A jeep bearing military license plates skidded to a halt inside the compound. The young man with the buzz cut in the passenger seat threw open the door and promptly began to retch violently.
Here, Chang Yuncheng smoothly exited the vehicle, raising a hand, pausing in thought, before finally patting the steering wheel, as if habitually calming his own steed. Driving was indeed far more comfortable than riding, and self-control felt infinitely better than being controlled by another.
Outside the doorway, an elderly man stood holding a birdcage, peering over with a gentle smile. "Not bad, you learn quickly." He remarked.
Chang Yuncheng nodded in acknowledgement of thanks while ascending the steps. The housekeeper rushed over to assist the young man.
"You'll be the death of me, this vehicle isn't meant for human transit," the young man groaned. After entering the house and drinking water for a while, he finally recovered, looking across at Chang Yuncheng.
Chang Yuncheng’s expression was serious as he flipped through a stack of papers in his hands. "What is all this?" the young man asked, leaning in to look.
Chang Yuncheng did not reply. "Addresses, phone numbers, photographs, they are all here." The elder's voice drifted from the doorway.
"These are registered physicians screened from across the nation, aged between twenty and eighty. However, if the person you seek is not a registered physician, you'll need to search elsewhere." Chang Yuncheng hummed in acknowledgment, continuing to scan the lists.
"What are you looking for?" the young man asked again, unwilling to be left out. Chang Yuncheng didn't look up.
"Tea," he said, extending his hand. The young man instinctively passed him the teacup placed before him.
Chang Yuncheng took it, took a sip, set it down, and returned to examining the papers. "Oh, my goodness!" The young man snapped back to reality, realizing what he had done, and started to curse, but stopped short upon seeing the silhouette of the grandfather in the doorway.
He swallowed the imprecation just in time. I swear this kid is afflicted!
Who does he think he is? I'm the young master of this house, aren't I!
Why does he carry himself with such an arrogant air, expecting service from everyone? And I actually served him...
"There are mobile numbers on these, but they might not all be accurate. You can try them." The elder added.
Chang Yuncheng hummed again. "Hey, do you have a mobile phone?" The young man finally seized an opportunity, asking with a hint of smugness.
"No." Chang Yuncheng replied, still not looking up. Knowing he wouldn't have one, the young man happily prepared another retort, but Chang Yuncheng raised his eyes to glance at him.
For some reason, that single look made the young man suddenly lose the nerve to speak further. "Not yet," Chang Yuncheng stated, closing the thick stack of papers.
He stood up, looking toward the elder in the doorway. "Thank you, sir." The elder smiled faintly.
"You saved my life; this is the least I could do, a trivial matter." He said. Chang Yuncheng nodded, accepting the sentiment plainly.
"Then I shall take my leave," he said. The young man snapped back to attention.
He felt deeply annoyed by how easily he had been intimidated by a mere look. He instinctively picked up the teacup on the table to mask his discomfort.
Hearing Chang Yuncheng announce his departure, he looked over in surprise. What is this brat playing at?
He has encountered such a powerful backer, and he's just going to leave without latching on? Is this playing hard to get?
The elder, however, was unsurprised, maintaining his gentle smile. "Do you have money?" the elder inquired.
"No," Chang Yuncheng replied. "But I can earn it." "What skills do you possess?" the elder asked again.
"Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua (Music, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting)," Chang Yuncheng stated. The young man, who had been drinking water, sputtered a mouthful upon hearing this.
Heavens, Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua... Are people from the wilderness this sophisticated nowadays?
"Those are refinements, not professional skills," the elder said, not smiling. "Do you have academic qualifications?
Do you understand foreign languages? Can you use a computer?
Do you know industry standards?" Chang Yuncheng looked at him, his expression perfectly calm. "Currently, I do not, but I will learn," he said.
The elder shook his head. "Young man.
Striving too hard for the opposite extreme is not good. Not good." He said.
The young man peeked into the room, completely lost by their exchange. Chang Yuncheng looked at the elder and then smiled.
"Then, sir, are you hiring here?" he asked. The elder laughed heartily.
"Ah, this old fool," he said, tending to the bird in the cage. "Even the ones who do nothing are useless; barely able to support themselves..." Chang Yuncheng smiled faintly.
"If you need someone, may I ask you for a position?" he inquired with a slight bow. The young man behind him was already stunned speechless.
Oh my god, the tone and manner he used—does that sound like he’s begging? That sounds like granting a favor!
What kind of person is this? Wait, is this even a person?
Is there something wrong with his brain? The elder laughed again.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," he said, then paused in thought. "I am short of a gatekeeper.
If you don't mind the slight, you may take that role." Chang Yuncheng nodded. "Thank you," he said.
That 'thank you' sounded to the young man like Chang Yuncheng was merely commenting on the pleasant weather. This guy really is a savage—a gatekeeper!
He thinks he's really going to be a gatekeeper here! Grandpa's gatekeepers are from the Central Guard Regiment!
The Central Guard Regiment! How many people spend their whole lives striving and can never get in!
Damn it, this country bumpkin... who would believe he isn't a direct grandson!
The elder laughed and began walking with his bird, beckoning a guard over. "Go call Colonel Zhang over, I have something to tell him," he instructed.
The guard snapped to attention and ran off. "There is a computer on the second floor.
All this information was extracted from it," the elder added, gesturing toward the papers in Chang Yuncheng's hand. Chang Yuncheng's eyes lit up.
"Learn to use it. It will be of great use," the elder advised, then walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.
