Chapter 576: Funeral

    Due to the unnervingly gruesome state of Shang Hao’s body, he was to be cremated two days later after the case was officially closed.

    With the Special Investigation Team handling the aftermath, the final cause of death was stated as an ’accident’ rather than ’suicide’. Of course, this sparked a flurry of discussion and questions from the masses, as it wasn’t only Gu Luoxin who had witnessed the young man leaping to his death, but at least, this brought a semblance of closure to the bereaved.

    In the funeral hall, Mrs. Shang wept in front of her son’s black and white portrait.

    "I knew it... I knew Haohao couldn’t have done something like this... aiyah, my poor boy, why did you have to leave so soon? What should Mom do without you now?!" She wailed and wailed until she was gasping for breath, her limp body supported by Mr. Shang. The middle-aged man’s eyes were similarly bloodshot, and with more gray hairs streaking his temples, he looked as though he had aged a few decades in the span of two days.

    Heartbreaking was the scene when the old had to watch the young depart before them, even more so when Shang Hao was the couple’s one and only child.

    In the end, Mrs. Shang could no longer endure her grief and passed out. Gu Luoxin, who had arrived early to be a helper, hurriedly said, "You should accompany Auntie to rest first, Uncle. It’s okay, I will take care of things here."

    Pursing his lips, Mr. Shang did not refuse the kind offer and expressed with gratitude, his hoarse voice laced with thick desolation, "Alright... thank you, Xinxin."

    Once the couple left, Gu Luoxin stood on the side to take their place for the time being.

    The influx of mourners was practically endless from morning to noon— starting from Shang Hao’s friends from university, high school, junior high and even elementary school, teachers, neighbors, acquaintances, plus Captain Chen and Ying as the representative of the police force— leaving Gu Luoxin to busy that he did not even have the time to properly grieve. He welcomed this chaotic sort of distraction though, at least his mind was not preoccupied with anything unnecessary.

    Near the evening when the stream of mourners had thinned, Shen Nianzu arrived with Jin Jiuchi at tow.

    The two of them were dressed entirely in black like others, yet it did not stop them from standing out like a sore thumb. Gu Luoxin had no idea what kind of instruction the Big Boss had instilled into his lover’s mind, but Jin Jiuchi devotedly stayed three steps behind Shen Nianzu, keeping his gaze fixed to the front without uttering any word throughout. To anyone who didn’t know any better, he could totally pass off as a bodyguard.

    "My sincerest condolences," Shen Nianzu solemnly expressed.

    "My sincerest condolences," Jin Jiuchi parroted.

    But when he glanced at Gu Luoxin’s face, he couldn’t resist blurting out in shock, "Damn, you’ve become so ugly—ugh!" he grunted in pain, clutching the side of his rib which Shen Nianzu had elbowed without mercy.

    "..." The corner of Gu Luoxin’s lips twitched as he quipped back with a sarcastic sneer, "Wow, thank you for the information, Sherlock. I didn’t know that before."

    Nevertheless, he still earnestly thanked the two of them for coming.

    Gu Luoxin kept himself occupied until Mr and Mrs. Shang returned. By then, the sky had begun to darken. He had wanted to stay until the end, but the couple insisted that he had helped them enough and urged him to hurry back. "The temperature will drop soon. Get home safely and take some rest, don’t catch a cold," Mrs. Shang squeezed his hands and forced a smile despite the exhaustion lining her face. "Thank you ah, Xinxin, for helping out. Your Uncle and I are truly grateful."

    Gu Luoxin was helpless against their insistence and had no choice but to comply. "...Okay, then."

    But just as he was about to leave, an unexpected visitor stepped in, catching him off guard.

    "S-Senior?" Gu Luoxin blinked in surprise.

    He had not expected Noir to show up here, to be honest. It was already generous of him to lend Gu Luoxin his cat when he was at his most vulnerable point, though he couldn’t tell whether it was really Noir’s idea or Lucius was the one who ran off to him on its own. The main thing was, he and Shang Hao were total strangers, so the only possible reason for him to be here was... out of consideration for Gu Luoxin?

    "My condolences for your loss," he offered a polite bow toward Mr and Mrs. Shang.

    Hearing the address Gu Luoxin had used, it was natural for the couple to misunderstand. "Ah, are you Haohao’s xuezhang? Thank you... thank you so much for coming."

    Noir made no move to correct them and only tilted his head in acknowledgement.

    He didn’t stay for long, leaving directly after paying his respect for the deceased. At this moment, Gu Luoxin abruptly snapped out of his daze and, after excusing himself, hastened to chase after the man. He was lucky that Noir hadn’t gone too far, so after jogging a bit, Gu Luoxin easily fell into his steps.

    "Thank you, Senior," he muttered in a low voice. He did not elaborate on his words— it could be for Noir’s sudden presence today, or it could also be for Lucius’ warm and gentle company the day before. He did not elaborate further, nor did Noir ask.

    Instead, the man seamlessly switched the topic as though he had heard nothing, "Have you had dinner?"

    "Ah?" After a brief lag, Gu Luoxin slowly shook his head. "No, I haven’t..."

    He hadn’t had much appetite for the whole day— to be more precise, since the day of Shang Hao’s death. Everything he put into his mouth seemed to taste like wax or cardboard, making him feel a little nauseous. Even on this busy day, he only took a couple of bites to maintain the basic function of his body. Either way, he was already an Elite player and his endurance was far better than average people; it’s not like he would starve to death.

    But upon hearing this question from Noir, he couldn’t resist asking back, "Have you, Senior?"

    In lieu of an answer, Noir simply said, "Let’s go."

    Gu Luoxin trailed behind him, mildly puzzled, all the way until Noir led him to a BBQ stall on the roadside. He stared, dumbfounded, as Noir skillfully placed an order, listing out a bunch of dishes in a single breath without even looking at the menu.

    "Senior..." Gu Luoxin found himself asking once they settled into their seats. "Do you come here often?"

    "Mn," Noir’s response was as casual as ever as he removed his outer coat, placing it aside. "My place is nearby, and the food is not bad."

    But still, this was the first time Gu Luoxin had ever heard of the man’s personal preferences, and he couldn’t hold back the little itch of curiosity in his heart. They didn’t have to wait long before the dishes arrived one after another, quickly filling the small table— lamb and beef skewers heavily seasoned with fragrant cumin and chilli, grilled eggplant topped with garlic, soy sauce and scallions, fresh oysters sizzling under a layer of garlic butter, golden-brown grilled chicken wings, roasted sweet potatoes, spicy crawfish...

    Gu Luoxin was left utterly dumbstruck by this ’feast’.

    Noir slipped on a pair of plastic gloves and signaled with his eyes, "Eat."

    "O-Oh." He reflexively picked up a lamb skewer and brought it to his mouth but inwardly he was thinking, ’Is Senior planning to stuff me to death?’