Chapter 75: 75. Beyond the Stage (Adding more for Buddha’s sake to my own Silver League)

Lu Yuan was a bit overexcited. He had basically figured out the relationship between Liu Dezhu and Hu Xiaoniu, as well as the sequence of events for the evening.

Thus, he immediately sent his thoughts to Zheng Yuandong: Hu Xiaoniu had first invited Liu Dezhu to make a trade, and during the process of retrieving the gold bars, Liu Dezhu inadvertently encountered the thugs with Kunlun. All four of Hu Xiaoniu’s group were time travelers, while Liu Dezhu had already qualified to trade with others.

However, just as Lu Yuan was eagerly waiting for his boss’s praise, Zheng Yuandong’s reply poured cold water on him, “Your analysis is incorrect.”

Lu Yuan was puzzled, “Boss, where did I go wrong?”

“After Hu Xiaoniu made an appointment with Liu Dezhu, instead of waiting at home, he even went to visit a neighbor. Would you go visit your neighbor before making an important transaction?” Zheng Yuandong asked.

“No, it doesn’t make sense behaviorally,” Lu Yuan suddenly realized what his boss meant, “Boss, you’re saying that Hu Xiaoniu didn’t actually know Liu Dezhu would come, and they didn’t have any appointment at all.”

“Exactly,” Zheng Yuandong then asked, “If you were in Liu Dezhu’s shoes, and someone depended on you, would you willingly crouch downstairs for over twenty minutes without getting angry?”

“No, I would feel that the other party was too arrogant. I broke up with my ex-girlfriend because she dilly-dallied too much. Every time we went out, she would make me wait for half an hour,” Lu Yuan replied.

Zheng Yuandong asked, “What if I make you wait for half an hour? Would you wait?”

Lu Yuan guiltily said, “Boss, would I dare not wait… You mean, Liu Dezhu has another boss!”

Zheng Yuandong said, “So, do you think your previous conclusion was correct?”

Lu Yuan suddenly saw the light. Yes, he had indeed found many clues earlier, but they couldn’t withstand close scrutiny.

Although the clue about Liu Dezhu getting the gold bars matched up with Hu Xiaoniu, no one knew if Liu Dezhu was faking it, or if he deliberately created some coincidence to mislead others.

Indeed, Liu Dezhu was obsessed with gold bars because Qing Chen had mentioned them to him.

At this moment, Zheng Yuandong replied, “Someone deliberately hid a clue, leading you to the wrong conclusion. This clue is the most elusive yet critical: who was it that brought Liu Dezhu to No. 4 Xingshu Road, who discovered the traces of the villains, and who made Liu Dezhu willingly squat for over twenty minutes.”

Lu Yuan said blankly, “Tonight… there’s someone we don’t know of, working behind the scenes.”

He suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if he had been performing earnestly on stage, yet someone was quietly watching from the shadows beyond the stage.

You don’t know who he is, and you don’t even know if he’s watching you.

Zheng Yuandong replied through WeChat, “This person should be the third time traveler in Prison No. 18 that I mentioned. He manipulated Liu Dezhu’s behavior tonight and ingeniously connected us together. But don’t worry, at least for now, it seems he is friendly.”

Lu Yuan felt his brain wasn’t quite keeping up; maybe only a person like his boss could deal with that mysterious time traveler…

“Boss, should I take the opportunity to interrogate Liu Dezhu? That way we might find out who it is.”

Zheng Yuandong replied, “That would turn a potential friend into an enemy.”

…

Countdown 23:50:00.

At 11:50 p.m., Qing Chen couldn’t sleep.

He lay quietly on the living room floor, on a mat that Jiang Xue had prepared for him.

Jiang Xue’s home had been smashed, and with five suspects still at large, the mother and daughter ultimately decided to temporarily stay at Qing Chen’s home.

The room on the first floor was dilapidated and dim, occasionally accompanied by a damp smell.

Ants occasionally scurried out of the kitchen, which Qing Chen never bothered about.

Jiang Xue had thoroughly cleaned the room that night, as if to silently express her gratitude for Qing Chen’s protection.

Qing Chen couldn’t sleep, something anyone would understand given all the events that had transpired.

He reviewed everything that had happened that night, confirming that, for the time being, no one could discover the role he had played.

Even if Liu Dezhu were tortured, others would only learn that behind Liu Dezhu was a mysterious figure, yet unable to ascertain who.

The events of the night seemed unrelated to him, yet he was the one connecting the myriad threads of cause and effect.

This feeling was quite extraordinary.

It was like a game of chess— he had always been better suited as the chess player, not the piece.

And he refused to be just a piece.

Soft noises came from the bedroom; Li Tongyun, holding her nightgown, tiptoed out and sat down beside Qing Chen, “Big brother Qing Chen, you’re not asleep either.”

