Chapter 48

Chapter 48

So fresh.

This was the first time Qu Yixian had met someone who actively asked to search her.

She didn’t dodge or resist. She just looked at Fu Xun for a moment, reached out, and pressed her hand against his waistband. Her fingers, agile like snakes, parted his quick-dry pants and slipped in.

Qu Yixian’s hand was cool, his skin warm. Just tracing along Fu Xun’s waistline, her fingertips had already absorbed quite a bit of his heat.

She had intended to scare Fu Xun, but by the time she made that move, she had already crossed the line.

Qu Yixian looked up. Her fingertips twitched at his lower waist, teasingly: “A body search doesn’t prove innocence if nothing’s found. If I wanted to frame you…”

She wanted to pull back, but her fingertips brushed the man’s waistline, causing a subtle stir, making her feel oddly guilty: “If I say you’re not innocent, then you’re not innocent.”

“Then I won’t be innocent.” Fu Xun raised his hand, grabbed her wrist, and pulled it from his waist to behind him. Lowering his head, his voice was low and seductive, deliberately enticing: “Anyway, my reputation is clean. I’m not afraid of your accusations.”

He appeared loose and lazy, but the grip on her wrist was unbreakable.

Qu Yixian had been dodging before. After struggling a few times without success, she grew annoyed. She straightened her body, chin slightly raised, looking at him with a proud, almost defiant gaze: “Being a rogue?”

Fu Xun countered: “Compared to what we just did, this is nothing.”

Qu Yixian: “…” Truly, one must be kind in life. Karma is real; payback comes as it should.

“Alright, alright.” She admitted defeat: “I went too far joking. You’re magnanimous—don’t hold it against me. It’s getting late, let’s rest. We have an early start to Dunhuang tomorrow.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a soft “beep” sounded in the room.

Qu Yixian turned to see Fu Xun removing the room card. During the brief power cutoff, his eyes were deep and bright, like a lighthouse over the ocean, their light faint but piercing.

Soon, with a click, the room went completely dark.

Fu Xun’s other hand also grabbed her, pinning her in front of the hallway closet: “Before resting, some things need to be clarified.”

Adjusting to the darkness, his gaze fell on her face, lingering without concealment: “You stayed on the circuit to find Jiang Yuan. After finding Jiang Yuan, what do you plan to do?”

Qu Yixian had anticipated this question. With the lights off, some things were easier to say.

“Have we found him yet? If we do, we’ll deal with it then.”

“Not planning to return to Nanjiang?” Fu Xun asked.

“No.”

“And Yuan Ye?”

Qu Yixian was puzzled: “What about Yuan Ye?”

Fu Xun paused, then said: “On the first night in Dachaidan, I wanted to swap rooms with you. Yuan Ye said you were used to it, that during peak season you almost always shared a room with the male leader. In these years, not to mention returning to Nanjiang, even holidays and New Year were spent at his place. Isn’t that so?”

“Yes.” Qu Yixian looked at him curiously: “He’s my landlord.”

In the darkness, she could only make out Fu Xun’s silhouette and those excessively bright eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, she asked: “You turned off the lights just to talk about this?”

“No.” Fu Xun released her hand, stepped back, and fished a cigarette from the pack, putting it in his mouth: “Mind if I smoke?”

Qu Yixian, a smoker herself, shook her head. Worried he hadn’t seen, she added: “Go ahead.”

Fu Xun flicked his lighter. The warm flame brightened for a few seconds. He turned slightly, lighting the cigarette, squinting: “For the next trip, either you have your own room or share a room with me. No other options.”

Qu Yixian said nothing.

She stared at the flickering spark by his lips for a long moment, then asked teasingly: “Are you being chivalrous or helping the weak?”

“I don’t need that.”

“If you can’t stand it, please endure a bit longer. After helping you find Xiang Xiaolong, our cooperation can be considered settled. For finding Jiang Yuan, you can just provide technical guidance. I’ll handle it personally.”

Her words were full of veiled threats and explosive energy.

Fu Xun bit the cigarette, deliberating for a few seconds, then said: “You don’t need to misunderstand me like this. If you provoke me, it won’t end well for you.”

Qu Yixian didn’t speak.

From the moment Fu Xun turned off the lights, she instinctively built up a high wall of defense. But before it could solidify, he casually pulled out a brick from the foundation and tossed it aside. The half-built wall shook violently and collapsed into rubble in an instant.

“I can’t stand it,” he said, biting the cigarette, his voice muffled. “I can’t stand seeing you settling for less.”

He leaned forward, one hand bracing against the wall, his gaze level with hers: “I don’t like Yuan Ye.”

