Chapter 705: Qing Wanglai

Chapter 705: Qing Wanglai

At last, someone who wasn’t mentally ill had arrived. Li Huowang was eager to meet this new normal person and learn more from him.

But Qing Wanglai was a graduate student, and because of the weights tied around his feet, Li Huowang was absolutely forbidden from approaching school grounds. Thus, he could only have Yang Na act on his behalf, accompanying Chen Hongyu and Qian Fu.

Li Huowang naturally considered Yang Na’s safety, but thinking it was broad daylight with people everywhere—any shout would draw attention—and that they were heading to a prestigious university, he felt at ease.

“Huowang, I’m on the subway now, ₍ᐢ.ˬ.⑅ᐢ₎ did you eat dinner?”

“Rush hour, so crowded! Lucky Chen Mama is strong, (⑉･̆-･̆⑉)”

“ჴ˘ര‸രჴ, why didn’t you reply to my text? When are you going to change this habit of only reading but not replying? How am I supposed to know what you’re thinking?”

Seeing the message from Yang Na, Li Huowang, who looked tense, quickly tapped his thumbs across the screen. “Nana! They’re here! They’re here again! They’re still watching me!”

After typing that, Li Huowang leaned forward, pressing his face against the window, peering outside. He saw a blurred figure under the trees in the dusk.

Though he couldn’t see clearly, Li Huowang sensed they were looking right at him!

The chime rang out. Li Huowang glanced down at his screen, where Yang Na’s message appeared. “Could it be Aunt Qi?”

“Impossible! Aunt Qi has already finished work by now. I’ve done well in this time, and the street office isn’t watching as closely anymore.”

“What should we do? Should we call the police?”

“No worries, they seem to be holding back. They dare not act yet. Besides, I’m not exactly a vegetarian!” Li Huowang pulled open a drawer, revealing a gleaming dagger before him.

In fact, these people appearing, in Li Huowang's view, was actually good news—he could at least rest assured that Yang Na and the others were safe for now.

“Huowang, come out for dinner!!” Hearing the voice from outside, Li Huowang raised his head and replied. “Whoosh~!” The starry curtain was drawn shut, blocking their view and giving Li Huowang a slight sense of relief.

Whether now or in the past, dinner was just two people—the mother and son. Li Huowang’s father drove a taxi, and rush hour was the most profitable time.

Today’s dishes were chicken stewed with shiitake mushrooms, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and chives stir-fried with snail meat. The soup was kelp and shrimp skin soup. Just the smell made one’s appetite tingle.

Sun Xiaoqin’s cooking skills were indeed excellent, but Li Huowang clearly wasn’t enjoying it. As he ate, he kept glancing at his phone, occasionally raising his eyes toward the balcony.

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

“She... she had something to do.” Li Huowang gave a casual excuse.

Sun Xiaoqin couldn’t quite understand the ways of today’s youth. From her perspective, she said, “Son, you better take responsibility for Nana. Mom’s not in a hurry, but really, we must hold onto such a good girl. It’s hard to find someone like her nowadays.”

“Just think about our neighbor Mr. Li, his son Li Changnan—remember when he used to play with you as a kid. He went on a blind date with a 1993 girl. I met her once. She’s far worse than our Nana. Tsk tsk tsk, do you know how much the engagement gift cost?”

Usually, Li Huowang would respond at this point, but upon receiving a video call, he quickly shoved the remaining food into his mouth, bulging his cheeks, and rushed to the bedroom. “Mom, I’ve got something to do. We’ll talk later.”

Once back in the bedroom, Li Huowang took a deep breath, calming his emotions. With a light press on the green button, Yang Na’s face appeared on the screen. “Huowang! Look, we’re here!”

As the screen turned, the main road of a university came into view before Li Huowang. Because it was evening, there were still many people on the road.

Li Huowang brought his phone close to the screen and lowered his voice. “Qian Fu, find that guy.”

“Don’t rush. We’re here already. Why rush?” From beyond the screen came Qian Fu’s voice. Soon, the screen began to shake. They started moving.

As the voices in the video changed, Li Huowang realized they had entered a building, taken an elevator, and were preparing to ask someone for directions.

When the screen stopped shaking, a thin man with square-rimmed glasses appeared before Li Huowang in the bustling cafeteria.

He looked to be in his early twenties, with short hair and a slightly open collar on his white shirt.

He was eating, and compared to others either talking or scrolling through phones, he seemed quiet. One hand held his bowl, the other his chopsticks, eating slowly and steadily, elegant yet refined.

If Li Huowang wasn’t mistaken, this man should be the Qing Wanglai Qian Fu mentioned.

“Wow~! Huowang! Did you see? This guy is so handsome!” Hearing Yang Na’s comment, Li Huowang’s expression darkened instantly, and his impression of the man dropped significantly.

At that moment, Li Huowang saw Qing Wanglai looking toward him. Then, he set down his bowl, stood up, and walked toward him. “Long time no see. How have you been?”

“Xiaoqing, nothing much. Not so great! I’ve been locked up again. I wanted to send you a message to get help, but couldn’t get through! Oh, you wouldn’t believe how they tortured me over there!” Qian Fu stepped forward, launching into a long, rambling explanation. Chen Hongyu couldn’t even interject.

“Shut up!” Chen Hongyu reached out and clamped her hand over Qian Fu’s mouth. She grabbed him firmly and spoke directly to Qing Wanglai. “Give me your meal card. I’m hungry!”

Qing Wanglai glanced curiously at Yang Na, then took out a meal card from his left trouser pocket with two fingers and handed it over. “Our school’s clay pot bullfrog and sweet and sour pork ribs are both delicious. You must try them.”

Soon, Chen Hongyu carried two large trays of food to Qing Wanglai’s table. All four sat down together.

Clearly, both Chen Hongyu and Qian Fu considered eating more important than anything else. They kept their bowls in hand and ate voraciously.

Seeing they weren’t speaking, Li Huowang spoke first. “Hello, Qing Wanglai. Let me introduce myself—I’m Li Huowang.”

Upon hearing Li Huowang speak, Qing Wanglai put down his bowl, took Yang Na’s phone, and studied the image of Li Huowang on the screen.

His reaction left Li Huowang puzzled. What was this guy trying to say? He introduced himself again.

“You don’t need to repeat yourself. I know you’re Li Huowang. Have you eaten?”

(End of Chapter)