Chapter 108: Are You Investigating Me?

Jing Xi had yet to enter the room when the people standing by the door saw her approaching.

Yu Er, Chen Gang, and Chen Zhi showed no surprise at her arrival.

However, when they noticed she intended to go inside, they quickly stopped her, signaling for her to wait.

Jing Xi stood beside Yu Er and whispered, “Why are you guys here?”

Yu Er turned around and replied, “Fourth Master has shares in this mine. As soon as we heard about the incident, we rushed over.”

Jing Xi found it odd. Wasn’t this mine owned by the Quan and Xu families? How did the Long family have a stake in it too?

Moreover, this wasn’t Shaanxi Province—it was Hebei Province.

Were three families from Shaanxi dividing up Hebei’s resources?

What were the people from Hebei doing about it?

The affairs of these powerful families were truly complicated.

Jing Xi peeked through the gap in the door.

Inside, Long Yue Zhi stood with his back to the window, dressed in all black. His tall, lean figure and meticulously combed hair exuded a chilling aura.

For some reason, Jing Xi could sense Long Yue Zhi’s emotions.

He was furious.

And he was extremely tense.

Even though his back was turned to her, she could tell from the way he clenched his wrist tightly.

He was worried about the lives trapped underground.

He was silently praying.

This realization made Jing Xi uneasy.

She didn’t understand why, but she could feel it.

Long Yue Zhi and Xu Jin were completely different.

At their core, they weren’t even the same kind of people.

Long Yue Zhi genuinely cared about human lives, while Xu Jin only cared about saving face.

Quan Zhiwen walked up to Long Yue Zhi, raising a hand as if to pat him on the shoulder, but then let it drop.

He sighed. “Old Fourth, we never wanted this to happen either. We’re at fault, but—”

Long Yue Zhi let out a cold snort, turning to look at Quan Zhiwen. His voice was devoid of warmth. “Second Brother, at a time like this, don’t bother with any ‘buts’!”

Quan Zhiwen was momentarily stunned into silence.

Xu Jin, seeing Long Yue Zhi’s serious demeanor, realized he was nothing like his usual nonchalant self.

She opened her mouth to speak but, noticing Quan Zhiwen’s warning glance, ultimately said nothing.

Long Yue Zhi turned around and walked toward the door.

With his long strides, he moved quickly.

Jing Xi, seeing him come out, quickly hid behind Yu Er, Xiao Jie, and the others.

She lowered her head, trying to stay out of sight, hoping Long Yue Zhi wouldn’t notice her.

She didn’t want to provoke anyone at the moment.

Chen Gang and Chen Zhi opened the door for Long Yue Zhi, but there was no sound of him walking out.

Jing Xi kept her head down, staring at the floor and her own shoes, unaware that within two seconds, a pair of black leather shoes and a pair of long legs clad in black trousers had entered her field of vision.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Just as she was about to lift her head, a cool fingertip touched her chin.

It gently lifted her face, and the first thing she saw was Long Yue Zhi’s impossibly handsome face—so perfect it was hard to distinguish whether it was more masculine or feminine.

But today, his expression was cold, calm, and unreadable.

Like someone who usually took things lightly, but had suddenly become unapproachable.

She met his gaze but remained silent.

She was trying to figure him out.

That slight furrow in his brow held layers of emotion.

The next moment, a large hand grasped her wrist, and without another word, he strode toward the stairwell, pulling her along.

Jing Xi: ???

“Hey, Long Yue Zhi, where are we going?”

Long Yue Zhi didn’t look back or respond.

Jing Xi turned to glance at Yu Er, Liang Chen, and Xiao Jie, but they all kept their heads down, acting as if they hadn’t seen anything.

She shut her mouth.

Fine. Best not to say anything that might rub him the wrong way.

Long Yue Zhi led her straight upstairs to the end of the fourth-floor hallway.

As soon as they stepped inside, Jing Xi was stunned—there was actually a lounge here.

A sign by the door read Long Family Exclusive.

The room was furnished like a high-end hotel suite—luxurious and comfortable.

The moment they entered, Long Yue Zhi closed the door.

The people who had followed them stopped outside.

Releasing her wrist, he walked straight to the window, his voice cold.

“Come here.”

Jing Xi quickly walked over.

From the window, they had a clear view of the distant mine entrance.

