Chapter 49: Excess Yin Qi |
After discussing with Guanhai, Yang Haoran left Guanhai's home. Before leaving, he advised Guanhai to take a nap to regain some energy.
Xiao Mo didn't leave; Guanhai's house was still messy, and she had tasks to attend to this afternoon. Moreover, she felt Guanhai needed someone to look after him, so she decided to stay.
Xiao Mo was a hardworking girl, which made Yang Haoran feel a bit guilty. However, he didn't say much and just shook his head before leaving.
Back at the grocery store, Yang Haoran intended to call Jiang Zhenzhen but decided against it. He figured she probably hadn't finished work yet and her phone would likely still be off. So, he decided to wait until later in the evening to call.
With no time to cook, Yang Haoran made himself a bowl of instant noodles and then resumed reading the books Master Jiang had lent him, aiming to broaden his knowledge.
Time passed unnoticed, and before he knew it, it was already five in the afternoon. Yang Haoran was engrossed in his reading and hadn't realized how time flew until his phone rang, interrupting him.
Checking his phone, he saw it was Guanhai calling. Yang Haoran answered the call while continuing to read.
"Hey, Haizi, are you awake? How do you feel now?" Yang Haoran asked.
"I feel much better. Hey Yang, why don't I invite Wang Qing out now? We can have dinner together, and you can ask her whatever you want. What do you think?" Guanhai suggested.
"Not interested," Yang Haoran replied firmly.
"Why?" Guanhai was puzzled.
"I have other plans. I won't come for dinner, and don't call Wang Qing either," Yang Haoran responded.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before Guanhai spoke again, "Then I won't call her for now. How about you, me, and Xiao Mo have dinner together? I haven't properly thanked you for this matter."
"We don't need any thanks between us. I really won't come. You can have dinner with Xiao Mo; she's a nice girl," Yang Haoran replied.
"Heh, alright then. Let's meet at the bar at eight," Guanhai understood Yang Haoran's character and didn't press further.
Ending the call, Yang Haoran's gaze returned to his book. He did want to go for dinner since it was an invitation, but the book in his hand piqued his interest more.
At eight in the evening, Yang Haoran closed the grocery store, grabbed a piece of bread from the shelf, and hailed a cab.
In the taxi, after stating the destination, he tried calling Jiang Zhenzhen again, but her phone was still off.
"Hasn't she finished work yet?" Yang Haoran couldn't help but wonder.
After a moment of hesitation, determination flickered across Yang Haoran's face. He told the taxi driver of a change in plans.
"Where are you heading?" The driver asked nonchalantly, used to such last-minute changes.
Without much ado, Yang Haoran informed the driver of Jiang Zhenzhen's jewelry store. The driver nodded in acknowledgment and changed the route to Jiang Zhenzhen's workplace.
Yang Haoran's sudden decision was due to his concern for Jiang Zhenzhen's well-being. He wanted to check on her to ease his own worries. It wouldn't take much time anyway; it was just a quick check.
Arriving at Jiang Zhenzhen's jewelry store, Yang Haoran didn't find her there but ran into Sister Li, whom he had previously had drinks with.
Sister Li noticed Yang Haoran's unusual expression. To her, Yang Haoran's unexpected appearance here seemed strange.
As he had to deal with Guanhai's matters, Yang Haoran exchanged a few pleasantries with Sister Li before directly inquiring about Jiang Zhenzhen.
Sister Li's response shocked Yang Haoran deeply.
Jiang Zhenzhen had resigned and was no longer working at the jewelry store. It seemed she wasn't willing to say much to Yang Haoran, maybe due to being busy. After saying this, Sister Li returned to her tasks.
Yang Haoran was filled with confusion. Why would she resign out of the blue? Could Jiang Zhenzhen have encountered some trouble during this time?
He had intended to extract more information from Sister Li, but seeing that she wasn't willing to divulge more, and considering her busy schedule, he didn't want to bother her further. Thus, he left the jewelry store with a puzzled expression.
Failing to meet Jiang Zhenzhen, Yang Haoran felt disappointed. After dealing with Guanhai's matters, he decided to visit Jiang Zhenzhen's home, inquire about what had happened, and see if she needed any help.
He was well aware of his situation. As an average-looking man without wealth or status, if he didn't take the initiative, he might end up lonely for the rest of his life.
If he wanted to settle down sooner, he had to be proactive.
The bar where Yang Haoran agreed to meet with Guanhai was Guanhai's own small bar. At this time, it was gradually filling up with customers. Although it wasn't crowded yet, three tables were occupied.
