Chapter 5: Executive Leader Long put a hand to his face and exploded: “Stamp it!”

JANUARY 2, 2022 ~ FISH

Anyone who woke up in the middle of the night and found themselves sleepwalking would break into a cold sweat. Qi Chen was naturally no different. 

In the instant he realised where he was, reality and dreams merged together. He wasn’t even sure if it was that murky dream just now that caused his sleepwalking behaviour or his behaviour being projected into his dreams. 

Of course, whichever it was, both were very bad. 

Qi Chen closed his eyes and exhaled, calming his heartbeat that was pounding like a drum. 

“Returned to your senses?” The low voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, still carrying an air of impatience, making one wonder if this person was irritable all year round. 

Qi Chen’s eyelids trembled in shock. He suddenly opened them and turned around to look to the side: “How come you’re here?!” 

Under the streetlamp at the corner of the road, Executive Leader Long looked at him with a lousy expression. 

The pale yellow light fell onto his body, illuminating his prominent brow bones and the contours of his straight nose. This person obviously had a pair of very beautiful eyes but preferred to look at people with half lidded eyes as if he always carried an air of lazy contempt. Even though his height played a part you couldn’t disregard his manner of speaking, making him seem as if he was inherently asking to be hit. 

He snorted coldly, feeling that Qi Chen’s question was brainless: “If I’m not here, did a ghost wake you up just now?” 

Qi Chen gave a hollow laugh: “I thought it was also something I dreamed.” Just like that overlapping and hoarse old female voice, it was probably the only thing that didn’t mix between dreams and reality just now. 

Executive Leader Long huffed: “Right and you also dreamed I slapped your forehead? Why can’t you think if sensations in dreams can be that real?

 Qi Chen explained seriously: “I’ve dreamed of someone coming in from the balcony and removing my leg. The sensation was also pretty real.” 

Executive Leader Long: “…….” 

Qi Chen: “I’ve also climbed a mountain of knives, rolled across a plank of nails or whatever. My face and body were covered in blood.” 

Executive Leader Long: “……” 

Qi Chen: “Been thrown into a deep fryer, cooked and fried — —” 

“Stop stop stop!” Executive Leader Long’s mouth pulled downwards: “What kind of stupid nonsense do you dream about?!”

Then as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Qi Chen pressing his lips together, as if he’d laughed lightly. Only then did he realise the first half of those words just now might’ve been real, the latter half was 80% him talking nonsense with a straight face. 

Hence Executive Leader Long gave him a fierce glare. 

In fact, normally with Qi Chen’s outwardly cold and indifferent but inwardly lively personality, he definitely wouldn’t speak to someone he’d just met for a day. Especially with someone he didn’t get along at all with during the day and seemed incompatible in every way. 

But this time, Qi Chen hadn’t completely broken away from his previous state of panic yet. When he thought he was standing alone late at night, the appearance of any acquaintance would make them feel incomparably familiar and pleasing to the eye. Even if just a few hours prior he’d classified the person in front of him as ‘this crazy fellow surnamed Long’. 

Yet in this situation, Executive Leader Long’s temperament of naturally asking to be hit actually made it easier for Qi Chen to calm down. 

The calm and refined Qi Chen was, in some aspects, useless and easily swayed. At the class stand it was extremely easy to be shaken. In these short few minutes, he had already let out ‘‘this crazy fellow surnamed Long’ from the blacklist ‘don’t provoke, avoid’ and silently moved him into the ‘provoke occasionally’ category. 

Of course, Executive Leader Long, who owed eight million daily, had no idea what was going on in Qi Chen’s heart. With an impatient expression he opened his mouth and said: “If you have the ability to talk nonsense why not move your legs. Go!” 

After speaking he really didn’t care if Qi Chen followed and turned around to go, walking while coldly throwing out: “Why am I so idle.” 

He was tall, his legs were long and he  walked with vigorous strides. While he spoke, he had already walked a fair distance. Seeing that Qi Chen didnt follow, he footsteps paused again, turning his head and yelling back: “Become stupid? Still not leaving?” 

Qi Chen coughed and looked at him innocently: “Legs have been frozen numb.” 

Executive Leader Long put a hand to his face and exploded: “Stamp it!” 

Qi Chen: “Hehe….. am stamping.” 

He bent over and rubbed his calves to warm it up a little. Then he moved his feet until his numb toes finally regained some sensation. Only then did he straighten. 

