First update,

…

Upon hearing the distinct gunshots emanating from the villa, Fan Ning's face instantly turned pale. Qin Fang might not have known the situation in that villa, but Fan Ning clearly did. Now, with the sound of gunshots piercing the night sky, it was all too telling of the reality.

Fan Ning hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Logic told her she should leave immediately, the farther the better. Yet, deep down, she felt there might still be a chance for things to turn around. This made her want to stay, but also want to leave, which only added to her growing unease.

Buzz~~~

At that moment, her phone vibrated again with an incoming call.

"Qin Fang…"

Seeing the caller ID, Fan Ning involuntarily exclaimed, but then hesitated immediately after. She worried that this call might be from someone who had captured Qin Fang.

After a moment's hesitation, Fan Ning still answered the call but didn't say a word.

"I got out… meet me at Lanyuan Square!"

The imagined scenario didn't happen; instead, Qin Fang's voice came through from the other end of the phone, easing Fan Ning's mind considerably.

However, Fan Ning was still skeptical. The villa district had already erupted with gunfire. Not only had all the security guards rushed over, but in just a short time, the local police had arrived as well. How could Qin Fang have escaped from his captors?

After thinking it over, Fan Ning decided she still needed to check out Lanyuan Square. But she deliberately lingered at the entrance of the villa district for a long time. While the police presence grew, she didn't spot anyone she had anticipated and finally turned to head towards Lanyuan Square.

Meanwhile, Qin Fang was sprinting along the small path by the lakeside, moving with remarkable agility, on par with the rabbits.

But Qin Fang was very cautious too. He took off his soaked T-shirt and pants and wrung them out before taking off. After meandering a long and complicated route through the fields, he stealthily made his way back to the Sawmill Factory, took a shower, changed into a new set of clothes, and then leisurely made his way out.

Both Qin Fang and Fan Ning had delayed a lot of time. Neither of them wanted to be monitored and were extremely careful— especially compared to Qin Fang's blatant presence eating barbecue at Lanyuan Square, where Fan Ning was exceedingly cautious.

"I'm having barbecue here. Come over!"

Qin Fang sent Fan Ning a text message and then carried on eating. He hadn't eaten much earlier that evening, having been busy drinking, and after the recent exertion, he was getting hungry again.

As soon as Fan Ning received the text message, she rushed over. From afar, she saw Qin Fang sitting at a very conspicuous spot. Yet, she didn't go over immediately. Instead, she found a location not too far from Qin Fang, but also where she could hide her traces, and carefully observed Qin Fang's surroundings.

This time was the peak of Lanyuan's night market, with a substantial crowd, naturally requiring substantial observation time.

Buzz~~

Her phone rang again; it was from Qin Fang. She glanced over at Qin Fang and took the call.

"No need to look anymore. No one has noticed me; all evidence has been erased…"

Fan Ning might have thought she was well hidden, but Qin Fang easily found her hiding spot and spoke cheerily. He could indeed understand Fan Ning's cautiousness.

Surprised by Qin Fang's words, Fan Ning looked in his direction and indeed saw Qin Fang looking back at her, smiling. After hesitating for a moment, she stopped looking around and headed towards Qin Fang.

"Order whatever you want to eat..."

Qin Fang was relaxing carefree, showing no hint of his recent escape from fully armed men. Even though they were just at a small barbecue stand, he exuded the mannerisms of someone in a five-star hotel.

"Forget it, I'm not too fond of this..."

Fan Ning, however, shook her head, seeming genuinely disinterested in the barbecue food. "How did you escape? You even changed your clothes…"

Clearly, Fan Ning was more concerned with the mission at hand. Given the noisy and crowded place, it was inappropriate to speak too bluntly, so she expressed herself in this subtler manner instead.

"Actually, I used to be the swimming champion of our village..." Qin Fang responded noncommittally.

Fan Ning was taken aback, but then she slightly nodded. The villa district was built along the lake, with nearly every villa backing onto the small lake. Naturally, Qin Fang implied he had escaped through the lake, something outside of Fan Ning's expectations.

Having figured out Qin Fang's escape route, Fan Ning understood that Qin Fang had indeed shaken off pursuit. The size of the little lake was not overwhelmingly large, but it was certainly not small either. To search such a broad area in the dead of night was practically impossible, let alone with the police scouring the villa district for the shooting incident.