Qu Yixian glanced at him lazily: “What did he do to you?”

“He did everything to provoke me.” His voice was low and deep, and before Qu Yixian could fully hear, he bit the cigarette and straightened up: “Call the housekeeping to bring extra blankets and a heated throw. Just say the heater isn’t warm enough.”

He flicked the cigarette, crushing it underfoot.

Then Fu Xun walked a few steps into the room and pulled out the chair in front of the TV cabinet.

The chair legs had no noise-reducing covers, scraping the floor with a grating sound. He seemed not to notice, sitting on the armrest and taking another cigarette from the pack.

Qu Yixian crossed her arms, standing a few steps behind him, studying him for a moment.

“Did you just decide to say these things tonight, or have you been wanting to say them for a while?” she asked.

Fu Xun lit the cigarette and looked back: “Does it make a difference?”

Yes.

But she said nothing more.

She had a premonition that if this topic went any deeper, whether it veered off or delved in, it would be extremely disadvantageous for her.

She didn’t want any connection with Fu Xun beyond their cooperation, and she thought he probably felt the same.

Based on their first meeting in Xi’an that year, he had been especially considerate toward her, tolerant and patient.

Qu Yixian knew he treated her differently; this distinction was so obvious she couldn’t ignore it.

“I lost control tonight,” he said suddenly.

With the cigarette in his mouth, his voice was hoarse, rough and textured: “Ever since I saw you standing at the open trunk, I’ve been losing control.”

Under the cover of night, he looked at her without restraint.

She stood in the darkest part of the hallway. Even just as a silhouette, she was utterly enchanting, captivating.

Qu Yixian reflected on her own behavior. Was she just too competent, provoking Fu Xun?

That seemed unlikely…

Then it must be her fearless, roguish charm, accidentally hitting Fu Xun’s youthful heart?

That seemed a bit more likely…

She cleared her throat, about to say something, but her phone rang first.

Qu Yixian picked up the phone and raised her brow slightly: “It’s Yuan Ye. He probably found out who owns the Explorer car.”

She answered casually.

“Master Qu, it’s me.” Yuan Ye leaned against the headboard, took a cigarette from a soft pack, lit it, and took a deep drag: “I checked the car you asked about. It’s a cloned license plate. The real car is in Xining, and the owner has nothing to do with either of us.”

Yuan Ye seemed frustrated. He inhaled again and said: “I’m still checking who the person is. It might take a while. But I guess you’re probably in Dunhuang now. I’ve secretly informed Quan Xiao to keep an eye for you. I’ll continue checking privately.”

“I didn’t want to interfere with your work, otherwise I would have coordinated with the Dunhuang police. This illegal activity involves your personal safety, so they would definitely take it seriously.”

Qu Yixian still hadn’t figured out who the Explorer convoy really was. Apart from knowing they were tomb raiders, everything else was completely unknown—blinder than a blind person.

“Ask him for Quan Xiao’s contact info,” Fu Xun said, appearing silently. He tilted his cigarette, leaned over, and blatantly eavesdropped on the call.

Qu Yixian glanced at him and nudged him with her elbow: “The room card, put it on the power.”

Fu Xun seemed to smirk, lowering his voice close to her ear: “In my pocket.”

He pronounced the three words lightly and delicately, lips nearly brushing her ear. The warm breath and exhalation grazed her ear—almost unbearable.

Qu Yixian calmly turned slightly and took the phone with her other hand: “Brother Xun wants to know Quan Xiao’s contact info.”

Yuan Ye was still reeling from the shock of Fu Xun and his Master Qu Yixian being alone in a room together. After a long moment, he stammered: “M-m-m Master Qu, y-you and Brother Xun… just booked one room?”

“He didn’t bring his ID,” Qu Yixian said, not wanting to waste time on such a trivial topic. She was about to ask again for Quan Xiao’s contact information when she heard Yuan Ye laughing several times.

“Master Qu, you actually believe Brother Xun’s nonsense?” His laughter didn’t stop; one sentence took three breaths and pauses to make sense: “I’m telling you, you should check his jacket right now. His shell jacket has lots of functional pockets. Not just an ID, even bank cards are on him.”

Qu Yixian turned to look at Fu Xun.

He looked calm and unbothered, not a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Yuan Ye continued chattering: “I really have to speak up for Brother Xun tonight. Most of the time he was alone with me, he was talking about you. Either learning your habits or your life… ah, I mean life experiences. Back then, you were adamant there was nothing between you two. But honestly, even a lifelong bachelor like me can feel Brother Xun’s care for you.”

