Chapter 105: 105. Went out to play again
Chapter 105: 105. Went out to play again
Because they ate in batches, breakfast dragged on until noon.
Throughout the meal, Liu Dezhu made a spectacle of himself at the dining table, capturing all the attention as if the more he performed, the more engrossed he became.
Once all the prisoners had returned to their cells, everyone felt they had guessed the truth: there was now a big boss in the prison who was untouchable, and his status seemed to be above that of Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao.
Some prisoners with organizational ties had already started figuring out how to spread this news.
The prison yard gradually returned to quietness, and Liu Dezhu turned his head, only to see Lin Xiaoxiao and Ye Wan watching him expressionlessly.
With a smack,
Liu Dezhu knelt on the ground and said, “I’m sorry.”
This scene left Lin Xiaoxiao and Ye Wan bewildered.
Lin Xiaoxiao muttered quietly, “This ability to stoop and bow is quite suitable for an agent. Anyone with a bit of backbone or ambition wouldn’t want to be a puppet.”
Liu Dezhu tilted his head and removed a miniature earphone, hurriedly explaining, “All those things just now were instructions from the earphone, please don’t mind it.”
While speaking, Qing Chen, wearing a cat mask, walked out from the kitchen, “The performance was a bit tense, but good enough to handle those new Time Travelers. Go back to your cell. There will be more acting required from you later. Remember what I said, greed will kill a person.”
“Understood, understood,” Liu Dezhu nodded vigorously.
After Liu Dezhu had left, Uncle Li Dong, with a smiling face, walked back from the reading area, “If I had walked over later, I couldn’t have held back my laughter. It’s quite interesting, maybe this is the fun of staying behind the scenes.”
Qing Chen removed his mask and looked at Uncle Li Dong, “Teacher, the last task is completed.”
Uncle Li Dong smiled, “Not yet, there’s still one left.”
As he spoke, two mechanical prison guards approached Qing Chen and said, “Prisoner 010101, you have a family visitation.”
Qing Chen turned his head in astonishment; he did not expect Jindai Kongyin to come again so soon after he had declined her last visit.
On the side, Uncle Li Dong said, “Go on, we’re going to be here for a while. Next time she comes, I will have the guards refuse her visit directly. Who knows when you would see her again.”
In the visitation room, Jindai Kongyin wore a gray pleated skirt that just reached her knees and, due to the colder weather, she also wore leggings.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
On her feet were a pair of black leather shoes.
This outfit made her look more her age, nineteen.
Two years older than Qing Chen, but still far from maturity, she exuded a youthful vibe.
When she saw Qing Chen enter the room with the mechanical prison guards, she quickly opened the two thermos boxes in front of her.
One box contained exquisite sushi, and another was filled with grilled beef rice.
Only when Qing Chen sat down across from her did Jindai Kongyin smile and say, “How come I didn’t see you last time?”
Qing Chen replied softly, “I don’t know what happened in the prison, but suddenly they locked all the prisoners in their own cells, I’m sorry.”
Jindai Kongyin quickly shook her hand, laughing, “What are you sorry about? It’s not your fault. Let’s eat! I made every piece of sushi myself!”
“Why bring two lunch boxes?” Qing Chen wondered, “It seems like a bit much.”
“Because last time I saw you ate everything so cleanly, it seemed like you hadn’t had enough,” Jindai Kongyin said with a cheery smile. “Don’t be shy, you finishing it all is a compliment to me!”
“Hmm,” Qing Chen didn’t say much else, just lowered his head and ate.
Across the table, Jindai Kongyin propped her chin and skewed her head to watch Qing Chen muttering, “I don’t know what impression he has of me, but he eats so elegantly.”
(I don’t know what he thinks of me, but his eating manners are very refined.)
This time, Qing Chen pretended not to hear and was too lazy to ask.
This was just the first day across, and it would still be several days before he could solve the puzzle.
Yet, she seemed to relish playing these little games.
He pondered what her expression would be if she one day found out that he was also a Time Traveler and had translated every word she said…
Actually, quietly watching someone show off has its aftereffects, like after he saved Nan Gengchen and the guy safely returned to Los Angeles City but didn’t dare speak a word to him.
Perhaps this is what they call social death.
In layman’s terms, it means being too embarrassed to show your face.
At that time, Jindai Kongyin said, “Yesterday I visited some of the elders from Qing’s Family, but it seemed like they didn’t like you much. I memorized their names; one is named Qing Li, the other Qing Hui. They kept speaking ill of you! They even said they hoped the Jindai family could choose a different fiancé, but I refused!”
Qing Chen looked up at Jindai Kongyin, “Why tell me this?”
“Because I think you’re better than them,” Jindai Kongyin said with a smile. “If anyone else speaks ill of you, I’ll take note and tell you!”
Qing Chen reflected, despite being a transparent, peripheral figure, why was he being targeted within his family? Was it because he had taken the Shadow candidate spot from the third house?
It was possible.
But he always felt there was a deeper reason, perhaps related to someone having erased traces of his existence.
Qing Chen looked at Jindai Kongyin earnestly and said, “Thank you. Is there anything I need to do?”
“No need,” Jindai Kongyin quickly waved her hand. “After you complete your task and get out of prison, you could invite me to dinner. By then, I might have already returned to the Jindai family. You’re welcome to visit.”
There were still 3 years until the marriage agreement was due to be fulfilled, and during this time, Jindai Kongyin would still need to return to the north to live.
The visitation time ended.
As the girl left, she turned back and said with a smile, “Qing Chen, I’m returning to my family. I truly hope I can see you again later.”
(Qing Chen, I’m returning to my family, and I truly hope to see you again in the future.)
Qing Chen noticed when the girl smiled, there was a small dimple on her right cheek, fresh like a blooming lily.
…
Countdown 144:00:00
Midnight, in Prison 18.
“How is your foot?” Uncle Li Dong asked.
Qing Chen replied, “The medicine Mother Ye applied hurt at first, but it’s healing quite fast. The wound that would normally take a week to scab over has already done so today, though it still hurts a bit.”
“Can you walk?” Uncle Li Dong asked.
Under normal circumstances, Qing Chen should have rested a few more days, especially since the injuries on his shoulder and foot had not healed yet.
But Uncle Li Dong seemed unconcerned about these matters; he simply asked, “Can you walk?”
Qing Chen smiled, “Yes.”
Uncle Li Dong nodded, “Then let’s go.”
With that, he walked into the dining area.
Ye Wan arrived in front of the cold storage door and pushed open the heavy steel gate with effort.
The cold air rushed toward him like fog and then settled slowly at his feet.
Next, Ye Wan came to a freezing pool and punched through the ice layer over a meter thick, revealing a steel plate underneath.
He lifted the huge, heavy steel plate to reveal a staircase leading down.
“This is a passage leading out of the prison,” Ye Wan said to Qing Chen. “Very few people know about its existence, and it’s the first time someone is using it to leave. No consortium knows about this path, and no one monitors it.”
Speaking, Ye Wan pulled a large backpack from the corner and put it on Qing Chen, “This contains the things you and the boss will need next.”
The backpack was nearly as tall as a person, packed with numerous items.
Qing Chen suddenly understood; this journey seemed like it would be a long one, longer than he had expected.
Maybe when he returned, everything would be different.
Qing Chen looked at Uncle Li Dong, “Teacher, aren’t you taking a bag?”
Uncle Li Dong led the way down the deep stairs, “With a student here, there’s no reason for a teacher to carry a bag, my stuff is in your bag.”
Qing Chen followed behind him and asked, “Teacher, where are we going?”
The reply came from the darkness, “To a place that has become Taboo Land.”
…
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