Chapter 70

Why is Zhu Yuan still smiling despite having to finish so much work in one morning?

The reason is very simple! She can see Qingfeng again this afternoon! And tomorrow, she can spend the entire morning with him!

Setting aside his appearance, just being with Ye Qingfeng is incredibly comforting—when she’s with him, Zhu Yuan unconsciously forgets her identity, and her long-dormant girlish heart awakens.

Besides, his face is endlessly pleasing to look at!

So today’s main task was to organize tomorrow’s speech draft and schedule, so Zhu Yuan could temporarily set work aside and enjoy her time with Ye Qingfeng.

“Zhu Yuan, that’s prejudice—do I only call you when I need help?”

Qingyi understood Zhu Yuan’s serious attitude toward work, but could anyone truly be both serious about and fond of their job?

She lifted her teacup, took a small sip, noticed the faint smile on Zhu Yuan’s face, found it suspicious, then pushed a freshly brewed cup toward her and countered with a question:

Zhu Yuan’s smile was easy enough for Qingyi to guess the cause—almost certainly tied to that guy, Ye Qingfeng—but she had no direct proof...

“Thank you.” Zhu Yuan caught sight of the teacup beside her computer with her peripheral vision, lifted her left hand to grasp the steaming cup, took a light sip, murmured a quiet thanks, then asked: “Isn’t it?”

Qingyi:?!

Just as Qingyi was about to retort, her phone rang—she had no choice but to lift the teacup again, her gaze fixed on Zhu Yuan.

The moment the ringtone sounded, she ruled out it was her own phone—not because of any other reason, but because... she had no one who would ever call her...

The instant Zhu Yuan heard the ringtone, she frowned slightly—it interrupted her train of thought. She reached for her phone, wanting to see who dared be so annoying.

The moment she saw the name on the screen, her eyes instantly brightened, glowing faintly; she answered, placed the phone to her ear, flicked her hair back—all in one fluid motion!

Her tone was normal, but slightly lowered: “Qingfeng, what’s wrong?”

Sitting across from Zhu Yuan, Qingyi’s once-clear, gentle pupils shrank instantly—round emerald stones elongating, thinning, slowly forming a mysterious vertical slit.

Against the vertical pupils, a faint eerie glow shimmered, like a cat’s eye glinting in the deep night sky.

Stare—

Damn it... is that cheating cat calling?!

I got here first! (Double meaning, by the way!)

“I got ambushed by two guys in an alley on 11 Fen Street,” Ye Qingfeng explained as simply as possible. “One tried to assault my companion, the other had a firearm—I’ve already subdued them. Location:...”

Ye Qingfeng paused, glanced back at the clinic sign behind him. “11 Fen Street Legal Clinic... yeah, that’s the name...”

“What?! A gun?!” Zhu Yuan’s surprise turned instantly to worry. “Are you okay, Qingfeng?!!”

“I’m fine. Zhu Yuan, can you come over now?”

“Of course I can! Absolutely! We’re on our way!” Zhu Yuan slammed her palm on the desk, shot up from her seat, and rushed to prepare for deployment, shouting over her shoulder: “Qingyi Senior! We’re leaving!”

Qingyi, still stunned, had no idea what had happened—she only knew that after Ye Qingfeng’s call, Zhu Yuan’s expression had changed dramatically...

Only now, hearing Zhu Yuan’s shout, did she snap back: “Ah... okay... coming!”

“Let’s go!”

Qingyi had barely answered when she saw Zhu Yuan standing at the door, face tense with urgency.

“I’m here!”

Qingyi didn’t even have time to pack up her teacup—she grabbed a short staff and sprinted out after Zhu Yuan.

The two dashed through the Public Security Bureau, Zhu Yuan reaching the car first, sliding into the driver’s seat; Qingyi followed, climbing into the passenger seat.

Qingyi hadn’t even fastened her seatbelt when Zhu Yuan stomped the accelerator, yanked the steering wheel—and the patrol car spun a full, utterly unreasonable circle.

The moment the car faced the gate, it shot forward—though not literally flying, to Qingyi it might as well have been; her usually calm face twisted with rare, unmistakable terror...

And the reason was simple... in front of the Bureau’s gate was a narrow road, and beyond that—a solid wall!!

A wall! And Zhu Yuan showed zero intention to slow down—though she wasn’t a rookie anymore... she still wanted to scream: Old Man from New Aelidu, don’t do this!

Qingyi turned her head away, squeezed her eyes shut, and gripped the handrail with both hands—her only possible hold!

Zhu Yuan’s eyes sharpened, jerked the wheel hard, yanked the handbrake—the patrol car executed a perfect inertia drift and smoothly merged onto the main road.

(Author has no driver’s license and gets car sick—if this description is wildly inaccurate, please point it out.)

“Ha... ha...” Zhu Yuan, equally shaken by the maneuver, sat gasping in the driver’s seat, breath ragged, but a grin tugged at her lips as she drove safely onward: “How was that, Qingyi Senior? Pretty thrilling?”

(To emphasize Zhu Yuan’s urgency upon hearing Ye Qingfeng was in danger—this is fiction, no car crashes or deaths here! Reminder: Do not imitate in real life!!)

“Qingyi Senior? Qingyi Senior??”

Getting no reply, Zhu Yuan turned curiously—and the sight made her feel slightly embarrassed...

Qingyi’s once-lively eyes were now dull, her mouth slightly open, gaze vacant and fixed ahead; her entire body seemed drained of color, grayed out.

A gray, humanoid silhouette resembling Qingyi, tied in twin buns, slowly drifted out of her mouth—its round head bore two black dots for eyes, oddly comical...

Zhu Yuan’s priority was still getting to Qingfeng—using the patrol car’s advantage, they hit every green light and were nearing his given location.

Then Qingyi’s finger twitched—next second, the floating “Qingyi-Limited Soul Form” was sucked back into her body with a soft *suck* sound.

Her vacant eyes regained their luster, but her face remained pale, visibly weakened.

“I just saw my great-grandma...” Qingyi slumped against the seatback, arms limp at her sides, head tilted back, eyes unfocused on the ceiling. “Didn’t even get to say a word—she punched me with a whole combo.”