Chapter 36: Probing

This guy actually pulled a surprise attack!

‘Does he know I’m a magical girl?’

‘Calm down, Ye Qianqiu.’

‘Since he’s asking like that, he probably hasn’t confirmed it yet.’

‘…When did he start suspecting me?’

‘Tch, this sharp kid is the worst.’

A storm raged in his mind, but on the surface, Ye Qianqiu’s movements only paused slightly, as if a little surprised by Xia Che’s appearance.

He wiped the water from his face with a napkin, turned around, and nodded at the boy.

“Ah, it’s Xia Che. Long time no see.”

“Long time no see, Uncle Ye. Xiao Chi was worried about you.”

Xia Che gradually withdrew his smile.

“Xiao Chi?”

Ye Qianqiu hesitated for a moment.

Didn’t Ye Xiao Chi hate him? If he disappeared, shouldn’t Xiao Chi be happy?

As if reading Ye Qianqiu’s thoughts, Xia Che added, “After all, you vanished without a trace for a whole week. Xiao Chi was already considering calling the police… She is your daughter, after all.”

“I see…” Ye Qianqiu nodded.

“I’ll call her later to let her know I’m safe.”

“So, why did Uncle disappear for a week? And why are you in this hospital?”

Xia Che pulled the conversation back.

Ye Qianqiu was silent for a moment, then pointed outside with a slight smile.

“Let’s walk and talk? We can find a coffee shop to sit down. The restroom isn’t a good place for a conversation.”

“Sure.”

The two walked one after the other in silence.

They arrived at a coffee shop near the hospital entrance and sat down at a table near the back.

Ye Qianqiu ordered an Americano, while Xia Che chose a cappuccino.

“Xiao Chi isn’t with you?”

Ye Qianqiu stirred his coffee with a small spoon, watching the brown liquid swirl in the cup.

“I told her to go back first.”

Xia Che emphasized the word “first” while observing Ye Qianqiu’s reaction.

“We came to visit a ‘friend’ at the hospital.”

Ye Qianqiu smiled slightly.

“What a coincidence. I’m also here to visit a ‘friend.'”

Xia Che laughed too.

The two of them—

One old, one young—

Smiled at each other as if recalling something amusing.

“I disappeared for a week because my company suddenly sent me on a business trip. I was so busy I forgot to message Xiao Chi.”

Ye Qianqiu took a sip of his coffee, using the cup to hide his expression.

“…Huh, on the way home, I heard a friend was hospitalized, so I thought I’d drop by.”

Xia Che blinked, feigning surprise.

“But I remember this hospital is more than ten kilometers from Uncle’s house? Looks like this ‘friend’ is really close to you.”

“Pretty close.”

Ye Qianqiu chuckled.

As he finished speaking, he saw Xia Che suddenly pick up his phone, and a bad feeling rose in his chest.

Xia Che noticed his gaze and gently shook the phone in his hand.

“Sorry, I need to make a call.”

‘Now? A call?’

Ye Qianqiu’s breath hitched, and his body went rigid.

“What’s wrong? Uncle suddenly looks nervous?”

Xia Che slowly tapped on his screen, as if executing a slow torture on Ye Qianqiu.

“Does it?”

Ye Qianqiu raised an eyebrow.

As Xia Che pressed the call button, the phone in Ye Qianqiu’s pocket rang:

“You said you don’t want to be here! I don’t want to…”

The piercing ringtone echoed through the quiet coffee shop.

Xia Che stared intently at Ye Qianqiu’s pocket and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? Uncle isn’t going to answer?”

‘Come on, Uncle Ye.’

‘If I can just see your phone, I can confirm your identity!’

He watched as Ye Qianqiu smiled helplessly, reached into his pocket, and slowly pulled out his phone.

At that moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely for Xia Che, even his breathing slowing down.

He remembered Hui Jin’s phone was a Black Orange.

If his guess was correct…

The boy’s heart pounded.

The answer was right in front of him!

“Hmm?”

Ye Qianqiu pulled out his phone and looked at Xia Che with confusion.

“Xia Che, why are you calling me?”

Xia Che stared blankly at the phone.

The screen indeed showed him as the caller, but why…

This phone was a Silver Gray Erjia?

A backup phone?

‘Impossible. When I pulled open the drawer, I made sure to pay attention. The other phone’s shell was pink!’

