How come I was the one being targeted?

[Ah, Huo Huo has become quite cute recently. She's become quite a graceful young lady. However, she still needs to work on her fear of people.]

Do fox people's ears change with their moods like Huo Huo? When they're in a good mood, they stand up, and when they're in a bad mood, they droop...so cute.

[I combed Huo Huo's fox ears today. They are super soft, I love them. It's a pity I can't comb her tail.]

I've discovered Huo Huo's real adorable part. It's not the fox ears or the tail, but the dark circles under her eyes, which look incredibly alluring on that fair little face... It's a bit embarrassing to say, but every time I see that, I get really excited!

She stopped in a remote alley, where no one was around. She shyly squatted down and buried her face in Zhang Zhang's body, rubbing it back and forth. "Ah, Zhang Zhang, do you think this is XP? Dark circles and all... Why is his XP so weird? No wonder he has such heavy dark circles today!"

"call?"

"No, that's not right. The most important thing is that he actually said something like, 'I don't care about such a small matter!' Could it be that... he was hinting at me!?"

He deliberately showed himself the contents of the notebook, and then pretended to be calm and said something like "I won't care about such a small matter". Is he hinting that he would have dark circles under his eyes in the future?

It could only be this way! Otherwise, she couldn't imagine why someone could do such a shameless thing!

Ye Linna seemed to realize something. She suddenly raised her blushing cheeks and stared at Zhang Zhang as if to confirm something. "In other words, does that mean Bai Jun is actually interested in me?"

buzz-

Looking at Ye Lina, who was bleeding from her nose because she had imagined some scene in her mind, Zhang Zhang felt helpless. It nudged Ye Lina's calf and pointed at her pocket. Only then did Ye Lina notice that the phone was ringing.

The name displayed above is her team leader and senior - Francesco Debiski.

This instantly cleared Ye Lina's mind, which was confused by excitement and shyness. She hurriedly pressed the connect button. Before she could say anything, an elderly and steady voice came from the other end of the line: "How was your vacation, Ye Lina?"

"Well, very pleasant! Uncle Debisky."

"Ah, just be happy... Now I have something very important to announce to you."

Hearing the increasingly serious voice on the other end, Ye Lina slowly stood up straight and said in her usual calm tone, "Please go ahead."

"This should be the last time I discuss work with you through the system. Listen carefully, Ye Linna. Return to the company within three days to report on your work. However, you will no longer be working in the 166th Marketing Group of the Strategic Investment Department..."

His voice was filled with reluctance, but more of a congratulatory tone. "Congratulations, Ms. Ye Lina, a senior official in the Strategic Investment Department and leader of the Special Debt Investigation Team. From now on, you are one of the Diamond's 'Stone Heart Ten.'"

“Is that so…?”

Ye Lina was well aware of the significance of the name "Stone Heart Ten".

She should have been hugging her account and crying tears of joy, celebrating that her efforts had finally paid off, but strangely, she didn't seem to have much joy now. Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of loss in her heart.

Bai Jun's image flashed through Ye Lina's mind until the voice on the other end of the phone brought her back to reality. "Yelina? Are you still listening?"

"I see. Thank you, Uncle Debisky."

She hung up the phone with a somewhat gloomy expression.

Report within three days?

Chapter 52: Encounter the mysterious woman in red and try your best to defeat her!

Ye Lina left in a hurry, probably because she had other things to deal with.

Bai Jun didn't ask much. First, the relationship between the two was not that close. Second, although Ye Lina seemed very simple and cute when they were together, she was an employee of the Interstellar Peace Company after all. And from her conversation and experience, it can be seen that she was at least a team leader or something like that, otherwise she wouldn't be so rich.

It was still early for the 6 p.m. time agreed with Jackdaw, and since he was idle on the street anyway, Bai Jun simply came to the Nevernight Marquis in the center of Xingcha Sea, ready to drink tea and listen to books to kill time.

The manager of Buyehou is a very cute little fox girl. She stands on a small stool and warmly welcomes the customers coming and going in front of the door.

"Welcome to Nevernight! I'm Meng Ming, the owner of this small shop. What would you like to drink... Oh, it's Bai Jun."

After recognizing the newcomer, her enthusiastic attitude suddenly changed to the familiarity of a friend. She waved towards the shop, motioning him to hurry in. "Today's Shouyuan Maofeng tea is the freshest, with plump and tender buds. It tastes mellow and sweet when brewed in a cup, with an orchid-like fragrance. If you don't have money, go to the backstage and get a pot yourself. The waiter can put it on the bill."

