Chapter 39

The person who appeared was none other than the remarkably capable Secretary Zhang, dressed in a sleek suit and still wearing the same sunglasses from the *Wind and Thunder* film set. He took the bag from Xu Changying's hand, his expression radiating professionalism. "Mr. Xu, today I’m driving you home from the hospital."

Xu Changying glanced at Xia Qing, who stood under the blazing sun in a perfectly tailored full business suit. For a moment, Xu even thought Xia’s pale face seemed slightly blurred.

"I'll see you tonight."

Sitting in the car, Xu Changying watched the greenery whizzing past outside the window before turning to Secretary Zhang in the passenger seat. "Ke, how are Secretary Chen and Secretary Yao doing?"

"Secretary Chen is still recuperating, and Secretary Yao should be back on duty next week. Neither has suffered any serious issues or lasting effects. Mr. Xia has granted them indefinite sick leave with additional injury compensation, so you needn’t worry too much, Mr. Xu."

With Xia Qing absent, Secretary Zhang Ke was referred to by his full name in Xu Changying’s presence.

It seemed Mr. Xia treated his elite secretarial team exceptionally well. Out of curiosity, Xu casually asked 24-year-old Zhang Ke which university he had graduated from, only to receive an answer that left him surprised.

"At your age, why would someone with a Ph.D. from an Ivy League school choose to become a secretary?!"

Zhang Ke smiled faintly and explained, "Mr. Xu, there might be some misunderstanding. Given the unique nature of Mr. Xia’s work, his support staff structure is also rather special. Mr. Xia is involved in both corporate decision-making and directing research teams, in addition to personally participating in government-level experimental projects under his own name. As such, he requires different assistant teams—for instance, the doctor and assistant who just picked him up were from the National Laboratory affiliated with Zhongda University, not Xing’an employees.

"Our secretarial team, led by Secretary Chen, coordinates all of Mr. Xia’s team operations and follows a distinct career advancement path compared to other secretarial roles."

Xu Changying’s head spun from the explanation, but he grasped the core essence of this remarkable secretarial team. Cutting straight to the point, he asked, "Where do your predecessors go after career advancement?"

"Last month, Secretary Li from our team was transferred to Xing’an Medical Equipment Group’s Beijing headquarters as President of the Asia-Pacific region."

"I see," Xu Changying said with genuine respect, smiling. "I now deeply understand your professional standards."

After exchanging a few more small talk remarks, Xu suddenly noticed something off about a road sign they just passed. Frowning, he asked, "Ke, aren’t we heading to my apartment?"

"Mr. Xia told us to take you to the apartment on Heping Road. Didn’t he mention it?" Zhang Ke also turned to him in confusion.

Only then did Xu Changying recall their late-night conversation two nights prior. Drowsy, he had vaguely responded when Xia Qing mentioned Yan Jianbai’s suggestion that they team up. When Xia repeated that Captain Yan recommended they operate together, Xu had absentmindedly agreed again. Finally, Xia had asked, "Is it convenient for you to work together?"

At the time, Xu had wondered why Xia was repeating himself and, yawning, had said, "Sure."

Now, Xu mused that Xia Qing’s current personality was both straightforward and oddly hesitant—why not just say outright that they’d be living together? But then he remembered those vivid eyes under the hospital sunlight and his own bold declaration of friendship, and a twinge of guilt silenced him.

Xu’s silence lasted from the underground parking lot all the way to the elevator, which climbed steadily before stopping at the top floor—number 60. It continued even as Zhang Ke opened the door to the "apartment," leaving Xu standing speechless in a 4,300-square-foot (400-square-meter) duplex penthouse in the CBD.

"Tell me, does this still count as an *apartment*?"

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, Xu gazed at the distant office rooftops, feeling as though his nights in a tiny, peeling room at one of Burkina Faso’s 62 nationwide hotels last month belonged to another lifetime.

Zhang Ke and the residential attendant placed Xu’s panda-themed canvas bag—containing just two changes of clothes, courtesy of Qi Feng during his tongue recovery—into the master bedroom on the first floor. After helping Xu register his voiceprint for the smart home system, they quietly left.

According to Zhang Ke, the entire smart system was custom-designed by Xing’an’s tech department, though most features were unnecessary for Xu. The only exception was the incredibly fast internet capable of remotely controlling robotic surgical procedures across the Pacific—Xu immediately tried video-calling AGB’s European branch, but the connection failed. A Latin American clerk informed him that the person he sought had likely already arrived in the Middle East.

Tossing his laptop onto the sofa, Xu muttered, "That crazy woman."

Leaning back into the circular couch, he felt something dig into his thigh. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a new tin of mint tablets.

Two days ago, when the Tang family left the police station, Tang Youning had discreetly pulled him aside in the stairwell. Turning back, the man had tossed him the small metal box.

"New formula and flavor for this summer," Tang had said, his face bathed in a gentle glow, with no trace of the earlier embarrassment from having his fake engagement publicly revealed.

Standing on the upper steps, Xu caught it effortlessly. "Thanks."

"I’ve already emailed you the dosage instructions. No adjustments needed all summer." Xu deftly flicked two tablets onto his wrist, then tossed them into his mouth with a practiced motion. Crunching down, he grinned. "Still bitter. Weren’t you supposed to make them strawberry-flavored?"

Tang Youning blinked his pitch-black eyes, "I suggested it many times, but they said medicinal efficacy and taste still can't be achieved simultaneously."

Xu Zhangying put away the mints, "Well then, goodbye."

