Chapter 30: An Unexpected Gain

Hong’s Restaurant claimed to specialize in Cantonese cuisine, but in reality, it wasn’t entirely authentic.

The dishes being served at the moment were a mix of Sichuan, Shandong, Fujian, and Zhejiang cuisine.

The two of them sat in a small four-person private room, watching as the waiter brought dish after dish to the table.

Jing Xi had completely dismissed the idea that this man was the owner of the restaurant. Everyone in the restaurant addressed him as “Fourth Master,” “Mr. Long,” or “Fourth Master Long.”

Clearly, his last name wasn’t Hong.

Jing Xi recalled that when she went to the village to collect goods, the supplier had also mentioned that they were delivering to someone with the surname Long. She wondered if this man had any connection to that person.

There weren’t many people with the surname Long, especially among wealthy families—it was even rarer.

She quietly waited for the food to be served.

Long Yue Zhi hadn’t informed Hong Qifu in advance that he would be dining here.

He knew that Mr. Hong would be busy tonight.

At that very moment, Hong Qifu was dealing with a troublesome situation at a certain casino.

This worked out perfectly for Long Yue Zhi, allowing him to enjoy a quiet meal.

Five hot dishes, three cold dishes, one soup, and a staple food—exactly ten dishes.

A perfect ten.

Jing Xi smiled on the surface, but inside, she found this Long fellow incredibly wasteful. How could two people possibly finish all this food?

Even though the portions of non-local cuisine were usually small, it was still too much for her alone!

They had just eaten donkey meat fire pancakes at seven o’clock, hadn’t they?

But this Long guy seemed to be quite the innovator—he already enjoyed watching mukbangs in this era.

If smartphones and live streaming existed, he’d probably be the top supporter of a streamer, and he’d name himself something ridiculous like ‘Domineering CEO Fourth Master Long’.

“This beautiful lady, I haven’t asked for your name yet.”

Snapping back to reality, she replied, “Jing Xi—Jing as in scenery, Xi as in joy.”

Fourth Master Long tasted the name on his tongue. “A good name—simple, easy to understand, and pleasant to the ear. Alright, enjoy your meal. Once we finish eating, we can go our separate ways.”

Jing Xi shot him a glance, picked up her chopsticks, and started with the onion and wood ear fungus dish.

Long Yue Zhi said he would watch, and he really just watched.

He didn’t take a single bite of the delicious food on the table.

Since she had taken the money, she let him watch.

Jing Xi could feel his gaze sweeping over her, from her brows to her eyes, from her nose to her mouth, and finally settling on the hand she used to hold the spoon.

The plum blossom tattoo on her wrist caught Long Yue Zhi’s attention. “What’s that on your hand? A tattoo?”

Jing Xi made a sound of acknowledgment and tugged at her sleeve.

That action of covering up made Long Yue Zhi’s eyes darken slightly, but he noticed that her expression remained unchanged.

“What do your parents do?”

Jing Xi put down her chopsticks and crossed her arms. “Fourth Master Long, are you here to watch me eat, or are you investigating my background? I’m just an ordinary citizen—I didn’t expect to catch your interest.”

She just wanted to finish eating and leave as soon as possible. Being alone in a room with this man made her uncomfortable.

But for the sake of money, she had no choice…

“I’m just curious, that’s all. No need to get defensive.”

“Defensive? I’m not a dog.”

She said she wasn’t a dog.

But why did she remind him so much of the dogs in his courtyard? The way she bristled at the slightest threat, poised to attack.

The more she acted like this, the more curious he became.

“Can you let me eat in peace and leave, Fourth Master Long?”

“Alright, alright!”

After that, Long Yue Zhi completely shut his mouth and watched Jing Xi quietly finish her meal.

If Yu Er hadn’t come into the private room to fetch him, he believed that Jing Xi could have kept eating.

This little girl—she was short and thin, yet how could she eat so much?

“Fourth Master, it’s time to go back and take your medicine.”

Long Yue Zhi checked the time. “Jing Xi, are you finished?”

Jing Xi nodded.

“Yu Er, take this lady home.”

“Yes, Fourth Master.”

Jing Xi wanted to refuse. It was only a short distance—she didn’t need an escort.

But seeing how this Long guy was the type who wouldn’t take no for an answer, she decided to drop it and would just explain to Yu Er herself.

Before leaving, she felt it would be a waste to let the leftover dishes go uneaten. After getting Long Yue Zhi’s permission, she packed up the remaining food.

Hong’s Restaurant used brand-new, lidded porcelain bowls for takeout, ensuring the best service.

Clearly, this man was a valued guest at Hong’s Restaurant.

As she walked out of the private room, she noticed that Fourth Master Long was still watching her back.

His gaze was so intense that it felt like he was burning a hole through her.

She felt uneasy.

How strange.

“I live close by—I can go back on my own. There’s no need to trouble Brother Yu Er.”