"...Thank you, but I have money today."

Bai Jun felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected Meng Ming to see him as someone who often refused to pay. Although there did seem to be many records of him being on the hook...

"If you have money, that's great. Let's settle the backstage account later."

Before Bai Jun could say anything, Meng Ming impatiently pushed him into the store: "Come in, come in, don't disturb me while I'm doing business here. You're such a big guy standing at the door that you'll block other customers!"

When he reached the entrance of the hall, Bai Jun noticed a girl with chestnut pigtails and a giant sword on her back walking past quickly. She sat down in front of the desk closest to the storyteller and picked up a cup of brewed milk tea and started drinking it.

"Suchang?"

The other party was Su Shang, a simple and enthusiastic newcomer to Yunqi, who always made jokes about her personal cultural literacy.

However, Su Shang hadn't noticed Bai Jun at the door. It had been some time since she'd arrived, following Luo Fuyunqi's request. Despite her usual vigilance, she hadn't seen any thieves, which annoyed and angered her. In the end, she'd just gone back to practicing martial arts and swordsmanship, listening to storytelling in her spare time. Her days were completely dull.

At this time, she was hunched over the desk of the Marquis of Buye, waiting for the storyteller to make some preparations so that she could listen to him tell a story about the Five Heroes of Luo Fuyun. But before the storyteller's gavel fell, she heard a familiar voice coming from the side.

She turned her head following the voice, her beautiful eyes immediately showing surprise, "Oh, it's Bai Jun! Why are you here? Is there something you need my help with? Hey, no need to be polite, I'm always available."

"Although I admire your enthusiasm, isn't your thinking a little too radical?"

Bai Jun interrupted Su Shang's mumbling, sat next to her, and asked the waiter to order a pot of the best Shouyuan Maofeng tea.

"Huh? Just saying hello? You really don't need my help?"

"Really, there's no need. Don't you feel tired doing this all day?" Bai Jun looked at Su Shang, who was full of energy. He always felt that her energy was a little too abundant.

"Not tired at all! As the saying goes, if you are anxious for others, you will get what they ask for; if you do one good deed a day, you will reflect on yourself three times a day. When I think about how I will leave my name in history, it's like I have ten thousand strengths left in my body!" Thinking of this, Su Shang seemed to be full of strength. She stood up, holding her Xuanyuan Sword, and laughed with her hands on her hips.

"It's a good thing you're so energetic, but could you please not act stupid in public..."

Noticing the strange looks from those around him and seeing Su Chang acting foolishly, Bai Jun covered his face and tugged at the corner of her clothes. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to crawl into the ground.

"Oh, sorry."

She said she was sitting down, but looking at Su Chang's smile, it seemed she had no intention of repenting. Just when Bai Jun was thinking it would be better to stay away from her, she suddenly came up to him again, holding a book in her hand: "By the way, Bai Jun, come and see how this word is pronounced. Is it the 'leek' in 'leek'?"

When Bai Junli took a closer look, he found that this was exactly what Jing Yuan always said: "Life is like a leek dew, and a snail horn fights about right and wrong."

"This character, pronounced xiè, refers to an ancient plant called xiecao. The general meaning of this saying is that human life is as fleeting as dew on a leek, sometimes disappearing in the blink of an eye. Yet, many people fight for fame and fortune, engaging in intrigue and scheme against each other over trivial matters. This is truly inappropriate."

Bai Jun had tried his best to explain it in detail. Although he didn't know whether she understood it or not, Bai Jun felt very relieved because Su Shang actually listened to his advice and started studying in her free time.

Su Shang scratched her head, then tilted it in confusion. A "What the hell?" emotion could be seen in her clear eyes. Finally, she calmly closed the book and said, as Bai Jun expected, "Sure enough, I don't understand at all."

Bai Jun waved his hand indifferently. When it comes to learning, attitude is far more important than talent. As long as Yu Shang has the desire to learn, it is progress even if the progress is slow.

"That's fine. Learning never ends. Just take your time... But I'm curious, didn't you go to school when you were in Yaoqing?"

Bai Jun remembered that Yao Qing had a high level of education, and Su Shang's mother was Su Yi. It was neither reasonable nor moral for this to happen.

