"Let me go?"
After finishing his work, Zhang Zizhen returned to the sanatorium and went straight to Yan Jue's room. After asking him in detail about the process and feelings of drawing qi into the body, he heard from him about what happened this morning and finally got this commission.
Honestly, he was glad to be able to help, but wasn't it too much to trust him to deal with two old foxes on his own? He was just an ordinary Taoist priest, someone who had joined through the backdoor due to his unnatural status. How could he compare to a serious advisor like Yan Jue?
He has no experience.
Zhang Zizhen had no idea that their consultant Yan actually relied on a cheat to get in through the backdoor, and before he succeeded in drawing in the qi, he was still no match for him who had a special skill.
Now hearing that Yan Jue entrusted him with an important task, he cried in his heart and hesitated as to how to refuse. While thinking, his eyes could not help but drift to the table, or to be more precise, to the little stone man Ah Qing who was busy working beside Yan Jue on the table.
Ah Qing asked Yan Jue to place his right hand on the table, palm facing up, and then he began to work. He didn't care what the teacher and the man with the strange haircut were talking about. He just played happily.
He asked Yan Jue to spread out his five fingers, first fixed the position of his index finger, touched it to indicate that it should not move, then ran to the middle finger and bent it to the side.
However, because the width between the two fingers that Ah Qing stretched out was beyond Yan Jue's flexibility limit, his index finger began to shrink. So when Ah Qing finished his work, he turned around and found that he had walked so far, but in fact it seemed to be far from what he estimated. It was only two steps away?
He just worked so hard for so long, but it turns out it was all just a self-satisfaction? QAQ
Ah Qing's expression was blank for a moment, then he turned back to bend his index finger. This time he learned his lesson, and while bending it, he looked back at the distance between his index finger and his middle finger. As he watched, he realized where the problem was.
He looked up at Yan Jue's profile and saw that he seemed to be busy talking to someone and didn't pay attention to him, so he had to repeat his work with grievance.
Zhang Zizhen glanced at the changes in the emoticons on Ah Qing's face, and was so touched by their cuteness. When he saw that Ah Qing began to feel aggrieved, he subconsciously raised his eyes to look at Yan Jue.
Yan Jue was serious, but the smile in his eyes never stopped even as he kept an eye on Ah Qing. After seeing Zhang Zizhen's accusations, he coughed lightly to call his attention back: "Well, this matter has something to do with you. You can't run away."
Hiss, it hurts, I feel like my fingers are about to split. Why on earth did Ah Qing spread his fingers so wide?
Zhang Zizhen had no choice but to look away. "Brother Yan, I don't think I can do it. They're former intelligence officers. Where do you get the confidence to think I can get information from them without making a sound?"
"I just trust your social skills. You were the first one to get to know Mr. Hu."
Yan Jue didn't actually want to put the blame on Zhang Zizhen. His real thought was, "You've talked to him a lot. What kind of tricks do you think he falls for?"
He came here to discuss how to deal with the situation.
Zhang Zizhen recalled: "Grandpa Hu is quite easygoing. He seems to be able to understand all the tricks and praises everyone he meets..."
As he spoke, he realized the problem. He stopped talking and pondered for a moment before coming up with an idea: "Brother Yan, since we can't match the wits of Old Hu and the others, then why not just not compete? Didn't Brother Wen say that Old Hu is waiting for you to ask him? Why don't we just ask him directly?"
"There's a saying that goes, 'A random punch can kill a master.' Let's break the rules and deliver a straight punch that's guaranteed to catch them off guard." Zhang Zizhen spoke with growing confidence, "Really? Brother Yan, trust me, that's how I dealt with my grandfather."
How could you possibly win against those old foxes by playing tricks? Speaking directly and acting like a spoiled brat was the right path. Of course, acting like a spoiled brat in someone else's territory was fine, but that wasn't very elegant.
"No matter what they want to know, our secrets cannot be revealed even if they are beaten to death. No one will believe us even if we tell them. Other things don't matter. We are not afraid that they will follow the clues to find out."
