Kicking away the man who had fainted on the ground, Miss Qiao brushed back her hair that was scattered in front of her and said to Chen Yang and Chao Jian calmly, "Come in."
Chen Yang had a new understanding of Miss Qiao—she was very charming but also cold.
He habitually reached out to pull Chao Jian, but the moment he touched her, he suddenly retracted his hand, feeling numb as if he had been electrocuted.
Chao Jian seemed not to notice his abnormality: "Not going in?"
"I'll be leaving in a while." Chen Yang rubbed his fingertips and coughed twice. He had a few questions to ask Miss Qiao, even though he knew that the other party was unlikely to give a direct answer.
Miss Qiao lives in a duplex apartment that is decorated in a Mediterranean style. It is simple and bright, without the gaudy and luxurious feeling that Chen Yang had imagined before he entered.
"What would you like to drink?" Miss Qiao's voice came from the wine room. "How about white wine?"
Chen Yang said yes. He looked around the first floor of the apartment. The kitchen was open-plan and there was no trace of human habitation. It was obvious that it was not used for cooking and was just a decoration.
Opposite Chen Yang was a large glass cabinet with four layers, which was filled with... jade. There were all kinds of them, dazzling to the eyes.
"So rich." Chen Yang was stunned. "The most important thing is that she is also good-looking."
"You can also put your box of diamonds on display." Chao Jian pulled out a chair and sat down. His baseball cap pressed down the top of his chestnut hair. The ends of his hair at the back of his head were a little longer, rubbing against the collar of his white sportswear.
Chen Yang said without hesitation: "That's yours, not mine."
Chao Jian didn't raise his head, his eyebrows and eyes were hidden in the shadow of the hat brim, but Chen Yang felt as if he was being stared at. The heat in his ears gradually increased, and Chen Yang scratched them uncomfortably several times.
Soon, Miss Qiao sat opposite Chen Yang and Chao Jian, flipping through a horoscope book in her hand.
In addition to three glasses of white wine, there was also a plate of tempting preserved fruits on the table. Chen Yang took a piece of peach and ate it. It was so sweet that it was sickening.
Miss Qiao's eyes fell on the book: "Is this my niece's first mission?"
"Yeah." Chen Yang had just finished the task this morning and remembered it quite clearly. He described Qiao Qiao's appearance and style of doing things.
Miss Qiao asked: "Which round did he die in?"
"Finally." Chen Yang said.
Miss Qiao asked nonchalantly: "Illusion?"
Chen Yang was surprised at her sharpness, and then he heard her say, "Although I don't remember that child anymore, eight out of ten members of the Qiao family lack love."
Lack of love? Chen Yang thought of the fairy with a white dress, waist-length hair, bright and clear eyes and a baby voice. He felt that she did not fit the description. But he had no right to refute Miss Qiao.
Chen Yang had only known the little fairy for a short time, only four days at most. All he saw was her young and attractive appearance and superior material conditions. He had no idea what her inner world was like.
—They were just teammates who had fought together and had only worked together once, and they had not had time to become friends.
Seeing Miss Qiao looking over, as if waiting to hear something, Chen Yang mentioned Li Zheng knowingly.
The story is not complicated, it's just a love affair that never started.
Maybe there is still an unknown part for Chen Yang. He doesn’t understand love. He is a newcomer and is currently... exploring.
The table fell silent. Miss Qiao put the horoscope book aside, stood up to get a cigarette, pulled out a cigarette and held it between her fingers. The long, thin cigarette matched with the wine-red nail polish, which made her look delicate, mature and elegant.
Chen Yang picked up the wine glass and took a sip of white wine. The sour and rich fruity aroma spread in his mouth. He took two more sips, tasted it, and his brows relaxed.
"This tastes quite good." Chen Yang glanced at Chao Jian who remained silent and said in a low voice.
After he finished speaking, Chen Yang saw Chao Jian reaching out a hand, trying to take his cup. He subconsciously stopped it. The atmosphere between the two of them changed instantly, awkward yet not awkward, very strange.
After a few breaths, Chao Jian lowered his eyes and withdrew his hand, uttering an almost imperceptible syllable with a smile. He picked up the glass of wine in front of him and took a sip. It had the taste of late spring and early summer.
Chen Yang twisted his neck to face the painting on the wall, but his eyes were wandering and unfocused.
Originally, he thought that the person next to him was his partner, younger brother, roommate, and little teacher. These multiple identities combined made him unique.
So to Chen Yang, it didn't matter that they ate the same food and drank the same drink. They were just a little rough, and there was no need to be pretentious. Who cared about the life and death of the mission world
But this is not a mission world.
The human brain has limited capacity. Chen Yang's brain was filled with too many things, squeezing and deforming it, causing his memory to be sometimes good and sometimes bad. He couldn't remember whether the scene just now was the first time in the real world. He only knew that a clichéd saying exploded deep in his heart, making a popping sound, like bursting soda.
