59. Oblivious to others

"Baby, if you miss me, why don't you look at me?"

Before Qi Zhannan could react, Song Chiyu had already spoken up: "No, but we want to ask if this person is among those people?"

She took out a photo of Qi Yanzhou from her phone and handed it to him, but he shook his head.

Suppressing her disappointment, Song Chiyu continued to ask, "Was there a girl in their group?"

Although she knew that such hope was almost slim, they were like headless flies, grasping at even the smallest straw. Moreover, in such a remote place, the sudden appearance of a few strangers was enough to arouse her suspicion.

The middle-aged man frowned. "I didn't notice. There were seven of them, including a child who was thin and small and clearly a minor."

"Could you tell us which way they went?"

"They said they wanted to buy raw jade stones, which I had never heard of before. They asked me for the location of a sacred lake and then headed in that direction."

The sacred lake is 200 kilometers away from here.

The car was running out of fuel. Qi Zhannan couldn't make up his mind, so he passed the decision to Song Chiyu.

Song Chiyu searched for the nearest town on that road.

"Let's find a hotel to stay in first."

She had never encountered anything like this before, and couldn't find anyone to talk to.

Qi Zhannan, who was somewhat worried about things yesterday, gradually found himself overwhelmed as time went on and started to give up. If even his second uncle couldn't solve this, then there was no use in him worrying.

Every time Song Chiyu went to a new place, she would send Qi Yanzhou an address.

No one expected her National Day holiday to turn out like this.

Fortunately, the scenery outside was truly beautiful, and every time she looked up at the window, it soothed the unease in her heart.

After arriving in the town, Xiao Hei drove around for a while before finding a hotel to stay in. The hotel facilities were a bit old, but you could see the snow-capped mountains standing in the distance through the window.

She stood alone by the window, took out her phone, and looked at Qi Yanzhou's WeChat profile picture.

Never before have I wanted to see him so much.

But now was not the time to dwell on her emotions. She took out her phone and used the hotel's Wi-Fi to search for nearby antique and jade shops, hoping to find some clues.

Unexpectedly, she received a call from Xie Yunjin.

Xie Yunjin asked bluntly, "Did your husband cheat on you?"

Song Chiyu: "..."

This person is truly the first to wish her well; at the slightest sign of trouble, he'll jump at the chance.

However, Xie Yunjin was not entirely without merit. Song Chiyu restrained her emotions and said, "I have something important to tell you. Can you help me find out from your colleague what happened to that girl before she went missing?"

"Beg me."

"Get lost." Song Chiyu hung up the phone immediately.

Soon, Xie Yunjin called again. Seeing that she didn't answer, she specially sent a text message to explain: "I'm not teasing you anymore, let's talk about serious matters."

Song Chiyu then answered his call.

Xia Menghe's female student was named Su Jiacheng. She had made a phone call to them in that village and then disappeared. He asked Song Chiyu to add him on WeChat and send her that photo.

Song Chiyu had no choice but to add him. After sending him a photo, she also sent a voice message: "Now that you've added me, don't delete me. You can contact me anytime if you need anything."

Under these circumstances, Song Chiyu did not refuse his kindness.

He sent another message tentatively, and upon realizing that he hadn't deleted it, he immediately sent a voice message: "What difficulties are you facing now? I can come and help."

Song Chiyu quickly replied, "No need."

He didn't press the matter further, simply sending a "Be careful" message and saying nothing more.

She went into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and then went to bed.

After waking up, she made up her mind that if she still didn't hear anything at the sacred lake, she would call the police. She quickly wiped her face, took a breath of oxygen by the bedside for a while, and then got up to find Qi Zhannan and Heizi.

Qi Zhannan had already gotten up, holding a razor and telling Song Chiyu to wait a moment.

Song Chiyu went downstairs first and ate breakfast at a nearby breakfast stall while waiting. At this moment, she saw several men walk in and sit down opposite her.

Those people all spoke Chinese.

