"Where did he go after going to the bathroom? I can't see anyone around."

Twenty minutes later, Gu Shen realized something was wrong.

He went to the bathroom and confirmed that Song Ci had disappeared, leaving no one inside.

"This unscrupulous bastard, bullying me as an outsider?"

Gu Shen was furious and returned to the noodle shop to pay. He saw the thin and tall boss, with a towel hanging around his neck, sitting on a wooden stool, smiling and gazing into the distance. It suddenly occurred to Gu Shen that the boss had been maintaining this sitting posture for a long time.

"Boss, I'm ready to pay."

The tall and thin boss heard the voice but ignored it. He slowly turned his head to look at Gu Shen and nodded with a smile.

This boss... doesn't seem very intelligent?

"Two large bowls, with meat, eggs, and dried tofu, right? Thirty-six yuan, including the alcohol, a total of forty-four yuan. No credit for small businesses." The sound of footsteps came from the second floor of the shop, and the boss's wife hurriedly came downstairs, looking at the empty seat and frowned. "You're the friend who came with the crow, and this kid finished eating and ran away alone again?"

Gu Shen was stunned. It seemed like this wasn't the first time something like this had happened?

"Old Xu! Remember! Let the crow pay first next time before eating!" The boss's wife scolded loudly while tidying up the bowls and chopsticks. The tall and thin boss still sat on the stool, with his hands on his knees, smiling and gazing into the distance, nodding slowly.

The boss's wife quickly finished cleaning up and took the large bowl into the kitchen. She explained lightly to Gu Shen, "Sorry, Old Xu's mind isn't very good."

Gu Shen immediately understood.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly understood the other meaning behind the words Song Ci had said to him...

"He didn't run away, he just had something to do temporarily, so he left first," Gu Shen said softly.

The boss's wife, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, looked at Gu Shen with some surprise after hearing his words.

The young man standing outside was clean and tidy, and his clothes were neat. It was clear that he was not the same type of person as the crow.

She wiped her hands on her apron and said, "You're the first one to speak up for him like this. How long have you known each other? Just one day?"

"..." Gu Shen thought for a moment and said awkwardly, "Including this meal, a total of two hours."

"In that case, don't believe his nonsense and don't treat him as a friend," the boss's wife said casually. "The crow has no friends and doesn't speak a word of truth... A good boy like you shouldn't be with him. Anyone who is with him will have bad luck."

Gu Shen remained silent for a while and then asked softly, "Then... what about the girl Xiao Lu that he mentioned, is she real or fake?"

"Xiao Lu?"

The boss's wife smiled and said, "Xiao Lu is indeed real. Did he take out a photo from his wallet and show off that Xiao Lu is his girlfriend?"

Gu Shen scratched his head. It was at this moment that he realized he had been deceived. He had at least had a drink with the crow, but he hadn't even seen a photo of Xiao Lu.

"Nonsense, his girlfriend? How could Xiao Lu be interested in him?" The boss's wife raised an eyebrow and sneered, "We've known each other since we were kids. He has been boasting everywhere. He knows he's just a toad, how could he be worthy of Xiao Lu? Everyone on the street can see that he has a secret crush on her. He's just drunk and talking big, and only Old Xu would believe such nonsense."

As she said this, she became angry.

The boss's wife slapped Old Xu's head.

"Talking about him makes me angry!" She scolded fiercely, "Next time, don't let the crow in!"

Old Xu nodded helplessly, "The crow... is not bad."

"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" The boss's wife was extremely angry and slapped Old Xu's head again. Old Xu picked up a small stool and ran away with it on his head.

Gu Shen watched this scene, feeling both angry and amused.

"Xiao Lu is not here."

The boss's wife sighed softly and grabbed a handful of melon seeds, chattering on, "That little girl is smart and beautiful, but a bit introverted and stubborn. But no matter how you look at it, she's not a child that can be raised in our old city area. I don't know what her family was thinking, leaving such a beautiful girl here all alone for two years."

"What's Xiao Lu's full name?" Gu Shen asked curiously.

"Xiao Lu's full name..."

When she heard this question, the boss's wife was a bit confused. After thinking for a while, she shook her head. "Everyone just calls her Xiao Lu. We only know her last name is Lu, but no one knows her first name, her parents, or why she came here and why she left."

Leaning against the window, the boss's wife lazily looked at the sunlight shining on the old city area's dilapidated alley walls. "But we all know... she will leave. This is not the place for her to stay."

...

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".

...

"Hello."

Song Ci was lazily brushing his teeth when he answered the phone.

"Crow, where are you?"

The voice of the woman on the other end of the phone was filled with anger. "If you dare to cause trouble and play hide-and-seek, don't make me use the 'Spirit Eye' to find you! You have one more hour, don't force me!"

If Gu Shen were here and heard the voice on the phone, he would definitely find it familiar."Miss Liu, calm down, getting angry is harmful to your health."

