Chapter 179: Chapter 144: The Lovesick Crimson Flame Frenzied Lion
Next, Yang Qi called Chen Ze.
"Brother Chen, sorry to bother you again. I have a last-minute trip to the Provincial Capital and probably won’t be back until tomorrow night. Would you mind coming over tonight and tomorrow morning to feed Bai Wan, Hu Zi, Leopard, and also Xiaojiu for me? The cat and dog food are in the usual spot."
"No problem, Brother Yang. Go on, don’t worry about a thing," Chen Ze readily agreed.
"Thanks, Brother Chen. I’ll treat you to a meal when I get back."
Yang Qi thanked him and hung up.
He quickly packed a simple backpack, stuffing in a couple changes of clothes and his toiletries.
Then, he went to the backyard and instructed Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard, who were either sunbathing or dozing.
"I’m heading out for a bit. I’ll be back tomorrow. Brother Chen is coming over tonight to feed you. You three, watch the house and don’t get into any fights."
WOOF!
WHINE~
The three dogs barked lowly or whimpered to show they understood.
As for Xiaojiu, he had wandered off somewhere again.
Once he was ready, Yang Qi locked the courtyard gate and drove to the high-speed rail station.
After arriving at the high-speed rail station, he parked his SUV in the lot.
Backpack on, Yang Qi made his way into the waiting hall. He followed the information from his contact to find the designated boarding gate, then found an empty seat and waited for the boarding call.
People bustled about in the waiting hall, a chaotic mix of broadcast announcements, conversations, and the laughter of children.
Yang Qi closed his eyes to rest, pondering what problems the lion, Bart, might be facing.
Just then, a hesitant young woman’s voice came from nearby.
"Are you... Yang Qi?"
Yang Qi turned to look and saw a young woman standing a few steps away, regarding him with uncertainty. She was fashionably dressed, with long, wavy hair and exquisite, heavy makeup.
The woman looked somewhat familiar. Yang Qi quickly searched his memory, and a name surfaced.
"...Chen Qiaodan?" Yang Qi asked uncertainly.
"Wow! It really is you, Yang Qi!"
A smile bloomed on Chen Qiaodan’s face. She quickly walked over, plopped down naturally in the empty seat beside Yang Qi, and sized him up, her tone exaggerated.
"Yang Qi, what kind of skincare products have you been using? Or did you secretly get plastic surgery? You look like a completely different person from high school. You’re a total hunk now!"
"Your skin is even better than a lot of girls’! So, how do you take care of it? Share your secrets, will you?"
"Stay active, eat healthy, and don’t stay up late. That’s all," Yang Qi chuckled, giving a boilerplate response.
Chen Qiaodan was his high school classmate. He remembered her as a very lively and outgoing girl from a well-to-do family.
"So, are you heading to the Provincial Capital too?" Yang Qi asked, changing the subject.
"Yep. Going to meet a client. Ugh, the miserable life of a corporate drone, always running around."
Chen Qiaodan sighed, but then she seemed to remember something. Her eyes lit up as she gave Yang Qi a thumbs-up. "Oh, right! I saw that video online. The one where a brown bear escaped from the Zoo in the Provincial Capital, and some total badass subdued it with his bare hands. I never thought that would be you! That was so damn cool!"
"It was just luck. The bear wasn’t trying to hurt anyone to begin with," Yang Qi replied humbly.
"That’s not something you can handle with just luck. Most people wouldn’t even have the guts to get close."
After offering her praise, Chen Qiaodan asked, "By the way, what kind of work are you doing now, Yang Qi? Are you still in computers?"
"Nope. I’m a zookeeper at the Donghua Zoo," Yang Qi answered candidly, seeing no reason to hide it.
"Huh? A zookeeper?"
Chen Qiaodan was stunned for a moment, rendered speechless. "Didn’t you major in computer science? How did you end up raising animals?"
"I switched careers. I find this more interesting."
Yang Qi smiled, brushing the topic aside.
Looking at Chen Qiaodan, he remembered something and seized the opportunity to ask, "So how are things with you and Old Jin? When can we expect a wedding invitation?"
Old Jin, or Jin Xin, was also one of their high school classmates. He and Chen Qiaodan had started dating back in high school and were widely seen as the class’s "golden couple."
They had even ended up at different universities in the same city, and their relationship had always been stable, making them the envy of many classmates.
Who would have known that at the mere mention of "Old Jin," the smile on Chen Qiaodan’s face would instantly vanish. Her expression soured, tinged with annoyance and even a hint of disdain.
She pursed her lips, her tone cold. "Don’t bring him up. We broke up ages ago."
"Broke up?" Yang Qi was surprised.
Although he and Jin Xin were never close and hadn’t kept in touch after graduation, he’d always been under the impression that their relationship was solid. He never imagined they would have broken up.
"Yeah, we did."
Chen Qiaodan didn’t seem to want to elaborate, but perhaps she’d been bottling it up for too long, as she couldn’t stop herself from complaining, "I must have been blind. I never saw how useless he was—a total mama’s boy! He listens to his mother for everything and has zero backbone of his own. It’s infuriating!"
"Well..." Yang Qi was at a loss for words.
He really didn’t know anything about Jin Xin’s family situation, much less the specific reasons for their breakup.
Chen Qiaodan’s side of the story wasn’t necessarily the whole truth. There could have been other, more complicated reasons for their breakup.
However, it was their private affair, and Yang Qi had no intention of prying. He changed the subject, and they began to chat about other high school classmates they still remembered, as well as snippets from their college days.
After all, they were former classmates. Even though they had gone their separate ways after graduation, they still had common ground when reminiscing about the past.
They chatted until the boarding announcement for their bullet train came over the speakers.
The two of them got up and followed the flow of people toward the gate.
Although they were on the same train, their seats weren’t in the same car.
After scanning their tickets, Yang Qi nodded at Chen Qiaodan.
"I’m heading to my car. See you around."
