C13 Meet up

Grandpa Zhong's final resting place was steeped in poor geomancy, clearly marked as a lair of the Green Dragon's malevolent energy. Such a site boded ill for his descendants.

Yet, despite this, Zhong Ling's father adamantly refused to relocate the grave. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story than met the eye.

This thought weighed heavily on me, darkening my expression.

Meanwhile, Zhong Ling's voice was a constant presence, eagerly listing off items she wanted. "I'll have this, and this, and this..." Once she finished, she turned to me and asked what I felt like eating. "Anything's fine," I answered without much enthusiasm.

No sooner had I spoken than my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to find the shop we were in was refreshingly clean, with a minimalist white decor. Seated by the window in a cozy corner, I checked the new message on my screen.

"Have you made up your mind?"

"No," I shot back quickly.

The next message, however, sent a shiver down my spine: "Don't dine with Zhong Ling. Forget the whole thing. After all, a million isn't a small sum."

A cold dread crept over me as I scanned the room. Was someone watching us all this time?

The shop was sparsely populated, with no familiar faces to be seen. It seemed unlikely that any of these strangers were involved.

A sense of unease took hold of me, the sensation of being under surveillance gnawing at my comfort. Despite my vigilance, I found nothing amiss. But Zhong Ling noticed my distracted gaze and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Snapping back to reality, I assured her, "Nothing at all."

I inhaled deeply, striving for composure. It dawned on me that we weren't being watched from nearby; rather, we must have been spotted leaving the company. This realization brought me a measure of relief.

Zhong Ling's voice cut through my thoughts once more. "Big brother security guard, you seem a bit off. Is everything okay?"

Her voice was tinged with worry. "I'm fine," I reassured her, masking the turmoil within.

As Zhong Ling was about to say more, the waiter arrived with our order. She had requested five dishes and a soup, including several hearty ones. It was clear we couldn't possibly finish it all.

I couldn't help thinking that Zhong Ling certainly didn't see money as an object. This wasn't new; in all the times we'd dined together, she always ordered extravagantly, never minding if we could finish the food or not.

It was obvious Zhong Ling wasn't short on cash. And having met her father the day before, it struck me that he too had an air of affluence.

I found myself questioning whether her father was wealthy.

Perhaps Zhong Ling wasn't being financially supported by anyone after all.

As this crossed my mind, my eyes involuntarily drifted back to Zhong Ling's face, and my expression involuntarily grew more grave.

Something was amiss.

The 'marriage' line that had faded from Zhong Ling's Spouse Palace was visible once again.

I had sealed the malevolent entity in a vessel, and the dark spot at the Spouse Palace had vanished, only to reemerge, causing a heavy feeling in my chest.

The situation seemed to be growing increasingly complex.

Was someone behind the scenes meddling with Zhong Ling again?

Yet, what baffled me was the absence of any Yin Qi on Zhong Ling.

Noticing my fixed stare, Zhong Ling asked, "Security guard big brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

I shook my head, dismissing it as nothing.

Seeing my preoccupied demeanor, Zhong Ling didn't press further and instead hastened me to eat.

Once we finished our meal and Zhong Ling had settled the bill, we left the restaurant. In the car, after buckling up, Zhong Ling turned to me and said, "Security guard big brother, send me your account info, I'll transfer the money to you."

"Hmm?"

"Remember, I promised to give you 10,000 yuan? I'm ready to send it now."

I reassured Zhong Ling that there was no rush, as the issue was not yet fully resolved.

I shifted the conversation and casually inquired if Zhong Ling had been feeling unwell lately. She shook her head and replied, "Security bro, I really owe you one. Since you stepped in and took care of that issue for me, I've been problem-free and feeling great these past few days," she said with ease.

I suspected someone behind the scenes was targeting Zhong Ling. To truly resolve her issue, a face-to-face with this shadowy figure was inevitable.

On a different note, if I was after that million yuan, meeting this individual was also necessary. Heading into work today, I made sure to carry the vessel for nurturing malevolent spirits. Truth be told, the prospect was eating away at me.

A million yuan. That's no small sum.

To Zhong Ling, I simply said, "No thanks needed."

With that, I sent off a text to the mysterious contact, this time with a firm commitment to meet tonight.

The response came swiftly: "Fine, how about the plaza near your company?"

The reply was almost instantaneous.

I paused, considering the plaza's bustling atmosphere as a safer meeting point.

"Okay, let's make it 8:30 pm. Don't stand me up," I texted back.

"Done," came the prompt reply.

After sending the message, I couldn't shake a sense of unease, staring blankly at my phone screen. Upon reaching the company, Zhong Ling headed upstairs while I retreated to the sanctuary of my security booth.

A few colleagues returned to the office and stopped by my booth for a chat. My mind was elsewhere, and I could only muster half-hearted responses to their banter.

Once I had a moment to myself and my thoughts settled, a spark of inspiration struck. Of course, if this person was an employee, they'd have their phone on them. All I needed to do was make a call, and once their phone rang, I'd uncover the identity of the person pulling the strings.

Currently, I'm seated in the security room, under the watchful eye of a surveillance camera, which allows me to observe the movements of most people in the office.

With this in mind, I wasted no time. I promptly pulled out my phone, ready to dial that person's number.