After listening, the crow's expression remained indifferent, and he smiled, "But is it really troublesome to just beat Chen San's precious nephew?"

Liu Yi suppressed her anger and said coldly, "Just beating him? You broke eight of his ribs and almost killed him. The South Hall had to use a redemption holy item to save him. Now the entire South Hall is looking for you. Chen San is very angry and says he wants to skin you alive."

"That's scary..." The crow laughed, "If they want to skin me alive, how can I dare to show up?"

Liu Yi fell silent.

"On this matter... you need to give Chen San an explanation." She sighed weakly.

"Explanation? It's Chen San's nephew who wanted to fight. So I fought with him." Song Ci shrugged, indifferent. "Who knew he couldn't take a punch? I only threw one punch and he fell down... Could it be that he was pretending to be injured?"

"We agreed before that there is a boundary between the North and the South, and it should not be crossed. If someone wants to cross the boundary, I will follow the rules... Now that I have beaten the younger one and offended the older one, what explanation can I give? I am just following the rules set by Old Master Zhao and him." The crow's voice suddenly became very soft, and he smiled, "Why don't you ask Chen San if he dares to bring that titled person to the riverside? I will definitely show up and give him an explanation in person."

Liu Yi dared not speak anymore. The crow's tone already had a hint of desperation.

"Let me take the call."

A slightly cold voice sounded.

"Yes..."

Liu Yi transferred the call, and the voice on the other end changed to that of a man. He sounded not young, but not old either, probably in his thirties, with a deep and mellow voice.

"Crow... I am currently discussing business with the Chen family."

"You beat someone up, what am I supposed to do?" The man reprimanded in a low voice, "As a mere errand boy, can you afford the losses of the Zhao family?"

"Ah... So it's Zhao Qi, the young master of the Zhao family."

After hearing the voice, the crow smiled brightly, "Long time no see, long time no see. Have you stopped fooling around and started doing business?"

Zhao Qi responded coldly, "If you show up now, we can still talk."

"I didn't expect you to have a talent for business... and you're doing business with the Chen family, no less. That's quite impressive." The crow interrupted him and then asked with a smile, "Under the name of Huazhi?"

Zhao Qi fell silent.

"On this matter... did the old master agree? Did Mr. Cui agree? What about her?" The crow's smile disappeared instantly, showing no respect for this son of the Zhao family. Finally, she said coldly, "As you said, I am just a mere errand boy... but my errands are not for you. I only listen to the lady."

There was a pause.

"So... your business is ruined," Song Ci said expressionlessly, word by word, "What does it have to do with me?"

Hang up.

Ring again.

Without looking, hang up again.

And shut down the phone.

Song Ci felt that the whole world had become quiet. He casually climbed over a fence, found an abandoned rooftop with no one living in it, and moved a broken wicker chair. He lay lazily in the noon sun, humming a tune, closing his eyes to rest. However, his eyebrows were faintly furrowed, and his heart was still surrounded by an inexplicable restlessness.

He didn't know how long had passed.

The sunlight moved from his face to his feet.

The scorching temperature seemed to have dropped.

Song Ci woke up from his restless state of meditation, slowly opened his eyes, and instantly became refreshed.

A large umbrella opened, blocking the sunlight. The one holding the umbrella was a beautiful woman in a white dress, with a noble and sacred aura that could only be admired from a distance.

Song Ci shook his head.

"Madam..."

He quickly sat up from the lounge chair and spoke softly.

Who would believe that this man, who was extremely guilty at the moment, was the same person who dared to curse and challenge Zhao Qi over the phone.

The lady held the umbrella and stood in the dilapidated rooftop. This rooftop had long been abandoned and left in disarray, with scattered mechanical components and outdated electrical appliances. The only things that could still be seen were a few scattered potted plants, stubbornly surviving in the wind and rain, but they had also grown cobwebs.

Because of the lady's arrival, the dilapidated rooftop seemed to have become a beautiful sight. These broken components and machinery seemed to have become unique decorations.

"I sent someone to pick you up. If you didn't want to come, I called you, but you didn't want to answer."

There was no anger in her eyes, but rather a sense of peace.

"So I had to come in person."

The crow quickly opened her phone and saw a series of missed calls that popped up. She said helplessly, "It's because of Zhao Qi and Liu Yi..."

"Yes, I already know everything. You don't need to say anymore."

The lady spoke softly, "The matter has been resolved."

"...Ah?"The crow was taken aback, suddenly feeling at a loss, staring blankly at the lady as white as moonlight. Only then did he realize that he might have really caused trouble. He nervously asked, "I just wanted to hide... How was the situation resolved?"

"Because of the boundary crossing, Chen San personally apologized, but Zhao Qi's business also fell through." The lady spoke lightly, "During this period, the relationship between the North and South Halls will be tense. Try not to show up as much as possible. I will handle Zhao Qi's side, he wouldn't dare to make things difficult for you."