Chapter 50: Skyscraper Tower
Lu Qianqian was much stronger than Gu Qing had imagined.
Even though she couldn’t sleep all night last night due to fear, even though she had many questions she wanted to ask, now in Gu Qing’s arms, after being gently held and comforted by him for a little while, she raised her head and said stubbornly: “I… I’m fine.”
Her eyes were still a bit red. Gu Qing produced a lollipop like magic, tore off the wrapper and brought it to her lips. Lu Qianqian obediently ate it, watching Gu Qing rub her head and say: “Is there anything you want to ask?”
“Do I need to know?” Lu Qianqian asked him softly.
Gu Qing was first stunned, then smiled: “If possible, I hope you’d better not know anything.”
“Mm, then I don’t have any questions.” Lu Qianqian answered softly.
Ji Yueling, listening to the entire conversation, was dazed for quite a while.
She seemed to suddenly understand why Gu Qing never seemed to get annoyed with Lu Qianqian.

“Thanks for your hard work.” Gu Qing released his arm around Lu Qianqian and looked at Ji Yueling standing behind her.
“It’s nothing.” Ji Yueling answered indifferently. “Consider it repaying a favor.”
“Great! Then we’re even!” Gu Qing was immediately delighted and produced a dewy rose from his sleeve as a gift for her.
Ji Yueling took the rose and looked at him meaningfully. She asked softly: “Is it over?”
“It’s over.”
“Everyone from the Plum Blossom Club is dead?”
“Secret.” Gu Qing held his finger to his lips. “Anyway, they won’t come looking for trouble anymore.”
Gu Qing smiled at her: “Want to go downstairs and barbecue with them?”

The sky was still drizzling, even the lawn was slightly wet, but this group of club lunatics didn’t seem to mind at all. A group of people cheerfully gathered around the barbecue grill. As soon as Gu Qing arrived, the big sister who had been in charge of barbecuing immediately took off her apron and put it on Gu Qing.
In previous team-building activities, Gu Qing was always responsible for barbecuing because his was the most delicious.
Gu Qing tied on the apron and took over her duties, while the others were in the pavilion avoiding the rain, divided into three tables playing Texas Hold’em. Ji Yueling joined in with Lu Qianqian out of boredom.
They didn’t gamble for money, purely competing on skill, with everyone having a fixed starting amount of chips.
Most people in the club were Texas Hold’em masters. The club even regularly held Texas Hold’em tournaments. Soon Ji Yueling had lost all her allocated chips, while Lu Qianqian’s chips remained unchanged—not more, not less.
Gu Qing stood quietly in the rain barbecuing. After finishing a large plate and bringing it to the pavilion, he finally got to untie his apron. Lu Qianqian gently tugged at his sleeve, quietly asking if he wanted her to help him play. So Gu Qing contentedly sat in Lu Qianqian’s previous seat, while Lu Qianqian stood behind him gently massaging his shoulders, looking like a well-behaved little sister.
Ji Yueling had originally been sitting beside him watching the cards, until Gu Qing looked at her with disgust and said: “Your expression is giving away my hand. They’re all experts at reading micro-expressions.”
The scorned Ji Yueling stood to the side, watching several people at the card table trying not to laugh, hearing them say: “Little Gu, you’re PUA-ing the girl again, so bad.”
“Hey hey, watch your conscience when you speak.”
“Oh, Little Gu, Little Gu, between Qianqian and Miss Ji here, which one do you prefer?”
“Hehe, they’re both my wings.” Gu Qing was talking nonsense, then got pinched angrily on the waist by the annoyed Ji Yueling standing nearby.
Lu Qianqian just blushed slightly and said nothing, still obediently massaging Gu Qing’s shoulders with her delicate little hands, looking as docile as could be.
This team-building gathering lasted until noon before officially ending. Everyone dispersed, and Gu Qing was also preparing to go back. Even though Ji Yueling still had a pile of questions she wanted to ask, looking at his profile, those words were ultimately buried in her heart again.
But suddenly she realized—when had she become so compliant in front of Gu Qing? When exactly had she been unknowingly… trained into this?
How infuriating.
“I’m heading back now.”
“How rare that you’re actually saying goodbye when you leave.” Ji Yueling crossed her arms, her eyes cold and indifferent as she looked at him.
“I’m very polite, okay?”
“Polite means holding me while sleeping at night and not even saying goodbye in the morning?”
“Shows your charm is too great. I was worried morning-me wouldn’t be able to resist your temptation, so I ran away.” Gu Qing winked at her. “See you next time.”
Only then did Ji Yueling notice the motorcycle parked in the complex. She was slightly stunned: “Where did you get a motorcycle?”
“Old thing, borrowed it for use.” Gu Qing smiled in response, then put the pink helmet he’d bought on Lu Qianqian, softly telling her: “Hold on tight to me.”
He got on the motorcycle. Lu Qianqian carefully sat on behind him, then shifted her body so her chest pressed tightly against his back, her slender arms wrapping tightly around his waist.
“Take me for a ride next time?” Ji Yueling tilted her head.
Gu Qing’s eyes started wandering evasively.
Ji Yueling came to his side, leaned close to his ear and whispered something, so Gu Qing nodded: “Deal.”
The transaction complete, he rode off with Lu Qianqian toward home.

