Chapter 366: Open the Door
After a three-second silence, Jiang Qingli sent a question mark.
Ye Linyuan: [?]
Jiang Qingli rolled over and typed on her terminal: [Something up?]
A preemptive strike.
The person on the other end was silent for a few seconds before replying: [Sort of.]
’He really needs something from me?’
Her curiosity piqued, Jiang Qingli asked: [What is it?]
The instant she sent her message, a new one from Ye Linyuan appeared: [Open the door.]
Jiang Qingli’s breath caught, and her heart began to pound.
’Ye Linyuan is at my door right now?’
’The military district’s security is so tight, not even a fly can get in or out. How did Ye Linyuan get here?’
’Forget how he got here. The more pressing problem is that I’m in Xie Youchen’s room right now.’
’If I open the door, we’ll be face-to-face, and I’ll have to see that infuriatingly smug look on his face again.’
’And Xie Youchen is drying his hair. If he hears something and comes out with me, he’ll run right into Ye Linyuan... The thought alone makes my skin crawl.’
’But Ye Linyuan has been incredibly busy lately. He wouldn’t come looking for me for no reason.’
’Could he be injured again?’
At this thought, Jiang Qingli’s brow furrowed with worry.
There was no nightgown in the room, so Jiang Qingli grabbed Xie Youchen’s nearby bathrobe and slipped it on.
She tiptoed past the bathroom to the door and carefully opened it a crack.
Jiang Qingli peered out through the gap.
The hallway was empty. There was no sign of Ye Linyuan.
Jiang Qingli opened the door wider, stuck her head out, and looked left and right. Still no one.
She paused for a moment, then whipped her head around.
But there was no one behind her. The room was empty, save for the soft hum of the hair dryer.
Feeling thoroughly confused, Jiang Qingli pulled out her terminal and typed furiously: [Where are you?]
Ye Linyuan: [Look down.]
Jiang Qingli: [What, are you lying on the floor?]
After typing her reply, she looked down and spotted a food container.
The box was transparent, revealing an exquisitely packaged slice of tiramisu inside.
She remembered asking the owner at dinner today if they had any tiramisu. He’d said it was sold out, so she hadn’t pressed the matter.
His message brought it all back.
Jiang Qingli asked: [You’re in the Twelve Cities too? And you were in Zone A tonight? You’re not hurt, are you?]
Ye Linyuan ignored her questions and simply said: [Don’t go to Zone A next time. If you want something to eat, just tell me directly.]
Jiang Qingli: "..."
’Putting on an act again.’
’Also, he placed it so precisely. He must have known I was in Xie Youchen’s room. He was being deliberately vague just to mess with me!’
To express her dissatisfaction, Jiang Qingli silently flipped off the tiramisu.
A second later, her terminal vibrated.
Ye Linyuan: [I saw that.]
Jiang Qingli looked up and saw a camera in the upper-left corner of the hallway dip down, as if nodding a greeting.
’Where did he learn to be such a creep?’
Jiang Qingli huffed. "I don’t have time to deal with you. I’m a very busy woman."
After saying her piece, she threw two air punches toward the camera, then turned and went back into the room.
Just as the door was about to swing shut, she pulled it open again.
Jiang Qingli bent down, picked up the tiramisu, made a face at the camera, mouthed a few silent words, and shut the door.
The oversized bathrobe swished around her, adding a touch of playful grace to her movements.
In front of his screen, Ye Linyuan raised a hand and deleted the footage of Jiang Qingli’s appearance from the surveillance log.
As it was being deleted, he clearly saw the red marks dotting the girl’s slender, pale neck.
He could almost imagine how that man had held her waist, kissing her from behind, shamelessly luring her into a sea of passion.
’Three hours and twenty-seven minutes. They probably spent the entire time on that.’
His golden, slitted pupils narrowed slightly as a cold sneer escaped his lips.
Once the surveillance footage was completely deleted from his desktop, Ye Linyuan stood up and walked out onto the terrace.
He was now in the heart of the Twelve Cities. Looking down slightly, his gaze could encompass all the prosperity of Zone A and the desolation surrounding it.
