CHAPTER 184: CHAPTER 181: [RELIEVED]

Chapter 181: Relieved

On No. 8 Middle School’s sports field.

It was a summer evening, and the heat had finally subsided a bit. Every now and then, a cool breeze would brush past, tickling one’s face.

Sitting on the concrete stands beside the newly built International Department’s basketball court, Sun Keke hugged her knees and looked up at the moon in the sky.

Chen Nuo came running over from a distance. He arrived beside Sun Keke, stuffed an ice cream cone into her hand, then opened a can of soda and sat down next to her.

The girl tore open the ice cream cone’s wrapper but handed it to Chen Nuo first, letting him take the initial bite.

Watching Chen Nuo relishing the sweet treat, Sun Keke smiled gently and then spoke softly.

"Chen Nuo, what do you think we’ll be like when we grow up?"

"Hmm?"

"In the past, when I was little, I always looked forward to growing up. Now, before you know it, we’re about to be in our senior year of high school, and then it’ll be time for college entrance exams. It seems... like we’re pretty much grown up, aren’t we?" Sun Keke’s tone was somewhat inscrutable as she softly said, "Chen Nuo..."

"Hmm."

"Do you think you’ll still be in my world after I grow up?"

Chen Nuo sighed, turned around to face her, and looked into Sun Keke’s eyes. Then he gently placed his can of soda aside, took her hand, and said softly, "Of course, definitely!"

"But my world is very small, very ordinary," Sun Keke said softly, her gaze a bit lost. "I’ve never really thought about things that are too far away or too complicated."

Sun Keke pointed at her head as she spoke.

"These days, I’ve been recalling some strange things. I remembered it’s not the first time I’ve been kidnapped. There was another time Zhang Linsheng and I were kidnapped. They mistook Zhang Linsheng for you, and then I was taken to a place where I met an old man... But in the end, you ran and rescued me."

As she said this, Sun Keke’s face flushed, and she lowered her head. "It was on the day you kissed me for the first time."

Chen Nuo sighed.

Chen Nuo held Sun Keke’s hand. She struggled lightly but didn’t pull away; instead, she gripped his hand in return.

"Chen Nuo, you’re actually a very amazing person, aren’t you?"

"Hmm... I guess so."

"How amazing are you?"

"Err..."

I just recently took down the Mother of an alien civilization far more advanced than humans...

Okay, better not say that.

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "I may be amazing, but when your dad scolds me, I still have to bow my head obediently."

Probably remembering how Chen Nuo had acted like a good boy during dinner at her house in front of her parents that evening, Sun Keke chuckled softly.

Then, the girl quietly moved closer and leaned her soft body into Chen Nuo’s arms.

"Chen Nuo, you’re good at fighting, aren’t you? That day in Xi’an, you beat up a lot of people."

"Err... I guess it can’t really be called ’fighting,’" Chen Nuo said. "Alright, I suppose it is."

"So, how good are you at it?"

"...That’s a hard question to answer."

"Can you beat Tyson?"

"I could pin him down with one finger."

"Hahaha, you’re bluffing."

"Yep, I’m bluffing."

Chen Nuo, not at all concerned with admitting his bluff, continued to watch the moon with his arms around his girlfriend.

Chen Nuo wasn’t the type to feel the need to show off in front of his woman, so it didn’t matter.

"Do you... often have to fight with others?"

"Not that often, actually," Chen Nuo sighed. "Honestly, every time it’s someone else who provokes me first."

Sun Keke fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly, "In the future, can you try not to fight others? That day when I saw you fighting, although you were amazing and knocked down a lot of people, I was still... really scared inside."

"Scared of what? Scared I couldn’t beat them and protect you?"

"No." Sun Keke lifted her head and looked earnestly at Chen Nuo. "I’m afraid of you getting hurt."

"Alright. In the future, I’ll be very careful and cautious, do my best not to fight, and avoid taking risks. I will be very careful in anything that poses a danger. Even when crossing the street, I’ll definitely look at the traffic lights first!"

Sun Keke lifted her head and gently traced Chen Nuo’s cheek with her fingers, as if outlining his features. Then Chen Nuo playfully bit her palm.

"Stop it, it tickles." The girl pushed Chen Nuo lightly.

Then Sun Keke exclaimed, "Ah! The ice cream cone is melting! Hurry up and eat!"

"You eat it."

The girl sweetly savored her ice cream cone. While eating, she couldn’t help but ask her boyfriend more questions.

