Chapter 758: Three Kinds of Life

"Me? Pretending to be a hero?" Qiao Jiajin looked at Chen Junnan with confusion.

"Aren't movies from your hometown often like that?" Chen Junnan wiped his nose and replied with a slight smile. "The girl finds out she has a terminal illness and wants to break up with the boy. The boy knows he's about to face danger, so he deliberately creates conflicts with his brothers."

"Ah, I know that one." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "It's so clichéd. They play that in soaps all the time."

"Yeah, yeah, it's damn tacky." Chen Junnan chimed in.

"Stop twisting the subject." Qi Xia said sternly, "You know I'm not that kind of person. When I said that, my mind was only focused on clear logic and careful judgment."

Qi Xia nodded after hearing that. "Then what I'm using is sharp intuition and a reluctance to judge."

Qiao Jiajin also smiled. "And what I'm using is probably hard fists and no brainpower."

Qi Xia glanced at the two of them with a hint of helplessness and said softly, "I'm being serious with you."

"Is what I'm saying not serious?"

Qi Xia could only shake his head, not knowing how to persuade them.

"Lao Qi, both Lao Qiao and I have traits that you lack, so I think you still need us." Chen Junnan said, "You rely on your strong rationality for everything, but I only go by intuition."

"Does 'intuition' sound like a reliable method?" Qi Xia frowned and asked.

"No, it's not reliable." Chen Junnan nodded. "But it is a 'method.' I never consider the odds when I do things—I just follow my intuition. And it's the same when I judge people."

"How so?"

"Whether out in the world or here, I only make friends based on 'intuition.'" Chen Junnan continued explaining to Qi Xia, "Ninety-nine percent of people in this world—I don't even need to speak; one look and I know if they're on my wavelength. This approach might seem simple and rough, but for me, it's surprisingly effective."

Qi Xia sighed slightly after hearing that. "What an unheard-of absurd idea."

"And Lao Qiao doesn't even use intuition." Chen Junnan went on, "He's just like a machete. Once he commits to someone, he'll stick with them to the end, even if that person is a total scumbag. Do you think you can reason with someone like that and convince him to back off?"

After hearing that, Qiao Jiajin reached out and patted Chen Junnan. "Jun Nan Zi, saying it like that makes me sound a bit like a fool."

"Hey, Lao Qiao, what are you talking about!" Chen Junnan draped his arm over Qiao Jiajin's shoulder. "Don't overthink it—what do you mean 'makes me sound'?"

"Oh, okay then." Qiao Jiajin nodded repeatedly.

Qi Xia looked up at the two of them again, feeling a bit helpless inside.

Perhaps, as Chen Junnan said, not everyone in this world relies on "rationality"—some depend on "intuition" and "belief."

Chen Junnan tossed the scrap wood in his hand into the campfire, sparking flames that briefly lit up the flickering room.

"Now that we're at this point," Chen Junnan's expression gradually turned serious as he stared at Qi Xia, "even if Lao Qiao and I part ways with you here, do we have any other path to take? If you or Chu Tianqiu decide to go to war with 'Tian Long,' the outcome will definitely be a major reshuffle. We'll be useless no matter where we go."

"That's a bit one-sided." Qi Xia replied, "If you're just 'accomplices,' you might indeed get caught in the reshuffle, and everyone could lose their memories again. But if you stay by my side as my teammates, we might all be wiped out, and then there'd be no hope at all."

After hearing that, Chen Junnan swallowed hard. "Exactly how much are you planning to anger 'Tian Long'?"

"Not just 'Tian Long.'" Qi Xia said, "There's another one..."

At that point, he touched his chin and swallowed the words.

After all, "Qing Long" was the ears of the entire "Zhongyan Zhidi," and it wasn't convenient to mention his name here.

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin seemed to think of something too, just nodding.

"Just now, I was damn curious about that." Chen Junnan laughed, "From now on, you should change how you put it—it's not that we're useless, it's that our 'hui xiang' is useless, right?"

After hearing that, Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow. "That's the idea."

"So as long as we don't take bullets for you, that's fine." Chen Junnan suddenly smirked, "Then go ahead and wait to die on your own, kid."

Qi Xia realized he couldn't persuade these two at all, so he just shook his head and stopped talking. He dragged a chair over and sat by the bed, looking out at the gradually darkening sky.

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances, then stood up and pushed a few tables together to make a makeshift bed.

"Lao Qi, are you planning to sleep sitting up tonight?"

Hearing that question, Qi Xia thoughtfully touched his chin.

Sleep sitting up?

If it was true, as "Qing Long" said, that he had already set a trap for "Tian Long," and "Tian Long" had used up a huge amount of "xin nian," even needing to delay waking up to recover, then theoretically, tonight he could sleep soundly.

On the surface, this might be the only time in years he could truly rest easy.

If anyone else had given him that message, Qi Xia might have believed it.

But the one who said it was "Qing Long," so Qi Xia didn't believe a single word.

"Yes, I'll sleep sitting up. You two rest." Qi Xia said.

The two nodded after hearing that and didn't say more.

Night fell quietly, and the three of them stayed in their own corners with their thoughts, only the occasional crackling of the campfire breaking the silence.

...

Zheng Yingxiong knocked on the classroom door, and the girls inside all looked up at him.

"Xiao Di Xiong." Tiantian smiled sweetly and walked to the door. "What's up?"

"Jie Jie, are you all going out together to look for someone tomorrow?" Zheng Yingxiong asked.

Tiantian glanced back at Yun Yao and then nodded. "Yeah, this place is so big, it's hard to find anyone. I'm planning to go with them—more people means more help."

"Can I go with you?" Zheng Yingxiong asked.

"You want to come with us?" Yun Yao and Zhang Lvshi exchanged glances. They didn't know much about this child and weren't sure what his intentions were.

"That's right, I want to wander around here." Zheng Yingxiong nodded. He seemed to have some unspoken concern and kept his lips pressed together.

Tiantian reached out and patted Zheng Yingxiong's head. "I thought you'd stick with Qi Xia."

"He's just one of my targets." Zheng Yingxiong looked up and said, "I also want to find another person... but the city is so huge, I have no idea where to look. I can only try my luck."