"Your idea overlaps with Brother Wen's." Yan Jue touched his chin: "But it makes sense."
Otherwise, Wen Xuyang wouldn't have let him snoop around. Perhaps that was also his plan? They were simply staying there, with no special mission, so he wasn't afraid to ask.
He raised his free hand and patted Zhang Zizhen's shoulder: "Then I'll leave Mr. Li to you. Since he's worried about your identity, he must be particularly interested in you. If you take the initiative to seek him out, he will definitely not avoid you."
"Make sure the mission is completed."
The number of people dropped from two to one, and Zhang Zizheng instantly gained confidence, patting his chest loudly.
Their conversation came to an end. After Ah Qing had been busy for a while, he finally realized that the teacher's fingers were really not obedient. He had to give up the exaggerated width and adjust it to a distance that the teacher could adapt to and would not shrink back quietly.
Then, he stood on the knuckle of Yan Jue's index finger and performed a standing long jump.
He was so focused on the fingers in front of him that he didn't notice that the two people's voices had faded and were looking at him intently.
Ah Qing swung his hand and jumped hard onto his middle finger.
Feeling the not-so-heavy weight on his finger, Yan Jue almost couldn't help but close his palm reflexively. He restrained himself and saw Ah Qing successfully jump onto his middle finger, sway and stand firm before continuing to sprint towards the next finger, with a smile on his face but did not make a sound to disturb him.
To Ah Qing, his fingers were the width of a branch, just enough for his feet to fill. To him, Ah Qing's leaps on his fingertips were like parkour between branches. Every move was filled with caution, and he didn't dare make a sound to disturb her concentration.
Even if his fingers were so low from the table that it was negligible, he didn't want to see Ah Qing fall. What if he broke into pieces?
He caught a glimpse of Zhang Zizheng taking out his cell phone to take a photo, so he gave him a death stare and successfully repelled the other party.
Turning his attention back to Ah Qing, Yan Jue thought helplessly that Ah Qing seemed to be truly adept at finding entertainment in everything around him, using it to pass the time and amuse himself. If it were Noel, he would definitely be begging the teacher to accompany him or watch videos; in short, he couldn't be idle.
On Ah Qing's side, the appeal of the video doesn't seem to be as great as these simple pranks, which makes it hard not to associate it with the time when he lived alone.
Yan Jue took out his cell phone and secretly checked his favorability level. It was already sixty.
When did it reach that level? He didn't know. It had been a long time since he paid special attention to the increase in the favorability of the cubs. Turning off his phone, Yan Jue thought with some distress. The favorability level was already 60, but Ah Qing didn't seem to show any intention of relying on him.
The dependence he talked about did not mean that he could not live without him completely. It meant the dependence that when he was bored, he could come to him to act coquettishly and make requests, like today, instead of playing alone in silence.
This is so well-behaved, it's a bit heartbreaking.
But on the other hand, he felt that the cubs would eventually return to reality, have their own life journeys, and would meet more people, so it would not be good for them to be too close to him.
Sure enough, being a father is not that easy.
Yan Jue sighed imperceptibly, and suddenly remembered something. His finger stayed on the "Customer Service" option for a long time. Finally, he glanced at Zhang Zizheng, closed the game and planned to ask later.
During the brief moment he was stunned, Ah Qing had already reached his ring finger.
The pinky finger is a bit shorter, so the distance is larger. Ah Qing took a deep breath and jumped forward, successfully standing on the tip of his pinky finger. Before he could feel happy, because the standing area was too small, his center of gravity was unstable and he fell down. Ah Qing was unable to react for a moment and subconsciously closed his eyes.
Shrouded in a soft darkness, Ah Qing blinked blankly. After realizing that it was the teacher who had held his hand, he smiled and stretched out his hand to the teacher: "Thank you, teacher."
He grasped the tip of Yan Jue's left hand and rubbed it. After releasing it, he found that there was another stranger staring at him with a very intense gaze. His face flushed, and he quickly grabbed Yan Jue's fingers to cover himself.
