Chapter 33 – Dating Agency (1)
Meeting an old friend, Shi Bu seemed very happy, his mouth opening and closing, even adjusting to a comfortable standing position, seemingly determined to chat for a long time.
Xu Tonggui neither urged nor interrupted, quietly listening with lowered eyes.
“…”
Before this silly chatterbox could spew more words, Jiang Yujin propped himself up, walking out from the shadowy corner.
His posture appeared as if he casually passed by. As he drew closer, he patted Shi Bu on the back of his head and chuckled, “What a coincidence, meeting you guys here.”
Suddenly hit, Shi Bu hadn’t realized why he was hit, just assuming his good friend had a bit too much strength today and greeted him back with a smile, “Didn’t expect to see you again.”
His gaze shifted to the person opposite, saying, “Guess who I’ve run into!”
The tone was pleasantly surprised, and the expression was joyful.
While he conversed here, Jiang Yujin looked up at the person in combat uniform, and Xu Tonggui also glanced at him.
Without answering Shi Bu’s question, Jiang Yujin reached out, hooking his neck, “It’s getting late, you have work tomorrow, it’s better to go back and rest soon.”
His words sounded considerate. Shi Bu couldn’t help but pat his hand, “Brother, a bit tight.”
Jiang Yujin smiled, “Is that so.”
It’s you who’s killing me.
After finally getting together again, despite the discomfort, Shi Bu didn’t seem to have any intention to leave. Eventually, he was kicked away by his close friend beside him, turning around three times while leaving.
Jiang Yujin looked at Xu Tonggui, explaining, “He lacks self-control, if he doesn’t sleep, he won’t be able to get up in the morning for sure.”
After saying that, Jiang Yujin ruffled his hair, his eyelids drooping, “I’m tired too, so let’s end it here for today, goodbye.”
As he spoke, his feet slowly started moving.
Xu Tonggui looked at him with lowered eyes.
In the end, Jiang Yujin couldn’t successfully slip away.
Being considerate, Captain Xu immediately arranged a room upon learning of his fatigue.
Sitting in the room, Citizen Jiang really couldn’t easily brush this matter aside.
Xu Tonggui poured a glass of water and handed it over. Jiang Yujin’s mind was arranging thoughts while he took it and drank before returning the empty glass.
“…”
Realizing something, Jiang Yujin raised his eyes and coincidentally met Xu Tonggui’s probing gaze.
The other’s gaze held profound curiosity.
So, Citizen Jiang added, “Thank you.”
Compared to the skilled action of receiving the water earlier, this added sentence sounded dry and insincere.
Xu Tonggui sat down, tilting his head, “Have we broken up?”
Extracting words from Shi Bu’s mouth earlier, this time he skipped asking if there had been a relationship between them and went straight to the point.
He’s quite direct with this question, and Jiang Yujin’s ears seemed to throb at the mention of the word ‘breakup’. After a brief silence, he said, “Let me… drink water, I’ll tell you.”
Xu Tonggui then got up again, poured a glass of water, and handed it over.
The pouring time allowed ample time for Jiang Yujin’s brain to race.
Jiang Yujin took the water, had a sip, then lowered his eyes, saying, “We broke up.”
Unlike his previously carefree demeanor with a smile, this person seemed to have settled down completely, finally showing a hint of seriousness.
Xu Tonggui asked, “Why?”
He added, “Is it my fault?”
“You know, a breakup isn’t decided by just one thing,” Jiang Yujin said. “Anyway, we’re no longer together.”
Xu Tonggui listened.
Skipping the reason for the breakup, the focus shifted to what happened after. He mentioned that the day after the breakup, he suddenly disappeared, abruptly, even before informing his friends about the breakup. Checking the surveillance cameras at the police station only revealed him leaving the city alone, and thereafter, there were no more clues. It’s possible that he voluntarily wanted to leave everything behind.
Everyone assumed he left on his own. With no contact, it was all left behind, but considering the current situation, he must have been pulled into the game back then.
Upon returning, he inexplicably lost his memory, forgetting everyone.
Since he had amnesia, there was no need to bring up the breakup again. Originally, Jiang Yujin, his ex-boyfriend, wanted to pretend this relationship never happened, but he was surprised at how persistent he was about the past.
