Qiao Ying smiled and did not answer him. Instead, she looked at the thermos he had brought over himself: "Is this new too? A thermos bomb?"
Qin Hanyue laughed: "This is soup. But the thermos bomb idea is not bad, we could try making one."
As Qin Hanyue spoke, he opened the thermos: "I had the kitchen stew some chicken soup to replenish your health. How is your injury?"
Hearing this, Sack, who was testing the feel of a gun in his hand, immediately turned to Qiao Ying and pointed the gun at Qin Yan.
Sack: "You got hurt?"
Qin Yan leaned back to get out of the way, then reached out his finger to slowly push the muzzle aside, whispering: "It's loaded."
Qiao Ying: "Just a minor injury - recovering well. You?"
Qin Hanyue lifted his arm: "Me too."
Qiao Ying: "I'll show you in a bit."
Qin Hanyue: "Okay."
As Sack played with the gun in his hand, Qin Yan struck up a conversation with him: "Bro, why did you recover so quickly from the same broken leg injury?"
After being hospitalized for half a month, Qin Yan thought he'd go next door and see how Sack was doing, only to find out that Sack had been discharged that very day.
Sack glanced at him. He didn't really want to talk to Qin Yan, but for the sake of the weapon, he begrudgingly engaged: "Weren't you faster?"
Qin Yan: "I stayed for a month."
Sack: "Why would you stay so long if you weren't in pain?"
Qin Yan pointed at himself indignantly: "Who said I wasn't in pain? Are you saying I wasn't in pain? Who told you that? The doctor? How shameless can his granduncle be?!"
Sack: "Your boss said it."
Qin Yan immediately shut his mouth.
He stealthily glanced at Qin Hanyue and saw that he was pouring soup for Qiao Ying. Qin Hanyue probably didn't hear anything. Just as Qin Yan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Qin Hanyue suddenly looked up and stared at him expressionlessly.
Qin Yan nearly choked to death on this warm and loving New Year's Day.
Just then Sack asked him, "Who's his granduncle?"
Qin Yan: "......"
Sack: "Do you have a red envelope for me?"
Qin Yan looked at him and said, "We're about the same age. Isn't it a bit much for you to ask me for a red envelope when you just look slightly younger than me?"
Sack took out a thick red envelope from his pocket: "My boss gave me one."
Looking at the red envelope in Sack's hand, Qin Yan was struck speechless: "Foreigners really don't know how to chat."
A few days later, Qiao Yi returned to the capital to attend school.
Worried that Qiao Yi might be an annoying brat, Sack asked Qiao Ying several times about him. It turned out that Qiao Yi was a tranquil teenager.
Seeing Sack opening the door for him, Qiao Yi thought he had the wrong place. But after confirming it was right, he hesitated and asked in English, "Who are you?"
Sack replied in Chinese, "Ask your sister."
Qiao Yi was taken aback.
"You must be Qiao Yi, right? We're your sister's friends, staying here for a couple days," Bai Xiao came out and led Qiao Yi inside.
"I'm Bai Xiao. Xiao as in Xiao Xiong (Little Bear). He's Sack. Let me take your bag." Bai Xiao took Qiao Yi's luggage.
Qiao Yi looked at the two of them: "......I'm Qiao Yi."
Just then, Qiao Ying came downstairs.
Qiao Yi went up to her and gave her the rice balls he had brought from Yun Cheng: "Sis, want to try these?"
Qiao Ying used to love eating these, but he hadn't seen her eat any since her change.
"You got these just for me?" Qiao Ying took them and bit into one. She handed the rest to Sack.
She didn't care for these anymore, but Sack enjoyed them, especially junk food like chips, cola and burgers.
Holding the rice ball, Sack squeezed it curiously. He took a bite - the texture felt strange too.
Watching Sack show great interest in the rice balls, Qiao Yi whispered: "Sis, you have foreign friends too?"
Qiao Ying: "Yes, cute aren't they? Just like you - Little Sack, what do you think of him now? No more acting up, I hope?"
Qiao Yi was puzzled. What was he supposed to be looking at?
Staring at Qiao Yi for a while, Sack asked: "How good is your fighting skill? Do you know how to use a gun?"
Bai Xiao: "Ahem!"
Qiao Yi: "???"
Qiao Ying: "Let's eat."
Upstairs, Qiao Yi asked Qiao Ying: "Sis, what kind of work do they do? Why are they staying with you? Is it safe?"
Qiao Ying replied: "They're visiting the capital for a few days. Don't worry."
