No Ghosting Allowed

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Zhou Qingbo woke up to find that it was already bright outside.

He was lying alone on the hard station room bench. Pei You was no longer by his side; instead, an old coat rolled into a towel was placed under his head.

Zhou Qingbo rolled over drowsily. The old blanket that had covered him at some point slipped off a corner, swaying as it fell.

The lingering scent of white tea that had been around him had disappeared at some point, replaced by a faintly acrid smell of tobacco. Zhou Qingbo wrinkled his brow in discomfort, raising his arm to shield his eyes from the bright light outside the window.

He realized that the small wounds on his body had been neatly treated, but having spent a night in a drunken state was not pleasant. Zhou Qingbo had a headache and a dry throat. In his hazy state of mind, there was only one thought.

Where did Pei You go? He wondered.

Pei You being by his side last night hadn’t meant much, but now, upon opening his eyes and not seeing anyone, he suddenly felt the bench was too hard, the wall too cold, and every part of his body ached. He felt uncomfortable all over.

He couldn’t quite describe his mood, only feeling a subtle sense of abandonment, a bitter taste in his heart.

Zhou Qingbo closed his eyes, gradually easing the initial drowsiness. He then pushed aside the blanket, propped himself up with his elbows, and planned to send Pei You a message. But before he could even take out his phone, a light cough sounded nearby.

Having been awake for a while now, Zhou Qingbo hadn’t noticed anyone else in the room. He was startled by the sudden sound. He instinctively turned his head towards the direction of the sound and saw a young woman sitting behind the large station room table.

Zhou Qingbo: “…”

The woman was delicate and beautiful, her face lightly made up with nude lipstick. At first glance, she seemed gentle, but as soon as Zhou Qingbo saw her, it felt as if he had been pricked with a needle from behind. He straightened up in surprise, visibly more alert.

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“Sis… Sister?” Zhou Qingbo asked in confusion, “Why are you here? Where’s Pei You?”

“Your first question is about someone else?” Jiang Man raised her eyebrows meaningfully, smiling as she said, “Here’s your chance to ask again.”

Only then did Zhou Qingbo realize what he had done. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he cleared his throat and asked, “Why are you here?”

Jiang Man, a capable and strong person who could handle Zhou Cangshan, was someone Zhou Qingbo held in high regard and respected. He had never dared to act recklessly in front of her.

“Mr. Pei informed Qing Shan last night about your situation and brother was worried. So, he asked me to come over to check on you,” Jiang Man said as she put her legs down and frowned slightly. She scolded, “why are you so impulsive?. They say that a strong dragon should not crush a snake’s head. You easily confronted him, what if he’s connected locally, you might end up at a huge disadvantage.”

Knowing that he was in the wrong and fearing another scolding from Zhou Cangshan, Zhou Qingbo reluctantly agreed, bowing his head meekly to listen.

“Understood.” Zhou Qingbo answered softly, unable to control his gaze from wandering around. He asked again, “So, where did he go? Did he just leave after filing the lawsuit?”

After a few sentences, Zhou Qingbo asked twice about Pei You’s whereabouts. Jiang Man found this amusing and decided to stop scolding him. She said straightforwardly, “He’s gone to cooperate with the investigation.”

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“Cooperate with what investigation?” Zhou Qingbo furrowed his brow slightly, adjusting his rumpled collar. He asked eagerly, “I’m the one who fought, not him.”

“Why are you so anxious?” Jiang Man stood up from the table and walked around it to sit beside Zhou Qingbo. She said in a hushed voice, “i came for a different reason than the case”

Jiang Man continued, taking a document from her bag and handing it to Zhou Qingbo. She said, “I came for this.”

Blinking his eyes, Zhou Qingbo hadn’t reacted yet when Jiang Man continued, “Mr. Pei informed Qing Shan that he suspects Liu Xin is using public welfare projects for money laundering. Brother takes this matter seriously, so he had me come to deliver an authorization letter, authorizing Pei You to fully represent him in this matter.”

