Miss He, who doesn't know how to fall in love

My cousin only woke up after being in a coma for two days. She only gave a few brief descriptions of how she was injured, clearly not wanting to tell Qingcheng. Qingcheng could only remain silent about this, telling her cousin to rest at home and recover, and to use the home phone or write letters whenever she needed to ask for leave.

In the classroom, Qingcheng casually flipped through the calendar on the wall. The year was almost over, and she didn't have much time left to find the documents. She sorted through the information she had recently obtained. There were indeed no major discoveries with Zhang Lulu. She had been filming in another city recently, but she used to visit Xu Xi's small mansion every week.

Could it really be that the uncle and sister-in-law have a harmonious relationship? Or is it as my cousin guessed, that Zhang Lulu is just running errands for her man, and that she slips important documents to Xu Xi? If the guess is true, Xu Xi must know where those documents are.

Hey! Isn't that obvious? We've come full circle back to Xu Xi, but even if he knew, he wouldn't tell me. Qingcheng felt like she was trapped in a vicious cycle, able to see the light at the exit but unable to reach it no matter how she tried.

By the way, since both her cousin and she guessed the document was at Xu Xi's house, why not just search his house directly? Why bother trying to chat him up? If they couldn't find it the first time, they could search twice. It was just a hidden compartment or the basement. She didn't believe that such a small place could hide anything.

Since she had just saved Sister Yan Yan, which was equivalent to doing her a huge favor, Qing Cheng planned to find an opportunity to talk to her cousin about the operation to search Xu Xi's house.

The question is, is Xu Xi's personality really as carefree as the dancer described? Qingcheng has never met Xu Xi directly, but from what he hears from those close to him, he is a man of strong emotions, even somewhat chivalrous.

He is good-looking, comes from a wealthy family, and is particularly willing to cultivate and promote younger generations. He invests his own money to participate in the production of some low-budget films in order to promote the younger actors he likes. He lends money to people without hesitation, and if the amount is not large, he doesn't even ask for a loan agreement.

Even someone as discerning as Jadeite said that aside from being a playboy, Xu Xi was a decent person. Yet, instead of going bankrupt, he thrived in both the entertainment and business worlds. Can you call him foolish? Qingcheng thinks Xu Xi is at least wise in disguise; not all playboys are just pretty faces.

Ding ding ding—

The school bell interrupted Qingcheng's thoughts. She told the children to hand in their final exam papers and not to write anything more. With the final exams over, the school's affairs could be put aside for the time being; she needed to seriously study Xu Xi's Western-style building's structure.

With a thick stack of exam papers tucked under her elbow, Qingcheng planned to go home and grade them as usual. Just as she pushed her bicycle out of the school, she saw Gao Junxiao's upright figure standing by the stone bridge. He looked like a walking gun, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay, as if he could kill someone at any moment.

His gaze was like the tip of a gun, so sharp that even Qingcheng was momentarily stunned under his gaze, and a question popped into her mind: Who has offended him again? Why is he in a bad mood and still goes all the way to wait for her after class? Why doesn't he go home and rest earlier today since he doesn't have class with her? What's the point?

The moment Gao Junxiao saw Qingcheng, his dangerous aura vanished completely. Before Qingcheng could even ask anything, he took the handlebars and urged her to go eat; he was starving.

"You have legs, go eat when you're hungry," Kiyosumi instinctively repelled the source of danger that was so close at hand. He was emotionally unstable right now, and who knew what extreme behavior he might do? But his own defensiveness seemed to make him feel wronged.

"If you're tired, I'll take you home first." Qingcheng keenly noticed the hint of fear in Gao Junxiao's expression; this man really knew how to save face.

Seeing his pitiful state, Qingcheng couldn't help but feel sorry for him and stepped forward to ask, "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm thinking?"

"What are you thinking about?" Gao Junxiao honestly repeated.

"I'll think about what you like to eat, and then I'll take you to eat what you like," Qingcheng said, staring at the man's face and enunciating each word clearly.

"So you've figured it out." Gao Junxiao perked up instantly.

