Jian Jing had a terrible night.
Although her body was extremely exhausted, as soon as she closed her eyes and felt a little drowsy, the sound of gunshots would ring in her ears, startling her awake from bed.
She was suffering from psychological trauma.
No wonder so many people would get PTSD. Sometimes, the most frightening thing wasn't just those few days of the experience, but the rest of their lives after, tossing and turning, with no peace.
The next day, Jian Jing had dark eye circles.
She had no choice but to put on some expensive eye masks to conceal them.
After going downstairs to eat breakfast, Kang Mu Cheng looked much better than her, with no difference from his usual spirits.
Jian Jing was very surprised: "Did you sleep well last night?"
"That's because I had the foresight," said Si Yingjie. "I made him drink a cup of wine and he slept very well."
"Why didn't you give me a bottle too?" Jian Jing was annoyed that he wasn't being loyal.
"You were already asleep," said Si Yingjie. "I knocked on your door but didn't hear a peep. The lights were off too."
She deflated: "I only slept for a short while. Afterwards I kept waking up. My head hurts so bad." As she spoke, she beckoned for the server, "Bring me an extra large serving of ice cream."
A five-star hotel would of course serve handmade Italian ice cream.
She ate a croissant, ham and egg crepe and vanilla cream puff, then gulped down an extra large serving of ice cream.
Si Yingjie looked on enviously and jealously: "Youth is so wonderful. You can eat recklessly without worrying about stomachaches."
Jian Jing didn't say a word.
Kang Mu Cheng put down his phone and said: "Let's change our flights home."
Jian Jing: "Okay!"
It really felt unsafe without guns in this country.
In the afternoon, they checked out and got on the plane.
The security check at the airport was extremely strict. Jian Jing gradually felt assured. She asked the flight attendant for a glass of wine and after finishing it, immediately fell asleep.
"Wake up," she was being called by someone after some time.
Jian Jing forced her eyes open: "Arrived?"
"You can't sleep for too long on planes," said the person beside her. "Let's chat for a bit, Miss Jian."
Jian Jing was suddenly very alert. She looked at the passenger beside her in surprise.
Yet another unfamiliar face, an ordinary-looking business CEO.
"Zong Ye?" she asked.
"Hello," he smiled amiably. "Nice to work with you."
Jian Jing sized up his face. Her first reaction: Draw a card.
[Name: Knowledge Card - Liquor (Beginner)]
[Description: Obtain basic knowledge related to liquor]
[Note: How to eliminate worries? Only Du Kang (Chinese liquor brand)]
What the heck, an introductory course to liquor?
Let's try again.
Draw card!
[Name: Skill Card - Bomb Defusal (Beginner)]
[Description: Gain the skill to dismantle bombs]
[Note: Life always has its ups and downs. Better safe than sorry!]
Not what she wanted but could still be useful.
Let's pull again.
[Name: Knowledge Card - Perfume (Beginner)]
[Description: Obtain beginner level perfume knowledge, able to make beginner perfume]
[Note: A subtle fragrance tells a lot about a person~]
What a scumbag skill, again!
[Name: Knowledge Card - Flower Arrangement (Beginner)]
[Description: Obtain beginner level flower arrangement knowledge, understand basic floral art]
[Note: This is undoubtedly an art]
Jian Jing: "......"
Why can't I draw the Disguise Card??
"Miss Jian, you're looking at me a bit strangely," Zong Ye touched his own face, "One moment very pleasantly surprised, the next very disappointed. Could it be you want to see through my true face that much?"
Jian Jing rarely had such bad luck. She was in a bad mood: "What if I do? Take it off and let me see."
Zong Ye leaned his head on one hand, smiling: "What if this is my original face?"
"Then I'd settle some old scores with you." She threatened expressionlessly.
"A woman's double standards," he smiled. Not taking it seriously, he moved on to proper matters, "Luckily you all left early, otherwise there could have been big trouble."
Jian Jing recalled that woman in the jacket: "Who was that woman yesterday?"
"A thief," he said casually.
Jian Jing: "......"
What kind of thief was so awesome, like a special agent.
She thought for a bit before asking: "Then who are you?"
"An unlucky office worker," he sighed. "Got mugged on a business trip. Don't know if they were unlucky or if I was."
Jian Jing sullenly said: "I'm the unlucky one."
She came to Paris for vacation, to shop and buy clothes. But what happened? Yesterday she didn't even get to buy the bag she wanted before running into a horde of murderous demons.
Her psyche was ravaged.
No wonder she was so unlucky.
Zong Ye patiently listened to her complain before saying: "The one speaking yesterday was you right? Who was with you?" His tone was matter-of-fact despite the questioning words.
Jian Jing was startled. She asked back: "Who?"
Zong Ye raised his brows slightly: "You distracted them with your voice while the other person fired the gun - don't rush to deny it, Miss Jian. There are only a handful who can deliver that kind of lethal headshot in the dark. You haven't received that kind of training, there's no way you could have pulled it off."
Ah... Jian Jing suddenly understood. No wonder that woman in the jacket was also talking about a sniper. They knew she was likely involved but didn't think she was the one who fired those last few shots.
Also understandable. In pitch darkness with the criminals in disguise, being able to accurately discern and headshot without harming others, there was no way it seemed like something a writer could do.
Good excuse.
Her mind spun quickly. She said hesitantly: "Why are you asking this?"
"Just curious about the situation," Zong Ye said. "It's not for nothing though, we can trade."
Jian Jing got straight to the point: "Where did you learn how to disguise yourself?"
Zong Ye paused before laughing helplessly: "Sorry, can't share that."
Then what's the point of you talking. She turned her head away, ignoring him.