Farther still was the brightly lit military district.
Translucent particles hovered at the entrance to the district, completely obscuring the view within and making it impossible to discern any details.
But she wasn’t asleep yet. One of those lights belonged to her.
As the thought surfaced, Ye Linyuan’s brows knitted together, and he pressed a hand against the mark on his skin.
The rose tattoo grew faintly warm. It was a strange warmth mixed with an unsettling, bitter emotion, a complexity that left him feeling agitated.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps from behind him.
A deferential voice spoke up. "City Lord."
Ye Linyuan didn’t turn around, only offering a faint grunt in acknowledgment.
His subordinate was used to this indifferent attitude and began his report. "I just received news. Xie Youchen is heading to the East District tomorrow, and Qin Xiangning is going with him. Their leave is for half a month. That leaves only Qin Yu, Sun Ruida, and Yuan Liang to guard the area."
"Yuan Liang’s old injuries have flared up, cutting his combat effectiveness in half. Qin Yu has a Spiritual Ability, but he’s all flash and no substance. Qin Muye is still stuck in bed and can’t get up... All we need to do is lure Sun Ruida away, and the Twelve Cities Military District will be more fragile than paper!"
This man had been with Ye Linyuan for a long time. Years ago, he had received orders to lie low in the Twelve Cities, believing their goal was to destroy the world. The more he spoke, the more excited he became.
But just as he excitedly took a step forward to discuss the grand plan, Ye Linyuan turned to face him.
The young man was dressed all in black, as if one with the night, but his sinister aura and intensely oppressive, golden-slitted pupils were impossible to ignore.
The subordinate’s knees went weak, terrified he had said something wrong.
Just as he was about to drop to his knees, he suddenly heard Ye Linyuan speak. "And?"
’And? And what else is there?’
The subordinate was stunned for a moment before it dawned on him.
’Oh, right, right! My intel must have been too general, not detailed enough!’
’As expected of the Lord City Lord! He’s so thorough!’
The subordinate scrambled to report every detail he knew, from major facts like Yuan Liang receiving two cortisone shots that day, down to trivialities like Qin Muye playing games with his female master in the hospital room and winning two out of three rounds.
But Ye Linyuan’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest. In fact, it grew even colder.
The subordinate’s words caught in his throat. ’Have I been away from the Upper City District for too long? Have I lost touch with the City Lord?’
’Why does it feel like the City Lord hates Qin Muye? Did something happen between them in the Upper City District?’
Facing the City Lord’s unpredictable expression, the subordinate wiped away a bead of sweat and finally added, "Uh... Qin Muye seems very concerned about someone named Que Feiling. His female master even showed a tail feather, saying it was a gift from Que Feiling. A team has been sent to look for her now."
Ye Linyuan cut in abruptly, "Where?"
"Are you asking about Que Feiling?" The subordinate thought for a moment. "Ying Zhi should have a lead. He’s the one monitoring that situation."
At the mention of Que Feiling, the subordinate’s mind conjured the image of Qin Muye’s female master.
Back in the Upper City District, she was the notoriously evil female, Jiang Qingli.
’Looking at her now, she doesn’t seem as arrogant as before, but her promiscuity hasn’t changed one bit. Getting involved with Qin Muye wasn’t enough for her, now she’s gotten her hooks into Que Feiling too!’
’If we used her to sow discord between Qin Muye and Que Feiling... uh... their relationship already seems to be terrible.’
’So how did Jiang Qingli get them both to agree?’
His brows furrowed in thought. Suddenly, he felt a cold draft.
When he looked up again, Ye Linyuan was gone.
...
「The next morning.」
When Jiang Qingli woke up, the space beside her in bed was empty.
She sat up and touched the empty spot. It was cold. Xie Youchen must have left before dawn.
She sighed. Before she could feel a pang of melancholy, her terminal vibrated.
It was a call from Yuan Liang.
The moment she answered, an excited voice came through:
"Miss Jiang! We’ve found Que Feiling!"