Judges reviewed them, and fifteen of them contained the term Dead Hexagram.
The remaining sheets, to varying degrees, were connected to the Dead Hexagram. After some discussion among judges and consultation with Qu Qing Shui, the results were announced.
Fifteen contestants who wrote Dead Hexagram passed the exam. The remaining five spots were selected from the other twenty candidates who didn’t pass, based on merit.
Qu Yanning quietly asked Zhao Dongqi, “Does this mean that person… is really gone?”
Zhao Dongqi hesitated briefly, “The judges have recognized it. It’s unlikely to be wrong.”
Qu Yanning sighed softly, stroking the cat, “All this fuss, just for someone who’s already not here.”
Zhao Dongqi couldn’t understand Qu Family’s purpose either. Logically, all contestants had deduced the same thing, so Qu Qing Shui must have known. He shook his head.
“Big families think differently from us ordinary people.”
The winners were selected to stay on the island to study for a year. The others began leaving gradually.
Qu Yanning was among the first batch to leave. He thought of his shop and figured the sooner he returned, the better.
Zhao Dongqi didn’t leave with him. After the competition, his cousin Zhao Dong Fan came over for a serious talk and kept him there.
Qu Yanning carried the cat and followed the others onto the ferry.
……
“Regret it now?” The man in white leaned on the railing, a mocking smile on his face as he looked at Qu Qing Shui.
Qu Qing Shui watched the slowly receding ferry, expression indifferent.
“I never regret. It’s the best way — for me and for him.”
They stood at the pavilion on the mountainside, the dense canopy above blocking the sunlight tightly.
“Then why bother pretending here?” The man in white sneered, his tone sarcastic.
Qu Qing Shui coldly stared back.
“This is my private matter. Don’t meddle so much.”
“Say it. What do you want me to do this time?”
“Same as always. Deliver these.” The man in white took a Black Jade Pendant from his pocket. The pure black pendant was ice-cold to the touch, as if chilled to the bone.
Qu Qing Shui pocketed the pendant and turned to walk down the mountain.
“Understood.”
******
After sailing overnight, Qu Yanning finally stood once again on the soil of Shen City.
There were far fewer people at the port. Qu Yanning carried the cat and headed straight home.
He went to his shop to check on things. Before he left, he had prepared all the seasonings needed for barbecue. Xue Li only needed to follow his method to grill with the special sauce.
The shop was still busy. Two waiters were overwhelmed, and Xue Li came out with trays of dishes directly after grilling.
Qu Yanning carried the cat inside, set it on the cashier’s counter, and changed into his work clothes to help in the kitchen.
Xue Li paused when he saw him, then smiled.
“Qu Ge, you’re finally back.”
Qu Yanning took over the tasks from him. Xue Li helped nearby, apologizing, “I followed your method, but the customers say my grilled food doesn’t taste as good as yours.”
Qu Yanning smiled and said, “Keep practicing a bit longer; you’ll get there.”
With one more helping hand, the serving speed improved greatly. The shop was bustling continuously until closing time.
Afterward, while others cleaned up, Qu Yanning calculated the income from the days he’d been away and suggested they go eat hotpot together.
Everyone agreed happily. Once the shop was tidied, Qu Yanning, Xue Li, and the two waiters headed straight for the hotpot restaurant.
The hotpot restaurant was crowded. The four humans and one cat found a relatively quiet spot to sit, chatting as they waited for the dishes.
Xue Li sat opposite Qu Yanning, curiously glancing around. When the Nine-Palace Hotpot base was served, his surprise grew.
Qu Yanning went to prepare the dipping sauces and made a bowl for Xue Li as well. Being young, the others instinctively looked after him.
“Do you like spicy?”
Qu Yanning scooped a small spoonful of chili oil from the pot into the sauce. Xue Li stared at the bright red bowl, hesitating.
Qu Yanning added a little more for him.
The side dishes arrived one after another. Xue Li imitated others, dipping vegetables into the hotpot.
The red chili oil looked extremely appetizing. When he took a bite, the spiciness made him stick out his tongue.
“Never had hotpot before?” Qu Yanning noticed his awkwardness and dipped a piece of beef tripe, offering it to him. “Try this.”
Xue Li, tongue still flicking, mumbled, “Never… in the north, there’s no such thing.”
The two young ladies eating with them instantly felt sorry for him. They kept putting meat into his bowl.
Having never tried hotpot, they wondered what kind of life he had lived before.
That hotpot meal was eaten with great satisfaction — especially by Xue Li, whose mouth was bright red from the spice. He kept blowing on it, saying how delicious hotpot was.
After escorting the two girls home, Qu Yanning returned Xue Li to the shop before carrying the cat back home.