Trucks were still hauling coal out, and a large number of people were gathered around the shaft.

His expression softened slightly. “I heard you were the one who proposed the rescue plan?”

His flawlessly handsome face was suddenly right in front of hers—less than ten centimeters away.

Jing Xi looked at his pale, smooth skin, so flawless that she couldn’t even see any pores. His eyes, his nose—every feature was stunning.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably, as if it were about to jump out of her throat.

What did he just ask?

Oh, the rescue plan.

“Yes, it was me.”

“You’ve been here before? You’re familiar with this area?”

Jing Xi shook her head.

“You have relatives or friends here?”

She shook her head again.

Long Yue Zhi narrowed his eyes. “Then how do you know the details of this place?”

Jing Xi lowered her gaze. “I saw it in a dream.”

Long Yue Zhi let out a mocking laugh. “You saw it in a dream?”

Jing Xi knew he wouldn’t believe her. “Yes.”

Long Yue Zhi straightened up, no longer pressuring her. “And last time, when you went to the Taihang Mountains—was that also something you dreamed about? Or did you sleepwalk there?”

Jing Xi: “……”

Long Yue Zhi crossed his arms over his chest. “What you told me is different from what you told others.”

Jing Xi was silent for a few seconds before responding, “I just say whatever comes to mind.”

“So you can’t tell the truth?”

Without hesitation: “I can’t.”

Long Yue Zhi let out a helpless chuckle.

“You have a lot of secrets?”

Jing Xi nodded. “Not too many, just a couple.”

Just one or two, really.

After a minute of silence…

“This rescue—how confident are you?”

Seeing that he was no longer pressing her for answers, Jing Xi looked out the window. “I’m not part of the rescue team, I just provided an idea. But of course, I hope everyone makes it out alive. As for how confident I am… I can’t say.”

Long Yue Zhi wasn’t surprised by her answer. He murmured to himself, “One hundred and thirteen lives.”

Then he turned back to her. “You’ve really piqued my curiosity.”

Jing Xi smiled. His gaze made her a little nervous, but there was also a hint of enjoyment in it.

“Is it my face, the things that have happened to me, or my actions?”

Long Yue Zhi was blunt. “All of it.”

Jing Xi: “You’re quite honest. So, what have you found out?”

Long Yue Zhi didn’t hide anything. “A lot.”

Jing Xi raised an eyebrow. “A lot? Could it be that I really have some kind of hidden secret? Care to share?”

Long Yue Zhi was a little surprised by her reaction. “You don’t know about your own situation?”

Jing Xi shrugged. “Besides my name, where I live, and what’s happened in the past eighteen years, I don’t know much else. I’ve never even met my parents. Funny thing is, I don’t even know where their graves are—only my aunt does, and she won’t tell me.”

“Why won’t she tell you?”

Jing Xi looked at Long Yue Zhi as if he were an idiot. “How would I know? If I knew, would I still be telling you that I don’t know where my parents’ graves are?”

Everyone knew her parents had died, but no one knew exactly where—or at least, she didn’t.

At that moment, Long Yue Zhi finally understood why Xiao Jie and Liang Chen, after spending so much time with her, had never been able to uncover any secrets.

Her delicate face was so sincere, and even her small gestures while speaking were incredibly endearing.

As someone who had encountered countless people, he could tell she wasn’t lying.

Seeing that Long Yue Zhi wasn’t responding, Jing Xi suddenly felt like teasing him.

“Long Yue Zhi, did you investigate me because I look like Xu Jin?”

Long Yue Zhi: “……”

Jing Xi: “I do think there’s some mystery about myself, and I’m really curious. So, what did you find? Can you tell me? I really, really want to know.”

Long Yue Zhi: “……”

Though he remained silent, he didn’t miss a single expression on her face.

She was incredibly expressive and adorable when she spoke.

And she stared at him so directly, completely unashamed.

Jing Xi: “Why aren’t you saying anything? Do I really have some earth-shattering secret?”

Long Yue Zhi took a deep breath, just about to speak, when suddenly—

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed outside.

Both of them turned toward the sound and saw Shaft No. 4 collapsing rapidly. The entire ground caved in, and everyone outside was retreating in a panic, trying to distance themselves.

Jing Xi and Long Yue Zhi instinctively clenched their fists.