Chapter 49: The Extra Yin Qi
After Yang Haoran and Guan Hai finished their discussion, he left Guan Hai's home, telling him to get some sleep and recover his energy before he departed.
Xiao Mo didn't leave. Guan Hai's room still hadn't been tidied up, and she had more work to do that afternoon. Besides, in her view, Guan Hai needed someone to look after him at the moment, so she stayed.
Xiao Mo was indeed a hardworking and uncomplaining girl; Yang Haoran felt a pang of pity for her. However, he didn't say much, merely shaking his head before leaving.
Back at the convenience store, Yang Haoran initially thought of calling Jiang Zhenzhen, but then he held back. She definitely wouldn't be off work yet at this hour, and her phone would surely still be off, so he ultimately decided to call her later that evening.
Without time to cook, Yang Haoran once again made himself a bucket of instant noodles. Then, while keeping his shop open for business, he meticulously read through the books Master Jiang had lent him, aiming to broaden his knowledge.
Time passed unnoticed, and in a blink, it was five o'clock in the afternoon. Yang Haoran was engrossed in his reading, completely oblivious to the passage of time, until the ringing of his phone pulled him back from the world of books.
He pulled out his phone, and seeing Guan Hai's name on the caller ID, Yang Haoran answered the call while continuing to look at the book in his hand.
"Hey, Haizi, are you awake? How are you feeling? " Yang Haoran asked.
"Much better. Oh, by the way, Yang Ge, how about I call Wang Qing out now, and we all have dinner together? Then you can ask her whatever you want. What do you think? " Guan Hai suggested.
"Not good," Yang Haoran answered curtly.
"Why? " Guan Hai was a little puzzled.
"I still have things to do, so I won't be coming for dinner, and don't call Wang Qing either," Yang Haoran replied.
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Guan Hai spoke, "Then let's not call her for now. Just you, me, and Xiao Mo, the three of us will have dinner. I haven't properly thanked you for this matter yet."
"What thanks are you talking about between us? I really can't make it. Just go have dinner with Xiao Mo. She's a good girl," Yang Haoran replied.
"Heh heh, alright then. I'll see you at the bar at eight tonight. " Guan Hai understood Yang Haoran just as well, so he didn't press further.
After hanging up, Yang Haoran's gaze fell back on the book in his hand. He actually wanted to go to dinner; if someone's treating, it'd be a waste not to go. But compared to a meal, the book in his hand held more interest for him.
At eight o'clock that evening, Yang Haoran closed his convenience store, grabbed a loaf of bread from the shelf, and hailed a taxi while taking bites.
After getting into the taxi and telling the driver his destination, he called Jiang Zhenzhen again, but the call still went straight to voicemail.
"Could she still not be off work? " Yang Haoran couldn't help but wonder.
After a moment of hesitation, a determined look appeared on Yang Haoran's face. He then spoke to the taxi driver, "Master, I have something urgent, so my itinerary has changed."
"Where do you want to go? " the driver asked calmly, showing no surprise.
Evidently, the driver was accustomed to passengers who suddenly changed their destinations, so he displayed no particular emotion.
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran told the driver the jewelry store where Jiang Zhenzhen worked. The driver nodded, indicating he understood, and then changed his route, heading towards Jiang Zhenzhen's jewelry store.
He made this sudden decision because Yang Haoran was worried something might have happened to Jiang Zhenzhen, so he decided to go take a look first to put his mind at ease. Anyway, it was just a quick check, and wouldn't take much time.
Arriving at the jewelry store where Jiang Zhenzhen worked, Yang Haoran didn't find Jiang Zhenzhen, but he did run into Li Jie, whom he had shared drinks with last time.
Li Jie looked at Yang Haoran with a strange expression. In his view, the reason for her peculiar look was probably because she hadn't expected him to appear there.
Since he was still busy dealing with Guan Hai's situation, after exchanging a few pleasantries with Li Jie, Yang Haoran directly asked about Jiang Zhenzhen.
Li Jie's reply thoroughly surprised Yang Haoran.
Jiang Zhenzhen had resigned; she no longer worked at this jewelry store. It seemed either that she was unwilling to say more to Yang Haoran, or that she was simply too busy, for Li Jie returned to her own tasks after delivering the news.
Yang Haoran's heart was filled with doubts. Why would she resign out of the blue? Had Jiang Zhenzhen encountered some trouble recently?
He had intended to gather more information from Li Jie, but seeing that she had no desire to elaborate and was indeed very busy at the moment, he felt it would be improper to continue bothering her. He could only leave the jewelry store, his face etched with confusion.
Failing to see Jiang Zhenzhen, Yang Haoran felt a bit disappointed. He decided that after he finished dealing with Guan Hai's situation, he would go to Jiang Zhenzhen's home to see what had happened and if she needed any help.
He was very clear about his own situation: a man of average looks, without connections, money, or status. If he didn't take initiative, he truly would live out his days alone.
To start a family sooner, he had to be more proactive.
The bar where he had arranged to meet Guan Hai was Guan Hai's own small establishment. By this time, customers were starting to trickle in; though not yet packed, three tables were already occupied.