Leisurely taking a sip of water, Jiang Yujin said, “Is it clear now?”
After finishing the water, he glanced at the cup, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
This time, it was lukewarm water, strangely warm to drink.
—This explanation was crude yet carried a sense of reality, explaining his earlier act of pretending not to know and also addressing the lock with his fingerprints and the question from the person earlier about why he didn’t go back to see those around him.
Xu Tonggui looked at the person with disheveled hair, drooping eyelids, and an expression of surprise studying the lukewarm water. His steel-grey pupils twitched slightly.
This person was once his lover.
Feeling the warmth of the lukewarm water settling within him, Citizen Jiang put down the cup and lay down on the bed. His already wrinkled shirt became even more creased, his messy hair sprawled on the white sheets, and the drowsiness instantly spread.
He directly took over the entire bed, and with one raised finger, declared solemnly that he had claimed this bed and hoped all unrelated persons would leave promptly.
It was evident that Captain Xu belonged to the category of unrelated persons.
He turned off the lights, and as an unrelated person, Captain Xu left the room, then went to the front desk to extend the checkout time from the default nine in the morning to a later time.
For some reason, he felt the other person might not be someone who’d easily get up in the morning.
After settling the bill, he walked away.
…
In a dark room, the person who had been lying on the bed had risen, taken off their shirt, and put on a sweatshirt of a middle-aged style. They sat by the window, gazing downward with lowered eyes.
The night wind blew, tossing their hair to one side, blurring their vision.
Jiang Yujin reached for his hair, silently watching a figure leaving the hotel, eventually disappearing at the end of the street across.
Retracting his gaze and leaning against the windowsill, he turned and stood up.
Some people drifted into a deep sleep at night, while others remained restless.
Jiang Yujin had suddenly arrived in F City, disrupting the original plans. Chen Jing and Xiao Pang didn’t rest, scouring the city for any suspicious leads.
Unlike their initial arrival, luck didn’t favor them this time with chance encounters. They ran around for half the night, only to confirm a few previously marked strange species were, in fact, not strange species.
Until the break of dawn, as the first light pierced through, Xiao Pang sat down where he stood, lifting his head to ask the person still standing, “Shall we keep searching?”
He added, “Uncle will wake up soon too.”
“He won’t wake until noon,” Chen Jing folded the paper in his hand, saying, “Let’s continue.”
Xiao Pang stood up, following him as they changed direction again.
Walking along the road, they passed by speeding police cars and vehicles from the Special Investigation Unit, along with TV station vans trailing behind, seemingly heading toward yesterday’s park.
Without much attention to the vehicles, the two moved on.
They ruled out two places in the morning, taking a brief break at noon. Chen Jing and Xiao Pang glanced at the map again, realizing only three places remained.
The closest spot was a dating agency, a three-story building. Despite two missing persons cases in the past, its reputation remained high due to its quality clientele.
Chen Jing folded the map, stating simply, “Let’s go here.”
The agency was nearby, taking less than half an hour to reach. Across the street, they observed the three-story building with a sign hanging. It differed from the pictures they had seen previously; it had become significantly luxurious, with people frequently coming and going, an auntie greeting and seeing off customers, a perpetual smile on her face.
Exchanging a glance, Chen Jing and Xiao Pang crossed the street, entering the building.
The dating agency seemed to flourish more and had earned a substantial amount of money. The interior and exterior of the shop were highly consistent, exuding a consistent sense of luxury. The auntie who had been at the door and saw them entering stood up again with a smile, approaching them.
This kind of slightly enthusiastic situation was something Xiao Pang could handle better. Without giving the other person a chance to speak, he rambled on, fabricating a story about being a second-generation wealthy individual to capture the auntie’s attention. He continued speaking without pause. Meanwhile, Chen Jing took the opportunity to survey the area.
The building was spacious, and their location was in the lobby, where other people, such as concerned grandparents looking for partners for their children, were present. Above them was a high ceiling, with a massive crystal chandelier hanging, exuding extreme luxury. From the lobby, parts of the corridors on the second and third floors were visible, with people constantly moving about, chatting and laughing.
