Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 73

“Attorney An, does Pol have anything else she needs to tell me?”

Ling Xi wasn’t exactly ecstatic about the gift, but she was expectant, looking forward to the surprise Pol had left for her. The outcome wasn’t important; what mattered was that such a conversation could comfort her fleetingly, easing her longing.

It must be said that Qiao Bo’er left behind too many easter eggs, as if she had anticipated this day’s arrival and prepared thoroughly to better soothe the frightened and helpless Ling Xi.

An Rao was squatting, tidying up the shredded paper scattered on the floor. Hearing Ling Xi’s question, she smiled, stood up, and returned to the office desk.

“According to my client’s request, for the following conversation, I must try my best to restore Miss Pol’s tone of voice, so… please excuse me if I cause any offense, Miss Ling.”

“Restore Pol’s tone?” Ling Xi was confused about this strange setup.

An Rao took off her glasses, half-raised her eyes to look at her, crossed her arms over her chest, and habitually leaned against the window. This posture did indeed bear some resemblance to Qiao Bo’er.

After a moment of silence, An Rao began, speaking in a cold tone: “You dog, it’s not that easy to find me. With your skinny arms and legs, you can’t win a fight, and you can’t win an argument. Tsk, you’re not much use.”

Hearing An Rao’s opening line, the smile on Ling Xi’s lips was bitter. The expression of trying hard not to cry was ugly; she could only sniffle, weeping quietly from the nasal pain.

An Rao couldn’t bear to see Ling Xi looking so sad, so she turned her back to her and continued to imitate Qiao Bo’er’s voice: “Always crying at the drop of a hat. The sky hasn’t fallen… Since you’ve met Attorney An, it means you’ve discovered my secret. Are you especially touched and surprised? Go ahead and cry. The sadder you cry, the happier I am, hmph. It proves you can’t live without me now. Actually, finding me isn’t difficult. If you really dislike receiving psychological treatment, then go on a trip. The secrets are hidden on the journey where you save yourself. Oh, and a little reminder: take that sapphire ring with you. If you want to see me, then come find me. No one will tell you the destination. How can you see me unless you remember who I am? Also, you left five fingerprints on my cheek. I haven’t gotten over that yet. You just wait for me.”

The arrogant and sarcastic voice came to an abrupt halt. An Rao turned back to look at Ling Xi, then smiled kindly: “You don’t have to keep staring at me. That’s all the content.”

“Is that all? Doesn’t she have anything else to say to me?” Ling Xi was unsatisfied, but the words An Rao had just spoken contained too many hidden clues, and she couldn’t afford to be distracted from thinking about them.

An Rao leaned on the desk, as if to satisfy Ling Xi’s expectation, and again used a deliberate voice to call out: “You dog, come find me. I’ll be waiting for you… at the end of time and scenery.”

An Rao put her glasses back on, spread her hands, and shook her head helplessly: “This time, there really are no other instructions.”

“Thank you, Attorney An.”

“If you decide to give up treatment, let me know, and I will process your visa matters as quickly as possible.”

“How soon can the visa be processed?”

“About two or three days. It seems you’ve already made your decision.”

“I’ll wait for your good news. I want to leave as soon as possible.” Ling Xi seemed overly anxious, eager to leave Xuan City immediately. An Rao kindly reminded her: “Don’t rush to make a judgment. I suspect… you haven’t found the secret of this house yet.”

Ling Xi’s mind was in utter turmoil. The secret of the house, the secret of the trip—Qiao Bo’er had left secrets everywhere. She wanted to know and explore more of the unknown.

At this moment, Ling Xi regretted her depression and regretted that her coldness had kept Qiao Bo’er at a distance, to the extent that when she recalled the time they spent together, Qiao Bo’er seemed like a stranger. Because Ling Xi had never seriously or deeply understood her.

Thinking of the sapphire ring that was suddenly mentioned, Ling Xi fell silent. Why did Pol know about the ring, and about the self-salvation trip?

Holding a torch lighter and lighting his cigar grandly, the old man laughed kindly at Ji Nancen: “Miss Nancen, it’s rare for you to visit. Are you here on some mission?”

“Mr. Xiu, I won’t beat around the bush. I’ve come this time hoping to find some reliable information, and I need your help.”

Ji Nancen stated her purpose. Mr. Xiu took a puff of his cigar, squinting his eyes, savoring the spiraling smoke. “Seeking information? Whose?”

“The Georges family.”

At the mention of Georges, the old man’s expression suddenly became uneasy. Ji Nancen immediately saw that the matter was tricky. Before Mr. Xiu could speak, she quickly added, “If the matter is successful, you can retire and enjoy life.”

“That generous? That doesn’t sound like you.”

The old man played coy. Ji Nancen was unfazed and pointed to the shop opposite the corridor: “If Mr. Xiu is inconvenient, it’s alright. I’ll go elsewhere and inquire. With a good price, naturally, someone will be willing to take the job.”

Ji Nancen got up to leave. Qu Ye knew she was taking a big gamble with little risk. The old man flicked his cigar ash and said, “Stop.”

“You’ve changed your mind?” Ji Nancen immediately turned back and joked. Mr. Xiu walked to the counter to prepare coffee while holding his cigar, and they started talking: “You want to investigate the Georges family. That place is very dangerous.”

“If it weren’t dangerous, it wouldn’t be up to me, would it? Do you know this man, Qiao Di?”

