He thought Lady Qu was terrible at conversation, always putting her foot in it; in a palace intrigue drama, she would definitely be the one receiving the imperial punishment.

He cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood. “I only ever had a turtle.”

Qu Yixian glanced up at him, wondering what nonsense he was about to spout.

Yuan Ye scratched his head and said, “…One time I wasn’t careful, and it flushed down the drain.”

Jiang Yun tapped her spoon against the edge of her bowl, exchanged a look with Yuan Ye for two seconds, and pouted.

Not a bit comforted!

Amid the awkward atmosphere at the table, only Fu Xun remained calm and unbothered. He finished his millet porridge and let out a soft whistle.

Qu Yixian made a note of it—compared to last night’s summoning-like whistle, this one was more casual, short, flat in tone, with no context or emotion.

In the blink of an eye, the ferret that had shared a gaze with Qu Yixian somehow appeared, perched on Fu Xun’s shoulder.

Jiang Yun gasped in delight, forgetting even to drink her soup, staring at the pure white ferret with eyes as clear as black gemstones. Excited, she asked, “Is this a pet ferret?”

Yuan Ye frowned, looking confused. “Isn’t that a weasel?”

Qu Yixian clicked her tongue, finding his comment unreliable. “Have you ever seen a white weasel?”

Yuan Ye argued slyly, “Genetic mutation?”

Fu Xun softly called, and the ferret tilted its head, nuzzled his ear, snatched the specially prepared sturgeon meat from his fingertips, and burrowed into the hood of his sweatshirt.

Yuan Ye watched, dumbfounded.

Qu Yixian clicked her tongue, sighing: “These days, humans aren’t as good as mice.”

Fu Xun glanced at her, calmly saying, “Depends on the human. People like you not being better than a mouse is only natural.”

Hey, she had learned to talk back.

Qu Yixian glared at him: “People like me? How am I like that!”

Fu Xun hadn’t spoken yet, but the ferret, nestled in his hood and nibbling on sturgeon jerky as a snack, was displeased. It coiled its body, jumped back onto Fu Xun’s shoulder, and without a word, tossed the remaining half piece of sturgeon jerky at her.

The momentum was considerable, but the force was limited.

Qu Yixian watched the half piece of sturgeon jerky arc through the air and lightly land in her beef soup.

She froze.

Wait…

She was just hit by the sturgeon jerky from Fu Xun’s “big rat”?

She was hit by a big rat?

She got hit by a rat?

The table fell silent.

Fu Xun chuckled softly, his tone deep, like jade fragments falling onto a plate.

He raised his hand, gently patted the ferret’s head, and gave it another piece of sturgeon as a reward.

Then he stood, hands in his pockets, looking down at Qu Yixian, saying, “Take your time eating.” With that, he strode off.

The ferret crouched on his shoulder, “clucking” twice, only flicking its tail slightly.

…pretty shamelessly taking advantage of him, huh?

——

After the meal, Qu Yixian led the way as they headed toward Chaka Salt Lake.

Compared to her silence and gloom, Jiang Yun and Yuan Ye were buzzing with excitement like they’d had a few doses of stimulants.

At first, Jiang Yun could restrain herself, whispering to Yuan Ye over WeChat voice messages. Later, with the signal weakening, she brazenly borrowed a walkie-talkie from Qu Yixian.

Now, nothing the two of them said could be hidden.

Yuan Ye relayed Fu Xun’s answers to Jiang Yun’s questions: “Brother Xun says it usually eats ferret food, and the snacks are just fish jerky and meat sausages. Oh… and chicken breast too, but it has to be cut into small pieces, otherwise it’s hard to chew. Jiang Yun, you gotta admit, even though it’s so small, it’s fierce.”

Jiang Yun beamed. “Does it have a name? Does Mr. Fu usually communicate with it using whistles?”

Qu Yixian glanced back at the rear seat.

Jiang Yun’s eyes were squinted into crescent moons from smiling, holding the walkie-talkie with an expression as if she had won a prize.

Qu Yixian snorted—little girls were just easy to tempt.

The walkie-talkie buzzed, and Yuan Ye replied, “Just call him Brother Xun, that’s fine. He’s not much older than us. He says the ferret’s name is Diao Chan, like the famous beauty from ancient times.”

Qu Yixian: Fu Xun isn’t much older than them???

Had Yuan Ye completely lost track of numbers with age? He was only four years older than her! Not to mention Jiang Yun.

She couldn’t hold back and said, “Fu Xun’s age alone could make him your uncle. Don’t listen to Yuan Ye’s nonsense.”

Jiang Yun’s face went pale. “Qu Jie, I was just about to reply—I’m holding the walkie-talkie button down.”

As soon as she spoke, the walkie-talkie buzzed again, and Yuan Ye shouted, “Lady Qu, are you jealous? Why are your words so sour?”

Qu Yixian: …damn, fence-sitter.

She slammed the accelerator, suddenly speeding up.

By the time they reached Xiangpi Mountain, the sky was still overcast, though the rain had stopped. But the roadside meadows were still wet, as if the rain had just ceased.

Qu Yixian pulled over and ushered Jiang Yun out. “We’re at the scenic spot.”

Jiang Yun leaned out the car window, saw cars from various convoys lining the route, wrapped her scarf, hugged her camera, and got out.

Yuan Ye followed, took her camera, and helped take photos.

Qu Yixian, almost subconsciously, kept an eye on Fu Xun.

The Jeep Wrangler, parked about a meter away from the cruiser, had its window down, revealing only a glimpse of Fu Xun’s patterned jacket.

