In the end, Yan Lang simply shook his head; the other party's clarification was a lie, their real intention was to attract attention.

“Just tell her it’s all just hearsay. Everyone knows you have a girlfriend, and the truth will prevail. By the way, Xu-ge, who exactly is your girlfriend?” Yan Lang changed the subject as he spoke, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at Xu Qian.

Xu Qian paused for two seconds, then showed him the photos he had prepared in advance. "She's traveling in Ulan. When she gets back, I might have to kneel on a washboard."

"...Wow! You've kept this a secret way too well." Yan Lang looked at the glamorous woman in the photo, then at his brother Xu, and found a surprising harmony between them.

You can imagine the Flower Poison CP as a pairing.

“She usually stays in her hometown,” Xu Qian added.

"No wonder I haven't seen you before. You always took leave to go back to your hometown, right?" Yan Lang didn't expect this to be a lie, after all, his brother Xu was indeed the kind of person who would disappear from time to time.

Xu Qian nodded, "Mm."

Yan Lang thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Alright, leave the rest to me."

"……?"What's up?

Yan Lang continued, "Also, the program team of Haiwei TV sent an invitation to the 'Palace' production team. Sister Mai asked me to ask you if you want to go."

Sister Mai?

Xu Qian suddenly realized that Xiaomai hadn't contacted him for a while. Before, she would send him work assignments directly, but now... never mind. Just thinking about all the things he had to do gave Xu Qian a headache. "I won't go. I have some things to do in a few days."

"Go see your sister-in-law?" Yan Lang quickly changed his mind.

"...Hmm." I guess so, anyway, Xiaoqing is going to be seen eventually.

Just as Xu Qian was thinking about Balelandi, Yan Lang logged into his Weibo account. Almost everyone knew that he was Xu Qian's assistant, and they would often check his Weibo to get information.

For example, right now, Pen'er asked Yan Lang in a private message: Does Xu Qian have a girlfriend? Who is his girlfriend?

Yan:

He's not in the industry, and then this...

Brother Xu is kneeling on a washboard right now...

[！！！]

Why do I feel so sad...?

[…Fine, I'll put up with it. Someone outside the entertainment industry is better than that actress surnamed Pei.]

[This is so unscientific! How can they hide so well? Are the paparazzi just sitting around doing nothing?]

For a moment, I really thought my brother was a nobody...

[Xu Meiren (with a horrified expression): Please don't mention me, thank you. I'm already a nobody!]

[I can picture it in my mind...]

[It's good that he's not in the entertainment industry. Besides, Xu Meiren is 25 years old. Isn't it normal for him to be in a relationship? In addition, he has always said that he has a boyfriend.]

[_(:з」∠)_ It seems that Lao Xu was the one who actively pursued her; I'm so jealous!]

[Add one if it's sour]

[Kneeling on a washboard is so realistic!]

[From casual fan to fan]

[Add one to your fan list]

Yan Lang looked at the discussion in the group and closed Weibo with great satisfaction. Yes, that's how the momentum was started.

On the same day, Qin You, who was at school, was dragged to the school square by Fang Zhe from his dormitory, where club recruitment was underway.

Qin You wasn't really interested in this, for no other reason than that he didn't have a good impression of the school's club activities; they were not only boring but also a waste of time.

Fang Zhe is different. He wants to go, but it would be very boring for him to go alone. Even if Qin You doesn't participate, it would be okay for him to go with him!

But Qin You soon learned what it meant to be slapped in the face—the school actually had a free travel club!

The person leading the recruitment was the man on the motorcycle whom he had met twice.

"Excuse me, would you like to know more?"

Qin You couldn't resist the temptation and nodded.

The man immediately pulled out a document that was neither too thick nor too thin from the table. “This is our club’s information. You can take a look at it first.”

Qin You took the information from the other party. Rather than information, it was more like their travel photos. The group had different modes of transportation and went to different places, but it looked... very interesting.

"I'm Huang Jun, the president of the independent travel club. Our club doesn't have any mandatory activities, but we do organize some outdoor activities regularly. The members are quite enthusiastic, and many people sign up. Hey, fill out this form first. Even if you don't come, consider it making a new friend." Huang Jun thought to himself that if he could bring this junior in, he would definitely receive quite a few more 'cuties' this year.

Qin You hesitated for a moment but still filled out the form. Based on past experience, this was not considered joining the company, but only an expression of interest.

After filling in the information, Huang Jun looked at the name, then happily put it away and said to him, "Qin You, we will have a small meeting at 2 pm on Saturday in Room 201 of Building 4 to get to know the new members a little better. Be sure to come!"

Qin You replied, "Then I'll be going now, thank you, senior."

You're welcome!

On the way back to the dorm, Fang Zhe heard that Qin You had actually joined a club, and when he heard it was a free travel club, he immediately became interested. "Are you planning to travel the world?"

Qin You smiled and shook his head. "That club president rides a motorcycle."

