Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The next day, Tang Qiu had to go on a day-long overnight camping trip with people her predecessor had met, but who were mostly strangers to her, so she canceled her evening run for the first time.

After returning from the fitness club, Tang Qiu had dinner and then stayed in the living room, doing bicep curls while scrolling through all her predecessor’s chat records, messages, photos, and instructions for items purchased related to camping.

Tang Qiu reviewed them repeatedly until she had memorized about seventy percent of it, enough that she wouldn’t come off as clueless and get weird looks, then stopped.

Next, following the packing list that Chen Chen had posted in the hiking and camping group, she pulled out each item and organized them one by one.

During the process, Tang Qiu also opened and studied each item to ensure she knew how to use it, then packed them as efficiently as possible into her backpack, finally carried everything down to the garage and loaded it into the trunk of her car.

Her predecessor had a car, a white SUV, but Tang Qiu rarely used it to get to know the area. She had driven it twice to get a feel for it; everything was fine, so it remained parked in its spot, the gas tank still full.

The next day was sunny. At 5:30 a.m., Tang Qiu set off on time, arriving ten minutes early after an hour and a half of driving at the meeting point Chen Chen had posted in the group chat.

The meeting point was a semi-abandoned amusement park on the outskirts. There were few people and few cars. Even on a weekend, there were just a few cars scattered here and there.

Tang Qiu immediately spotted Chen Chen standing next to a black SUV, holding a cigarette he hadn’t lit, talking to someone standing in front of him.

Tang Qiu turned the steering wheel and parked nearby. As soon as she jumped out, Chen Chen tucked the cigarette back into the pack and walked over with a smile. "Good morning, Lawyer Tang! Have you had breakfast? If not, I have some in my car—steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and bread. Nothing fancy, but enough to fill you up."

Tang Qiu locked her car door and politely declined. "No need, I've already eaten. Thank you."

Tang Qiu quickly moved her gaze past Chen Chen to the strangers behind him: three men and two women, all seemingly young, with bright eyes and full heads of hair, looking either curious or uninterested. They stood at a comfortable distance from each other, chatting casually while occasionally glancing over at Tang Qiu and Chen Chen.

Tang Qiu carefully scanned the five people from head to toe, confirming none carried weapons and posed little threat to her. She also recognized two of them: Tang Fangfang and Qian Da, both of whom had been present at the camping trip where her predecessor died. Their photos appeared on the camping photo wall.

Tang Fangfang was a tall girl with a distinctive short haircut dyed blue-purple. She wore no makeup but had a lip piercing. A corner of a red tattoo peeked out from her neck where her clothes didn't cover it. Although she stood with the group, she kept the farthest distance, her expression the most aloof. She clearly wasn't close to Tang Qiu; even when she noticed Tang Qiu's gaze, she only glanced over indifferently before looking away, with no intention of greeting her despite knowing her.

Compared to the unconventional Tang Fangfang, Qian Da was far more ordinary—average looks, medium build, normal black hair. The only thing that left an impression was his round face with dimples. When Tang Qiu looked his way, he waved enthusiastically and flashed a bright smile.

Tang Qiu gave the two several extra looks. Good—the Fate's Prophetic Eye item showed no reaction at all. The other three strangers also gave no reaction, suggesting everyone here was a law-abiding good person.

Having confirmed that none of them were involved in her predecessor's death case, Tang Qiu stopped paying attention. Chen Chen glanced at his watch and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to ask Lawyer Tang to wait a bit longer. It's still a few minutes until the meeting time, but Tian Li called me earlier saying she's on her way with her nephew, but due to an unexpected situation, she might be a little late."

Tang Qiu nodded in understanding. "Alright."

Chen Chen then made small talk with Tang Qiu for a few more exchanges before warmly introducing everyone to her.

Tang Qiu noticed he was clearly trying to make everyone familiar with each other. Considering that her predecessor would likely not refuse such an offer, she hesitated only a second before following him to the group.

"This is Tang Fangfang, this is Old Qian—Qian Da, this is Xie Ping, this is Xie Ping's colleague Jiang Jun, and this is Xu Cui." Chen Chen gave a quick and concise round of introductions.

Tang Qiu matched names to faces based on his introduction. Xie Ping was a tall, thin young man with small eyes but thick, dark eyebrows. Standing beside him was Jiang Jun, half a head shorter, with the opposite features—sparse eyebrows but large eyes. The other girl besides Tang Fangfang, Xu Cui, was also tall but very thin, exceptionally thin, with two big dark circles under her eyes, as if she suffered from chronic insomnia. At the moment, her body was there, but her mind seemed elsewhere. She took two seconds to react to Chen Chen's introduction before giving Tang Qiu a small smile, then immediately yawned.

Finally, Chen Chen introduced Tang Qiu to the group. "This is Tang Qiu. Fangfang and Old Qian have met her before."