In the end he found that someone who’d originally walked a fair distance away, was standing in front of him again: “…. Why did you walk back again? I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

Executive Leader Long opened his mouth coldly: “Came to see if your feet froze off.”

“….” Qi Chen: “Unfortunately, it regained some feeling.”

Executive Leader Long humphed and scanned Qi Chen from head to toe with a condescending gaze and sneered: “Based on what you’re wearing, I thought you had copper skin and iron bones and weren’t afraid of the cold. Why don’t you just come out in underpants?”

Qi Chen lowered his head to look at the cotton long sleeve shirt and home pants he was wearing and gave a hollow laugh: “Next time I sleepwalk, I’ll remember to change my clothes and wear a scarf before coming out.”

Executive Leader Long: “…..”

This time Qi Chen was completely conscious. His bodily functions also regained consciousness. Previously, within the dream there was no sense of cold, this time it all rushed up on him, seeping into his bones in waves. His voice already contained the nasally tone of severe cold after saying these few sentences. His nose and the corners of his eyes had already turned red from the cold, seeming especially obvious against his fair skin. 

Seeing him frozen like this, Executive Leader Long tsked, then took off his woolen overcoat and threw it on Qi Chen’s body: “Put it on!”

Due to the cold, Qi Chen’s reaction speed was a little delayed. He couldn’t catch the overcoat in time and was directly covered by it, suddenly being enveloped by a layer of warmth. 

“Why give it to me? I’m already frozen like this anyway. Drinking some ginger tea after I get back should help somewhat. If you give your coat to me, wouldn’t we both be cold? It’s not cost effective.” Qi Chen was smothered by the coat so the first half of his words were low and muffled. 

Executive Leader Long looked at him struggling to pull the coat off his face like he was looking at some exotic flower: “I really admire you. You still have the ability to consider what’s cost effective in this situation. You think I’m a scrap of paper like you getting a runny nose when cold? Hurry and wear it, why so much nonsense?!”

Besides, this person was probably about to explode. Qi Chen also wasn’t unreasonable. He hurriedly followed a certain someone covered in thorns back towards the company while wrapping himself in the coat. 

His height couldn’t be considered short. According to what he filled out on health check records, he was 1.78 metres. Normally he would shamelessly round up the number and say he was 1.8 metres to others. But in front of Executive Leader Long, he was still shorter by half a head. Additionally, his body type was somewhat thin. There was only a thin layer left of the muscles he’d gained in university when he was dragged to a gym by Xu Liang. When wearing such loose clothes like now, you couldn’t tell at all, nevermind drawing comparisons to Executive Leader Long. 

So on him, this coat seemed to be a size larger, making him seem even skinnier. 

Executive Leader Long really didn’t seem to be afraid of the cold, still walking with long strides. Qi Chen was somewhat unable to keep up and slowly lagged behind a few steps. 

He saw the person ahead walk while turning back, his expression still carrying an air of impatience. He opened his mouth, seeming about to say something to hurry him. However, after glancing twice at him, his conscience seemed to have been stung and he swallowed the words back down. Then seemingly extremely disdainful yet helpless, he sighed and slowed down.

After walking several steps, he seemed to have thought of something again and said to Qi Chen: “Did what I say on the steps at night enter your brain?” 

Qi Chen was momentarily unable to recall which sentence: “What?” 

“Tsk ——” Executive Leader Long felt like a life’s worth of patience was almost consumed and said with a face of annoyance: “Can you replace the tofu in your head with brain matter? Use your brain not your face when listening to someone.” 

Qi Chen calmly ignored this string of personal attacks: “Which one?” 

Executive Leader Long: “Not running around everywhere outside at night! There’s enough people scurrying around in the city. It doesn’t lack you, getting into some horrible mess, crying for dad and screaming for mum.” 

Wrapping the coat more tightly around himself, Qi Chen turned his head and said with uncertainty: “You actually believe these things?” 

“Believe what?” Executive Leader Long replied mildly, “Just listen when spoken too. Why so much nonsense?” 

Qi Chen nodded: “Normally, I also don’t like going out at night.” 

After walking a while, Qi Chen continued with the previous topic: “I actually don’t really believe these things because I haven’t encountered anything up till now. But I have heard other people talk about it somewhat. You’ve encountered it?” 

He saw Executive Leader Long shoot him a helpless glance and say casually: “Plenty.” 

Qi Chen tilted his head to look at him, seeming very curious: “Tell me?” 

Executive Leader Long: “…..”

