Chapter 146 - 145: Changying’s Mother, Cui Jinghan’s Strongest Wingman
Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Changying’s Mother, Cui Jinghan’s Strongest Wingman
Ning Liuyu’s hand trembled, nearly dropping her phone onto the floor.
There was no other reason for her reaction than the sheer weight of the name Pei Xuan. It was a household name, universally renowned both four hundred years ago and four hundred years in the future. His mastery of poetry was unparalleled—even elementary school students had to memorize his work. From eighty-year-old elders to three-year-old toddlers, everyone could recite a line or two of his poetry, treating each word as though it were worth one tael of gold. This resulted in Pei Xuan having the highest level of fame in modern times, even though back then, he had only been a Third Rank Official.
[Ning Liuyu]: Pei Xuan is back too?!
[Xie Qingshi]: Yes. He has been looking for Your Majesty as well.
[Qingyuan]: The whole reason I created this group was to see how many people we’d eventually gather, and how long we could all mock him together.
[Ning Liuyu]: ...
Surprisingly, she was also looking forward to that day.
The night passed peacefully, without any further landslides. As the night faded into dawn, a soft pale glow appeared in the east. The cool morning light fell upon the surface of the Jiang, casting a shimmering reflection across the rippling water.
Shaoyuan walked up to the temporary shelter and knocked on the door. After receiving permission, he pushed it open and stepped inside. Shi Changying was still sitting on the bed, but she had already changed her clothes.
Shaoyuan set down the food container he was holding. "Rest for another day. I’ve already asked for a leave of absence from your school."
"No," Shi Changying refused. She was determined to be first in her grade.
"Then come eat first," Shaoyuan said casually. "If you faint from hunger on the road and passersby suspect me of kidnapping you, what then?"
Shi Changying emphasized again, "I didn’t faint from hunger."
Seeing her acting like a cat right before a hunt, a trace of amusement finally appeared in Shaoyuan’s eyes. "Alright, Miss, whatever you say."
A short while later, the door was pushed open again. Ning Liuyu was about to speak when she suddenly noticed Shaoyuan sitting by the bed. She paused before asking in surprise, "Mr. Shaoyuan, you’re here so early?"
Shaoyuan gave a slight nod.
"Has A Yu had breakfast yet?" Shi Changying asked.
Ning Liuyu nodded. "I just finished. Qi Sha delivered it."
Shi Changying’s hand paused. "Qi Sha?"
"It was people from Qi Sha who picked me up last time. I’ve been staying at the Qi Sha Branch lately, so it’s very safe." Ning Liuyu suddenly realized something. "Oh, right, you might not know this. Qi Sha is Jiuzhou’s Strategic Defense Intelligence Agency."
Shi Changying slowly looked up at Shaoyuan. "Didn’t you say Qi Sha was some amateur stargazing club?"
From the sound of it, Qi Sha was clearly an organization similar to the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.
Shaoyuan smoothly popped a piece of osmanthus cake into her mouth, his expression unchanging. "Yeah, who would have thought they were so impressive."
"It does sound like a stargazing club," Ning Liuyu laughed. "But just like the Tiangong Weapons Research Association, quite a few organizations use ancient terms for their names."
"The Tiangong Weapons Research Association?" Shi Changying recalled the models she had seen at the training ground the other day. It seemed a few of them bore the word "Tiangong."
New eras brought new things. She really needed to keep studying hard and steadfastly follow the path of socialism.
After school that evening, Ming Chengli came to pick her up, accompanied by Xu Yunfan.
Just as Shi Changying was about to tell Ming Chengli that she had been praised by her teacher again today, Ming Chengli threw himself forward, wrapped his arms around her, and started bawling.
"..." Shi Changying was speechless.
"Changying, tell me, how could you dare jump in there?" Ming Chengli cried a river. "If you’d lost even a single hair, your dad really wouldn’t know how to explain it to your mom!"
Shi Changying cast an expressionless glance at Xu Yunfan.
Feeling inexplicably nervous, Xu Yunfan immediately raised a hand. "I swear on my honor, I really didn’t tell your dad!"
"Stop crying, or I’m going to murder someone and rob a bank," Shi Changying warned.
Ming Chengli’s sobbing came to an abrupt halt.
"..." Xu Yunfan was also rendered speechless. Something about that threat felt a little off.
"Dad, relax, I’m fine." Shi Changying reached out and patted Ming Chengli on the head. "Stop crying. Look, you get ugly when you cry."
Xu Yunfan felt as though their roles had been completely reversed. He cleared his throat. "Master Yan has already arrived. Chengli, let’s head back first."
Ming Chengli wiped away his tears, though his eyes were still red. "Changying, from now on, you must prioritize your own safety, understand? You... absolutely nothing can happen to you."
"I know, Dad," Shi Changying replied lazily. "I still have to eat my way around the world."
The three of them returned to the Old Xu Mansion. Shi Changying went to the study to continue "learning calligraphy."
"Chengli... you’ve raised a wonderful daughter. She’s truly remarkable." Xu Yunfan’s smile was strained, his voice hoarse.
Ming Chengli waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t put that kind of credit on my head. It’s just that Changying is wonderful. I’m the lucky one. The truth is, I haven’t spent that much time with her."
Xu Yunfan probed gently, "Do you want me to help look for your wife? If you’re dealing with something you can’t easily talk about, you can share it with me."
Ming Chengli fell silent. After a long while, he slowly shook his head. "There’s no need to drag you all into this."
Taken aback, Xu Yunfan asked, "Chengli, what do you mean by that?"
According to the information they had gathered, Shi Changying’s mother had never once appeared. But she had to exist somewhere; otherwise, where did Shi Changying come from?
However, Ming Chengli refused to say anything more.
Not wanting to press the issue, Xu Yunfan stayed quiet for a moment before patting Ming Chengli on the shoulder. "Bring Changying to my place tomorrow. My wife’s cooking is absolutely phenomenal."
Ming Chengli neither nodded nor shook his head. Instead, he said, "I’ll ask for Changying’s opinion."
Inside the study, Shi Changying was studying chemistry, while Yan Sinian had already found a new TV series to watch. Just as he was basking in the absolute comfort of getting paid to binge-watch shows, a message from the group chat jolted him out of his reverie.
[Fifth Brother]: @Yan Sinian, Senior Brother is arriving in Jianghuai this week. Make sure you go pick him up from the airport.
[Yan Sinian]: Received.
Yan Sinian let out a deep, dramatic sigh and looked up at the ceiling in sorrow.
Shi Changying glanced at him. "What’s wrong with you? Aren’t you happy getting paid to do nothing?"
"My Senior Brother is coming. For the youth calligraphy competition this time, he actually chose the Yunzhou division." Yan Sinian cradled his head, looking utterly miserable. "I thought I was going to enjoy a paid vacation."
Shi Changying raised an eyebrow. "What, does he exploit you?"
"Not really. Senior Brother is a great guy, and very generous. If a problem can be solved by throwing money at it, he won’t waste words." Yan Sinian sighed. "Alas, you know how it is. We belong to the same sect, but I joined late. Senior Brother naturally exerts a kind of bloodline suppression over me. I’m just plain scared of him."
Shi Changying nodded. She didn’t care about anything other than placing first and eating good food.
Yan Sinian’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Miss Shi, why don’t you come with me to pick up my Senior Brother? I’ll give you ninety percent of what I earn this week!"
He figured having Shi Changying around would boost his courage.