Of course, she couldn't possibly tell Qiao Yi that he might be in danger and that Bai Xiao and Sack were here to ensure his safety. Nor could she let them openly watch over him.
Qiao Yi had to focus on school, prepare for exams, and live a normal life. He could only be secretly protected without knowing, to avoid causing him distress.
Inside her room, Qiao Ying gave Qiao Yi two red envelopes: "One from me, one from Qin Hanyue."
Qiao Yi: "Sis, have you and Mr. Qin confirmed your relationship?"
Looking at the red envelopes in his hand, Qiao Ying simply said: "Keep them."
She also gave Qiao Yi a watch: "This watch is waterproof. You can even wear it showering."
Qiao Yi really liked it: "I'll definitely keep wearing it."
Qiao Yi still had two days before school started. He stayed at the villa for those two days. From interacting with them, he got a sense of Bai Xiao and Sack's temperaments - they seemed decent.
But that Sack...he was a little dangerous and eccentric.
Right now Qiao Yi was doing homework in his room while Sack sat playing with darts on the windowsill across from him.
If it had been anyone else, Qiao Yi would have thought those darts were toys. But held in Sack's hands, he inexplicably felt a sense of real danger from them.
Moreover, he had seen Sack not only playing with darts, but also fiddling with a dagger, his pocket even dropped bullets that he picked up and tossed around. The bullets looked awfully real...
Plus this Sack really liked following him everywhere.
When Qiao Yi went out to throw some trash, he'd turn and see Sack standing at the villa entrance watching him. When he went to the kitchen for water, Sack would go to the fridge. And now he had followed Qiao Yi into his room.
Sack rarely talked to him too. His eccentric behavior reminded Qiao Yi of those pedigree cats with blue ribbons around their necks, snooty and standoffish, found in medieval European castles.
Qiao Yi: "Why do you keep following me?"
Sack: "......"
He ignored Qiao Yi again.
At dinner, seeing Sack following Qiao Yi out of his room, Bai Xiao said to Sack: "Stop bothering his studies."
Sack: "I didn't bother him."
That evening, Qiao Ying took Sack out with her while Bai Xiao and Qiao Yi stayed at home.
Watching the fleeting scenery outside, Sack asked: "Where are we going?"
Qiao Ying said: "Nowhere. Just taking you around."
Sack: "Why didn't you take Bai Xiao?"
Qiao Ying smiled: "Because I like little Sack more."
Sack awkwardly turned his face away: "They all said Chinese girls are demure and shy. You're not one bit."
Qiao Ying teased: "Wu Ming's even bolder with her words and you seem more than happy to indulge her - oh, now I remember. You didn't like her much in the beginning either."
Sack: "No such thing. How do you know so much anyway?"
Qiao Ying gently chided: "You’ve asked that many times already."
Sack quieted down. After a while he asked eagerly: "Can I drive?"
Qiao Ying parked the car at the roadside. They switched spots and she let him take over the wheel.
Gripping the steering wheel, Sack seemed excited: "I know this car model. I paid attention when it first came out. They only made six globally."
Qiao Ying: "Like it?"
Sack beamed: "Of course!"
Qiao Ying said: "Then it's yours."
But Sack shook his head: "Don't want it."
"Why not?"
"Can't drive it in Country M," Sack preferred practical choices, "Besides, Bai Xiao said you Chinese have a saying - a gentleman does not seize what people treasure."
Qiao Ying smiled wryly: "There’s no such saying."
Sack stated firmly: "There is. Bai Xiao said it."
Qiao Ying explained: "The actual quote is 'a gentleman does not seize what others hold dear'."
Sack reasoned: "So the 'hold dear' part refers to cars, right?"
Qiao Ying admitted: "You sure understood that quite thoroughly."
Qiao Ying looked at Sack and suggested: "Let me take you to my school."
Qiao Ying had wanted to show Sack around her campus, but the moment they neared the school, seven or eight cars rushed out from the intersection.
Sack slammed the steering wheel sideways: "Is it Shadow's people?"
Looking completely unfazed, Qiao Ying said flatly with a touch of exasperation: "Shadow is an assassin organization, not some silly club. Have you ever seen any assassin group hunt someone openly on busy streets with so many people? And with skills like these...?"
Qiao Ying directed Sack: "Turn ahead and park on the side."
Sack had expected a thrilling car chase to the death after failing to block their way at first. He was about to stomp the accelerator and plan an escape route when they turned the corner and saw the sports car parked there waiting for them.