“…Oh!” Fang Zhe’s eyes looked a little strange.

"???"

"It's nothing," Fang Zhe changed the subject. "I joined the anime club and the basketball club. The president of the basketball club knows you. He asked me to ask if you wanted to join their basketball club."

"The president of the basketball club? Do I know him?" Qin You was puzzled. Apart from those few girls, he didn't know any club president.

Fang Zhe explained, "Hey, we all got to know you on the forum. You played basketball with us before, and your female fans recorded it and posted it online. So, the club president wanted to recruit you."

Qin You really enjoys playing basketball, but he needs to think carefully about joining the club. "We'll see."

"They're having a meeting at 3 PM on Saturday. Why don't you come with me? We'll see if you want to join later."

"Three o'clock..." Qin You thought that the independent travel was at two o'clock, which was an hour's time difference... If there was enough time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to go and take a look.

Just as Qin You was pondering the choice of which gang to join, Xu Qian, the main character, had just boarded a ship far away at sea.

As the former edge of the Rickman Sea, the Baleranti has a vast area, making it extremely difficult to find someone in the sea. This is a major reason why Agatha and her team have only taken action now.

If Xu Qian hadn't had some kind of cheat code, he might not have been able to keep up with them.

Having boarded the ship, Xu Qian used his stealth mode to search for Neil. He hadn't been able to contact Xiao Qing yet because there was no signal on the ship, making cell phones practically useless. However, once he found Neil, Xiao Qing should be within reach.

Before leaving, Xu Qian carefully checked his backpack. He only had one Lixin Pill left, which he needed to use in a critical moment. He hoped to use it on Hua Laosan, as his master's Ziyang Treasure Box had to be retrieved.

The ship was very large, and there were even more people on board, a dense mass of yellow and a few faint red dots, at least a hundred people.

Xu Qian found Neil, who was hiding in the cabin, by following the bounty icon. He wasn't alone; he had brought along the monkey named Xiao Qian, who nestled in his arms like a child.

After noting down Neil's bed number, Xu Qian went to find another bounty—Agatha Evelyn.

Compared to Neil, Agatha Evelyn's cabin was far more luxurious. Apart from her, who was sitting with a bright red "Help" sign above her head, everyone else had a red name on their head—all of them were people with blood on their hands…

Xu Qian clicked his tongue in amazement and found a corner to hide in.

"Did you get the answer?" Agatha Evelyn asked into the computer.

Xu Qian walked over and glanced at the scene, discovering a blond man standing opposite him, and behind the man was... Hua Laosan's godson who had gone abroad. The man was tied to a chair and appeared to be injured.

Agatha Evelyn rubbed her forehead, her tone somewhat impatient, "Fine, he's an illegitimate child after all. Keep a close eye on him and don't let him run away."

"yes!"

Xu Qian raised an eyebrow, realizing that he wasn't a godson, but an illegitimate child.

“Mr. Aldington’s patience is limited, and I hope everyone remembers that,” Agatha Evelyn said to everyone present, including those on the other end of the computer.

As soon as she finished speaking, all the red-named individuals present nodded hurriedly, showing complete obedience to Agatha's commands.

As Xu Qian listened, he began to understand what was going on. The group of people in front of him had been searching at sea for quite some time and had finally found some clues.

Several years ago, a group of people came to a small island called Kosori. After investigation and confirmation by Agatha and her team, it was found that they were the same group of Hua Laosan.

It seems they're looking for... a shipwreck tomb?

Xu Qian was almost certain of this idea.

...

Back in the lower cabin, Xu Qian changed into the same clothes as the others (borrowed from the cabin), and using his foreign face as a member of the Ming Cult, he adopted the alias Mike and successfully infiltrated the ship fleet.

It was almost dawn when Xu Qian felt a cool sensation on his fingertips. He opened his eyes and met a pair of orange-yellow eyes—it was Xiao Qing.

Xu Qian put away the warm jade from the bedside table; it was the secret signal he and Xiao Qing had agreed upon before he came.

Xu Qian reached out to Xiao Qing again, and soon Xiao Qing transformed into a mark, burrowing under his skin. At first glance, it looked like some kind of tattoo.

The next day, before dawn, a thunderous horn sounded from the ship, signaling that they had arrived at their destination.

Xu Qian followed suit and disembarked from the ship along with the other passengers.

As soon as we came out, the temperature dropped several degrees. The sea temperature was already close to zero, and now it was below zero.

Kosori is a very remote island and the only place to land in this area.

Xu Qian followed the group to a very dilapidated group of wooden 'houses'. Calling them houses was a bit of a stretch; they were more like 'wooden boxes' no more than three meters wide and long. Some of the 'houses' were surrounded by piles of dry grass, while others were supported by wooden stakes to raise them up.

This is the home of the Alte people, the indigenous inhabitants of Kosori.

Author's note: Tomorrow's update will be at 6 PM!

***