QTIMP -Chapter 285 Character Persona – Violent (Part 13)

Two young girls sat at the foot of the bed, whispering among themselves. They thought they were speaking very quietly, but the two people on the hospital beds could hear them clearly—after all, neither of them were ordinary.

A flicker of anxiety crossed Ye Shubai’s mind.

A few days later, although Ye Shubai and Jiang Siyan had not fully recovered, they were already able to be discharged from the hospital. Zhao Xianfeng also came by. After first expressing his thanks to Si Qiu, he then informed her:

“Comrade Si Qiu, your identity has been verified. I’ve already booked your train ticket—a soft sleeper for tomorrow morning. That boy Shubai is also heading there at the same time.

He has a dedicated car to pick him up, so you can just go along with him. It’ll save you the trouble of shuttling back and forth with your luggage.”

Zhao Xianfeng also didn’t know what that brat Ye Shubai was so anxious about. He insisted on being discharged immediately and rushed to book train tickets to leave right away.

Cursing inwardly, his expression remained unchanged, and his hands didn’t pause either.

After speaking, he casually handed over an envelope. Si Qiu didn’t refuse and simply took it and put it away.

Ye Shubai was indeed a bit anxious. After all, judging from Si Qiu’s spending habits over the past couple of days, his earlier claim that she would “never go treasure hunting for old houses again” clearly seemed like she had just been fooling that silly girl Jiang Siyue.

He was worried watching from the sidelines, afraid something might happen to her. He wanted to say he could give her all his money, but he had no standing to say that.

So he directly told Zhao Xianfeng that he wanted to be discharged and urgently book train tickets. He absolutely couldn’t let Si Qiu keep “running wild” like this anymore—his little heart couldn’t take it.

As for leaving, Si Qiu had no objections. Just as Ye Shubai had guessed, she hadn’t been idle these past few days either. Although the gains weren’t as huge as the first day, they were still substantial thanks to her “cheat-like” methods.

Besides, this wasn’t yet the peak period for people emigrating overseas—it wouldn’t really start until around ’55. That would be the best time for treasure hunting in old houses.

Most importantly, while treasure hunting couldn’t be openly discussed, it was still an unspoken but recognized way to make money. In the future, it would give her a legitimate explanation for her spending.

Early the next morning, after getting up and washing up, she packed her things into her suitcase. Because she had bought too many items, she even had to buy two extra suitcases, otherwise they wouldn’t fit.

Just after she finished packing, there was a knock at the door. Si Qiu went to open it, and Ye Shubai was standing outside in a white shirt, gray vest, and suit trousers. His face still looked a little pale.

The moment he saw Si Qiu, he immediately smiled.

“I bought breakfast. After we eat, we’ll head to the train station.”

Si Qiu stepped back slightly, letting him in.

Ye Shubai barely managed to pull his gaze away from the graceful, well-defined figure outlined by her qipao.

After they finished breakfast, Si Qiu picked up a light blue silk shirt and put it on over her qipao. Ye Shubai had never seen such a style of dressing before.

It was neither as formal as a qipao with a shawl, nor overly casual—instead, it carried a faint sense of lazy sensuality.

She refused his offer to carry her luggage, which was then taken by the attendants waiting at the door. They got into the car and headed to the train station.

“Jiang Siyan’s injuries won’t heal overnight, so let him go back and spend some time with the old master first. He can come find me again after he recovers.”

Ye Shubai always seemed to notice every detail about her, responding appropriately at just the right moments.

After entering the train station, Ye Shubai stayed not far behind her, shielding her from the crowd. When Si Qiu gave him a grateful smile, he responded with a polite, gentlemanly smile of his own.

After boarding the train, the soft sleeper compartment had upper and lower berths. With two accompanying attendants, the four of them occupied one compartment.

Si Qiu looked around and still chose the upper bunk. She didn’t like others sitting on her bed. She took out a bedsheet from her suitcase.

Ye Shubai quickly stepped forward to help her make the bed after taking it. He was very observant—just from her glance, he already knew she had chosen the upper bunk on the right side.

The accompanying staff, seeing there was nothing for them to do, went to fetch water with enamel mugs.

After he finished making the bed, Si Qiu smoothed her qipao and sat by the small table next to the window.

“How long will this train ride take?”

“Two days and two nights. We’ll arrive early the day after tomorrow.”

Train conditions at this time were really not great. Even soft sleepers weren’t very comfortable, though they were far better than hard seats.

Moreover, this time the train was delayed by a full hour when it arrived.

After getting off the train and leaving the station, a car was already waiting. It took them directly to the Matryoshka Hotel. Si Qiu looked at it with a somewhat skeptical expression.

Ye Shubai smiled gently, like jade. “Qiuqiu, it takes more than three hours to drive to the military district from here. We’ve just gotten off the train and are too tired. Let’s rest for a night and go tomorrow.”

After saying this and seeing Si Qiu give a slight nod, he felt a small surge of joy.

“Then go back to your room and rest first. We’ll go have lunch in two hours.”

Lunch was arranged by Ye Shubai at Hua Mei Western Restaurant. Looking at the menu, Si Qiu only then realized she hadn’t really eaten Russian food before.

So she ordered with great enthusiasm: red borscht, braised beef in a pot, pan-fried fish, caviar salad, bread and pickles, and also some kvass.

Kvass is a fermented bread drink with no alcohol. Si Qiu wasn’t very used to it, but the braised beef and pan-fried fish were quite good.

After eating, the two of them strolled back to the hotel. The city had already begun to show signs of prosperity. The streets did not look as dull and oppressive as old photographs suggested.

Instead, there was a sense of vitality—people coming and going, most with smiles on their faces and hope in their eyes.

Ye Shubai also felt that walking together along the bustling streets was a very romantic thing. But all roads eventually end, and they returned to the hotel.

Just as Si Qiu was about to go back to her room, one of Ye Shubai’s attendants quickly walked over and whispered something in his ear. He frowned slightly and nodded.

Afterwards, he said a few words to reassure Si Qiu, then turned and left.

Si Qiu didn’t mind. She returned to her room, took a shower, and went to rest. At dinner time, she did not see Ye Shubai.

She went out on her own, bought some things, ate a meal, and then came back to rest.

Early the next morning, just after she woke up, there was a somewhat urgent knock at the door. When Si Qiu opened it, one of Ye Shubai’s guards was standing outside.

“Comrade Si, Mr. Ye has an urgent matter and cannot accompany you to the stationed military unit anymore. However, he has contacted the logistics department of that unit. They just so happen to be going out for procurement, so you can ride their vehicle there.”

He then handed over a note. “This is the contact information Mr. Ye left for you. If you need anything, you can call him directly.”

While saying this, he also carefully observed Si Qiu’s expression as instructed.

Si Qiu smiled as she took the note. “Thank you for Mr. Ye’s thoughtfulness. I’ll pack up and head to the logistics department’s vehicle right away.”