Zhang Heng worked on thr matter until around ten at night. After that, he returned to Xu Qian’s apartment. And when the elevator door opened, Zhang Heng saw Xu Qian sitting in the living room. She was supposed to be livestreaming at this hour.
The latter had no makeup on. Sitting on the carpet in her pajamas, she was watching a shopping advertisement on the TV. There was a plate of chicken feet, melon seeds, and two cans of beer beside her.
“You’re back.” Xu Qian’s mood seemed to have lightened up as compared to two days ago. She even took the initiative to greet Zhang Heng.
“Did something good happen?” Zhang Heng asked.
“Yes. I just received a call from my boyfriend. He told me that he’s almost done with his business on earth, and he estimates that he will be back in two days,” Xu Qian exclaimed excitedly.
Before that, she was a little hesitant about getting married so early. But, after experiencing so many things recently, from the continuous decline in viewer numbers to getting stalked to the bodyguard her hired bodyguard who had recently discoreved his clone identity, she had become a little overwhelmed by all these misfortunate events.
Now she realized how precious it was for her to have a shoulder to lean on. She had prayed more than once for her boyfriend to come back to her.
Now, her prayers were answered. He was going to return to New Shanghai 0297 earlier than expected.
This was the only piece of good news Xu Qian received during this period of time. So, she decided to give herself a day off and take a break. Seeing Zhang Heng’s frown, Xu Qian waved her hand again. “Don’t worry. I still remember the agreement between us. I never told him a thing about you.”
“That’s good.”
Zhang Heng then put his backpack on the floor.
“How about you, have you found… uhh… a solution to your problems?”
“Well. I contacted a friend, and she said she would help me,” Zhang Heng replied.
Xu Qian nodded, but the excitement on her face had reduced. Zhang Heng’s reply wasn’t to her satisfaction. In fact, Xu Qian wasn’t as hopeful when it came to this. To her, it was impossible for Zhang Heng to go against the corporation that owned him. It was only a matter of time before he was caught. Xu Qian’s only hope was that Zhang Heng could hold on a little longer, at least until she got married.
Initially, her boyfriend wasn’t supposed to be returning this early. However, he suddenly told Xu Qian that he was almost done with business on earth, and it gave Xu Qian a glimmer of hope. She then pointed to the chicken feet in front of her.
“Do you want some?”
“No. I had dinner before I came back,” Zhang Heng replied.
“You look exhausted. Did you go to lots of places today?”
Seeing Zhang Heng rejecting her offer, Xu Qian picked up a chicken foot for herself.
“Well, I’m tracing the whereabouts of Walk The Moon.”
Zhang Heng’s words froze Xu Qian’s expressions. And it took a while for her to squeeze out a smile. “I thought we reached a consensus on this issue. You are not supposed to investigate this matter anymore. Didn’t you tell me that the investigation was purely an act to conceal the fact that you have discovered your identity? You caught E-Goat, and you have gotten what you want. So why continue to investigate?”
“Because I am very interested in this matter.”
“Interested? Why? I don’t plan to pursue it anymore. Why are you still interested in it? And shouldn’t you focus on your affairs now?” Xu Qian asked.
“I’m dealing with it,” Zhang Heng said, “Are you free tomorrow? I want you to go somewhere with me.”
“Uh… I’m afraid I don’t have that kind of time to go out.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t be long, and it can be done during the day.”
“But I have to prepare for the livestream tomorrow evening. Tomorrow’s stream is very important to me because that is probably my last,” Xu Qian said.
“Your last livestream?”
“I told you before. Most female streamers quit their job once they get married. As soon as this news spreads, the popularity of the streamer would instantly go downhill. And I am in a lot of trouble now. I estimate that I will not be able to start another livestream after tomorrow. So, it is better I say goodbye to my fans as early as possible.”
Although Xu Qian’s words were relatively euphemistic, Zhang Heng understood what she meant by trouble. Once Zhang Heng, an awakened clone, was caught, Xu Qian would fall into a series of legal troubles according to the current laws and regulations. This was why she wanted to marry herself off as soon as possible.
“My boyfriend actually discussed this matter with me a month ago. He also hoped that I could retire early. You know, he is not short of money, and he could be quite conservative too. He does not wish his wife or girlfriend to work as a streamer,” Xu Qian said.
“So, your boyfriend is the one that wants you to retire?”
“No, it is the result of our mutual discussion. I just made up my mind, and I’m sure he will be delighted when I tell him about this decision. Why… is there any problem?”
“No matter what I say now, you probably won’t believe it. So, the easiest way for me to convince you is to make you come with me tomorrow,” Zhang Heng said. “This matter is of grave importance, even more, important than your retirement. You better take some time out tomorrow.”
“You… won’t hurt me, right?” Xu Qian seemed a little worried, and she started to step back.
She knew that the people who were driven to a dead-end would often make some crazy decisions, having the idea of “Since I am going to die anyway, I should do something crazy before I die.” They would even drag in other innocent people to achieve their end goal.
Although Zhang Heng’s mood was fairly stable so far, Xu Qian did not know what was on his mind. So, Xu Qian acted very carefully during this time. She did lose control once when Zhang Heng suspected her boyfriend. Other than that, Xu Qian would treat Zhang Heng politely most of the time.
At the same time, Xu Qian was glad she didn’t mistreat Zhang Heng when she first met him. She knew that some people in New Shanghai 0297 did not treat the clones as human. But Xu Qian was not that kind of person, and she did not want to get into any trouble because of it. Unfortunately, she still got herself into big trouble in the end.
Zhang Heng did not answer Xu Qian’s question, but instead, he asked, “What is your biggest wish?”
“My biggest wish?” Xu Qian seemed a little confused. She couldn’t understand why Zhang Heng suddenly changed the topic to a life goal.
