I'm Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 128: Chapter 124: Blind Date with Jiang Jingshi

「In a two-story villa in Wisteria City.」

Jiang Qian sat on the sofa, her gaze cool and her long, jet-black hair draped over her shoulders.

She was in her pajamas. In the living room, Fang Meng brandished a weapon—a fresh carrot—cornering a man in a suit against the wall.

”Second Miss, Miss Meng, I really don’t know anything,” the man pleaded repeatedly.

Jiang Qian picked up a cup of coffee and slowly savored it.

”Keep asking.”

Fang Meng produced a grater from out of nowhere and began scraping at the carrot, peeling it into shreds.

The man gulped, terrified.

Fang Meng’s gaze was sharp. Though she normally seemed unremarkable, the fact that she could serve as Jiang Qian’s assistant and part-time bodyguard proved she was highly capable. She just didn’t usually show it.

”I’m giving you one last chance. Tell us the Eldest Miss’s recent itinerary. Or else...”

She whittled the carrot into a small shiv, its tip gleaming as if it were cold steel. She pressed it against the man’s neck. ”Start talking, or else... neiyizute!”

The man, terrified by Fang Meng’s frightening glare, was at a loss for words. ”Um...” He swallowed hard. ”Miss Meng, what does ’neiyizute’ mean? I don’t get these schoolyard slang terms.”

”It’s not schoolyard slang, it’s from TV.” Fang Meng withdrew the carrot and spelled out the most terrifying words imaginable: ”It means the Second Miss plans on giving everyone a little extra bonus this month... and you’re the only one who won’t get it.”

”What?! No, please! I’m a very diligent worker, Second Miss! I... I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything! But I really don’t know that much.”

’Of course, Jiang Qian knew these men wouldn’t know much. Once my sister decides to be on guard against me, she’d never tell her subordinates her full itinerary. She might even deliberately spread false information among them, just to keep me from knowing her whereabouts these past few days.’

Jiang Qian looked up at him, her gaze cold. ”Just tell me everything you know. What has her itinerary been since the National Day holiday started? The more detailed, the better.”

The man nodded blankly. ”Okay! Okay! I’ll tell you. Uh, I’ll start from the first...”

Fang Meng took out a pen and paper and jotted down what the man said. Then she pulled three hundred yuan from her pocket. ”Here. An extra bonus. It’s not much, but it’s enough to buy a few things. Remember not to tell anyone about today.”

The man took the money. ”Th-thank you, Second Miss. Thank you, Miss Meng.”

With that, he hurried away.

He even remembered to close the door behind him.

Fang Meng set the peeled carrot aside and reported the results of the day’s interrogations to Jiang Qian:

”Qianqian, based on the statements from the thirty-seven people we questioned today, I’ve recorded every version of the Eldest Miss’s itinerary they gave me. It’s all in here. Do you want to take a look?”

Jiang Qian held out her hand.

Fang Meng handed her the data—a thick notebook.

She stared at her sister’s itinerary, her brow slowly furrowing.

”My sister... on the morning of October first, she drove to a public restroom, then went to an amusement park to buy an ice cream. After that, she went to a store outside the restroom to buy luosifen, then returned to the amusement park for a second ice cream... And to top it off, still in the morning, she had someone drive her to a luosifen factory, where she bought a case of chocolate and handed it out to the kids at the amusement park?”

She put down the notebook. ”What is all this nonsense?”

Fang Meng replied, ”The Eldest Miss is often baffling. Besides, every one of those guys told a slightly different story. This is the merged version. It’s definitely full of false leads—after all, the Eldest Miss is never this idle.”

Jiang Qian pushed the notebook toward her. ”Meng, I’m leaving it to you. Find her real route for me. And be quick. Today is the fifth—the day my sister is supposed to meet Lin Zhengran. We have to get there before them.”

Fang Meng nodded, picked the notebook back up, and sat off to the side. As she stared at the densely packed itinerary, trying to make sense of it all, she glanced over at Jiang Qian, who was staring into space.

’So it was all a lie when Qianqian said she didn’t care in the car the other day... Ever since she found out her sister was going on a blind date with Lin Zhengran, she’s grown more anxious with each passing day of the holiday. And it all led to this—investigating the Eldest Miss’s itinerary. So Qianqian really is starting to care about Lin Zhengran. A young girl’s curiosity... I wonder how this will all turn out in the end...’

Fang Meng quickly started to break down and reassemble the chaotic itinerary, searching for any possible points of overlap.

”Even though the Eldest Miss deliberately gave everyone a fake itinerary, we can still eliminate the completely illogical parts. For instance, trips where the distance and time don’t match up, or where her work schedule conflicts with her leisure activities. So, ultimately...”

Fang Meng handed the notebook back to her. ”After a process of elimination, these are the few routes with the highest probability of being real.”

Jiang Qian scrutinized the routes. Seeing that none of the times overlapped, she nodded. ”I’ll go get changed. We’ll drive and check each potential meeting spot with Lin Zhengran, one by one.”

”Okay.”

Seeing Jiang Qian get up and head to the bedroom, Fang Meng called out a reminder:

”But I have to ask... if we actually find the Eldest Miss on a date with Lin Zhengran, what do you plan to do, Qianqian?

”After all, you’re the one who personally gave your place in the arranged marriage to the Eldest Miss. She even asked you twice that day, and you agreed both times. You’ll need a reason to show up now, won’t you?”

Jiang Qian stopped, her back still to Fang Meng.

”I don’t have to do anything. I know my sister will never like Lin Zhengran. They won’t end up together. I’m just going to stop her from bothering my classmate. We agreed we wouldn’t interfere in each other’s lives. She’s the one who broke our agreement.”