What bad intentions could a girl who smiles a lot have?
Early in the morning, Gao Junxiao received a tip that Wang Mama had gone to the inn to inform them that Xiao Qinghua would be returning the next day and invited all the gentlemen to Huanyufang for their visit. This revealed another clue to Liu Shengqi's whereabouts.
Given Madam Wang's greed, she probably won't let Xiao Qinghua have any extra rest time. Xiao Qinghua will either come back tonight or tomorrow morning. Gao Junxiao immediately deployed new spies around Huanyufang.
It's a pity we didn't have the help of the police station, otherwise we could have known the direction the carriage was heading and deduced Liu Shengqi's den of thieves. Now it's too late to ask for help through connections. It seems we'll have to investigate Huanyufang again.
Gao Junxiao was busy until sunset when the administrative secretary came to distribute the evening newspapers. He looked up from his work, kindly took the newspaper, casually put it on the table, and continued his work. Lu Xian probably couldn't stand it anymore and whispered, "Brother, it's almost time to get off work. Should I go get the car?"
"Have the defenses at each intersection been arranged?" Gao Junxiao asked, putting down his pen.
"All set. I've already booked the private room for you tomorrow night. We can bring Commander Chen along; he's a new face, so no one will suspect anything." Lu Xian explained all the follow-up arrangements in one go.
"Okay, I'll talk to him later." Gao Junxiao pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve the soreness in his eyes.
"I'll go get the car now. Please come down in fifteen minutes." Lu Xian waved his car keys and brushed past Chen Yao as he left. Chen Yao was holding half a scallion pancake and plopped down on Gao Junxiao's desk. He tried to pick up a newspaper to read, but Gao Junxiao snatched it away first, refusing to let him see it.
"Is there some secret you're hiding from me?" Chen Yao asked, pointing at Gao Junxiao with a mocking look in his eyes.
"Secret my foot! Haven't I scolded you in a while? Are you feeling unwell?" Gao Junxiao gently patted Chen Yao's greasy finger away with a newspaper, then opened the newspaper to see what major news was in store.
As soon as he opened the book, the exaggerated headline immediately caught his eye: "Tang Family's Second Daughter Commits Violent Offense in the Street; Police Arrive Too Late, Nearly Causing Injuries and Crowds." Looking at the accompanying photo, Gao Junxiao's heart skipped a beat.
Even with a black line drawn across their faces, he immediately recognized one of the women as He Qingcheng. In the photo, He Qingcheng had a gun pointed at her head, and this girl was still fearlessly grabbing the other person's wrist; did she think she had nine lives?
While munching on a flatbread, Chen Yao waved it in front of Gao Junxiao's eyes and said, "What's wrong with you? Tell me what big things happened in Shanghai today."
"It's nothing, wipe your hands clean first." Gao Junxiao tossed Chen Yao a clean handkerchief, wondering if he should call Miss He to offer his condolences.
"A grown man whining like a woman. Why don't you just use the newspaper to wipe your hands?" Chen Yao patted the crumbs off his uniform and tried to snatch the newspaper.
"I always thought you were a woman with a beard," Gao Junxiao joked as he quickly locked the newspaper in the drawer.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yao immediately crossed his arms and deliberately said in a high-pitched voice, "I treat you like a brother, but you treat me like a woman. You're despicable."
"You despise yourself and others despise you. If the Eastern Depot were still around, I would write you a letter of recommendation." Gao Junxiao frowned as he cleared the crumbs from the table.
Before the two could finish their banter, a series of hurried footsteps interrupted their teasing. Upon hearing the footsteps, Chen Yao immediately jumped off the table, stood beside it with his hands behind his back, and looked so serious that Gao Junxiao wanted to kick him to death. What a load of rubbish!
"Big brother, big brother, look at this—" Lu Xian rushed into the room in a hurry. When he saw that Chen Yao was also there, he immediately straightened up and saluted Chen Yao, "Commander Chen, good evening."
"Lieutenant Lu, what are you looking at? Let me see too." Chen Yao slowly walked towards Lu Xian and snatched the newspaper from his hand. Suddenly, he pointed at the newspaper and sneered, "Isn't this Tang Manman and Jin Xiaoyin?"
"Oh, you know her?" Gao Junxiao was a little puzzled. Tang Manman was the legendary Second Miss Tang, right? Jin Xiaoyin? He Qingcheng? He suddenly remembered the book that Chen Yao read every night, wasn't it written by Jin Xiaoyin?
