Chapter 2: Sign with a better looking signature

Another blind date failed.

Fortunately, the teacher who was keen to introduce him to the blind date entered the closed-door laboratory, otherwise he would be scolded again.

Ji Xingjue hadn’t slept well recently, and as soon as he got home, he cleaned himself up and closed his eyes.
　　
But there was another countdown to the devil that Cecilie had sent half an hour ago in his mind: “There are still twelve hours before we go to Qi Qing’s office to beg for money―at ten o’clock tomorrow morning, if dare you not show up outside the military building, I’ll let you see me jump down from the military building for sure!”

Ji Xingjue felt that this day was impossible to pass.

The next day, at 9:55am.

Ji Xingjue walked into the Imperial Military Building with an amazingly precise time, and ran into Cecilie, who was about to lose control of her expression.

“…Whether you believe it or not, I have to explain it,” Ji Xingjue let out a light cough, “The suspension vehicle failed halfway and I had to spend ten minutes repairing it.”

“You should have replaced your broken car. How old is it now?” Cecilie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and smiled at the military personnel waiting next to her, “Does Lord Marshal have time now?”

The other person, pushing his own glasses and looking at the two exchanging their mutual exchange with no expression, said, “Wait a minute, I’ll ask first.”

After half a minute, he glanced at the information on the terminal again, and expressed regrets: “Unfortunately, Lord Marshal happened to have something to do, and might not be here all morning. It’s better for you two to go back first, and when Marshal is free, I will inform Marshal to make some time.”

Ji Xingjue and Cecilie’s hearts suddenly sank―they weren’t afraid of meeting each other and fighting, but afraid of procrastination.

Ji Xingjue’s intuition told him that something was wrong. According to Qi Qing’s character, he would not avoid it.

However, they had broken off contact since university and hadn’t seen each other for another seven years. It was normal that Qi Qing’s personality would be different from that of his youth.

The two of them returned to Ankara University in the Imperial Capital with an application form, deeply worried and sick at heart.

“Sure enough, we shouldn’t hesitate,” Cecilie pouted. “It’s said that His Majesty held a celebration banquet for Qi Qing in the palace last night. At that time, you would definitely run into him if we tied you up and sent you there.”

Ji Xingjue looked at her, shocked: “Are you still human?”

“For the sake of science, offer yourself respectfully, okay?”

“Then why don’t you all offer yourselves?”

Cecilie patted him on the shoulder: “Because Qi Qing only wants you ah.”

Ji Xingjue: “……”

Unable to meet the new Marshal and successfully have him approve the scientific research funds for next year, the atmosphere in the laboratory was gloomy all afternoon.

Thanks to Ji Xingjue, who was sleepless while trying to solve a problem a few days ago, everyone’s efficiency had improved a lot. In the evening, people were talking endlessly while leaving. The little fat man took a look at Ji Xingjue before he left, but wasn’t at ease: “Go home early, don’t keep hanging about in the laboratory all the time.”

Ji Xingjue responded without lifting his head, “You go first, I’ll go back later.”

The little fat man comforted: “It’s okay, if worst comes to worst, all of our researchers can go outside the military building with banners written, ‘Qi Qing, I know you’re inside, when will the military department pay back what you owe me?’ In the twelfth lunar month of winter will have thickly falling snowflakes swirling in the air, I don’t believe Qi Qing dare not approve if the news appears on Imperial headlines for three days and three nights.”

“…..” Ji Xingjue removed his hands on the keyboard and raised his eyes to look at him: “Song Meimei, you are such a wonderful person.”

[T/N: 宋美美］

Song Little Fatty slapped the table and was furious: “Of all things you’ve said, you had to call the nickname!”

“Okay, Associate Professor Song Mei, please use your wonderful, odd ideas for research,” Ji Xingjue wilfully tapped on the keyboard twice, “If you still want to live to see next year’s funds, I advise you to dispel this idea overnight.”

[T/N: 宋枚]



Everyone in the laboratory was all left, and the empty room was filled with only the subtle operating sounds of sophisticated instruments.

