Chapter 37 Night Banquet ① ① Electric Shock For you, I am also special...
After the six questions were answered, it was time to exchange rewards.
Today, however, no one cares about those prices. Almost everyone's attention is focused on the owner of "Question Number One".
Lan Shuyin sensed all those subtle gazes, whether they were probing, scrutinizing, or calculating.
Even she, slow to realize, understood that the box of shimmering white powder that Wei Li had given her was far more valuable than she had imagined.
That person... is truly wealthy and powerful.
Lan Shuyin's feelings were somewhat complicated.
Just as someone couldn't contain themselves and wanted to step forward to talk to her and test her, Mr. Wei, who was in the main seat, suddenly stood up.
His gaze swept past the restless figures and landed on Lan Shuyin. His voice, carrying a strange penetrating power, clearly reached her ears: "Number One, come with me."
After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the dark corridor opposite the entrance.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lan Shuyin stood up immediately and quickly followed after him, amidst the many probing, scrutinizing, and even resentful gazes.
The corridor was deep and secluded, with the soft, quiet glow of the wall lamps on both sides casting a long shadow of Mr. Wei.
She followed behind him, her gaze fixed on his seemingly unhurried gait.
He walked at a steady pace, his shoulders and back habitually straight, exuding a gentle yet aloof aura.
They walked in silence until they reached the familiar door of the Silent Room, where the waiter silently withdrew.
"Sit down," Boss Wei gestured.
However, just as he took a step forward, his body swayed almost imperceptibly, as if a moment's strength had been drained away.
Lan Shuyin was right next to her and instinctively reached out to help.
To everyone's surprise, Boss Wei abruptly took a step back, hastily avoiding her touch. His movement carried an almost panicked resistance, as if he were terrified of being touched by her.
Ah, Mr. Wei doesn't like physical contact.
Realizing this, Lan Shuyin reluctantly withdrew her hand and silently made a mental note of it.
After quickly regaining his balance, Boss Wei glanced at her bandaged hand and said to her, "If your hand is injured, don't move it."
His words sounded like concern, but they seemed more like an attempt to cover up his earlier lapse in composure. Lan Shuyin thought his acting was a bit clumsy, but she didn't call him out on it. Instead, she asked what she cared about most, "What is the Spiritual Subtlety?"
Mr. Wei paused slightly as he poured tea. "The things you brought."
Lan Shuyin scratched her head sheepishly. "A friend gave it to me, I don't really know what it is..." She asked tentatively, "Is it something very precious?"
"It's alright," Mr. Wei said casually.
"How precious is 'not bad'?"
"For ordinary people, it's a miraculous tonic." Boss Wei pushed the tea he had poured in front of her and naturally changed the subject. "I just took the liberty of publicly soliciting clues for your question. What do you think?"
Without hesitation, Lan Shuyin affirmed, "I know Boss Wei is helping me. My gratitude to you is like a surging river, never-ending..." She almost screamed after saying that.
A sudden silence fell over the room.
"Then... then please let me know as soon as you have any news, Mr. Wei." Lan Shuyin stood up awkwardly. "I'm off for the next couple of days, and I'll be back at work the day after tomorrow. I'll be going now so as not to bother you any longer."
Before Mr. Wei could respond, she finished speaking and bowed deeply, backing away as she did so, making the most comical gesture possible. After leaving, she made sure to gently close the door behind her.
The room returned to its quiet state, with only Boss Wei remaining.
He sat quietly for a long time, his gaze fixed on her untouched cup of tea. After a while, he reached out and picked up the teacup, his slender index finger gently stroking the calm tea.
A strange ripple spread across the water's surface, like lightning flashing across water, disappearing in an instant.
...
Lan Shuyin handed the mask back to the waiter waiting at the door. Just as she was about to leave, the waiter raised his hand to stop her.
"Miss Lan, please come with me."
The waiter led her to the elevator, which took her directly to the underground parking garage. The elevator doors slid open, and a black Cullinan was waiting in its designated parking spot.
It wasn't until she got into the car that she belatedly realized from the driver's respectful attitude that Ni Changye had arranged a private car for her, and that going alone this afternoon was really a bit foolish.
Lan Shuyin gazed at the rapidly receding night view outside the window, inwardly cursing herself for being a country bumpkin, but she wasn't truly moved. This courtesy didn't give her any unrealistic fantasies.
She knew very well that an occasion like "a secret banquet at night" would probably not be open to her a second time.
For her, being able to unravel the mystery of "Feng Zhi Zhao Yin" was already a stroke of good fortune.
Thinking of this, Lan Shuyin took out her phone, opened WeChat, and took the initiative to make a voice call to Wei Li.
However, the call ended automatically after ringing, and no one answered.
A treasure hunter like him must be very busy.
Lan Shuyin wasn't surprised, and instead sent a message: "Can I treat you to dinner tomorrow?"
However, it wasn't until she got home, finished washing up, and was preparing to apply the ointment that the other party's reply finally arrived:
"Tomorrow won't work, how about a couple of days?"
She immediately replied: 【Then the day after tomorrow at noon? I have to work tonight [crying emoji]】
【good. 】
After receiving a positive reply, Lan Shuyin treated her wound and then prepared to look for a restaurant.
However, as soon as I picked up my phone, an unknown number called.
Lan Shuyin's heart skipped a beat.
It's one in the morning, who would be looking for her at this hour? Could it be...?
She sat up cautiously, her fingertips hovering over the answer button for two seconds before slowly pressing it.
