Chapter 1004: Looking for a Lady
"Ah...?" Dr. Zhao immediately felt something was off.
At that moment, Wen Qiaoyun and Yan Zhichun both turned to look at him simultaneously, and even Xu Liunian and Zhang Shan furrowed their brows.
Before anyone could speak, Chen Junnan was the first to ask, "You and Old Qi... is there something going on between you two? I don't get it, but he insisted I pass that message on to you."
"Dammit... dammit..." Dr. Zhao suddenly grimaced. "Don't pull this crap on me... What 'Plan Start'? What 'I don't understand'? What does your plan have to do with me?"
"Oh...?" Chen Junnan blinked. "Oh, oh, oh! Right, right, right, I misspoke, little master here said it wrong. No relation, we're not even familiar..."
As he spoke, he winked exaggeratedly at Dr. Zhao, as if single-handedly finalizing the plan.
Dr. Zhao knew Chen Junnan was making things up on the spot, but this move was simply too insidious.
The only person in the entire team who came from Qi Xia's room was him. If there was going to be any "traitor," it could only be him.
"Don't listen to his nonsense..." Dr. Zhao hurriedly turned back to the others. "I'm not on their side..."
"I know." Yan Zhichun nodded. "Such a lowly tactic... Is this really Qi Xia's scheme?"
"What...? What 'scheme'?" Chen Junnan quickly shook his head. "Don't talk nonsense now. Dr. Zhao isn't that kind of person. You all treat him well, let's stay united."
"Tsk." Zhang Shan stepped forward disdainfully. "Using such divisive tricks—what kind of skill is that? If you've got guts, wait right there, and I'll come have a word with you!"
With that, he took a few steps forward, as if intending to cross the "river" and enter Chen Junnan's room.
But at that moment, Wen Qiaoyun stepped forward and pulled Zhang Shan back, frowning as she shook her head at him.
Zhang Shan thought for a moment, seeming to understand what Wen Qiaoyun meant, then slowly stepped back and stood in place.
"Yo..." Chen Junnan raised an eyebrow at the scene, filing away this little interaction. "Old Zhang, what's up? Legs not cooperating?"
"Tsk." Zhang Shan cursed loudly. "Just let me get my hands on you, kid, and I'll definitely show you a thing or two."
"I'll go," said Yan Zhichun. "Xu Liunian, you come with me. Jin Yuanxun, go back now and tell Tian Chuqiu about the current situation."
"Alright..." Xu Liunian and Jin Yuanxun nodded in response.
"Mother..." Chen Junnan saw that Yan Zhichun was about to enter his room and immediately shut the door, making a run for it.
"Stop right there." Yan Zhichun gave a cold order, then reached out her hand forward, as if opening a door in the void.
She secretly used "Heart-Seizer," intending to control Chen Junnan into opening the door, but nothing happened on the other side.
"What's going on...?" She frowned slightly, then looked down at her palm. It felt strange.
It was like throwing a punch with her "Echo" and hitting cotton.
"What's wrong...?" The others looked at her in confusion.
"The 'Echo' seems... very unstable..." Yan Zhichun said. "It feels like it's there one moment and gone the next."
Chen Junnan went to the side room, where Zheng Yingxiong was waiting behind the door.
"Kid!" Chen Junnan said in a low voice. "Hurry back and tell Old Qi: Wen Qiaoyun won't let Zhang Shan 'cross the river,' but Yan Zhichun and Xu Liunian can! Pass that on and then come back to me!"
"Got it!" Zheng Yingxiong nodded. "Chen Junnan, be careful yourself!"
"What 'Chen Junnan'?! Call me big brother!" Chen Junnan reached out to ruffle his head, but Zheng Yingxiong dodged nimbly.
He quickly covered his nose and ran toward the "Preparation Zone" to relay the information to Qi Xia.
Watching Zheng Yingxiong run off, Chen Junnan took a deep breath, then opened another door. "I say, Dr. Zhao..."
The group standing at the "Chu River and Han Border" was startled again, turning their heads to look at Chen Junnan.
"What now?" Dr. Zhao asked.
"Don't be mad. Come here, I have something to tell you," Chen Junnan said.
"I'm not going! Say whatever you have to say right here!" Dr. Zhao replied. "Just say it openly, don't cause me trouble."
"Come on... I don't get what you're afraid of?" Chen Junnan frowned and stretched lazily. "I've got six 'words' on me, you've got one. Between the two of us, who's really more afraid of getting robbed?"
"Well..."
Dr. Zhao was momentarily speechless. He realized Chen Junnan might have a point, but quickly became alert again.
"How could you possibly have six 'words'?!"
Chen Junnan shrugged, then reached into his pocket and fiddled with the chain hanging out. "Look here, just look at the quality of this chain. It's practically an antique, right? Dr. Zhao, help me check if this relic is from the Shang and Zhou dynasties or last week's Zhou."
Wen Qiaoyun hadn't interacted much with Chen Junnan, but she had already more or less figured out what kind of person he was in just a short while.
"How about this," she said, stepping forward. "Let me take a look for you."
Chen Junnan paused. He knew Wen Qiaoyun was also a formidable figure, and if she looked, she'd probably spot the trick. So he instinctively stepped back.
"What's the matter...?" Wen Qiaoyun smiled. "Would me checking your 'words' disrupt your plan?"
"Not really," Chen Junnan said. "Our plan is just too avant-garde. Just hearing the name would scare you to death."
"Oh?" Wen Qiaoyun's smile grew brighter. "And what's the name?"
"This plan is called..." Chen Junnan paused, as if making it up on the spot, then slowly said, "It's called... 'Waiting for a Lady in the Boudoir'!"
"...?"
The five across from him were all stunned at once. Even Wen Qiaoyun felt that her understanding of this man was still a bit one-sided.
"What it means is: Little master here is carrying his 'words,' and I'm waiting for you in my boudoir, damn it," Chen Junnan said. "If you want to come in, then come on in. I'm looking for a lady today."
Wen Qiaoyun let out a light laugh and took another step forward, almost reaching the entrance of Chen Junnan's room.
She pulled her own chain out of the pocket of her jeans, clenched the character in her fist, and slowly raised it.
"What's your name?"
"Chen Junnan."
"Alright, Chen Junnan." Wen Qiaoyun held her "word" and said, "The 'word' in my hand right now is mine. How about a one-on-one bet with me?"
"A bet...?" Chen Junnan thought for a moment. He felt that talking to Wen Qiaoyun gave him the same sensation as talking to Qi Xia—though the pressure wasn't as strong, he still couldn't let his guard down.
"You take out a 'word' too," Wen Qiaoyun said. "We each guess what character the other is holding. Only one chance. If you guess right, you get the 'word' in the other's hand."