That's called... indirect kissing.
Chen Yang's old face turned red. He had crossed the line. When did this start? He was not aware of this at all. No one reminded him.
The next mission probably won't be here soon, so I'll just find a few more movies to watch during this time, Chen Yang thought seriously with a frown on his face, not daring to look at Chao Jian.
"You are here for more than just delivering books." Miss Qiao smoked a cigarette. "Ask me anything you want to ask. I will try to make your trip worthwhile."
Chen Yang calmed down and said, "When you leave the mission world, you can't bring back the things given by your teammates, but I brought back your constellation book."
Chen Yang did not reveal the matter of the notebook. At present, apart from him, only Chao Jian knew about it, and he could not tell anyone else casually.
"It's just what you think." Miss Qiao pointed the cigarette in her hand at the book on the table, "It's something from the mission world."
"..." Chen Yang wanted to explore the matter when Miss Qiao was dodging, but he never expected that she would directly say it. He scratched his forehead and asked, "Then how did you bring it out?"
Miss Qiao said: "It was a coincidence."
As if she felt that this answer was too general and insincere, Miss Qiao gave a more detailed answer: "When I first entered the mission world, I accidentally saw this book in a house. I didn't know how I put it in my bag. When I came back, I found it was still there."
Chen Yang stared at the book not far away in a daze. He flipped through it again and again before coming here and made sure it was just an ordinary constellation book, which could be found in large quantities on Taobao.
But although those books are the same as this one, only this one can travel between the two worlds. Chen Yang could see that Miss Qiao did not lie just now, and she did not understand the reason.
Chen Yang grabbed a few dried fruits to eat, first a notebook, then a constellation book. They seemed out of place in the context of the mission. Could it be that they were similar to Chao Jian's illegal immigrants and were also outside the rules
A fish that slipped through the net
Chen Yang speculated that the astrology book was most likely related to Miss Qiao, but he was not sure why. He could not help but think of the book "Quantum Theory: The Relationship between Consciousness and the World" on his bedside. That book was also problematic. In his memory, it was given to him by Li Yue, but he was told that the other party did not exist and the book became his own.
Moreover, Sun Wenjun paid close attention to his reading progress, like an old father supervising his child's studies.
Why not put the book in my backpack when I get back and do a test next time I enter the mission world? Chen Yang thought with a quickened heartbeat, and asked curiously, "Miss Qiao, you value this constellation book very much, right? Why did you give it to your niece?"
Miss Qiao reached for the ashtray, picked it up, and flicked the ash into it. She had no memory of that part and was not sure why she did that at the time.
"Maybe I hope to bring her good luck." Miss Qiao chuckled.
Chen Yang noticed that the woman's eyes were a little red. When he looked again, she had turned her back to admire the jade, leaving him with a back with enchanting and passionate lines.
When a loved one dies, the related memories are erased, and while strange feelings emerge, there will also be residual emotions.
"It seems that what is written in the book is not accurate." Chen Yang said.
"Content is secondary." Miss Qiao didn't look back. "The fact that things from the mission world can appear in the real world is enough to prove its uniqueness and value."
This sounds reasonable. Chen Yang's eyes followed Chao Jian who stood up and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Answer the phone." Chao Jian went out with the phone.
Chen Yang curled the corner of his mouth unconsciously. Jian's heart was still not open to him. He stopped at the door and stayed there for a long time.
Chao Jian’s world was also unfamiliar to Chen Yang, who had never set foot in it.
Chen Yang tried to ignore the depression and loss. He leaned over the table and spun his wine glass: "Sister Qiao, have you ever doubted the real world?"
When Miss Qiao heard his address, she curled her red lips and said, "How do you doubt it?"
Chen Yang carefully uttered a word: "Discord."
Miss Qiao neither shook her head nor nodded, but just laughed: "Xiao Yangyang, I just finished four tasks, I'm so dizzy, I'm not even sure if I can come back for the next task, how can I think about those things."
The three words "Xiao Yangyang" made Chen Yang feel strange. At first, it was Sun Wenjun who called him that, then it was Zheng Zhitan, and now it was Miss Qiao. He listened to it... and he could actually accept it?!
Chen Yang stood up and said, "You said you only completed four tasks?"
"Yes." Miss Qiao put out her cigarette and walked towards him.
Chen Yang leaned on the table and pondered. The town was Miss Qiao's fourth mission, which meant that she had not entered the mission world since then. The same was true for Xiangdong.
Why is his frequency the highest? Chen Yang was puzzled. Could it be that his progress bar was dragging back at several times the speed
Does that mean that as long as he is alive, he will reach the end faster than others
Chen Yang still had some doubts in his mind. During his time in the small town, Miss Qiao gave him the feeling that she was not someone who had just experienced four mission worlds. She was very experienced and at ease.
