NOVEL NEXT 164: A Reason To Hug
Marveling at Yan Mingqing’s outfit, Lin Songmei gave her a surprise hug. Of course, given the fact Mingqing was her girlfriend, Songmei didn’t need a reason to hug her, but it never hurt to have one, anyway.
Like many hugs, Songmei’s reasoning was just “Mingqing looked nice.” Infallible reasoning in Songmei’s humble opinion.
With Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying giving them ‘the look’ again, Songmei cleared her throat. “Are we going? Any updates on the other disciples?”
“They said they’re also ready,” Youhong read off his terminal, “They’re on their way to the meeting location as well, so should we get going?”
“Yeah, let’s not keep them waiting,” Songmei shrugged as she walked over to the door, opening it before waving for everyone to exit. “You first Mr. Esteemed Leader Youhong.”
“Oh shut it,” Youhong sighed as he led the way. Waiting until they got to the elevator, Youhong turned, putting his hands on Songmei and Mingqing’s shoulders “So, we’re setting up a fake ambush to try and lure him out. Are you two sure you’ll be able to hold him off?”
“Well, it’s a little late to be thinking about that,” Mingqing removed Youhong’s hand, electing to move it so it was on his own shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. The two of us fight together a lot so in theory we should be fine.”
Tapping the sword at her waist, Mingqing shrugged as Liying gave her a worried look. Winking and shooting a finger gun, Mingqing walked out of the elevator with wide strides as the doors slid open.
Filing out of the elevator behind Mingqing, Liying laughed and put her hands in her pockets. “I’m straight, but I must admit that was pretty hot.”
With a faint blush on her cheeks, Songmei nodded in agreement. “I’m very not straight and that was very hot.”
“Oh shut up you,” Liying pat Songmei on the back as Songmei protested. “You were collateral damage, you have to have more resistance than this, how do you survive when you and Mingqing are alone?”
“I don’t... I just sit there and enjoy the ride I guess... ” Songmei sighed before jogging off to catch up to Mingqing. Leaving Liying to just shake her head on her own, Songmei heard some faint murmurs along the lines of “stupid lovebirds,” but she pushed it out of her mind.
Holding hands with Mingqing as they made their way to the meeting point, Songmei had a nice time chatting about some random topics. Coming to a stop on a distant rooftop though, Songmei pulled out a pair of binoculars to peer at the mayor.
Gao Kunshan, in an effort to quell the populace, had stopped working in the central district. Instead, He had taken to working in a seven day rotation. He’d change offices everyday, rotating through an office in each of the seven districts in the northside and southside.
With everyone gathered on the rooftop, Songmei saw as a couple people copied her, taking out their own pairs of binoculars to gaze at the mayor and his distant office. Because he was working from Wrath’s district for the day, they had chosen this particular day to strike.
Having coordinated with Gluttony, Lust, and Sloth to hold off any third parties, the plan was simple. Wrath’s subordinates would raid Gao Kunshan’s office in Wrath’s district after he was lured away. They’d take everything Gao Kunshan brought with him on a day-to-day basis.
With all the people on the rooftop, the goal was to bait the mayor into thinking they were trying to take him down without revealing the new advancements Songmei and Mingqing had with their cultivation. However, once the fight started, the plan was for everyone except for Songmei and Mingqing to book it towards Gao Kunshan’s office in the central district.
“What are we waiting for?” Liu Liping tapped Songmei’s shoulder asking with a curious expression. “For that assistant to leave?”
“Yeah, once the assistant leaves,” Songmei peered through the binoculars with a nod. “I’ll just shoot an arrow to cover the window in crystal. It probably won’t bait him out, but we’re going to try and figure something out to get him out here in a combative mood.”
“Sounds very... not reliable.” Liu Liping sighed as she pulled out her own pair of binoculars. “Are you sure you’ll be able to get him to come out? This plan kinda hinges on the assumption we can get you and Mingqing into a fight with him.”
Shrugging, Songmei pat Liu Liping on the shoulder. “Youhong said he had a strategy to get him out so... we’ll see. Also, you know how the mayor’s been taking ‘supplements’ from a ‘mysterious benefactor’? They’re practically making his body younger, stronger, more limber, the whole package. But from his perpetually bloodshot eyes, it seems his already short fuse and documented anger issues are getting worse. So I think the bar to lure him out is even lower, that’s why Youhong isn’t too worried.”
With Liu Liping still doubtful, Songmei patted her on the back as Youhong pulled up a giant rolled up banner. Songmei had no clue what it was for, but knowing Youhong and the shenanigans he got up to during their game nights, she was pretty sure this ‘method of incitement’ was humorous.
“Alright, assistant is out of the room, you’re good to go, Songmei. Youhong requested that you don’t cover the entire window, but puncture it a little instead so sound can make it through.” Taigang announced with a low voice as everyone fell silent.
Drawing her bow back while murmuring an “I’m on it,” Songmei poured a little more Qi into it than usual. Funneling more Qi than usual into the tip of her arrow, Songmei squinted her eyes, lining it up just a little more.
With the string of her bow snapping forward to launch the arrow, Songmei lowered her bow and crouched down. Keeping her connection with the Qi in the arrow, Songmei detonated the Qi just before it collided with the window, sending crystal over half the window while creating a small spider web of cracks.
Done with her job, Songmei shifted to the back of the group to stand next to Mingqing. “Any idea of what Youhong has in store?”
“I’m pretty sure I do,” Mingqing facepalmed as she leaned back against the waist-high wall lining the rooftop they were on. “You’ll se-”
“I HAVE GAO KUNSHAN’S INDECENT PICTURES!” Youhong shouted at the top of his lungs. With his voice echoing, the attention of the few other people in the area was grabbed as Youhong waved the still rolled up banner over his head. Repeating a few variations of the shout, Youhong grinned as a small group of people formed while the mayor began running around in his office.
“How is this working...” Songmei sighed astounded as to how fast the small figure in the mayor’s office was scrambling. “Did Youhong discover something while investigating?”
“Yeah, he mentioned it on the night you fell asleep.” Mingqing tapped her chin, staring off into space with a squint. “Pretty sure it was that night. I’ve fallen asleep at too many of our meetings to really remember. But during that meeting he revealed how he found past relationship chat records the mayor had while looking for chat records exchanged with a demon.”
“Wher... where did he find this?” Songmei raised her eyebrows, shaking her head in disbelief.
“He found it while snooping around the mayor’s personal residence. It was in a locked cabinet so he thought it was something secretive, but I guess it wasn’t. Apparently they’re from decades ago, so the files with the pictures were actually really hard to find a way to access, but the mayor doesn’t know, or doesn’t remember.” Mingqing snorted, raising a hand to hide her smile.
“So he doesn’t actually have the pictures but he could if he really wanted to...” Songmei facepalmed as well, burying her face into Mingqing’s arm as Youhong continued to shout “INDECENT PICTURES,” at the top of his lungs. “How is he not ashamed of the words he’s shouting...”
