A live stream that dramatically transformed a depressed schoolgirl shocked netizens across the count

Shen Qingci pressed down on the cover of the journal, her hand revealing the clear bone lines on the back.

"You said I would cover for you."

"But you only tell me half of it each time."

Chen Lang stared at her for a few seconds, then withdrew his hand.

"It's on me this time."

Shen Qingci loosened her grip a little.

Chen Lang sat up straight, supporting his knees with his elbows.

"To be more specific, that car started following us from the highway service road. It was using a fake license plate, and there were at least three people inside."

"The passenger in the passenger seat used his phone to report his location twice. The camera wasn't pointed at our car; he was sending messages to someone else."

"Titan has already noted down the vehicle's features."

"I originally wanted to wait until it revealed some more flaws before telling you."

Shen Qingci asked, "What if it suddenly accelerates?"

"Titans will lock the door and create distance; I'll handle it."

"It's you who has to handle this again."

"Professional habits".

What's your profession?

Chen Lang counted on his fingers with a serious expression.

"Driving, cooking, rescuing people, preventing paparazzi from filming, blocking falling rocks. Now I also have to keep an eye on the tail."

He let out a long sigh.

"The workload is piling up, but the salary hasn't increased at all. Boss Shen, aren't you being a bit too harsh on your employees?"

He lightened the mood in the car.

"Do employees constantly nitpick about what shoes their boss wears?"

"That's called giving your boss outfit advice."

"Would the employees steal the boss's nougat?"

"Paying wages in kind is reasonable and legal."

Shen Qingci unwrapped the last half of the nougat on the table and pushed the wrapper in front of him.

"Then let's collect today's wages first."

Chen Lang looked down, half a candy resting on the silver foil, with a faint bite mark on the edge.

The warm yellow overhead light shone down, making the sugar surface gleam.

He picked up the candy and popped it into his mouth.

"We've received our wages, and the rules should be revised."

Shen Qingci sat up straight.

"you say."

"First, you cannot meet with the people sent by Zhao Yulan alone."

"OK."

"Secondly, no matter what the other party tries to deceive you about your father, school, or something else, you can't bypass me and walk alone."

"OK."

"Third, tell me if you notice anything wrong. Don't think you can handle it and keep quiet about it."

Shen Qingci looked at him for a while.

Are you talking about me, or about yourself?

Chen Lang paused for a moment after she asked him that question.

"This rule mainly applies to the boss."

"Why should you only care about me?"

"Then, Mr. Shen, how should we change it?"

Shen Qingci opened the notebook and found a blank page.

"You have to guard it too."

Chen Lang raised an eyebrow.

Which line should I guard?

"Tell me before you take any action."

She tapped the paper with her pen.

"Last time you rushed off the cliff, you only asked me for the coordinates. You didn't mention a word about which route you would take or how you planned to bring people back."

"I can calculate the route, find the exit, and help you avoid landslides."

"You left me in the car without saying anything, and I could only guess by watching the live stream."

She looked up.

"Chen Lang, I don't want to wait any longer."

The mountain wind swept through the cedar trees, and the water accumulated on the branches and leaves hit the armored vehicle, making a series of muffled thuds.

Shen Qingci held the pen, his back straight. Those eyes, which used to always avoid the gaze of others, were now looking directly at him.

Chen Lang looked at her for a few seconds.

"OK."

He raised his right hand.

"Shall we sign the contract then?"

Shen Qingci looked at his palm.

"What should we sign?"

"High five. Simple, saves paper."

She raised her hand and slapped it.

Snapped!

The sound echoed through the living quarters.

Chen Lang flipped his palm and caught her hand as she was about to withdraw.

"From today onwards, when you encounter Zhao Yulan, no one is allowed to avoid working alone. Discuss things openly and make decisions together."

"The car behind counts too."

"Calculate."

Shen Qingci withdrew his hand and wrote two lines in the notebook.

"When you encounter Zhao Yulan, do not face her alone."

"Chen Lang must report to the navigator before taking any action."

Chen Lang peeked out.

"The previous rule seemed fair, so why did it become a job management issue for me?"

