A week after the theft of the 'Moon Goddess' jewelry, another jewelry theft occurred at the Maysfield Jewelry Fair in Beijing's Xichun District. The stolen jewel was a sapphire cufflink belonging to Earl Fielding Barton. Police investigations revealed striking similarities in the methods used in both thefts, suggesting they were committed by the same group.
According to unofficial historical records, the Earl of Fielding Barton was one of Princess Aldington Helen's secret lovers, and the lost cufflink is said to be a love token given to him by Princess Aldington Helen.
Meng Ziqiu:
I was wondering if this theft gang had their eyes on that princess's collection. They stole all the most expensive sapphires, picking the most expensive ones. Those two items alone must be worth hundreds of millions!
Xu Qian stroked his chin and looked at the information. He searched for information about Princess Aldington Helen. There were quite a few descriptions of this princess online, with various comments from different sides. But what was certain was that she was an extremely mysterious woman. She had a nickname: 'Poison Rose'.
Princess Aldington Helen was born in 148 AD, the beginning of the Rickman Empire's decline from its zenith.
Princess Aldington's early life was relatively peaceful until she married Prince Olipold, who was also her cousin, at the age of eighteen. That winter, a nationwide plague suddenly broke out in the Rickman Empire. The high mortality rate of the plague dealt a very heavy blow to this powerful country and was the last straw that broke its back.
Meanwhile, her husband, Prince Olipold, whom she had married less than a week earlier, also lost his life in the plague.
Fortunately, Princess Aldington survived the plague that killed nearly 10,000 people, becoming one of the few royals to survive.
In the years that followed, almost every one of Princess Aldington Helen's lovers met a bad end.
If we were to summarize this history in one sentence, it would probably be: On the N ways a princess's lover can die.
However, Xu Qian remained somewhat skeptical. After all, unofficial history is unofficial history, and it's hard to say whether they were lovers or whether he died because of the princess.
Xu Qian was genuinely interested in this theft team; he was curious about how they managed to steal the jewelry from the various levels of the game.
Meng Ziqiu:
Not only that, I also found out that the 'Moon Goddess' that was stolen from Yongchang Jewelry was actually salvaged by Hua Laosan from a shipwreck tomb overseas.
However, something happened later, and it ended up in the hands of the Jiang family.
Xu Qian:
Are there any jewelry exhibitions coming up? That theft gang might be interested.
Meng Ziqiu:
Believe it or not, there really are some, but it might be difficult to sneak in; the police have sent a lot of people to guard it.
Xu Qian:
It's okay, I'll figure out a solution.
Soon, Meng Ziqiu sent an address, still in Beijing, for a week later.
A week later… Xu Qian flipped through his schedule and realized it clashed with filming "Mirage Tower." It looked like he'd have to take time off again. Hopefully, Xiaomai would understand. (Looking up at the sky)
...
Wheat was, of course, very unhappy about this!
"Just one day, no, half a day will do! I'll talk to the director myself, don't worry!"
"Brother Xu!" Xiaomai crossed her arms, her expression serious. "It's settled this time, you can't just take leave like that again next time!" It was only because Xu Qian was one of her own that Xiaomai had to say these things to him. The entertainment industry is a rapidly changing circle, and even the slightest mistake can affect your future. Protecting your reputation is the only way to go!
"Yes, I know, thank you." Xu Qian wasn't ungrateful; he could tell at a glance who genuinely cared about him.
Xiaomai looked at him, suddenly feeling a little awkward, and quickly lowered her head. She even wondered if her tone had been too harsh. Ah, she shouldn't have said such hurtful things; she should have just spoken nicely. Waaah…
Xu Qian smiled, finding it somewhat cute. He wanted to reach out and pat the other person's head, but he restrained himself. No flirting, no need to be so impulsive!
"Okay, I'm going to get busy now. Let's talk on WeChat if you need anything." He said, and ran towards the film set.
"Eh... okay." Wheat watched him run away dejectedly, stayed in the same spot for a while, and then left.
On the other hand, Xu Qian's leave request went much more smoothly than expected. Director Zhang didn't even ask him what he was going to do and granted his request directly. Later, Xu Qian found out that Zuo Yan had also requested leave, and he had requested leave for a whole week.
"Haven't you heard?" The speaker was an actor from the crew who had acted in two scenes with Xu Qian. "Brother Zuo had a family emergency and went back last night."
"Huh? What happened?" Xu Qian really didn't know. He had been recording a program the other day, living a life of seclusion. How would he know anything about the inside story?
"His son was hospitalized, it seems he was possessed or something, he tried to commit suicide," the man immediately added, "but he's been rescued and is in the hospital now, alas, it's pitiful..."
Xu Qian twitched his ears but didn't reply. They're using words like "possessed by an evil spirit," so the situation must be unusual.
The two chatted for a bit before going about their business, and the assistant director came over with a water glass in his hand.
...
