Chapter 65

"drop!"

The two were in the basement, having just finished discussing their strategy to test Director Ma, when Xin Ran's communicator rang.

"Brother Xunjiang?"

"Where are you? Let's grab a late-night snack."

The two came up from the basement into the bright and comfortable living room. Xun Jiang, with the sleeves of his light green shirt rolled up, had arranged various skewers on the dining table. Hearing the noise, he turned around, and a gentle smile appeared on his warm and refined face. In the bright light, it looked like a piece of warm jade. The warm jade said, "Go wash your hands first."

Upon seeing his neighbor's older brother, Xin Ran became incredibly lazy. He leaned over, circled the table, and took a sniff. "It smells so good! I want to eat this."

Xun Jiang used chopsticks to pick up a piece of chicken gizzard that had been braised and then roasted and fed it to him, "I know you like it, so I bought some braised ones and put them in the refrigerator. You can take them out and heat them up when you want to eat them."

"Alright!" Xin Ran was already full from the 300 yuan per person buffet, but he didn't want to spoil the fun, so he went to wash his hands. Xun Jiang looked at Chi Xia, who had already washed her hands and came over, and asked, "Do you want to join us?"

Chi Xia sat down. "I can do it myself."

Xun Jiang sat down opposite her. "Is your hand better? Are there any scars?"

Chi Xia lifted it up to show him, "It's healed, no scars left."

Xun Jiang saw that her wrist was still smooth and clean, then looked at her and asked, "You keep so many snacks in my office, when are you going to eat them?"

Chi Xia smiled faintly, "I rarely eat snacks."

Xun Jiang laughed, "I rarely eat them either. As I get older, eating snacks can easily make me gain weight. I haven't even managed to win over a girlfriend yet, so I don't dare to give up self-control. But since you put them there, I take some out to eat every day when I'm tired. I can't explain it, but I feel a mix of emotions, like a bittersweet excitement. It seems like only when I was being pursued by girls in my student days would I see those strange red and green snacks in my drawer."

"Dr. Xun has a very rich imagination." Chi Xia replied indifferently, her eyes searching for Xin Ran's figure. Fortunately, the man washed his hands and walked over cheerfully, sitting down by Xun Jiang's side. "Aren't you busy today? What made you decide to come over?"

"Busy." Xun Jiang shook his head, his hands steady as he poured a glass of beer for each person. "But I haven't seen you two for several days, so I came to check on you. Today I also saw one of your colleagues who twisted his ankle and insisted that I write him a hospitalization certificate. I didn't want to write it at first, but considering the way your college is, and the fact that you used to get teased by students, I wrote it for him anyway."

Xin Ran smiled and took a sip of beer. "You're such a kind person."

Xun Jiang rolled his eyes at him, "Who told me to have such a troublesome neighbor and good brother like you? You've done so many bad things that you've developed a habit, and your medical ethics have become completely rudimentary."

Xin Ran smiled, revealing a pair of deep dimples, and raised her glass, "Let's have a drink."

The three clinked glasses and took a sip. Xin Ran put down his glass, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Xun Jiang sighing silently. Xin Ran frowned slightly, and while eating chicken gizzards, he made small talk, "Which teacher in our academy asked you to do something bad?"

Xun Jiang spoke of that person, his gaze shifting to his wine glass, his elegant fingers fiddling with the evaporating glass. "I'd never seen him before. He wore a wonderful perfume; when I left work, the office still smelled of cedar. He was so young, yet dressed head to toe in designer brands. I was wondering why a teacher would dress so ostentatiously. He didn't even try to act it out. I had just handed him the certificate when he immediately answered a phone call right in front of me, inviting me to a trip to the old capital. What a disgrace! Giving his student a week to go on vacation, getting a fake certificate to go have fun. I remembered him then, Zhao Nan."

Chi Xia and Xin Ran both looked up at Xun Jiang at the same time. Xin Ran asked, "What's your name?"

Xun Jiang: "Zhao Nan, your name has the radical for 'wood' plus the character for 'rising slowly.' What's wrong? You two know each other?"

