Chapter 24 Special Relationship

Chapter 24: Special Relationship

After a day and night of torment, Ji Xi finally met the passing grade. By cribbing from Chen Jiyan's notes, he managed to escape from the school.

"No need to worry about getting back; we can apply for a single-line train. Wait to hear from me."

"The anti-tracking system is already installed. Launch the app I sent you, and you'll be able to use the other functions of the system."

"That's a splurge," he thought.

Field assignments have a Crystal Source usage quota, and Chen Jiyan clearly hasn't met the standard to apply for a single-line train yet.

Hmm, so he really is just here to gain experience.

"Do you have any other tasks? Maybe I can help."

Ji Xi could move around the church more easily. Chen Jiyan meant nothing by it; he just wanted to complete the mission and return as soon as possible.

It was their fourth day on this assignment. If they finished before tomorrow, they could still have a weekend off.

His companion, however, was quite wary and refused to disclose any information.

"Fine. If you need to go in, I'll cover for you. But you have to tell me the specific time—when are you returning to Ding Shu?"

Ji Xi was just about to answer when a scream interrupted him.

"It's you!"

Chen Jiyan looked at the agitated Xisha. Her expression wasn't one of joyful reunion but rather indiscriminate aggression and hatred.

"You know each other?"

"We do," Ji Xi nodded, then pointed at her. "Swindler."

"Human trafficker!"

What on earth is going on? Before the situation could worsen, Chen Jiyan stepped in to mediate.

"You're in cahoots with this human trafficker!" Xisha grew suspicious of their identities, forcing Chen Jiyan to show her the mission details and identification information.

"You're You Jinhui's lackey?!" Seeing the name in the guardian column, Xisha reacted even more strongly.

She had only assumed Chen Jiyan and the Administrator had a normal superior-subordinate relationship, since all Ding Shu employees could technically be considered You Jinhui's subordinates.

"Isn't the term 'lackey' a bit too harsh?"

It seems his guardian is truly famous.

"Everything else can be negotiated, but tell him to put down those papers. Now!"

Chen Jiyan turned around and saw Ji Xi holding Xisha's precious papers, seemingly about to toss them out the window.

When did he even grab those?!

"Put them down, and let's talk properly. This is someone else's territory."

Chen Jiyan snatched the remaining dozen or so pages from him, gathered them up, and placed them on the edge of the table.

With both sides talking past each other, Chen Jiyan was exhausted from playing translator.

"Otherwise, I'll take him back immediately, and you can forget about your mission."

With a gun pressed to his head, Ji Xi had no choice but to agree.

Clearly, Chen Jiyan's threat alone wasn't enough; Ji Xi had other concerns. But a nod would suffice.

"And you, whatever grudge you have with You Jinhui is none of my business. He's not my direct superior. Once we return, I'll hand you over to the Military Department immediately. If you disagree, I'll directly share your coordinates with Mo Harbor. Take your pick."

"You wouldn't dare?" She widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Guess whether I dare or not." Chen Jiyan smiled amiably.

"Fine, okay."

Reluctantly, she put away her weapon and sat back in her original seat.

"Just like his people, talking in that same deadpan way. How didn't I notice it before..."

"Return to Ding Shu as soon as possible. Any objections?"

Both shook their heads.

"Good. Since we're all on the same page, let's set the time for noon two days from now. Is that enough for you to complete your task?"

Ji Xi nodded.

"We need a reasonable occasion for your departure. Will you arrange it yourself, or should we help you plan it?"

"I can handle it myself," Xisha said, growing more excited as freedom drew nearer. "What do you think about organizing a public demonstration?"

It wasn't entirely unreasonable. Although his main mission objective was to investigate the cause, it didn't prohibit it.

As long as she was brought back in the end, the process could be overlooked.

He was about to nod when she dropped a bombshell.

"Great! Then I'll have them make arrangements. We'll meet openly at the church then!"

Meet openly?

"It's a famous ritual. Haven't you seen the paintings on the wall? Everyone appears unclothed, receives the holy spring's baptism, and welcomes divine revelation..."

