Why did you provoke me?

The car started moving slowly, and Niannian ran a few steps after it. "Fourth Sister, I'm waiting for you at home."

Yu Meng turned around and waved her hand.

The vehicle was quiet; it was a small passenger bus.

At Jing San's prompting, Liu Wei sat down next to the guard who was receiving Nian Nian's things.

"My name is Liu Wei, brother. What's your surname?"

"You're too kind. My surname is Zhou. Just call me Aqi."

"Brother Zhou, this is our first time traveling so far from home. Could you give us some advice? What should we be careful about?"

"Brother Liu, don't worry, we've done this escort mission several times before, we're experienced. We'll guarantee your safety along the way."

"Thank you so much, brothers. Although we rarely go out, we still have strength. Just ask us whenever you need us, since we have the same goal."

"Sure, sure." The two talked for a long time, but in the end, Liu Wei couldn't find anything to talk about, so he closed his eyes slightly to rest.

Yu Meng looked at the scenery outside, from the initial bustling city to the rural road, the road conditions getting worse and worse. She stopped looking outside, closed her eyes, and tried to suppress the discomfort in her heart.

Jing San was a man of few words but very attentive. Seeing that Yu Meng looked unwell, she quickly went over and asked, "What's wrong? Are you carsick?"

Yu Meng nodded slightly.

Jing San looked at Zhou Shi, "How much longer do we need before we can stop and rest?"

Zhou Shi frowned. "We'll need to walk for at least four hours before we can rest, otherwise we'll be running out of time."

Looking at Yu Meng's pale face, Liu Wei couldn't help but ask, "Is this the only mode of transportation you have?"

Zhou Shi turned to him, "What do you mean?"

Liu Wei asked timidly, "Aren't there any planes?"

Zhou Qi patted Liu Wei on the shoulder. "Brother, you have an idea. We do have one, but the cost is too high. Can you guys use it?"

Liu Wei sat up straight. "Use it."

Zhou Qi's hand froze in mid-air, his throat bobbing. "Really?"

Liu Wei looked at Jing San, who nodded. "Use it if you have it. The journey is so long. By the time we get there, Teacher Yu will be exhausted. Forget about the discussion, he'll probably have trouble even standing."

Zhou Qi turned to look at his brother, Zhou Shi, who frowned and asked again, "Are you really using it? The cost is very high." He paused, then added, "But this car is free."

Jing San looked at Yu Meng. Yu Meng didn't want to be bothered by this car either. The main problem was that the road was too far, and she didn't seem to be short of money.

Seeing Yu Meng nod, Zhou Shi decisively changed his itinerary; he didn't want to go through all that trouble.

"Then we'll stop in the next city and wait for me to contact the plane before we continue. But there's one thing I need to mention beforehand: the plane can't fit all of you. Who's coming with us?"

"How many people can the plane you found seat?" Jing San asked.

"It's small, it can seat seven people. And we need to occupy three of those seats," Zhou Shi said seriously.

"Okay, you guys make the arrangements?" Jing San glanced at Yu Meng and nodded quickly.

Zhou Qi was very happy; he hadn't expected to earn so much from this mission.

Because they were now flying, they had much more time. They spent a good day resting in this place called Yingcheng. Actually, Yu Meng didn't want to move. She didn't know why, but she just felt that staying here was good, and that moving around would be bad.

So she followed her heart.

The next day, as they were boarding the plane, Zhou Qi stopped Liu Wei and asked, "Brother, does your teacher Yu know something about this?"

Liu Wei glanced at him sideways and said, "That goes without saying."

In less than two days, the two of them had become quite familiar with each other, and Zhou Qi learned a lot about their club.

He considered Liu Wei to be an honest person, and that if he asked him anything, Liu Wei would definitely tell him.

What Zhou Qi didn't know was that before leaving, Secretary Wu had already given instructions: if anyone asked about our club, you should say the best things and talk about it a lot. If it attracts customers, he would give you a bonus.

Jing San, who was standing nearby, sensed the underlying meaning in those words. "What happened?"

Zhou Qi glanced at Zhou Shi, then pulled Liu Wei aside. "Let me tell you, yesterday, a cyclone appeared out of nowhere without warning, and it destroyed many buildings, even ripping off their roofs."

Zhou Qi patted his chest, "Do you know how scary it was? People on the road were blown away, trees along the roadside were uprooted, and birds in the air were all thrown down. It was a terrible sight."

Liu Wei and Jing San both looked at him. "Weren't you with us? Who told you that?"

Zhou Qi paused for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "We have special channels, but none of that matters. What matters is that, do you know, if we had left yesterday, both the car and the plane would have been in trouble. At that point, we would all have gone to see Grandma."

"We have to thank Teacher Yu for that. If it weren't for her insistence, we would have definitely left, and the loss would have been huge." Liu Wei patted his chest with a look of lingering fear.

Zhou Qi nodded repeatedly, "We really have to thank Teacher Yu."

"How about you guys do something more substantial?" Liu Wei's teammate Si Liu chimed in from the side.

"How do I know?" Zhou Qi didn't react.

"Hehe, Captain, can I say something?" Si Liu looked at Liu Wei.

Zhou Shi over there also looked over, coughed lightly, and said, "To be honest, of course the fee will be halved."

Everyone fell silent, turning to look at Si Liu. Si Liu shrank back slightly. "Captain, I wasn't wrong. Is it about paying to avoid disaster?"

This time, Zhou Shi spoke first, "That's right. We've been exempted from disaster relief, but of course we still have to spend money. I've made the decision: the expenses will be halved."

Zhou Qi called out softly, "Brother." The fee was fixed, and his brother would have to make up for the waived portion.

"It's alright, life is more important." Zhou Shi waved his hand, stopping Zhou Qi from continuing.

Yu Meng didn't turn around, but she gave him a thumbs up in her heart; he was a smart person.

Soon, the group of seven arrived at the designated place first. Zhou Shi, following Yu Meng's instructions, rented a small courtyard and hired a cook.

When the main force arrived, Yu Meng used the same trick again, making everyone in the courtyard, including Zhou Shi and the other five, enter an empty room.

Then three people were laid off. Zhou Qi was puzzled, "These people were all introduced by acquaintances, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Liu Wei explained, "It's not that there's anything wrong with us. We can do all of these things. We don't know how long we'll have to stay, so we're saving every penny we can."

Zhou Qi's lips twitched. When they were flying, they didn't say they were trying to save money. How could they possibly save money on these few employees? Besides, if there were no problems, why didn't they just not hire anyone in the first place? Hiring and then firing people clearly indicates a problem.

But he wisely didn't ask. "That makes sense. It's like the professor is going into the research institute, while we can make do outside no matter what."

"Are we not letting any of us in?"

"Are you a bone painter?" Zhou Qi leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

Have you ever seen a man who is a bone painter?

"Sigh, I actually saw one before. I wonder if he'll come this time?"

"Really? You know someone?" Liu Wei became interested.

"How could that be? I'm just a bodyguard, how could I possibly know such important people?" Zhou Qi's eyes were vacant, and it was unclear what he was thinking.