Xu Qian rarely leaves work early; he announced the filming was off at around 6 PM. After all, without the lead actor for one segment, the assistant director wasn't really keen on rushing the schedule.
When he returned to the apartment that evening, the two Meng brothers had already cooked rice and washed and laid out the vegetables as instructed, waiting for their respectable chef to return.
Xu Qian expressed his satisfaction, saying that cooking is something that makes him very happy, not only because it tastes good, but also because it helps him relieve stress.
Meng Liangchen remained squatting in the kitchen. Having eaten instant noodles and takeout for three consecutive days, he really missed his brother Xu's cooking. That was the life he was looking for! He didn't know how he had survived the past few days. After eating Xu Qian's cooking, going back to takeout was like going from luxury to simplicity—it was so hard!
Meng Liangchen suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, Brother Xu, the interview is next Wednesday afternoon, don't forget."
"It's Wednesday again? Why do they all happen at the same time?" Xu Qian tossed the wok.
"Were you busy that day?" Meng Liangchen was unaware of the jewelry exhibition.
"I guess so," Xu Qian said, tilting his head.
"Can't we reschedule? The interview is on the same day," Meng Liangchen said as he approached.
"It's alright, I already had a plan." Xu Qian snapped his fingers, summoning the puppet he had already frozen in place. "Just have him participate in the interview."
"...Huh? Who is it—ah!" Meng Liangchen subconsciously looked behind him, only to be surprised to see another 'Qin You,' with identical eyebrows, eyes, and expression! Holy crap! What's going on?! How can there be two?!
Xu Qian ladled the stir-fried dishes onto a plate and said, "This is a puppet. Apart from being a little weak in combat and a bit bad at cooking, it's just like me. It's perfect for protecting you at school."
“I will protect you.” ’Qin You’ turned to Meng Liangchen and smiled at him.
"..." Meng Liangchen stared, mouth agape, completely dumbfounded. Even their smiles were exactly the same!
"Since it's been summoned, let's leave it like this from now on, no need to take it back." Xu Qian placed the plate in Meng Liangchen's hands, gesturing for him to take it inside.
“…Oh, oh.” Meng Liangchen walked along, glancing at 'Qin You' as he went. He still felt a bit surreal. What was going on? How did he suddenly appear? Was this some kind of magic? In that instant, Meng Liangchen suddenly understood his brother’s feelings—the feeling of a fantasy novel coming true, exactly the same.
A while later, Meng Ziqiu, who had just come out of the shower, was also startled. What was going on?! There were two of them?!
Xu Qian snapped his fingers, drawing their attention. "Let me introduce you. This is your 'Qin You,' your cousin. He's my puppet. When I'm not around, you can treat him as me."
Meng Ziqiu exclaimed, then turned his gaze to Xu Qian and asked the first question that had been on his mind—"Why aren't you here?"
Xu Qian was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his head and chuckled softly before looking up and saying, "No, I won't be gone."
Meng Ziqiu looked into his eyes and smiled as well, "Yes, let's eat, let's eat."
...
After dinner, Qin You and Xu Qian shared a room. His bed was a double, which wasn't a problem, and he even had Qin You tidy up his bedroom – he was quite pleased!
"Hiss—" (Why did they suddenly decide to use a puppet?)
Xiaoqing's voice came from behind.
Xu Qian did not answer; it was Qin You who spoke, "Because if we don't use it now, I feel there won't be any more opportunities to use it later."
"Hiss—" (I really don't understand you humans)
"Why do you have to understand it?" Xu Qian turned around, tilting his head to look at her. "Isn't it better to do whatever you want?"
"Hiss—" (But are you?)
Xu Qian thought for a moment, then shook his head, "Okay, I'm not."
"Hiss—" (Has something happened?)
After a moment of silence, Xu Qian changed the subject and brought up another matter, "What about you? You should know why Chu Qingxia asked me to bring you out. She doesn't want you to spend your whole life with her in the dark underground."
"Hiss—" (Didn't you already give me the answer?)
Xu Qian laughed out loud, understanding. "That's right, that's what she most wants you to do, even if it means you'll be separated and never have the chance to meet again."
Xiaoqing responded after a while.
(She said she hoped I could help her check if the sea jasmine in Luoshangfu had bloomed, and if the Mirror Lake in Zhaohongtuo was covered with fallen flowers...)
Xu Qian felt a pang of sadness as he listened; he too longed to go and see for himself.
Thinking of this, Xu Qian squatted down and looked at Xiao Qing. "Let's go look for it together after I finish what I'm doing. Let's look for Haigezi in Luoshangfu and see if Mirror Lake in Zhaohongtuo is covered with flowers."
(But strangely enough, I don't really want to find these two places...)
"...Huh? Why?" Xu Qian didn't quite understand.
(So what if we found it? What's next?)
“Next…” Xu Qian stroked her little head, “Next is your world. Go do your own thing, not for anyone else.”
(Minecraft?)
Yes, your world.
Author's note: I'm on a business trip today, so tomorrow's update will be a little late.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
