Chi Ling looked at Ji Qing, who wanted to pet the cat but pulled his hand back, and felt a slight urge to laugh, though he managed to hold it back. “What is wrong? Their owner isn’t going to eat anyone. We just have some business today, so she asked us to look after her little pet.”
Hearing the words “eat anyone,” Ji Qing shivered and forced a dry chuckle.
Chi Ling dragged the soft cushion from the doorway inside, cradled the little cat in his arms, and headed downstairs.
Stepping out of the dim stairwell, the outside world was finally bright. Chi Ling favored bright places, and his mood cleared up instantly.
The black cat was very well-behaved, staying curled up snugly in Chi Ling’s arms. When petted just right, it would even emit soft, baby-like meows.
Ji Qing locked the door and followed him down.
“Let’s go! To the Family Dispute Mediation Office.”
“Ah? Ah?”
Chi Ling’s posture was so leisurely it didn’t look like an instance world at all, more like a stroll through his own backyard. Ji Qing replied out of reflex before realizing he had said the Family Dispute Mediation Office.
However, Chi Ling had no intention of explaining. He just walked slowly, retracing the path he remembered.
Ji Qing gritted his teeth and followed along. After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived.
Seeing how high-strung Ji Qing was, Chi Ling offered words of comfort: “Don’t be so nervous. We are officially employed staff now; we’re just here to report on our work.”
Ji Qing: “…”
I don’t want to report on any work! And have we actually even worked a single day?
Whether he wanted to or not, Chi Ling had already pushed open the door and stepped into the director’s office, though he gestured for Ji Qing to wait outside by the door. Ji Qing swallowed hard, staring down the dim hallway and inexplicably feeling that staying by the door alone was even scarier.
However, Ji Qing didn’t have to be scared for long before Chi Ling came back out.
“Let’s go.”
“That’s it?”
Chi Ling nodded, holding the cat with one hand while picking up the certificate with the other and shoving it into Ji Qing’s hands.
“Doesn’t the Resident Rules say that residents must proactively come in for mediation every day? As staff of the mediation office, we must learn to expand our reach and proactively visit residents to help resolve disputes.” Chi Ling blinked, curving his lips into a cheerful smile.
“So we are going to proactively visit people and resolve disputes next?”
Chi Ling didn’t confirm or deny, but this direction clearly wasn’t leading back to the community. Ji Qing honestly followed behind Chi Ling, looking around in curious wonder from time to time.
Chi Ling simply wanted to observe the overall environment of Community 75. After walking for about twenty minutes, he had a rough idea of the place.
There were seven residential buildings in total, plus the Family Dispute Mediation Office, a hospital, and a convenience store.
In the center of the community was a patch of lawn, and to the left of the lawn sat an artificial lake.
Catching sight of the artificial lake from afar, Chi Ling felt his stomach churn uncomfortably; that murky green lake water was a match for the pond in the previous instance.
Chi Ling wanted to go over and take a closer look, but upon second thought, he decided not to torture himself.
He waved backward. Ji Qing, who had been looking all around, immediately hurried over when he saw the gesture.
“Did you see that lake over there?”
Ji Qing nodded.
“There is someone sitting on the bench by the lake. Go chat with him, and I’ll wait here for you.” Chi Ling patted Ji Qing’s shoulder and gave him a gentle nudge.
Pushed forward by Chi Ling, Ji Qing mustered up some courage and stepped out with the air of a warrior marching off to a battle from which he would never return.
Chi Ling: “…”
It wasn’t actually that dangerous; there was no need to treat it like an enemy invasion.
Chi Ling narrowed his eyes slightly. Ji Qing seemed to be chatting quite congenially with the man over there.
After chatting for a little while, Ji Qing motioned toward Chi Ling’s direction, and the man smiled and nodded at Chi Ling.
He looked decent enough—ah, no! Dressed in a polished suit.
Soon, Ji Qing ran back over. “I just asked, he’s a resident of 311. He’s been feeling down lately because of some matters, so he came here to fish. He also invited us over to his place for dinner tonight, and I said I had to ask for your opinion.”
