Chapter 90 All good things must come to an end, even the most continuous feast must eventually conclude. Finally…
All good things must come to an end, even the most extravagant feasts must eventually close. As the last bowl of rice was served, He Zhao shouted, and only after all the ghosts' eyes were on her did she say, "That was the last bowl. Once you've finished your rice, that's it. When you're done eating, please take your bowls and chopsticks and throw them in this trash can. Then tidy up the floor mats and put them away neatly."
"Don't eat and drink so well, and you expect me to stay here and clean up your mess. Don't you even know what time it is? Making me bend over in the middle of the night to clean up your mess, how can you be so shameless!"
As ghosts, they were actually quite embarrassed, but they absolutely couldn't say this to He Zhao, after all, he was the Rice Immortal who controlled their rations. So the ghosts could only obediently nod in agreement.
The faster I ate just now, the slower I'm eating now. At first, I thought I could eat a lot more, so I stuffed everything into my mouth with all my might. Now that I know this is the last one, I'm chewing slowly and carefully, afraid of finishing it all.
Some narrow-minded ghosts, like the suture-thread water ghost, even set their sights on the last bowl of rice. Startled, customers who came to get their rice quickly grabbed theirs and ran to a corner to eat. Some ghosts saw this and couldn't help but mutter, "So stingy! Does anyone think they can steal your rice?"
After giving her instructions, He Zhao went straight back to Qiao Yanyu's side and tucked herself into the warm blanket. She had brought a small heater with her, but with three people today, it wasn't enough. Plus, there wasn't one in the dining car, and she almost shivered from the cold while just talking to her there.
Thankfully, it was warm and cozy around Qiao Yanyu. He Zhao felt incredibly sweet and comfortable being enveloped in a warm blanket when he returned. After lingering for a while longer, they finished eating over there, and the ghosts came over to throw away disposable bowls, chopsticks, and mats. He Zhao had managed to make them all extremely well-behaved. There was nothing left for He Zhao to do; all that was left was to clean up the mess and leave.
After the ghosts finished their work, they said to He Zhao, "Boss, thank you for your hard work. We'll be going now."
However, I also know that I've worked hard.
He Zhao nodded demurely, indicating that he understood and that they could leave. After all the ghosts were gone, He Zhao crawled out from under the small blanket, tucking the corners down to keep Qiao Yanyu warm. Then he pulled Wang Yu along, saying, "Don't just sit there, there's so much to do, hurry up and help."
Wang Yu had no choice but to reluctantly part with the little sun before getting up.
No sooner had the two left than Qiao Yanyu told Hua Hua to sit down, explaining that they were still busy for a while. Hua Hua was indeed very well-behaved, remaining obedient and not trying to sneak away, but standing right next to He Zhao and the others. Now, following Qiao Yanyu's instructions, it sat down directly in its seat.
He Zhao was in charge of cleaning up the stall, while Wang Yu was responsible for dealing with the mats and trash. The trash cans weren't big, but they could hold a lot, because although everyone ate a lot, there weren't many people there, and besides, it was just some disposable tableware trash, nothing else. So cleaning up was simple; they just had to pack it up.
The ghosts ate everything clean; not a single grain of rice stuck to the disposable bowls and chopsticks, which can be directly recycled and reused.
He Zhao packed up her stall, drove the electric scooter outside the park, and then turned back. She tidied up her stool, leaving Hua Hua standing to the side. At this moment, He Zhao pushed Qiao Yanyu outside, and Hua Hua obediently followed behind.
When they returned to Wang Yu's car, Wang Yu ran over carrying trash bags and the floor mats. She opened the car door, and He Zhao carefully helped Qiao Yanyu into the passenger seat.
Now that we've arrived, it's time to say goodbye. Even the most lively banquet must come to an end, and once everyone's gone, only desolation remains. However, He Zhao wasn't sad at all, and it's rare for someone to feel lonely just because a group of ghosts are gone. Her heart and eyes were only on Qiao Yanyu in front of her. She looked up and smiled, saying, "Sister Qiao, I'll come visit you tomorrow."
Qiao Yanyu couldn't help but smile: "Okay."
In reality, He Zhao wasn't there to play around; he was there to keep her company, take care of her, and even bring her chicken soup. How could Qiao Yanyu not like He Zhao like that? But at this point, Qiao Yanyu didn't understand her own feelings, only thinking it was affection for a friend.
While the two of them were being all lovey-dovey, Wang Yu, who was standing behind them in the cold wind, shivered. Wang Yu ignored them and let them be lovey-dovey. She turned to Hua Hua and said, "Let's go, we'll get in from the driver's side." She opened the driver's side door, let Hua Hua get in first, and then put the seat back in its original position.
Wang Yu got in the car and started the engine, but the two of them still hadn't finished talking. Wang Yu couldn't help but say, "Senior Qiao, let the boss go home first. It's chilly in the evening, don't catch a cold later. Otherwise, you two will have to share a hospital room again."