Of these three tables, Guan Hai occupied one. Besides Guan Hai, Wang Qing had also arrived, and Xiao Mo, the manager, was currently busy working in the bar.
As Yang Haoran appeared at the entrance, Xiao Mo, who was busy at the bar counter, saw him arrive, quickly greeted him, and pointed towards Guan Hai's location.
"Guan Hai Ge is over there. Yang Ge, please drink less; he's still very weak," Xiao Mo said worriedly.
Yang Haoran nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I know."
He hadn't explained the purpose of his visit to Xiao Mo, and he had also instructed Guan Hai not to tell anyone else about this matter, not even Xiao Mo.
Guan Hai understood his meaning, so he knew what could be said and what couldn't. Moreover, even if he did say something, others might not believe him; they would either think he was joking or that he was crazy.
Judging from Xiao Mo's current expression, Guan Hai likely hadn't told her about the Yin Qi entanglement or Yang Haoran's special abilities, because her gaze towards Yang Haoran was no different than usual, which proved the point.
However, while Xiao Mo's gaze towards Yang Haoran was normal, when she looked at Guan Hai, a hint of resentment appeared in her eyes.
As this resentful look met Yang Haoran's eyes, he couldn't help but sigh again. He knew that Xiao Mo was probably feeling quite distressed inside.
Xiao Mo continued to busy herself, but her spirits seemed somewhat low. Yang Haoran, meanwhile, left the bar counter and walked towards Guan Hai's table.
As he walked towards Guan Hai's location, he took a pair of sunglasses from his Ghost-Hunting Bag and put them on.
The bar's lighting was dim, and genuinely few people would wear sunglasses in such a place. Even if they were just showing off, it would still give off a ridiculously over-the-top impression.
Yang Haoran wearing sunglasses in the bar at this moment wasn't for showing off or looking cool; he had another purpose.
He stopped behind Guan Hai. Guan Hai hadn't yet noticed his arrival, but Wang Qing, sitting opposite Guan Hai, couldn't help but let out a snicker, even spitting out the wine from her mouth.
Wang Qing's reaction caught Guan Hai's attention. He turned his head and immediately spotted Yang Haoran behind him.
Seeing that Yang Haoran was actually wearing sunglasses, he couldn't help but grin, saying, "Yang Ge, nice sunglasses. Have a seat quickly."
Yang Haoran wasn't surprised by their reactions, as this was precisely what he had expected. Although he was mentally prepared, he still felt a little awkward.
"This is Yang Ge, you met him last time," Guan Hai said, introducing him to Wang Qing as Yang Haoran took a seat.
"A bit. . . a bit familiar," Wang Qing said, trying to suppress her laughter.
"We met at the hospital today," Yang Haoran reminded Wang Qing, flashing his trademark smile.
"Really? " Wang Qing looked puzzled, thought for a moment, then shook her head, saying, "Sorry, I don't remember."
Yang Haoran didn't care whether Wang Qing genuinely didn't remember or was merely feigning it, as it held no significance for him.
Guan Hai, on the other hand, found his attitude towards Wang Qing becoming subtle. Though he loved to bicker with Yang Haoran verbally, he actually took Yang Haoran's words seriously, especially after witnessing Yang Haoran's unique abilities, which were beyond ordinary people. After that, he trusted Yang Haoran's words even more.
Since Yang Haoran had asserted that Wang Qing had a problem, it was highly likely he wasn't wrong. Thus, Guan Hai remained somewhat wary in his heart; otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting opposite Wang Qing right now, but rather, would be embracing her directly.
"Uncle, why are you wearing sunglasses so late at night? Are you trying to see ghosts? " Wang Qing teased with a smile, finding it funnier the more she looked, until she was even laughing so hard she bent over.
Yang Haoran also chuckled, but he didn't answer Wang Qing's question, simply smiling without a word.
Guan Hai felt a bit awkward beside them. He knew the purpose of Yang Haoran's visit tonight, but Yang Haoran just kept smiling, neither speaking nor making any other moves, which left him unable to gauge Yang Haoran's intentions.
To prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward, Guan Hai quickly changed the subject and started chatting with Wang Qing.
Wang Qing had never been particularly interested in Yang Haoran. The reason she paid him any attention at this moment was solely because Yang Haoran's "showing off" act amused her. Once her laughter subsided, she found it uninteresting. Furthermore, with Guan Hai actively engaging her in conversation, her attention naturally shifted from Yang Haoran to Guan Hai.
Wang Qing no longer paying attention to him was exactly what Yang Haoran wanted.
From the moment he entered the bar, Yang Haoran had sensed an extremely strong surge of Yin Qi. Initially, he believed it was emanating from Wang Qing. However, as he got closer, he was surprised to discover that this intense Yin Qi was, in fact, not coming from Wang Qing!
Yin Qi was still present on Wang Qing, though not very strong. Yet, right beside her, Yang Haoran sensed an incredibly potent surge of Yin Qi.
The eerie thing was, Wang Qing's side was completely empty; there was nothing there at all!
This discovery led Yang Haoran to form some suspicions, but he remained outwardly calm, casually twirling the wine glass in front of him while secretly activating his Ghost Eye.
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