"I recently discovered a dumpling restaurant run by a family from Northeast China that's really good. Want to try it?" Qingcheng smiled at the man.

Upon hearing the word "dumpling restaurant," Gao Junxiao's eyes lit up, and he excitedly said, "Of course! What are we waiting for? Get in the car and lead the way!"

Without hesitation, Qingcheng sat in the back seat and naturally put her arm around Gao Junxiao: "I heard that you have to have wine with dumplings."

"Of course! Dumplings and wine, the more you drink, the better. You know so much." Gao Junxiao's praising voice came from in front of him.

"I'll warm up a pot for you later and pour you the wine." Qingcheng changed the subject, "But you can't just drink the wine for free. Help me grade papers. It's no fun grading them alone."

"Okay." Gao Junxiao nodded, his tone as gentle as one cloud touching another.

As night fell, people strolled along the riverbank in twos and threes after dinner. Qingcheng and Gao Junxiao found a corner with streetlights and slowly graded papers. The temperature by the river was a few degrees colder than on the road. Qingcheng's hands were so cold after grading for a short while that she couldn't straighten them and kept blowing on them to keep warm.

"Are you cold? I told you to change them in the shop, but you insisted on keeping them quiet. Give them to me." Gao Junxiao took the papers over.

Seeing Gao Junxiao's serious expression, Qingcheng couldn't help but laugh out loud. Two adorable dimples appeared on her fair face, and her jet-black hair bounced happily with her movements. Gao Junxiao, standing beside her, looked back at Qingcheng with a puzzled expression and asked her what she was laughing at.

"I thought you'd eat chive dumplings, then a bite of garlic, a bite of dumpling, and a sip of wine," Kiyosumi said seriously.

"Tch, you're overthinking it. No decent person eats chive filling. I prefer cabbage filling," Gao Junxiao said with a smile. "As for garlic, I can't handle it. I can't eat spicy food."

"You really can't eat any more? You can't even eat a little bit? Then how come you can still drink alcohol?" Qingcheng leaned closer as if curious, her breath wafting onto the man's face as she spoke.

After a pause, Gao Junxiao looked up and replied, "The wine is different. I can tolerate the spiciness of shredded pork with garlic sauce."

“You’ve definitely never tried Sichuan-style shredded pork with garlic sauce. You’ve only ever had modified versions from other places,” Qingcheng said confidently.

"I reckon I'd starve to death if I went to Sichuan," Gao Junxiao said casually while grading papers.

"Hehehe, you never know, we might transfer you to the southwest one day," Qingcheng said tentatively.

When Qingcheng called on him, Gao Junxiao stopped grading papers and looked at Qingcheng helplessly, saying, "Could you please read my paper aloud instead?"

"See that river over there? Make a wish to the river god, and maybe it will change your luck." Qingcheng didn't answer the man directly, but pointed to the narrow river in front of her and introduced it.

Gao Junxiao pursed his lips, clearly not believing it. Qingcheng decided to set an example, closing her eyes and muttering, "I pray to the river god, please bless the man beside me with peace and safety, and may all his wishes come true. May all his enemies suffer bad luck, get burned by hot water, and trip over flat ground."

The bright moonlight shone on the river, making it appear exceptionally holy. The person beside her did not respond for a long time. Qingcheng opened her eyes slightly and glanced at Gao Junxiao out of the corner of her eye. He was motionless like a wooden statue, staring at her with a dazed look in his eyes.

"What's wrong with you? We need to add fuel to the fire." He Qingcheng's expression turned solemn, and he asked in a calm tone, "Fellow Daoist, why don't you make a wish when you visit me so late at night?"

"Oh, you're the River God now, what's your name?" Gao Junxiao asked cooperatively, his eyes never leaving the river.

"My secular name is not something I would like to share with outsiders. If you wish, please call me Fairy Maiden," Qingcheng said, feigning nonchalance.

"Haha, you're so refined and elegant, you're like a fairy. You'd look great as Guanyin at the lantern festival." Gao Junxiao also clasped his hands together in a prayer, "Alright, I'll make a wish. I'll let He Qingcheng marry me."

Qingcheng retorted irritably, "How vulgar! Change it."

