Chapter 46

Sitting quietly, the end of the sea began to gradually light up with a red glow, as if a fire was burning at the bottom of the sea, with the flames piercing through the water.

Just then, Xia Yunjie heard a faint snore. He carefully turned his head and found that Qin Lan had somehow tightly hugged his arm, her head resting on his shoulder, fast asleep.

A streak of red light from the end of the sea fell on Qin Lan's beautiful face, with its distinct features. Her straight nose, long eyelashes, slender eyebrows, and small, rosy lips were all so beautiful and peaceful.

At this moment, Xia Yunjie saw a delicate and gentle beauty that made him almost unable to resist waking her up, feeling a deep affection and tenderness. There was no trace of the domineering aura of a female bureau chief!

The fiery sun slowly rose from the horizon, but Xia Yunjie couldn't bear to wake Qin Lan. He just sat there quietly, watching her. Unconsciously, his gaze followed her delicate chin, her swan-like white and slender neck, and landed on her slightly open collar, where a glimpse of smooth, white skin and a prominent rise could be seen.

Xia Yunjie couldn't bear to look any further and turned his head back to the horizon, where a fiery red sun was rising. In a moment, the originally dark sea became shimmering and incredibly beautiful.

Even in the early morning, the sun's rays were still dazzling.

Qin Lan, who had been sleeping soundly, was soon awakened by the glaring sunlight. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself snuggled against Xia Yunjie's shoulder, her arms tightly hugging his arm, and her prominent chest pressing against his body, even deformed due to the pressure.

Qin Lan was suddenly like she had been electrocuted, quickly letting go of her hands and sitting up straight. She tried to act calm, smoothing out her hair that had been disheveled by the sea breeze, and then scolded, "Ah, the sun is already up, why didn't you wake me up?"

As she said this, a blush crept onto her face.

Qin Lan had never imagined that one day she would not only be snuggled up with a boy ten years younger than her, waiting for the sunrise by the sea, but also fall asleep while hugging his arm.

"Seeing you sleep so soundly, I didn't wake you up," Xia Yunjie said, looking at Qin Lan's blushing face in the sunlight. He felt a sudden sense of loss, for some reason. The night had made many people lose their heads, but the day brought them back to their senses. Last night was just a moment of confusion for Qin Lan when she was feeling down. How could she really like him, a young man working in a bar?

Seeing the hint of disappointment in Xia Yunjie's eyes, Qin Lan felt a similar sense of loss, for some reason. Time passed so quickly, and it was another scorching summer!

But soon she laughed at her own inexplicable sense of loss. Last night, she was just in a bad mood and had a bit to drink, which led to her losing her composure. He was just a young man who had just graduated from a technical school, and she was already thirty and a deputy director of the Public Security Bureau. How could she possibly like him? She just had a good impression of him and treated him like a younger brother.

"Oh, let's go back now. You didn't sleep all night, so you must be very tired," Qin Lan said, shaking off the sense of loss with a laugh. She got up and lightly patted the dust off her buttocks.

"Okay, let's go back. You need to rest well too," Xia Yunjie followed, getting up and jumping down from the rock. He stood below, ready to help Qin Lan down.

Seeing Xia Yunjie standing below with his hand outstretched, Qin Lan couldn't help but think of last night when Xia Yunjie stood above, pulled her, and she fell into his arms. Her heart suddenly felt a bit flustered. But soon, she laughed at herself and climbed down. When her hand touched Xia Yunjie's seemingly slender but strong hand again, her heart still beat faster uncontrollably. As soon as her feet touched the sand, she quickly and inconspicuously let go of his hand.

When she let go, she couldn't help but laugh at herself for being so silly!

Back at the Deya residential area, it was still early, just before 6 a.m. Seeing that it was still before the hour of the Rabbit, Xia Yunjie sat on the bed and began to practice the "Yu Wang Jue" cultivation technique.

His experience at the Public Security Bureau had given Xia Yunjie a deeper understanding of society and made him more mature and steady. During today's cultivation, Xia Yunjie found that his mindset was noticeably more stable than before. The originally violent and volatile witch power, which seemed ready to erupt like a volcano, now flowed more smoothly under this mindset, like a gentle lamb.