Everyone turned their gaze to Tang Qiu. Except for Tang Fangfang, who remained silent, the others first chimed in with "Hello, hello" before hesitating and exchanging glances.

Despite the fact that, aside from Xie Ping and Jiang Jun, none of them were particularly familiar with each other, they somehow managed to communicate through eye contact right in front of Tang Qiu.

Because of the context, it was too easy to read. Tang Qiu almost instinctively understood.

Xie Ping looked at Qian Da and frantically signaled: Is this the one who got hurt and almost died on the last camping trip?

Qian Da blinked: Yeah, that's her.

Xu Cui's eyes were full of confusion: And she still dares to come? Is she brave?

Qian Da blinked again, his expression equally bewildered: I don't get it either. Maybe she really isn't scared?

Xu Cui's eyes were filled with admiration: Then she's truly tough.

Tang Qiu watched them communicate with their eyes, not feeling offended but rather entertained.

Such vivid, lively, and human expressions—Tang Qiu always couldn't help but watch a little longer whenever she saw them. But staring at people for no reason is rude, and Tang Qiu had been on the receiving end of sharp glares before. Now, with such an open opportunity, she watched intently and without blinking.

Tang Qiu didn't think much of it, but the ones communicating through eye contact grew embarrassed. Qian Da rubbed the back of his head and awkwardly tried to change the subject. "Well, Lawyer Tang, are you fully recovered from your injuries? I may not be great at studying, but I'm pretty strong. Later, when we go up the mountain, I can carry your backpack. And when we set up camp at night, I can help you pitch your tent."

Qian Da's words eased the slightly awkward atmosphere, and the others quickly chimed in.

"I can too," Xie Ping said. "I work in civil engineering, so I've got plenty of strength. I can also help carry your backpack."

Jiang Jun, a first-timer, spoke up shyly in a low voice. "I can help too."

Tang Fangfang still said nothing. Xu Cui said, "I won't fight them for backpack carrying, but I can share a tent with you at night. I'm a light sleeper—any little noise wakes me up. I'll sleep on the outside and keep watch, so you can rest easy."

Since crossing over, Tang Qiu had always encountered warm-hearted and kind people. At first, she wasn't used to it, but now she accepted it well and politely declined. "Thank you all, but it's not necessary. I can manage on my own."

Chen Chen glanced at Tang Qiu specially, saw her determined expression, and spoke before anyone else could. "I know you're all eager to help, but you probably don't know that Lawyer Tang is quite capable now. Remember I mentioned in the group chat that I signed up for a boxing class? As it happens, Lawyer Tang is at the same club. She chose the toughest coach there. I train there every day lately, and I keep hearing the coaches talk about how Coach Zhong's student is making rapid progress."

Everyone was clearly surprised by this revelation about Tang Qiu. They looked at her with some astonishment. Even Tang Fangfang, who had been completely aloof, turned her head and showed a change in her usually indifferent expression.

As they chatted, another car drove in from the intersection—another white SUV. After parking, two young men got out.

Tang Qiu quickly recognized one of them from the materials she had reviewed: Bao Xiangchen, whom Chen Chen had mentioned yesterday. He was of medium height, with a very amiable demeanor, smiling in a way that seemed quite smooth and polished.

The man beside Bao Xiangchen was clearly much taller, with regular features. When expressionless, his gaze carried a certain pressure, but as he approached the group and smiled, his demeanor softened, giving off a harmless, sunny vibe.

Yet Tang Qiu sensed a certain familiarity in him. She thought for a moment, and as the two came over to greet everyone, she realized what it was: she had felt a similar sense of contrast in Lei Yue. This made Tang Qiu wonder about his profession.

With that suspicion in mind, Tang Qiu paid him a little more attention, carefully scanning his limbs and the waist area where weapons might be concealed. She ultimately concluded that he had some combat capability, but not much, and posed little threat to her.

Most importantly, the Fate's Prophetic Eye item showed no reaction to either of them, indicating that like the others participating in the camping trip, they were law-abiding ordinary people.

Bao Xiangchen introduced himself and his companion.

"My name is Bao Xiangchen. Just call me Lao Bao," he said briefly, but it was slightly unusual—he first glanced subconsciously at Tang Qiu before introducing the young man next to him. "This is my friend, Qiao Yang."

Tang Qiu keenly noticed that when Bao Xiangchen introduced him, the man named Qiao Yang also looked at her, his eyes somewhat probing, as if observing her reaction.

Tang Qiu instantly became alert. What did this look mean? Why was he observing her reaction? Did her predecessor know him? But Tang Qiu repeatedly searched her memory of all her predecessor's materials, especially photos, and found no recollection.

Tang Qiu's heart filled with a sense of crisis, and she grew vigilant.