As Chen Jing withdrew his gaze, they heard measured footsteps approaching the entrance. Glancing sideways, they saw a person with blond hair entering, swinging keys in hand. Their gaze casually passed over the lobby, then locked onto where the auntie was, and they changed direction to approach her.
The auntie also noticed them and, looking up, directly said, “Miss Huang is in the room farthest to the left on the second floor.”
With keys in hand, the person with blond hair ascended the stairs to the second floor.
They kept chatting until it was time to fill in information. Xiao Pang couldn’t continue the conversation any further, and when asked about their age, he stated a number.
It was the ages of his two “o’s” – minors.
Xiao Pang and Chen Jing were asked to leave.
Back across the street, Xiao Pang looked at Chen Jing. “So, did you notice anything?”
But they had only been sitting there and glanced around; the probability of noticing any strange species was low.
“It’s this place,” Chen Jing said, “The person with blond hair had dried blood around their fingernails, coagulated, indicating it’s been there for a while. There’s a wound on their neck, and only a strange species could bite in that manner.”
He glanced downward. “The question is how to get back in.”
Xiao Pang glanced at him and then away. “…Maybe there’s someone who can.”
*
The adult citizen surnamed Jiang woke up around noon.
Outside the window, it was bright, the sun reaching its zenith, shining intensely. He opened his eyes, then slowly closed them again.
As he prepared to slip back into slumber, his phone, which had been set aside, rang with vibrations. He turned over and lazily answered.
It was a call from a high schooler, asking where he was. He glanced at the hotel’s name printed on the bedside and replied.
Two high schoolers arrived.
Having just brainstormed last night, Jiang Yujin dragged his heavy body out of bed, washed up, stood in front of the mirror, casually taming his tousled hair with his eyes lowered, while the two high schoolers whispered something on the couch.
After he finished freshening up and wore a wrinkled shirt, the high schoolers informed him, for various reasons, that they wanted him to go somewhere.
Jiang Yujin: “Hmm?”
…
Standing in front of the three-story dating agency, Jiang Yujin turned to the two high schoolers. “Is this really part of your social practice?”
Chen Jing averted his gaze, feeling the pressure, while Xiao Pang nodded under the strain. “Just chat, as much as possible. After a good conversation, the boss will stamp our forms.”
Jiang Yujin yawned and walked inside, with Chen Jing following beside him while Xiao Pang stayed outside to greet.
The auntie who was chatting with someone before, smiling, noticed them and her expression changed momentarily. However, when she noticed Jiang Yujin looking around as he walked in, her smile returned, and she stood up to approach.
Jiang Yujin sat on the sofa, finding a cup of tea in front of him. The auntie sat opposite him, glanced at him, then quickly glanced at Chen Jing beside him, trying to grasp their relationship. It was difficult to speak for a moment.
It was her first time seeing someone bring their son to the dating agency.
The person in front of her wore wrinkled clothes, disheveled hair, giving off an aura of someone who had just gotten out of bed at noon. There was no air of affluence about him, but rather a sense of apathy and laziness, making it difficult to find any positive attributes at first.
But a top-notch matchmaker was still a top-notch matchmaker. The auntie continued smiling and asked, “Are you here to register for finding a partner?”
In reality, Citizen Jiang didn’t know why he was here, but upon hearing that, he nodded slightly.
His nod made the auntie’s smile widen, and she took a sip of water, continuing the conversation.
Interests: watching soap operas and playing puzzle games. Proficient at playing Xiaoxiaole game, income extremely unstable, irregular sleep patterns, single parent to a high schooler.
As the conversation continued, the smile on the auntie’s face gradually faded, but her gaze became more determined.
From this point on, the conversation had completely shifted in nature—a battle to uphold the dignity of the matchmaker.
She was determined to find at least one positive trait!
Engrossed in conversation, the auntie and Citizen Jiang were engaged. Chen Jing, who had been sitting quietly, stood up and quietly said, “I need to find the restroom,” before leaving.
Chen Jing walked into the corridor leading to the second floor. He sent a message to Xiao Pang, instructing him to keep a close eye on the situation inside and prioritize protecting Jiang Yujin if anything happened. Xiao Pang replied with an acknowledgment.