Oops, the failed scene just now was seen by a stranger.
Zhang Zizhen wiped the non-existent blood from under his nose and said boldly, "Brother Yan, can you lend Ah Qing to me for a few days?"
What kind of cutie is this? It’s so adorable.
Before Yan Jue could say anything, Ah Qing slipped out from between his fingers like a loach and stood in front of Zhang Zizhen. She made a throwing gesture towards him and shouted angrily, "Bad guy!"
He believed that the teacher would never send him away, and he was angry at the bad guy who wanted to take him away.
"Ouch, what hit me?" The force of the blow was less painful than a pinch. Zhang Zizhen looked around the table in surprise, "I heard something fall on the table. What was that?"
Ah Qing was angry and aggrieved that her anger was ignored, and she took another stone from her hand to throw. Yan Jue saw it and quickly covered Ah Qing's hands, comforting her while constantly patrolling the table, trying to find the stone that Ah Qing had thrown.
He wasn't surprised that Ah Qing was angry. To a child, the joke "Your parents don't want you anymore" was a bolt from the blue; throwing stones was the worst kind of shock.
"The teacher will not send you away. He is an idiot who speaks without thinking. Ah Qing, let's not bother with him." As he said this, he once again sent a death stare to Zhang Zizhen.
Zhang Zizhen was angry but dared not say anything. He apologized with a sullen look on his face and helped Yan Jue look for it: "Brother Yan, what does that thing look like?"
He will never be rude again.
Yan Jue held up Ah Qing's hand, which had a small fingertip missing, and showed it to him: "See anything else? Find this one."
Zhang Zizhen looked at Ah Qing with a look of shock on his face, which made Ah Qing so angry that he almost threw a stone at him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm a fool, don't bother with me." Zhang Zizhen apologized quickly, not caring about his face: "Don't smash it, it's a part of your body. If you throw it again, I will be guilty."
Yan Jue took the opportunity to slap Zhang Zizhen on the arm, making a loud, crisp sound. "Look, the teacher beat him up. Ah Qing, don't throw your body parts away carelessly in the future, okay? If you're angry, tell the teacher and he'll help you beat him up."
Ah Qing held Yan Jue's thumbs up, glared at Zhang Zizhen, and nodded seriously.
However, the stone was too small, and they couldn't find it after searching for a long time. Yan Jue frowned and asked, "Ah Qing, can you sense where the stone is?"
Ah Qing shook his head, he didn't have that skill.
Zhang Zizhen felt even more guilty: "Brother Yan, I will definitely find it! Ah Qing, I'm sorry."
Ah Qing secretly glanced at Zhang Zizhen's red arm, and after a while he whispered, "No need to look for it, I can grow it back by eating other stones."
Zhang Zizhen: "What kind of stone? How much do you want? I'll buy it for you!"
Yan Jue patted Ah Qing's head and said, "This is your business. You decide for yourself."
He was very happy to cultivate Ah Qing's ability to communicate with others, instead of just talking to people in the kindergarten. When he saw strangers, he would be shy and hum, unable to speak or think.
Ah Qing touched his head, looked at the teacher's encouraging expression, then looked at Zhang Zizhen who looked sincere, and his expression suddenly turned shy: "I, I want a small piece of jade, it's sweet. Is that okay?"
"Of course!" Zhang Zizhen was about to ask for a piece of imperial green jade from his father's collection: "Wait, I'll buy it for you tomorrow at the latest!"
Seeing him about to leave, Yan Jue quickly grabbed him and said, "Don't forget about Mr. Li!"
"I know, I know. Brother Yan, call me when you go."
Zhang Zizhen ran back to his room, picked up the phone and started crying: "Dad, your son is in big trouble. I can't afford to pay without a piece of imperial jade. Help me..."
After watching the impetuous Zhang Zizhen leave, Yan Jue placed Ah Qing on the table, touched his missing finger, and asked him, "Are you still angry?"