"Can you beat a martial arts champion?"

"I can."

"Jackie Chan?"

"I can."

"Li Lianjie?"

"I can... To be honest, those two are actors. They’re actually not that good at fighting."

"Then... Superman?"

"Hmm, that depends. Superman’s portrayal in DC Comics isn’t very consistent; sometimes he’s very strong, other times he’s weak. It depends on the version."

"Then... what about a Saint Seiya?"

"I can."

"Sailor Moon?"

"..." Chen Nuo suddenly smiled and said, "I heard Sailor Moon’s outfit is available for purchase. One of these days I’ll look for one to buy for you. You’ll definitely look pretty wearing it."

Sun Keke squinted at her boyfriend and frowned. "Why do I feel like... what you just said... sounds a bit indecent?"

"Are you kidding? Of course, you have to be a bit indecent when talking to your own girlfriend. Anyone who’s dead serious when talking to their girlfriend is a fool."

It was already close to ten o’clock in the evening when he walked Sun Keke home.

Quite rarely, Old Sun hadn’t called to hurry them. Perhaps the couple knew the two young people probably had a lot to discuss.

When Sun Keke reached the entrance of her apartment building, she suddenly remembered something.

She told Chen Nuo about how Guo Qiang had given her a white jade bead and how she had carelessly lost it.

Chen Nuo seemed not to care much and simply nodded. "If it’s lost, then it’s lost. The Xi’an business has been completely resolved. Let’s turn the page on this matter."

Sun Keke was a bit troubled. "Should I compensate? That thing mustn’t be cheap, right? I saw those people kept pressing Boss Guo, and Boss Guo hid it so secretly. That thing must be very important."

"It’s not important anymore. None of it’s important," Chen Nuo shook his head. "Don’t worry about it. This matter is over."

"Then... what if Boss Guo comes to us for it?"

"Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare."

Sun Keke wanted to say more, but Chen Nuo gently pushed her up the steps. "Go home quickly. I’ll take care of what you mentioned. Hurry home now, be good."

Sun Keke kept looking back every few steps as she went upstairs. Chen Nuo waited below until she reached the fifth floor before turning to leave.

Turning around, Chen Nuo’s brows were tightly furrowed.

Lost, huh...

Just moments ago, he had quietly used his spiritual power to examine Sun Keke’s condition carefully. Everything was normal; there seemed to be nothing amiss.

As he thought this, Chen Nuo stretched out his hand. A black, rice-grain-sized object slowly materialized in his palm.

Jet black, yet gleaming.

He had gotten this object from Guo Xiaowei’s body. Since he had already guessed that Guo Xiaowei was the body prepared by Guo Kang for Body Seizing, the whereabouts of this object wasn’t too hard to guess.

That guy hid it deep enough.

Guo Xiaowei had had an appendectomy as a child, and this object had been hidden by Guo Kang inside his body, right at the healed incision site, stitched under the skin.

Guo Xiaowei himself didn’t know that he had such a thing hidden in his body.

That evening, Zhang Linsheng was also facing a trial at home.

The same pile of redemption receipts from the lottery center, along with a bank passbook.

When Zhang Tiejun and his wife saw these items, they were equally shocked for a long time. Only after rechecking them several times did they finally believe the fact: their son had won the lottery! Two hundred thousand yuan!

However, the bank passbook only showed one hundred thousand yuan.

"Apart from the tax portion, I used the rest to start a business with someone," Zhang Linsheng told his parents.

Zhang Tiejun was a bit wary. "Business? What business do you know how to do? Is it reliable? Don’t get scammed!"

It took Zhang Linsheng over half an hour to explain Brother Lei’s e-bike business to Zhang Tiejun, and his partnership with his classmate Chen Nuo.

This was to dispel his parents’ doubts and alleviate their concerns about him being cheated.

What finally made his parents reluctantly accept the situation were the prepared business registration documents.

It clearly stated:

"Dafa Technology Sales Company"

Business Scope: Sales of non-motor vehicle spare parts, repairs, et cetera...

The company’s equity distribution listed three names: Chen Nuo, Wu Dalei, and Zhang Linsheng.

Zhang Tiejun thought deeper.

Zhang Tiejun worked in car maintenance. He knew that whether it was cars or e-bikes, this was clearly a market on the verge of flourishing.

For someone else to involve his son in their business at this time... it meant they were helping his son make money.

Could there really be such a good deal?