She didn't speak first, holding her breath. A faint static came from the receiver, followed by a soft and polite female voice. It was Ni Changye's duty manager, who said that she knew about her hand injury and had specially approved her for half a month of paid leave, instructing her to take good care of herself.
Even after the call ended, Lan Shuyin was still somewhat incredulous.
In the middle of the night, the manager personally greeted a waiter, not only giving him half a month of paid leave but also showing such thoughtfulness and care.
—Is she dreaming?
Lan Shuyin looked down at her injured right hand, a big smile spreading across her lips.
"It seems that good luck still favors honest people."
...
After two weeks of rest, Lan Shuyin's plan was simple—to take a complete rest.
She cherished her health very much, so since her hand was injured, she decided to stay home obediently and not go anywhere. She would also wait for news from Ni Changye.
Since that "Spiritual Essence" was such a wondrous item that even those at the banquet were moved, a generous reward would surely attract brave men. Or rather, there must be someone in the know. It was only a matter of time before the news came knocking on her door. Ni Changye could save her the trouble of verifying its authenticity; she just had to wait.
She stayed home quietly for two days, ordering takeout when she was hungry and playing games when she was bored. Those bizarre and eerie events seemed to have faded away. She felt as if she had returned to a time long ago, free from supernatural influences, enjoying a rare moment of peace and untroubled relaxation.
However, deep down, there's always a tension within me.
Lan Shuyin searched for the name "Jiang Wuyuan" online.
There are 23 people with the same name nationwide. In fact, 15 of them are elderly men over 80 years old, 5 are girls who are still in primary or secondary school, 1 was detained for telecommunications fraud, and the other 2 just passed away this year.
None of them matched her imagined image of someone between twenty and forty-five years old.
She also tried searching for the Jiang family.
As expected, nothing was gained.
Some low-profile, well-established families are already hidden from the world's view. On her own, she truly had no way of knowing where to begin her investigation.
...
Lan Shuyin chose Omakase, a quiet Japanese restaurant that operates on a reservation-only basis, as her place of conversation was far from home.
She waited in the private room half an hour early. When Wei Li came in, she was still replying to Xuan Bingbing's messages with her head down.
Xuan Bingbing said that the murder mystery game shop they visited last time became a local trending topic—the owner couldn't pay wages and ran away overnight, and the employees angrily moved all the props to pay their wages. The comments section under the video was full of curses.
It's only been a few days, and it's already closed down?
Lan Shuyin couldn't help but recall that the places she had visited recently seemed to always be plagued by misfortune: they were either shut down or closed off, and now another one had gone bankrupt.
She was sighing to herself when she heard a noise and looked up, her face revealing the bitterness she hadn't had time to hide.
"You've arrived."
"Hmm." Wei Li sat down opposite her, raised an eyebrow at her expression, and said, "What's wrong? Why are you so upset?"
"...Huh? No, I didn't." She denied it instinctively.
"I thought you regretted treating me to dinner."
Kui Li's attire today was as simple as it could be: a gray long-sleeved cardigan paired with black sweatpants, which only accentuated his tall and slender figure.
At this moment, his slightly upturned peach blossom eyes held a different gleam than usual, both affectionate and playful, completely different from his usual gentle and approachable smile.
As Lan Shuyin looked at him, a popular saying that had recently become popular online inexplicably flashed through her mind: "If you have a noble appearance, your clothes will be basic."
"How could that be?" Just as she was about to continue, the door to the Japanese-style room was gently pushed open, clearing her mind of all the random thoughts.
The waiter quietly entered carrying a bowl of steamed egg custard. The tender yellow steamed egg was topped with pink and white shrimp, and the steam carried a faint aroma.
Please enjoy your meal.
Once the room was quiet again, Lan Shuyin continued, "If it weren't for you, Ni Changye wouldn't have invited me at all."
Ever since Boss Wei extended the invitation, she had felt something was amiss. It wasn't until that night, when she heard the portly man say, "Boss Wei wouldn't invite someone without a reason," that she suddenly realized—Boss Wei must know she was investigating Feng Zhi's family, and he was certain that someone at the banquet knew the inside story, which was why he invited her to attend.
The fact that Boss Wei knew this was most likely because Wei Li revealed it to him.
He had promised to help her find out.
“And that box of Spiritual Essence…” Lan Shuyin looked at him as he picked up the spoon, her tone very sincere, “You’ve helped me so much, I really don’t know how to thank you. You seem to lack nothing, and you’re so capable… I can’t even understand why you helped me.”
It is said that there is always an ulterior motive behind people's actions, but she really couldn't think of anything about herself that would make him go to such lengths to scheme against her.
After thinking it over, I'd rather believe that he's a good person.
Kui Li replied sincerely, "There's no reason, I just want to."
Lan Shuyin nodded thoughtfully, as if convinced by the answer, "That's true. Just like how I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw you, I think many people feel the same way."
She suddenly leaned forward, looking directly into his eyes, "Am I also someone special to you?"
Her tone was so frank that it was impossible to avoid, and her eyes were clear, without a trace of ambiguity, as if she simply wanted to confirm something as simple as "whether we are friends".
Whether choked by the heat or deliberately avoiding the ambiguity of her words, Wei Li suddenly turned her head and coughed lightly. Strands of hair fell across her forehead with the movement, obscuring half of her widow's peak and making her appear somewhat frail.
Lan Shuyin subconsciously pulled out a tissue and handed it to him, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of his hand—
In an instant, a strange tingling sensation ran through the skin that touched.
The feeling was unique, with a slight tingling and trembling sensation, just like...
It felt like I'd been electrocuted.
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