"Any objections?"

"How could I dare? You've already put the pen down; how could I possibly request a review?"

The phone on the table vibrated twice.

Shen Qingci picked it up.

A text message came from an unknown number.

"Qingci, it's your father. Zhao Yulan is in an accident. I'm at Fenghuang County People's Hospital. Come here right away, and don't tell Chen Lang."

She stared at the last five words, her thumb hovering above the screen, neither tapping the number nor dialing back.

The phone was pushed in front of Chen Lang.

"The contract was just signed, and now this problem has arisen. How should this be judged?"

Chen Lang glanced at the text message.

"They came for you."

"They're pushing you pretty hard."

"I was afraid you'd overthink it."

He only checked the number's location and the time it was sent.

What does your dad usually call you?

"Little words."

"Did he know we were going to Fenghuang?"

"I only knew the direction, but I didn't tell him the route."

"If something really happened at home, would he send you a text message?"

"I'll call first."

Chen Lang pushed the phone back.

"Then what's the point of investigating? There's something wrong with this number."

Shen Qingci exited the SMS interface, found Shen Jianguo's number, and pressed speakerphone.

Three seconds later, the call was connected.

"Little words?"

The sound of papers turning over came through the receiver.

"Why are you calling all of a sudden? Was your journey smooth?"

Shen Qingci looked at the text message.

"Nothing happened. May I ask where you are now?"

"The company just finished a meeting."

Where is Zhao Yulan?

The sound of turning pages stopped.

"She left home this morning and hasn't come back yet. The lawyer is already handling the divorce proceedings, so don't worry about her and don't see her."

"understood."

Shen Qingci paused for a moment.

"Dad, someone impersonated you and sent me a message just now. Next time something like this happens, I'll verify with you first and I won't go alone."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, that's how we should do it. Xiao Cici, take care of yourself first. If you get into trouble, call the police immediately."

"Um."

The call has ended.

Shen Qingci blocked the unknown number and handed the screenshot of the text message to Titan for archiving.

Chen Lang leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on her face.

"Student Shen handled this process very efficiently."

"The contract was just signed; we can't breach it on the very first clause."

"Okay, your execution is satisfactory."

Shen Qingci reached out her hand to him.

"What about your salary?"

Chen Lang was stunned for a moment.

"You really want it from me?"

She pushed the thermos over. It contained half a cup of hot water, the inside still warm from her palm.

"You just said it yourself, you do a lot of work but the pay is low."

Chen Lang picked up the cup, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"This salary doesn't even cover the cost of food?"

"Drink it or don't, it's up to you."

"Drink it. The boss gave it to us, so even plain water has to taste like tea."

The heavy truck drove through the slippery long bend, its wheels breaking up the water on the road.

The rain stopped.

The clouds were pushed aside by the mountain wind, and sunlight streamed down the mountain ridge, with the county road stretching into the forest ahead.

The Titan's notification sound came from the center console.

【warn.】

The target vehicle behind has entered the side road.

Shen Qingci looked up.

"Gone?"

"It's never that easy."

Chen Lang turned to the right-hand window.

The abandoned observation deck was reflected in the glass. A gray minivan was parked on the side of the road, its body covered in mud, and its left front tire smeared with red mud.

It was the same car that had been following them.

The license plate has been changed.

Titan retrieved the two snapshots and compared them on the holographic screen.

[Vehicle exterior feature matching rate: 99.7%]

The current license plate is also a counterfeit.

The target has already taken a detour via a side road and is waiting ahead.

Chen Lang tilted his head back and finished drinking the water in his glass, then put the glass back on the table.

"Okay."

"The contract hadn't even been properly signed before they came to inspect its implementation."

Shen Qingci closed the notebook, her gaze passing over the windshield. The ebony prayer beads gently touched the edge of the table as she turned her wrist.

She remained seated next to Chen Lang.

"What do we do now?"

Chen Lang turned his head to look at her.

"Follow the contract."

"Let's hear what Navigator Shen has to say first."

On the observation deck, the driver's door of the gray minivan opened outwards.