Chapter 24: News About Qiao Liu

For people threatening to jump off a building, the usual approach was to calmly talk them down. No one expected that someone would frighten and provoke the person like that.

As Yang Qi strode forward without hesitation toward Lou Yingying, everyone’s hearts were in their throats.

But for Yang Qi at this moment, his own tense heart actually calmed down.

The distance of five meters was enough for Yang Qi to be one hundred percent sure he could stop the girl from jumping.

He had just let someone jump yesterday, and now he was trying to stop someone from jumping today. Life was really interesting.

Scaring her with the thrown apple and then mocking her with words—all of it was intentional on Yang Qi’s part. He used words and actions to distract the girl, allowing him to get closer. At the same time, the language and behavior were meant to push the girl to the edge of a mental breakdown. That would also make it easier for Yang Qi to use Hypnosis.

Yang Qi had two plans ready: one was Hypnosis, and the other was physically stopping her. But both plans required him to be within a certain distance, and now he was close enough. Also, Yang Qi didn’t want to casually reveal such an astonishing ability in front of so many people if he could avoid it. So distance was quite important; it could help him hide his methods and lessen others’ shock.

Of course, if it really came down to it, Yang Qi wouldn’t hesitate. A human life was more important than anything.

Seeing Lou Yingying completely break down at the mention of her parents, Yang Qi seized the chance. He quietly used Hypnosis while swiftly moving closer to Lou Yingying.

He couldn’t make the Hypnosis too obvious. He just hoped to make Lou Yingying dazed, and then combined it with his speed. Yang Qi’s speed didn’t look very fast, but if Lou Yingying made any sudden move, Yang Qi would definitely speed up with all his might. Fortunately, Lou Yingying, already on the verge of collapse and made dazed, didn’t do anything else. Yang Qi grabbed her hand and pulled her back from the edge of the rooftop.

Whew!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s okay now. Sleep for a while.”

Yang Qi said this to Lou Yingying, who was still terrified and wearing a frightened expression. This was the formal Hypnosis to put her into a deep sleep. At the same time, he secretly activated Emotion Control to erase the pessimistic emotions from her mind. He figured he might as well save her thoroughly.

“Ding! Mission to save the jumping girl completed. Received 5 Energy Stones.”

A notification sound appeared in his mind. This mission had been issued when Yang Qi was running upstairs. For Yang Qi, who was already planning to save her, it was a pleasant surprise.

Still, Yang Qi was puzzled. Getting first place in the unified exam gave him 10 Energy Stones. How come saving a person only gave him 5? That didn’t seem fair at all. Maybe the reward was related to how difficult the task was, or perhaps to how much completing the task would affect his future life? Or maybe both?

Just then, the teacher and classmates over there gathered around.

“Is she okay?”

Chen Xiaoxiao asked with concern, seeing that Lou Yingying had closed her eyes.

“She was probably scared by her own actions herself. Her emotions relaxed, and she fell unconscious. She’ll be fine,” Yang Qi explained. He handed Lou Yingying over to Chen Xiaoxiao; it wasn’t proper for him to keep holding her.

“Mm-hmm.”

Chen Xiaoxiao nodded. She immediately had some classmates help carry Lou Yingying to the school infirmary.

“Thank you for today, student.”

The homeroom teacher also truly relaxed. If something had really happened, he, as the homeroom teacher, would have been in big trouble. He then went with them to the school infirmary and called Lou Yingying’s family.

Chen Xiaoxiao came back after leaving and walked up to Yang Qi. “Thank you so much for today. If it weren’t for you, who knows what would have happened.”

Yang Qi waved his hand. “It was nothing.”

“But,” Chen Xiaoxiao’s expression turned serious. She looked at Yang Qi and said earnestly, “What you did just now was really dangerous.”

“If I hadn’t done that, that girl would have been in even more danger,” Yang Qi chuckled. “I understand what you mean, Goddess. You’re saying that if something had gone wrong, I would have taken on a lot of responsibility too, right?”

Without waiting for Chen Xiaoxiao to answer, Yang Qi continued with a smile, “But first, I should still thank you for your concern, Goddess. However, if I encounter a situation like this again, I’ll still do the same. It’s about doing the right thing. If I believe I have the ability to do it, then I’ll do it. I can’t not act just because I’m afraid of the consequences if I fail. I think society needs more people like me—people who speak up against injustice and step in when needed, to spread positive energy together.”

“No one was praising you, and you’re already bragging. Your face is really too thick.”