Chang Yuncheng didn't stand on ceremony and turned toward the stairs. The young man followed him.
"Hey, kid," he called out. Chang Yuncheng paused, looking back at him from the staircase.
This superior vantage point made the kid's expression seem even more arrogant—utterly insufferable! The young man hurried up the stairs, pushing ahead, then turned to face him.
"Who exactly are you?" he asked sternly, his face set. Chang Yuncheng looked at him and reached into his pocket, pulling out an ID card...
"Go away, go away." The young man waved his hand furiously. "I'm not an idiot!
My grandfather got this ID for you!" "But. On this card, that is me," Chang Yuncheng said, calmly tucking his hand away.
He moved past the young man. His movements were slow, his stature tall and imposing; the young man stared blankly for a moment.
With that bearing, how could he be some savage picked up from the wilderness? He looked every bit the son of a noble family!
"Oh, you know how to use a computer, right?" The 'young master' on the stairs paused again, turning his body slightly to ask. The young man nodded reflexively.
"Come. Teach me." Chang Yuncheng requested.
The young man was about to comply, taking two steps forward, before sobering up. "Who do you think you are?" he yelled, eyes wide.
"You order me around and I just obey! I don't have time to serve you!" With that, he turned and stomped back downstairs.
"If you won't teach me, then fine; you aren't the only one who knows," Chang Yuncheng replied. He looked downstairs.
"Who knows computers? Teach me for a bit." A service orderly downstairs, having overheard the conversation between the elder and Chang Yuncheng, immediately responded and came up.
As night descended, a military jeep sped down the main street, neon lights flashing on either side, skyscrapers towering all around. The roar of engines and music from the roadside mingled, initiating the curtain on the glittering, sleepless city.
Chang Yuncheng drove alone, still handling the vehicle with swift, jarring movements. Compared to his horse, this cold, unfeeling iron beast was truly inferior.
He held the steering wheel with one hand and supported his cheek with the other. The car windows were wide open, and the night wind, thick with strange odors, roared past his face.
This was her world. "You," "We"—the words she often used then—he now understood what they truly meant.
A sharp honk pierced the air. Chang Yuncheng violently wrenched the steering wheel, narrowly missing scraping the car alongside him.
"Damn idiot, can't you drive..." The window of the car next to him rolled down, and a man leaned out, middle finger extended, cursing loudly. Before the man's tirade could fully erupt, Chang Yuncheng, without looking, raised his hand and splashed the half-full cup of tea beside him directly onto the man's face.
Then he slammed the accelerator, leaving the offending car—and the loud shouting—behind. "The tea here tastes awful," Chang Yuncheng muttered, glancing at the teacup he returned to its spot, shaking his head.
The car had originally contained mineral water or similar bland drinks, which he couldn't stand; so, he had replaced them all with a proper teapot and teacups. The vehicle turned onto an eight-lane road, where the chaotic night scenery gave way to a measure of stillness.
Chang Yuncheng maintained the same posture but slowed his speed. He wanted to properly observe the world in which this woman lived...
Was she lonely? The woman's past voice echoed in his ears.
That sigh she used to give—he had thought she was probing his heart then, but it turned out it was just a genuine expression of sorrow. A strange world, strange people, strange habits, everything alien.
Chang Yuncheng let out a breath and stopped the car abruptly. This sudden halt caused a barrage of impatient honking from behind.
Only then did Chang Yuncheng slowly pull the car over to the roadside, lean back in his seat, retrieve a file folder, and open it. Inside were pages covered only with the two characters, Qi Yue.
His long, slender fingers slowly traced these two characters. Thank heaven you wrote this name for A’ru; otherwise, with the sound of Yue having infinite variations, it truly would have been like searching for a needle in a haystack.
You must be here? But where?
Young Master Chang, you must know, this matter cannot be guaranteed—when or where—are you willing? Young Master Chang, have you ever considered that if this opportunity never arises, if she never sees this scalpel, or sees it but never obtains it, then you will be forever trapped in a realm of endless, boundless darkness—are you willing?
Young Master Chang, have you considered that perhaps you can reach Madam Qi, but her appearance—her smile, her face—will be entirely unfamiliar: perhaps a child, perhaps an old woman with skin like withered leather, or perhaps merely a skeleton—are you willing? Young Master Chang, do you know this venture carries a risk of ten thousand to one, with only one thread of fate—are you truly willing?
Chang Yuncheng's fingers slowly rubbed the name on the paper. Behind every name was a small portrait—no, a photograph.
The people in these photos included the old, the young, the beautiful, and the ugly. Qi Yueliang, you have seen and obtained the scalpel, haven't you?
Do you know that I have come? Qi Yueliang, I am willing.
He reached for the mobile phone beside him, tapping the first entry, Qi Yue, on the screen with one hand. The photograph showed a woman around forty years old.
His finger finally settled on those strange symbols. He carefully dialed the identical symbols onto the phone, took a deep breath, and pressed the call button without hesitation.
The distinctive ringtone sounded in his ears, and just as Chang Yuncheng felt he might suffocate, the call connected. A voice, laced with slight impatience, answered with a curt, "Hello?" "Qi Yueliang, this is Chang Yuncheng," Chang Yuncheng said, his voice trembling slightly.
"Crazy! Wrong number!" the voice on the other end shouted, followed by the distinct sound of a disconnected line.
Did she hang up? Chang Yuncheng exhaled, took the pen from the file folder, and made a mark next to the first entry before starting to dial the next number.
Beneath the streetlights, the stream of traffic racing by on the road made the solitary military vehicle parked on the side stand out strikingly.