Hearing this, Su Shang smiled shyly. She picked up the teacup and tapped the rim of the cup with her fingers from time to time:

"Well, how should I put it... My mother forced me to practice martial arts since I was little. I had to get up before the morning bell rang to practice martial arts with her. I was exhausted by the early morning, and could only sleep soundly during classes at school. The teachers called me Li Dazhentou."

Bai Jun's frown suddenly relaxed when he heard Li Dazhentou's nickname, and he couldn't help laughing. "It suits you very well."

"Ah! You actually laughed at me, even though I told you about my past embarrassment!"

Su Shang blushed immediately, stood up, and raised her fist to teach Bai Jun a lesson.

But before her fist could land on Bai Jun, a colleague wearing the same Cloud Rider uniform as Su Shang burst in and shouted into the hall:

"Suchang, come quickly! That barbarian in red is causing trouble again!"

"What! That woman actually dared to come out? She really doesn't take us seriously!"

After hearing the shout, Su Chang's eyes immediately widened. She picked up her milk tea and drank it all in one gulp. She patted Bai Jun's shoulder and put on a heroic demeanor as much as possible: "Sorry, Bai Jun, I have to go out first. I will be back as soon as I get rid of this annoying guy!"

Then he picked up the giant sword and rushed out of the door.

Bai Jun didn't understand what she was doing when he heard the waiter approaching with the finest Shouyuan Maofeng wine and asked, "Sir, do you know that lady?"

"I know him, what's wrong?" Bai Jun took the tea and nodded.

"Oh, I'm glad you know her. She hasn't paid for the tea she drank here yet, is that right?"

"........"

Chapter 53: The firecrackers are as powerful as monsters, and they cannot be defeated even if you try your best!

When they arrived at the scene, Su Shang and other Yunqi colleagues quickly locked their sights on the center of the crowd near Chahai.

"Take a look, take a look. I'm new to your precious place, so I'm showing off my skills. I don't mind a few small things, and I'm willing to spend a fortune to show my friendship. Please don't gossip. I'm going to show you a show!"

They saw a red-haired woman beating drums and gongs, stirring up trouble, swallowing swords, and spitting fire, making the crowd extremely happy.

Not long after, the woman wanted to use the blue granite slab again, determined to perform a "chest-breaking stone" move!

"Stop! Traffic in Xingcha Sea has always been congested. It's not a place for you to perform tricks!" Su Shang couldn't stand it any longer. She shouted loudly, and immediately sank her muscles, opened and closed her sword, and pointed the tip of Xuanyuan's sword at the woman.

"Oh my, it's you again. Why does it feel like I haven't seen you for a long time?" The red-haired woman saw that she was unsteady and her steps were unsteady, so she was not panicked and teased with a smile.

"How long? I saw you yesterday!" Thinking of the scene of being teased by her yesterday, Su Shang was so angry that her teeth were itching. She wanted to catch her on the spot and tickle her hard to make her cry!

"What? You just saw me yesterday? Oh, don't you have a saying in Xianzhou that goes, 'One day without seeing you feels like three years have passed?'"

As she spoke, the red-haired woman had actually taken advantage of Su Chang's slowness and quietly packed up all the things on the ground. She carried the large and small bags behind her and was about to leave. She said loudly, "I will leave first as a courtesy. Bye!"

How could Su Shang do as she wished? She rushed forward, swung the Xuanyuan in her hand and was about to hit the package behind the red-haired woman.

"Don't be like this, sister. Fighting and killing and hurting people is never good." The red-haired woman immediately took a step sideways, picked up the three-foot fire stick and waved it with sparks, which was very terrifying. With a swing of her hand, the blunt end of the gun and stick attacked Su Chang's wrists.

Su Chang hurriedly retreated half a foot, but unexpectedly the woman took the opportunity to take out several round objects from her leather bag and smashed them to the ground. There was only a loud bang, followed by flames shooting up into the sky.

Smoke and fire spread everywhere, and explosions were heard continuously. In the chaos, Su Shang suddenly felt herself being pushed. When she came to her senses after a while, she saw that the woman was gone.

"What is this...firecracker? How can it be so powerful?"

