We, along with Yao Yao, were naturally not qualified to enter and listen to the meeting. They saw us through the glass, gave us a couple of extra glances, but did not summon us.
We arrived at the area designated for the Immobile Yellow team. Outside was the open-plan office area, and inside were several private rooms. As the captain, Shen Xingyue’s private office was located at the deepest end of the area. It had an electronic door that required authorization to enter. He Lanxue parted her eyes and faced the sensor area, and with a hum, the door opened.
The office space inside was not large, similar to the offices of high-ranking police officers in Hong Kong movies.
“Wow, so many Cheng Feng Dads!” Lu Qianxun exclaimed. I turned back to look and saw that besides the desks and chairs, there was a wall covered with many photographs, each with a caption. I walked over and realized that most of the people in the photos were me! There were photos of me at work, me going downstairs to buy cigarettes, and even a photo of me having dinner with a blind date I had almost forgotten about. Looking at the date, it was from half a year ago!
Besides me, the most frequent subject was Song Lei’s photos, mostly taken in Fucheng, and some from Jiuxian Cave. It seemed Shen Xingyue had been researching this matter for a long time.
However, I was still puzzled. Yao Yao and I only established contact about a month ago. Why had Shen Xingyue started tracking me half a year ago? At that time, I was just an ordinary Nanjing office worker, nothing special.
“Strange, isn’t it?” He Lanxue smiled. “Some of your photos here were taken by me personally, so I’ve known you for a long time.”
“You knew half a year ago that Yao Yao would contact me?” I asked, confused.
“It started with Song Lei. He wrote in his diary that he had a college classmate who shared the same birth date and year as him, differing by only half an hour, meaning their birth charts were identical. This attracted our attention because Song Lei said that he was chosen by Mu Jige,” He Lanxue smiled at Yao Yao, “also because of his birth chart, which was compatible with Yao Yao’s.”
Oh, so that’s how it was. I had seen this entry in Song Lei’s diary, but I didn’t think much of it at the time, assuming Song Lei was referring to someone else. I never expected that the clown would be myself. And Yao Yao had indeed told me things like “It’s rare to meet someone with a compatible birth chart.”
For the four years of university, every time my birthday came around, according to our class’s “tradition,” we would go out for a meal. No wonder I never saw Song Lei treat us. I always thought he was stingy, but it turned out he was trying to hide the fact that we shared the same birthday by keeping a low profile.
“So, when we discovered Song Lei’s connection to Jiuxian Cave, we started keeping an eye on you,” He Lanxue explained.
Shen Xingyue’s purpose in letting me tour her office was likely this. I surmised that it was only because Yao Yao and I chose to ‘surrender’ to her that Shen Xingyue revealed this secret to me, thus expressing a certain degree of sincerity.
The rest of the office was very ordinary, with no personal touches from Shen Xingyue. After looking around, we went out. I asked if I could see Shen Xingyue. He Lanxue said it might not be convenient because the injured area was close to her chest. The doctor was afraid of infection, so after treating the wound, she hadn’t put on clothes and was letting it air out.
“Understood,” I said with a smile. “Please convey my regards to her for me.”
“I will.”
He Lanxue drove the three of us back towards the entrance. At the farewell, Sha Wuji was also waiting there. His injuries, thanks to Sharbya’s special medicine and his own far-superior-to-human physique, had completely healed.
While we were there, Sharbya’s people recharged our vehicle and let us keep it. Were they planning to give the car to me? But I don’t have a charging station at home!
As we drove back, just after exiting the lake area, the electric car’s large screen suddenly lit up, and Shen Xingyue’s face appeared, looking somewhat anxious: “Cheng Feng, Brother Wuji, we’ve received the latest news, and it’s very unfavorable for you.”