Auntie finished her vivid storytelling. As the female protagonist in the story, Yao Yao’s face flushed and paled, a mixture of annoyance and amusement. Shen Xingyue kept pinching the sides of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing.
“You all won’t believe it, that old Taoist priest was actually quite effective. After Cheng Feng drank his talisman water, he really got better! I wonder who that female ghost from the dream ended up haunting.” Auntie said with a mix of relief and wistfulness, completely unaware that the female ghost from the dream was sitting right beside her.
“Oh, right, Cheng Feng, Xingyue,” Auntie suddenly thought of something. “I heard there’s a Jiuxian Cave in Fucheng, and it’s quite efficacious. Why don’t we go pay a visit again, just in case that female ghost comes back to bother our Cheng Feng?”
“…Jiuxian Cave has already collapsed. It’s not efficacious at all,” Yao Yao said expressionlessly.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I chimed in. “The Nine Immortals who lived inside have all run away.”
“Oh, what a shame,” Auntie shook her head. “I was thinking of going to pay respects. Don’t you see I’m a doctor? Ever since Cheng Feng’s incident, I’ve become a believer! Better safe than sorry!”
The three of us nodded heavily, agreeing with Auntie’s sentiment.
“Auntie, when are you planning to go back?” I asked.
“…I just got here, why are you chasing me away?” Auntie said, displeased.
“Exactly,” Shen Xingyue chimed in. “If you don’t have time to accompany Auntie, I’ll keep my senior classmate company. We can visit the ruins of Jiuxian Cave, tour Shengjing Qipanshan, see Laoguailing, and then take a trip to Changbai Mountain. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll encounter some ginseng!”
Although Shen Xingyue was in Jinling, she seemed to know my whereabouts like the back of her hand.
I nodded. “I am indeed very busy lately. Then I’ll trouble Xingyue.”
I then asked Auntie where she was staying. Auntie said Xingyue had already arranged everything for her, and she was staying at the Xishan Hotel not far from here, a two-star hotel at least.
After finishing our afternoon tea, we went downstairs to take Auntie and Shen Xingyue to the hotel. On the way, Auntie rode in my car, while Shen Xingyue and Yao Yao drove ahead.
In the car, Auntie finally asked me the question directly: “Young man, what is your relationship with that Yao Yao?”
“…We’re sort of colleagues,” I said.
“Don’t try to fool me. I can see it in your eyes. You two are definitely not colleagues. Is she your new girlfriend?”
“Uh… I guess you could say that,” I knew I couldn’t hide it from Auntie, at least not on this matter.
“You, you, you! Then what about Xingyue? Weren’t you two dating! Isn’t this considered having your cake and eating it too?”
“This… actually, the three of us are still observing each other,” I blurted out a lie. Parental orders could not be defied, and Auntie was like my parents. The matchmaker’s words were irreversible. Shen Xingyue was the girlfriend she had specifically chosen for me. Moreover, after our “blind date,” we had reported back to Auntie, thinking we were both good and in a state of continued development.
“I’ll give you a good smack!” Auntie poked me. “How can you say that? Hurry up and sort out your relationships to avoid more trouble later.”
“What ‘later,’ it has nothing to do with that,” I said.
“…You little brat, what are you thinking? Have you been corrupted by those female streamers!” Auntie lectured and spanked me again.
Finally, we reached Xishan Hotel and dropped her and Shen Xingyue off. I took Yao Yao and drove away.
Back on the main road, Yao Yao and I both let out a sigh of relief simultaneously.
“First time meeting the parents, nervous?” I asked with a smile.
“I was nervous, I was afraid of causing any negative impact on you,” Yao Yao said dismissively. “Did I perform well?”
“Extremely well!”
“Then tonight, you’ll have to reward me handsomely!” Yao Yao said with a sly smile.
“Tonight might not be possible, Master,” I feigned a frown of difficulty. “Auntie is here tonight. Don’t I have to put on a show and have a long talk with Shen Xingyue, an in-depth exchange?”
“That’s true,” Yao Yao didn’t get angry, nodding very seriously. “But the first half of the night is mine! I don’t care about the second half! Deal?”
“…Deal.” I didn’t expect that a joke would dig such a big pit for myself. Dividing the night into halves, would I even get any sleep?
Upon returning to Zhe Jiang Building, Lin Chi called. He said they had investigated the Cangjing Corporation in Lyushun and found that they were frequently trading with a Northeast trading company. The goods were all collectibles and antiques, which were then transported back to the Cherry Blossom Country after the transactions. And that company was an import-export trading company under the Mohe Group.
“Collectibles, antiques… they’re probably a cover, could they be demon cores?” I speculated.