Propped on his arm, Qing Chen looked at her, “Why aren’t you asleep yet? Where’s your mother?”

Li Tongyun said softly, “My mother’s asleep. Have you thought more about the matter I asked you last time?”

Qing Chen asked, “What’s up?”

“What are you pretending for? With your memory, you definitely know what I’m talking about,” Li Tongyun said, counting on her fingers, “Today is September 29, tomorrow’s the 30th, and the day after is National Day!”

As if he had just remembered, Qing Chen said, “Oh, that…”

“Let’s go out and have some fun. After all that’s happened, we need to clear our minds!” Li Tongyun had the heart of a child. When she talked about going out to play, her eyes sparkled even in the night.

“If you want to go out and have fun, then go. Why do you have to drag me along?” Qing Chen said with a mix of laughter and helplessness.

Li Tongyun hung her head, “If you don’t go, my mom won’t either. She says it’s too dangerous to go out now, but I think it’s more dangerous to stay in the city. It’s safer outside. The news said that the organization still hasn’t caught five people; they must be targeting the Time Travelers in the city!”

Qing Chen thought there was some truth to that, but then he asked, “Do you just want to go out for fun?”

“Well, not exactly,” Li Tongyun admitted with her head down. “If I don’t go out during National Day, I’ll end up having to attend tutoring classes again… With so much homework already, and tutoring adds another pile on top of that. It’s so annoying! Every time there’s a Parents’ Meeting, that Zhang Chaoyun’s mom boasts about all the great tutoring classes she signed Zhang Chaoyun up for, and that makes my mom force me to go too.”

Qing Chen was taken aback. Compared to Li Tongyun’s cleverness, agility, and maturity, this was more like a child’s worry.

Even with the transmigrator incident, the children couldn’t escape tutoring classes, even if they were direct descendants of the Li’s Financial Group from the Inner World…

He smiled and said, “Where do you want to go then? I might not be able to convince your mom either.”

“It won’t be an issue, as long as you agree, I will convince her!” Li Tongyun’s determined gaze fixed on Qing Chen, “She just thinks it’s not safe to go out, but with you there, it will be safe!”

Flawless logic.

Li Tongyun continued, “We won’t go far, just around Los Angeles City, like Laojun Mountain? I heard the sunrise there is really beautiful.”

For Li Tongyun, the destination wasn’t what mattered. What mattered most was escaping the city and the tutoring classes.

Seeing her hopeful expression, Qing Chen smiled and said, “Okay, I agree. But if your mom doesn’t consent, I won’t be able to help you.”

“It’s a deal!” Li Tongyun, contented, cheerfully picked up her little nightgown and went back.

However, just at that moment, a message from Nan Gengchen suddenly came: “Qing Chen Qing Chen Qing Chen, are you there are you there are you there?”

Qing Chen asked, “What is it, in the middle of the night?”

“It’s National Day the day after tomorrow. Wang Yun has invited some classmates to go watch the sunrise at Laojun Mountain. Are you going?” Nan Gengchen said over WeChat: “I heard Hu Xiaoniu, Zhang Tianzhen, and Liu Dezhu from the next class are going too. Everyone heard that Liu Dezhu would be there and wanted to join in.”

Nan Gengchen added, “Apparently it’s Hu Xiaoniu treating everyone, so it won’t cost us a dime.”

Qing Chen paused for a moment – what a coincidence? Laojun Mountain again.

The four others must have organized this trip as an opportunity to deepen their friendship with Liu Dezhu.

After all, Liu Dezhu had just saved their lives.

But while Wang Yun invited Nan Gengchen, she hadn’t invited him.

This situation was somewhat peculiar.

Logically, after connecting with Liu Dezhu, both Qing Chen and Nan Gengchen should have lost their value to them.

But while they had ignored Qing Chen, they were still very enthusiastic about Nan Gengchen…

It didn’t add up.

He messaged Nan Gengchen on WeChat: “Does she know you’re a Time Traveler?”

Nan Gengchen replied: “I’m not a Time Traveler, okay!”

Qing Chen sighed, “Alright, you’re not.”

This guy usually all but had ‘Time Traveler’ written on his face; Wang Yun must have spotted Nan Gengchen’s secret.

That’s why she would invite such a fool.

…

This is the fourth update for today, cough cough, the previous chapters were out of order, but they have now been restored to normal.

…

Thanks to ‘Lu Lu from the Stupid Team in the Black Elbow Group’ for becoming the newest ally of this book. The boss is generous, may the boss successfully find a partner this year!

Moreover, it’s the last day of double rewards, I need monthly passes, please!

There are also double updates from the Golden League and Silver League that, due to the new book period, will all be released on the day the book launches! Don’t worry, bosses!