Ah Qing shook his head embarrassedly: "I'm not angry anymore. I just realized that he is a friend of the teacher, and what he said must have been a joke..."
Yan Jue didn't deny it: "It was a joke, of course. It's because Mrs. Qing is so cute. Everyone who sees her likes her."
"Wow, really?" Ah Qing held her cheeks: "Ah Qing is super cute?"
Yan Jue nodded vigorously: "Of course. Super cute!"
Fortunately, Ah Qing didn’t have any ranking in mind, otherwise, if asked, how would he answer to satisfy all three cubs?
After Ah Qing realized that she was being teased because she was too cute, she stopped being angry and started laughing to herself: "Hehehe, Ah Qing is super cute and very likable."
He was very happy to be liked by so many people, but he didn't bother with the person who spoke without thinking.
Yan Jue couldn't help but agree: "Yes, Ah Qing is super cute."
Ah Qing's way of speaking always makes people laugh, and even when he is praising himself, he never makes people feel bored.
While he was talking to Ah Qing, he didn't give up looking for the little stone. He watched cartoons with Ah Qing for a while, sent him back to kindergarten for lunch, and told him that he had something to do in the afternoon and reminded him to send him a message in advance. Then he continued looking.
He searched the desk thoroughly and found it in the crack of an ornament. He returned it to Ah Qing as a gift. As for Zhang Zizhen? He didn't say a word about his discovery.
In the afternoon, when the elderly people in the nursing home woke up from their nap and started to move around, Yan Jue called Zhang Zizheng and started their action.
After finding Uncle Hu writing big characters in the entertainment room downstairs, Yan Jue stood in front of the table with a sad expression.
Hu Zhengfeng's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it as he continued writing his big characters. He lowered his head and asked, "Xiao Yan, have you learned calligraphy? If not, Grandpa Hu can teach you."
"Grandpa Hu, would you tell someone about someone else's private affairs to someone you've known for less than three days?"
It's over, they're here to settle the score with him. Hu Zhengfeng was just about to laugh it off and ask his old friend for help, but he saw that the entertainment room, which was originally crowded, had become empty. Only he and Yan Jue were left.
After cursing his disloyal old companions for the one hundred and eighth time, Hu Zhengfeng looked up and laughed, "Hahaha, maybe I think you look familiar, haha."
Yan Jue insisted on not playing tricks on the old fox and continued, "I believe you are not that kind of person. So, in that case, was the story about Grandpa Li something you made up to deceive me?"
"No, how could I make this up?" Seeing that he couldn't avoid it and would be misunderstood, Hu Zhengfeng told the truth: "Meimei did die four years ago, and they were indeed deeply in love. After Meimei's death, Lao Li became extremely depressed. The experience I told you is not a lie. That's it, that's it..."
"It's just that Lao Li didn't suffer from depression for several years, but recovered in just a few months. I just exaggerated a little bit. Lao Li agreed to let me use this. I'm not a big talker."
Yan Jue continued to complain: "Then why did you lie to me about Mr. Li's love experience?"
"I told you I'm not lying!" Hu Zhengfeng glared. "I don't have any credibility with you anymore, do I? How come you're so young and your hearing is worse than mine?"
"I used Lao Li's story because it was the saddest of us all, and that's why it aroused your sympathy. But who knew you were such a coward? After I told you, you wouldn't dare to ask again."
Many of them were widowed, but with the support of their children or work, they were able to get through it early. Only Old Li was the most special.
"Tell me, what do you want to see me about this time?"
"It's nothing. I just realized you lied to me and I was curious about Mr. Li's affairs, so I came to ask you." Yan Jue said honestly, "I'm not afraid, so I came to ask."
Hu Zhengfeng glared at him: "Is it just Old Li?"
Yan Jue was confident and self-righteous, trying to cover up his own intentions by shifting the blame onto Hu Zhengfeng: "You betrayed him, so of course I have to ask him first."
The author has something to say:
Zhang Zizhen: Cute, I want to steal it...
Yan Jue: Bang, you’re dead.
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