"Then may I ask, Fairy, what were you thinking while you were spying on me for so long?" Gao Junxiao asked with ill intent.

"This fairy is thinking about how to enlighten this mortal before me and help him achieve the Great Dao." Qingcheng was not intimidated and uttered a few common lines from operas.

"I am content with my life in the mortal world and have no desire to become an immortal. I just want to be an ordinary person," Gao Junxiao said, clearly refusing.

“It’s hard to shake off your mortal nature, so I can only go back and report to the Heavenly Emperor, asking him to find another fairy to enlighten you. Farewell.” Qingcheng made a move to leave, but Gao Junxiao pulled her back.

Gao Junxiao quickly said, "Don't go! I've never met a fairy like you in my entire life. Please give me another chance."

Qingcheng made a lotus-shaped hand gesture with one hand, looking quite serious: "You've never seen a fairy, but you've seen plenty of demons. There's a saying: A beauty is hidden in a painting, red lanterns and colorful silks lead the way, a young man with many treasures peeks at the jade screen, and the hall full of gold and jade loses all conscience."

Gao Junxiao's eyes were innocent as he suppressed a laugh and replied, "Don't scold me, it's not what you think. I actually don't want to go to a brothel either."

"What I think is unimportant. I advise you to withdraw as soon as possible and not trouble yourself," Qingcheng advised with a stern face.

“Fairy Maiden, your insight is brilliant. With your reminder, I have come up with a solution that satisfies both parties.” Gao Junxiao continued, “If you agree to descend to the mortal realm and be my wife for this lifetime, I will surely achieve the Great Dao, and you will be able to complete the Heavenly Emperor’s mission. It’s a win-win situation.”

"What a 'killing two birds with one stone' idea! Do you think this request is reasonable?" Qingcheng couldn't help but roll her eyes. He talks about marriage all the time. What's his obsession with marriage? Saying more would make it sound like a joke, okay?

“That makes sense. As long as the fairy aunt teaches us day and night, even a piece of wood can achieve the Great Dao. Besides, I believe I have great potential,” Gao Junxiao said meaningfully.

In response to his opportunistic confession, Kiyosumi sneered, "Heh, you're hopeless."

"Who sentences someone to death after just a few words? Fairy, keep trying." Gao Junxiao smiled like a blue-eyed fox, closing in on his prey step by step.

"I can't save him, do as you please." After saying that, Qingcheng leaned into his arms, then rubbed her forehead and asked slowly, "Oh dear, what just happened, Xiao?"

"It's nothing, you've just been possessed by a fairy." With a beauty in his arms, Gao Junxiao didn't bother to argue.

"Is the fairy pretty?" Kiyosumi asked, squinting her eyes.

“Of course a fairy would look good with your face on her head,” Gao Junxiao replied without hesitation.

"Oh, I found out. So you like my looks. You're just lusting after me. How lewd." Qingcheng pouted and pushed Gao Junxiao away, creating distance between them.

"Fine, whatever you say, I'm done for." Gao Junxiao took a deep breath and looked at the river. "I'm off to suppress the bandits."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Qingcheng in the dead of winter, but she quickly recovered. Suppressing bandits was Gao Junxiao's job, and he had to rely on military merits to make a name for himself. Staying in Shanghai all the time would indeed be detrimental to his promotion.

Besides, their internal strife is endless; it's better to go out and fight the enemy openly. Composing herself, Qingcheng calmly said, "I wish you all the best and swift success."

"You're so reasonable, it's not like you at all." Qingcheng found Gao Junxiao's words increasingly off-putting, and wondered who he was speaking to in such a sarcastic tone.

It's true that you shouldn't pay attention to people in a bad mood; they take it out on you for no reason. Gao Junxiao isn't a man who only cares about romance. The reason he was so humble before was clearly to lull his internal enemies into a false sense of security, using his pursuit of her as a pretext to divert attention. He was too lazy to even expose the truth.

For him, she was more of a tool than an object of affection. Realizing her own worth, Qingcheng decided to play dumb to the end, offering a lukewarm thank you for the man's recognition.