Zong Ye wasn't affected by this girl's attitude, but he had his own life principles. Fair trade was one of them.
If you accept a favor, you should repay it.
"Does Miss Jian not need me for anything else?" He asked with a smile.
Jian Jing: "No."
Zong Ye: "I can introduce you to a doctor."
"I'm very satisfied with my face, nothing that requires going under the knife." She glanced at him coldly, "Or else, show me your true face."
He said: "Then you'd tally up all my new and old grudges. I'm afraid I wouldn't make it off this plane alive."
"Then forget it." Jian Jing glanced at her remaining Courage Points, feeling a little heartache.
Last night, the system had already deducted for the mission, giving her 50 Courage Points and 10 Special Contribution Points. But after that bout of wool-pulling just now, not much was left.
Definitely because she got blood on her hands and lost control a bit. No more wool-pulling today.
There's always next time.
The elegant art cards for perfume, wine and flower arrangement were mercilessly synthesized into an Unlock Card, unlocking Flexibility in the Level 2 panel.
Spending another 15 points to draw an advanced Enhancement Card, gaining +1 Flexibility.
Her Level 2 panel became:
[Locked] Memory: 6 (Ability to remember, recognize and reproduce experiences)
[Unlocked] Flexibility: 7 (Your body parts are more flexible compared to normal people)
[Unlocked] Immunity: 7 (You have some resistance against strange things)
[Locked] Adaptability: 6 (Tolerance to extreme environments)
[Locked] Reproduction: 6 (You know~)
Immunity wasn't obvious day-to-day, but Flexibility was.
Jian Jing folded a paper napkin into a flower, feeling like her fingers were a little more obedient than before. In the past when she wanted to fold it a certain way, her fingers wouldn't listen.
After folding a paper flower, it already resembled a rose by about 70%.
Just then, a flower was passed over.
A paper rose.
The petals were layered beautifully, budding, extremely charming.
She froze.
They were both made with napkins and white flowers, but her flower was stiff and plain while this one was vividly lifelike. The difference in artistic conception was probably like a painting by Qianlong Emperor compared to one by Lang Shining.
"What, are you going by Little Nan today?" She clenched her five fingers, silently squeezing the paper flower in her palm. Her tone was unfriendly.
Zong Ye shook his head with a smile, “It seems I’ve got the wrong idea about courting you.” Not wanting to be a nuisance pestering women, he briskly got up to leave, “Give me a call anytime you make up your mind.”
Hearing him say that, Jian Jing felt a little embarrassed instead. Let bygones be bygones, their past grievances were now settled. It was unreasonable of her to give him the cold shoulder just because she didn’t manage to wheedle a Disguise Card out of him. To be honest, using his skills while drawing cards was cheating in and of itself.
“Forget it, don’t take it to heart.” The intel was pure fiction, and she felt ashamed for taking advantage.
Zong Ye raised his brows, “I don’t owe favors for nothing.”
Jian Jing glanced at him and picked up the paper flower he had folded, “Just take this then.”
"With Miss Jian being so generous, it wouldn't be proper for me to keep hounding you for favors." After a moment of consideration, Zong Ye smiled, "Let's just be friends."
He extended his hand. The skin tone of his hand and wrist was almost indistinguishable, with no visible calluses, rings, birthmarks or scars.
Plain and unremarkable, completely devoid of any identifying features.
Clearly not a real hand.
Jian Jing didn't bother contesting his lack of sincerity either, begrudgingly lifting her hand.
Zong Ye touched her fingertips and gave her hand a perfunctory shake.
Jian Jing defined it in her mind: handshake and truce.
But she was still very curious about Zong Ye's skills. When they got off the plane, she paid special attention to him.
Yet somehow, despite getting off the plane together and walking through the same corridor, she didn't know when - maybe it was when Kang Mu Cheng was talking to her, or when she went to collect her luggage - in any case, the moment she looked away, he was gone.
She strongly suspected he was a relevant personnel from certain authorities.
It would be best to avoid dealing too much with this kind of person.
Jian Jing decisively gave up investigating and prepared to go home to counter jet lag.
Kang Mu Cheng was worried about her living alone: "Do you want to come stay with me for a few days?"
"I'm fine," Jian Jing repeated herself, "You're the one who should really go see a psychologist and chat."
The most terrifying thing about the mall hostage incident was the constant fear of threat to life. However, she and Kang Mu Cheng were different.
She was afraid too, of course, but ultimately she had witnessed the deaths of the villains with her own hands, and triumphed over them. Psychologically speaking, there was no looming shadow of death.
What made her uncomfortable was something else.
But Kang Mu Cheng... "I'm fine," he answered her, "It's all over now."
Jian Jing frowned, looking at him intently.
She hadn't noticed earlier. Kang Mu Cheng was still quite spirited from his drunken stupor, but he seemed a little sensitive. If there was any significant commotion around him, he would swiftly glance over, muscles instantly taut.
"What is it?" He touched his face, slightly ill at ease.
"I changed my mind," Jian Jing smiled, looping her arm around his, "I'll stay with you for a few days."
He had always cared about her, worried for her, yet forgotten that he too needed care and company.
"Is Brother Ying Jie coming too?" she asked, "Shall we go freeload at Young Master Kang's place?"
Si Ying Jie complained resentfully, "Oh, now you remember me? I thought everyone forgot I came back too."
Jian Jing stifled her laughter, "How could that be?"
Kang Mu Cheng also laughed, clapping him on the shoulder, "Come together then. What should we have for dinner tonight?"
Si Ying Jie didn't stand on ceremony at all, "Shrimp with Longjing tea, West Lake vinegar fish, crab and orange cup."
"Beer and fried chicken," Jian Jing was very practical.
Kang Mu Cheng: "..." They all had great appetites.