"Experiencing the myriad aspects of life, understanding the multifaceted nature of human existence!" As the hour of the Rabbit passed, Xia Yunjie slowly opened his eyes and looked eastward, recalling the words his master had said when he was alive, feeling quite reflective.

If his master hadn't taught him, and if he had started using witchcraft to gain wealth and power from the beginning, would he have also lost his true self and become someone like Luo Dawei, who acted without restraint because of his father's power?

Xia Yunjie couldn't be sure if he would have lost his true self, but he knew that if he had started using witchcraft to gain wealth and power, his ego would have become extremely inflated. Like Luo Dawei, he would have acted without restraint because of his father's power, and no one would have dared to stop him. Over time, he would have lost all sense of restraint, thinking that everything was normal.

He got up, went to the bathroom to wash up, and then returned to the bedroom to sleep until noon. Xia Yunjie finally got up.

Since he was alone for lunch, Xia Yunjie didn't bother to prepare a meal. He put on his slippers and went out, planning to grab a quick bite at a Shaxian Delicacies near the entrance of the residential area.

At the entrance of the Deya residential area, a Jinbei minivan was parked.

In the car, Qiang, the bald man, sat in the passenger seat with red eyes, clearly having had a bad night. But he was still alert, staring intently at the entrance of the residential area. In the driver's seat was his most trusted subordinate, Biao.

In the morning, as soon as it was time to go to work, Qiang rushed to the lottery center to claim his prize. Winning five first prizes with the same ticket was a first in the history of the Jiangnan Province lottery. The lottery center had opened a "green channel" for Qiang, with a dedicated staff member handling the procedures in a VIP room, and an Agricultural Bank employee helping him with the savings procedures. Now, he had a bank card with 20 million yuan after tax in his pocket.

However, after claiming the first prize, Qiang didn't go anywhere. He first took a random bus and wandered around the city for a while before getting off and calling Biao to pick him up. After getting into the Jinbei minivan, Qiang didn't say anything, only telling Biao to go to the Deya residential area.

"Brother Qiang, it's been an hour and a half. What are you waiting for that guy? He's a weirdo, and you should avoid him!" Although Qiang's eyes were sharp, Biao was getting impatient. Of course, another reason was that he was really afraid of Xia Yunjie, that strange guy.

"Stop calling him a guy. Remember, no matter where you are, call him Brother Jie!" Qiang glared at Biao, dissatisfied.

"But Brother Qiang, that guy can fight, but he's not..." Biao said, confused.

"Call him Brother Jie, and stop talking so much!" Qiang raised his hand and slapped Biao on the head.

"Yes, yes, I'll call him Brother Jie!" Biao looked at Qiang with a sense of injustice and grievance, thinking, "I wonder what's wrong with Brother Qiang today. It's so hot, and he's running here to wait for that weird guy, and even in private, he has to call him brother."

As Biao was thinking, Xia Yunjie walked out of the residential area. Qiang, with bloodshot eyes, saw him and his eyes lit up. He quickly pushed open the car door and got out. Biao followed suit.

Seeing Qiang and Biao walking toward him, Xia Yunjie frowned slightly. He naturally had no good feelings toward people like Qiang and didn't want to encounter them unless necessary. But today, they clearly came to find him, so although he was unhappy, he stopped and looked at them.

"Brother Jie, good morning!" Qiang quickly walked up to Xia Yunjie, bowed respectfully, and called out.

"Brother Jie!" Biao, seeing his boss bow, quickly followed suit, bowing respectfully.

Two big men, one with a bald head and a fierce look, bowing to a young man, was quite a shocking sight, drawing the attention of people entering and exiting the residential area. Fortunately, it was hot, and there weren't many people around.

"What do you want?" Although there weren't many people, Xia Yunjie still felt uncomfortable and said impatiently.

"I want to ask Brother Jie for guidance. Which path should I take next?" Qiang didn't show any displeasure at Xia Yunjie's impatience. Instead, he became even more respectful and cautious, bending his waist as he spoke.