"Wait, wait, wait—"

Chen Jiyan cut her off before she could continue. "Such matters should be left to mature adults to handle. You just need to be present."

"Fine." Xisha was greatly disappointed. How boring—he completely failed to appreciate her clever thinking and the joy of performance art.

"What exactly were you expecting?" Chen Jiyan didn't ask, nor did he want to know the answer.

Ji Xi left carrying a box of items, leaving the two of them alone in the study.

"Alright, he's gone. Ask whatever you want."

"She really is a swindler."

Chen Jiyan received a message and was pondering his reply when another one came through:

"A dozen-page book priced at thirty thousand."

An Outrageous Demand.

"What exactly is your relationship with the Chancellor?"

"Cut the crap. If there were no relationship, would he lend you his own pistol?"

"What's so special about it?"

"Even though they all look similar, this gun sounds different."

That's how she recognized it at a glance.

"You study weapons too?"

Kids these days really have a wide range of hobbies.

"You don't need to study weapons. Anyone who pays a little attention to the news knows this gun was modified by him. Though the unique sound makes it easy to identify, no one can escape its bullets."

"Strange, right? Military weapons especially prioritize silence. Even experienced veterans can only judge a bullet's direction by its flow velocity and temperature. His way completely exposes his position to the enemy's line of sight."

"Do you know who his gun was once aimed at? His former teacher, the previous Minister of Finance. You Jinhui rose to power after that."

"Since then, the first gunshot echoed over the skies of Ding Shu."

Extremely arrogant, looking down on everyone—very much You Jinhui's style.

Her description was plain and lackluster, yet somehow, Chen Jiyan seemed able to see through her sparse words that sharp, spirited, world-disdaining You Jinhui.

"That cocky look, as if he's the greatest in the whole world. So annoying."

"But isn't that the truth?"

"Are you out of your mind? No one in Ding Shu can stand him. The military goes without saying; even the parliament doesn't much like him, not to mention his mother."

"Oh, unless—"

She leaned in, deliberately lowering her voice, mysterious: "Are you actually his illegitimate child?"

"Look at me,"

"Shake your head,"

"Then nod."

"What are you doing?"

"Alright, you can continue now. The air and water in your brain should be well mixed."

"You!" Xisha was so angry she couldn't speak.

"Anyone with a brain knows that an age gap of less than four years can't span generations."

Especially nowadays with only children everywhere.

"Then could you be his kept little lover?"

Xisha was so furious she blurted out without thinking!

Chen Jiyan had nothing to say.

"Think whatever you want. If you're so curious, go back to Ding Shu and ask him yourself."

Chen Jiyan would be happy to make the connection.

No, no, such an opportunity should be left for other lucky ones. Xisha shook her head and waved her hands in refusal, realizing she needed to engage her brain a bit more when talking to Chen Jiyan from now on—his backer was the Chancellor.

Mapping out the route during the day was too conspicuous. Chen Jiyan ran through the path in his mind several times but still wasn't at ease. He decided it would be safer to walk it himself late at night when all was quiet.

The church at night was eerily quiet. Clad in a long gray robe and carrying a kerosene lamp, he moved slowly and silently forward. Xisha had said there were no night watchmen here; at night, all rooms except the library were locked.

After going over the details, the time matched his estimate fairly well, which eased Chen Jiyan's mind somewhat.

As he returned to his room, he heard faint rustling sounds from the end of the corridor—the library. Someone was there.

Could it be Ji Xi?

To avoid unnecessary complications, it was best he just return to his own room. There wasn't much time left today anyway.

"Take a look."

He had a bad feeling. Any disturbance before the goal was achieved could affect the final outcome. The worst-case scenario would be someone from Moh Harbor finding their way here. Chen Jiyan slowly approached the door while simultaneously pulling up the emergency doomsday system. A light press would directly connect him to Ding Shu.

The CSA interception was already a variable; if another disruptive factor appeared, he'd simply quit this mission.

"Who's there?"

Golden hair cascaded down, and the gem she held emitted a soft white glow, illuminating the dark circles under her eyes as large as fists, like a wandering ghost haunting the mortal world in the dead of night.