Song Chiyu couldn't help but take another look, and in that one glance, she suddenly froze. Seven men with a child—wasn't that the group?

Her heart pounded with nervousness, and she hastily looked away.

One of the tall, thin boys noticed her, raised his head towards her, and asked, "Hey beautiful, what are you looking at?"

The person sitting opposite him immediately glared at him.

The tall, thin boy laughed and explained, "It's just a greeting, it's not that serious, is it? Beautiful lady, where are you from?"

Before Song Chiyu could answer, Qi Zhannan and Heizi had already come downstairs with their coats.

Qi Zhannan said without any politeness, "Who are you calling, beautiful lady?"

The other person could tell they weren't exactly friendly, so he chuckled and said, "Just saying hello. Where are you two from?"

"Anxi." Qi Zhannan sat down, supporting himself on one knee.

"Are you here for tourism?"

Qi Zhannan did not reply.

The other party tactfully didn't ask any more questions, but their voices were noticeably softer, and they left before Song Chiyu and the others had finished eating.

Song Chiyu secretly kicked Qi Zhannan under the table: "Follow them."

Qi Zhannan didn't understand, but he did as instructed.

After getting on the bus, Qi Zhannan finally raised his question: "Are they the same group that buys the raw stones?"

“It looks like it,” Song Chiyu replied truthfully. “I also heard about that sacred lake from their conversation.”

They are now heading in the direction of the sacred lake.

Song Chiyu wasn't sure if they were related to Qi Yanzhou's disappearance, but besides that, she didn't know what to do. There were no surveillance cameras, no pedestrians, only the last place where Qi Yanzhou and Su Jiacheng's signals appeared.

The car drove further and further off the road, getting farther and farther away from the sacred lake, while the snow-capped mountains were practically within reach. They were the only two cars on the entire road; if they continued to follow, they would definitely be discovered.

Fortunately, the other party had already stopped the car.

They had no choice but to stop and follow.

The other party has gone up the mountain.

There are no traditional boardwalks here, only the most primitive paths. The black mountains are covered with snow, which looks particularly magnificent under the high-altitude sky.

"You bald bastard, you're fucking messing with me, aren't you?"

Song Chiyu hid behind a rock and immediately understood what these people had come for.

Clutching my pounding heart, I never imagined I'd be so close to something like this.

Qi Zhannan, on the contrary, was much calmer, even somewhat disappointed: "A bunch of tomb raiders."

Song Chiyu quickly told him to be quiet, but it was too late. The other person had already heard him, and the cursing man pulled out a homemade gun: "Who's there?"

Before he could finish speaking, the gun was fired.

Qi Zhannan exclaimed in surprise and quickly hid behind the rock again: "Holy crap, it's one of my own people!"

Song Chiyu had figured out the rhetoric used in their line of work.

No matter how many mistakes you make, you can never be wrong to say you're one of our own.

"Who the hell is with your own people! Grab them!" the man with the gun commanded.

"I'm one of your own! Do you know the Qi family of Anxi? My dad is Qi Jianguo. If you want to ship your goods, whether you go through the black market or the legitimate channels, you have to go through my dad's channels! You try touching me!" Qi Zhannan retorted defiantly.

"Sixth Master, I'm innocent! How could I possibly have gotten involved with the Qi family? It must have been the Qi family that came after smelling the scent themselves."

Upon hearing this, Song Chiyu knew that they must have encountered Qi Yanzhou, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems they were on the right track; they had indeed met Qi Yanzhou, and judging from their attitude, they were wary of the Qi family and wouldn't do anything to him.

"Bullshit!" The man seemed to have run out of options, kicking a nearby rock. "Your Seventh Master sent you, didn't he? Damn it! Lead the way!"

Song Chiyu was completely dumbfounded.

Seeing that he had put the gun away, Qi Zhannan's arrogance returned. "What are you talking about? I'm here to find my second uncle. You should be the one to lead the way."

The man couldn't understand what kind of medicine these people were selling.