Qi Chen pointed to the section of road ahead and said seriously: “Should be enough to talk about a couple concisely.” 

Executive Leader Long’s mouth pulled taunt: “Were you not just scared to the point of coughing?!” 

“I wasn’t scared into coughing just now.” Qi Chen said lightly: “Actually I’ve had a few instances of sleepwalking before. Allegedly it’ll happen during high stress or when my environment changes. I reckon that sounds about right. However, it’s still the first time I’ve woken up in the middle of the road. It’s truly quite panic inducing.” 

Executive Leader Long glanced at him: “The panicked one should be the person watching you sleepwalking.” 

“But how did you see me sleepwalking?” Qi Chen asked while looking at the coat on his body. 

Executive Leader Long said: “I happened to go by the supervision department and ended up seeing you swaying outside like a wandering ghost.” 

Qi Chen: “…..” Not sleeping and going to the supervision department at 2 or 3am? Does Director Dong know you’re so dedicated……

Executive Leader Long said angrily: “Why are you looking at me? Retract your damn gaze! You’re the crazy one!” 

Qi Chen said helplessly: “…… I didn’t even say anything.” 

The night was long and deep. It was even chillier than in late winter. Jiang City’s first snow of the year actually occurred at this time, quietly drifting down.

Waking up in the morning, as expected Qi Chen found that he’d been infected, with blurred eyes and a stuffy nose, his whole body soft and powerless. Carrying an abnormally heavy head, he hastily made a small pot of strong ginger tea. He poured himself a cup then filled a newly bought thermos with the rest, planning to take it to the company and give it to Executive Leader Long. 

The climate of Jiang City was humid. The snow from last night hadn’t stopped till this morning yet there wasn’t much built up on the roads. There was only a thin layer of ice that had formed after being downtrodden by people going back and forth. It was very slippery. 

He hugged the thermos and walked to the front of the office gates only to see a colleague in the yard almost slip and do a somersault. Yet with a flexible posture that defied natural order, they forcefully maintained their balance and straightened up. Another person that crossed shoulders with him sighed with a click of the tongue: “Whip types really have good waist strength ah….” 

“……” Qi Chen felt that he was probably too sick and misheard. 

For companies like Guang He that dealt with cultural relics, employees were always more sensitive to industry news than others. As long as it was related to something dug out of the mud, even if it was some trivial matter, they would always express some concern for it, like a conditioned reflex. 

However, what Qi Chen heard in the office today actually wasn’t about some trivial matter but rather a museum being robbed. 

“It’s that municipal museum opposite Ceylon Square. They lost a gilded white jade bracelet dug up from Bai He a while ago. It’s news from online.” Hong Ming finished telling Qi Chen then turned and asked Executive Leader Long behind him: “Leader, any activity from your end?” 

Executive Leader Long frowned, smelling the ginger tea Qi Chen had brought as if he had suffered bitterly and nursed deep hatred while replying: “No, why? Your bones are itching after resting for a while?” 

“What kind of smell is this? I’m not drinking it!” He pushed the thermos disdainfully to the side, “I’m perfectly fine, why would I drink this thing!” 

Qi Chen had just searched up the news online and was currently clicking on the link to look. Hearing Executive Leader Long’s words, and without even lifting his head, he spoke with a heavy nasal tone: “Are you afraid of spice?” 

Executive Leader Long seemed to find that any comment associated with the word ‘afraid’ was a great insult to his character. Immediately, he grabbed the thermos and impulsively poured the entire cup of hot and spicy ginger tea down his throat. Then he got up and placed the cup heavily on Qi Chen’s table with a ‘bang’. With a cold humph, he went out of the office and threw out: “I’m going to the supervision department to find Old Hu.” Then he disappeared. 

Qi Chen glanced at the thermos, finding it somewhat funny, then returned his gaze to the webpage. 

According to the news, there was an intruder in the museum last night. That person felt their way to the exhibition area containing the batch of cultural relics unearthed in Bai He and stole that gilded white jade bracelet, yet didn’t trigger any anti theft mechanisms. The surveillance cameras only captured a very blurry figure before encountering a malfunction, rendering the rest a grainy black and white. 

There were a few photos attached at the bottom of the news page. The first two were photos of that gilded white jade bracelet. The last two were images taken from surveillance footage. 

Qi Chen scanned the first two photos and found the stolen bracelet was the same one Xu Liang had shown him that day. He then flipped to the next page to look at the surveillance footage images. As soon as he saw it, he froze.