When Yan Qi mentioned leaving, Chief Lei quickly spoke up to stop her.
“Uh, Xiao Ge—oh, can I call you Xiao Ge?”
Hearing Chief Lei’s question, Yan Qi, who hadn’t left yet, saw no issue with the nickname and replied,
“Chief Lei, you and everyone else can call me Xiao Ge.”
With her permission, Chief Lei continued,
“Haha, well, Xiao Ge, since you protected the civilians of Windbreak City today and accomplished a great deed, as a representative of the city’s authorities, I’ve decided to reward you. What would you like?”
“A reward? No, no, I don’t need one.”
Sensing potential risks in accepting a reward, Yan Qi outright refused.
Chief Lei persisted,
“How can someone who’s contributed so much not accept a reward? If you refuse, people will think poorly of Windbreak City’s officials.”
“Chief Lei, I really don’t need a reward. But if the authorities insist, I don’t want any physical reward—just promote the songs I’ve sung to the public online as much as possible. That’s all I ask.”
“Promote your songs to the public nationwide? Well… alright, if that’s what you want.”
“Thank you, Chief Lei.”
Yan Qi flashed a sweet smile at him.
“By the way, Xiao Ge, what’s the name of the song you sang?”
Not knowing the title, Chief Lei asked.
Yan Qi answered promptly,
“Right now, I’ve only uploaded one song online. It’s called The Courageous Ones.”
“The Courageous Ones! Oh—no wonder her name sounded so familiar. So, she’s that new debut singer my daughter mentioned, the virtual idol Jizi Ge!”
Hearing Yan Qi’s reply, Yan Zhenyi—who had found the name “Jizi Ge” oddly familiar—finally remembered where he’d heard it before and silently connected the dots.
“The Courageous Ones, got it. Windbreak City’s authorities will spare no effort in promoting your song online.”
“Thank you so much. Well, I should get going now. Let’s meet again if there’s a chance.”
After saying this to Chief Lei, Yan Zhenyi, and the other staff around her, Yan Qi—feeling she’d stayed too long—didn’t wait for their reactions.
Secretly, she reached out and touched the phone in Yan Zhenyi’s coat pocket.
In the next second, she transformed into digital data and vanished into the internet, returning to where she came from.
Watching Yan Qi dissolve into shimmering light and disappear before their eyes, everyone present—including Chief Lei and Yan Zhenyi—stared in shock.
After a moment, they snapped out of it and began murmuring among themselves.
“How did that girl just vanish like that?”
“Probably used some kind of superhuman ability.”
“I wonder what power she has that lets her disappear without a trace right in front of us.”
“I’m getting more and more envious of these superhumans with extraordinary abilities.”
While the other staff buzzed about what had just happened, Chief Lei—who’d noticed Yan Qi discreetly touching Yan Zhenyi’s pocket before leaving—turned to the equally puzzled Yan Zhenyi and asked curiously,
“Xiao Yan, do you know why she touched you earlier?”
Snapping back to attention, Yan Zhenyi replied,
“Chief, honestly, I don’t know why she did that either.”
“She touched your coat pocket. What’s in there?”
“Nothing, just my phone.”
Pulling out his phone, Yan Zhenyi showed it to Chief Lei.
Staring at the device, Chief Lei muttered under his breath,
“Just a phone?”
As Chief Lei pondered the meaning behind Yan Qi’s action, she had already traveled through the network back to the public restroom stall where her own phone was.
“Safe return.”
Announcing her arrival, Yan Qi swiftly reverted from her transformed state.
She tore off some toilet paper, tossed it into the bin, then retrieved her phone. Seeing that less than ten minutes had passed since she left, she wasted no time.
After packing up, she stepped out of the stall.
Outside the restroom, Li Caifeng—who’d been waiting—hurried over and asked,
“Xiao Qi, why did you take so long in there?”
“Mom, my stomach was killing me. That’s why it took a while.”
Feigning discomfort, Yan Qi rubbed her legs as if they’d gone numb from sitting too long.
Unaware her daughter was lying, Li Caifeng grew concerned.
“Did you eat something bad?”
“Maybe.”
Yan Qi kept her answer vague.
“If you really did, what could’ve caused it? Was it the tomato egg noodle soup I made yesterday? That shouldn’t be it…”
Li Caifeng began mentally retracing Yan Qi’s meals.
“Mom? Why’d you freeze up like that?”
Noticing her mother’s distraction, Yan Qi pretended to be weak as she asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just thinking about something.”
Snapping out of it, Li Caifeng brushed it off before adding,
“Never mind that. Let’s hurry home. Once we’re back, I’ll get you some medicine so you’re not in pain anymore.”
“Thanks, Mom. You really are the best.”
Yan Qi smiled warmly at her.
After their brief exchange, the two didn’t linger near the restroom.
Soon, they found a nearby bus stop with still-running service, boarded, and began their journey home.