"What are you doing?" Chen Jiyan remained relatively calm. "Randomly scaring passersby to death?"

"What are you doing out here? Keep your voice down. I just couldn't sleep and came to look around."

"Rehearsing the route for the day after tomorrow. Why aren't the lights on if you're here to read?"

"I—"

"What are you two doing?"

The night patrol wasn't one of Xisha's personal attendants and wasn't easy to talk to.

"Discussing literature."

Xisha gave him a strange look. He didn't even have a book in hand and was already spouting nonsense. Who would believe that?

Sure enough, the other person wasn't buying it.

"What kind of literature needs to be discussed in the middle of the night? You're not a human trafficker, are you?"

Chen Jiyan pointed at himself. Where did he look like a human trafficker?

"I knew it! Pretty boys like you only know how to deceive young, innocent girls. Come with us!"

"No, we came out because he couldn't sleep, and I was listening to him vent," Xisha stepped forward to explain.

The night patrol looked skeptical. "Really? What does he have to complain about? Don't let him fool you."

"It's true. He... got his heart broken. He's bitterly cursing his ex-husband for abandoning him after taking advantage. I'm advising him to let go of the past and look forward."

"Mhm, yes, that's exactly it." Xisha felt the excuse she came up with was seamless and perfect, far more reliable than some literary discussion, and gave herself a mental thumbs-up for her quick thinking.

"Ex-husband?"

"You idiot, just say yes. If you're a heterosexual man alone with a girl in the middle of the night, it'll only confirm you're trying to lure away an innocent young woman."

"Yes, I've suffered a devastating breakup and was confiding in her."

Chen Jiyan forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Why not talk about it during the day?"

"You know, they're a minority group after all, afraid of discrimination." Xisha chimed in at the right moment, expressing her sympathy. "And he's thin-skinned, doesn't want too many people to know."

Chen Jiyan continued to smile and nod.

He then maintained that expression while listening to Xisha spin a dramatic, soap-opera-style story of a wealthy family's love saga for over ten minutes. In her tale, Chen Jiyan was portrayed as a pitiful, delicate flower, used and then abandoned by his lover. He was left heartbroken, watching his former lover and his new partner live happily ever after. Utterly despondent and with a heart turned to ashes, he had no choice but to leave Ding Shu. Who knew his jealous rival, out of spite, arranged for people to intercept him on the road, intending to sell him to Ai Shi? Chen Jiyan narrowly escaped death and wandered here. Despite repeatedly trying to contact his ex-husband to no avail, he finally gave up all hope.

The listener across from them was visibly moved and outraged, practically ready to capture that scoundrel and his new partner and have them beheaded on the spot.

"Thank you for your kindness, but no need to trouble yourself." Having heard the entire story, its sheer absurdity and ridiculousness somehow distanced him from it, allowing him to calm down.

"Yeah, yeah, and his ex-husband is quite powerful and influential. We can't afford to provoke him." Xisha nodded repeatedly.

"In that case, tell me his name. Tomorrow, I'll notify the whole city. Even if we can't get revenge, we can at least curse him."

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

"Perhaps," Xisha glanced at him apologetically, "do you know the Governor of Ding Shu, You Jinhui?"

"Don't know him, but it doesn't matter. Tomorrow, we'll put this person's name on the wanted list."

"That's very kind of you." Chen Jiyan gave a dry laugh.

"So, what exactly were you looking for, sneaking around in the middle of the night avoiding everyone?"

"These are all my treasured collections. I'm reviewing them one last time before I leave. Once I'm gone, I won't see them again. Do you want to take a look? The writing is excellent!"

"No, thanks. Enjoy them yourself." Chen Jiyan declined the recommendation and returned to his room in a daze.

The moment he closed the door, he thought he heard a soft snort.

When did the communication line open?

"It seems life outside is quite eventful."

He heard? How much did he hear?

"Starting from the 'ex-husband' part."

Every single word.

"The storyteller is quite talented. Looking forward to meeting in Ding Shu next week."

He silently lit a metaphorical candle for Xisha in his heart.

"Goodnight, little delicate flower."

He suddenly felt that not knowing how to read wasn't such a bad thing after all.