In the café, Cheng Jinyang was slightly taken aback.
Although he had interacted with Cui Jinqi before, she was still one of the prestigious women of the five great families. He didn't expect that she would actually come out to meet him just because of a phone call.
After a moment's pause, he smiled warmly and asked:
"Jinqi, Wanrou is hiding here with you, isn't she?"
"No, she's not," Cui Jinqi replied with a smile, taking a sip of her tea.
"I see," Cheng Jinyang thought, "So she really did come to you. Can you bring her out?"
"She's not here, so how can I bring her out?" Cui Jinqi continued to deny it, still smiling.
"Here's the thing," Cheng Jinyang said sincerely, "We've recently completed several Tianluo missions and found that Wanrou's physical stamina is a real weakness. You know that Jiankang City will soon face the threat of war. If we encounter chaotic soldiers or violent mobs, even the Taiyuan Wang family's stronghold isn't an impregnable fortress. It would be best to give her some emergency training to avoid being caught off guard in a real emergency, don't you think?"
Training Wang Wanrou? Cui Jinqi's eyes lit up.
She certainly knew that Miss Wang was physically weak; even a country goose could probably chase her around. If Cheng Jinyang were to train her... it would probably be quite interesting!
However, thinking about Wang Wanrou's terrifying aspects, she couldn't help but shiver. She could only say:
"Jinyang, Wanrou really isn't here. Given that you could find your way here, don't you think she would have anticipated this? Actually, the fact that you got this information was part of her ruse to mislead and delay you here."
"Really?" Cheng Jinyang's smile remained unchanged. "But there's a saying, 'The most dangerous place is the safest place.' Why do I feel that maybe she deliberately led me to think this way, so I would subconsciously overlook the real hiding place, like here with you?"
Cui Jinqi immediately pretended to be angry, "Young Master Cheng, it's one thing for you to suspect her, but I've already told you she's not here, and you're still doubting my word? Is our relationship not even close enough for me to give you an explanation? I've said she's not here, believe it or not, it's up to you. I'm leaving!"
She stormed off in a huff, and Cheng Jinyang didn't stop her, just watched her back with a cold smile.
After leaving the café, Cui Jinqi immediately turned into a quiet corner, took out her phone, and dialed a number:
"Wanrou! Cheng Jinyang really came looking!" She recounted the conversation in detail. "Anyway, I absolutely denied it, so don't worry. I'll inform you of any further developments!"
"Deny it to the end?" Wang Wanrou said coldly. "Didn't you follow the lines I gave you?"
"Your lines were too long for me to remember!" Cui Jinqi argued.
"Is your brain worse than a goldfish's?" Wang Wanrou snorted. "Forget it, I knew you were unreliable, I'll go find Qingwan."
She hung up, leaving Cui Jinqi embarrassed and angry.
Just as she was about to call Miss Wang again, Cheng Jinyang's voice came from across the way:
"How does it feel, going to great lengths to cover for someone, only to find out they don't appreciate it?"
"Young Master Cheng, what are you talking about?" Cui Jinqi showed no shame at being caught red-handed, her face blossoming with a charming smile and her tone sweet. "Wanrou just called me to say she's waiting for you at Qingwan's place, shouldn't you hurry over to find her?"
Sure enough, they are just Plastic Sisters, already starting to sell each other out.
"I understand." Cheng Jinyang glanced at her thoughtfully, then turned around, activated Qiong Biluo and ascended directly into the sky to leave.
Li Qingwan was from the Longxi Li clan. Although she wasn't a core member of the family, she was still not someone an average person could easily meet. It was only through leveraging his connections with Wang Wanrou and Cui Jinqi that he managed to get in touch with this noble lady and exchange contact information...
Unconsciously, I have already connected with three of the Five Great Clans, which are supposed to be high and mighty. Fate is truly amazing.
"Wanrou?" Li Qingwan answered the call softly. "She hasn't contacted me yet."
"If she comes later, please help me stall her."
"Alright," Li Qingwan replied. "However, given her intelligence, I doubt I can fool her... Besides, since you could find me here, wouldn't she have anticipated this as well?"
Cheng Jinyang: ???
That makes sense!
Maybe Miss Wang already predicted that Miss Cui would turn against her and intentionally leaked this false information to me!
Wow, she's really cunning!
Wait, or maybe Miss Wang predicted that I would foresee Cui Jinqi's betrayal, so she told the truth to mislead me into not investigating Li Qingwan?
Hmm... How many layers deep does this go?
Forget it, I'll confirm with Li Qingwan first!
The ancestral land of the Longxi Li clan was located near Lushan Road in the Jianye District of Jiankang City. The area was surrounded by Jiangbin Park, making it an ideal place for jogging and morning exercises due to its fresh air.
Upon arriving, Cheng Jinyang saw many joggers around, making it hard to distinguish between the Li clan members and the local residents.
Soon, Li Qingwan ran out from the park across the street. She was dressed in light sportswear and tight-fitting pants, with her hair tied in a ponytail at the back of her head, seemingly just after a run.
A thin layer of sweat glistened on her fair, rosy skin, without any unpleasant odor, emitting a healthy scent that certain enthusiasts might be inclined to lick.
"She still hasn't contacted me." He was pondering, but Li Qingwan generously reached out her hand and extended a jogging invitation to him, "I have a 12,000-meter run today. Why don't you train with me? If she calls during that time, I'll let you know promptly."
12,000 meters... Cheng Jinyang was initially tempted, after all, it's running with a beautiful girl. However, upon hearing that number, he immediately declined politely, saying, "Sorry, next time for sure. This time, I need to find her quickly. Do you know who else besides you Miss Wang might go to?"
"If she's avoiding you, she might go back to the Taiyuan Wang family's ancestral land," Li Qingwan said softly, "Hmm, that's probably it."
"Besides that?" Cheng Jinyang asked.
Though not knowing the specifics, he could guess that Wang Wanrou had used some excuse to leave the ancestral land and move into his house.
How could she go back so soon? Did she not want the experience of upgrading her bloodline at night? If she doesn't want it, I'll leave it for the girls who need it.
"You're asking if she'll go to someone else besides returning to the ancestral land?" Li Qingwan pondered with her arms crossed, "I'm not sure about her family, but her brother, Wang Xinzhi, isn't in Jiankang recently, so she probably won't go to him."
"Among the aristocratic families, her closer relationships are probably with Cui Jinqi of the Cui family and Zheng Qiupei of the Zheng family. But you know Wanrou's temperament, calm as water. In fact, no one has ever had a deep relationship with her." She chuckled softly, "I feel like our relationship with Wanrou is not as good as yours."
Cheng Jinyang: ..........
He recalled Miss Wang's previous words, something like "the world is a boring gray canvas" and "you're one of the few dull colors," and suddenly his anger dissipated.
It's not that he's easy to deal with, but Miss Wang is just too pitiful. Does she really not have even one close friend?
Even I, someone she's known for less than three months, am already among her top friends.
Sigh, I feel ashamed.
After bidding farewell to Li Qingwan, Cheng Jinyang messaged Wang Wanrou, informing her that he would let the matter go for today. But next time, there would be no mercy!
Soon, he received a reply from Miss Wang: I'm at the nearby Jinling Library, come quickly.
Cheng Jinyang: ???