Qing Wanglai

Chapter 708. Qing Wanglai

Finally, someone who wasn’t a mental patient. Li Huowang was eager to get to know this new normal person, to learn more from him.

But Qing Wanglai was a graduate student, and Li Huowang, with the device still strapped to his leg, was absolutely prohibited from going anywhere near a school. So he had to send Yang Na in his stead, along with Chen Hongyu and Qian Fu.

Li Huowang had, of course, considered Yang Na’s safety, but with it being broad daylight and people everywhere—a single shout would bring help—and the destination being a famous university, he felt reassured.

“Huowang, I’m on the subway. Have you had dinner yet?” “Evening rush hour is so crowded. Good thing Aunt Chen is strong, [-]” “Why aren’t you replying to my texts? When are you going to break that bad habit? Don’t just read and not respond. If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know what you’re thinking?”

Seeing Yang Na’s message, Li Huowang’s expression tightened. He tapped the screen quickly with his thumbs. “Nana! They’re here! They’re here again! They’re still watching me!”

After typing that, he pressed his face anxiously against the window, peering outside. In the twilight, beneath the shadows of the trees, he could make out a blurry figure.

He couldn’t see it clearly, but he could feel it—they were staring right back at him.

A ding sounded. Li Huowang looked down at his phone. A new message from Yang Na glowed on the screen. “Maybe it’s just Auntie Qi?”

“No way! Auntie Qi is off work by now. I’ve been on my best behavior lately; the neighborhood committee has loosened their surveillance.”

“Then what do we do? Should we call the police?”

“It’s fine. They seem to have restraints. They wouldn’t dare make a move on me now. Besides, I’m not exactly defenseless.” Li Huowang pulled open a drawer, revealing a gleaming knife.

In fact, Li Huowang considered the reappearance of these people a good thing. At least it meant that, for now, Yang Na and the others were safe.

“Huowang! Come out and eat!” Hearing the call from outside his door, Li Huowang looked up and answered. “Shhhh!” He pulled the star-patterned curtains shut, cutting off the view from outside. It brought him a sliver of comfort.

Whether now or before, dinner was always just the two of them—mother and son. His father drove a taxi, and the evening rush hour was when he made the most money.

Tonight’s meal was chicken stewed with mushrooms, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried chives with snail meat. The soup was seaweed and dried shrimp. Just the smell alone was enough to make your mouth water.

Sun Xiaoqin’s cooking was naturally excellent, but Li Huowang clearly wasn’t in the mood to savor it. He ate with one eye on his phone, occasionally glancing up at the balcony.

“Son, where’s Nana?” Sun Xiaoqin obviously noticed someone was missing.

“She… she had something come up.” Li Huowang fabricated a quick excuse.

Sun Xiaoqin didn’t quite understand the affairs of young people these days. She could only look at it from her own perspective. “Son, you need to be responsible for Nana. I’m not rushing you, but you really need to hold on to a girl like her. Good girls like that are hard to find nowadays.”

“Take Brother Li next door, for example. His son, Li Changnan—the one you used to play with as a kid. He went on a blind date with a girl born in ’93. I met her once. She was nowhere near as good as our Nana. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Do you know how much the bride price alone was?”

Usually, Li Huowang would have chimed in. But after receiving a video call invitation, he quickly shoveled the remaining food from his bowl into his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and ran toward his bedroom. “Mom, I’ve got something. Talk later.”

Back in his room, Li Huowang took a deep breath to steady himself. He tapped the green button on his phone, and Yang Na’s face appeared before him. “Huowang! Look! We’re here!”

The screen panned, showing the main road of a university. It was evening, so there were still many people about.

Li Huowang brought his phone closer, lowering his voice. “Qian Fu, find that guy.”

“Take it easy. We’re here. What’s the rush?” Qian Fu’s voice came from off-screen. Soon, the image began to jostle. They had started moving.

From the changes in sound coming through the video, Li Huowang could tell they had entered a building, taken an elevator, and even asked someone for directions.

When the screen finally stopped shaking, a lean man with a square, frameless glasses appeared before Li Huowang in the bustling, noisy cafeteria.

He looked to be in his twenties, with short hair. The collar of his white shirt was slightly open.

He was eating. Compared to the others around him, who were either talking or scrolling through their phones, he was remarkably quiet. He held his bowl in one hand and his chopsticks in the other, eating slowly, unhurriedly—one mouthful after another. There was a refined elegance about him.

If Li Huowang’s guess was correct, this must be the Qing Wanglai that Qian Fu had mentioned.

“Wow~! Huowang! Did you see that? He’s so handsome!” At Yang Na’s comment, Li Huowang’s face darkened. His impression of the man instantly dropped a notch.

Just then, Li Huowang saw Qing Wanglai look in their direction. He then set down his bowl, stood up, and walked over. “Long time no see. How have you been?”

“Xiao Qing, not good! Not good at all! I got locked up again! I tried to send you a message, get you to come rescue me, but it just wouldn’t go through! Ai, you have no idea what they put me through in that place!” Qian Fu walked up and started rattling off a string of complaints to Qing Wanglai. Chen Hongyu couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

“Shut up!” Chen Hongyu reached out and clamped her hand over Qian Fu’s mouth. Holding him in a headlock, she addressed Qing Wanglai directly. “Give me your meal card. I’m hungry!”

Qing Wanglai shot Yang Na a curious glance. He pulled a meal card from his left pants pocket, pinching it between two fingers, and handed it over. “The clay pot bullfrog and the vinegar pork loin here are pretty good. You should try them.”

Soon, Chen Hongyu placed two large trays of food on Qing Wanglai’s table. The four of them sat down together.

It was clear that, in the eyes of both Chen Hongyu and Qian Fu, eating was more important than anything else. They picked up their bowls and didn’t put them down again, wolfing down the food.

Seeing that they weren’t talking, Li Huowang began, “Hello, Qing Wanglai. Let me introduce myself. I’m Li Huowang.”

Hearing Li Huowang speak, Qing Wanglai put down his bowl, took Yang Na’s phone, and studied Li Huowang through the screen.

Li Huowang was puzzled by the other man’s reaction. What was his deal? He was just introducing himself again.

“You don’t need to say it twice. I know you’re Li Huowang. Have you eaten?”