‘That means neither phone matches the one in Ye Qianqiu’s hand!’

Xia Che’s eyes widened, and his fingers tightened slightly on the coffee cup.

Seeing his hesitation, Ye Qianqiu pressed the end button.

Almost simultaneously, the ringing stopped, and Xia Che’s phone displayed “The other party is on another call.

Please try again later.”

This seemed to prove again that his guess was wrong.

“What’s wrong?”

Ye Qianqiu took a small sip of his coffee, still wearing his usual indifferent expression.

But to Xia Che, there was a hint of provocation in that composure.

He shook his head lightly and forced a smile.

“Sorry, Uncle Ye. I accidentally tapped the wrong contact. I meant to call Xiao Chi.”

The boy stared at the swirling coffee, his smile gradually fading.

‘Honestly, what was I thinking? It’s so rude to suspect Uncle Ye like this. Even if I had doubts, I shouldn’t have…’

With that thought, he downed the cappuccino in one gulp and slowly stood up.

“Well, Uncle, I’ll be going now. Xiao Chi just messaged me.”

He intentionally waved his phone slightly so that Ye Qianqiu could roughly see his chat history with Ye Xiao Chi.

“Mm, okay. I’ve already paid. Let’s go.”

Ye Qianqiu also stood.

The two stepped out of the coffee shop and stood by the roadside.

Ye Qianqiu asked, “I’m taking a cab home. How about you? Want me to call one for you too?”

“No need, Uncle. I’m heading to the nearby mall. I’ll walk.”

“Alright.”

Ye Qianqiu paused, then pointed at his phone.

“Aren’t you going to call Xiao Chi?”

“I am, I’m calling now.”

Xia Che smiled.

“Uncle isn’t hailing a cab?”

“I am, I am hailing one now.”

Ye Qianqiu also smiled, turning slightly to inadvertently show Xia Che the ride-hailing interface on his phone screen.

“I’ll be off then. See you next time, Uncle Ye. Don’t forget to call Xiao Chi!”

“Mm, see you.”

Xia Che waved and left.

Ye Qianqiu stood with his hands in his pockets, scrolling on his phone.

After a while, a car arrived.

He opened the door and got in.

Seeing Ye Qianqiu drive away, Xia Che, who had been hiding around the street corner, stopped his covert observation and headed toward the mall.

But he had only taken two steps when he stopped, turned around, and looked toward the hospital, frowning slightly.

On the other side, Ye Qianqiu gave the driver his address, then rested his head on the headrest, rubbing the phone he had just obtained less than half an hour ago.

Ye Qianqiu was a cautious man.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to hide his identity as a magical girl for so many years.

After Xia Che and Xiao Chi left, he had called a courier to buy a new phone from the nearby phone store and deliver it to the hospital.

Because the distance was short, he paid an extra thirty yuan for express delivery, and the courier arrived in less than ten minutes.

When Hui Jin reached the restroom entrance, the out-of-breath courier had just arrived as well, handing the new phone to her.

She inserted the SIM card into the new phone, completing the swap.

The middle-aged man with dark circles propped his head on his hand, a faint, calm smile spreading across his lips.

‘You lose by one move, Xia Che. If you were dealing with an ordinary person, you might have caught them red-handed.’

‘But too bad…’

As the car turned at the first intersection, he lightly tapped the driver’s seat.

“Driver, stop here.”

“Huh? We’ve only driven a few hundred meters! There’s still over ten kilometers to go!”

The driver was stunned, but Ye Qianqiu had already opened the door and stepped out, tossing over his shoulder, “I’ll still pay for the ride!”

He then plunged into the small park near the hospital where patients went for relaxation.

A middle-aged man rushed into the bushes.

After a moment, a petite girl with gray long hair emerged from the other side.

Hui Jin lightly touched her toes, then stepped onto the air like climbing stairs using magic, heading straight for the seventh floor of the hospital.

Once there, she found an open window, nimbly flipped inside, ran down the corridor, burst into her own ward, shut the door, jumped onto the bed, and pulled up the covers.

She stuffed the new phone under her pillow, took out the old phone, held it in her hands, and pretended to play with it.

Whoosh!

In less than half a minute, the ward door was yanked open again.

Panting heavily, Xia Che appeared at the entrance.

On the bed, Hui Jin lifted her little head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Huh? Xia Che? Didn’t you go back with Xiao Chi? Why are you back?”