In the living room, Chu Zhou wore a facial mask and played games. The tea table was piled high with empty snack wrappers.
“You’ve gotten so lazy these days…” Qu Yanning stared at the discarded instant noodle cup in the trash, expression difficult to read.
Chu Zhou logged out of the game, quickly tidied the table, then threw himself at Qu Yanning and gave him a big hug.
“Darling, I’m starving! If you don’t feed me soon, I’ll starve to death.”
Before Qu Yanning could push him away, Xie Qi fluffed up and hissed at Chu Zhou in warning.
Chu Zhou let go of Qu Yanning and made a silly face at him.
Qu Yanning picked up the angry cat and soothed him with gentle strokes.
“Go to bed early.” Chu Zhou said he’d sleep after finishing the mask.
……
Life gradually became more orderly. Qu Yanning spent each day busy with the cat and his little shop, living a fulfilling life.
When December arrived, Zhang Ren came to Shen City.
He had called Qu Yanning, asking if he and Chu Zhou would be home that evening. Qu Yanning said they would be. Zhang Ren said nothing else and hung up.
That night, after closing up, Qu Yanning saw Zhang Ren sitting on the sofa.
Compared to before, Zhang Ren seemed steadier. He sat upright on the sofa. Chu Zhou sat to his right, head bent over his phone. Both were silent.
The atmosphere wasn’t awkward, but not warm either.
Qu Yanning cautiously sat down nearby and asked Zhang Ren, “When did you arrive in Shen City?”
“Just now,” Zhang Ren said.
Qu Yanning gave a dry “oh,” searching for a topic but found none. Chu Zhou didn’t look his way, so he asked again, “How long will you stay here this time?”
Zhang Ren said he wasn’t sure. “Could be leaving soon, or might stay for a while.”
Chu Zhou took a sip of water.
Qu Yanning instinctively felt the atmosphere was strange and, clutching the cat nervously, said, “You haven’t finished dinner yet, right? I’ll go make some late-night snacks,” then quickly escaped to the kitchen.
Zhang Ren clenched his fingers, looking coldly at Chu Zhou across from him.
“Before I came, I visited Aunt Zhuang. She and the kids are all well.”
Chu Zhou finally gave him his first proper glance after entering.
“Thank you,” he said.
Zhang Ren replied, “No need to be so polite.”
Chu Zhou lowered his eyes and murmured something.
“…” Zhang Ren twitched slightly, wanting to say more but swallowed the words. Instead, he placed a bag on the tea table.
“This is from Aunt Zhuang for you.”
Chu Zhou took the package but kept staring at his phone, barely speaking.
After a long pause, Zhang Ren said he had nothing more to say and was leaving. Qu Yanning didn’t get a chance to keep him.
Zhang Ren waved and went out.
Qu Yanning rubbed against Chu Zhou and asked what was going on.
Chu Zhou sneered, “Nothing’s going on. I just warned him not to meddle.”
Qu Yanning widened his eyes, promising he wouldn’t interfere.
Since then, Zhang Ren came over every few days. Sometimes bringing food, other times bringing interesting things he found.
Chu Zhou refused to accept anything, but Zhang Ren was persistent— he’d put things down and leave immediately, leaving Chu Zhou alone, scowling unhappily.
Qu Yanning thought those two were like two prickly gourds— both kept things bottled up inside and refused to speak. Just watching them made him exhausted.
Lately, Chu Zhou had become even more addicted to games. Whenever Qu Yanning was home, he rarely heard his passionate voice.
Oh, and he stopped doing dungeons, focusing on PVP— hanging out on YY, either recruiting people in the wild or battling in teams.
One evening, Chu Zhou quietly pulled him to the computer and said, “Come see my big treasure.”
“What?” Qu Yanning looked over, seeing the game screen. Two characters dressed in red, each wearing a big red flower on their chests, stood in the center surrounded by people.
The characters’ names flashed with blessing messages rapidly.
“I’ve formed a Love Bond.”
“With who?” Qu Yanning pointed at the screen. “These two?”
Chu Zhou snorted. “Handsome, charming, and rich — key is, he’s not boring.”
Qu Yanning felt the implication but wisely didn’t press. He pretended to congratulate him on finally finding someone.
Chu Zhou gave him a proud glance and asked him to watch the time while he went upstairs to use the restroom.
The game characters were all dressed colorfully, with dazzling flashy effects on their bodies. Qu Yanning had never played before and watched with curiosity.
Amid the soft background music, suddenly a notification sound rang out. Qu Yanning glanced at the lower-left private chat window, where a message popped up.
〔Green Grasslands〕 whispered: Help me, I’m trapped in the game.
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