"It appears we won't be able to leave the city," Jiang Xue finally said after failing to purchase both a plane and a train ticket.
She was unable to obtain tickets outside of the city.
This enigmatic organization certainly had a firm grip on every corner of this city. Qing Chen didn't want to be trapped here, so without knowing the other's intentions, he felt that it was better for him to stay hidden.
Jiang Xue suddenly asked, "How come I haven't seen your parents in over two years, Qing Chen? Do you live alone in this house?"
"They're divorced, and I'm left here alone," Qing Chen said with a nod.” So, Aunt Jiang Xue, what do you do for a living?"
Jiang Xue didn't say much other than, "I'm an art teacher at the White Horse Elementary School nearby." Saying so, she stood up and collected the dishes on the table. "I'm going to wash the dishes,"
"There's no need. You can just leave them there, and I'll wash it later," said Qing Chen.
"No, you cooked for us already. How can I let you wash the dishes." Disregarding Qing Chen’s request, she stood up and headed to the kitchen.
The little girl Li Tongyun suddenly leaned over and said in a low voice, ” You've never looked at my mother with such concern before, brother. Tell me the truth, did you invite us in because she's particularly attractive today?"
Qing Chen was speechless, "What's the matter with you, you think too much."
"My mother is really beautiful," whispered Li Tongyun.
Qing Chen couldn't help laughing in his heart. Is this what children nowadays think about?
However, he was sure that he didn't approach Jiang Xue for her beauty. Rather, he needed the information that she had. He needed more information on the mysterious organization and the Inner World.
She then noticed the soiled clothing heaped up in Qing Chen's bathroom and carried them with her, saying, "You're living here by yourself, Qing Chen. It must be quite difficult. Bring all your dirty clothes to Auntie the next time, and I'll wash them for you. Come on Xiaoyun; it's time to return home. Brother Qing Chen still needs to work on his homework."
"Wait, hold up. I can wash it myself…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Xue had already taken Li Tongyun away.
Qing Chen stood in the room in a daze. He didn't realize that she would be so direct.
He returned to the bedroom and lay back on his back slowly, thinking about his plans for the future.
Qing Chen opened his WeChat notifications to 999+ unread messages, all from his class group chat. Everyone was eagerly discussing the activities of the transmigrators.
Even what occurred to Jiang Xue tonight became the topic of an after-dinner conversation in Luo City. She'd most likely hit the trending searches the next day.
The word “transmigrator” had piqued the interest of students, workers, and even dignitaries.
He glanced at the chat history in the class chat and noticed that whenever someone wanted to discuss the characteristics of the transmigrators, Nan Gengchen would pop up and say how these people must be true geniuses with high talents…
Honestly, all Qing Chen wanted right now was for Nan Gengchen to appear in Prison 18 with him.
That way, he would no longer need to hide his identity. He thought to himself, it would be exciting to watch Nan Gangchen’s reaction to this.
Qing Chen opened the search engine and looked for He Xiaoxiao's video, but He Xiaoxiao's live stream was still left the way he last visited.
He returned his gaze to WeChat, but his mother had not yet sent him a message.
Just as he was about to go to bed, his phone rang.
Caller ID: Mom.
Qing Chen sat up to answer the phone, "Hello?"
On the other side of the phone, Zhang Wanfang said, "Xiao Chen, mom has sent your living expenses for this month to your dad."
She said so every month, but it had already been forever since Qing Chen last saw his living expenses.
"Mom, this week…"
Qing Chen wanted to say that he had to pay for the textbooks this week, but before he could finish, Zhang Wanfang interrupted, "Haohao has a fever, so I won't be able to come over to visit this weekend. Rest early and make sure you keep up in your classes."
"I know." Qing Chen said so and hung up right after.
He finally got the call he had been waiting for, but his mom had long forgotten about him skipping class.
But now, it didn't matter.
At this moment…
"Qing Chen, Qing Chen, are you there?“ Nen Gengchen sent him a message in the middle of the night.
"What's the matter?" asked Qing Chen.
"I found a group chat on the Internet, and it's welcoming all transmigrators to join and discuss. Do you want to join? I can send you an invite code." Nan Gengchen said enthusiastically as if he was a transmigrator already.
Qing Chen replied, "We aren't transmigrators, so what are we joining for?"
It took a while for Nan Gengchen to respond, "I just wanna check it out. Maybe we will find some first-hand news. What if we transmigrate one day? This information could be helpful."
"I'll pass, you can just go ahead," said Qing Chen.
For now, he wasn't interested in any transmigrator's group chats. What if it was that mysterious organization's trap to lure all the possible transmigration into one place?
Maybe the organization wasn't up to anything bad, but he didn't want to be caught.
Probably only fools like Nan Gengchen would be up for such excitement.
"Alright then, I'll go in and have some fun," said Nan Gengchen.
Then Nan Gengchen didn't send any more messages.
After a while, when Qing Chen was a little sleepy, Nan Gengchen appeared again: "Qing Chen…"
"What's wrong?" asked Qing Chen helplessly.
"The owner of that group chat said he was a transmigrator, and he claimed to have brought back hundreds of pairs of high-tech socks from the Inner World. It prevents odors and sweats and can make you walk as fast as flying. It can even extend your lifetime… Do you want a couple of pairs?" asked Nan Gengchen.
Qing Chen: "???"
Out of anything, why socks?
This scam is ridiculous! It is 100% taking advantage of the current news.
He knew that this group chat of so-called transmigrators wasn’t to be trusted, but he didn't expect them to pull such a blatant scam.
Qing Chen asked, "Have you bought any?"
Nan Gengchen replied, "I don't have any money. If I have money, maybe I can try a pair…"
Qing Chen tried to hold back for a long time, but he still typed, "… genius."
Nan Gengchen disregarded Qing Chen's sarcasm and continued, "There are even people who said they got some genetic medicine from the Inner World. After taking it, you will instantly become the Extraordinary."
"Well, what else did they say?"
"There is also one that said he knew a couple of rich ladies over in the Inner World and could recommend a few to us."
"Hmm… What else did they say?" Qing Chen was starting to understand. It’s a gang of scammers.
He even suspected that everyone in that chat except for Nan Gengchen was a scammer, and Nan Gengchen was the only idiot.