Chapter 125: News

Just as Zhang Qinglin and Zhao Chu were staring at each other, Bai Weiwei suddenly appeared in the doorway. She strode forward to Zhang Qinglin’s side, looked at Zhao Chu, and said, "Zhao Chu, what are you trying to do again!"

"I’m not doing anything. He came up here on his own," Zhao Chu said, spreading his arms and looking at Bai Weiwei with an expression of helplessness.

Bai Weiwei shot Zhao Chu an angry glare and gestured for Zhang Qinglin to follow her downstairs. Before Zhang Qinglin could figure out whether Zhao Chu’s words were true or false, he was pulled out of the room by Bai Weiwei.

As they returned to the second-floor hallway, Bai Weiwei told Zhang Qinglin that if he felt uncomfortable sleeping in that room, he could make do in her room for the night. Zhang Qinglin stood still for a moment, his mind filled with questions. Seeing Bai Weiwei turn and walk away, he followed her into her room.

Bai Weiwei’s room was quite unique; it was divided by a partition, with a study area in the front and a bedroom in the back. On the desk against the wall sat a small box, along with a magnifying glass and other tools. A small light bulb was clipped to the lid of the open box, illuminating the jade tiger resting quietly on the bottom surface. Beside the desk stood a shelf packed with books, mostly concerning antique jade, history, and philosophy.

"Make yourself at home," Bai Weiwei said, walking toward the desk.

"Weiwei, who is he to you?" Zhang Qinglin asked, following her.

"You mean the one upstairs? He is my half-brother." Bai Weiwei stated it simply and clearly, then sat down at the desk, picked up the magnifying glass, and looked up at Zhang Qinglin. "Whatever he told you, do not believe it."

Zhang Qinglin was taken aback. He had guessed that there might be a family connection between them, but he had not expected it to be so complicated.

"But he said that Cheng Che and the others never returned to Beijing. What is going on with that?"

"The news about your friends returning to Beijing is indeed true. As for what happened after they left Xi'an, that is unclear. But if you are worried about them, you should wait until daybreak to contact them," Bai Weiwei said. She adjusted the light bulb on the small box and began examining the jade tiger intently through the magnifying glass.

Zhang Qinglin watched Bai Weiwei in silence. He found that this woman possessed a rare, peerless beauty, standing apart from the world; her unique temperament deeply captivated him.

Zhang Qinglin remained silent, shifting his gaze to the small box on the desk and other scattered items. He looked at the titles on the bookshelf and the open book on the desk, *Appraisal and Authentication of Ancient Jade*, and said, "You are so interested in ancient jade—you wouldn't have been researching it all night without sleeping, would you?"

"Yes, these ancient objects are veiled in mystery. Uncovering them allows one to experience the deep historical and cultural connotations and the exquisite artistic craftsmanship they hold," Bai Weiwei said, unable to hide her passion.

The two talked until nearly dawn before finally getting some sleep.

After daybreak, Zhang Qinglin left the villa in Bai Weiwei’s pickup truck. He had not seen Zhao Chu before leaving; he didn't know if the man had left during the night, and by now, Zhang Qinglin no longer cared about his whereabouts.

Upon arriving at Cheng Che’s residence, Zhang Qinglin knocked, but there was no response. Bai Weiwei asked if Cheng Che had a phone so he could call him. Cheng Che’s phone had been broken months ago and remained unrepaired. With no one at the residence and knowing he wouldn't return to the Cheng family home, Zhang Qinglin decided to check the courtyard house first.

He stood at the gate of the courtyard, but it was tightly shut and locked. There was no one at Grandma Gu’s place either, which made Zhang Qinglin anxious. He looked toward the tea house; it was the only place left to check.

The street leading to "Water and Clouds, Blue Sky" was exceptionally crowded that day, and the tea house was open, with many people coming and going. Inside, he saw Sister Zhou at the counter collecting money, but after scanning the room, he couldn't find any sign of Jiang Xinyue or Uncle Jiang.

"Sister Zhou, where is Yueyue?" Zhang Qinglin asked.

Sister Zhou, while counting money, replied, "She’s upstairs!"

Hearing the voice, she looked up again and realized it was Zhang Qinglin. She said happily, "Xiaolin, you’re back! That’s wonderful. It’s been so busy these past two days; you can go and help Xinyue..." Before she could finish, Zhang Qinglin had already rushed upstairs.

Reaching the second floor, he saw Jiang Xinyue putting things away in the western room. Zhang Qinglin hurried over. "Yueyue, has Cheng Che been here these past two days?"

"Brother!" Jiang Xinyue dropped what she was holding when she heard his voice and turned to hug him.

"You scared me to death! Cheng Che called that day and said you had an accident in Shaanxi. He was being vague, but after I pressed him, he finally admitted that you had fallen into a large river. They were rescued, but they couldn't find you. They thought you were dead—they didn't even find a body. Wuu... I told them you couldn't be gone! You’re such a good swimmer, how could you drown? Why didn't you contact anyone if you were okay? I was worried sick!" Tears streamed down Jiang Xinyue’s face.

Zhang Qinglin grabbed her arms and wiped away her tears, comforting her. "I’m fine, see? Your brother has a tough life; it’s not that easy to finish me off. Come on, stop crying. Yueyue, has Cheng Che come to look for you? And why is there no one at Chi Tan’s house?"

"No, I haven't seen either of them. Cheng Che said he had to find you—dead or alive. I wanted to go too, but that day, my dad was suddenly hit by a car at the entrance of the alley. The doctor said he had a concussion accompanied by high blood pressure. I didn't dare tell him about your situation at the time. You don't know how I’ve struggled through these past few days, wuu wuu..." Jiang Xinyue began to sob again as she spoke.

"How is Uncle Jiang now? And who was the driver?"

"The driver fled the scene. We still don't know who hit him."

Zhang Qinglin now knew that Cheng Che and the others had not returned to Beijing. His last phone call with Jiang Xinyue had been three or four days ago, which meant Bai Weiwei’s information was incorrect. Yet, she hadn't seemed like she was lying. After Zhang Qinglin had returned to the courtyard house, Bai Weiwei had left.

Just then, Wu Cheng'an walked over. Seeing Zhang Qinglin, the solemn expression on his face softened significantly.