Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
A classmate named c?
“Don’t worry about it.” Qin Ran lowered her head and washed her hands seriously. She didn’t have to look at it to know that it was Chang Ning.
He Chen probably mentioned that she was in Beijing.
Qin Ran didn’t want to see anyone this time because of her tight schedule. She had controlled her location range to be around the music hall and Beijing University but had bumped into He Chen unexpectedly.
She didn’t expect He Chen, a war journalist, to have suddenly returned.
Qin Ran drew a towel from the side and wiped her hands.
When she went out again, Chang Ning’s video call had already hung up automatically.
Cheng Juan was still flipping through her book casually. It was a foreign language book. The content was very vague and the overall background was very depressed.
He flipped through it quickly.
Lu Zhaoying glanced over and the esoteric and complicated figures gave him a headache, so he pulled out the paper she had pressed underneath.
A bunch of notation was mixed together on it.
She crossed out some and rewrote some.
Lu Zhaoying raised an eyebrow. He didn’t expect Qin Ran to have studied music before?
At the thought of this, he touched his chin and thought of how Master Wei had come to find Qin Ran.
The three of them went out together. Qin Ran took a dark coat and put it on outside her sweater, and then buckled the sweater’s hat on her head.
**
Lu Zhaoying knew that Qin Ran would make time to see the ancient buildings today, so he volunteered to lead the way.
Although it wasn’t a holiday, quite a few people had come to Beijing for tourism, though they were mostly grandmas and grandpas.
There were too many people at the main entrance.
But Cheng Juan and Lu Zhaoying brought her to a side door instead of the main entrance.
The gatekeeper was an old grandpa.
The old grandpa probably knew Lu Zhaoying and Cheng Juan well. When he saw them, he looked up lazily and opened the door.
He was too lazy to even say a word.
“This place isn’t open to the public.” Cheng Juan walked slowly behind her.
“We used to climb over the walls when we were young and lived nearby.” Lu Zhaoying had seen this place too many times and wasn’t very interested.
Qin Ran didn’t really like these, but she still took a lot of pictures.
“I’m bringing it back for Mingyue to see.” Qin Ran stopped at every scenic spot and took a picture seriously. “She likes these very much.”
Cheng Juan watched her take pictures with one hand in his pocket, without a hint of impatience.
She tried to make it as nice as possible, but the results were average.
In the end, Cheng Juan couldn’t take it anymore and reached out to help her take pictures.
Qin Ran stood behind him to see the pictures he took.
“You seem to take it at a higher angle than me?” She pointed to the pavilion and said as she approached him.
“Yeah.” Cheng Juan’s ear moved lightly, but he responded casually and wasn’t satisfied with his picture. “It’s alright, just average.”
“Do you want to take one?” Cheng Juan paused and smiled lazily. “Why don’t you post that you’re in Beijing?”
She had many friends on WeChat.
Wouldn’t everyone know she was in Beijing if she posted?
Qin Ran touched her chin and shook her head. “It’s too troublesome.”
Then she followed behind him and watched him take pictures.
“Master Juan studied photography before.” Lu Zhaoying lowered his voice and explained it to her. “He bought several DSLRs but put them in the warehouse in less than half a year. He has a lot of hobbies.”
“Pan Mingyue loves these?” After explaining, Lu Zhaoying remembered that Mingyue was Qin Ran’s friend.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah.” Qin Ran pulled her hat down and explained casually.
Ninghai was also an ancient building and hadn’t been developed.
The two of them often skipped classes together in high school. She would go to an Internet cafe to play games while Pan Mingyue would wander around ancient buildings.
Then, they would go home together at night.
They were the last and second last places at the end of the semester.
All the teachers in the school recognized them.
Lu Zhaoying nodded. “Then she can study archeology at Beijing University. Cheng Mu took it before and it’s not bad.”
He remembered Pan Mingyue’s achievements. First Middle School’s forum used to talk about the two treasures in Heng Chuan, which were Xu Yaoguang and Pan Mingyue. But now, there was another treasure, Qin Ran.
Archeology had always been a neglected department and Pan Mingyue’s results were more than enough to get in.
“She used to want to travel the world… now, she’s taking the prosecutor’s exam,” Qin Ran watched as Cheng Juan took pictures and said as they went to the next scenic spot.
Hearing this, Lu Zhaoying scratched his head.
Prosecutor?