"I'd like to get to know Jin Xiaoyin, but I only know Tang Manman. The principal arranged a blind date for us, but it didn't work out. She's just a man in a woman's skin," Chen Yao said disdainfully.
"Heh, the Chairman really likes to play matchmaker. He doesn't even spare married women." Gao Junxiao sneered inwardly. He just wants to use political marriages to bind you and make you loyal to him.
"You can't say that. The principal didn't force me, and you know what's going on in my family. That's not the point. How did a respectable writer and a street bully end up arguing?" Chen Yao instantly channeled the gossip king from Caishikou.
Gao Junxiao scratched the back of his head helplessly. So Jin Xiaoyin was He Qingcheng's pen name. It seemed that Commander Xiong had mentioned it before, but he hadn't paid attention at the time and forgot about it as soon as he turned around. He asked Chen Yao somewhat awkwardly, "Is Jin Xiaoyin's book good?"
"My God, you're so old-fashioned! You haven't even read Jin Xiaoyin's books, and you're getting angry when I show them to you." Chen Yao scolded Gao Junxiao, then changed the subject and recommended, "Go back and borrow 'Eternal Night' for me to read first. It's a divine book. It tells the story of a young lady whose family fell on hard times and who experienced the coldness and warmth of human nature. She started as a dancer and eventually became the head of a dance hall."
"That's too unrealistic." Gao Junxiao shook his head with a smile. The best outcome for a dancer is to leave her profession and get married. How could she become the manager of a dance hall?
"As for novels, as long as they're entertaining, that's fine. If you want something realistic, I suggest you read another book, 'Qingping Fangjian Tan.' That book debunks many legends. The one that impressed me the most was about the Fallen Flower Cave Girl. Let me tell you, the Fallen Flower Cave Girl was actually a girl from a minority ethnic group who was driven mad by feudal dogma. She was so pitiful." Chen Yao said with a pout, his face full of sympathy.
Wait, the woman from Falling Flower Cave is going mad... I think I've heard that somewhere before. Gao Junxiao's thoughts had long since drifted to the ends of the earth. A beautiful voice echoed in his mind: "The water in Falling Flower Cave isn't very clean. If you really want to drink it, remember to eat some of the long yellow grass at the cave entrance first; it can detoxify you."
It was those words that saved his life years later. Coming to his senses, Gao Junxiao said to Lu Xian, "Go and report to headquarters."
"Why go to the newspaper office? Let's eat first." Chen Yao's voice was left far behind by Gao Junxiao. He had a question he had to ask.
Given that the two were just ordinary friends, Gao Junxiao did not impulsively rush to the newspaper office to find her. Instead, he made a phone call from a phone booth at the street corner. If He Qingcheng was not at the office, he would call her home.
Unexpectedly, the person who answered the phone was He Qingcheng herself. She was on duty today and knew it was Gao Junxiao. He Qingcheng told him not to come to the newspaper office and that she would come downstairs.
When He Qingcheng ran downstairs, panting, she looked around but didn't see anyone. When she turned around, the man's smile was as warm as the morning sun. However, his military uniform was too conspicuous. There were other colleagues on duty upstairs. What if someone saw him?
Qingcheng had no idea what this man was up to this time, so she could only pull him toward the Huangpu River, figuring that no one would notice if she was overstepping her bounds at night. Gao Junxiao, being good-natured, let her lead him to the riverbank.
As dawn broke, the dazzling light along the Huangpu River spread out with the mist, and the elegant or magnificent buildings of all nations around were tinged with a dreamlike color, as if they were close at hand and yet in a distant land.
The two strolled slowly along the riverbank. Gao Junxiao coughed lightly and spoke first: "Are you hurt? That newspaper last night was pretty scary."
"It's nothing. We have a good-for-nothing junior colleague at our newspaper, so I had to teach him a lesson." Qingcheng was a little surprised by his concern and tilted her head to ask, "Ah Xiao, you didn't call me so late just to offer your condolences, did you? What do you want?"
"I'd like to place a missing person ad," Gao Junxiao said casually, his hands behind his back.
"You should have said so earlier." Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly realized her rashness and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't give you a chance to speak earlier. Now you can speak, and I'll help you enter it when we get back." As she spoke, Qingcheng pulled a palm-sized notebook out of her pocket.
"It's been a long time, and it might be difficult to find the person," Gao Junxiao casually reminded Qingcheng, indicating that the matter was challenging.
