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墨書 Inktalez
Bai Jingwei stopped stirring the soup and looked up at Zhang Qiu, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "Not yet." He then continued to stir the soup, eating a couple of wontons before leaving, with more than half of the bowl still full.
Since Bai Jingwei was unwilling to elaborate, Zhang Qiu did not press further. After finishing breakfast, he left with Lucia. The Jeep was parked outside, but the barrier did not lift. As Zhang Qiu and Lucia approached the gate, a soldier raised his hand to stop them.
Zhang Qiu asked, "Why can't we go out?"
"Please show your pass."
Bai Jingwei had never given them a pass. Did he intend to keep them under house arrest? Just as Zhang Qiu was about to find Bai Jingwei for clarification, he saw the cold woman from last night walking toward them. As she brushed past, she stopped and asked, "Where are you going?"
"To find Bai Jingwei."
The woman blocked the agitated Zhang Qiu: "Professor Bai is in the laboratory; no one is allowed to disturb him."
"What about us? We want to go out and have fun, but we aren't given a pass. What does he mean by that?"
"Professor Bai has assigned me to ensure your safety. The pass is with me; I will take you out."
"You'll take us out," Zhang Qiu paused and stared intently into the woman's eyes, "does that mean you will lead us out the gate, or will you follow us wherever we go?"
"I will protect you all the way."
"No need!" Zhang Qiu decisively refused. Regardless of Bai Jingwei's intentions, he did not want anyone interrupting their relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
"My orders are to ensure your safety." The woman's voice was devoid of emotion and left no room for refusal. Zhang Qiu gazed into her cold eyes and asked, "What should I call you?"
"E."
"E?"
The woman nodded. Zhang Qiu was taken aback; people in the research institute had such strange names. He asked again, "Is there also an Abd?"
"Yes."
Zhang Qiu was speechless and felt a pang of discomfort thinking about K's demise in Tanzania. Why not use proper names? Why label people like machines? Even those in special work for confidentiality reasons, like Azure Hawk and others, had pleasant codenames. Using the twenty-six letters of the alphabet for labeling gave Zhang Qiu a sense of insult. In the anime he had watched, artificial beings were labeled like this too.
"We're going out to have fun, and we'll take care of ourselves. Besides, I want to meet a friend; having an extra person feels awkward. I hope you can understand." Despite E's cold attitude, Zhang Qiu remained polite, after all, E was just trying to protect herself.
"I won't disturb you. If there's no danger, I'll disappear like air."
Zhang Qiu shook his head and smiled, "I hope you understand that I have the right to choose. If you insist on this, I'll have to bother Professor Bai."
"On the way to the lab, besides a few electronic gates, there are also guards from the combat team; you won't be able to get close."
"In that case, I'll just have to break through." Zhang Qiu narrowed his eyes as he assessed the Sentinel, with the scheduled time with Chen Kun drawing nearer, Zhang Qiu's patience was wearing thin.
"Your thinking is extremely irrational."
"How rational do you expect someone who has come back from the brink of death to be? I've made it through gunfire; why would I care about a few fish and shrimp?"
"Don't underestimate your opponent; this is both our territory and the enemy's territory."
Zhang Qiu and E were at a standoff, the distance between them shrinking as if they were about to clash. Lucia hurriedly rushed between them, shaking her head and shouting, "Stop! Why are you arguing again?"
Zhang Qiu and E each took a step back. E spoke to Lucia in English, "Professor Bai assigned me to ensure your safety, but he seems quite unwilling; perhaps you can persuade him."
"No, I'm not willing either." Lucia shot a hostile glance at E.
"Heh heh, you really are a bunch of misfits." E sneered, her voice sounding like it had been filtered through an ice cave.
Zhang Qiu even thought of ways to shake off E midway. Just when he thought he would need to argue further, E suddenly shouted at the Sentinel, "Let them out."
"Yes!" The Sentinel responded to E as the barrier slowly lifted.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia exchanged glances before quickly exiting and getting into the waiting Jeep. As they closed the door, Zhang Qiu glanced back; E stood still in place, her gaze fixed on their vehicle. Professor Bai had given orders that if Zhang Qiu insisted on not allowing anyone to follow them, they could leave alone.
The Jeep slowly started up and drove along the rugged mountain road, dropping Zhang Qiu and Lucia off at the nearest subway station. As soon as they got out of the car and hadn't even had time to thank the driver, the Jeep sped off into traffic. Zhang Qiu shook his head and took Lucia's hand as they squeezed into the subway station to buy tickets.
After some time, Zhang Qiu and Lucia arrived at Wudaokou Subway Station where Zhang Qiu had arranged to meet Chen Kun. As they exited through the turnstile, Zhang Qiu spotted a familiar figure standing at the exit. He smiled and waved, calling out, "Brother Kun!"
Chen Kun suddenly turned around and walked quickly down the stairs, smiling, "Brother Qiu." He then looked at the golden-eyed girl beside Zhang Qiu and said in English, "You must be Lucia. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Lucia replied with a smile.
Zhang Qiu introduced both parties and smiled at Chen Kun, saying, "Are you sure your schoolwork is fine?"
