Chapter 135: Calming the Mind

Qin Fanghao had made up her mind to leave, and she didn’t drag things out. After wrapping up her responsibilities, she submitted her resignation.

It all happened in less than a week.

She brought the resignation letter to Qin Qing for a signature.

Tears were already welling up in her eyes.

Qin Qing didn’t say much, just signed her name on the paper.

She was afraid that if she said anything more, the girl might burst into tears right then and there.

And then what? Trying to comfort her would be a nightmare. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

As she finished the last stroke of her signature, Qin Qing suddenly paused and let out a soft gasp.

“Hiss…”

Wuyong asked, “Your head again?”

“I…” Qin Qing looked up and saw Qin Fanghao on the verge of tears. She quickly picked up the resignation letter, waved it, and pointed at the signature with a self-satisfied smile. “Look at my handwriting. It’s getting better, isn’t it? So pretty.”

Wuyong: “…”

Qin Fanghao forced her tears back down.

She quietly took the resignation letter and bowed. “Boss, I’ll go handle the rest of the process.”

“Don’t forget to tell everyone, we’re having a farewell dinner for you the night after tomorrow.”

The office door closed behind her.

Qin Qing propped her head up and closed her eyes to rest.

Wuyong looked worried. “Let’s go back to the mountain and have Senior Brother take a look.”

“It’s not that.” Qin Qing said, “It wasn’t a headache. Just now, for a moment, I felt a dull ache between my brows.”

“Has it happened before?”

“Never. Don’t worry, it’s probably nothing.” She rubbed the spot between her brows. “It was just that one moment. I don’t feel anything now.”

Wuyong still wasn’t reassured. “If you’re not feeling well, you have to say something. Don’t just tough it out.”

“I know, I know.”

With Qin Fanghao’s resignation as the backdrop, Qin Qing called a meeting with the staff.

She mainly emphasized that if anyone had a better opportunity, they could submit their resignation directly—no need to worry about anything. She even praised Qin Fanghao’s brave decision.

Qin Fanghao covered her face in embarrassment.

Wuyong rolled her eyes with practiced elegance.

The others: “…”

How was this even remotely related to bravery?

Qin Qing didn’t care. She was the boss, and whatever the boss said was right.

And if the boss was wrong, then clearly the employees weren’t flattering her well enough.

Han Jun led the applause. “Fanghao is starting from scratch in a new industry. ‘Brave’ doesn’t even begin to describe her proactive attitude toward life. She deserves our applause. And the boss is absolutely right—our company’s business is unique, and her health is a real challenge we all face. If anyone has other plans, just speak up. Better a clean break than staying with resentment and ending up with sour faces all around.”

His words weren’t exactly pleasant.

But they did slice open the festering wound the company had been nursing, laying it bare and bloody for all to see.

Stay or go, it was up to them.

After he finished speaking, the meeting room fell silent for a while.

Someone cleared their throat, clearly about to pledge loyalty.

Qin Qing didn’t let them speak. She simply said, “If you have other plans and feel awkward saying it face to face, just leave your resignation letter on my desk.”

Most of these employees had once been her clients. She’d helped them through tough times in their lives, so it was natural some would feel guilty about leaving now.

But Qin Qing truly didn’t mind.

As clients, their business had long since been settled.

As employees, it was just a job. It’s not like she owned them.

“If you want to stay, I welcome you. And don’t stress too much. Wuyong and I are working on a plan to pivot the company’s core business. We can’t guarantee success, but at least our Crystal Ball Experience Room is already well-developed. Its revenue is enough to keep the company running.”

“Everyone, take some time to think it over. Meeting adjourned!”

After that meeting, four more people submitted their resignations.

Qin Qing bundled them all into a single farewell dinner.

The venue was the ever-reliable Yawei Jiangnan.

The restaurant had expanded once, but it was still incredibly hard to book.

If Qin Qing didn’t have a card from the owner, there was no way she could have gotten a reservation on such short notice.

When they arrived, a familiar female staff member personally greeted them in the parking lot.

She was now the manager. It was only when she introduced herself that Qin Qing learned her name was Yue Yan.

“Ms. Qin, it’s been a while. The owner’s out of town and couldn’t make it back, but he told me again and again to make sure you’re well taken care of.”

“We’re just here for a casual dinner. Don’t trouble yourself.”

But Yue Yan stayed in the private room the whole time, serving dishes, opening wine, and introducing the new menu items.

She even brought complimentary fruit, desserts, and drinks.

Qin Qing chatted with her for a bit.

She asked how Yue Yan’s boyfriend was doing lately.

At the mention of him, Yue Yan couldn’t hide her smile.

“He recently signed up for a cooking competition show. He’s barely been at the restaurant. Turns out he’s pretty popular with the audience—picked up quite a few fans and brought in a lot of business for us.”

Her voice practically bubbled with pride.

Someone immediately pulled out their phone to look it up.

Soon enough, they found the young chef listed as a guest on a well-rated show, labeled as “Recommended by Yawei Jiangnan.”

Yue Yan had been far too modest. It wasn’t just “a few fans”—his comment section was full of people urging him to open his own place.

Even more people couldn’t wait and had already flocked to Yawei Jiangnan to get a taste.

Online complaints were everywhere—an already hard-to-book restaurant had become nearly impossible to get into.

And that young chef was one of the favorites to win.

“Wait… it’s already at episode 11. The final should be airing next week. Has it been filmed yet?”

