Chapter 520: Chapter 520

Jiang Kechu was training his soldiers in the Northwest, all the while anxiously waiting for Chuchu’s message. Whenever he had a moment, he would leave a message for Chuchu.

But sending out a hundred or two hundred messages was like dropping water into the ocean; there was not a single response or stir.

He wasn’t sure if Chuchu had seen his messages, and if she hadn’t, did that mean she had thrown away her phone a long time ago?

Throwing away the phone would mean she intended to cut off all contact with him and never meet again.

How heartless one must be to plan on doing that.

He quickly shook his head, trying to be optimistic, thinking maybe Chuchu was just having too much fun with the kids and forgot to turn on her phone.... He couldn’t continue that thought, feeling it was just self-deception.

The most likely possibility was that Chuchu had seen his messages but simply didn’t plan to respond to him.

He knew the person Chuchu cared about the most was Old Sir Zhong and that it was impossible not to contact him while she was away.

Unfortunately, Old Sir Zhong was very tight-lipped. With someone else, he might have thought of a way to find out, but he was utterly helpless with Old Sir Zhong, and Li Shan, that big fool, didn’t know anything.

Back in Beijing, Chen Ke also didn’t have any useful information to offer, not to mention other friends.

Feeling frustrated, Jiang Kechu trained even more fiercely, causing a group of soldiers, who had just been awarded the title of Special Soldier, to cry out in pain, unable to withstand Jiang Kechu’s devilish training.

Even the leaders above Jiang Kechu noticed something was off about him, and those who were well-informed made some inquiries, getting bits and pieces from Chen Ke, Jiang Kechu’s capable subordinate.

Therefore, the pressure on Chen Ke increased even more.

Chen Ke had no choice but to bite the bullet and go look for Mai Qiqi.

Mai Qiqi was startled when she received Chen Ke’s call, and long after hanging up, she still held the phone without any reaction.

That charcoal head Chen Ke actually said he wanted to invite her for coffee!

Was it her ears that were broken, or had Chen Ke’s brain gone haywire?

"Qiqi, what’s wrong? Who was calling?" Mrs. Mai entered the room and saw her daughter holding the phone dumbfounded, asking casually.

Mai Qiqi came back to her senses, hastily saying, "Oh, a sister, making plans to meet up." She absolutely couldn’t let her mom know about meeting up with Chen Ke.

Mother Mai simply "Oh’d" in response, then asked, "How come I haven’t seen Xiao Chu coming to see you lately?"

"Chuchu is very busy, taking care of a pair of kids as their mother, she has no time to come out." Mai Qiqi replied casually, but she was thinking that indeed, it had been a while since she had seen Wan Chu’er, and the calls she made had also not gone through.

"Oh, then when is Xiao Chu going back to the Northwest?" Mrs. Mai asked again, trying to appear casual, but it still raised Mai Qiqi’s suspicion.

"Mom, what are you trying to do? Don’t mess around, Chen Ke and I are impossible," Mai Qiqi rolled her eyes, remembering the call from Chen Ke, yet she couldn’t help feeling guilty.

Seeing her plan was so quickly seen through by her daughter, Mother Mai didn’t bother to hide it anymore, and said directly:

"You’re not that young anymore, Chuchu is your age and already has two children. And you? Are you trying to kill your mother with worry? If you could bring some other man home, I wouldn’t be nagging about Chen Ke—do you have one?

Mai Qiqi, show some ambition, it’s just a breakup with An Zihao, don’t tell me you’re still thinking about An Zihao? Is that why you’re pulling this lifetime bachelor act on me?"

Mother Mai was growing increasingly anxious as her daughter got older, her words becoming less considered.

"Mum! What are you talking about!" Mai Qiqi could hardly believe her ears, her face turning a shade paler as she grabbed her bag and hurried out.

"Hey, come back here... Where are you off to?" Mother Mai realized she had spoken out of turn and called after her daughter, who left home without looking back.

Afterwards, Mrs. Mai sighed deeply.

Following her mother’s tirade, Mai Qiqi quickly escaped from home and, upon arriving at the agreed spot, saw Chen Ke sitting expressionless, his posture straight and proper—a clear sign of his military background.

"What’s the matter?" Mai Qiqi got straight to the point, not wanting to spend too much time sitting with Chen Ke. It would be a real mess if some acquaintance spotted them and word got back to her mother.

Hearing her voice, Chen Ke looked up and saw Mai Qiqi sit across from him, then he gestured for a waiter, "What would you like to drink? We can chat at leisure."

Mai Qiqi’s mouth twitched slightly. Was she really out to have coffee with him?

"Um, you’re not feverish, are you?"

Chen Ke paused in his movements, giving her a sideways glance. Mai Qiqi immediately fell silent, feeling her question might have been a bit inappropriate. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveI(F)ire.net

"Sorry." Mai Qiqi apologized to Chen Ke before telling the waiter, "Just water for me." Clearly indicating she didn’t want to stay or talk any more than necessary.

Chen Ke’s expression didn’t change much as he pondered how to bring up the topic with Mai Qiqi. Once the waiter had left the water and departed, he said:

"Sister-in-law went abroad on vacation with Legendary Hunter and Hunter. Did you know?"

Mai Qiqi was shocked: "What? They went on a vacation? Why didn’t they tell me? Where did they go? When are they coming back? They didn’t run away from home because of Jiang Kechu, did they?"

Mai Qiqi rapidly fired off a string of questions, her mind working overtime, making Chen Ke feel the difficulty of his task.

"No, Captain Jiang is too busy with work; he’s returned to his troop to clear his mind." He tried to organize his thoughts and explain, still wanting to somewhat cover up for Captain Jiang.

Mai Qiqi looked at Chen Ke with suspicion, motioning for him to continue.

Chen Ke had no choice but to say: "Captain Jiang is currently leading the team in training, away for a month without being able to bring communication devices, especially for contact outside the region. But Captain Jiang is worried about sister-in-law, so he asked me to keep an eye on her and the others."

Mai Qiqi asked curiously, "If you’re keeping watch, why come to me?"

Chen Ke continued his fabrication: "There was an incident with my phone, and I lost all my contacts, so I don’t have sister-in-law’s contact information. I sought you out today hoping you could help me by contacting sister-in-law and asking where they are now?"

Mai Qiqi looked at Chen Ke skeptically, full of disbelief.

"That’s a terrible story. Are you insulting my intelligence?"

Upon hearing this statement, Chen Ke looked at her intently for a few seconds, then feeling it was inappropriate, shifted his gaze away, wanting to ask: Do you have any intelligence?

Chen Ke said, "Alright, I’ll tell you the truth. Sister-in-law is upset with Captain Jiang and has been gone from home for over a week. No one at home can reach her, so we have no idea about the safety of sister-in-law and the Legendary Hunter."

"What? Run away from home for a week?" Mai Qiqi was alarmed: "Why?"

Chen Ke looked at her: "That photo of yours." Though a few words, the implication was clear: You were the cause of this trouble.