"Hello, hello!" The tall, chubby man put on a warm, friendly smile and eagerly reached out his hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Zhu Ming—Zhu as in Zhu Yuanzhang, Ming as in 'engrave.' Thanks for looking after our Qi Xi recently."
"Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Jack Qi—Yang as in Yang Guo, Qi as in 'strange.'" Dummy Jack smiled in a very businesslike way, just like meeting a client. Ding—nineteenth floor. Jack Qi politely nodded to the two, smiling and stepping out of the elevator with perfect manners. From start to finish, he was just like a regular coworker.
(Note: The Chinese word '奇' means 'strange' or 'wonder,' and is pronounced 'Qi.' The English rendering 'Young' was used previously, but for clarity, 'Qi' is retained here. If needed, add a brief note in the text or as a footnote explaining the wordplay.)
Whoosh—when the elevator doors closed, Jack Qi also rode the elevator of memories back to the real world. All of this happened in a split second. Everyone just thought Jack held the handshake a bit too long, but didn't notice anything else.
Jack Qi squinted at Zhu Ming, who looked completely different from how he remembered. "So it really is a 'first' meeting, huh?"
How could someone as remarkable as me possibly forget? Hahaha! Why does that sound so funny when I say it?
And then Jack Qi really did laugh, curling his lips just like he did a year and a half ago. With a businesslike, polite smile, he said, "My name's Jack Qi—Yang as in poplar tree, Qi as in 'magical.'"
(Note: The word '奇' means 'magical' or 'wonder,' pronounced 'Qi.' The English rendering 'Young' was previously used, but for clarity, 'Qi' is retained here.)
His subtle senses picked up on it immediately—the way the muscles and tendons were distributed in Zhu Ming's palm, the hidden calluses and tough skin. No mistake—these are the hands of someone who's handled guns for a long time! A businessman in Shanghai who regularly uses guns? Zhu Ming is definitely hiding something.
So, Jack Young switched on his scrutiny mode.
A faint golden light flashed in his eyes, invisible to ordinary people—and even to Chosen Ones. At least, none of the Chosen Ones he'd met so far could see it. Under scrutiny mode, Jack's pupils shrank instantly, and a strange smile curled at his lips.
That's right, Zhu Ming is a Chosen One!
And his Boundary Mark was a red skull, stamped right over his heart.
Now this is getting interesting.
Jack Qi glanced at Qi Xi, then swept his eyes over the background guy and background girl—just regular folks. "That's right, I'm her family." Jack said to Zhu Ming, "Thanks for looking after our Dummy Xi these days."
Jack Qi's expression was totally casual, nothing unusual on the surface. But as soon as he spoke, both Maggie Monroe and Qi Xi's faces shifted a little, even the background guy and girl rolled their eyes, clearly thinking something. Zhu Ming just laughed it off, acting like he didn't care, though his handshake got a little tighter.
Ten minutes later, the six of them were strolling down Huaihai Middle Road. It's a famous shopping street in Shanghai—not as famous as Nanjing Road, maybe, but just as comfortable. The six naturally split into three men and three women. The women walked up front, arms linked like old friends. The men walked behind, shoulder to shoulder like brothers. Everyone was chatting and laughing, but it was all just for show—the vibe was totally off.
Among the three women, Qi Xi was in the middle, Maggie Monroe on her right, just walking normally. But the background girl on Qi Xi's left was super friendly, grabbing her arm and calling her "sister-in-law" over and over, sneaking glances at Maggie. Qi Xi gave Maggie an awkward smile, Maggie just shrugged like she didn't care and offered her hand too. Thanks to the background girl's antics, they all ended up holding hands—otherwise Maggie would've been left out.
All through the shopping trip, the background girl kept chattering nonstop, while Maggie Monroe barely spoke. If she got asked something, she'd just smile, nod, or give a quiet 'mm.' Her vibe was a bit like Yang Shu's.
Finally shaking off the background girl, Maggie Monroe perked up and whispered to Qi Xi, "Who are those two, anyway?"
"They're... friends of Zhu Ming," Qi Xi apologized. "I just wanted the three of us to hang out, but after I told Zhu Ming, it turned into this. I know you don't like strangers. I'm really sorry."
"It's no big deal, just ignore them. What I'm worried about is back there—" Maggie Monroe glanced at the three men behind: "If Zhu Ming came alone, it'd be fine. Dummy Jack is rational and chill, he wouldn't lose his temper. But that guy tagging along is a total troublemaker—he's stinky and annoying as hell." Maggie, always blunt, didn't hide her dislike for the background guy. That's just how she is.
Meanwhile, the guys' formation was totally different—the women up front were all sticky-sweet like taffy, but the men were in a flanking formation. Jack Qi walked in the middle, Zhu Ming on his left, the background guy on his right. Zhu Ming was reserved and polite; the background guy, though, kept rambling nonsense and probing for info.
"So, where are you staying, Brother Jack? Found a hotel yet?" "Got a ride in Shanghai? Is it easy to get around?" "What do you do for work? Which company are you with?" One question after another, nonstop.
