Acting in Secret

Now left alone, Shen Yixiu stood up on the wall to look. As the only girl in their group, and the simplest-minded one aside from Wu Xu, Rusty Sister had grown up in a relatively sheltered environment and was actually feeling a little uneasy right now. She recalled what Wen Jifei had specifically told her before heading over, having noticed her unease. "Relax, no harm done. It really was an apology, wasn't it? Everyone's happy now. The extra bit is just watching a rehearsal performance, not robbery or murder. "Besides, whenever someone gets scammed by Qingzi... by us—decent people, that is—they usually end up getting more in return, don't they? Think about it. "So this guy Qingzi—straight-laced block of wood though he is—actually values sentiment." Shen Yixiu thought it over carefully and realized it really did seem that way. For example, she had been "bullied" by him in the very beginning, and had even thought he was going to welsh on a source energy block. Yet now, because of him, she had found hope again and was standing right here. However dearly Han Qingyu treasured source energy blocks, he had never been stingy with her, much less treated her as a burden. Or take Yin Caixin. Their acquaintance had started when she was conned out of two hundred and fifty dollars—and right, there was also a source energy block he had accidentally forgotten to return, which Han Qingyu had claimed was her protection fee. Later, he had saved her, shielded her, and become a friend who could be trusted with his life. Right, and Wu Xu too—she almost forgot. His story had started with him being wounded and having his Binggu spear snatched away by Qingzi, but now his life was a whole different story. Qingzi had handed over ten full source energy blocks at once for his recovery this time; secretly, his heart was probably bleeding from the pain of parting with them, wasn't it? Ha. Adubu? Adubu didn't count; he had deserved to be duped, wanting to kill them and all. Thinking along these lines, Shen Yixiu felt a wave of relief wash over her. And for the first time, she clearly realized something: in all these days spent alongside Qingzi and the others, she had never once considered herself a deadweight or a burden to them. *I seem to have always felt important and needed, always forgetting to realize and appreciate that every time he risked his life or took gambles—or even that shameless, stingy penny-pinching of his that we all tease him about—all it bought was enough to cover a few months, or perhaps even just one single month, of my consumption. And yet he just kept scraping and scraping, bit by bit...* *So how on earth did he do it? He never said a word about it to us.* Looking off into the distance, was that scene now the girls prying into Han Qingyu's private life? A good thing! That was his only real flaw; hopefully he could meet the right person. With that thought, Shen Yixiu grew curious about what kind of answers he would give. Suspecting it would be quite hilarious, she decided to ask He Tangtang about it later. By a corner flanking the crowd, He Tangtang was keeping an eye on the situation. Tapping the back of his hand against Wen Jifei and then Liu Shiheng, He Tangtang remarked, "Did you notice? The way those girls are looking at that bracelet has completely changed." Wen Jifei and Liu Shiheng nodded solemnly. At this moment, they failed to notice that on the far side beyond the crowd, another person was peeking in as well, pricking up her ears, overwhelmingly nervous and uneasy. *A bracelet... If I steal it, would that count?* *Or could I trade source energy blocks for it?* "So do you plan to take a wife in Azure?" Out in the open, with the matter of the silver bracelet cleared up, their interest was piqued even further. An outspoken girl asked bluntly... Of course, not all of them harbored such designs; a great deal of it was pure curiosity. "Don't be shy. Isn't that something everyone in Azure has to consider? After all, we might end up staying here for the rest of our lives." Seeing that Han Qingyu didn't answer, the girl urged him further. Being asked such a question by a girl for the first time, Han Qingyu pondered for a moment and answered honestly: "Ideally, of course, not marrying in Azure would be best. Because doing so would mean we're perpetually preparing for this war, never knowing when we'll die." He spoke with utter sincerity. The mood on the field suddenly turned solemn at his answer. For those in Azure, loss was what they faced most of all... wives losing husbands, children losing fathers. The fear Han Qingyu left unsaid was something everyone understood. It was just that most of the time, they had no choice but to force themselves to ignore it and choose willful blindness; otherwise, everyone would live under crushing worry and exhaustion. "Then what about you..." The question was cut short halfway. "I'd like to wait until we win, then go home for matchmaking." Han Qingyu answered directly, swallowing the second half of his thought: *Or, if Azure falls, flee with my family and friends.