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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 45: Fateful Path (Part Four)
Qin Jian said, "What does this road count for? I've walked the toughest paths. One year, I went to Qinghai. The icy, snowy roads were so treacherous that I got lost, winding up and down hills. With the snow making everything slippery and icy, traffic was a mess. My friend and I took a detour and ended up in a desolate area. That place was truly remote; it took a long time to find any inhabitants, and they lived in mobile tents, herding cattle and sheep alongside them. The moment we arrived, the stench of cow and sheep dung hit us. But those people were very hospitable. They didn’t understand Chinese, but luckily there was a child who was learning it. He understood we were lost and pointed us in the right direction using Chinese."
"Is that how you honed your driving skills?"
"I'll give you that one."
"Haha, I’ve always been smart; what does ‘one time’ even mean?" I chuckled at myself, glancing outside at the dark expanse dotted with faint lights—those were the homes of people living in the dense forest.
As we neared a more populated area, traffic began to increase, occasionally leading to congestion.
"Driving in Qinghai was impossible a few years ago. Now, transportation is much more convenient, but self-driving tours are still somewhat unrealistic..." I felt a deep admiration for Qin Jian. Despite lacking money, he had traveled extensively and left his mark everywhere.
We chatted continuously along the way, sipping on bottled water without needing to stop for food; the only inconvenience was finding restrooms on the road. What appeared to be a short distance on the map turned out to be quite far when actually driving.
On the map, this place seemed just a finger's length away from that place, yet it took us three hours to finally reach the city center.
I truly sighed in relief upon seeing familiar sights.
The vibrant lights of restaurants made my mouth water, especially those bustling street stalls filled with delicious aromas. I swallowed hard as Qin Jian said, "Shall we grab some street food?"
"Don’t you want to see Chi Xinrong first?" I reminded him kindly. Ever since Chi Xinrong came into his life, Qin Jian was no longer a single man; he had to consider everything carefully to avoid conflicts.
"Look over there; who do you think that is?" Qin Jian pointed without using his hand, and I spotted someone familiar standing at the entrance of a bustling restaurant.
Dressed in a purple wool coat with a short skirt, silk stockings, and knee-high boots, her beautiful face glimmered with a soft pink sheen. Her hair gracefully framed her cheeks—clean-cut and elegant. No matter how you looked at her, she was captivating. I noticed that since being with Qin Jian, Chi Xinrong’s style had become even more feminine.
Qin Jian parked the car and eagerly jumped out, urging me to close the door as he strode confidently toward his girlfriend.
I didn't look back, but I knew Chi Xinrong's eyes were on me. By the time I closed the door and turned around, Qin Jian and she had already entered the restaurant.
I should have been more considerate and not played the modern-day third wheel. So, I planned to leave. Just as I was about to do so, a voice called out from behind me, and I stopped, momentarily stunned. I truly hadn't expected to see Han Lan standing in front of me.
Seeing Han Lan reminded me of the nightmare I had in the car.
I had always had a question about Han Lan. I had seen her before; initially, she only bore a resemblance to Mi, but now it was uncanny—almost a ninety-nine percent match.
"Sorry, I didn't realize it was you."
"What do you want to ask?" I replied calmly, standing still with my hands in my pockets, adopting a nonchalant demeanor.
"I mistook you for a waiter just now. I wanted to ask if there are any seats available."
I joked, "I'm afraid this waiter will disappoint you."
"Why's that?"
See? I had intended to leave quietly, but instead, I ended up chatting with Han Lan for a few moments. Qin Jian and the others spotted me; they were sitting just on the other side of the glass window. They could see me standing with Han Lan and waved at us.
Han Lan clearly noticed them and her eyes lit up with excitement as she asked, "Are they here too?"
"Of course! If they weren't here, how could I be?"
"That makes sense." Han Lan waved enthusiastically and couldn't help but walk inside. Reluctantly, I followed her.
As Han Lan entered, she walked ahead of me and casually greeted Qin Jian and the others. Chi Xinrong quickly glanced at me before looking back at Han Lan in surprise and exclaimed, "Hey, what a coincidence!"
"It’s a coincidence, I... just mistook someone for someone else..."
Qin Jian was fiddling with his chopsticks when Chi Xinrong chimed in with a teasing tone, "Mistook someone? You wouldn’t be thinking he’s one of your ex-boyfriends, would you?"
"Chi Xinrong, stop talking nonsense." I shot her a glare and sat down.
Chi Xinrong waved Han Lan over, "You should sit down and eat something too."
Han Lan looked at me as if she felt uncomfortable sitting down without my approval.
I said, "Chi Xinrong, focus on your own food. Don’t make arrangements for others. Han Lan has someone treating her; she might be waiting somewhere and getting impatient."
Qin Jian remained silent, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips as if he found the situation amusing.
Han Lan quickly waved her hands, "No, no, I came alone. It’s just a coincidence that I ran into you and mistook someone. I’m really sorry."
Chi Xinrong took the opportunity to say, "If no one invited you, then don’t be polite—just sit down and eat!"
Han Lan sighed and sat down without any hesitation. She picked up her chopsticks but then put them down awkwardly and turned to call the waiter for a set of clean utensils. If she were Han Mi, it would naturally be my job to handle that.
But she wasn’t Han Mi.
I awkwardly picked at my food, too annoyed to even look at her.
Qin Jian and Chi Xinrong also seemed uncomfortable, silently eating their meals.
Amidst the steam rising from the food, Chi Xinrong finally found a topic suitable for the situation.
“Qin Jian What did you gain from this trip?”
My work with Qin Jian was quite secretive, making it inappropriate to discuss the case in public. So neither of us spoke up, and Qin Jian kept winking at her, signaling that there were outsiders around, and it wasn't a good time to talk about it.
Unfortunately, Chi Xinrong was too dense to see through Qin Jian's behavior. She looked at Qin Jian with a serious yet playful expression and asked, “What’s wrong with your eyes? Why are you blinking so much? Does it hurt?”
Oh no!
If my friend Mi were here, she wouldn’t be so foolish!
Seeing Qin Jian's pained expression as she shook her head and stuffed large chunks of food into her mouth was her way of telling someone that she didn’t want to talk right now; all she wanted to do was eat.
Chi Xinrong continued, “Why are you eating so much? Didn’t you hear my question?”
There was another person who seemed curious upon hearing Chi Xinrong's question. With arms crossed and a playful smile, they tilted their head to look at us, appearing quite eager for a response.
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