Ji Xingjue liked this quiet atmosphere very much. After saving the data, he returned to the small room, put on his thermostatic suit that had been worn for hundreds of years; the one that everyone in the laboratory who saw the suit would want to buy clothes for him in crowdfunding, and took the application form.

He was going to go to the military building again.

It was impossible for him to let the funding approval go wrong and delay the entire project just because of his own problem.

The winter in the Imperial Capital Ankara, was very long.

With today’s technology, it was possible to adjust the climate of the entire planet through the weather and season adjustment system, so that the four seasons change evenly and stably, but His Majesty the Emperor liked to watch snow, so from November to April and May of the astronomic calendar of the coming year, the heavy snow will stop and slowly enter spring.

In the evening, there was a blizzard, shockingly fluttering about in his line of sight, and it was quiet under the building, and everything in front his eyes was white.

Ji Xingjue remembered that when he came in the morning, he had parked the car outside. Suddenly his heart paused. While lowering his head to look for car keys, he thought he had to install an automatic master search system for the car.

Before the keys was found, his footsteps suddenly stopped, his heartbeat accelerated slightly as he raised his head with a certain premonition.

His tragic car stopped ten steps away.

And there was a person standing beside his car.

It was unknown whether the wind and snow were deliberately avoiding that person. The other party had obviously been standing for a while, with a lot of snow on the shoulders, but the pedestrians who occasionally passed by without holding an umbrella were in even more difficult situations than him. The figure was tall and straight, standing motionless in the howling cold wind. After picking off a bunch of gorgeous medals, the black military uniform looked more solemn and outstanding.

The howling sound of wind and snow were loud, but the other party keenly caught his footsteps, and his gaze shifted from the car to him.

The photos on the news looked cold and serious and not fresh enough. Naturally, living people have to look more vivid and deep in outline, and the pressure they can bring to people is also multiplied.

Ji Xingjue: “…”

He wanted to break into a run.

But his car was still there.

Ji Xingjue’s heartbeat was a bit fast, as he subconsciously continued to take out the keys. Without paying too much attention, the car keys that finally appeared flew out and fell into the snow, smashing into a deep pit.

With a cold faint gaze of Qi Qing, Ji Xingjue restrained for three seconds, but still couldn’t restrain his poor ghost’s instinct as he bent down and wanted to pick it up.

Before he touched the keys deep in the snow, a hand in the commander’s glove moved faster than him, and picked up the keys.

Ji Xingjue unconsciously licked his dry lips, raised his head, and said sincerely, “Lord Marshal, this is just an old-fashioned suspension car with a second-hand price of less than three thousand star coins.”

Across layers of gloves, Qi Qing slowly rubbed the icy car keys, and finally opened his mouth: “Really?”

Ji Xingjue glanced at the “car quality” and wanted to continue to say that it was useless for you to kidnap it. He hadn’t spoken yet, when he heard Qi Qing snorted, implying, “I thought the car I gave you could at least sell for more money.”

Ji Xingjue laughed dryly.

He didn’t know why, he could easily withstand the various means of Qi Qing in the past, but now he didn’t even know how to reply. His footsteps began to move out without leaving a trace: “Then happy old friendship reunion with the car. I haven’t eaten dinner, so I will―”

“Funding approval.”

The four words were like a forbidden spell.

“You haven’t returned to the Imperial Capital for many years. You must miss the taste of your hometown. Is there anything you want to eat?” Ji Xingjue moved his steps back like a crab crawling sideways and looked at Qi Qing sincerely, “Why don’t I invite and treat you to a welcoming dinner—by the way, what do you think about the issue of funding approval?”

Qi Qing hummed softly from his nose, and threw the car keys to Ji Xingjue: “Get in the car.”

Ji Xingjue’s mood was slightly complicated when he rode in the small broken car he was familiar with.

The technological level of the empire was changing with each passing day. This car was still worthy of Qi Qing more than ten years ago. But having the current Qi Qing to sit in it, he always felt that it was like the noble princess got in the horseman’s ox cart, and it didn’t look good at all.

[T/N: yes, princess not prince.]

Obviously, the small broken car was also under a lot of pressure, and it took two turns before it flew slowly.

