Qi Weiran sat back down, crossing his long legs and folding his arms, his amber-like eyes fixed unwaveringly on Yi Qingju. The bright overhead light cast on his smooth and cold face, making him look like a righteous officer interrogating an incorrigible criminal.
[Although... Qi Weiran doesn't have any resemblance to the word "justice."]
Qi Weiran subtly moved his fingers and took a quick glance at the mirror hanging on the adjacent wall while Yi Qingju was lost in thought.
Then he shifted his gaze back with satisfaction.
Hmm, he was handsome in a mysterious way, but not quite righteous enough.
Yi Qingju wasn't surprised at all that Qi Weiran had already obtained information about Fish Crossing. The difficult part was figuring out what excuse to use for having a meal with him.
"By the way, explain to me why I found you under the dining table," Qi Weiran stared at her with a deep gaze, as if he had no intention of giving her any breathing room.
Yi Qingju: [You scoundrel! I just went out of character for a moment, and now you're clinging onto it, aren't you!?]
[Don't you have a huge company to manage!? Instead of interrogating me, you've already signed off on billions of dollars worth of deals. Please don't focus too much on me, okay!?]
Upon hearing that, Qi Weiran took out his phone and input something on it with a serious expression.
Yi Qingju felt relieved upon seeing that.
[See, here comes a billion-dollar deal.]
Unfortunately, if she had X-ray vision, she would have noticed that.
At that moment, what appeared on Qi Weiran's phone screen wasn't some billion-dollar deal.
It was a search on Baidu about "What does OOC mean?"
When he saw the phrase "refers to the behavior and actions of characters in a fanfiction that deviate from the original work, causing the character to behave in a manner inconsistent with their original portrayal," Qi Weiran instinctively frowned.
Yi Qingju took advantage of the situation and weakly covered her chest, saying, "Sir... I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
"He is my junior. Since marrying you, I rarely contact my old friends, so..."
"So why did you hide under the dining table?" Qi Weiran remained rational and didn't get swept away by her rhythm.
Yi Qingju could barely maintain her composure.
[Calm down, I'm a professional.]
[The best lies contain a mix of truth and falsehood.]
With narrowed, cat-like eyes, she said in a somewhat timid tone, "That's because..."
"We were playing a game called 'One, Two, Three, Wooden Man.'"
When Qi Weiran heard the words "Wooden Man," a hint of darkness flickered in his amber eyes.
"You were playing with him?"
If she remembered correctly, that person claimed to be a Wooden Man.
Yi Qingju: ?
"No, sir. It's just a game called 'One, Two, Three, Wooden Man.'"
Qi Weiran's lips tightened, then he looked up expressionlessly and said, "I know."
Yi Qingju almost burst out laughing.
[You know nothing. You were either studying or studying when you were a kid. Have you ever played One, Two, Three, Wooden Man?]
[Your whole body is made of stone, except for your mouth.]
A shadow passed over Qi Weiran's eyes.
Whoever said that was wrong. There's another part of me that's even more stone-like, but I can't show it to you.
As Qi Weiran's gaze suddenly changed, Yi Qingju instinctively sensed a danger, and her body shivered.
"Sir... I'm fine now. Let's go back. Tuanzi is waiting for us at home."
[Waiting for Me, Without You]
[Who Let You, the Prodigal Son, Not Return Home]
After more than twenty years of being referred to by others as the 'peculiar man who avoids women,' Qi Weiran found the title somewhat refreshing.
He discovered that Yi Qingju always used unexpected words to describe him.
"Let's go."
The deep repression that seemed to see through Yi Qingju's eyes suddenly shifted as he stood up.
Yi Qingju was taken aback.
Was it an illusion? She seemed to catch a glimpse of compromise on Qi Weiran's face.
Did he no longer intend to continue questioning her? Did he actually believe her earlier explanation?
With many doubts, Yi Qingju stood up.
But immediately, Qi Weiran's gaze pressed her back onto the bed.
"Don't want my hand anymore?" he spoke lightly, but his eyes revealed a hint of dissatisfaction.
So, by the time the doctor finished treating Yi Qingju's hand, it was already ten o'clock at night when they returned home.
According to the sleeping schedule of Qi's Mountain Villa, they should have been asleep by this time.
However, it was strange that tonight, Qi's Mountain Villa was brightly lit.
"What's going on?"
As soon as the words fell, an anxious face appeared before Qi Weiran. "Sir! Young Master has disappeared!"
Yi Qingju's heart tightened. "When did he go missing?"
Could it be a new transmigrator?
Her emotions were too agitated, causing her vision to darken for a moment. Qi Weiran, who was standing beside her, noticed something was off and gently reached out to hold her shoulder like a gentleman. Once she regained her balance, he retracted his hand.
But his fingertips unconsciously brushed against her.
He should have first shown concern for Qi Xinian's whereabouts, but as if under a spell, the first thing that came to mind was—
Indeed, he was as thin as a praying mantis.
"Because Madam hasn't returned, I was worried that Young Master would be upset not hearing a bedtime story, so I came to check on him," the maid explained.
"Who knew that Young Master, who should have been in bed, wasn't there."
Qi Weiran calmly said, "Check the surveillance."
The maid replied, "We've already sent someone to investigate..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a servant hurriedly ran in. "We found him! We found Young Master. He went to Left Forest!"
Upon seeing Qi Weiran's figure, the person's expression visibly changed, and their voice became softer, as if they were afraid of him.
Upon hearing about Tuanzi's whereabouts, Yi Qingju quickly looked at Qi Weiran. "Sir."
Qi Weiran nodded and immediately led the way with his men.
The maid followed them, her gaze filled with complex emotions.
Have they made up again?
Left Forest was a scenic bamboo forest behind the villa, where the natural beauty was preserved. Qi Weiran would sometimes go there to fish by the lake.
A large chandelier was suspended above the bamboo forest to light the way for Qi Weiran.
Finding Qi Xinian was effortless.
They quickly spotted little Tuanzi squatting by the lake, wearing a cow-patterned onesie.
"Qi Xinian."
A deep male voice sounded by Tuanzi's ear.
The person who was called turned his head and his eyes lit up upon seeing Qi Weiran and Yi Qingju beside him.
He stood up and ran over unsteadily, pointing at the turtle that was crawling out of the water towards the shore and said, "Uncle, look!"
"Animals truly possess intelligence. I released it, but it refuses to leave and stubbornly insists on coming back to repay the favor."
Yi Qingju gazed at the turtle struggling to climb onto the shore and fell silent.
Qi Weiran's gaze became complex for a moment, then he imitated Yi Qingju's tone and said, "Is there a possibility that..."
"That's a land turtle. If it doesn't climb back, it will drown."