The feeling of punching cotton probably wasn't pleasant. A simple "thank you" left Gao Junxiao speechless for a long time. He jumped up, pointed at Qingcheng, then tilted his head back and took a few deep breaths. Finally, he wilted back down next to Qingcheng like a frostbitten eggplant and angrily threw a pebble into the river.

Ripples spread across the water's surface, and Qingcheng thoughtfully picked up an even larger stone and handed it to Gao Junxiao. Gao Junxiao took the stone with a helpless expression and threw it back into the river.

After a few exchanges, Kiyosumi asked softly, "Are you feeling any better?"

"No!" Gao Junxiao said this in anger, but his expression relaxed considerably.

The only thing that could make Gao Junxiao so angry was some trivial work-related matter. Qingcheng rolled her eyes and asked, "When are you leaving?"

"At the earliest, around the beginning of the year," Gao Junxiao said lazily.

“Then you have to attend the ball too. How about this, you take me to Mr. Tang’s year-end ball, and I’ll be your dance partner.” Qingcheng put her arm around the man’s shoulder and said solemnly, ignoring his bewilderment, “As the saying goes, if you’re unlucky in officialdom, you’ll be lucky in love. Take me to the banquet and show off in front of your colleagues. You’ll regain most of your face.”

The moonlight poured down with a soft glow, and Gao Junxiao stared at Qingcheng, looking her up and down: "Be bold, I can not only regain all my face, but I can also make it overflow."

"Is the dress ready?" Kiyosumi asked, tilting her head.

"I'm waiting for you to come with me to get my new clothes made. It would be too impolite to wear an old dress to the New Year's ball," Gao Junxiao said with emotion.

Qingcheng nodded in agreement to the man's additional request: "Okay, I know a good tailor from the Hongbang School who makes men's clothing. I'll take you to get it done this weekend. But shouldn't you finish grading all my papers now?"

"Okay, I'll fix it right away." Gao Junxiao said, pinching Qingcheng's cheek.

"Don't pinch my cheeks anymore. Why are your hands so annoying?" Kiyosumi poked the man angrily as a warning.

Unexpectedly, Gao Junxiao went a step further, grabbing her soft pancreas and refusing to let go, even claiming it was to warm her hands.

Qingcheng mentally spat at him, thinking, "Pah, shameless! He's clearly trying to take advantage of me!" She yelled during the struggle, "Let go!"

"Hey, don't move around, or the papers will all fall out and blow into the river. It'll be your fault," Gao Junxiao complained, frowning.

Could he be any more shameless? Why did I even have any expectations of such a shameless man? Humph, I shouldn't have had any expectations of him at all.

--------------------------------------

The lights in the distance formed a band of light, but the room was so dark it was as if there was a black barrier between them. Qingcheng was stunned for a moment. Why weren't the lights on? Had her cousin gone back?

Turn on the lights!

Suddenly, her cousin's deep voice came from the corner, startling Qingcheng. She obediently turned on the overhead light. Qingcheng suddenly felt exhausted. Was she having a bad day? She had just seen off a man, and now there was a woman at home. Her temper was about to flare up.

While hanging up her coat, Qingcheng asked Sister Yan why she wasn't resting.

"Can you send a telegram?" Yan Yan asked out of the blue. Qingcheng's heart skipped a beat. Her room should be very "clean". There were no red books or periodicals on the bookshelf. Her usual communications with the organization had long been disposed of, and the radio was kept in the safe house.

Qingcheng swallowed hard to calm herself down, telling herself to stay calm and stay normal, and met her cousin's cold gaze to indicate that she wouldn't.

"Oh! Memorize this codebook, and I'll personally teach you how to send messages." Yan Yan tossed out a small booklet, her tone sharp and unyielding.

What codebook? Qingcheng carefully opened the unfamiliar book. Rows of numbers came into view. It was a Morse code encryption book. Could it be CC's communication encryption book?

The thought of this possibility stirred a powerful emotion within Qingcheng, but she couldn't show it. What if it was a test from her cousin? If she foolishly fell for it, she would be walking right into a trap, and her life would be in danger.