Chi Xia and Xin Ran shook their heads simultaneously, "We don't know them."

They didn't know the person, but the two of them had previously pried open each other's trunks and driver's seats to take tickets and remembered the name. At the time, they suspected that he had hidden something in the car, but when they went back, the thing had mysteriously disappeared and been replaced by a silly-looking big rubber duck.

Chi Xia: "Do you regret issuing the certificate to him?"

Xun Jiang smiled bitterly, "Of course, I regret it to the core. Wasn't this aiding and abetting evil? If he wants to go out and play in the future and comes to me for fake certificates, I'll really have to thank his whole family."

Xin Ran put his arm around Xun Jiang's shoulder and said with a smile, "We've already opened, what's there to regret? Put aside your personal manners and enjoy this immoral life. The skewers are so delicious, come on, let's have some."

The three of them ate and drank well and made merry for a while. Xun Jiang's regret, which had been weighing on his heart, had mostly dissipated. He stood up and said, "You all rest well. I should go back."

Xin Ran grabbed him, "Where are you going? It's so late, go sleep in your room."

Xun Jiang looked at Chi Xia and said, "Xia is here too, so it's inconvenient."

Xin Ran smiled and looked at Chi Xia, "Is it convenient for you, Teacher Xia?"

Chi Xia smiled faintly, as lightly as a dragonfly skimming the water, "It's not like you're sleeping with me, so what's inconvenient about it?"

Xun Jiang didn't leave in the end. His room was next to Xin Ran's, but after taking a shower, he didn't stay in his own room and went to visit Xin Ran's room.

Xin Ran came out, drying her wet hair, and saw Xun Jiang sitting on the sofa drinking water. "Do you have something to say?"

Xun Jiang put his water glass on the table and looked up at Xin Ran. "I ran into your director at the hospital today. Last time when Xia and I went down to the parking garage, Xia avoided him, and I felt something was off, so I went with him today. The patient he was visiting was in VIP care. He was brought in half a year ago and was on the verge of death. He had a severe organ transplant and was experiencing severe rejection. He hasn't woken up since. I also checked your director's visiting records, and he comes almost every week. That patient had no social connections or background. If he died, the police would quickly handle the aftermath. But your director... I can't quite put my finger on it, but I have a gut feeling that something's strange about this."

Xin Ran sat down opposite Xun Jiang, slowing down his wiping motions. He paused for a few seconds in thought, then looked up with a smile, "Brother Xun Jiang, are you channeling your inner detective?"

Xun Jiang, however, was not joking. He frowned and said seriously, "Xin Ran, the more I look at this job, the less I understand it. Why don't you quit?"

Xin Ran laughed and continued drying her hair, "If I quit, will you support me?"

Xun Jiang grabbed his hand. "Don't be so frivolous. I'm talking to you very seriously. At first, when I saw the job posting, I thought education was a stable job with a decent income, which is why I let you interview. But you've been injured ever since. Although you're exceptionally talented and your recovery is beyond what most people can do, people aren't made of iron. At that time, I regretted letting you apply for this job. Now, after learning more about the people and things in your college, I'm quite certain that this job isn't as glamorous as it seems on the surface. On the contrary, it might be fraught with danger. With medicine so advanced now, what kind of injury requires a full organ transplant? Your leaders have connections with people like that; isn't that extremely dangerous?"

Xin Ran was still smiling, his dimples showing a mischievous, youthful innocence. His bright eyes looked at his neighbor, "Why don't you try to persuade Xia? Don't you like her? She's a teacher at the Magic Fishing Academy, and the homeroom teacher of the most mischievous class. Aren't you worried?"

Xun Jiang rolled his eyes at Xin Ran, then curled his lips into a smile. "In my eyes, who can compare to you? I can't control what other people do, I just hope you're safe and sound. Xin Ran, you still have me. Don't take your life so lightly. In the years you were gone, I often thought, if my family had taken the pressure to adopt you and changed your name, would you have avoided those difficult paths later? I've always regretted it; I should have stood up and insisted on this. Now you might have one more burden."