* Because he had uttered the word "matchmaking" so earnestly, laughter rippled through the gathering once more. "Hey, then what kind of girl are you hoping to find through matchmaking?" Nie Xiaozhen asked with a bright smile. She didn't dislike him in the slightest anymore, let alone hold any grudge against him. "Haven't thought about it," Han Qingyu replied. "Why not think about it now? There's no harm in figuring it out early. We can even give you some input," another girl chimed in with a laugh. Noting Han Qingyu's expression and seeing that he seemed to have no idea, she prompted, "It's quite simple! For instance, first of all, what kind of family background would you want her to have?" At that question, over in a nearby corner, Xin Yaoqiao's little fists clenched tight. Han Qingyu bowed his head in thought for a moment, then looked up and said, "Preferably an ordinary family." He was thinking along the lines of returning to his hometown to live after Azure triumphed, and that was roughly what came to mind. Say, if Azure were victorious next year and there were no more Great Spikes, then this martial strength of his, which wasn't suitable to display openly anyway, would probably become useless. Was he supposed to go play the chivalrous hero? The real world wasn't like that. Once martial strength couldn't be used in competitions, it was practically useless, and the Alliance would certainly impose strict regulations on it. The real worry was whether the Azure Alliance would even continue to exist, or how it would disband—that would be humanity's biggest problem. If handled poorly, it might well trigger internal wars and conflict... something Han Qingyu had absolutely no desire to be part of. So when that time came, in all likelihood, he would just be an ordinary guy with a hundred thousand or several hundred thousand yuan to his name and exceptional physical fitness, hiding his Azure identity to lead a quiet, peaceful life. With the first answer given, most of the outreach troupe girls present fit the bill. Someone immediately pressed on, "What about personality?" "Sensible, maybe?" Han Qingyu had no concrete concept of it, offering a vague answer based on conventional ideas. "I see." There was naturally no need to ask about looks; nearly every one of these girls was pretty and confident. They said, "Anything else? Think about it yourself." Anything else? Han Qingyu pondered, and when a thought popped up, he stated it plainly: "Probably not too busy." He needed someone to live a simple, peaceful life with. And that was that. Xin Yaoqiao made the agonizing realization that she had seemingly... dodged every single standard answer with flying colors. Moreover, she could clearly sense Han Qingyu's yearning and resolve to break free from Azure as soon as victory arrived. Yet her family background dictated that she and her kin were almost certain to remain part of Azure's concluding chapter, regardless of where Azure might head at that time. And once conflict erupted, they would inevitably be swept up in it, unable to extricate themselves. After wallowing in silent dejection for a while, Xin Yaoqiao walked away. She was fuming! She refused to listen anymore. She would pretend she had never heard a word. ... The outreach troupe's trial performance of their new dance was scheduled for three days later, set for after dinner. Following the usual practice of adapting to upcoming deployments, the venue was set outdoors and arranged specifically in the reception area. A large crowd turned up; some sat on the ground, some brought their own stools, and some simply stood. Only after asking around did Han Qingyu and the others learn that every outreach troupe rehearsal was actually one of the most important forms of entertainment in the research institute, like an impromptu mini-festival. Wu Xu's physical condition had recovered a bit, enough for him to get up and walk around. He had zero interest in watching a performance, but since Qingzi had told him to head over around seven-thirty, he waited until the appointed time and went punctually. "Over here." Wu Xu heard Han Qingyu's voice, glanced around to pinpoint it, and walked over with his head down. The show was about a quarter of the way through. Han Qingyu sat off to the side toward the middle, seated separately from He Tangtang and the others. He had been sitting there when the performance began, and the dancers in the outreach troupe had all spotted him. Wearing autumn combat fatigues with the hood drawn up, Han Qingyu yanked down Wu Xu, who was dressed identically. Han Qingyu then stood up and whispered, "Your mission tonight is to sit right here with your hood up until the show is over." Wu Xu looked at him and nodded. "Yeah." Meanwhile, on the other side, Liu Shiheng reached from behind and grabbed Wen Jifei. "Time to go," he whispered. "I'm not going! I want to watch the danc—hey, hey, hey, you..." He Tangtang caught him in a headlock and dragged him out; fearing discovery, Wen Jifei didn't dare struggle too violently. Just like that, taking separate paths, the group slipped away from the venue and made their way to the agreed rendezvous point. Meeting up with Shen Yixiu and Xin Yaoqiao, who were already waiting there, they began creeping along the mountainside toward the old site on the back of the mountain.