Chapter 42

Chapter 42

She led Jiang Yun around, but after walking the entire salt lake, they didn’t see a single salt flower. She guessed they had been taken to the factory. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the time for the Chaka Salt Lake exhibition, so the salt flowers were probably out of reach.

Qu Yixian accompanied her for a while and let Yuan Ye take photos. When Yuan Ye returned, she found a moment and asked him: “Did Jiang Yun ask you anything?”

Earlier, at the non-freezing spring, she had noticed Jiang Yun hesitated, as if she wanted to ask something but felt it wasn’t appropriate. Qu Yixian had waited by the car in the sun, deliberately wearing sunglasses, just to observe Jiang Yun without being noticed.

Yuan Ye nodded: “She asked quite a few questions.”

Seeing Qu Yixian frown, he knew she probably wanted more than that. He thought for a moment and said: “All pretty normal—what salt flowers look like, if this is brine, will it corrode, things like that.”

Fu Xun, listening nearby, raised an eyebrow slightly and said: “She won’t ask questions with an obvious motive; she just listens. Think about the topics you’ve talked about most with her.”

Yuan Ye, prompted by Fu Xun, cleared his thoughts: “She said she still had a bit of a headache, worried she’d get high-altitude cerebral edema on this trip. I told her she was worrying too much; Kekexili is high, so feeling unwell at first is normal. She jokingly said I shouldn’t sleep too deeply at night, in case she had symptoms later and no one was there to help.”

Qu Yixian listened patiently, signaling him to continue.

Yuan Ye licked his dry lips and continued: “I reassured her not to worry. Even with four people in the vehicle, two are trained in rescue. Even if something unexpected happens, we have backup measures. She was very interested in this and asked me to tell some recent major rescue stories, so I told her about Xun Haichao’s…”

He paused, glancing at Qu Yixian’s expression.

Yuan Ye knew Qu Yixian had always felt guilty about failing to rescue Xun Haichao, but that sandstorm at the time was beyond human control. Previously, whenever he mentioned Xun Haichao, Qu Yixian would scold him to respect the deceased.

Today, mentioning it, he worried she might blame him for speaking out. He watched her face carefully and, seeing her expression unchanged, relaxed: “That’s all. Oh… wait, there’s one more thing. She laughed after hearing it, saying our tour team and rescue team have the same name, which sounds unprofessional. She asked if it was for commercial competition, adding a rescue gimmick to make clients feel safer choosing our team.”

Jiang Yun’s voice was soft and sweet. When she called him “Brother Yuan Ye,” it was like honey, making his knees weak. At the time, she was laughing like an innocent little girl; Yuan Ye took it as a joke and didn’t take it to heart.

Seeing Qu Yixian in deep thought now, her heart skipped a beat, somewhat confused: “Wh-what’s wrong…”

“Nothing.” Qu Yixian’s doubts about Jiang Yun were based on weak evidence. Her suspicion stemmed partly from Jiang Yun’s strange behavior and partly from discovering the salt lake ticket. But making such accusations against a girl would be too harsh and unfair. She also hadn’t figured out Jiang Yun’s motives, so she didn’t say anything to Yuan Ye.

Some matters required consulting a smart person—like Fu Xun.

——

Qu Yixian stayed silent, driving them to Emerald Lake by the afternoon.

The road to Emerald Lake was a washboard road, with overlapping tire tracks on the gravel and mud extending to the lake.

The road was rough on both people and vehicles. Qu Yixian parked a few meters from the shore, letting Jiang Yun explore the lake herself.

Jiang Yun liked the place. After getting out, she pulled Yuan Ye along to take reflection photos at the lake’s center.

Qu Yixian watched them leave and nudged Fu Xun, who stood two steps to her left: “Where do you think Jiang Yun is from?”

Fu Xun said nothing. The ferret, just awake, perched on his shoulder and chattered angrily twice.

Qu Yixian, not being Fu Xun, naturally couldn’t understand. But seeing the reaction, she nudged him again with her toe, teasing it: “I kicked him, what are you gonna do?”

The ferret was furious. It opened its mouth, showing tiny sharp teeth, its round little face full of a “how can you be so unreasonable” expression.