Dressed in a white suit, Tang Youning turned around with one hand in his pocket, waving the other hand in a casual, stylish gesture.

"See you next time, senior."

Sitting on the sofa in the sprawling penthouse, Xu Zhangying spent the afternoon with Li Jiali preparing an internal report for Case 523: Living Artifacts that was sent to AGB's Asia branch. Xu Zhangying also requested an additional backup from Li Jiali.

Over the video call, Li Jiali sharply asked, "Xu, do you already know something? Are you sending this to Laura?"

Xu Zhangying had anticipated the question and replied frankly, "Yes, just let her glance through it."

Li Jiali paused, "Laura just joined the Europe branch last month. If you want to ask about the Cross Society, why not go straight to the director?"

Xu Zhangying chuckled, "Because I'm not sure yet. Amber is such a blabbermouth—if I tell him, the whole world will know."

Benjamin cut in, "The latest post on Ocean mentions an agent running into Laura in Kabul, at the airport where the U.S. troops withdrew. She likely won't have time to check emails."

Ocean was AGB's internal forum for agents, accessible only with a personal agent key.

Xu Zhangying scratched his nose, "Don't worry, she'll read it. Likely."

Li Jiali asked, surprised, "Didn't she just get fired by Director Amber? The Europe branch hasn't assigned her a partner yet, right?"

Xu Zhangying said with an awkward laugh, "Not only no partner, but also no field authorization. I tried an internal video call this afternoon, and it got routed to the Europe branch. The operator said three departments had been looking for her for three days and only found out her whereabouts through an Ocean post."

Li Jiali fell silent momentarily. "As her only disciple, the fact that you're being this responsible to Benjamin and me makes me feel eternally grateful."

"You flatter me."

In the end, Xu Zhangying rewrote repeatedly the email, finally adding "suspected significant connection to Case A20077354" as the last line before hitting send.

The AGB-exclusive email interface displayed a "Sent Successfully" notification. Only then did Xu Zhangying realize it was completely dark outside. The cityscape beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows glowed with neon, while the vast living room remained pitch-black, illuminated only by the glow of his laptop screen.

Suddenly remembering something, Xu Zhangying cleared his throat and said, "Lights on." Instantly, the entire apartment was bathed in warm light.

"Damn, technology changes the world?" Xu Zhangying was stunned as he wondered at this to hear the oven and microwave in the kitchen spring to life, while the irregularly shaped coffee table's central control tablet displayed a "Dinner Heating" notification.

As he wondered at this, his phone pinged—an image arrived in his inbox.

On a dusty concrete step lay a scrap of newspaper with what looked like half a piece of bread. A tactical-gloved hand flashed a peace sign in front of the camera, accompanied by a single line of Chinese: "Got it, dear disciple. Master will read it after dinner [heart]."

Xu Zhangying rewrote repeatedly, ultimately deleting "No rush, be careful" and typing just four words: "Safety comes first," before sending.

Perhaps because Xu Zhangying had been discharged, Xia Qing didn’t appear punctually at 9 p.m. as he had in previous days. He only sent a WeChat message during dinner, asking if Xu was getting comfortable and if he’d eaten.

After Xu replied, Xia Qing said he might return late and that they’d leave for Zhongda University together at 9 a.m. the next day. Xu responded with an "OK" sticker.

The thought of seeing Xia Qing on the podium the next day kept Xu Zhangying wide awake despite taking a third of his prescribed antihistamine dose before bed. He lay in bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling until 3 a.m.

In the silent darkness, Xu was deeply ashamed of his own lack of restraint. But what was even more terrifying was that by the time overwhelming drowsiness finally hit, Xia Qing still hadn’t returned from work—why would someone with no time to sleep buy a duplex penthouse? Xu grumbled internally before losing consciousness.

Near dawn, Xu suddenly sensed someone by the bed—having grown accustomed to it during his three hospital days, he merely mumbled, "You’re back?"

The person gave a soft "Mm."

Xu raised his wrist. The illuminated watch face showed 5:14 a.m. Having barely slept two hours, Xu couldn’t even open his eyes. Pounding the bed in frustration, he groaned, "No time. Hurry, just three more hours till class."

The person standing by the bed froze for a moment.

Half-asleep, Xu Zhangying thought he was sharing the bed with Artemisia. He abruptly rolled to the left, instantly freeing up more than half of the three-meter-wide bed. The next second, he mumbled, "Goddammit, when’s summer break already?" before dozing off again.

In the darkness, a hand lightly brushed through Xu Zhangying’s messy hair, hesitated for a long while, then simply tucked the blanket around him before slipping out of the room.

Xu Zhangying sat at the back of the classroom. The lecture hall was packed, with students even sitting on the steps of the aisles. He craned his neck left and right but couldn’t catch a glimpse of the figure standing at the lectern below. Meanwhile, the dismissal bell echoed through the room.

Frustrated, Xu Zhangying turned to look at the crowded, murmuring crowd before suddenly standing up in agitation—only to tumble headfirst onto the floor as his phone on the nightstand buzzed violently.

Lying on the ground, he reached for the phone and answered weakly, "Hello?"

Qi Feng’s booming voice crackled through the phone: "Boss, why’d you take so long to pick up?!—The suspect’s been caught, get here now!"

The call ended with a beep. Xu Zhangying glanced at the screen, which clearly displayed 6:30 a.m.

Turns out there’s someone even worse off than Xia Qing, who only got three hours of sleep before heading to class—and that’s Xu Zhangying, who only got three hours of sleep before rushing to work, never to see Xia Qing teach again.