Chapter 835: Long Time No See!

He has returned!

These mere four words resonated in the minds of Liu Xiaoli and Lin Yuxi like thunder crashing down from the Nine Days!

The two women froze on the spot, utterly unable to react!

What does this mean?

Xu Que clearly died more than six years ago!

Now they say he has returned? Can the dead come back?

"Oh, what are you two doing? Is there any need to be so frightened?"

Seeing their reactions, Huang Cheng paused for a moment, then shook his head with a smile: "Rest assured, although Xu Que now holds an extraordinary status, he has long let go of past matters; I can tell he truly cannot be bothered to hold grudges against you. However, I still find some of your behavior hard to overlook, especially yours, Liu Xiaoli. You had best stop speaking ill of Xu Que in the future, otherwise, you may find the film and television market difficult to conquer!"

Having said this, Huang Cheng turned to leave.

"Wait!" Lin Yuxi suddenly called out to him, her face pale as she asked: "General Manager Huang, what did you just mean? Have you seen Xu Que?"

"Yes, I just arrived in the same car as him! And quite coincidentally, today is their junior high school reunion, which is also being held right here in this hotel!" Huang Cheng nodded.

Clatter!

Instantly, Liu Xiaoli's wine glass slipped from her hand!

"Ah!" She let out a sharp scream, startled by her own reaction, before fixing her gaze angrily on Huang Cheng: "Huang Cheng, have you gone mad? Do you think it's amusing to scare us with such nonsense?"

"Scare you?" Huang Cheng was bewildered.

I was kindly reminding you, how did that become scaring you? Could it be that that fellow Xu Que's status is even more formidable than I imagined?

"Hmph, Yu Xi, ignore him; do you really believe his lies? Xu Que died over six years ago; you even saw his body with your own eyes at the hospital!" Liu Xiaoli shot Huang Cheng a fierce glare, convinced he was playing a prank, and dragged Lin Yuxi to leave.

But this time, it was Huang Cheng who was terrified.

Liu Xiaoli's words made Huang Cheng's legs nearly give way, almost causing him to collapse onto the floor!

"Wait!" he immediately shouted, his face filled with terror: "Liu Xiaoli, what... what did you just say? Xu Que died more than six years ago?"

Liu Xiaoli simply rolled her eyes: "Obviously, didn't you know about this? We don't have time to waste babbling with you today!"

"Damn it, I really didn't know! No, wait, you're lying to me; I clearly arrived in the same car as him today, and I saw him with Director Cai myself—oh right, Director Cai!" Huang Cheng, who had been panicking, suddenly realized something, and his face instantly darkened.

Xu Que might be dead, but surely Director Cai couldn't be dead, could he?

Could Director Cai possibly conjure up a ghost to scare people?

What a joke!

I was nearly tricked by this woman!

Immediately, Huang Cheng let out a cold smile: "Liu Xiaoli, if you're going to make up stories, at least make them plausible! You know Director Cai Tengjin, don't you? He and Xu Que were junior high classmates; he was the one who picked Xu up just now. I rode in his car, and they are currently eating in a private room in this hotel. If you don't believe me, let's go see for ourselves!"

"Director Cai?" Liu Xiaoli was instantly startled.

Among China's famous directors today, Cai Tengjin is undoubtedly one of them; anyone wanting to enter the film industry or follow Chinese cinema knows Director Cai's name!

But Director Cai and Xu Que were junior high classmates?

"Wait, that movie Director Cai released last year as an investor!" Suddenly, Liu Xiaoli realized something.

Last year's film that caused a sensation worldwide—the director and screenwriter's name was Xu Que, wasn't it?

Could it be not a coincidence of names, but rather...

"Huang Cheng, are you certain you saw Xu Que?" Liu Xiaoli's expression hardened as she looked at Huang Cheng and asked.

"Of course, damn it, I even chatted with him in the car about a bunch of high school matters; if you don't believe me, let's go find them right now!" Huang Cheng said impatiently, while simultaneously feeling puzzled, as this seemed to be the first time he had seen Liu Xiaoli so serious.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuxi standing beside her had already lost all color in her face, filled with disbelief, unable to utter a single word.

At this moment, Liu Xiaoli also became restless; looking at Lin Yuxi, she said: "Yu Xi, are you certain you really saw Xu Que pass away back then?"

Lin Yuxi nodded stiffly; she was absolutely certain that Xu Que had truly died back then.

Liu Xiaoli's expression grew grave as she spoke: "Huang Cheng, you see! We have no reason to lie to you; Xu Que is truly dead. Yu Xi was Xu Que's ex-girlfriend; during their freshman year of university, they had a conflict and broke up. On his way back to school, Xu Que was involved in a car accident and died on the spot! Yu Xi personally watched his body being taken into the morgue at the hospital!"

"This..." Huang Cheng finally paused, then asked suspiciously: "Impossible; if it was a car accident, surely there would have been news reports? How is it that among so many of our classmates, not a single one besides you has heard of this?"

"Because..." At this moment, Lin Yuxi suddenly spoke, her voice becoming somewhat hoarse, her eyes red, as she whispered softly: "Because it was not an accident; someone deliberately killed him, and afterward, all the truth was covered up!"

"What?" Liu Xiaoli was instantly startled, clearly hearing this claim for the first time!