“… Money laundering?” After sleeping for a while, Zhou Qingbo felt like he had skipped a whole chapter. Just yesterday, Liu Xin had only been involved in “fabricating documents to obtain government funds.” Yet today, he was suddenly being suspected of money laundering.

“Yes,” Jiang Man said, “Mr. Pei suspects him of being involved in money laundering under the guise of a public welfare project. He reported this matter to the authorities and they are already investigating.”

The impact of collaborating with criminal forces for money laundering was extremely severe. Zhou Cangshan was also afraid that there might be local influences involved, which could negatively impact the investigation. That’s why he had asked Jiang Man to come and represent his stance in person.

“As for you getting involved in a fight, since it didn’t lead to serious consequences, it’s been let go,” Jiang Man said. “Liu Xin is preoccupied and doesn’t have the time to pursue it.”

Zhou Qingbo had mentally prepared himself for a “wild night,” but he hadn’t expected the matter to end so lightly. He couldn’t quite grasp the situation and looked down at his wrinkled shirt.

“So, can I leave now?” Zhou Qingbo asked.

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“Not yet.” Suddenly, a male voice interrupted at the door of the waiting room. The man smiled and said, “You still have to wait for the other involved parties.”

Zhou Qingbo raised his head in confusion, only to see Lu Ye passing by the door, waving at him.

“Liu Xin’s having withdrawal symptoms, so he can’t come out for now.” Lu Ye stopped and kindly explained, “But when you were fighting last night, you damaged two speakers, a monitor, and several wine glasses in the club. You’ll have to wait for the owner to come and assess the damage for compensation.”

Zhou Qingbo was prepared for this and nodded, showing his acceptance with a good attitude.

“Alright, the message has been delivered, and the matter is resolved. Since I can see you are fine, I’ll be leaving,” Jiang Man said as she picked up her handbag and stood up. She continued, “I have some other matters to attend to, so I won’t wait for you. Once you’ve wrapped up here, you can head back to Beijing.”

Jiang Man was involved in design-related work and was usually even busier than Zhou Cangshan. Zhou Qingbo nodded in understanding, standing up and seeing her off.

As Jiang Man reached the door, she suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to give Zhou Qingbo a look.

“Oh, by the way.” Jiang Man’s gaze flickered to Pei You’s coat. She remembered the scene she had witnessed when she rushed to the police station last night. With a meaningful look, she glanced at Zhou Qingbo and asked in a vague tone, “Xiao Qingbo, do you have anything you want to confess to me or your brother?”

Zhou Qingbo was taken aback by her question and instinctively felt that her attitude was a bit strange. He rubbed his head in confusion and said, “about what?”

He looked innocent, and Jiang Man didn’t press further. She just smiled and said, “Never mind then.”

Zhou Qingbo had an intuition that there was more to her words, but he couldn’t quite grasp what she was asking. With a head full of question marks, he watched as she left the police station.

It was still early, only around 7:30 in the morning. Feeling bored, Zhou Qingbo sat in the waiting room for a while, unable to resist texting Pei You.

The chat log was still from last night. Zhou Qingbo couldn’t help but shudder when he remembered the events of yesterday. He tapped his finger on the screen and sent a cat rolling on the ground emoji to Pei You.

In the chat, Pei You quickly replied with a question mark. Zhou Qingbo smirked, his fingers dancing on the keyboard.

“Is the investigation going well?” Zhou Qingbo asked. “When are you coming back?”

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“It’s going fine.” Pei You didn’t ask how he knew about his whereabouts and simply replied, “Should be back soon. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Whenever Zhou Qingbo was bored, he couldn’t help but tease Pei You. He propped himself up, lips pursed to suppress a smile, and typed away, “The police said the others will be here soon. Come back soon to support me, I’m anxious and nervous.”

Pei You: “…”