Jack Qi just glanced at him coolly, then answered with a hint of sarcasm: "I'm crashing at a relative's place for now." "No personal car yet." "Company? Just started one with some friends—it's only been two months." None of these questions bothered him, so he was actually curious to see what the background guy was up to.
So the background guy kept going: "Lucky you've got family in Shanghai—hotels have gotten crazy expensive lately. By the way, Ming set his fiancée up at the Shangri-La. That place is nice, but the nightly rate is basically a civil servant's monthly salary in a small city. Way too pricey!"
"No car? That's rough. Shanghai's huge—taking the subway, bus, or taxis is such a hassle. You really need your own ride. A man should have a car, right? Hey Ming, don't you have a spare? Why not lend one to Brother Jack? Jack, do you even know how to drive?"
(This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Click next page to keep reading the good stuff!)
"Oh, so you're a boss, Jack? My bad, my bad. I heard the market's been wild lately—small companies are struggling, tons of startups going bust. These days, small companies can barely hire anyone; three managers is the whole staff—hey, don't mind my big mouth, Jack, I wasn't talking about you! But honestly, it's better to lean on a big tree. Making it in a big company means more status than being a small boss. Ming's company, Tianding Group, is one of Shanghai's best! Ming's a real pro—made it to management while still young, and now he's running a huge project. Tons of business owners would kill to get on his good side!"
Honestly, watching the background guy rant and rave, mixing praise with backhanded insults, Jack Qi's only reaction was—to laugh! Yeah, he really laughed, and he was genuinely amused. He'd been a little down just moments ago, but now this guy was cracking him up. Jack looked at the background guy like he was a circus clown. He couldn't even be bothered to argue. When your mindset's on another level, you just let it go.
The key thing was—none of it hit a sore spot. All this showing off and comparing wealth was just a joke to Jack Qi now.
"Ming, you're getting married soon, right? Got the new place ready?" The background guy kept stirring the pot: "Why's your fiancée still at a hotel? Why not bring her home?" He grinned, stretching out the words, "You two are basically an old married couple now, no need to be so formal. Us guys get it, right?" He put extra emphasis on "old married couple" and even shot Jack Qi a half-serious, half-joking look.
At that moment, Jack Qi's gaze turned sharp.
Damn, you really wanna pick a fight with me, huh?
Fine, you're asking for trouble!
Right then, Zhu Ming quickly sent the background guy off on an errand, then turned to Jack Qi with a sincere face: "I'm really sorry, Brother Jack. I'm from the countryside, and that's a family friend—he's not very cultured. He talks too much and says all kinds of nonsense. Sorry for the embarrassment, truly."
Zhu Ming's apology was textbook—his expression, his words, everything was spot on. If you wanted a lesson in how to apologize, this was it.
Jack Qi narrowed his eyes. The more Zhu Ming acted this way, the more Jack felt he was a real player. Whether the sincerity was real or fake, this guy was no ordinary person. Compared to Zhu Ming, the noisy background guy wasn't even worth mentioning.
"Let's go look at wedding dresses!" Suddenly, the people up front got excited, and the background girl rushed over, dragging everyone along. "Ming, and Brother Jack, since everyone's here, let's check out the wedding dress for our sister-in-law!"
"Wedding dress?" Zhu Ming shot a quick glance at Jack Qi. "Sure, let's go have a look."
"Come on, come on! Wedding dress!" The background girl and guy hyped everyone up, dragging the group forward. Zhu Ming didn't ask anyone's opinion, and Qi Xi stayed silent. Underneath it all, there was something hidden in the quiet.
Before long, the group arrived at the bridal shop.
"Vera Wang wedding dresses—top of the world, every piece is perfectly tailored, a woman's dream come true." The background girl was hyping up the atmosphere.
"So many European royals, Hong Kong celebrities, even Clinton's daughter wore Vera Wang at her wedding. These dresses? Two words: gorgeous and expensive! Ordinary folks can't afford them!" The background guy was showing off his trivia skills.
Inside, rows of elegant white wedding dresses were on display. Wedding dresses are a woman's dream—even lifeless mannequins seemed to glow once dressed up. Standing before these dreamlike gowns, few women could resist getting lost in them.
"It's not finished yet, but you can get an idea." Zhu Ming said to Qi Xi, "You've never seen it, right? It's kind of like that one." He pointed to the most extravagant dress—elegant, unique, exquisite, glowing with a creamy light. Most girls would be mesmerized by it.
But when Qi Xi and Maggie Monroe went up to admire and touch the dress, Qi Xi smiled and praised it, but there was no sparkle in her eyes, and her smile wasn't truly excited.
Jack Qi's eyes flickered; suddenly he shook his head and said, "Zhu Ming, you picked the wrong dress."
"Huh?" Qi Xi, Maggie Monroe, the background guy and girl—all turned to look at Jack Qi, each with a different expression.
Zhu Ming didn't react: "Brother Jack, do you have an opinion?"
"Opinion? Oh, I sure do." Jack Qi didn't hold back, pointing at the dress: "I'm telling you, Dummy Xi doesn't like this style at all."
The moment he said that, the mood shifted. Even Qi Xi's gaze toward Jack Qi started to tremble.