It was so different from how she looked.
Qin Ran seemed quite silent after that while the three of them went around taking pictures. When they went to eat, Qin Ran’s mood picked up a lot.
In the afternoon, Lu Zhaoying took her out to play.
Qin Ran said she wanted to sleep as she had to return to Yun Cheng tomorrow.
**
Downstairs, in the car.
“Master Juan, let me tell you something.” Lu Zhaoying drove in front and looked at Cheng Juan through the rearview mirror. “Didn’t Qin Ran say she was finding her relative that night, and then she said her relative was a showman?”
Cheng Juan responded and pulled out a blanket, his reaction not particularly big.
“Do you know who the showman was?” Lu Zhaoying snorted. “Master Wei.”
Cheng Juan didn’t respond. He just lifted his chin and sat up. “Wei Lin?”
“That’s right. Qin Ran went to watch his concert last night.” Lu Zhaoying thought for a while and then asked, “Since when did Master Wei become a relative of Qin Ran’s?”
Lu Zhaoying hadn’t questioned Qin Ran, but he was definitely curious. No matter which aspect it was, Qin Ran didn’t suit Master Wei.
Cheng Juan thought for a moment and then said two words to Lu Zhaoying: “Wei Zihang.”
The Wei family was a family with a literary reputation, and even though they didn’t have real power in the capital, their reputation was still high and several families were willing to give them face, so Master Jiang couldn’t even compare.
**
At this time, Qin Ran was flipping through the photos taken by Cheng Juan. Then, she sat in a chair by the window and sent a video call to Chang Ning.
She put on her headphones and leaned her mobile phone against a cup.
Then, she took a pen and paper and wrote on it.
“You’re still in Beijing?” Chang Ning put down the information of the applicants when he saw her video call.
He could tell from the decoration behind her that she was in a hotel.
“Yeah.” Qin Ran didn’t look up and continued arranging the music score. She had always been very serious about arranging for Yan Xi and had conceived this style of music in her mind for several months, but hadn’t written it yet.
She wrote it smoothly now.
Chang Ning put down the mouse in his hand, looked at her young face through the camera, and said awkwardly, “When are you going? Do you have time to meet? Let me tell you about this year’s applicants, and let you check the list?”
“I have a flight tomorrow, so I’m currently unavailable.” Qin Ran wrote away and put down her pen. She picked up a bottle of water and took a sip.
“Why didn’t you tell me to arrange your schedule for you?” Chang Ning was a little disappointed and broody. “Did you come because of your grandma’s medicine?”
Qin Ran threw the water bottle aside and replied, “No, I had some other matters.” She thought for a while before asking, “Do you know Matthew?”
Chang Ning leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow. “Which Matthew are you talking about?”
“From Interpol.” This was Gu Xichi’s description and Qin Ran didn’t know much about it. She picked up her pen again, thought about it, and added, “Probably?”
She had only helped Lu Zhaoying solve a few troublesome people and hadn’t invaded into his personal life much.
Neither did she investigate deliberately.
“Do you want his information?” Chang Ning went back to 129’s homepage.
Everyone knew that 129 was the world’s largest intelligence network.
However, this information could only be viewed within the scope of 129’s building and couldn’t be downloaded either.
This was why everyone was racking their brains and trying to squeeze into 129.
“Give me a copy.” Seeing that Chang Ning had found him, Qin Ran lowered her head and continued writing the score.
Qin Ran didn’t intend on meeting him. So, even though Chang Ning knew what hotel she was staying in, he didn’t dare to come over without permission.
He wanted to hang up when he suddenly remembered something he had asked someone to investigate last time. “Oh, yes. Do you remember the last time the domestic medicine was suddenly transferred overseas?”
Qin Ran’s hand paused and she narrowed her eyes at Chang Ning’s tone. “Any insider story?”
If it weren’t for He Chen coincidentally being outside the borders, Chen Shulan wouldn’t have been able to hold on until now.
Outsiders would definitely not know where she had gotten the experimental medicine that even the Lin family couldn’t get.
“It’s a little strange.” Chang Ning tapped his fingers on the table, pondered for a moment, and then said, “The people in the first laboratory are their deans. These drugs were sent to the border for experimental reasons on far-fetched grounds. Does your grandma know them?”
“I get it.” Qin Ran nodded and didn’t answer. She just coldly got rid of him after obtaining the information. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
After hanging up, Qin Ran couldn’t write anymore.