“Fishing?” Chi Ling glanced at that pool of green water and looked away.
Ugh!
Could fish caught out of that thing even be eaten? Wouldn’t people die from it? Also, why would anyone wear a full suit and even carry a briefcase just to go fishing?
Chi Ling raised his head and used one hand to tilt Ji Qing’s head toward the lake. “Look at the quality of that water.”
Ji Qing was forced to stare at the lake for a good while before concluding, “It’s pretty good. The water looks quite clear.”
Why did the lake Ji Qing saw look different from the one he saw?
Lost in thought, Chi Ling looked down at the docile cat in his arms.
“Here, let me borrow you for a moment!” Chi Ling handed the cat to Ji Qing.
Ji Qing fumbled as he took it. The cat clearly looked dissatisfied with him, even making a motion to bite through his clothes. Chi Ling couldn’t help but chuckle, stroking the cat to calm it down before it finally quieted.
“Take another look at that lake,” Chi Ling said flatly.
“Ah!” Ji Qing was holding the cat and feeling relatively relaxed, but the moment he heard Chi Ling’s words, he turned his head back.
“Ugh!”
Ji Qing looked at the lake, then blankly stared at the cat in his hands.
Chi Ling took the cat back. Ji Qing hadn’t recovered yet, standing there completely soul-devastated.
“Speaking of which, you slept pretty well last night, didn’t you?” Chi Ling asked casually, as if making small talk.
“Pretty good.”
“I didn’t sleep well last night.”
Chi Ling briefly described the sounds he had heard the previous night, incidentally summarizing them: “Oh right, the sounds from the first half of last night must have come from 311, and the man you were just chatting with is the male homeowner of 311. Chopping meat and firing up the wok in the middle of the night—sounds like their diet is quite good. How about it, fancy trying some?”
Ji Qing swallowed hard, wanting to cry without tears: “Can we not go?”
Chi Ling smiled. “Of course we can. We aren’t going there to eat in the first place; we’re going there to deliver care and mediate disputes.”
Chi Ling patted Ji Qing on the shoulder. Ji Qing flinched at the tap, breaking out in goosebumps: “Brother, stop scaring me.”
“How is this scaring you? At least you slept well last night. If I wanted to scare you, I would have woken you up last night to listen along with me.”
At least Chi Ling was in a good mood right now, so he dragged Ji Qing along to start knocking on doors, beginning with 301.
Units 301 to 306 belonged to players, and after brief exchanges, Chi Ling moved on.
Units 307 to 309 appeared uninhabited, with a thick layer of dust accumulated on the doorknobs. Chi Ling knocked for a long time without receiving the slightest response.
Following the numerical sequence, the next was 310.
“Hello, staff of the 75th Family Dispute Mediation Office, here on a door-to-door visit to mediate disputes. Is anyone home?”
Not long after Chi Ling finished speaking, the sound of pattering footsteps rang out. He waited patiently at the doorway, counting the footsteps in his head.
The door cracked open an inch, revealing a single bloodshot, listless eye that darted back and forth, sizing up the two people at the door.
Chi Ling took a step back and produced his certificate.
The person inside pulled the door all the way open. Gaunt and withered, he looked like a walking skeleton: “Come in.”
Terrified, Ji Qing firmly grabbed Chi Ling’s arm.
Chi Ling: “…”
You’re gripping my arm so hard it hurts! Why are you the one who’s scared while I’m the one who hurts? Does that make any sense?
The man opened the door and walked off on his own to a room to play video games. His bloodshot eyes remained glued to the screen, occasionally shouting commands and technical terms Chi Ling couldn’t understand.
His face was half-swallowed in shadow, while the flickering light from the screen danced across his features as if he were wearing a mask.
After a fleeting glance, Chi Ling withdrew his gaze.
A girl wearing a red dress with voluminous wavy hair walked out. Her features were striking and bold, though her expression was listless and weary.
“Are you guys the staff from the mediation office?” The girl’s tone held a hint of curiosity. When she caught sight of Chi Ling and Ji Qing’s faces, her eyes lit up.
