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Xia Rong had a plane to C City to catch that night, so he didn’t stay over at Su Chi’s house. However, the discussion about ‘girlfriend’ made him set more of his heart on finding clues. After rushing about several times, he finally managed to make an appointment with a supposedly famous ‘master of metaphysics’ the day before they would start the recording for the third episode of the variety show.
He and Su Chi found time to go together. Before going, he got the jade pendant back from Xiao Zhou, during which he asked Xiao Zhou whether there had been any abnormalities. Xiao Zhou replied that he hadn’t felt anything. On the contrary, however, he felt that recently his sleep seemed slightly better than before.
Bringing it to the ‘master of metaphysics’, the other opened the box the jade was in and carefully scrutinized it for a long while, implying ‘this jade pendant indeed isn’t common’.
Xia Rong and Su Chi exchanged a glance with each other and immediately asked, “Where is the problem?”
The master stroked his beard as he went on, “Since ancient times, although jade can dispel evil and repel the inauspicious, most jade are attributed extreme yin. It requires people to wear it for many years, keeping it with them, for it to gradually develop yang qi. But this jade in your hand is warm and pure and full of yang qi. From the looks of it, it is a hard to come by treasure. Wearing it regularly, one will be able to nourish and maintain one’s body, calm one’s mind and soothe one’s qi. At the critical moment, it may also be able to drive away the dirty and ward off evil spirits, helping one avoid a calamity.”
His statement unexpectedly coincided with what that ‘Yu Lao’ had said before. Xia Rong frowned then asked, “Then this jade is a good thing?”
“That’s right, good jade— Good jade.” The master held the jade, slightly trembling as he nodded his head, as far as to even appear a bit obsessed. “Can you two tell me where you got this jade from? My youngest son’s innate physique is weak, if he can be protected by such precious jade such as this, he may be able to recover his health…”
“Oh, I got it…” Just as Xia Rong was about to say it, his hand was caught by Su Chi. He took a look at Su Chi. Seeing that Su Chi was shaking his head, he didn’t continue.
The ‘master of metaphysics’ continued and asked several times but still didn’t manage to get the answer. Xia Rong looked at his phone and expressed that it was time for them to go back to catch up with their work itinerary. In the end, the other party could only sigh and watch them leave.
=====
Even after confirming that the jade pendant wasn’t harmful but rather beneficial, Xia Rong’s heart still couldn’t seem to relax.
“Xia Rong.” He and Su Chi had booked the same return flight with their seats next to each other. At this moment, Su Chi turned his head and lowered his voice to speak to him, “I didn’t let you tell him because I think the problem with the jade pendant isn’t as simple as he had said.”
“I know. I felt a similar feeling as you.” Xia Rong held the box with the jade in his hand, and softly said, “Just now, it was I who didn’t fully think it through, I was too impulsive.”
“You also had the same feeling?” Su Chi’s eyes fell on the box then said with a frown, “It’s best that you not continue to hold onto it, leave it somewhere else for safekeeping. For now, give it to me.”
“En, I’ll store it up when we’re off the plane, but for right now, wouldn’t either of us be the same?” Xia Rong said with a smile, “Even if it can send out radiation, we’ll both be radiated together. What difference could there be when we’re less than a meter apart?”
“…”
Su Chi seemed to have been convinced by him and did not continue competing for the box. Their appointment with the master was at 8:30 PM, so by the time they got on the return flight, it was already past 1:00 AM and they should be getting off the plane at around 4:30 AM. The wings of the plane silently bored through the gray clouds. Not long after take-off, the entirety of the cabin dimmed down, and Xia Rong put on his eye mask, making use of the time to take a short rest.
By the time Xia Rong woke up from hearing the cabin announcement, the passengers behind him were already retrieving their luggages and getting ready to deboard. He tilted his head and felt his neck a little sour. When he shifted his head, he felt a bit of soreness and it was only when he turned his head that he realized he had been leaning on Su Chi’s shoulder.
Su Chi seemed to have woken much earlier and casually asked, “Awake now? Go get your luggage, [we] can get off now.”
Xia Rong didn’t know whether the other’s “can get off” meant “can get off the plane” or “can go off from my shoulder.” He rubbed the back of neck, a bit embarrassed. “I was too sleepy, I also don’t know just when…”
“It’s alright.” Su Chi smiled, and it was only then that Xia Rong found the other was holding in his hand the box with the jade pendant.
“… I’ve really got to give it to you. Aren’t your movements too smooth?” Xia Rong emotionally sighed, “I didn’t even realize it when you took it.”
“You slept like a little pig, it would be strange if you had actually found out. Cat-pig.”
“What the hell is cat-pig?!”
“If we still don’t leave,” Su Chi calmly reminded him, “The passage will be closed soon.”
=====
The B City airport at not even 5 AM had a sense of spaciousness with a thin trace of biting cold. After coming off the escalator, Xia Rong enjoyed quite a while the pleasant feeling of the morning wind blowing on his face before he felt for his phone and turning it on.
Almost at the same instant that the phone was back on, a call came in.
Xia Rong saw that the displayed name was ‘Shu Yi’ and so directly tapped to answer. “Yi-jie, I didn’t see it incorrectly, right? Isn’t it 4:40 in the morning?”
“Then did you know, I’ve been calling you since 3:30 in the morning?” Shu Yi grumpily continued, “You and Su Chi…”
“…” Nowadays, as soon as Xia Rong hears his and Su Chi’s name in the same breath from his agent, he would feel that the situation was definitely far from good. “…What about me and him?”
“I‘ve already told you eight hundred times to stay a bit farther away from him, you two are just… Forget it, in a bit, I’ll just directly send you the news for you to look at.”
“Oh…” Xia Rong felt apprehensive.
“Xia Rong, stop continuing to stand there. It’ll be easy to catch a cold if you get blown by the wind for too long.” Su Chi, who had been walking ahead, saw that Xia Rong hadn’t moved for a long time and came back to call him, “Let’s go.”
“En…” Before Xia Rong even finished answering, Shu Yi on the other end of the call had keenly already immediately caught on. “Who’s talking to you?”
Xia Rong, “…”
Su Chi, “Xia Rong?”
Shu Yi, “Su Chi?!”
Xia Rong, who felt like he was in the eye of a storm, “…”