Qu Yixian, finding it amusing, deliberately teased it again, poking Fu Xun’s arm: “I poked him too, are you mad?”

The ferret: “……”

Clearly realizing it couldn’t intimidate her, it began complaining to Fu Xun.

It lightly tapped Fu Xun with its front paw, its furry little face brushing his ear, letting out chattering sounds filled with warning and displeasure, mumbling for a while.

Fu Xun had seen Qu Yixian tease his ferret before, but this was the first time right in front of him. No wonder the little one was flustered.

He reached out, picked up the ferret on his shoulder, and soothed it, stroking its puffed-up fur.

The ferret, whose fur had stood on end from anger, immediately relaxed in his hand, soft and limp, like it had no bones, letting him hold it freely.

Qu Yixian snorted, a little displeased.

So what, he’s got a backing, big deal?

Seems pretty impressive… at least her wish to cook the ferret hadn’t been fulfilled yet.

Just as the ferret quieted down, Fu Xun looked up, his eyes shining and deep in the twilight: “After all, I raised it. For my sake, don’t bully it.”

Qu Yixian didn’t like hearing that.

She glanced at Diao Chan, yawning comfortably in his arms, and snorted coldly: “So who’s bullying who here?”

Fu Xun was silent for a few seconds, then asked: “You want to argue with it?”

Ahem.

Fair enough.

A little beast.

She didn’t speak again. Climbing onto the hood of the cruiser and resting her feet on the bumper bar, she sat and looked from afar at Jiang Yun, standing in the middle of the lake, smiling gently.

“I noticed you’ve been particularly targeting Jiang Yun since the parking lot. Did you discover something?” Fu Xun asked.

Qu Yixian didn’t hide it. She pinched the lake ticket still in her jacket pocket: “I saw her salt lake ticket, torn in half, thrown in the trash in her room. You were asleep that night, so maybe you didn’t know.”

Her tone was subtle: “She got out of Yuan Ye’s car and asked me to open the trunk for her to get her ID. Yuan Ye said the salt lake waived tickets for Zhejiang tourists. That’s not just misleading—that’s deliberately hiding something. But the strange thing is, I had no intention of checking her household registration.”

Fu Xun thought for a moment and asked: “You don’t have her ID number?”

Qu Yixian slowly shook her head: “No. Normally, after taking an order, we buy insurance for tourists. Jiang Yun refused, saying she wanted to buy it herself. It happened before, so I covered part of the insurance for her. That afternoon, she sent me an insurance policy with the personal information masked.”

Fu Xun: “She noticed you took the salt lake ticket she threw away from her room?”

Qu Yixian recalled and nodded: “I had the housekeeping empty the trash in her room on the way, and I specifically reminded them. Don’t worry, I do things cleanly.”

Fu Xun nodded: “Then wait and see her reaction. When someone with a secret slips up, one thing leads to another uncontrollably.”

Qu Yixian glanced at Jiang Yun, standing in the middle of the lake in a bright red dress, strikingly beautiful, and asked: “If we add up what we’ve done, aren’t we bullying this little girl too much?”

Fu Xun curled his lips into a casual smile: “Wait until she makes trouble for you, you won’t think that way.”

——

Before dark, Qu Yixian brought her back to Dachaidan.

After getting out of the car, she first went to the canteen to get chicken breast prepared for Diao Chan. The chef, upon learning it was for a guest’s pet, asked about preferences and even added a small bag of fish slices cooked in clear broth.

She wanted to see Jiang Yun’s reaction and directly took the food to Fu Xun’s room. To her surprise, he wasn’t there.

Qu Yixian waited at the door for a moment, guessing he was in the four-person dorm. Just as she started down the stairs, she heard footsteps above.

She looked up and saw a red skirt, instinctively dodging into the corridor behind a door.

It was Jiang Yun. She walked with purpose, radiating anger from afar, matching the fiery red of her skirt, a sense of intensity and unstoppable energy.

Qu Yixian followed two steps behind, watching her reach the front desk and ask the manager from a commanding position: “I called the housekeeping and no one answered. Who cleared my trash if my room wasn’t supposed to be cleaned?”

