Ye Qiu left the police station with a dark expression, not saying a word.
Qian Duoduo and Changmei Zhenren followed behind him.
“Young man, what’s your name?” Changmei Zhenren struck up a conversation with Qian Duoduo.
“I’m Qian Duoduo.” Qian Duoduo grinned. “Taoist, I couldn’t tell, but you sure know how to have fun, calling two at once.”
“No choice, I’m in good shape.” Changmei Zhenren said with lingering satisfaction. “I have to say, those two girls were really something.”
“Was it good?” Qian Duoduo winked and asked.
“Good.” Changmei Zhenren replied. “Their technique was excellent.”
“I’m not asking about their technique, I’m asking… did you enjoy it?”
Seeing Qian Duoduo’s sleazy expression, Changmei Zhenren knew what the kid was thinking and sighed. “You might not believe me, but I really didn’t do anything.”
Who are you kidding?
If you didn’t do anything, would the police have nabbed you?
Qian Duoduo said, “Taoist, it’s already happened, no need to hide it. By the way, did you get those two girls’ contact info?”
“Well…”
Thwack!
Ye Qiu turned and knocked Qian Duoduo on the head, making him wince in pain.
“Big brother, let’s talk nicely. Gentlemen use words, not hands, alright?”
“I’m warning you, if you dare slack off and mess around, I won’t let it slide.” Ye Qiu glared fiercely at Qian Duoduo.
“Who are you to me? What gives you the right to control me?” Qian Duoduo said defiantly. “I’ll play if I want to.”
Slap!
Ye Qiu smacked Qian Duoduo on the head again, furious. “Go ahead and try it, see if I don’t kill you.”
Qian Duoduo felt utterly wronged.
Changmei Zhenren glanced at Ye Qiu, a bit sheepishly, and said, “Little brat, I need to explain today’s incident. I really wasn’t there to solicit.”
“What exactly happened?” Ye Qiu asked with a cold face.
Though he knew this old man was unreliable, he didn’t believe Changmei Zhenren would actually do something like that.
Changmei Zhenren explained, “I was originally heading back when I saw two young girls waving at me by the roadside, offering a massage. I saw them standing under the scorching sun, looking pretty pitiful.”
“And the price was cheap, not 998, just 558.”
“So I agreed.”
“I have to say, their technique was top-notch, definitely professionally trained. With their little hands kneading and pressing, I felt like I was floating, all my fatigue from the past few days gone…”
Seeing Changmei Zhenren’s blissful expression, Ye Qiu couldn’t hold back and snapped, “Get to the point.”
Changmei Zhenren continued, “Here’s the thing, their technique was so good that while they were massaging me, I fell asleep.”
“When I opened my eyes again, they were still massaging me. Seeing how dedicated these two girls were, I was touched and couldn’t help but say something stupid.”
“What did you say?” Qian Duoduo asked, brimming with curiosity.
Changmei Zhenren said, “I told the two girls, ‘You’ve got it tough too, how about I add another session?’”
“Taoist, you really know how to enjoy yourself!”
“It’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding.” Changmei Zhenren said, “I asked the price, and the girls said it was only 368.”
“I thought it wasn’t expensive, and their service was good, so I added another session.”
“Who knew, right after I paid, they both started taking off their clothes.”
“I’d never seen anything like that before, I was scared out of my wits. I asked them what they were doing, and they laughed and said they’d make me feel really good.”
“I saw the situation was off and immediately tried to pull up my trousers and leave, but just as I was doing that, the police showed up.”
Qian Duoduo found it unbelievable. “So you really didn’t do anything?”
“As a lofty sage beyond the mundane world, how could I do something so filthy and low?” Changmei Zhenren said with a bitter expression. “I just felt sorry for them and wanted to help out.”
“If it was just a massage, why were you taking off your trousers?” Qian Duoduo asked.
“Nowadays, when you go to a massage parlour, don’t you shower first and then change into the disposable shorts they provide?”
At this point, Changmei Zhenren looked at Ye Qiu and said, “Little brat, I really didn’t do anything.”
“You have to believe me.”
Hmph!
Ye Qiu let out a cold snort, then found a restaurant by the roadside and ordered a few dishes.
Earlier, worried about Changmei Zhenren, he’d ordered a bunch of snacks but hadn’t had the chance to eat them.
“By the way, kid, why are you with the little brat?” Changmei Zhenren asked Qian Duoduo, puzzled.
He couldn’t exactly say he’d been nabbed by Ye Qiu, could he?
Qian Duoduo said, “Maybe it’s fate. I’ve recognised Ye Qiu as my big brother.”
“Huh?”
Changmei Zhenren was skeptical. From what he knew of Ye Qiu, he wasn’t the type to casually take on a little brother.
“He’s indeed my brother,” Ye Qiu said.
Changmei Zhenren found it even stranger.
While eating, Qian Duoduo kept fiddling with his phone.
“Stop playing with your phone while eating.” Ye Qiu snatched the phone from Qian Duoduo’s hand.
“Give it back!” Qian Duoduo’s face turned red, his reaction intense.
Ye Qiu grew suspicious, glanced at the phone, and was instantly dumbfounded.
Qian Duoduo had written a bunch of diary entries in his notes.
…
“11 May, Rain.”
“Today was rainy. I went to your company to pick you up after work. You saw me and said, ‘Are you annoying? Stop coming to find me,’ then ran off into the rain.”
“I was so happy. You’d rather get wet yourself than let me get a drop of rain. You really do love me.”
…
“15 May, Rain.”
“I got wet yesterday, and today I’ve got a slight fever. Lying in bed, I texted you, asking why you didn’t care about me. You replied, asking if I was sick and telling me to take medicine if I was.”
“I was instantly moved by your tenderness. Turns out you do care about me.”
…
“20 May, Clear.”
“It’s past one in the morning now. I sent you a message: ‘Did you know? I waited all night for your reply.’ She finally responded: ‘Did I tell you to wait?’ This is the first time she’s replied with so many words. I’m so touched.”
…
“1 June, Overcast.”
“I called you, and you finally picked up. I heard you making ‘ahh ahh’ sounds and saying your feet hurt. I figured you must be in a lot of pain. A man in the background said to you, ‘Come on, switch positions.’ I think you must be getting physiotherapy. Hope you recover soon.”
…
“30 June, Overcast.”
“You deleted me. I stared at the red exclamation mark for a long time, lost in thought. I figured there must be some meaning to it, and then I got it—red represents passion, it’s a joyful colour, meaning you want to marry me!”
“Darling, I do!”
…
“10 July, Clear.”
“I heard you’re pregnant, but the father’s not around. It’s fine, have the baby. He’ll take my surname.”
