The two women chatted about some R-rated topics for a while, then turned their attention to the scenery.
"I will ascend the highest peak; all other mountains will shrink to my view."
While it wasn’t quite that exaggerated, standing up high and looking down at the scenery below was still an exhilarating and refreshing experience.
"Why are you sitting down? You can’t see anything from there."
"Let me rest a bit. My legs are a little weak."
"Oh, give me a break. You’re so obviously bragging. If you keep this up, the whole world is going to know you have an incredibly vigorous boyfriend."
"Never mind my boyfriend. We all made it to the top, so where’s yours? Don’t tell me he got lost on the way?"
"He’s a grown man, that can’t be possible." Feng Qi wasn’t so sure herself and looked around.
"There’s only one path up the mountain, and there are signs everywhere. How could he possibly get lost?"
Zhao Fangfei also glanced around. "Either way, we’re on a mountain. I think you should give him a call and check. This is no joking matter."
"Fine."
Feng Qi took out her phone and called Zhou Sui, but no one answered, even after several tries.
"What’s going on? Why can’t I get through?"
"Don’t tell me he actually got lost and wandered into an area with no reception?" Zhao Fangfei said.
"Try calling a few more times. You can’t be careless about this."
Feng Qi nodded and dialed Zhou Sui’s number several more times.
Unsurprisingly, none of the calls went through.
"Did that dumbass really get lost?" Feng Qi stomped her foot in frustration, her good mood ruined.
"Stop complaining about him for a moment and call the scenic area staff. Have them send people to look for him," Zhao Fangfei said, tugging on Feng Qi.
"We should hurry down the mountain and help with the search."
Feng Qi contacted the staff first, and then the three of them took the cable car down the mountain.
Even though they couldn’t reach Zhou Sui, the trio was in surprisingly good spirits.
For one, the chances of it being a life-threatening situation were low.
Secondly, they weren’t particularly close to him. Even the relationship between Feng Qi and him was purely transactional. If something terrible had actually happened, they would probably just sigh about the unpredictability of life.
After they got down the mountain, Feng Qi found a staff member to ask about the situation, only to learn that Zhou Sui was still missing.
"Why don’t we split up and search for him? We can just look around the area."
Out of a sense of basic decency, Zhao Fangfei suggested they look for Zhou Sui, so the three of them started to wander around.
However, their main focus was still on enjoying the scenery at the base of the mountain.
It was a classic case of, "I know finding him is urgent, but first, let me take a selfie."
After searching for a little while, the three of them split up.
In any case, a person was missing, so they had to at least make an effort to look.
Lin Jiang found a shady spot where a babbling stream flowed down from the mountain and sat in a clearing to enjoy the scenery.
RING, RING, RING—
Just then, the phone in his pocket rang. It was a call from Qin Yangyang.
He’d been on this business trip for a few days, and they chatted every night. It only took a few words from him to get Qin Yangyang all sweet and clingy.
Once Pandora’s box was opened, there was no going back.
This was especially true for a novice like Qin Yangyang, who was the most susceptible to getting hooked.
"What are you up to?"
"Out inspecting a project. Is your trip finishing up?"
"It’s entering the final stages, but it’ll still be a few more days," Qin Yangyang said.
"But that thing you asked me about before... it’s pretty much taken care of. So, tell me, how are you going to thank me?"
Huh?
Lin Jiang paused.
’What did I ask Qin Yangyang to do?’
’I don’t think I asked her to do anything.’
"Whatever you want. I’ll let you take the lead on this one."
"I can work with that."
Qin Yangyang said with a laugh,
"I have a client I’m on good terms with, and she knows a professor at Zhonghai Jiaotong University—an economics professor, no less. I had her act as a go-between to make contact. It seems like something can be worked out, but I wasn’t sure how much money you wanted to spend on this, so I called to ask."
Lin Jiang then realized what she was talking about.
He had only mentioned it to her in passing; he never expected her to remember.
"There’s no budget. Just get it done."
"Then I’ll get it arranged for you," Qin Yangyang said.
"But you should be prepared. Your sister’s academic foundation might be a little weak. Even if you spend the money to get her tutoring from a Jiaoda professor, it’s not guaranteed to work."
"Don’t worry, I’m already prepared for that. Just go ahead and set it up."
"Okay."
Qin Yangyang had something to take care of, so she hung up after they finished their business.
He had imagined many possibilities, but he never thought it would be about this.
Qin Yangyang was more thoughtful than he had imagined. She was turning out to be a very capable partner.
Whenever he needed her, she was there at a moment’s notice.
"Brother Jiang."
Just as he hung up, he heard a voice from behind.
He turned to see Feng Qi walking over.
She seemed to be in good spirits, completely unaffected by the situation.
"Found Zhou Sui yet?"
"Not yet." Feng Qi put her hands on her hips in exasperation.
"Getting himself lost just from climbing a mountain... I’m speechless."
"The scenic area staff are already looking for him. There should be news soon."
"Yeah."
Feng Qi nodded and pointed to a small wooden pavilion in the distance.
"Brother Jiang, look over there. The view is pretty nice. Should we go check it out?"
’Your boyfriend is missing, and you’re not the least bit worried, are you.’
"Sure, let’s go."
The two of them walked a few dozen meters to the wooden pavilion Feng Qi had pointed out. It was a two-story structure, and the wooden staircase had a pleasant, rustic feel as they walked on it.

Comments

Loading...