The front desk was momentarily surprised, then smiled: “We’re a small inn. Housekeeping staff leave after their shift; there’s no one at night. What do you need? You can tell me directly.”

Jiang Yun grew impatient: “Can’t you understand? I’m asking who cleaned my trash!”

“The room would have been cleaned by the housekeeping staff. Today three were on duty. I can check for you. Which room are you?” the front desk asked.

Jiang Yun exhaled sharply and quickly: “3022.”

“Okay.” The front desk gestured for her to wait, checked the records, and even called the corresponding housekeeping staff in front of her.

Qu Yixian stood a little far, unable to hear clearly, only watching Jiang Yun’s expression gradually relax as the front desk spoke.

After hanging up, the front desk apologized: “Sorry, miss. Most of our guests stay only one night. Your room was not cleaned the first day, so the second day housekeeping assumed it was vacated. They saw the luggage wasn’t collected and cleared the trash. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Jiang Yun’s anger simmered inside. Although still slightly uneasy, she couldn’t pursue it further, muttered a few more words, and turned to go upstairs.

Qu Yixian waited until she left, then crossed the corridor to the four-person dorm to find Fu Xun.

Being cautious of others inside, she knocked first. No response. Suspicious, she used her key to open the door herself.

She turned on the light and first looked at the beds.

Yuan Ye wasn’t there.

His bed had been remade by housekeeping, neat with no wrinkles.

Fu Xun didn’t seem to be there either.

Diao Chan, who was usually inseparable from him, was nowhere to be seen.

Qu Yixian was about to leave when she heard a very faint noise from the bathroom, like something hitting a metal rack, or a glass cup on the sink.

She stepped forward to investigate but suddenly felt that something was off.

By the time she went to the canteen to get the chicken breast, it was already dark.

The four-person dorm on the first floor had no windows; the lighting depended entirely on the single lamp in the room. If someone were in the bathroom, the light would definitely be on.

She pretended to wait for someone, leaning against the only table in the room. She opened WeChat on her phone, accessed the team group she had blocked, and sent a red envelope to the group.

Instantly, WeChat notification sounds rang continuously, one after another.

Qu Yixian scanned the bathroom with her peripheral vision, expression unreadable.

On the half-open bathroom door, the glossy surface reflected a faint, unclear shadow slowly moving toward the edge of the door.

That instinctive sense of danger made her whole body tense, hairs standing on end.

She stood up, pretending to be impatient, and sent a voice message to Yuan Ye on WeChat: “Of course I’m in the four-person dorm. Are you at the door? Come quickly, I’m waiting to go eat with you.”

The shadow, already almost emerging, seemed to hesitate and silently retreated back into the corner.

Qu Yixian’s temple twitched sharply. It was almost certain that this person had come for her.

Loan shark?

Weren’t they supposed to be waiting calmly in Dunhuang?

She lowered her eyes and quickly considered her options.

The other party assumed her companion was right outside the door. If she turned and left now, he wouldn’t dare follow.

But if Qu Yixian moved, the person hiding in the bathroom would surely take the chance to leave. Unless she confronted him directly, she would miss the opportunity to catch him.

She looked down, waiting for a message from Yuan Ye.

Qu Yixian had just sent several text messages to Yuan Ye, all of which vanished like a stone sinking into the sea—no response.

At that moment, a very faint sound came again from the bathroom.

Qu Yixian looked up. The figure hidden in the corner slithered closer to the door like a snake’s tongue.

She casually picked up the ashtray, gripping it tightly in her palm.

Slowly, very slowly, she straightened her body.

At the same time, her phone, held tightly in her hand, rang.

The air froze, as if someone had pressed a pause button. The tension that had been about to erupt suddenly solidified, holding everything still.

Qu Yixian glanced at the caller ID and answered: “Yuan Ye.”

“It’s me,” Fu Xun’s voice was calm and steady: “Listen, don’t act rashly. Your safety is the most important.”

He changed his tone, voice low and controlled, the same calm clarity as four years ago: “Come out immediately. I’ll meet you at the stairwell.”

Qu Yixian replied softly, “Okay,” and lowered her voice: “What about Jiang Yun?”

“Yuan Ye has gone over,” Fu Xun’s tone was restrained but steady: “With me here, nothing will happen.”