Yu Er shook his head. “Miss, have you seen the missing girls’ notices all over town? If anything happened to you on the way back, how would I explain it to Fourth Master? Besides, you and Fourth Master happened to share two meals by chance—it must be fate! I must ensure you get home safely.”

“Also, I understand that a young lady like yourself might think we don’t look like good people. But I, Yu Er, swear on my life—we are definitely good people!”

“…”

Jing Xi looked at Yu Er, who was passionately making his case, and abandoned the idea of going back alone. Fine—it was only about a hundred or two hundred meters anyway.

But really—who goes around declaring themselves “good people”?

In most cases, the ones who say it the most are the least trustworthy…

Cough, cough…

The streets near midnight were nearly deserted, except for a few scattered households, some inns, and dimly lit storefronts. Everything else was shrouded in darkness.

Yu Er held a flashlight he had borrowed from Hong’s Restaurant, illuminating the path behind Jing Xi.

Neither of them spoke as they silently walked toward the small inn where she was staying.

Fate works in mysterious ways—people bound to meet will always cross paths again…

“Well, well! We meet again!”

Jing Xi looked up and saw, twenty meters ahead, that same man surnamed Huang whom she had encountered in Beizhen.

Beside him stood someone familiar—Wu Dazhuang.

The two men were leaning against the roadside, smoking.

So, they were in this together!

Birds of a feather flock together—just like fish with fish, shrimp with shrimp, and toads with turtles.

Wu Dazhuang was momentarily stunned. When he realized it was actually Jing Xi, he looked surprised.

“Huang, you know her?”

“Of course! This is the little girl I told you about—the one who cursed me to be bedridden for three days and claimed I had problems with my heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys!”

“…”

“That’s nonsense! I only told you to get your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys checked. I never said you had issues with all of them.”

“Sharp-tongued, aren’t you? Oh, and who’s this guy?”

The two men shifted their attention to Yu Er, who stood behind Jing Xi. When they noticed his solid build and then glanced at the nearby motel, they let out a few lewd chuckles in the quiet night.

“Jing Xi, I really didn’t expect you to be this kind of person. Coming to a place like this? Looks like the rumors in the village weren’t all lies. And you had the nerve to lecture us about gambling being illegal? Seems like you’re no better yourself.”

Jing Xi’s expression turned cold.

“Wu Dazhuang, if you don’t know how to talk properly, I don’t mind shutting your mouth for you.”

She caught a strong whiff of alcohol coming from both Wu Dazhuang and the man surnamed Huang.

She didn’t want to deal with them. Why expect a toad to say anything pleasant?

It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

She turned to leave, but Wu Dazhuang blocked her way.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Wu Dazhuang took a drag from his cigarette. “What’s the matter? Ran out of money? Now you have to go around seducing men to make some quick cash? If that’s the case, you might as well sleep with Zhang Qiang—at least he’d buy you meat and rent you a little apartment. Or you could just sleep with me! Hahaha!”

The two men erupted into crude laughter.

Jing Xi bared her teeth in a mocking grin, unfazed. “All you ever talk about is seduction and prostitution. Sounds like you’ve sold your own ass plenty of times—no wonder you know the business so well. So, how’s your little flower? Still intact, or has it rotted away?”

“You—! Selling my ass?!” Wu Dazhuang’s face twisted in rage. “Jing Xi, I’ve been way too nice to you!”

He spat out his cigarette butt, then turned to leave. But after taking two steps, he suddenly spun back around, charging toward Jing Xi with fury in his eyes.

Before he could get close, Yu Er stepped forward from behind Jing Xi, casually raising his flashlight and shining it directly into Wu Dazhuang’s face.

Blinded by the sudden brightness, Wu Dazhuang flinched and instinctively shrank back. Seeing Yu Er’s imposing build, a flicker of fear crossed his face.

“Hey, man, this has nothing to do with you. Once you’ve had your fun, just walk away. Don’t stir up trouble for yourself. We’ll pretend we never saw anything.”

Yu Er let out a cold chuckle. “And what if I don’t leave?”

The man surnamed Huang sauntered forward, tapping Yu Er’s chest with his finger. The smell of alcohol wafted from his breath as he slurred his words.

“You know Boss Hong? This is his turf. I’m telling you, we work for Boss Hong. Mess with us, and you’ll regret it. And you two—making secret deals on the side? That’s against the rules! Every single prostitute in this city belongs to the Hongmen Association! If you’re not a member and you don’t pay protection fees, how dare you run your own business? You must have a death wish!”

“Prostitution? Membership? What association? Protection fees? Never heard of them!” Yu Er sneered. “I don’t believe in any of that crap. I only believe in my fists.”

“…”

The drunken Huang and Wu Dazhuang had completely forgotten the orders they received earlier that day. In their intoxicated state, they had let slip far too much about their illicit activities.

Realizing that Yu Er wasn’t intimidated, the two exchanged a glance.

“We can’t possibly lose to just one guy, right? Get him!”