It was neither too early nor too late. The people who had been chatting in the corridor were nowhere in sight. Only the sound of Chen Jing’s footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Glancing at rows of room doors, he recalled the auntie’s previous words to the blond-haired individual: “Room farthest to the left on the second floor.”
The room at the far left of the second floor was indistinguishable from its surroundings. Chen Jing looked in the direction of the camera, stood in front of the door, and knocked. No one answered, and there was no sound from inside.
Lowering his gaze, he casually placed a tissue on the door handle and then turned it.
The door was locked. There was something like a towel stuffed under the door, visible through the gap. Chen Jing squatted down, partially pulling the towel out.
The side of the towel facing the corridor was relatively clean, but the other side was stained red.
Chen Jing furrowed his brows, reinserted the towel, then took a clay-like substance from his pocket and filled the lock with it before putting it back in his pocket and heading downstairs.
The auntie downstairs was still chatting with Jiang Yujin. Her habitual courteous smile had completely vanished from her face, replaced by a serious demeanor. In contrast, Jiang Yujin seemed relaxed, holding a cup of tea, occasionally sipping to stay hydrated while chatting.
It was difficult to tell if they were really there for registration or matchmaking.
The auntie held the pen she was trying to use so tightly it seemed she might pierce through the paper. A vibration sounded nearby, and Jiang Yujin glanced at his phone, noticing a message from Shi Bu.
Due to last night’s incident, many parts of the park were damaged, and emergency repairs were ongoing. Much of what he did last night seemed to have been in vain, and now he needed to spend a whole day planning the park’s restoration.
It looked rather bleak, but Jiang Yujin smiled slightly.
While he checked his phone, the auntie took a brief break to drink some water and then resumed her efforts to find positive traits.
Jiang Yujin’s mood improved considerably. He leaned back on the sofa, cup in hand, and smiled, “Take your time, no rush.”
Auntie: “……”
The auntie’s eyes lit up, she picked up the form and said, “Can you smile again?”
Jiang Yujin: “Hmm?”
Chen Jing descended just as Citizen Jiang finished filling out the registration form. The auntie, teary-eyed and excited as if she’d completed a major deal, was overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment. She even waived the registration fee, completely immersed in the joy of success.
Not quite understanding why the auntie was so thrilled, but sensing that they had received something for free, Jiang Yujin stood up when he saw the high schoolers return, ready to leave.
The exuberant auntie quickly grabbed him, asking for a contact method, insisting on staying in touch in case she had any news for him in the future.
Watching the exchange of contact information between the two, Chen Jing then followed the adult man who pocketed his phone, leaving the place.
Outside the dating agency, Jiang Yujin turned to the high schoolers and asked, “Is this enough, or do we need to continue?”
Chen Jing remained silent.
Any further and it would involve actual matchmaking.
He said, “This is enough.”
Initially, they had only intended to chat for a while, but unexpectedly, this person stirred the auntie’s competitive spirit, resulting in the completion of a registration form.
With the task accomplished, Jiang Yujin strolled off to find local specialties in F City.
Seeing the cheerful figure of the adult man disappear at the end of the road, Chen Jing waved to Xiao Pang, who was still observing the situation on the other side. Xiao Pang hurried over.
Taking out the clay from his pocket, Chen Jing handed it to Xiao Pang and said, “We need to make a key today. Come back and check later tonight.”
Xiao Pang nodded.
*
The specialty of F City was its liquor—various types of small fruit wines, slightly higher in alcohol content than usual. If you found the right place, the entire street would be filled with the fragrance of fruit wine.
In the afternoon, those drinking in the shops were either tourists or locals with free time. The locals were well-versed in local affairs, easily discussing gossip and things that wouldn’t appear in the news.
Jiang Yujin sat in a corner, enjoying some puzzle games and sipping his drink, casually eavesdropping on a few conversations.
It wasn’t the melodramatic gossip he usually enjoyed, but news about a local girl who had gone missing. Her house had been broken into, the room was a mess, and she was nowhere to be found.
The incident had occurred nearby, and the locals were discussing it fervently, transitioning to the chaos at the park on the outskirts, mentioning the lack of surveillance there.
Losing interest in the conversation, Citizen Jiang signaled to the server, requesting a small bottle of pineapple fruit wine, aromatic and sweet.
