Chapter 161: Meeting Zi Yanran Again

Hu Xiong frowned and said, "It shouldn't be the work of a demon."

Sucking someone dry of blood was usually the act of a corpse fiend, whereas demons and ghosts tended to feed primarily on vital essence.

Li Changqing squatted down nearby. The surface of the corpse was covered in tiny ice crystals.

"Let's take the body back first." Qin Shenggen frowned, then tossed a cigarette to Hu Xiong and asked, "Any thoughts?"

"A corpse fiend that excels at using ice." Hu Xiong touched his chin, then shook his head and said, "We've never heard of anything like this in Nanlin City before."

Qin Shenggen scratched his head, sighed, and said, "Things really haven't been peaceful lately. All sorts of monsters and freaks are gathering in our territory."

Once the body was packed up, the group walked out of the alley.

Qin Shenggen smiled and asked Hu Xiong, "By the way, I saw you and Li Changqing on the surveillance footage earlier, along with two women. Were you meeting online dates?"

Hearing this, Li Changqing quickly interjected, "Hu Xiong was the one who made the date, it has nothing to do with me..."

Given Tang Xiaoyu's petty nature, if she found out he didn't go back for dinner tonight but instead spent time with two other women, heaven knows what kind of wild assumptions she would make.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Tang Xiaoyu's face immediately fell.

Hu Xiong felt even more depressed, but with Tang Xiaoyu present, it wasn't the right time to complain...

Noticing Tang Xiaoyu's expression, Qin Shenggen realized he had spoken out of turn. He smiled awkwardly and asked, "Are you guys in the third division going to handle this case, or should my first division take it?"

"You take it. I've been looking into other matters lately," Hu Xiong said, glancing back at the alley behind them. "Still, you need to be careful with this one. Since it's the first time it has appeared, we don't know its true depth."

In truth, the Bureau of Investigation and Management was more or less aware of most local demons and spirits in Nanlin City.

They had a general idea of their strength levels.

If these local fiends committed murder or crimes, they could be tracked down quickly.

The most troublesome ones were these foreign interlopers.

"Alright." Qin Shenggen nodded and left to investigate the case.

"Did you go there today to meet an online date? The kind of thing you read about in the newspaper?" Tang Xiaoyu asked, looking somewhat aggrieved.

Li Changqing quickly waved his hands. "Don't overthink it. Hu Xiong set it up, and both of those online dates weighed over two hundred pounds—they're nothing compared to how pretty you are."

Standing nearby, Hu Xiong hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, yes, exactly..."

"Li Changqing? Mr. Hu?"

At that moment, Zi Yanran happened to walk by. Her complexion was quite rosy at the moment. She stepped forward, looked at the cordoned-off alley, and asked with surprise, "Didn't you guys say you had something to attend to and left earlier?"

Tang Xiaoyu stared wide-eyed at Zi Yanran, taking aback by what a stunning young woman she was.

"Is she that online date?" Tang Xiaoyu turned her head to ask Li Changqing.

This jerk, he lied to me...

Li Changqing felt a pang of distress. What kind of mess was this? He coughed and had no choice but to bite the bullet and introduce her to Zi Yanran, saying, "Miss Yanran, this is the girlfriend I just mentioned to you."

"Ah." Taken aback by Li Changqing's sudden remark, Tang Xiaoyu panicked. How could this guy be so sudden? She hadn't even agreed to be his girlfriend yet.

Besides, according to television dramas, shouldn't there be a confession first, followed by the girl taking a few days to consider it?

"I, I, I..." Tang Xiaoyu grew flustered, her face turning crimson as she stared down at her shoes, too embarrassed to look up. "I..."

"Your girlfriend is very pretty." Zi Yanran smiled and nodded, saying, "Since we've run into each other, why don't we stroll around together for a bit?"

"Great idea!" Hu Xiong's eyes lit up, and he agreed without a moment's hesitation.

With that, the two of them started chatting and walked forward.

Li Changqing also grabbed Tang Xiaoyu's hand and followed along, though noticing her fidgety and shy appearance, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

With her ears turning red, Tang Xiaoyu whispered, "I—when did I become your girlfriend?"

Having said that, she was nervous to the extreme; her face, her ears, and her neck were all glowing red.

How did this guy suddenly figure things out?

It made her so nervous. What should she do? She noticed Li Changqing suddenly leaning his head toward her.

This is terrible. Is he going to kiss her like they do in the TV shows? If he kisses her, should she push him away or not?

And in broad daylight, too...

Just as Tang Xiaoyu's imagination was running wild, Li Changqing slowly leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't worry, I was just lying to her."

"Ah."

Tang Xiaoyu: "???"

Stunned, she stared blankly at Li Changqing, caught completely off guard.

Seeing her in a daze, Li Changqing tapped her forehead. "What are you daydreaming about? Let's go."

"Oh, right, okay..." Tang Xiaoyu followed closely behind him.

Li Changqing noticed that she seemed a bit upset again. He couldn't help scratching the back of his head, wondering what was going on.

When he said she was his girlfriend, she kept her head down and looked unhappy; when he said she wasn't, she was still unhappy.

A girl's mind was truly complex indeed.

"Earlier, Miss Yanran's complexion didn't look too good, but now it's quite rosy," Hu Xiong said cheerfully as he walked beside Zi Yanran.

Zi Yanran smiled faintly and replied, "My health has been poor since I was a child. My father hired many doctors to examine me, but none of them could cure it."

"Oh, what a coincidence! I happen to have a slight grasp of medicine and a deep interest in stubborn ailments. Perhaps I can find some time to examine Miss Yanran?" Hu Xiong chuckled. The heavy-set girl wasn't around, and Li Changqing was being watched by Tang Xiaoyu; this was his golden opportunity.

Walking behind them, Li Changqing silently cursed him for being shameless. Since when did this bastard have any research into medicine?

Zi Yanran was slightly startled before offering a gentle smile.

That smile was as enchanting as plum blossoms blooming in the winter.

"Mr. Hu must be hitting on me. I heard from Miao Yuyu that Mr. Hu is married and already has a child." Zi Yanran was clearly making a polite refusal.

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiong frowned and said, "To be honest with Miss Yanran, Hu is actually still unmarried and has never even held a girl's hand. Although I'm well into my thirties, I've kept myself pure since childhood."

Zi Yanran burst out laughing and said, "Mr. Hu, is there really such a person in this world?"

Hu Xiong wasn't actually lying to Zi Yanran. He had grown up inside the Investigation Bureau and spent his time participating in various missions to slay demons and eliminate devils; he had never had the time to entertain romantic thoughts.

It was only in the last two years, as he grew older, that he had started thinking about settling down.

With a completely serious expression, Hu Xiong said, "How about this? Tomorrow, I will visit Miss Yanran's home to examine your constitution."

"With my proficiency in medicine, I'll definitely be able to pinpoint the root of the problem."

Zi Yanran nodded slightly, effectively agreeing, feeling that Hu Xiong was indeed quite an amusing person.

Li Changqing and Tang Xiaoyu couldn't get a word in the entire way. Hu Xiong, walking beside Zi Yanran, instantly transformed into an encyclopedic expert well-versed in all things under the sun.