With the weather still exceedingly hot, any chance of prompt investigation was dwindling. The commotion from the police would likely allow the water marks to dry completely soon, making finding any traces as difficult as ascending to the skies.

"Where's the object?"

Now assured there was no danger, Fan Ning naturally became more concerned with securing the item she needed.

"In a very safe place."

Qin Fang chuckled, providing such an answer that deeply frustrated Fan Ning.

"Give it to me..."

Fan Ning didn't quite understand what Qin Fang was up to, but still she spoke very assertively.

"Give it to you? I'm afraid that's not possible!"

Qin Fang just smiled, "That thing is probably not as simple as a corruption case, right? The guards at that villa are all professional bodyguards, and each one of them has a gun. It's possible for a high-ranking official to have protection, but to be guarded by such people..."

When Qin Fang realized that those bodyguards were armed, he already had such questions in his mind. He felt that something was very unusual.

Similarly, Fan Ning's identity was also quite suspicious. Qin Fang had encountered her twice, and both times she was stealing something—certainly not something a typical university lecturer would do.

"What do you want?"

Fan Ning's face changed slightly. She had guessed some of the things Qin Fang had discovered, but when she actually faced Qin Fang, she chose to calmly control her emotions and speak.

"I want to know the truth!" Qin Fang leaned close to Fan Ning and whispered, "Just tell me the truth about this matter and about the tattoo on my arm, and I'll hand over the item to you immediately..."

"You..."

Even though Fan Ning was prepared and had planned to reveal the truth, hearing Qin Fang still concerned about the tattoo made her hesitate again.

"I know this tattoo definitely hides some secret and that it causes you deep fear. But now that the tattoo is on my body, once the people behind you find out about it, I'm afraid you'll be in great danger..."

Qin Fang appeared very calm, but each word was like a sharp needle stinging Fan Ning's heart, gradually making her emotions start to lose control.

During this process, Qin Fang's Mind Reading Technique was continuously cast on Fan Ning. Although it caused her some discomfort, the effect was gradually taking hold.

It was precisely because of this that Qin Fang could refine the information he needed from her mind bit by bit, and then coax Fan Ning with the situations he knew about, making her even more agitated.

Finally...

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine, I won't force you..."

Just as Fan Ning was on the verge of breaking down, Qin Fang suddenly backed off and adopted a very magnanimous attitude, leaving her completely baffled.

"You rest for a bit, I'll be right back..."

After saying this, Fan Ning instantly became extremely nervous, but seeing Qin Fang only going to the barbecue stall and seemingly talking to the stall owner, she gradually felt more at ease, and the heart in her throat slowly steadied.

"Try these, I grilled them especially for you!"

In a short while, Qin Fang returned with a big plate of freshly grilled food and set it in front of Fan Ning, saying sincerely.

"I don't..."

"Just try it!"

Fan Ning was somewhat resistant, but Qin Fang insisted persistently. After hesitating, she couldn't resist and started nibbling on a skewer of barbecued meat.

Though it was just a small bite, the rich flavor of the meat lingered in her mouth, delicious in both taste and flavor, and even Fan Ning, who never ate barbecue, was thoroughly impressed.

The Intermediate Cooking Skill was not for nothing; the taste was definitely much better than what the barbecue stall owner could make, which immediately made Fan Ning somewhat addicted to it. She kept popping the grilled meat, sausages, chicken wings, and more into her mouth, and even her mood seemed to improve significantly.

"How does it taste?"

"Quite delicious. I always thought grilled food wasn't hygienic, but I didn't expect it to be this tasty..." Fan Ning said with a smile.

"Not everyone can make it taste like this!"

Qin Fang was not modest at all, "These barbecued meats were grilled by me. The +5 Deliciousness definitely tastes a lot better than what other barbecue chefs can make."

"No matter how different, it has to be much better than anything you could grill yourself..." Fan Ning gave him a playful glance and laughed, unaware of Qin Fang's actions just then.

"Haha, that's also true... Oh, by the way, who has the antidote?"

Qin Fang was joking and laughing with her, but suddenly changed the subject, instantly causing Fan Ning to stiffen as she ate the barbecue.(To be continued, for the subsequent events, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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