Qi Qing sat on the co-driver with his hands in his arms, guided the destination into the map system, and looked at the environment inside the car again, eyes narrowed: “I was really surprised that you would drive the car I sent you.”

Ji Xingjue thought, of course, can I buy it myself if I have a car?

Furthermore, the so-called hatred and desire for revenge was only Qi Qing’s single person desire, that’s all.

Qi Qing looked ahead and said, his tone was a little weird, “…you have been driving it until now.”

“About this,” Ji Xingjue, who had always told the truth, coughing lightly, “Lord Marshal has been on the front line for a long time, so probably doesn’t know that the prices of the Imperial Capital have skyrocketed in recent years, and I can’t afford other things.”

Qi Qing: “……”

Qi Qing’s face turned cold as he sneered: “You’re so poor, you really haven’t changed at all.”

Ji Xingjue was used to being told poor, everything that should be here was here. He had heard even worse words than this that his ears had developed a hardening skin system that he wouldn’t feel ill at ease no matter how much he heard it.

When the suspended car autonomously drove to the place, Ji Xingjue realized that the location that Qi Qing was going was the very familiar Tike Hotel.

It was the place where the girl who went on a blind date with him last night, looked at him with complicated eyes and asked carefully, “Is your research direction bionic intelligence or mental illness…?”

After getting out of the car, Qi Qing entered the elevator and directly pressed on the top floor.

Ji Xingjue swallowed a mouthful of saliva and began to quickly recall the balance on his account.

There was no need to remember, anyway, those few zeros were as good as gone without having to count them.

The elevator arrived in an instant, with a “ding”, the elevator door opened, showing the empty entire rooftop garden.

Ji Xingjue felt something was wrong: “This is?”

The corners of Qi Qing’s lips raised: “I made a reservation for the entire place.”

Ji Xingjue: “……”

His account balance floated in his mind, as he touched the application form in his pocket that was heated by his body temperature while suppressing the idea of assassinating the new Marshal. He reluctantly squeezed out a smile, and watched Qi Qing choose the place he went for the blind date last night.

Lord Marshal is too good at picking places.

Qi Qing sat in the seat of Ji Xingjue yesterday, scanned the menu, and ordered two cups of tea. The taste was actually the same as that of the little girl last night.

Ji Xingjue chuckled secretly, and while he was thinking about how to ask for funds, the opposite Qi Qing raised his eyebrows and said, “I’ll do it first.”

This familiar seat, familiar wording.

Ji Xingjue’s eyebrows flicked, and the alarm bell began to ring abruptly!

“Qi Qing, biological sex male, biological age 27 years old, no foreign debt, rich family background with annual salary of ten million,” Qi Qing leaned forward, staring into Ji Xingjue’s eyes, every word was full of arrogance but the tone was very flat, “The enemies are flying all over the sky, and there are countless people who want my life, both inside and outside the Imperial Capital, but they obviously cannot take my life.”

Ji Xingjue: “…”

Qi Qing asked each word at a time, “This gentleman, would you like to go and get a certificate with me in ten minutes before the Civil Affairs Bureau closes?”

Ji Xingjue seemed to understand the heart of the blind date girl last night.

He stretched out his hand in a daze and touched Qi Qing’s forehead: “…I have no research in the field of mental illness, don’t scare me.”

Qi Qing who was unwilling to avoid it, let Ji Xingjue touched his forehead.

The slightly cool fingers touched the warm skin; the body of Lord Marshal who looked cold and ruthless was warm.

“Are you sure? You only have one minute left to decide.”

“What to decide?” Ji Xingjue was still at a loss.

Qi Qing took out a stack of papers as if performing conjuring tricks, and pushed them in front of Ji Xingjue.

Ji Xingjue only had time to see the few words of “Premarital Protocol”, when the two slender fingers continued to move forward, reached into his pocket, took out the approval application form from it, and spreaded it in front of him.

“You sign that, I’ll sign this.” As if thinking of something again, Qi Qing’s eyebrows frowned slightly, “Sign with a better looking signature.”

Salted Fish – Drifting Wanderer

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