Yue Yan replied, “Funny you ask. The final’s being recorded tonight.”

Someone joked, “You’ve got nerves of steel, Manager. Not even a little anxious?”

“Eh, I can’t watch it live anyway. Might as well focus on work and wait for the news.”

Just as she finished speaking, her phone rang.

“Quick, answer it! Is your boyfriend calling with good news?”

Sure enough, it was him.

Yue Yan picked up, listened for a moment, then couldn’t help but shout to the whole room, “He won! He got the championship!”

She immediately looked embarrassed. “Sorry, I got too excited.”

No one minded in the slightest.

It felt like today’s meal had been well worth it, especially with all the juicy gossip they’d overheard.

Everyone’s attention was on Yue Yan.

No one noticed that when Yue Yan answered the phone, Qin Qing, seated further inside, suddenly let out a soft gasp and lowered her head in pain.

Wuyong, the most alert among them, reached out to steady her hand.

Qin Qing had already composed herself. “It’s nothing, just a bit of pressure between my brows again.”

What she didn’t say was that this time, the pain had been sharper than before.

Wuyong poured out her copper coins.

“I’ll cast a divination for you.”

Qin Qing stopped her. “No need. You’re not fully recovered yourself.”

Fortunately, the pain didn’t return after that.

Her follow-up at the hospital showed no issues. The doctor even said her recovery was going well.

Daoist Wuwang had also checked her pulse and found nothing unusual. Still, he prescribed a calming herbal decoction for her to brew and drink.

The medicine wasn’t hard to take. As it simmered, it gave off a sweet, herbal aroma.

Even so, Qin Qing couldn’t help but feel resistant every time she held the bowl of dark brown liquid.

But every time she drank it, Mumu would sit nearby with wide, expectant eyes. When she didn’t respond, he’d carry over his food bowl and place it in front of her.

Then he’d press a paw on the bowl and rock it back and forth, making it clatter noisily.

Qin Qing: “…”

She downed the bitter medicine in one gulp.

Somehow, under Mumu’s accusatory gaze, she actually found the taste not so bad after all.

—

Meng Yuan came over to hang out with Qin Qing.

She refused to stay at a hotel, insisting on crashing at her place.

“I finally got a break from missions, and there’s no school either. I came all this way to see you. You really have the heart to make me stay alone in a hotel?”

Qin Qing replied, “With your luck, it’s other people who should be worried.”

Besides, it’s not like she didn’t have her own bodyguards.

Meng Yuan pretended not to hear.

She claimed she and Mumu had hit it off instantly and wanted to spend more time with the little guy.

Qin Qing let her be.

Shanyu City was a foodie’s paradise. Once Meng Yuan arrived, she was like a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar.

Every day, she happily took Mumu out for walks and came back with a bulging belly, leaning against the wall for support.

She said she came to see Qin Qing, but she seemed to be having a blast on her own.

That evening, Qin Qing reheated her calming decoction.

The two little ones came back early.

“What are you drinking?” Meng Yuan asked the moment she walked in.

“Medicine.”

“What kind of medicine? It smells delicious.”

Qin Qing replied, “…Calming decoction.”

“Oh, perfect! I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. Let me try some, maybe it’ll help.”

Qin Qing: “…”

Meng Yuan, having trouble sleeping?

Qin Qing could hear her snoring from the guest room every night when she got up for water.

It wasn’t loud or unpleasant.

She just had really sharp hearing.

Even Mumu, who played all day with Meng Yuan, insisted on sleeping on the mat in the master bedroom at night.

Meng Yuan’s round eyes never left the bowl in Qin Qing’s hands.

Qin Qing turned her back to her.

Just as she brought the bowl to her lips, Meng Yuan sighed dramatically behind her. “You probably don’t know this, but I fainted too that night during your big battle.”

This was the first Qin Qing had heard of it.

“You were ambushed and injured?”

“No, I didn’t even get off the helicopter. I just blacked out for no reason. And get this—my blackout happened at the exact same time as yours. I saw a flash of white light, and then I was out. When I woke up, Xiao Wu told me it was the same time you woke up in the hospital.”

Qin Qing set down the bowl and pressed for more details.

But Meng Yuan just repeated the same few sentences over and over. It was clear she didn’t know much herself.

Still, the fact that their unconscious periods had matched, and that Meng Yuan was the only person Qin Qing had ever met with a mental strength score over 100—this couldn’t be a coincidence. There had to be a connection.

“How did you feel after waking up? Did you get checked out? Any headaches, pressure between your brows?”

Meng Yuan obediently shook her head, her chubby cheeks wobbling slightly with the motion.

“No pain. I got checked. Everything was fine. The team even joked that it was like I got disconnected from a game during a blackout, then logged back in later.”

She chuckled to herself as she said it.

She really was carefree.

Meng Yuan added, “Since we passed out at the same time, maybe we had the same symptoms. That medicine you’re drinking might work for me too!”

Qin Qing: “…”

So that’s what this was about?

All that just to mooch a sip of her medicine?

The calming decoction was more like a health tonic anyway. It wouldn’t hurt.

Qin Qing waved her off with an exasperated look. “Fine, go ahead.”

“Hehe…”

Meng Yuan picked up the bowl and gulped down the whole thing in one go.

She even smacked her lips, savoring the aftertaste.

Then she rinsed the bowl, patted Mumu on the head, and said seriously, “Tried it for you. Not as tasty as today’s herbal jelly with fairy grass.”