After finishing her last task of the day, Yan Qi quickly headed back to the Fangfeng City Supernatural Affairs Bureau with her partner—a girl who wasn’t all that sharp—and returned to their base.
She handed over the task, and once her shift was over, Yan Qi said goodbye to the other members of her team and left the bureau, heading toward her home.
She got home right on time, had dinner with her mom and dad, and then told them about running into Hu Mengqing that morning. She said she wanted to go out to the park with her that evening.
Hearing this, her parents talked it over and figured that just letting Yan Qi and Hu Mengqing go to the park together wasn’t a big deal. Yan Zhenyi and Li Caifeng both nodded and agreed to Yan Qi’s request.
With her parents’ permission, Yan Qi quickly thanked them, then stayed in the living room, watching TV while waiting for Hu Mengqing to arrive.
And just like that, the time quickly came to eight o’clock in the evening. Right on schedule, the doorbell rang at Yan Qi’s house.
Hearing the bell, Yan Qi knew it was Hu Mengqing, so she jumped up from the sofa and ran over to the front door.
“Welcome to my house, class monitor. You’re still as punctual as ever,” she said as she opened the door and saw Hu Mengqing standing there.
“Thanks for the compliment, Xiao Qi,” Hu Mengqing replied, looking a little shy.
“Little Mengqing, long time no see! How’s your mom doing these days?”
Li Caifeng had also heard the doorbell and came over to the entrance. She looked at Hu Mengqing standing at the door and asked with a caring tone.
“Yeah, it’s been a while, Aunt Li. My mom’s doing great,” Hu Mengqing answered quickly, feeling a bit nervous in front of her elder, who was standing behind Yan Qi.
“That’s good to hear. So, little Mengqing, you’re here to take Xiao Qi out to the park, right?”
“Mm-hmm, that’s right. I came today to take Xiao Qi out to the park, take a walk, and have a heart-to-heart talk,” Hu Mengqing said, lying quickly as she recalled what Yan Qi had specifically asked her to do that morning.
“It’s a wonderful thing to go out for a walk and chat with a good friend. Xiao Qi, change your shoes and head out with your friend,” Li Caifeng said. Not realizing Hu Mengqing was lying to her, she glanced at her youngest daughter, who hadn’t changed her shoes or gotten ready to go out yet, and reminded her—while also urging her along.
“I got it, Mom. Class monitor, please wait here for me just a moment,” Yan Qi replied to her mom, then said this to Hu Mengqing.
After that, she quickly grabbed a clean pair of shoes from the rack, slipped them on, and got ready to go out in no time.
“Okay, I’m all set now, class monitor. We can head out to the park together.”
“Then come with me, Xiao Qi.”
“Okay, Mom, I’m heading out now.”
“Xiao Qi, remember what you promised me earlier. You have to be back by nine o’clock, or else I’ll really give you a talking-to.”
“Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll come back safe and sound by nine o’clock.”
Hearing her mom’s warning, Yan Qi knew it was out of care, so she didn’t show any sign of annoyance. She nodded at her mom and reaffirmed the promise she’d made earlier.
Then Yan Qi followed Hu Mengqing out the door and headed toward their destination for the night.
“Phew, I finally managed to fool Mom. Thanks for playing along, class monitor,” Yan Qi said quickly to Hu Mengqing once they’d left the house and she was sure her mom couldn’t hear her.
“Don’t thank me, Xiao Qi. It’s the least I could do. After all, you’re only coming out tonight to help me out,” Hu Mengqing replied a little sheepishly, knowing that the lie she’d just told was just to help Yan Qi assist her better.
“Okay, enough about that. Class monitor, what was the name of that boy who confessed to you a few days ago?”
Remembering that she’d forgotten to ask the name of the boy who’d confessed to Hu Mengqing when she’d brought it up that morning, Yan Qi took the chance while they still had time and asked her.
Without hesitating, Hu Mengqing quickly told Yan Qi the boy’s name.
“His name is Li Yabo.”
“Li Yabo? Do his parents really love eating duck necks?” (Note: “Yabo” sounds similar to “yabo,” a casual term for duck neck in Chinese)
Hearing the name of the boy who’d confessed to Hu Mengqing, Yan Qi was a bit taken aback, then couldn’t help teasing her.
“Come on, Xiao Qi, can you be a little more serious at a time like this?”
“Ah, sorry, sorry. It’s just that hearing his name made me think of that.”
After a short pause, Yan Qi continued asking Hu Mengqing.
“Class monitor, this Li Yabo who confessed to you—what kind of supernatural power does he actually have?”
“I’m not really sure. I just saw him pick up an iron spoon out of thin air right in front of me and bend it.”
“Aside from that, have you seen him use his supernatural power any other time?”
“No, I’ve only seen him do that once.”
Shaking her head, Hu Mengqing answered Yan Qi.
Hearing that, Yan Qi couldn’t help showing a little worry on her face. But then, thinking about the strong power she had now, she brushed all that worry aside, looked up at Hu Mengqing, and said, “Got it.”
“Xiao Qi, will not knowing Li Yabo’s supernatural power affect our plan?”
Without noticing the change in Yan Qi’s expression earlier, Hu Mengqing kept walking forward. Then she suddenly realized the same concern Yan Qi had thought of, and asked her a bit worriedly.
“Don’t worry, class monitor. Even though I don’t know what Li Yabo’s supernatural power is, with me here, you can go ahead and reject him at the park with confidence.”