She withdrew her gaze and instinctively reached for the cigarette case. When she opened it, it was full of colorful fruit candies. Her hand froze in midair. After a moment, she picked up one, unwrapped it, and tossed it into her mouth.

The sweet aroma of peach instantly melted on her tongue.

Qu Yixian squinted, suddenly feeling… Fu Xun wasn’t so unbearable after all.

While Jiang Yun was busy taking photos, she called Shen Qinghai.

Shen Qinghai had also stayed at the Xinghui Holiday Hotel last night, but they hadn’t crossed paths. Qu Yixian knew he was in Heima River from Yuan Ye.

He said Shen Qinghai was short on glucose and had asked him for some for his guests. His team of three girls, all white-collar workers on vacation, had gone out to travel. One of them suffered severe altitude sickness; if she didn’t recover, she’d have to be sent back to Xining by the middle of the night.

Thinking of that now, she felt she should show some concern.

Qu Yixian chewed on a fruit candy while waiting for the call to connect.

A slit in the car window let in the wind from the mountaintop, chilly and invigorating.

Once the call connected, Shen Qinghai’s slightly awkward voice came through immediately: “Lady Qu.”

“It’s me.” Qu Yixian glanced out the window, saw Jiang Yun still adjusting her scarf, and got straight to the point: “I heard from Yuan Ye last night that you led a team to Heima River. How are the guests doing?”

“F-Fine.” Shen Qinghai stammered. “I just arrived at Chaka Salt Lake, parking lot right now.”

Qu Yixian, hearing Chaka Salt Lake, asked casually, “How’s the weather there?”

“Not great,” Shen Qinghai said. “Judging by the thickness of the clouds, it might rain soon. Not sure if it’ll clear up this afternoon.”

“Okay, got it.” She tilted her head, seemed to recall something, waited a moment, and asked again: “What’s your itinerary?”

Shen Qinghai answered as she asked: “Afternoon to the alien ruins, tonight to Dachaidan. Tomorrow we’ll go to Yumen Pass, then Dunhuang.”

Qu Yixian was a little curious: “Alien ruins?”

As Yuan Ye said, most convoys only detour for this spot if guests request it.

Baigong Mountain is too remote, the scenic spot is off the main route, so getting there and back is time-consuming. The hype of the spot doesn’t match reality, making it unprofitable. Over time, no one wants to take guests there.

“Yes, it was requested by the guests,” Shen Qinghai sounded a bit helpless. “So today’s schedule is tight. I left early this morning as the leader.”

Qu Yixian thought for a moment, then nodded: “Alright, stay safe. When you reach the alien ruins, send me a message. I’ll come over this afternoon to check the route.”

Shen Qinghai agreed immediately.

Qu Yixian hung up, pressed the car window, and called Yuan Ye: “Almost ready? If so, get in the car—we’re heading to Chaka Salt Lake.”

Jiang Yun wasn’t quite finished taking photos, but the scenery at Xiangpi Mountain was simple and overcast, so post-processing alone would keep her busy. She didn’t linger and headed back with Yuan Ye.

Qu Yixian finished calling everyone and started the engine.

The car shuddered as it started. The passenger door opened, and Fu Xun sat in, closing the door while commanding her: “Lock the car doors.”

Qu Yixian: “???”

Fu Xun explained: “Jiang Yun will ride in the car behind.”

Qu Yixian guessed he had something to say and quickly locked the doors.

After locking, she realized it wasn’t an issue… you don’t lock guests outside the car.

Just as she was about to unlock, Fu Xun suddenly grabbed her wrist, pressing it against the steering wheel. He rolled down the window, holding her hand, and called to Jiang Yun, who was walking to the back seat, to go to Yuan Ye’s car instead.

Jiang Yun was a bit surprised.

She withdrew her hand from the door, bit her lip, a little upset but couldn’t show it, and meekly made a small request: “Can I go back and grab my phone?”

Qu Yixian quickly unlocked the door before Fu Xun could speak: “Alright, alright, don’t go too far.”

Fu Xun glanced back at her, released her wrist, and let Jiang Yun get in.

Jiang Yun grabbed her phone, picked up her backpack, and timidly looked at Fu Xun, then at Qu Yixian: “Qu Jie, do I not need to take my suitcase?”

Qu Yixian couldn’t stand the little girl giving her those innocent, pleading eyes. She glanced at Fu Xun and said: “Your uncle’s just catching a ride; you’ll be back in a bit.”

Jiang Yun made an “oh” sound, didn’t ask further. Before getting out, she looked at Fu Xun with a pouty, aggrieved expression, then dawdled as she closed the car door and went to Yuan Ye’s Jeep.

Qu Yixian watched Jiang Yun get into the car through the rearview mirror before starting to drive.

The Cruiser passed the mountain pass, heading downhill, gradually reaching a smooth road.

She waited for a long time, and when Fu Xun still didn’t speak, she couldn’t help but ask: “Weren’t you going to say something to me?”

Fu Xun opened his eyes, still groggy: “What?”

Qu Yixian almost wanted to angrily slap him onto the windshield: “You got in my car, didn’t you have something to say to me?”

Fu Xun tilted his head, glanced at her, adjusted the seat—it wasn’t very comfortable—stretched his long legs, and said: “When did I ever say I had something to say to you?”

Qu Yixian: “……”???

“Then why did you get in my car?” Didn’t he see she was about to refuse him a ride?

Fu Xun made an “oh” sound, his tone light and airy: “She’s too noisy; it’s quiet here with you.”

Qu Yixian wanted to retort but he added: “Jiang Yun came knocking on my door last night, did you know about that?”

Qu Yixian: “Huh?!!!”