Xin Ran patted his hand. "It's not your fault. How old were you back then? In my family's situation, anyone who got involved was doomed. I know your family's situation very well. Uncle Xun and Aunt Shen worked from dawn till dusk, being honest and hardworking business people their whole lives, and they also had to take care of your grandparents and great-grandparents. Your family didn't have it easy. Besides, I'm doing just fine now, aren't I? Look how amazing I am, living in such a big house all by myself. I'm a true success story."

Xun Jiang was amused by him and unconsciously changed the subject, "If you ask me, just buy a small house. Why be so particular about living alone? If you manage the remaining money properly, you would have achieved financial freedom long ago. Why bother going out early and coming home late every day and taking risks?"

Xin Ran knew that he and Xun Jiang thought differently, so he didn't force empathy or preach, nor did he refute Xun Jiang's genuine concern and consideration. He nodded repeatedly, "Brother Xun Jiang is right. If I run into a rich guy who wants to buy this villa, I'll sell it in a flash and live a carefree life with the money."

Xun Jiang knew he couldn't persuade Xin Ran, so he stood up after a few seconds of silence. "Alright, that's all I have to say. Be careful. Your Demon Fishing Academy has all sorts of weirdos. Don't get caught up in something bad one day. It's just a job, not worth it."

Xin Ran smiled and looked up at him, "I know, I'm not stupid."

"You're not stupid, you're just too... never mind, I'll say it again, you call me brother, as long as I'm alive I won't let you go hungry, I'll always have three meals a day for you. At worst we can move in together and stay single together."

Xin Ran exaggeratedly raised her hand to protect herself, jokingly saying, "Brother Xun Jiang, are you finally going to hit me? Be gentle, I'm very delicate."

Xun Jiang stared at the other person blinking, paused for almost five seconds, and then burst out laughing, "You should go wash up and go to bed. Don't stay up so late, you'll go crazy and start hallucinating."

Watching Xun Jiang leave and close the door behind him, Xin Ran fell into deep thought. Chi Xia had a compelling reason to do it, but didn't he have one too?

Once a person recklessly takes a position, their controllable choices decrease. He shouldn't have contacted Xun Jiang after returning, but Xun Jiang was the only remaining warmth he had in this world. Every living person needs some warmth and connection to maintain a sense of being alive, and he couldn't resist.

After a brief moment of reflection, Xin Ran dialed Chi Xia's number and shared with her what Xun Jiang had told him about Director Ma.

Chi Xia: "We need to go check on this patient."

Xin Ran: "The sooner the better, let's do it tomorrow. Director Ma's whereabouts are elusive, let's cover for him."

Chi Xia: "Okay."

Xin Ran hesitated for a moment, "Chi Xia, I never trust my intuition, but this time, I think Director Ma's identity might not be that of an informant. He went so far as to expose Zhang Peng to test you, knowing Zhang Peng was doomed but taking no precautions. That doesn't make sense. What level of assassin would make them so decisively sacrifice themselves to save the king?"

Chi Xia: "..." Does being third on the list count?

Xin Ran: "Chi Xia, are you listening?"

Chi Xia: "Hmm. If we go see that person tomorrow, maybe we'll find the answer."

Xin Ran: "Did Zhang Peng say that 43 people received fake missions and one ran away? Do you think the VIP nurse might be one of them?"

Chi Xia: "According to Dr. Xun, it does seem so. He has no social connections or background, which fits the identity of a professional killer."

Xin Ran: "If Director Ma saved the person who escaped, then who is he?"

The answer in their hearts was like a piece of driftwood floating on the lake, visible but unable to reach the shore. Both of them remained soberly silent for a while.

Finally, Chi Xia said, "I hope he's not an informant, then we have a lot of room to turn things around."

Xin Ran laughed out loud, "That sounds exciting. Before I go home tonight, I'll send Zhang Peng's bracelet out. Let's wait and see."

Chi Xia rolled over. "Hmm. I was thinking about Zhao Nan, decked out in designer brands, spending a week in the old capital. Is it possible that he's the real informant, and Bai Yu's fake fan?"

“Boom boom boom!”

Xia, are you asleep?