45 45
◎Fangfang◎
Huacheng and Ancheng are not too far apart. Mu and Qing set off early in the morning and arrived home by noon.
When she got home, a large table of dishes prepared by Mu's parents was already waiting for her.
Mu Heqing tried to stuff a chicken wing into her mouth; her mother had given her too much food, and she couldn't eat anymore.
She couldn't bear to let Mu's parents' hard work go to waste, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and eat.
It was her doorbell that rescued Mu and Qing from the pile of food.
Mu's mother got up to open the door. Standing outside was a middle-aged woman with red lipstick and long, wavy hair. She looked somewhat familiar.
"Fangfang?" Mother Mu's tone was uncertain.
The woman hugged Mu's mother warmly: "Sister Hezhi, it's me! You didn't expect that, did you? Haha!"
"Oh my, it really is Fangfang, come in quickly."
Mother Mu quickly greeted her. Fangfang was her friend from her youth, whom she hadn't seen for over ten years, and today she had unexpectedly knocked on her door.
"Aunt Fangfang?"
Mu and Qing didn't have a deep impression of Fangfang, only remembering that her mother had a very good friend who often came to their house when she was a child.
“Little Qingqing is here too, she’s grown so much!” Fangfang said excitedly, reaching out to touch Mu and Qing’s faces.
Mu and Qing could only laugh helplessly as their faces were being fondled.
Fangfang is an old friend of Mu's mother. She is only a few years younger than Mu and Qing's mother, but she dresses much more fashionably. It is said that she has been doing business abroad all these years.
"When did you get back?" Mu's mother asked.
"I just came back to visit in the last few days. After all these years, Huacheng is no longer the Huacheng I remember." Fangfang's expression was complicated, as if she was reminiscing about the past.
She is very well-maintained, with soft, slightly full lips and a shrewd look in her eyes. Apart from the inevitable signs of aging, she is not much different from when she was young.
"You seemed to be doing well abroad, why did you suddenly come back?" asked Mu's mother.
"My business was doing very well, but then the two major local gangs started fighting, and countless people died. I couldn't do business anymore, so I came back to China to hide for a while. I also came back to see you all." Fangfang saw Mu and Qing eating and, without any hesitation, picked up her chopsticks and joined them.
Mu and Qing suddenly had much less food to consume.
"A fight broke out?"
“Yeah, we were keeping to ourselves, but I don’t know why we suddenly started fighting. The scene was so bad that no one dared to go out.” Fangfang stuffed a piece of beef into her mouth. “This dish was made by my brother-in-law, right? It’s good, it’s good. He’s improved over the years.”
Mu's father smiled quietly to himself; he wasn't a talkative person.
"Get lost! It's been so long since we last met, and the first thing you do is eat, and you're even writing reviews!" Mu's mother laughed and scolded. "Fangfang, things are so chaotic abroad, you should just come back. Why do you have to stay overseas?"
"I'm thinking about it too, but there's no rushing it," Fangfang said.
After dinner, Fangfang and Mu's mother moved to the living room to catch up. Mu and Qing placed a plate of fruit on the coffee table in front of her.
Fangfang smiled, pulled Mu Heqing into her arms, and touched her face, saying, "Little Qingqing, let Auntie see how your mother's darling is doing now."
Mu and Qing were extremely embarrassed; Fangfang was just that kind of enthusiastic person.
"I'm fine," Mu Heqing said softly.
"Not bad, not bad, you're good at talking and eating. Don't worry your mother too much. A few years ago, your mother... never mind, I shouldn't have brought it up." Fangfang thought of something and stopped talking.
Mu Heqing knew what she was referring to. Seven years ago, Mu's mother had also asked Fangfang for help, asking her if there were any ways to treat Mu Heqing abroad.
Although Fangfang was abroad, she still cherished her past friendship with Mu's mother and sought help from many people. However, Mu and Qing's illnesses were not something that could be cured by ordinary people.
Mu Heqing didn't want to disturb Fangfang and her mother's conversation, so she prepared to close the window and go back to her room to rest.
The birds outside the window are indeed noisy, disturbing the conversation inside.
She walked to the window and placed her hand on the edge. Suddenly, several black crows flew to the tree next to the window and cawed hoarsely at her.
"Bang--"
Mu and Qing slammed the window shut.
She heard Fangfang in the living room say, "Huh? When did Huacheng get so many crows? I always see these crows abroad too."
"Crows can be found everywhere," Mu's mother said indifferently.
Mu Heqing turned around and slowly asked, "Aunt Fangfang, I haven't asked you yet, which country did you go to?"
“It’s the Hunting Kingdom, a small country,” Fangfang said.
…………
"Hunter's News Flash: In the early hours of this morning, the two major gangs, the Carliao Gang and the Li Gang, clashed violently at the Crossroads. Both sides used automatic weapons and bullets in a fierce firefight, resulting in multiple buildings being hit by stray bullets. Currently, 12 people have been injured and 7 have died."
Mu and Qing swiped their phones.
"Family, I'm in Kalia, the Kingdom of Hunting. Can you believe it? The two major gangs in Kalia are fighting. Can you hear the voice behind me? You won't be sleeping tonight."