That Master Qi was unfathomable; he remained unmoved even with a gun to his head. This fellow surnamed Qi, on the other hand, confessed everything clearly without asking any questions, like a sieve.

He initially thought these people were acting on Qi Ye's orders, knowing they couldn't find land, and were deliberately waiting for them to seek cooperation. But now it seems that's not entirely true.

Song Chiyu saw the ruthlessness on the man's face and grabbed Qi Zhannan's hand tightly, signaling him to shut up.

The tall, thin man leaned closer to Sixth Master: "Tell me, who exactly are they...?"

"We need to find a way to use those three as bargaining chips to negotiate with that Master Qi." Even if they ask for favors, we can't just let them lead us by the nose.

Upon arriving at the parking area, the man did not get into the car but walked towards Qi Zhannan and said, "I'll take your car."

"Fine, put down your gun." Qi Zhannan wasn't stupid. "And make it clear where you're going first. If things are really as you say, I'll put in a good word for you with my second uncle."

The man didn't take him seriously, but he wasn't disgusted by him either. "I can't put down my gun. I'll find someone else to show you the way."

"casual."

Soon, the tall, thin man who had spoken to Song Chiyu at the breakfast shop was replaced.

The tall, thin guy was much less cunning, and it didn't take long for him to become close friends with Qi Zhannan, and they began to confide in each other.

"When we return to Anxi, I hope you will take good care of me, Master Qi. When you mentioned Anxi this morning, my first thought was the Qi family. I never imagined I would have the chance to ride in the same car with you in my lifetime. I'll have plenty to brag about when I get back."

Qi Zhannan was overjoyed by the praise. "Contact me when you arrive in Anxi, and I'll treat you to a welcome feast. How long have you been in this line of work? What do you do there?"

"To take the lead."

"You?" Qi Zhannan's expression revealed a hint of disdain: "Then, the one with the gun is a pot?"

The tall, thin man nodded.

Qi Zhannan put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Why did you have to do this at such a young age? Don't end up not making any money and getting arrested too."

"There's no other way. Although I have some sense, I lack education and connections. My family needs the money, so what else can I do?"

"If you really want to make money honestly, I'll show you a way. Go back to Beijing, find my dad. I won't make you rich, but earning a few hundred thousand a year won't be a problem."

The tall, thin man's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Qi, are you serious?"

Why would I lie to you? I don't want to get lost either.

The tall, thin man quickly clasped his hands in a respectful bow and showered Qi Zhannan with compliments. When he ran out of compliments, he turned to Song Chiyu sitting in front of him and said, "Is this your girlfriend, Mr. Qi? She's really beautiful."

"My second aunt."

"Huh?" The tall, thin man was taken aback, and for a moment his face showed blankness, but his attitude suddenly became profound. "I see."

Even the slow-witted Qi Zhannan noticed his unusual behavior. "What's wrong?"

The tall, thin man asked cautiously, "Master Qi, how many second aunts do you have?"

Qi Zhannan's eyes widened immediately.

Looking at Song Chiyu in disbelief, Song Chiyu remained calm and did not take her words to heart.

Qi Zhannan was so frightened that he slapped his own mouth hard.

We must make sure he's right.

It's no wonder that Song Chiyu didn't take her anger out on him.

Undeterred, he pressed on, "Tell me more about it."

The story goes back a few days. The tall, thin guy and his companions didn't know when they had been targeted by Qi Yanzhou. By the time they realized it, Qi Yanzhou had already led his men to their door to ask for cooperation. Sixth Master didn't hesitate to pull out a gun and press it against Qi Yanzhou's forehead. Before Qi Yanzhou could even change his expression, he was grabbed by the hand and thrown to the ground by Qi Yanzhou's men.

They completely disregarded the threat.

Besides Qi Yanzhou and the four men traveling with him, there was also a young girl. The girl was clearly not one of them, and she was particularly attached to Qi Yanzhou, going almost everywhere he went, so they all assumed that the girl belonged to Qi Yanzhou.