She leaned back in her chair and was silent for a long while before putting down her pen.
She pressed the music sheet under her book and then took her jacket and backpack out.
As she approached the door, she remembered the black mask on the cabinet and went back to pick it up.
Cheng Juan had thrown this to her before he left.
**
Beijing University.
It was almost four o’clock when Qin Ran arrived, so there was still class. There weren’t many people on campus.
She walked all the way to the medical department.
The hood of her sweater was buttoned up and her mask was put on such that even her chin couldn’t be seen, but she still exuded a cold aura.
Her personal style was extremely obvious and could be recognized after seeing her for the first time. The doorman at the access control gate recognized her and let her in. “Oh, yes, it’s you. The professor is on a business trip. He told me to give you this if you came.”
He took out a takeaway box from the cabinet and handed it to Qin Ran.
Qin Ran took it and opened it.
There was a bottle of transparent water inside, and a trace of a white paper torn off the bottle. A piece of A4 paper with words written was pressed underneath, the handwriting almost illegible.
“Thank you.” Qin Ran put everything in her backpack and pulled down her mask before thanking him politely.
The doorman waved his hand and then asked, “You’re not a student in the medical department, right?”
If she was, he would have seen her before. This kind of student was impressionable.
“No.” Qin Ran tugged on her mask and went out.
At the same time.
Outside the door of Beijing University.
Qin Yu, Lin Wan, and Ning Qing were waiting for Lin Jinxuan to come out.
“This school is so good.” Ning Qing stood outside Beijing University and took several photos against the door.
Many people around Ning Qing were like her.
They weren’t students of Beijing University and would come here to take pictures.
It was a high school in the country.
Naturally, Beijing University and A University were the main ones.
In Ning Qing’s era, the whole town would line up to celebrate if one was admitted to Beijing University. But in their hometown, it was difficult to get a talented student to study at Beijing University even after five years.
The main reason was that the local area was poor and education was lacking.
This was actually the first time Ning Qing saw Beijing University.
In the past, Lin Wan would definitely have mocked her.
However, Qin Yu’s apprenticeship was imminent. And seeing Dai Ran’s attitude towards Qin Yu, she was considered a disciple, so Ning Qing had stepped into Beijing’s circle thanks to Qin Yu.
Lin Wan’s attitude towards her wasn’t as casual as before.
She just changed the topic and said lightly, “Of course Beijing University is good. Yu’er can come here next year too.”
Qin Yu just looked nervously at the school gate.
Lin Jinxuan came out soon.
He had long legs and a clear face, so he stood out from the crowd and was probably very popular in school. It was obvious that people would discuss him wherever he appeared.
Lin Wan had come to personally tell Lin Jinxuan about Dai Ran taking a fancy on Qin Yu.
And she wanted to tell him that there was a feast tomorrow.
“It depends on the situation. I have to discuss business with Feng Ci tomorrow and might not be able to make it.” Lin Jinxuan didn’t promise to come.
After knowing that Qin Yu had become Dai Ran’s disciple, he only glanced slightly at her and didn’t seem surprised.
He just looked at her casually.
He hadn’t contacted Qin Ran in the past two days and didn’t know if she was still in Beijing.
Since he had seen her at Beijing University, he would subconsciously look out for her figure while walking around.
But he didn’t see her in two days, so he thought she must have left.
He didn’t expect to really see her at the gate as he swept his eyes around casually.
But she was standing with a boy.
The two seemed to know each other well and were talking with their heads lowered.
Lin Jinxuan kept staring in that direction and the other three people couldn’t help but look over as well.
They saw Qin Ran standing at the door as well as the boy beside her.
The boy seemed to hand Qin Ran a pile of things.
After seeing the boy’s side profile, Lin Jinxuan was shocked.
Qin Yu didn’t have time to cover up her surprise and said directly, “Sister hasn’t left yet? Wasn’t she with Wei Zihang? Who is the person beside her?”
It was such a cold day, but Lin Wan still only wore a cheongsam with a fox fur shawl on her shoulders.
The people with Qin Ran were always messy.
She looked away lightly in disinterest. “Who knows who he is.”
Ning Qing’s expression was light.
Lin Jinxuan recovered and glanced at them. “Song Luting, last year’s top scorer in Yun Cheng and the first place in the country. Don’t you know him?”