“Oh! Come sit down quickly!” The girl’s tone became sprightly.
Chi Ling didn’t act coy; he stepped forward and sat on the sofa. “Have there been any unhappy matters lately, or any disputes with any neighbors?”
“No, no, why would I be unhappy? I’m happy every day! I’d be even happier if you guys came over to chat with me more often.” As she spoke, the girl’s eyes kept drifting toward Ji Qing’s face.
Clearly, she was much more interested in Ji Qing.
Sure enough, the very next second she made her move, reaching out to grab Ji Qing: “What’s the little brother’s name, and how old are you this year?”
Ji Qing looked pleadingly at Chi Ling, who averted his gaze and lowered his head to pet the cat.
They only stayed in 310 for about ten minutes. They didn’t find any useful clues, but Ji Qing ended up thoroughly flirted with.
To save Ji Qing’s fragile young heart from further trauma, Chi Ling made up a casual excuse and left.
The girl in the red dress lingered by the door, reluctant to let them go as she watched them off: “Come play again next time! My name is Lin Ru.”
Ji Qing wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. Every single second spent sitting in 310 had felt like walking on pins and needles, stretching like years.
Chi Ling’s lips curved upward slightly before he quickly pressed them back down.
He gave a light cough, and the hallway sensor lights clicked on. Walking straight ahead without sideways glances, they climbed the stairs and knocked on the door of 311.
“Hello, Family Dispute Mediation Office, here to mediate disputes,” Chi Ling said while knocking.
“Coming right now.”
A thin, plainly dressed middle-aged woman opened the door. “Hello, please come in.”
Chi Ling put on a factory-grade smile and stepped into the room.
These apartments all share pretty much the same layout, don’t they?
Chi Ling sat on the sofa and started chatting with the woman.
The woman poured out her grievances quite earnestly. Most of her complaints revolved around her husband and child.
How her husband worked hard and she worked hard at home too, but the child was completely unappreciative and didn’t study hard.
How she felt the neighbor girl across the way had designs on her husband—making Chi Ling furrow his brow.
… Chi Ling lowered his head to support his forehead as he listened to this woman vent for half an hour. Unable to take any more of it, he took the initiative to offer tutoring help for her child. The woman accepted gladly, leading him to the child’s room while continuing to pour her grievances out to Ji Qing.
Ji Qing: Save me!
Someone always had to stay behind to deal with this “good wife” and “good mother.”
Ji Qing, you suffer.
Thump, thump. Chi Ling rapped twice on the door to signal someone was entering.
Inside the room, the young girl doing her homework peeked out of the corner of her eye. Seeing it wasn’t her mother, she visibly relaxed quite a bit.
Naturally, such minor movements didn’t escape Chi Ling’s notice. Chi Ling stood quietly by the side, watching the little girl do her homework in silence. When the girl finally couldn’t hold back her curiosity and struck up a conversation with her, Chi Ling bent down to chat with her, showed her the little cat in his arms, and bought a few candies from the shop for her.
Chi Ling listened to her talk with gentle patience, his eyes curving whenever she brought up something amusing.
Looking at this gentle and handsome big brother, the little girl couldn’t help blushing.
They had stayed here long enough and heard plenty of complaining. Chi Ling crouched down and looked into the little girl’s eyes: “I’m leaving. You need to grow up well.”
“Big brother, will you still come tomorrow?” the little girl asked cautiously, a deep sense of reluctance welling up in her heart. She had never seen anyone like this before—he seemed like a prince out of a fairy tale, and she half-suspected this was just a wonderful dream.
Chi Ling couldn’t give her an answer. He couldn’t change the little girl’s fate; he had his own things to do, and he would eventually leave this instance.
However, glancing back to see the little girl’s pitiful expression, he couldn’t help offering words of comfort: “You will grow up slowly, change from a child into an adult, and live the life you want. We will meet again then.”
And I am merely a passing traveler making a brief stop; by that time, you probably won’t even remember me anymore.
Gently pulling the door shut behind him, Chi Ling scooped up the thoroughly tormented Ji Qing from the living room and bid the woman farewell.