A wave of hot air brushed past Chen Yang's earlobe, and all the hairs on his body stood up: "Sister Qiao, you..."
Miss Qiao leaned on the back of his chair and said, "Your brother is not here, let's talk."
The scent of perfume filled Chen Yang's nostrils. He wanted to leave uncomfortably, but two soft and strong hands held down his shoulders.
"Are you in love?" Miss Qiao bent down, revealing a strawberry garden under the collar of her long skirt.
Chen Yang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, not daring to move his eyes an inch: "Not yet."
"That means it will be soon." Miss Qiao said meaningfully.
A drop of sweat slid down Chen Yang's forehead: "No..."
Miss Qiao interrupted, "Do you like any jade? Just pick any one you want. Just think of it as a gift from my sister."
Chen Yang was confused: "Congratulations for what?"
Miss Qiao stroked his back with her fingertips: "Congratulations in advance on finding your partner."
Chen Yang: “…” That’s not necessary, thank you!
There was a curse coming from the entrance, and the man who was slapped unconscious woke up.
Qiao Qiao picked up a stone sculpture and threw it at him. The man staggered and fell back to the ground.
Chen Yang swallowed his saliva: "Sister Qiao, I'm leaving first."
"Leaving now?" Miss Qiao asked in surprise, "Aren't you staying for dinner?"
"No, let's do it another day." Chen Yang pushed the chair under the table and walked along the wall.
Miss Qiao gave a number: "Come and play with me when you have time."
Chen Yang saved the number in his mobile phone, waved and walked towards the door. He glanced at the man's red and swollen neck and nose, and felt that it was not so easy to be a slave to a skirt.
Miss Qiao saw Chen Yang out, closed the door, and walked towards the living room with her arms folded.
The man was ignored. He stood up with the help of the cabinet and grinned: "Why, your two lovers didn't fuck you? Do you think you are too loose after being fucked..."
Miss Qiao turned around.
The man instinctively lowered his head and kept silent, but in the end he felt himself to be a coward. He spat, turned around coldly and opened the door.
"bite"
Miss Qiao lit a cigarette and said, "I need three days of sex. If you can spare the time, stay. If not, get out."
"What do you think I am? A massager?" The man's self-esteem was trampled upon, and all his upper-class dignity was gone in an instant. He spoke harshly and venomously like an enraged fool.
Miss Qiao blew out a smoke ring and smiled at him coquettishly, but she picked up her cell phone and slowly searched for her lover.
The man's handsome face was a little distorted. He called his secretary, said a few words to her briefly, turned off the phone, picked up the woman, pressed her on the table, and pulled her skirt down.
Next to the elevator, Chen Yang stood next to Chao Jian and asked him what was wrong and if something happened at home.
"No." Chao Jian said, "The call was from my attending physician."
Chen Yang's eyes widened: "Is there a new treatment plan?"
Chao Jian looked down at him in silence until his eyes became vague, then he spoke: "Go somewhere with me."
Chen Yang forgot to ask where he was going and just followed Chao Jian.
After a while, they entered a nearby barber shop. Chen Yang: "You want a haircut?"
Chao Jian took off his baseball cap, smoothed his hair with his slender fingers, and took out a rubber band from his pocket like a magician, and tied his hair up a little, revealing his smooth forehead and beautiful eyebrows: "It's not me."
“That is…” Chen Yang stared at his little girl in a daze, forgetting what to say.
Chao Jian said: "Your hair has grown longer."
Chen Yang touched the end of his hair: "... It seems so." He couldn't help but steal a glance at Chao Jian. Damn, that little tuft of hair just hit his cute spot.
With his adrenaline pumping, Chen Yang forced himself to stay calm: "You want a haircut too."
Chao Jianxin said, why cut it? I left it here on purpose.
The technical director and salesperson of the store walked up and asked who wanted a haircut.
Chen Yang pointed at himself: "Me."
The technical director asked with a smile: "Handsome guy, do you have any ideas?"
Thoughts? Chen Yang subconsciously looked at Chao Jian.
"A shaved head." Chao Jian said.
Chen Yang muttered: "Still keep the shaved head."
"Your hair shape is very suitable for a buzz cut, and your temperament is also suitable, clean and refreshing." The technical director said, "But you don't need me to cut this haircut, should I let my apprentice cut it for you?"
Chen Yang didn't care. He was led inside to wash his hair. Chao Jian followed him and stood next to him.
"Sir, your brother looks like the person in the painting." The shampooing guy is a gay. He is a late stage of face control and really likes handsome brothers.
Chen Yang ignored it.
The shampoo guy didn't say anything else, not because he knew what was good for him, but because the sinister look next to him was too terrifying.
Oh my god! It turns out that he is not my brother! He is my lover! A younger wolfdog!