Hearing Yang Qi’s self-promotion, Chen Xiaoxiao was speechless. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him. “What I meant wasn’t that you shouldn’t act. I was talking about your method. It was too reckless.”

“Oh, you mean that,” Yang Qi smiled again. “Actually, if you think about it carefully, it was the most scientific method. I believe someone as smart as you, Goddess, will figure it out.”

“You’re calling me dumb in a roundabout way!” Chen Xiaoxiao clearly heard the teasing in his words and said angrily.

“The Goddess is indeed clever, to even notice that,” Yang Qi laughed heartily.

“You!”

Chen Xiaoxiao looked at Yang Qi’s smug face and felt like tearing it off. A few “exchanges” like this had left her extremely frustrated and helpless.

“Fine, fine, fine. I’m dumb, okay? You’re the smart one. You’re the smartest.” Chen Xiaoxiao glared at Yang Qi again. She remembered how this guy used to be kind of clueless but suddenly became so clever and got first in the unified exam. Deep down, she really did think Yang Qi was smart.

Hearing this, Yang Qi quickly waved his hands, putting on a serious face. “Me, smart? No, no. It’s just wisdom, just wisdom.”

“Could your face be any thicker?” Chen Xiaoxiao was completely exasperated. “Talking to you is enough to make a person die of anger.”

“Then I’ll try to talk less in the future. Wouldn’t want to actually anger our school’s Goddess, the School Belle, to death. All the boys in school would probably tear me to pieces.” Yang Qi said, pretending to be scared.

“I have a name. It’s Chen Xiaoxiao. Please don’t call me Goddess.” Chen Xiaoxiao’s beautiful eyes widened. She was so angry with Yang Qi her chest heaved, quite a sight.

“Okay, Goddess.”

…

One had to admit, looking at a beauty was a pleasing thing. But trading barbs with a beauty was even more enjoyable. A beauty naturally had the qualities of a beauty; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many stories about heroes losing their heads over beauties, kings neglecting their kingdoms for love, heroes falling at the knees of beauties. The true flavor of it could only be understood, not explained, after getting close to a beauty.

Right now, Yang Qi was in an excellent mood. After teasing Chen Xiaoxiao, he headed towards the basketball court. It was already evening self-study time at school, but the basketball team was still practicing.

However, before he even reached the court, he received a phone call. It was from Shen Zhengfeng, saying he had news about Qiao Liu. Yang Qi didn’t say much on the phone. He had Shen Zhengfeng give him an address and said he would go there himself. Regarding Shen Zhengfeng, Yang Qi was very confident. He was confident that this clever but somewhat cowardly businessman wouldn’t dare play any tricks on him. Shen Zhengfeng had seen the power of Yang Qi’s Phantom Chariot and Photon Bomb and mistakenly believed Yang Qi was from some special organization.

Leaving the school, Yang Qi headed towards the Xiangfeng Club. He had heard about this place last time when he pretended to be Li Youde and called Shen Zhengfeng. He guessed it was probably Shen Zhengfeng’s property.

Looking at the Xiangfeng Club with its flashing neon lights, Yang Qi could roughly guess what kind of place it was. To be cautious, he didn’t go in. He called Shen Zhengfeng and asked him to come out and meet at a street corner across the way.

Shen Zhengfeng arrived. Seeing Yang Qi, his face showed a look of awe and respect, which was also how he felt inside.

“I couldn’t contact Qiao Liu, but I found out he will appear at Boshan Dock tomorrow night. It’s about a transaction, for weapons.”

“Is the information reliable?” Yang Qi asked calmly.

“One hundred percent reliable. This information came from the other party in the transaction.”

Yang Qi was a cautious person. He decided to use Hypnosis to ask again. First, he needed to confirm if Shen Zhengfeng was lying. As for the ultimate truth of the information, Yang Qi would know for sure when he went to Boshan Dock tomorrow night.

After the Hypnosis, Shen Zhengfeng had indeed not lied. Yang Qi also asked if Shen Zhengfeng had thought about trying to deal with him or play any tricks these past few days. Sure enough, this clever but somewhat cowardly businessman had mentally categorized Yang Qi as someone not to defy.

After his brief daze, Shen Zhengfeng naturally realized the other had used that mysterious method again, capable of drawing out all his inner thoughts. He felt even more awe and respect for Yang Qi.

“You did well. Go back.”

Yang Qi let Shen Zhengfeng leave. Out of the corner of his eye, he happened to glance at the main entrance of the Xiangfeng Club. He saw an acquaintance and couldn’t help but frown slightly.