Finally ending two days of exhaustion, after parking the bike downstairs at the complex, Gu Qing took off his helmet once home and naturally collapsed on the sofa, his whole body limp and powerless, looking like he was about to blow bubbles.
Lu Qianqian came to sit beside the sofa, gently supporting his shoulders and lifting his head until it was pillowed on her legs, then gently reached out to stroke his cheek, asking softly: “Very tired?”
“A little tired, but it’s okay.”
“Then rest well?” Lu Qianqian said softly, gently massaging his head.
Outside, rain pattered against the windows. The curtains in the room had already been drawn by her. The indoor lighting was dim, the air fresh—there couldn’t be a more suitable scene for an afternoon nap.
Gu Qing soon contentedly drifted off to sleep.

C City, atop Skyscraper Tower.
Skyscraper Tower was C City’s most famous landmark building. This structure was created using alchemical technology. When necessary, it could transform into a sharp sword and strike at any area of C City.
At the same time, this was also the office area for C City’s Alliance headquarters.
Anyone who could set foot on the eightieth floor and above of Skyscraper Tower was either a distinguished guest of the Alliance or high-ranking Alliance personnel. Apart from these, no one else could set foot here.
Eighty-first floor, reception room.
“The Plum Blossom Club has been disbanded.” A man in a black suit was quietly reporting his work.
“Q is dead. The person we planted by her side personally witnessed her blow her own brains out with a revolver, without revealing information about her employer.”
“K has been captured by the Alliance and is currently being prepared for transport to the Alliance’s Demon Suppression Prison.”
“J has not appeared so far, but I don’t think it’s necessary to hunt him down.”
“This matter ultimately involved A City’s Alliance intervention. It seems that girl named Lu Qianqian’s father really is that missing Emperor. To this day he still hasn’t appeared, but we can’t rule out the possibility that he’s already secretly cooperating with A City’s Alliance.”
Currently sitting on the sofa was a woman.
Her face looked youthful, even showing a trace of innocence, but the hands flipping through files were already covered in wrinkles, the skin aged.
“What about that young man called Gu Qing? His identity files…”
“Still haven’t found them.” The black-suited man shook his head. “Seems like Old Ji personally made his files. His previous information has also been sealed away. We only know Gu Qing is definitely a fake identity, but as for who he really is… no one knows.”
“Could he be Lu Qianqian’s father?”
“Unlikely. In the footage of his battle with those Plum Blossom Club middle management, he seemed to display abilities related to [Truth].”
The young woman’s hand stopped flipping through the files for a moment.
“Suspend investigation into Lu Qianqian’s father.” She suddenly ordered decisively. The suited man nodded lightly.
“What about that Green Scythe demon embryo?”
“According to intelligence from our insider, that drop of Imperial blood is exactly what we’ve been looking for. It has special activity. From an alchemical perspective, it seems to be power itself. Existing within a human body can enhance human transcendent abilities. Existing within a demon body can enhance demon abilities. And when its alchemical formula is deconstructed, perhaps our research will achieve a major breakthrough.”
“There’s been such a commotion recently. Let’s wait a while before taking that drop of blood.” The young woman thought for a moment, then said softly.
“Understood.”
“How are the negotiations with the Great Wilderness going?” the young woman asked softly.
“They said if our intelligence is accurate, they can lend us at most six S-class to assist us in seizing that drop of Imperial blood.”
“Try to get more, even if we promise them greater benefits.” The young woman rubbed her temples, looking at the file before her, at that young man named Gu Qing’s listless-looking face.
For some reason, deep unease kept rising in her heart.

Evening.
Gu Qing was sprawled in front of the TV watching television.
This afternoon he had taught Lu Qianqian step-by-step how to make a bowl of sweet and tender braised pork. It seemed Lu Qianqian was very talented and had already mastered seventy percent of Gu Qing’s skills, so Gu Qing successfully ate himself into a stupor at dinner and was now collapsed on the sofa unable to get up.
Lu Qianqian had gone to take a bath. When she came out after bathing, she wore a loose white T-shirt, and her lower body—what should have been smooth, snow-white long legs—was now tightly wrapped in sheer white stockings so thin they were nearly transparent.
Gu Qing’s eyes went straight, and he immediately covered his eyes in panic: “Again? White stocking temptation again?!”
“Eh…” Lu Qianqian tilted her head. “It’s clearly a reward though?”
She came to Gu Qing’s side. Before Gu Qing could speak, she straddled his legs, her dark eyes looking at him innocently and purely: “I heard from Sister Ji that you learned to undo girls’ bras with one hand?”
Gu Qing nodded shamefully.
“Want to try the challenge again?” Lu Qianqian tilted her head. “If you succeed, there’s a reward.”
But just as Lu Qianqian’s words fell, Gu Qing’s hand was already resting on her soft thighs wrapped in white stockings, muttering: “First let me touch the white stocking thighs, so soft.”
Lu Qianqian’s legs pressed together slightly, using her inner thighs to tightly clamp his waist. Because her skin was being touched, she instinctively let out very soft, very light whimpering sounds.