Chapter 32: Mister, You Can’t Run This Time
“You don’t know how much money is in your own bank card?”
As they walked out of the orphanage’s main gate, Qin Shou was still trying to make Chen An give up and not embarrass himself.
“It was given by someone else, I didn’t ask.”
Chen An appeared much more casual, mostly holding Chen Xi’s hand and speaking to her in a low voice. Qin Shou and the director walked ahead, while the two of them dawdled behind. Chen An was willing to come out because he could accompany Chen Xi for a leisurely stroll. It was nice to take a walk in the afternoon, especially since there wasn’t much sun today.
“I don’t like him.” This was the first thing the girl said. Chen An knew what she was referring to and chuckled softly, “Qin Shou is actually a good person, just a bit vain. But at seventeen or eighteen, a little vanity is completely normal.” Chen Xi shook her head and tightened her grip on Chen An’s hand. “No.” She moved her lips, wanting to say something more, but held back.
The self-service ATM on the back street wasn’t far, and they arrived after a few minutes’ walk. Qin Shou was impulsive, and he eagerly pulled the director inside. He first took out his own bank card and inserted it, then entered his PIN. The machine whirred for a moment, and as his fingers tapped on the screen, a six-digit number appeared. Qin Shou grinned proudly. This wasn’t a few hundred yuan, but over two hundred thousand yuan! It was almost enough to buy the entire dilapidated orphanage.
“How about that, Director? I didn’t lie to you, did I?” The director playfully hit him and scolded, “Look at you showing off.” After speaking, he fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the bank card Chen An had given him, and inserted it. The director was actually a bit curious. He knew a little more than Qin Shou and was aware that Chen An wasn’t lying; the bank card was indeed given to him by someone else. However, the exact amount of money in the card was still an unknown.
After entering the PIN, both of them stared intently at the machine’s screen. Qin Shou went through a series of operations and clicked on the balance. Then, Qin Shou rubbed his eyes and pulled the card out again. He muttered, “Perhaps I’m using it the wrong way?” So he repeated the same operation, and the screen once again displayed the balance. Qin Shou and the director finally saw it clearly. They exchanged glances, seeing disbelief and shock reflected in each other’s eyes.
“Wait… wait.” Qin Shou bumped his head against the machine, mumbling, “I must have woken up too suddenly. How many digits is this…” He stared fixedly at the long string of numbers on the screen. “Director, how many digits, how many digits… I can’t count them…”
When Qin Shou and the director emerged from the ATM, their expressions were solemn. Qin Shou’s gaze towards Chen An was particularly complex. He had already asked the director and learned that the card was given to Chen An by a female classmate… Damn it, what kind of ‘female classmate’ could be this rich? Qin Shou was suspicious, then more suspicious, and then continued to be suspicious. In any case, rather than believe this ridiculous reason, he would rather believe Chen An had robbed a bank! So, as soon as they returned to the orphanage, they immediately pulled Chen An into the office. Qin Shou and the director sat on one side, with Chen An sitting alone opposite them. Between them was an old, square wooden table. On the table lay two bank cards.
Qin Shou coughed lightly, put away his own bank card, and then pointed at Chen An’s card with his finger. “Anzi, tell me honestly, man, what’s going on here?” The director also looked at him with a questioning gaze. It wasn’t for any other reason; the amount in the card was simply too large, far beyond their imaginations. Initially, they thought it would be at most one or two thousand yuan, but who could have imagined it would be more than five or six zeros more than that! It was more than a hundred times the money Qin Shou had brought! This inevitably made them wonder if Chen An had done something illicit. After all, China had a complete set of laws for all ways of making big money.
“What do you want me to explain?” Chen An raised an eyebrow, but then realized. It seemed Lin Jingqiu had given him a bit too much casually?
“Explain where so much money came from!” Qin Shou couldn’t help but stand up, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward slightly, raising his voice. Chen An glanced up at him, and Qin Shou immediately sat back down obediently. He said sheepishly, “Anzi, I’m just worried about you. What if you go down the wrong path?”
Chen An smiled. “Didn’t I already say, it was given by a female classmate.” Qin Shou’s eyes widened, “What time is it now, Anzi? Don’t try to hide it from us. Even if you’ve really done something wrong, we can all think of a solution together.” He slapped the table. “And that so-called female classmate, what’s her name? In this day and age, what female classmate casually throws tens of millions around?!” “Are you going to be any more perfunctory with your excuse? Only an old fool like the director would believe you. If what you’re saying is true, I, Qin Shou, will eat this table raw today!” He spoke with righteous indignation and imposing might, but his subsequent embarrassed look when the director hit him on the head was quite a sight.
In this regard, Chen An did not hide anything, nor was there any need to. He stood upright and walked with integrity, not by stealing or robbing, so what was the problem? “Lin Jingqiu.” He said the female classmate’s name. Qin Shou, still holding his head and begging for mercy on the opposite side, heard the name and subconsciously mumbled, “Lin Jingqiu… Don’t tell me, it sounds quite familiar…” Suddenly, he froze in place, his hands that were holding his head slowly lowering, his whole body instinctively leaning back slightly.
“Anzi, if I remember correctly, you’re studying at Er Zhong, right?” Seeing Chen An nod, Qin Shou let out a long “Oh,” his expression instantly becoming extremely strange. There was a dawning realization, uncontrollable shock, and many complex emotions that were hard to articulate. “Er Zhong…” “Lin Jingqiu…” Qin Shou muttered to himself. He looked at Chen An and said earnestly, “Anzi, no, Brother An.” “I admit, I was speaking a bit too loudly just now.”
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Qing City. Amidst rolling mountains and verdant splendor, Mount Qingcheng. On the summit platform of the Fourth Peak, renowned as the most beautiful on Mount Qingcheng, stood a woman in white as snow. She stood with her hands behind her back, gazing into the distance. From this vantage point, the magnificent scenery of the entire Fourth Peak could be taken in at a glance. The woman’s black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, resembling a wild hibiscus in the mountains, a picturesque sight. She was the only female peak master among the Six Peaks of Mount Qingcheng, Luo Cong’an. She was also widely recognized as the foremost person below the Foundation Establishment realm, aside from the Old Ancestor. However, only Luo Cong’an herself knew that she had already broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm three days prior.
The woman gazed into the distance, her voice ethereal, yet soft and delicate, like whispers from the divine realm. “Soon… I will find you.” “Mister, you can’t run this time.”
(End of this Chapter)