"I'm not doing it. It's such a hassle to carry around such a thick book." Qingcheng closed the book and handed it back to her cousin, observing her cousin's expression out of the corner of her eye. Her cousin's face remained indifferent, revealing no emotion, except that her fingers were nervously rubbing the cuff of her other sleeve.

"Never mind then, I won't force you." Yan Yan maintained her original posture and didn't press the matter further, quickly changing the subject, "You went to eat with Gao Junxiao again. You should take extra care of him lately."

Qingcheng nodded in agreement, feeling infinitely regretful about missing the codebook. Why didn't she have the ability to remember everything she saw? Even if she went back to her room immediately to write it down from memory, she could only remember about 50%. Oh well, every cloud has a silver lining. Her main task was still the documents.

"Don't just stand there, it's all for your own good. The more you help Gao Junxiao now, the more you'll be the woman he trusts most, even if you two don't have feelings for each other anymore," Sister Yan said slowly as she poured herself a cup of tea.

Thinking of Gao Junxiao's state, Qingcheng realized, "Huh? Why?"

"Don't be fooled by his seemingly glamorous exterior; he's actually a victim of internal strife. This is his lowest point, the perfect time to win people over," Yan Yan explained.

Qingcheng had heard some of the infighting and treachery within the National Government: "Sister Yan Yan, could you tell me about it in detail?"

"Gao Junxiao's rank is colonel, but his previous position was division commander. Did you notice the problem?" Yan Yan asked after drinking water.

"His position is one rank higher than his actual military rank. But that's not a big problem, is it?" Kiyosumi knew that the management of military ranks and positions within the National Government had always been chaotic.

“Actually, his good friend Chen Yao had the same problem. Both of them were young generals who were promoted exceptionally during the Northern Expedition. But they were Chiang Kai-shek’s confidants and favorites. After Chiang Kai-shek established the capital in Nanjing, he wanted to standardize military ranks, so he would definitely start by targeting those who were not his direct subordinates,” Yan Yan said matter-of-factly.

"Of course, this is all a smokescreen. The main purpose is to suppress other factions. Behind Gao Junxiao is Commander Tan, a veteran of the party and state who followed Mr. Sun Yat-sen in the revolution. That old man is very shrewd. He voluntarily handed over his military power and exchanged it for a nominal position as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Nanjing. However, Chairman Chiang was still not at ease and removed Gao Junxiao's military power and replaced him with his own people."

"Fortunately, this man has some talent and was noticed by Commander Xiong. He was not sent to Huangpu to be a teacher. Now he has changed his appearance and become the representative of the Baoding Clique. Commander Xiong also cleverly brought in his protégé Chen Yao. They are all fellow students of the Baoding Military Academy. With their concerted efforts, the Baoding Clique's heads cannot be suppressed for a while."

Qingcheng chimed in, "Doesn't that sound great? Let's start over on a different mountain."

"Since he brought along Chiang Kai-shek's close associates, Chiang Kai-shek didn't have any objections, but the Whampoa Military Academy faction had a lot to say. Commander Xiong's team wasn't entirely composed of his people, so they inevitably tried to trip up Gao Junxiao. But Commander Xiong couldn't interfere every time; he had to maintain a balance. In the end, Gao Junxiao still had to work hard to establish himself," Yan Yan summarized.

Qingcheng was completely bewildered after hearing this. The factions within just one Central Military Academy were so complex that even graduates from different schools could form several factions. However, she did understand one thing: Gao Junxiao had indeed been bullied by a colleague, and that person was even of a higher rank than him.

“I understand. Let’s put his aside for now. Why don’t we just search Xu Xi’s mansion? There’s a high chance the documents are currently stored there,” Qingcheng said bluntly.

Yan Yan's expression suddenly turned extremely strange. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke with a cold laugh: "Heh! How do you think I got injured? I triggered hidden security while searching Xu Xi's house. This matter needs to be discussed in detail."

Qingcheng never expected that even a veteran intelligence agent like Yan Yan would stumble. She had underestimated her; Xu Xi's family was an impenetrable fortress! She decided to stick to the original plan and get to know Xu Xi at Mr. Tang's ball first.