Qin He felt a touch of warmth. As she went downstairs, Gu Qishen was waiting for her in the living room. He sat on the sofa with his long legs stretched out, a bag of roasted chestnuts she loved by his side.
Her brow unfurrowed.
"You're back."
Gu Qishen stood up from the sofa. "Mm, how was your rest today?"
"Okay," Qin He smiled, at least she hadn't had nightmares last night.
Entering the dining room, they ate lunch. Qin He subtly glanced up at the man beside her.
In a week, Gu Qishen's leg had recovered considerably, and he could basically walk normally, though he couldn't run or stand for long periods.
After eating, they went to the living room.
"Lele is quite accustomed to staying at the old residence. My mother and Ranran are looking after him day and night now," Gu Qishen said.
Qin He nodded. "Does Ranran not have classes recently?"
Gu Qishen pursed his lips. "She has classes, but I've asked for leave for her. I think you should also ask Mingxue to take leave."
Qin He understood Gu Qishen's meaning. Since the Lev organization had previously killed Xiang Mingjun and nearly harmed Mingxue, it at least indicated that Mingxue was exposed to their sight.
However, only she and her brother knew about the Lev organization's affairs now.
If Mingxue were to take leave and be sent back to Haicheng for a while, a valid reason would be needed.
Qin He frowned. "I can't think of any reason to send her back to Haicheng. This matter must be kept from my mother and those in Haicheng, otherwise my grandmother, uncle, and aunt would worry a lot."
Gu Qishen pondered for a few seconds. "I've thought of a way."
"What way?"
Gu Qishen's lips curved slightly. "Is there a reward?"
Qin He narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, moving closer to Gu Qishen.
She lightly kissed him on the cheek and then quickly pulled away.
"Is this reward enough?"
Gu Qishen smiled meaningfully. "It's enough for me to go through fire and water."
At three in the afternoon, Qin He received a tearful call from Mingxue.
"Sis, I've been sent to Haicheng by the school. They said I'm an exchange student. I'm originally from Haicheng, so it's convenient to switch!"
Qin He covered her mouth and chuckled. This was Gu Qishen's idea, and the exchange student arrangement was temporary.
"Since it's arranged by the school, you should just go obediently. Think of it as going home."
Mingxue grumbled and complained. The reason she came to Qingcheng to study at Qingda University was for freedom.
She hadn't expected to return to Haicheng now.
Qin He smiled mischievously. "If you're going back to Haicheng, I'll find someone to escort you."
"I'm not a child, I don't need someone to escort me," Mingxue mumbled.
Qin He smiled gently on the other end of the call. "Then let me rephrase. I need to find someone to supervise your return to the Ming family, lest you run away halfway."
Gu Qishen had already chosen someone to escort Mingxue back to Haicheng.
Yan Chen had been staying in Qingcheng for some time. This pair of unfortunate siblings who didn't want to go home could travel together.
Recently, she was staying at Senyuan. Gu Qishen had cleared out the study on the second floor for her.
After hanging up the phone, Qin He got up and went into the study.
Sitting in front of the computer, she typed the name of the Lev organization again. Previously, the Lev organization had been dismantled by international police.
Qin He could now confirm that all of this was a trap set by Lev, designed to become a dismantled historical entity and successfully go underground.
It was like a person who had died, disappearing completely from the public eye.
Qin He had spent the past week trying to stealthily enter the internal network of the X country police department, and today she finally succeeded.
She searched, and the police department had some photos left behind regarding that case.
She looked through them one by one; most were pictures of the aftermath of that incident.
When it was dismantled, the Lev organization was located in a small desert town. The pictures showed an entirely exotic scene.
As she looked through them, Qin He's gaze suddenly stopped at one of the photos.
She downloaded the scene photo and kept zooming in.
The photo showed a derelict car shed covered in smoke. The walls of the shed had collapsed. Qin He's gaze was fixed on a bright spot within the ruins.
Upon zooming in to a certain extent, she finally saw it clearly.
It was a mask, the same one worn by the person who shot Zhou Yang a week ago.
The Strategist!
This codename immediately came to Qin He's mind. It turned out he was also the one who had designed the Lev organization to be dismantled by international police!
Qin He gritted her teeth, feeling as if the mask in the photo was radiating a chilling light, its hollow eyes staring intently at her!
As she felt a chill run through her body, her phone on the desk suddenly rang.
Qin He hissed softly and answered the call.
The call was from Qian Zimo.
Qian Zimo's voice was low. "That group of people actually managed to disappear! It's been a week, and I'm starting to suspect they've really left Qingcheng!"
Qin He pursed her lips. "They can't have disappeared. If they haven't gotten what they want, they must still be in Qingcheng. Our search must have gone wrong!"
Where had it gone wrong?
Qin He stared at the mask, and a possibility suddenly flashed in her mind.
Her voice trembled slightly. "Qian Zimo, we've been searching everywhere for all outsiders and foreigners entering Qingcheng. If they could disappear so cleanly, could it be because these people are originally from Qingcheng? They have their own professions and identities here, and have been living here for a long time?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. Qian Zimo also felt the pressure.
"If that's the case, then unless they make another move, it will be very difficult to find them."
Qin He pursed her lips. "Do you have any new ideas?"
Qian Zimo said, "No new ideas, but Shishi still hasn't been found. However, she's probably not in their hands. With our widespread search, the other party will soon realize it's not just about avenging Qi Yang. I think we need to make them lower their guard. I'm recalling all my overt informants today. As for you, it's best to return to a normal, peaceful life and let them think we've given up."
"Okay."
After discussing with Qian Zimo for a while, Qin He hung up the phone.
She sat there and pondered for a moment, then opened WeChat and sent a message to Shen Yilin.
Qin He: [Yilin, is your academic workload heavy recently?]
Shen Yilin replied instantly as always: [It's okay, Sister. Are we going to resume the live stream?]
Qin He typed: [Yes, get ready. We'll resume the live stream the day after tomorrow.]
Only by living like before could she lull the other party's vigilance.
Qin He thought for a moment, then sent another message to Gu Qishen: [Gu Qishen, I'm going to the old residence to visit Grandma Gu.]
After sending the message, she drove out.
Resuming the live stream the day after tomorrow and secretly searching for Shishi's whereabouts, Qin He planned to visit Grandma Gu today.
She would discuss with her master tomorrow.
Qingcheng was too dangerous now, and she cared about too many people. Her master and madam were getting old. If those people targeted them, they wouldn't be able to withstand such a storm!