"It's okay, why bother advertising in the newspaper if it's easy to find? Advertising in the newspaper gives us more hope, right?" Qingcheng thought there was no problem, unaware that her smiling face was as dazzling as a diamond in other people's eyes, illuminating the entire night sky.
"About eight years ago, in the Wuling Mountains, near Changde, Hunan." Gao Junxiao changed the subject and asked, "Qingcheng, have you ever been to the Wuling Mountains?"
"I... have been there, near Zhangjiajie." Qingcheng paused for a moment before admitting that she had been there. Zhangjiajie has beautiful scenery, so it's normal for her to go there for sightseeing.
“That makes things easier. You know where it is.” Gao Junxiao said with absolute certainty.
"Hmm, who are you looking for? Please describe their age and physical characteristics." Kiyosumi brought the topic back to the missing person notice.
“It’s a girl. She said she’s fourteen years old.” Gao Junxiao said each word carefully. If the person opposite him were an impatient person, he would have driven them crazy. Fortunately, Qingcheng was not particularly impatient, but her heart was already pounding like a drum, and beads of sweat were even appearing on the tip of her nose.
"Her height used to only reach my chest, but I think she has a lot of room to grow. Maybe she'll grow up to be like you, Qingcheng. Are you hot?" Gao Junxiao stared at He Qingcheng as he spoke, as if he wanted to stare a hole through her.
Kiyosumi awkwardly took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat: "Um, I'm afraid of the heat. The autumn heat is quite intense. Anything else?"
"She used to be quite cute, and her smile was like a little quail. But girls change a lot as they grow up, and I'm afraid I wouldn't recognize her if she stood in front of me." Gao Junxiao suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, her skin is especially fair, even when she's tanned, she's still fairer than other people's."
What a strange metaphor for a quail! Quail aren't white at all; they're all dusty and unrefined. Qingcheng felt offended by Gao Junxiao and simply nodded repeatedly without replying.
"Why don't you ask me why I'm looking for her?" Gao Junxiao asked with a smile, voicing a question that had been on his mind for a long time.
“This is the guest’s private matter, and we generally don’t interfere.” Kiyosumi shook her head sharply to refuse.
"As expected of an editor from a major newspaper, you have a lot of professional ethics, but how could you possibly understand how desperately I was looking for someone?" Gao Junxiao sighed, looking quite disappointed.
Seeing his pitiful appearance, Qingcheng couldn't help but feel sympathy, and coupled with her genuine curiosity, she cautiously asked, "Then what do you want with her?"
"That girl once said that I, a man of seven feet tall, was a coward for not serving my country. I was so angry," Gao Junxiao said through gritted teeth.
"You're too vengeful. You're not looking for her to get revenge, are you?" He Qingcheng glanced at the pistol at his waist and silently moved away. She was jumping around like she had a rabbit in her arms, and her hand holding the pen was sweating with anxiety.
"No, I want to thank her properly, and then show her whether I am a true man now." Gao Junxiao paused each sentence a little closer to the word "true man," until the last three words were almost right next to Qingcheng's ear.
Whether it was the approach of a member of the opposite sex or the ambiguous words spoken, countless thoughts raced through Qingcheng's mind, all tangled up in a jumbled mess. In the end, her brain simply shut down, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Not hearing Qingcheng's reply, Gao Junxiao slightly increased the distance between them and waved in front of her. Only then did Qingcheng come back to her senses, touching her burning cheeks and inwardly cursing herself for losing her composure.
"I understand, I'll log it for you when I get back." Kiyosumi calmly smoothed her hair, stuffed the notebook back in, but kept her eyes fixed on the river.
"How much?" Gao Junxiao stopped and blocked Qingcheng's path, asking seriously.
The man suddenly stopped, almost causing Qingcheng to bump into him. She blinked, finally remembering the fee: "Ah? Oh! The price… I'm not sure, I'll ask you when we get back. How long do you need to stay?"
"Let's try posting for a month first. What if I'm lucky and hear back right away?" Gao Junxiao's confident demeanor made Qingcheng feel a little guilty.
"Good luck then, I'm off." Kiyosumi said with an awkward smile, intending to slip away.
"Don't rush, this is a good opportunity to go to the newspaper office with you to ask about the price." Gao Junxiao followed along relentlessly.
Upon hearing this, Qingcheng hurried even faster: "No, no, no, there are other people at the newspaper. People's gossip is a fearsome thing. You'll be fine, but I'll be the one who suffers."
