Chapter 28: This Is Not a Place You Belong

As soon as Shen Qing entered the house, Xia Mang had already packed up and looked ready to leave.
“Tonight’s flight?”
“Yes.”
“The Gu family is downstairs. Be careful,” Shen Qing said, pouring herself a glass of water.
“What? Don’t tell me it’s the people from that night?” Xia Mang was startled and rushed to the window. Downstairs, there was a black van.
Shen Qing shook her head. “No, it’s Gu Ting.”
“The one who wanted to invite you to dinner that night?” Xia Mang closed the curtains.
“You didn’t see him, did you?” Shen Qing frowned and shot her a cold glance.
Xia Mang paused, then grinned sheepishly. “I caught a glimpse, just a little.”
“I think Gu Ting is quite interested in you. He even drove you home in the middle of the night. Little Qing, you might just marry into a wealthy family.”
“Do I need a wealthy family?”
…
With all the medicine the medical organization supplies her, what need does she have for a wealthy family?
She’s her own powerhouse!
“But the Gu family is complicated. Men are just for fun, don’t get caught up in Gu Ting.” Xia Mang sat beside Shen Qing, her expression unusually serious.
Shen Qing glanced at her, then nodded.
“I know my limits.”
“Really?” Xia Mang looked skeptical. Gu Ting’s dossier marked him as a playboy, but in an old and established family like that in the capital, nothing is ever simple.
Shen Qing was formidable, but at the end of the day, she was just a seventeen-year-old girl. If she got swept away by Gu Ting’s handsome face and started feeling a flutter in her heart, not even ten oxen could drag her back!
“Believe it or not.”
“I believe, I believe.”
“It’s time for you to go. Hurry up and get moving.” Shen Qing checked the clock; it was nearly eleven.
“Alright, then, darling, I’m off. Mwah!”
Shen Qing, looking thoroughly annoyed, pushed her out the door. The moment Xia Mang left, the spacious apartment fell silent, devoid of any vitality.
*

Shi Yi glanced at Gu Ting through the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but ask, “Master, why are you staying in Fancheng for so long?”
He’s still teaching at a high school!
And shamelessly flirting with female students!
Gu Ting leaned back in his seat. “There’s something I need to do.”
“Flirting with female students counts as business?” Shi Yi muttered under his breath.
Gu Ting’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”
Shi Yi jolted and hurried to explain, “Master, I meant your business is always most important.”
“Next time you lose your mind, go help the old man plant vegetables.”
“Master… you do know how to joke.” Shi Yi was stunned; his master never joked.
After driving for a while, Gu Ting received a call from Dongfang Cheng.
“Ting, something’s happened.”
*

Early the next morning, Shen Qing received a WeChat message from Gu Ting.
[G: Something’s come up here. I won’t be able to contact you for a few days.]
He’s in trouble—what does that have to do with her?
Shen Qing got up from bed, put on a black tracksuit, washed up, pulled on a baseball cap, and left the house.
It was the weekend, so she didn’t need to go to school. After a simple breakfast, she hailed a cab to Xingchen Plaza.
In a private room on the fifth floor of the Joy Pavilion, a middle-aged woman in a white blouse sat waiting. Her short hair was neat, her features attractive.
The door opened. Lan Xinqiao looked up. The visitor wore a black baseball cap, brim pulled low, only revealing a delicate chin.
Lan Xinqiao immediately stood, smiling politely, her tone respectful. “Miss Shen, you’re here.”
The waiter about to close the door paused, stealing a glance at Shen Qing, secretly wondering what kind of person she was—how could Director Lan be so deferential?
Shen Qing took off her cap, nodded, and sat down directly.
“You came to Fancheng without telling me. I could have welcomed you properly,” Lan Xinqiao said, pouring her a cup of hot tea.
If the old man found out she hadn’t received Shen Qing well, he’d call several times to scold her.
*

“You’ve been here a while. Did something happen?”
Lan Xinqiao only ever contacted her for two reasons: either for the Lan family patriarch, or when she faced a problem she couldn’t solve.
Meeting Shen Qing’s eyes, Lan Xinqiao smiled awkwardly. “There’s a case I really can’t handle.”
“Alright. Take me to see it.”
Lan Xinqiao was stunned. She genuinely wanted to treat Shen Qing to good food and drink—not just bring her here for a case.
“Not going?” Shen Qing saw Lan Xinqiao hesitate and narrowed her eyes.
“Of course! Please, follow me.” Lan Xinqiao quickly stood.
*

“Director Lan.”
Colleagues greeted Lan Xinqiao, nodding as she passed.
Lan Xinqiao responded with her usual perfunctory nod, then smiled and beckoned Shen Qing over.
Many people were shocked by the scene.
The newly appointed Director Lan, known for her upright and unyielding demeanor, was suddenly acting so obsequious?
“Who’s that girl?”
“No clue. Director Lan seems eager to please her.”
“Is she some leader’s child?”
“Impossible. Have you ever seen Director Lan be so respectful to any leader?”
Shen Qing followed Lan Xinqiao through winding corridors into a room.
“Director Lan!”
“Director Lan!”
A few young people in uniform immediately stood.
One girl, noticing the cap on Shen Qing’s head and unable to see her face, thought her appearance unruly.
She stepped forward and barked, “Who are you? This isn’t a place you can just walk into. Get out now.”