The tall, thin man wasn't surprised to hear that Song Chiyu was Qi Yanzhou's wife.

After all, it's quite normal for people like them to have several wives outside the marriage once they have money. But for someone like Song Chiyu, who had no idea that her partner had someone else, things were going to get interesting.

Song Chiyu opened the map. The address Qi Yanzhou gave them was near the Holy Lake. Apart from the occasional locals going there to herd sheep, it was difficult for tourists to get there.

No wonder there was no signal.

Song Chiyu put away the map.

Qi Zhannan's heart was in his throat.

He sent several messages to Qi Yanzhou, fearing that something might go wrong and he would be blamed. However, not only did Qi Yanzhou have no signal, but he also had no signal on his end. Each message failed to send after half a day.

**

Holy Lake Camp.

Qi Yanzhou, wearing a black windbreaker, threw charcoal into the fire. The area around the Holy Lake was peaceful and prosperous, with green grass and calm water, and not even a ripple was visible. In contrast, the Devil Lake, which was separated from the Holy Lake by only a hill, was turbulent and unfathomably deep. Cattle and sheep never came here to drink.

It seems so natural that it is protected by the sacred mountain.

He sat expressionlessly in the folding chair, lost in thought. The sound of approaching wheels came from afar. Before he could look up, Zhou Yue had already come out of the tent and shouted, "Master Qi, those guys are back."

Qi Yanzhou was not surprised at all.

He glanced back slightly at the direction where the dust had been stirred up.

Besides the car they had been driving, there was another car following behind them.

The car was quite far away, and he couldn't see the license plate clearly, but he didn't care. He quietly waited for the group of people from a few days ago to come and seek cooperation with them.

They were clearly humiliated, especially Sixth Master, who looked extremely displeased.

Qi Yanzhou didn't even move, just watched the other person approach without any emotion.

At the same time, a girl came out of another tent. When she saw the group of people walking aggressively towards her, she immediately hid next to Qi Yanzhou.

Qi Yanzhou's expression remained indifferent until he heard a familiar "Second Uncle" coming from the car behind him, and then saw that face he had been longing for day and night.

Her face was expressionless, her expression cool and aloof. A gentle breeze lifted a strand of hair that brushed against her delicate, high nose, making her appear exceptionally cold and aloof. A vintage Tibetan sheepskin coat covered her tall, curvaceous figure, revealing only a sliver of her slender ankle. Her long, smooth hair was casually braided and draped lazily over her left shoulder.

Qi Yanzhou immediately stood up. The man who had been looking at everything without any reaction just a moment ago directly bypassed Sixth Master who was approaching him and quickly walked to Song Chiyu and stood in front of her.

Why are you here?

Song Chiyu actually saw him arrive, but kept her head down looking at his shoes, showing no intention of looking up. "I came to see you because I was worried about you."

"Then why don't you look at me?" Qi Yanzhou noticed the coldness in her words, took another step closer, cupped her face and said, "Baby, look at me."

Qi Zhannan had never seen him so clingy in his entire life.

She glanced at him as if she'd seen a ghost.

The girl, who had originally intended to follow him, suddenly stopped and slowly hid behind Zhou Yue.

Qi Yanzhou seemed not to hear, staring intently at Song Chiyu: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you worry so much."

Song Chiyu punched him in the chest, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably: "Do you know how long we've been looking for you? We were even ready to call the police."

The moment he saw her tears fall, his heart softened, he sighed silently, and couldn't help but pull her into his arms. "It's all my fault."

"It was your fault to begin with." She was still not satisfied and punched him on the back again.

He immediately hugged her even tighter.

He put his arm around the back of her head as if no one else was around, and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, I promise I won't make you worry like this again."

[Author's Note]

I don't know if everyone will like this plot, but I really enjoy writing this kind of atmosphere...

No melodramatic plot twists, just a sweet reunion after a short separation. [heart emoji] [heart emoji]