"I'm just asking a friend at the newspaper for help. Could you give me a friendly price?" Perhaps seeing Qingcheng hesitate, Gao Junxiao pressed his advantage. "With an attitude like that, people will think you have something to hide. We're completely innocent, so what are you afraid of?"
Kiyosumi remained unmoved, saying seriously, "No matter how innocent you are, it's useless. What do you think a newspaper office is? A gossip hub. *glug glug*..."
What could be more embarrassing for a lady than the rumbling of her stomach when she's starving? A feeling of shame instantly washed over her. Oh my god! How humiliating! Kiyosumi now wanted to find a hole to crawl into, or maybe just jump into the river.
"Your colleagues haven't eaten yet, have they? Since you're out here, you should bring them some food before you go back." Gao Junxiao didn't laugh at her; instead, he generalized the issue.
"Actually, everyone else brought their own food, but I didn't know. This is my first time working the night shift," Qingcheng said shyly, her head down. She managed to get the job by finding an excuse to eat dinner.
"What a coincidence! I haven't eaten either. I wonder if Miss He would do me the honor of having a meal with me?" Gao Junxiao politely invited her.
"Of course." Qingcheng readily agreed. It would be good to have someone to keep her company since the security situation wasn't great at night. But then she remembered that she was still on duty. "However, I can't stay with you for too long today. I have to rush back to revise my manuscript after I finish eating. I can only have something simple to eat." Gao Junxiao naturally didn't object.
As night fell, only the black, winding Huangpu River flowed lonely towards the sea under the lighthouse's illumination. Eventually, the two went to the Xinya Hotel. Watching Gao Junxiao skillfully order food, Qingcheng realized she'd definitely been tricked.
The fact that he managed to book a table at Yipinxiang, which is notoriously difficult to book, shows that this guy clearly planned this all along. So much time had passed that she had almost forgotten about the man's cunning and manipulative nature, so she wasn't surprised at all that he joined the army. Using his strengths to contribute to the country was a good thing.
“Our headquarters has been cooperating with Yipinxiang for many years. No matter how booming their business is, they still have to reserve a place for headquarters.” Gao Junxiao seemed to have the ability to read minds, answering a major question in Qingcheng’s mind.
"So you used some special privileges?" Kiyosumi asked, propping her chin up with her hand while looking at the menu.
"I'm new here, so I don't have any special privileges. I'm just borrowing Commander Xiong's reputation to show off my power." Gao Junxiao said, making a shushing gesture, then nodded knowingly and lowered his head to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Gao Junxiao looked up and asked with interest.
"I was wondering what Commander Xiong's reaction would be if he knew you were using his reputation to get by when you go to work tomorrow?" Qingcheng blinked meaningfully.
"It's just a reservation. It's not like I'm spending public funds on food and drinks, and I don't need him to reimburse me." Gao Junxiao looked indifferent.
"Oh dear, what's Commander Xiong doing here?" Qingcheng covered her face, only revealing a slit, and stared intently at Gao Junxiao's back. Seeing that Gao Junxiao didn't believe her, she added, "He's also with several local military officers. They're short and stocky, and they seem to be the leaders."
Gao Junxiao's expression changed slightly as he turned around, but he saw nothing. Seeing that he had been tricked, Qingcheng covered her mouth and giggled mischievously, her delicate face full of smugness.
"It's a waste that someone with your acting skills isn't acting in movies," Gao Junxiao teased with a smile. "How did you know that local troops were visiting recently?"
"Have you forgotten what I do? Commander Xiong has already been in the newspapers with representatives from Jinan." Qingcheng patted her chest and explained, "Besides, he took the Jinan representatives to Mr. Tang's banquet today, so don't worry."
"Impressive! You know our commander's schedule better than I do." Gao Junxiao's eyes lit up.
“There are no small matters in running a newspaper. Do you think I’m just playing around while I’m on duty? I’m waiting for the latest reports from the frontline reporters. I’ll just order some fried rice.” Qingcheng closed the menu; she didn’t want others to spend too much.
But Gao Junxiao didn't think so. He called over a waiter and ordered a few more stir-fried dishes, asking, "What time do you usually work?"
"It's usually midnight. But if we're waiting for or changing manuscripts, it could be two or three in the morning. In the most extreme cases, we might have to sleep at the newspaper office." Qingcheng had only heard a senior colleague at the newspaper mention it; she had never gone home that late before.
"It's not safe for a young lady like you to go home so late," Gao Junxiao said, yawning as he spoke.