Among these three tables, one belonged to Guanhai. Besides him, Wang Qing had arrived, while Xiao Mo, the bar manager, was busy attending to the customers.
Seeing Yang Haoran at the entrance, Xiao Mo, who was busy behind the bar, greeted him and pointed towards Guanhai's location.
"Guanhai's over there. Yang, try not to drink too much; he's still weak," Xiao Mo expressed her concern.
Yang Haoran nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I know."
He didn't explain his purpose to Xiao Mo, and he had already instructed Guanhai that apart from them, no one else should be informed about this matter, including Xiao Mo.
Guanhai understood his intention, knowing what could be said and what couldn't. Moreover, even if he did say something, others might not believe him; they would either think he was joking or that he was crazy.
From Xiao Mo's expression, Guanhai could tell that she probably hadn't mentioned the Yin Qi entanglement or Yang Haoran's special abilities because her gaze towards Yang Haoran was no different from usual, indicating she was unaware of those details.
However, despite Xiao Mo's unchanged gaze towards Yang Haoran, there was a hint of resentment in her eyes when she looked at Guanhai.
Seeing this resentment in Xiao Mo's eyes, Yang Haoran couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He knew that Xiao Mo must be feeling uncomfortable at the moment.
Xiao Mo continued her busy work, but her mood seemed somewhat downcast. Yang Haoran left the bar counter and approached the table where Guanhai was sitting.
As he walked towards Guanhai's table, Yang Haoran took a pair of sunglasses out of his yellow messenger bag and put them on.
The bar was dimly lit, and wearing sunglasses in such a place was not common. Even if someone did it to show off, it would give off a ridiculous impression of overdoing it.
Yang Haoran wasn't wearing the sunglasses to show off or look cool; he had another purpose.
He stopped behind Guanhai, who hadn't noticed his arrival yet. However, Wang Qing, sitting opposite Guanhai, couldn't help but chuckle, spitting out the drink she had in her mouth.
Wang Qing's reaction caught Guanhai's attention. He turned his head and immediately spotted Yang Haoran behind him.
Seeing Yang Haoran wearing sunglasses, Guanhai couldn't help but smile, saying, "Yang, nice sunglasses. Please, take a seat."
Both of their reactions didn't surprise Yang Haoran because it was exactly what he had expected. Although he was mentally prepared, he still felt a bit awkward.
"This is Yang, the one you met last time," Guanhai introduced Yang Haoran to Wang Qing as he sat down.
"You look... somewhat familiar," Wang Qing couldn't help but laugh, speaking.
"We met at the hospital today," Yang Haoran flashed his trademark smile, reminding Wang Qing.
"Really?" Wang Qing appeared puzzled. After a moment's thought, she shook her head and said, "Sorry, I don't remember."
Whether Wang Qing genuinely didn't remember or pretended not to, Yang Haoran didn't care because it didn't matter to him.
However, Guanhai's attitude towards Wang Qing had subtly changed. Although he liked to banter with Yang Haoran, he took Yang Haoran's words to heart, especially after witnessing Yang Haoran's extraordinary abilities. He believed Yang Haoran more now.
Since Yang Haoran had concluded that Wang Qing was suspicious, there was a high chance he was right. Therefore, Guanhai felt a bit cautious. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting opposite Wang Qing but would have embraced her directly.
"Uncle, why are you wearing sunglasses at night? Are you trying to see ghosts?" Wang Qing joked, finding it more and more amusing, even laughing to the point of bending over.
Yang Haoran laughed along but didn't answer Wang Qing's question, choosing to remain silent.
Guanhai felt a bit embarrassed on the side. He knew Yang Haoran's purpose for coming tonight, but Yang Haoran was just laughing and not saying anything else, making it difficult for him to understand Yang Haoran's thoughts.
To prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward, Guanhai quickly changed the topic and started chatting with Wang Qing.
Wang Qing wasn't really interested in Yang Haoran, but she focused on him because his "showing off" behavior amused her. After laughing, she found it uninteresting and shifted her attention from Yang Haoran to Guanhai when he initiated a conversation with her.
With Wang Qing no longer paying attention to herself, Yang Haoran was satisfied with the situation.
Since entering the bar, Yang Haoran had sensed an extremely strong Yin Qi. Initially, he thought it was emanating from Wang Qing, but as he approached her, he was surprised to find that the intense Yin Qi did not come from her!
There was still some Yin Qi around Wang Qing, but it wasn't as strong. However, next to her, Yang Haoran felt an extremely strong Yin Qi.
Strangely, there was nothing beside Wang Qing!
This discovery led Yang Haoran to speculate, but he remained calm, casually spinning the glass in front of him while secretly activating his ghost eye.