“You say, why doesn’t he talk about Jiang Yun? Jiang Yun has way more feminine charm than you. She can act cute, show weakness, those fluttering eyes—she’s the ideal type of goddess for every man…”

Qu Yixian couldn’t listen anymore. She raised her eyes and shot Fu Xun a sharp glare.

He was half-smiling, half-amused, not even lowering his voice. His deep tone went straight through the phone into Yuan Ye’s ears.

Fu Xun said: “I’ll vouch for Yuan Ye—everything he said is true.”

He spoke with a teasing smile: “But I don’t agree that Jiang Yun is every man’s ideal. My ideal type? Standing in a big dorm in Yan’an, dragging a suitcase, in front of me, asking, ‘Do you mind if I go on top?’—that’s my ideal type.”

Yuan Ye: “…” He hadn’t expected that Brother Xun liked someone wild and untamed.

No wonder he cared so much for Master Qu. Between “wild” and “rebellious,” who could match Master Qu on the Northwest circuit?

Qu Yixian snorted twice, not sure if it was at Yuan Ye or Fu Xun: “You have all the time in the world to discuss ideal types. Tonight we have a bunch of actual work—can you focus on that?”

“Y-yes, yes, yes.” Yuan Ye sat up and crushed out his cigarette: “Brother Xun is right there next to you, so you can both listen. Master Qu, remember two days ago you asked me why Quan Xiao knew that Xiang Xiaolong no longer had the Gouyun Jade Pendant?”

Qu Yixian: “I remember.”

She turned on the speaker and asked: “Did he tell you?”

“Yes.” Yuan Ye suddenly lowered his voice mysteriously: “Quan Xiao was the first to know that Xiang Xiaolong no longer had the pendant. All the news spread from him. Before, he didn’t tell me to avoid trouble. But today… something happened.”

“Didn’t I ask my friend to set up a meeting with Quan Xiao and that young lady whom Xiang Xiaolong often deals with?” Yuan Ye’s gossiping spirit was fully ablaze: “I just learned today that the young lady and Quan Xiao had a past. Quan Xiao learned Xiang Xiaolong’s contact info from her, including phone number and temporary address.”

Qu Yixian and Fu Xun exchanged a glance: “If he didn’t tell before, why suddenly tell you today?”

Wasn’t that too coincidental?

“This is what happened.” Yuan Ye twisted open a water bottle and took a long gulp: “The young lady is named Shen Zhizhi. After Quan Xiao got Xiang Xiaolong’s contact info from her, he privately tried to reach out to make some money. But the number was canceled, so he tracked down Xiang Xiaolong’s temporary landlord, found out he hadn’t moved out, and went by every few days. One day, he actually ran into him.”

“Xiang Xiaolong personally told Quan Xiao the pendant was no longer with him,” Yuan Ye’s voice softened: “My friend only recently learned about Quan Xiao and Shen Zhizhi’s past, so he didn’t want to contact her privately. He notified Quan Xiao instead. And guess what happened?”

Qu Yixian almost rolled her eyes.

Now was the time for this interaction?

Luckily, Yuan Ye wasn’t actually expecting interaction. After a few seconds with no response, he licked his lips and continued: “Quan Xiao said he hadn’t been able to reach Shen Zhizhi for several days. My friend was busy with his wife’s pregnancy, didn’t check the place, so he didn’t know she was missing. Tonight, he went to her rental with Quan Xiao, but she wasn’t there.”

“He went through Shen Zhizhi’s social circle twice, confirmed she was missing, and just reported it to the police,” Yuan Ye swallowed nervously and asked cautiously: “Master Qu, don’t you think Shen Zhizhi going missing at this stage… is pretty strange?”

Could it not be strange?

She was a local powerhouse, surrounded by threats on all sides, with people tracing the scent of the Gouyun Jade Pendant to her. She knew about Xiang Xiaolong and Shen Zhizhi’s past—couldn’t others find out too?

Dunhuang now was probably divided among multiple forces.

Her head hurt just listening, her mind a chaotic mess.

Seeing the faint glow of Fu Xun’s cigarette, she acted on impulse, faster than thought, snatched the cigarette from his mouth, and inhaled deeply: “Borrowing your smoke.”

Her voice was muffled, her face hidden in the night.

Only the wisp of smoke from her lips swirled upward.

Qu Yixian waved her hand. The sudden light from her phone instantly illuminated her face. Fingers holding the cigarette, eyes narrowed, her casual pose looked like an elegant, rebellious socialite from a Republic-era magazine.

Fu Xun’s heart stirred. Suddenly, he lowered his head and kissed her.