"You can order a car from the dealership in advance." Qingcheng noticed the dark circles under Gao Junxiao's eyes, poured him a cup of hot tea, and asked with concern, "You haven't been sleeping well lately, have you? Is it because you're not used to the new place?"
"I don't know either. I never used to have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds. But I haven't been able to sleep well since moving to the new apartment. As soon as I close my eyes, I hear explosions all around me. They're very far away, but I can hear them clearly. You probably wouldn't understand," Gao Junxiao said, shaking his head with a sigh.
Kiyosumi seemed to be affected by him, and inexplicably felt like yawning too. At this moment, she remembered an old saying popular among European veterans: "How can someone who has seen hell not be scarred?" But she wasn't a psychology student, so she asked somewhat uncertainly, "Have you ever encountered a life-threatening situation on the battlefield?"
"Hahaha, you encounter this every day, every hour on the battlefield." Gao Junxiao's laughter seemed to mock Qingcheng's naivety. "But from the moment you pick up a gun, your life is branded with the marks of gunfire. You can't escape it, because you are now a soldier, no longer an ordinary person."
"Are you scared?" Qingcheng stared at Gao Junxiao, his words from earlier replaying in her mind.
"Charging into a hail of bullets, it would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid. Many of them weren't even as old as you, and they just fell down like that, never to wake up again." Gao Junxiao's bright eyes held a trace of sadness, probably as he mourned his fallen comrades.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up. By the way, I've thought of what to get you for the housewarming gift I promised you last time," Kiyosumi quickly changed the subject.
"What is it?" Gao Junxiao asked curiously.
"I won't tell you yet. Just give me your home address, and I'll deliver it directly to your house once it's bought." Qingcheng's eyes darted around, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them.
"Don't buy anything big. My rented apartment isn't as big as you think, so don't spend too much money," Gao Junxiao kindly reminded him.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Qingcheng nodded, assuring Gao Junxiao that he could rest assured.
After the two finished their meal, the waiter brought several more takeout packages to Qingcheng. Only then did she realize that Gao Junxiao had already bought desserts for her colleagues at the newspaper.
Along the way, Qingcheng carried the package and quietly objected, "You're spending too much money, I feel so bad."
"If you really feel bad, please come back to me next time," Gao Junxiao suggested, turning his head slightly.
"Okay." Qingcheng had just agreed when she suddenly thought of something, raised an eyebrow and replied mischievously, "No, I should be more thick-skinned and not invite you."
"Whatever you want." Gao Junxiao said good-naturedly, not caring at all, but a slight smile rippled in his eyes, as if he had seen through her little trick.
In the darkness, one can better hear one's own heart. The two chatted as they walked back along the road. The lights became increasingly sparse, and the number of people dwindled. The Shenbao Building was just one more intersection away. Perhaps fearing she would worry about rumors, Gao Junxiao said goodbye to Qingcheng and walked her there.
Just then, a young lieutenant ran over from across the street. It was none other than the adjutant Lu whom they had met before. He mysteriously pulled Gao Junxiao away. Qingcheng knew they must have something urgent to discuss, so she nodded and said goodbye.
When Qingcheng returned to the headquarters building, she found everyone smiling at her. She thought she had been eating for too long, so she apologized and took out the takeout desserts to distribute to her colleagues.
The last person to come and collect the dessert was Mr. Hai from the proofreading department. Mr. Hai was a bit older, and he said in a low voice, "Xiao He, it's fine for you young people to have free love these days, but finding a boyfriend and finding a husband are different. In the end, you have to live together. You must find out about the boy's family background. They can't be too far apart from his family."
"I know, Teacher Hai. You like sweets, so have some more." Qingcheng didn't explain, but instead changed the subject.
"Qingcheng, here's a letter for you." Editor Li handed over an envelope, which helped Qingcheng out of the predicament. However, he blinked and made a gesture, meaning that there was a generation gap between him and Teacher Hai, so he shouldn't argue.
Back in her office, Qingcheng looked at the whirlwind-like logo in the lower right corner of the envelope. After making sure no one was around, she opened it. Inside were five blank residence permits, all stamped with the official red seal.
The goods finally arrived. Qingcheng grabbed the phone and immediately dialed the dial: "Hello, is Wu's Car Service available? I need to book a rickshaw to the Shenbao headquarters at midnight. I need driver Qin, number 403. His rickshaw is the most reliable..."
The neon lights outside the window began to flicker, outlining the buildings with a colorful shell, and even the treetops were tinged with silver light, like faint sparks in a chaotic world.
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