Having said all that, even though Qiao Yanyu was reluctant to part, she could only wave goodbye to He Zhao.
The car started moving, heading in different directions from He Zhao. Qiao Yanyu watched He Zhao disappear from the rearview mirror before turning her head and letting out a sigh of relief. Qiao Yanyu wasn't sleepy. She had spent the whole day at the hospital and knew there would be a banquet tonight, so she had caught up on sleep during the day and was now full of energy.
Seeing her like this, Wang Yu ate a mint before asking, "Senior Qiao, do you really like He Zhao?"
This question truly surprised Qiao Yanyu, but there shouldn't be a single answer to it. However, Qiao Yanyu felt a little ashamed to speak up. She didn't understand why it was normal to openly express one's feelings; her hesitant and timid manner seemed rather abnormal.
In stark contrast to Qiao Yanyu was Huahua, who was sitting in the back seat. It also heard the question, and before Qiao Yanyu could figure it out, it grabbed the driver's and passenger's seats with both hands, leaned forward, and squeezed its head to the front.
Wang Yu's microcar already had a small interior space, and now that it's been squeezed to the front, the space seems even smaller.
The small space made Hua Hua's already somewhat timid voice much louder. It exclaimed excitedly, "I like her! I like He Zhao! He Zhao is a good person, a really good person, and she even feeds me delicious food! And her cooking is especially delicious! I like her so much!"
In short, Hua Hua used three sentences to express her liking.
This made Qiao Yanyu, who felt awkward and unable to express her true feelings, feel somewhat annoyed. She reached out and placed her palm on Huahua's face, and with a little force, made Huahua sit back in her seat.
Qiao Yanyu said calmly, "Sit still, or you'll fall."
Hua Hua raised her hand, the shackles on her wrist making a slight noise. She covered her forehead and muttered softly, "Hua Hua won't fall."
Wang Yu knew why. Most of the time, she was unreliable, but occasionally she would suddenly become clever. At this moment, Wang Yu saw through the truth, just like when she saw through the fact that there was probably something going on between the two of them in the hospital.
Wang Yu understood; Qiao Yanyu was slightly jealous. It was embarrassing to admit, but seeing someone openly express their affection for He Zhao while she remained silent and unable to utter a word, it was normal to feel resentful.
It was also from noticing this small detail that Wang Yu realized something: Qiao Yanyu was becoming more and more humane.
The bureau chief always says there are a lot of oddballs in the bureau, but Qiao Yanyu is certainly one of the biggest oddballs out there. She has a good reputation with the bureau chief, but most investigators consider her a weirdo. She's passive-aggressive and never creates work for herself unless absolutely necessary—this is the consensus among most investigators. Because every mission means danger.
The director will match the investigators with the appropriate investigators based on the difficulty of the task. In other words, when a task is presented to you, it means: the one below you can't handle it, the one above you is too much of a waste, and you are just right for it—perfectly suited to your strength. But ghosts are so treacherous and cunning. If you accidentally investigate the wrong one, even if it is a perfect match in strength, you may still die directly.
So, which investigator isn't on tenterhooks when they receive a mission? When there are no missions, they enjoy life, act recklessly, and live for the moment – that's the true picture of investigators. After all, they have a lot of money, and their biggest fear is leaving before they've spent it all.
Investigators are all in this state, and Wang Yu is no exception. They always find tasks extremely difficult, and normally they try to avoid them if possible, but when the director personally gives an order, there's no escaping it. But it's not all bad; once the task is completed, they can rest for a long time.
Of everyone, only Qiao Yanyu was an oddball. She was incredibly proactive in completing missions and was a notorious lone wolf. Even someone like Wang Yu, when going on missions, usually went in groups of two or three, and would never go alone unless absolutely necessary. She only went alone when faced with a seemingly easy mission like protecting He Zhao.
Qiao Yanyu was different. No matter the intensity, even when the director suggested she find a partner, she simply ignored him. "The Workaholic Thirteenth Sister," was how the investigators in the Countermeasures Bureau called her behind her back. Qiao Yanyu never stopped working; she was always striving.
Many people suspect that Qiao Yanyu has some deep-seated hatred for ghosts. There are investigators like this in other regions' countermeasures bureaus who have been investigating the ghosts that killed their family members in the past. So they work hard to complete missions, and even when they don't have missions, they will go out to look for clues.
After so much time, everyone realized that Qiao Yanyu wasn't like that at all. She didn't have any continuous targets to investigate; she simply accepted missions, and there was no connection between the missions. Moreover, she wasn't a hostile member; she didn't just think "kill, kill, kill" when she saw a ghost. Instead, she would carefully discern whether the ghost was innocent or not, whether it had done anything wrong, and she would even sincerely perform rituals to help innocent ghosts pass on.
Why is that? What is Qiao Yanyu trying to do?
It's like she's a machine that only does tasks. She never knows how to stop except to do tasks. I don't remember ever seeing her ask for a vacation.
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