Chapter 518: The Con Man
Qi Xia, Chen Junnan, and Qiao Jiajin set out once again toward the edge of the city under the afternoon sun.
Chen Junnan glanced at the group ahead of him, feeling that this was the first time the three of them had ever acted alone in Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin's memories. But little did they know, in his own memory, he had already walked this very street dozens of times with them.
The withered plants, the cracked earth, the dilapidated houses, the creaking signs, and the stench of rot carried by every passing breeze—none of these had ever felt so familiar to Chen Junnan before.
"Old Qi. Old Qiao." Chen Junnan looked up at the sun in the sky and grinned. "You know what? Your boy here was absolutely magnificent today..."
Qiao Jiajin's interest was piqued. "Oh? Handsome Chen, what'd you do?"
"I spun a rabbit around so hard he didn't know which way was up." Chen Junnan kept smiling. "Even I thought I was gonna die, but somehow I pulled through."
Qi Xia furrowed his brow and said coldly, "Don't talk like that."
"Old Qi, you don't know..." Chen Junnan shook his head. "Every time I want to tell you about my epic moments in the games, the moment I actually see you, I realize you're way better than me."
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin walked together to the middle of the street, moving a rusty streetlamp that had fallen and blocked their way, then turned back to look at Chen Junnan.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Compared to monsters like you two, I really have to give it my all just to barely keep up..." A trace of melancholy lingered beneath Chen Junnan's bright smile. "So tell me—you guys aren't planning to ditch me someday, are you? I mean, sure, I don't wanna get out of here, but I also don't wanna be kicked out of the squad. You need to understand that difference."
His words struck Qi Xia as strange.
"Chen Junnan..." Qi Xia said with a frown, "Are you so hell-bent on going toe-to-toe with the Zodiac because you want to prove you're on the same starting line as us?"
"What else would it be?" Chen Junnan tore his gaze away from the sun in the sky and looked down at Qi Xia. His shaggy bangs partially obscured his eyes, making his expression hard to read. "One of you cracks every puzzle with brains, the other smashes every problem with fists... And now I'm standing here with you two. Do you know what that makes me look like?"
Neither of them spoke. They just watched him quietly.
"Like a kid trying to get your attention." Chen Junnan grinned. "I keep hoping I can pull off something amazing to make you see me differently. With my not-so-strong body, my not-so-bright mind, and my 'Scapegoat'... I throw myself into life-or-death fights over and over just to prove I can actually do it..."
"Ah, Handsome Chen, you..." Qiao Jiajin looked at him sympathetically. "Actually, you're not that scrawny. If it came down to a real fight..."
"Yeah, I know." Chen Junnan nodded. "Probably takes seven or eight of me to take down one of you."
"Don't compare yourself to me..." Qiao Jiajin tried to console him, but felt his tongue was a bit clumsy. After thinking for a while, he finally said, "M-maybe five or six would be enough..."
Chen Junnan sighed with a wry laugh. "So... Old Qi, Old Qiao, if one day I can't keep up with this team anymore, you guys can always—"
Seeing that Chen Junnan was about to talk himself into tears, Qi Xia frowned and cut him off. "Stop being so dramatic."
"Huh?" Chen Junnan choked on his words; the rest got stuck in his throat.
"Everything you did before didn't act like a kid." Qi Xia shook his head. "But the words you're saying now do."
"What do you mean by that, Old Qi?" Chen Junnan shoved him impatiently. "This is the only time in my life I'm being sentimental, and you just had to ruin it?"
"No need for it." Qi Xia said. "If you really knew me, you'd understand what kind of person I am. I've never cared whether the people beside me are 'qualified to stand by my side.' I only care how much sincerity they show me. When I do things, I rarely rely on others' strength."
"You—"
"Even if the person beside me were an old man, a child, or even an unfortunate soul without any 'Echo' at all, I'd never be heartless enough to abandon them at a moment's notice." Qi Xia turned away, his cold voice drifting back. "Especially since you're none of those."
"Oho!" Chen Junnan instantly broke into a grin. "Old Qi, when did you get so smooth-tongued? Picked up a few tricks from your boy here, huh?"
"You flatter me." Qi Xia kept walking forward, his indifferent voice following. "A grown man standing in the middle of the road being all mushy—I can't learn that."
"You bastard!" Chen Junnan wanted to curse, but couldn't find the right words.
"If you've got that much free time, why don't you tell me something." Qi Xia changed the subject. "That 'Wei Yang' you mentioned—what kind of person is he?"
"Old Wei..." Chen Junnan recalled as he walked forward. "I've only interacted with him a few times. Anyway, he's a gruff big brother—hard to get close to, and no real need to. He used to be one of your capable men, but he wasn't exactly honest. You kicked him out of the team a long time ago."
"I kicked him out?" Qi Xia confirmed.
"That's right." Chen Junnan nodded. "Old Wei not only has a terrible temper, but he also never tells the truth. Before entering the 'Land of Finality,' he was a notorious con man."
"Hold on..." Qi Xia paused. "Another con man?"
"Yeah..." Chen Junnan was about to agree when he suddenly noticed something odd about Qi Xia's wording. "Wait a second... Old Qi, what do you mean 'another con man'? Are con men that common around here?"
"Hm...?" Qi Xia found Chen Junnan's question strange too.
"A con man?" Qiao Jiajin chuckled. "Aw man, ain't that convenient? Wasn't Scammer Boy a con man before he came here? What's up with this place—con men everywhere?"
While Qiao Jiajin was rambling on the side, Qi Xia never took his eyes off Chen Junnan. Seeing the look on Chen Junnan's face—wanting to speak but hesitating—a very unsettling thought crossed his mind.
Chen Junnan turned his head and stared at Qi Xia with unusual seriousness, as if trying to confirm whether the man in front of him was really the Qi Xia he knew. An almost unbearable doubt flickered in his eyes, as if even his own memories were failing him.
After holding it in for a long time, he finally forced out a single sentence:
"Old Qi... since when the hell were you a con man?"