Huang Cheng, however, was completely confused; how did this conversation end up actually discussing Xu Que's death?

Damn it, the man is clearly alive and well!

"General Manager Huang, please tell me, did you really see him with your own eyes?" At this moment, Lin Yuxi suddenly raised her head to look at Huang Cheng, asking with a trembling voice.

Over so many years, many people thought she had long forgotten Xu Que completely.

But she had not; not because she still deeply loved Xu Que, but because throughout these years, her heart had been filled with guilt, always burdening herself with the cause of Xu Que's death.

But now, she had heard this unbelievable news: Xu Que had actually returned!

This feeling was indescribable to her; it felt unreal, felt like a weight had been lifted, yet even more, it felt terrifying!

Because she was absolutely certain that Xu Que had truly died back then; that bloody scene remained vivid in her memory to this day!

"Say no more; I'll take you to see him, and then you'll know! If what you say is true, then perhaps he didn't die back then." Huang Cheng could now see that Lin Yuxi and Liu Xiaoli were not lying to him.

Then there was only one possibility: Xu Que hadn't died back then, but had found a place to recover from his injuries, only emerging now that he had healed.

"Let's go then and take a look. Yu Xi, don't be nervous; perhaps you really misjudged the situation back then?" Liu Xiaoli also nodded, speaking to Lin Yuxi.

Lin Yuxi also began to doubt; could it be that he really hadn't died back then? Or perhaps the person struck and killed wasn't him? Just like in TV dramas, swapping the prince for a civet cat? Was it just a faked death?

Amidst these myriad doubts, Lin Yuxi appeared lost in a daze; allowing Liu Xiaoli to lead her by the hand, she departed the Main Hall together with Huang Cheng, heading through a side corridor toward the area with the private rooms.

Meanwhile, Xu Que and Lao Cai had already drunk quite a lot inside the private room.

Old classmates who hadn't seen each other for many years were, in truth, already quite strangers.

Everyone was simply gathering together to chat about matters from their junior high days.

But Xu Que found it extremely difficult to recall events from so long ago; having spent several years in the Cultivation World, and even more decades within the Illusion Realm, how could he possibly remember those trivial details from junior high!

Thus, after three rounds of drinks, Xu Que stood up to take his leave.

He decided to stroll through the Main Hall; if Lin Yuxi happened to be there, that would be perfect, as he could seize the opportunity to ask clearly what had happened back then that he did not know.

He also intended to ask whether anyone knew the whereabouts of his younger sister.

Back then, he had asked Lao Cai to help search, but Lao Cai had not been able to uncover a single clue; yet it was basically certain that his sister was not within the country at all.

"Old Xu, are you really going?" Seeing Xu Que rise to depart, Lao Cai could not help but say with a bitter smile.

In his view, once Xu Que went, people would likely mock him over the matter of being dumped back then.

"It's nothing; you all continue drinking! Lao Cai, don't forget the matter I entrusted to you; contact me by phone the moment it's settled!" Xu Que smiled and reminded Lao Cai about securing Mount Tai.

"Rest assured; before I came, I had already given the orders, and it will be settled within these two days! Don't be in such a hurry to leave either! Once things are sorted out over there, come find me, and I'll go with you!" Lao Cai said.

"No need; I have other matters to attend to. I'll look for you again in a couple of days!" Xu Que waved his hand, turned, and departed!

"Creak!"

He pulled open the door of the Auction Room and stepped out.

Yet, at the very instant he stepped across the threshold, Xu Que suddenly paused.

In the corridor, Huang Cheng, Liu Xiaoli, and Lin Yuxi were right before his eyes.

For a moment, the air around seemed to solidify, time appeared to stand still, and only several pairs of eyes remained, filled with utter shock and astonishment!

"Hmm?"

Xu Que was somewhat stunned; meeting Lin Yuxi's gaze, scene after scene from days gone by seemed to reappear.

But everything had long become a thing of the past, fleeting clouds and mist!

Xu Que had long since let go; the only things he cared about now were those three matters!

To receive Jiang Hongyan, to find Xu Feifei, and to investigate the truth behind the cause of death from back then!

Everything else no longer mattered!

Coming to his senses, his gaze was calm, yet it revealed even more indifference and strangeness.

He was Demon King Xu, a Great Demon King who had dominated the winds and clouds of the Cultivation World, feared by all.

As for her, she was ultimately nothing more than a mere Mortal!

Even though they had once shared a brief period of memories, now, she could no longer stir any ripples in Xu Que's heart.

……

At this moment, however, Lin Yuxi's heart was a tumult of mixed emotions: guilt, shock, fear, joyful surprise…

She could not describe what kind of feeling this was.

But her body had the most direct and genuine reaction: it became wet!

Her eyes were completely moistened!

At this moment, she actually felt an impulse to rush forward and embrace Xu Que, because years of self-reproach seemed to vanish completely in this instant.

At this time, Xu Que looked at her and spoke lightly: "Classmate Lin, long time no see!"

The tone was so calm, just like his state of mind at this moment: indifferent and filled with a strange distance!

……

……

【The word count for these three chapters today is actually equivalent to four and a half usual chapters! But let's still count them as three! I will get up early tomorrow to write the bonus chapters for the 500 and 1000 Monthly Tickets!】