Chapter 903: Tang Jia

Little Aunt: [If you put it that way, yeah, the outcome would've been completely different with one more person helping.]

[And now, just for those 10 cats and dogs, or maybe more in the future, he went and sold out, even killed off, a good friend who could've fought tooth and nail for him, even killed for him.]

[Serves him right.]

[Honestly, I feel like Huang Kaiyu's got something wrong in the head. He couldn't bear to part with those 10 cats and dogs, and instead brought himself a much bigger disaster.]

[Short-sighted.]

Middle-aged Uncle: [Huang Kaiyu's been caught, but I reckon he might not end up dead in the end. Don't forget about the Black Software. Maybe he'll manage to get himself into Alice Apartment too...]

I am the Hero: [...Damn... that's actually possible.]

Because of the earlier serial killings, and now this new string of murders targeting people who abused stray cats and dogs, quite a few people were cracking jokes about Nancheng City online.

But many local netizens from Nancheng City rushed to speak up.

Both killers were definitely out-of-towners, not locals.

Anyway, no matter where something bad happens, the locals will always claim it was done by outsiders.

Jiang Ran naturally saw the news about this murder case too.

As for Huang Kaiyu.

Because the alternate personality had been occupying his body back then, his memories only went up to encountering Deep Blue Suit Jason in the Small Park.

Yang Qi covered their retreat, and they ran.

After that, nothing.

So regarding Huang Kaiyu, he only remembered that the guy was a suspect, seemingly one of the two kidnappers.

Now, learning that he'd been caught for murder and such, Jiang Ran didn't put much thought into it.

As for Yang Qi.

Jiang Ran had asked him about what happened that night with Deep Blue Suit Jason, and Yang Qi only said he'd gotten a bit injured and let the guy get away.

Last time, Jiang Ran had gone with Yang Qi to Happy Orphanage, spending quite a bit of money buying things for the orphans there.

This time, Jiang Ran and Yang Qi made another trip together, each buying three to four thousand yuan worth of goods and delivering them to the orphanage.

Three to four thousand was pocket change for Jiang Ran at this point, and besides, it was doing good deeds, which felt nice mentally, so he didn't mind the money.

The two of them stayed at Happy Orphanage for over an hour. Jiang Ran played with the orphans, many of whom had disabilities, for a good while, then got ready to leave with Yang Qi.

As the two walked out of Happy Orphanage, they ran face-to-face into a young man around their age.

Jiang Ran naturally didn't know him.

But Yang Qi seemed to recognize him, even smiling at the young man and greeting him:

"What a coincidence."

"Yeah."

"You here to see the kids too?"

"Mm."

Then Yang Qi introduced the young man to Jiang Ran.

The young man's name was Tang Jia.

Like Yang Qi, he was an orphan who'd grown up in the same orphanage.

After the two of them left the orphanage, they'd looked for work together.

Except Yang Qi had ended up staying as a delivery driver all along.

While Tang Jia had given up the delivery job and found work at a factory.

Even though both of them were orphans.

Yang Qi was terrified of starting a family. In his own words, he'd never had a girlfriend and never would.

Tang Jia was different. He still held great hopes for the future and wanted to build a happy, complete family.

That was also the reason he quit being a delivery driver and went to work at a factory.

Because factories made it easier to meet people of the opposite sex around the same age.

"Last time we met was over a year ago, right? How are things with your girlfriend? Planning to get married?"

Yang Qi asked with a smile.

Last time they'd met, Tang Jia had a girlfriend he'd found at the factory.

Tang Jia had a smile on his face, but when that was brought up, the smile froze.

He let out a bitter laugh: "We broke up."

Yang Qi: "Broke up?"

He frowned: "That can't be right! I felt like your relationship was pretty good."

Tang Jia lowered his head slightly: "What's there to say about good or bad? Feelings are something illusory. What's more important than money?"

Yang Qi: "So you're saying you two broke up because of money?"

Tang Jia said: "Yeah. She minded that I'm an orphan with no parents to lean on, that the future held no hope."

"So she got together with some guy who drives an Audi and is ten years older than her."

Yang Qi was a bit taken aback: "Alright then. I guess your fate hasn't arrived yet."

Tang Jia said: "Maybe!"

Tang Jia: "Anyway, enough chatting. Yang Qi, you two go on ahead if you've got things to do. I'll head in and see the kids first."

With that, Tang Jia waved and turned to leave, quickly disappearing from Jiang Ran and Yang Qi's sight.

Yang Qi suddenly turned his head to look at Jiang Ran: "You know Tang Jia?"

Jiang Ran shook his head: "No, this is the first time we've met."

Yang Qi: "Then why do I get the feeling you had a heavy look on your face the moment you saw him?"

The corner of Jiang Ran's mouth twitched. Since when did Yang Qi become this observant?

Jiang Ran said: "Mm... what kind of person do you think this Tang Jia is?"

Yang Qi rubbed his face with his left hand, as if recalling.

"Because a lot of the mentally and physically healthy kids in the orphanage get adopted."

"But Tang Jia and I were the same, neither of us wanted to be adopted. So we counted as some of the few healthy kids who stayed long-term, which meant we played together quite a bit growing up."

"Including when we both left the orphanage at 18, didn't go to school anymore, and went out to work."

"We worked several jobs together at the start, until he wanted to find a girlfriend and went to the factory on his own. That's when we gradually lost touch."

"He's a very ordinary person. Just a regular guy."

"Why? Are you trying to set him up with someone?"

Jiang Ran had Yang Qi walk with him first.

The two strolled along the road.

Jiang Ran said: "This friend of yours is a bit unusual, but I don't know if you'd be happy hearing what I have to say."

Yang Qi said: "Don't worry, go ahead! I won't let personal feelings get in the way just because he's been my friend since childhood."

Jiang Ran took a deep breath and said: "I think this friend of yours is not a good person."

Yang Qi's steps halted, and his mouth fell slightly open: "What makes you say that?"

Jiang Ran said: "Sixth sense."

That's right. From the very first moment Jiang Ran laid eyes on this person named Tang Jia, the Danger Warning System in his mind had gone off.

All points +5.

A textbook dangerous individual.

And this danger level wasn't low at all.

If you told an ordinary person that the friend they'd grown up with didn't seem like a good person, and they asked why, and you said sixth sense, any normal person would curse you out on the spot. Even if they didn't curse, they'd look at you with contempt.

After all, how long had you known them versus how long had they known their childhood friend?

And you were slandering them like this?

Unless you were using a joking tone, but Jiang Ran was clearly not joking.

What made Yang Qi peculiar was exactly this.

He didn't have that look of utter shock on his face.

Nor did he curse.

Instead, he wore an expression of deep contemplation.