"This barbarian... really shouldn't be underestimated!" A fellow Cloud Rider standing by was so irritated that his face turned black. He coughed and stepped forward to comfort Su Shang: "Alas, she escaped again. Su Shang, don't lose heart, there is always a way -"

His words came to an abrupt end. Su Chang's shoulders were trembling slightly as she stared at her empty right hand. Her pretty face, blackened by the smoke from the firecrackers, was now filled with tears. "Ah! My Xuan-Yuan Sword was taken away by her!"

The sadness of having her beloved sword taken away was no less than the hatred of having her father murdered and her wife taken away. Su Shang was heartbroken and ran towards the Marquis of Buye crying.

"Su Shang!" The other Yunqi colleagues all showed worried expressions, looking at Su Shang's back, not knowing what to do.

.............

Nothing to do today, just listen to music.

"The last chapter of the book said that at that time, the immortal ship was invaded by virtual soldiers and monsters from overseas, and the remnants of the Medicine King were entrenched on the ship. The marshal summoned all the cloud cavalry to restore peace to the world. Among the many cloud cavalry soldiers, five heroes from the cloud cavalry armies of various immortal ships gathered to fight together, and they were collectively known as the Five Heroes of the Cloud."

"Led by these five, their achievements are countless: they drove back the Buli fleet that had invaded Tarasa; they destroyed the alliance between the Houyhnhnms and the Wingmakers within the Coalition of Plenty; they even rescued the Jade Que Immortal Ship and defeated the living planet "Jitu Mirage," preserving the Alliance's gaze upon the starry sea..."

Although Bai Jun has heard this story many times, it is still unconventional as a way to relax while tasting tea in his spare time. What's more, the purpose of tasting tea and listening to books is to enjoy the atmosphere. Without the ups and downs of the voices in your ears, the taste of the tea in the cup will seem bland.

The afternoon sun was just right, and the light coming through the blinds was not glaring, making the faint light in the sky look light and elegant.

A breeze carrying a hint of coolness blew through the corridor, making his brain, which was a little confused after the meal, feel more comfortable. Bai Jun took a sip of steaming hot tea and looked out the window with emotion.

This kind of leisurely and comfortable life can be called real life...

Bai Jun poured some more hot water into his tea bowl. After several infusions, the color of the tea leaves turned from dark to light, but the taste was also softer. As he raised the tea bowl to put the tea into his mouth, the door of Buyehou was suddenly pushed open again, followed by a cry of extreme grievance:

"Bai Jun, my sword was stolen—!"

"puff--!"

Caught off guard, Bai Jun spat out a mouthful of tea, followed by a violent cough. After a long while, he finally recovered and looked towards the door in anger, "Su Shang, what are you doing stupid again... What's wrong with you?"

Noticing the tear marks on her blackened face, Bai Jun's expression changed instantly. He quickly walked up to her and took her hand. At the same time, he glanced around the hall with a warning look, and the sounds of people watching the fun stopped abruptly.

"Don't cry, don't cry... Tell me what happened. Where is your Xuanyuan Sword?"

Bai Jun first asked her to sit on the bench, then gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his sleeve, and then used a tissue dipped in tea to wipe off the blackened marks on her face.

Su Shang sobbed and wiped away her tears, then aggrievedly handed him her empty palm, "My Xuan-Yuan Sword was taken away by that person."

"That person?" Bai Jun quickly focused on the so-called "that person". "Are you talking about the person you just went out to look for?"

"Uh-huh...."

Su Shang sobbed and explained the whole story to Bai Jun in a very unclear manner, especially the part where she exaggerated the fact that the red-haired woman was as powerful as a monster in spitting firecrackers and that she could not defeat her even if she tried her best.

"In other words, that street performer took away your Xuan-Yuan Sword using the smoke from the firecrackers while you were not paying attention?" Bai Jun rubbed his brows and took great effort to understand Su Chang's words.

Su Shang nodded, and Bai Jun's heart finally settled down a little. At least the Xuanyuan Sword was not snatched away by some tricky guy. He originally thought that it was the bastards from the Medicine King Secret Sect who were causing trouble again.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Jun tapped her head lightly with his hand knife and said, "Well, let this be a lesson for you. Let's go and get the sword back."

"Bai Jun, can you help me get Xuanyuan back?!"

Su Shang raised her head in surprise. There were still some black marks on her face, which made her look a little funny. However, Bai Jun did not make fun of her. Instead, he pinched her face with great seriousness:

"What are you thinking? You have to get your sword back yourself. Otherwise, are you still expecting me to get it back for you?"