“Qiao Di…” The old man shook the coffee powder, glanced at the two of them, and his tone became heavy: “With all due respect, this man is not to be trifled with. You’d best not provoke him, or you might lose your life.”

“Is this guy that powerful?”

“In Florence, he is a figure who wields immense influence. Besides the Georges family’s public businesses, he has countless grey-market operations privately dealing in arms with mercenaries.”

Ji Nancen and Qu Ye fell into silence. Mr. Xiu brought the cups to them and continued: “No one he sets his sights on ever comes to a good end. You should watch out for yourselves.”

“I won’t make things difficult for you, Mr. Xiu. I just need his schedule. That shouldn’t be hard for you, right?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to get involved in this mess. However, I can provide you with one piece of information for free.”

Hearing ‘free,’ Ji Nancen’s eyes instantly sparkled, and she urged, “What is it?”

“Qiao Di is a devout Catholic. He goes to the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella for Sunday service every week and has never missed it. The church is cleared for him, and security is very tight.”

Qu Ye took a wad of money from his inner suit pocket and placed it on the table, politely thanking him: “Mr. Xiu’s coffee is mellow and delicious. Thank you very much.”

“Tsk, he said it was free, you know.” Ji Nancen stared wide-eyed at the stack of cash. Qu Ye gave her a look of disdain and turned to leave.

Standing in the corridor, Qu Ye took out her phone and checked the date. It was three days until Sunday service, and time was short.

Ji Nancen leaned leisurely against the wall, easily discerning Qu Ye’s thoughts, and teased, “You have an idea.”

“I do have an idea, but it’s very difficult.”

“Tell me first; we can work on it together.”

“Before leaving Xuan City, I arranged to meet Zanda in Florence, but he hasn’t shown up yet, which suggests he’s already been controlled by Qiao Di. This means we are missing our most potent asset. If the Sunday service is our only breakthrough, there are only two paths we can take.”

Ji Nancen could hear the anxiety in Qu Ye’s tone. The situation had indeed exceeded their expectations.

“I know, either go for broke, or use a diversion. But for a person like Qiao Di, do you think he’d be foolish enough to let us mess around? We shouldn’t linger here; follow me.”

As she spoke, Ji Nancen vigilantly sensed eyes following her. She lowered her voice and quickly headed towards the bustling downtown downstairs.

Qu Ye also noticed signs of someone lurking nearby. She instructed Ji Nancen from behind: “Don’t go home. Meet at the entrance of the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella.”

“No, we should eliminate the threat immediately. You be the decoy, and I’ll pinpoint the target.”

“No problem.”

The two of them worked well together and immediately split up.

Qu Ye wandered in the bustling market, while Ji Nancen walked toward the congested exit.

Her hand moved as quick as a gust of wind, stealing the sunglasses hanging on the chest of a passing person, then swiftly snatching a hat, taking off her jacket, and putting it on backward. In a flash, her disguise was complete.

Returning to the second floor, Ji Nancen pretended to casually browse the stalls, but in reality, she was sharply scanning the corridor, looking for suspicious shadows around Qu Ye.

Soon, a man in a black suit and sunglasses caught her attention, and he wasn’t the only one following them. Ji Nancen counted quickly—there were three in total.

Dialing Qu Ye’s number, Ji Nancen calmly directed: “I found them. There are three people. Walk toward Mr. Xiu’s stall, and I’ll wait at the corner on the second floor.”

“Okay.”

Watching Qu Ye approach her, Ji Nancen slowly disappeared, hiding around the corner. The second floor was much quieter than the bustling market downstairs. She found a hiding spot and squatted down, distinguishing Qu Ye’s footsteps amid the noise.

As soon as Qu Ye reached the second floor, she blew a whistle. After the two exchanged hand signals for cooperation, they both hid.

Soon, hurried footsteps followed. The three men in black looked around, realized they had lost their targets, and prepared to turn back and leave.

“Hey…” Qu Ye suddenly stepped out and let out a loud whistle at them.

The men in black could clearly sense the scornful provocation, so they clenched their fists, ready to fight tough. One of them rushed toward Qu Ye, eager to throw a punch.

Qu Ye firmly caught his punch, grabbed the opponent’s arm, and delivered a heavy back-throw. The man sprawled on the ground, restrained by his arms behind his back. Qu Ye nimbly stepped on his back and twisted his arms forcefully, completely incapacitating one of his arms.

Amidst the agonizing screams, the remaining two men attacked together.

Ji Nancen, playing dirty from behind, pulled the hat over one man’s head. With his vision obscured, the man fumbled to grab the hat. Before he could turn around, Ji Nancen wrapped one arm tightly around his neck and used the other hand to grab his ear and twist hard.

There was a crisp snap from the neck, and the man collapsed to the ground, motionless.

The last man in black tried to run, but the two blocked his path. He pulled out a dagger and wildly slashed a few times, trying to scare them off.

Ji Nancen took off her jacket and wrapped it around her hand, feigning a move forward. The man lunged into empty air. She tried again and finally managed to skillfully block the dagger’s stab with a clever move.

Qu Ye, meanwhile, seized the opportunity, grabbed the man’s tie, and skillfully wrapped it around his neck. Just as she was about to strike a fatal blow, Ji Nancen stopped her: “Keep him alive. We might be able to get useful information.”

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