Chen Kun laughed, "There are quite a few Java classes. You know my level. I don't need to take leave; the teacher won't mark me absent."
"Then for these few days, we’ll leave everything to you," Zhang Qiu said as he took out the bank card Bai Jingwei had given him and handed it to Chen Kun. "All expenses will come from this."
Chen Kun pushed the card back to Zhang Qiu, jokingly asking, "Can you really let me spend your money?"
"Actually, it's not my money," Zhang Qiu explained the card's origin when he saw Chen Kun's confusion. Chen Kun laughed heartily and accepted the bank card, saying, "Then I'll take advantage of you and have some fun."
"As long as you don't go to the Red-Light District, you can have fun however you like."
Zhang Qiu and Chen Kun chatted animatedly, exchanging words and laughter, while Lucia felt awkward standing by. Zhang Qiu suggested that the three of them communicate in English so that Lucia wouldn't feel left out. Lucia smiled happily and said, "Thank you both."
The first stop agreed upon by Zhang Qiu and Chen Kun was Duan Qirui's Former Government Office. The article "Memorial to Liu and Zhenjun" that they studied in their first year was Mr. Lu Xun's criticism of Duan Qirui, which made Zhang Qiu quite interested in this place. Additionally, there was a restaurant owned by Chen Kun not far from there where they could have lunch.
Duan Qirui's Former Government Office is located on Zhang Zizhong Road, originally named Iron Lion Alley. On the way there by subway, they chatted about Chen Kun's recent life. Zhang Qiu learned that Brother Kun, who had always been single, had started dating a freshman girl from another school while he was in Africa. Unfortunately, this relationship was not perfect.
When discussing this relationship, Chen Kun sighed repeatedly after every few sentences; Zhang Qiu had never seen him like this before. Lucia, meeting Chen Kun for the first time, felt it inappropriate to ask too many questions and simply listened attentively. Zhang Qiu occasionally asked Chen Kun a question or two, prompting him to share the general details of his romantic experience.
Chen Kun met that girl during an off-campus activity when they sat next to each other on the bus. The ride was neither too long nor too short; they went from silence to pleasant conversation. During the activity, they happened to be in the same group, and Chen Kun felt an indescribable connection with her.
After the event ended, Chen Kun added her on QQ, and they chatted enthusiastically after returning to school. One morning, the girl confessed her feelings for Chen Kun. Since he liked her too, he agreed immediately; they became a couple in just a short time after getting to know each other. Filled with ambition, Chen Kun planned their future together and stayed by her side when she fell ill. However, despite his longing for love, he found that love wasn't as sweet as he had imagined; repeated arguments created a barrier between them.
"Why argue? Isn't it better to get along?"
Chen Kun gave a bitter smile and sighed, "What she wants is actually very simple—just companionship."
"Then give it to her! Who doesn't want to be with their girlfriend?"
"She wants something I can't give. You know, I've been preparing for my graduate entrance exams lately. Also, I'm in the critical phase of a freelance project I've taken on. I've compressed my study time as much as possible to spend more time talking to her, which is why I've turned down other social activities. Maybe she'll never understand what I've done for her." Chen Kun sighed deeply, leaning against the railing. People nearby occasionally glanced over, but fortunately, they were communicating in English; otherwise, who knows how many nosy individuals would be eavesdropping.
Zhang Qiu felt anxious for Chen Kun and quickly said, "Then you should tell her clearly."
"Does explaining help?" Chen Kun shook his head helplessly. "Sometimes I think it might be because we don't understand each other enough. After spending time together, problems surface, and conflicts arise. In fact, neither of us is wrong; I am still me, and she is still her. We are just revealing a more authentic side of each other."
"I think you need to meet more often; chatting through text is ultimately too superficial. None of us are rich second-generation kids; if we want to live, we have to work hard. Love without bread can't last long. Maybe you could choose to study together on weekends. You can see each other easily and share sweet words when you're tired."
"I've thought about that too, but her campus is too far away. I'm not afraid of distance; I can go see her, but sometimes she doesn't want me to visit. I always feel like there's something missing between us." Chen Kun shook his head with determination. "Forget it; we've already broken up, so what's the point? Maybe it's fate that brought us together; I'll take you all out to have fun, and I could use a break."
Zhang Qiu looked at Chen Kun's forced smile and knew he didn't want to bring it up again. Zhang Qiu didn't ask any further questions but felt sorry for both of them. Just like Chen Kun said, neither was at fault. If anything was wrong, perhaps it was meeting at the wrong time.
Zhang Qiu thought about his relationship with Jiang Xue and felt very fortunate. They were able to be together in high school, and both families agreed to their relationship—such situations are rare. It seemed that he and Jiang Xue had never argued; they each went about their busy lives but enjoyed cuddling together during their free time, discovering new qualities in each other every time they met.
Filled with trust and having their own lives while always caring for one another without excessive control, they explored the joys of the world together. Zhang Qiu thought that perhaps this is happiness. He just hoped that the jade pendant research would conclude soon; Jiang Xue still didn't know he had returned home, and Zhang Qiu was waiting to give her a big surprise!
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