Mu and Qing opened the comments section.
[Watch out, streamer! Is Hunting Kingdom really this chaotic?]
[No police in the country? Gang warfare prevails?]
The local gang is the boss; they're rumored to have fought over one of their henchmen.
【What underling?】
[A supposedly very powerful underling initially followed the Ao gang, but was later poached by the Li gang. The Ao gang was furious, and the two gangs started fighting.]
Mu and Qing swiped their phones again.
[The man who sparked the fight between the Cagliari and Ri gangs—pictures and proof included.]
Mu and Qing zoomed in on the image with two fingers. It was a very blurry picture, and the faces were almost impossible to make out.
But she still noticed his skin color, which was the same as that of frozen pork that had been in the refrigerator for three years.
Pale, cold, lifeless.
Ah, it's Feathered Corpse.
Her old high school classmate.
Mu and Qing lost interest in the matter and started watching other short videos instead.
She scrolled for a while and saw another familiar face; big data recommendations are really powerful.
"Friends, I don't know if it was a dream or reality, but I really saw a painting that was unparalleled and absolutely perfect. I felt that my soul was being sucked away and that my life would be left in that painting."
On the phone screen, Qin You looked upwards, as if recalling something.
Mu Heqing hadn't expected to see Qin You this way. He had fainted after seeing Si Fei's painting at the Guihui Building last time. While looking for security for him, Mu Heqing encountered Jiang Kaicheng and Yin Yin, and afterwards, she forgot all about Qin You.
It now seems that Qin You didn't realize that what he saw in the building was Si Fei's painting, and thought he was dreaming.
"This painting transcends technique and surpasses realistic meaning. I really want to see it again." In the video, Qin You continued to exclaim in amazement.
Mu and Qing opened the comment section, and without exception, all of them were mocking Qin You. Qin You's online reputation wasn't good, so these comments were normal. Occasionally, there were a few comments like "I'd like to see what that painting looks like," but the rest were comments like "Master Qin changed his style today" or "Is he preparing to sell products?"
When Qin You talked about his paintings, it reminded Mu Heqing of Consort Si.
Before setting off yesterday, Mu and Qing contacted Si Fei. After a few days of cold treatment, Si Fei finally told them everything that happened at the Guihui Building that day.
If Sifei's words are true, then we can draw two conclusions: First, Baoyan knows Yinyin's movements and that Yinyin is about to find Mu and Qing; second, they want Mu and Qing to establish a connection with them and use their abilities; third, and most importantly, they are cooperating.
They make no attempt to hide this fact.
What is the purpose of doing this?
I originally planned to start with Nightmare, but he ran away. Now that his good brother has arrived, it's not a good idea to target him.
Because humanity has coexisted with Leonid for so long, the information obtained from him is a mixture of truth and falsehood.
Purpose, think about the purpose.
What can she change by establishing connections or contracts with them?
Without knowing the ultimate goal, all efforts are in vain.
Compared to them, Mu Heqing was just an ordinary person, and only one person. He was not strong enough, and he couldn't outnumber them. Mu Heqing's fate was almost certain to be a loss.
Mu and Qing realized that Si Fei was not part of their plan, and when they asked Si Fei, she didn't know their specific purpose either.
Let's assume for now that Li Shi and Bao Yan are cooperating. Oh, and there's Cai too. She hasn't appeared for so long that Mu and Qing have almost forgotten about her.
Who else could it be?
The hoarse, harsh cawing of several crows outside the window interrupted Mu and Qing's thoughts.
Mu and Qing put down their phones, stood by the window, and gazed at the crows outside.
The pitch-black crows tilted their heads, spread their wings, and the instant Mu and Qing looked at them, their black feathers vanished, and several crows turned into birds with only skeletons, white flames burning in their empty eye sockets, a scene resembling hell.
Mu and Qing blinked. The crows looked just like any other crows, with their jet-black feathers, and they cawed hoarsely at her.
"It's so noisy," Mu Heqing said calmly.
The crows stopped cawing.
She drew the curtains, out of sight, out of mind.
After Mu and Qing drew the curtains, a man appeared outside her window. The man was pale and bloodless, and seemed to be close to death. After he appeared, several crows flew to his side and circled around him, unwilling to leave.
"Let's go." The man's voice was low. He glanced in the direction of Mu and Qing, and slowly left with the crow.
Mu and Qing breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally gone. Did they think this was a fashion runway, where every single one of them had to walk the runway?
In high school, everyone disliked each other, which is why Mu and Qing were able to leave No. 13 Middle School smoothly. Now, however, it's much more difficult for them to work together.
Moreover, they've already learned their lesson once, so they probably won't make the same mistake again.
So what do we do now?
Or how about we try to trick you one more time?
Mu Heqing curled up on the small bed, her face hesitant. This wasn't No. 13 Middle School. If something went wrong, she wouldn't be the only one to die.
Let's think of other solutions.
Otherwise, try to find out some information from that swindler and see who's behind him.
Mu and Qing opened Lin Guo's contact information and dialed the number.
Come meet me, you liar.
[Author's Note]
Happy National Day! [kissing emojis]
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