"Chen Nuo brought me into this. He’s a good guy," Zhang Linsheng said, leveraging his classmate relationship. "We’re classmates, we tutor together at Teacher Jiang’s house, and we even practice boxing with Teacher Jiang every morning. We’re classmates and fellow martial arts students."

"...Does this classmate of yours, Chen Nuo, come from such a wealthy family?"

"Chen Nuo and Wu Dalei are relatives. Their family is quite wealthy."

Alright, Zhang Tiejun and his wife had nothing more to say, but they were still uneasy.

So, the couple discussed it and decided to make a trip to Daming Road the next day to check out the shop in person.

Not only did Zhang Tiejun go to look at the shop, but Old Sun and his wife also went the next day.

Thus, the two families, a total of four people, happened to meet in the shop.

The one who received them was, naturally, Chen Yanluo’s current right-hand man: the reliable Brother Lei!

Brother Lei had a keen eye and was a skilled actor. Recognizing that he needed to ingratiate himself with both couples, he immediately pulled out all the stops.

He offered them cigarettes and tea, buttering them up with smooth talk.

Old Sun had known Brother Lei for a long time and was quickly won over by him.

Then, cleverly, Brother Lei pulled Old Sun along to exchange pleasantries with Zhang Tiejun.

Once Zhang Tiejun learned that this man was the future vice-principal of No. 8 Middle School and its current dean of teaching...

And learned that his son’s classmate, Chen Nuo, also had a connection with this vice-principal of No. 8 Middle School...

Zhang Tiejun was reassured.

Brother Lei, a man of the world, might be a swindler. But in those days, a school’s dean of teaching was a gold standard of trustworthiness in the eyes of parents.

Zhang Tiejun and his wife thought it over.

Their son winning the lottery was a rare, coincidental event. But these people opening a shop and doing business was surely a well-planned venture. Moreover, with such a large shop right in front of them, and renovation workers going in and out... Would they go to such lengths, setting up such a large shop, just to scam their son out of a hundred thousand yuan? It wouldn’t be worth the effort, nor would it make sense. That meant... Their son had truly met a benefactor!

Zhang Tiejun had struggled in society for half his life. His attitude immediately became much more polite—his son would be relying on these people to earn a living and make money in the future!

Old Zhang was a good father. He had lived an upright life and worked diligently. But for his son’s sake, he was very willing to humble himself!

Previously, to pave the way for his son, he had even swallowed his pride and kowtowed to the auto repair shop’s team leader, a man much younger than him, offering cigarettes and alcohol.

Wasn’t it all for his son?

The same held true now!

Looking at the shop, Zhang Tiejun couldn’t resist taking his wife on two full walk-throughs, observing every nook and cranny. He even spotted a couple of minor flaws in the renovation. Instead of scolding the seemingly lazy workers, he proactively offered them the half-pack of Hongtashan cigarettes he had with him, politely asking them to be more diligent.

Even though his son was just a minority shareholder.

After all, this business would be partly theirs in the future, so it couldn’t be handled carelessly!

As they were leaving, Brother Lei proactively produced a copy of the shareholding agreement.

The contract looked very official, bearing the company’s seal, the signatures of the three individuals, and their thumbprints.

"If you’re still worried, please take this. You can ask a knowledgeable relative or friend to look it over for you," Brother Lei said magnanimously.

Zhang Tiejun accepted it carefully and thanked him several times.

This time, his heart was truly put at ease.

Back home, Zhang Tiejun called his son out of his room. After a moment’s thought, he handed back the bank passbook he had received from his son the previous night.

"I’ve seen the shop. It’s quite spacious. Setting up such a big store will definitely cost a lot of money. You should keep this money. If the business needs capital for operations, you can’t let others bear the entire burden! Since it’s a partnership, our family shouldn’t take advantage when it comes to contributing our share."

With that, Zhang Tiejun glared and shouted, "Kid! I’m giving you the money so you have it ready, to be used for business! You’re not allowed to spend it recklessly! If you dare to squander it, I’ll break your legs!"

Accustomed to his father’s rough way of talking, Zhang Linsheng smiled as he took the passbook.

Zhang Linsheng’s mother was still somewhat worried. "Shouldn’t we keep this money... in case the business doesn’t do well, at least our son will have a safety net."

"That’s not the right way to look at it!" Zhang Tiejun said, shaking his head with an open mind. "The business needs to be done. I’ve seen it; it’s a good shop, and the e-bike market is booming right now. Besides... our son is still young. It’s a great opportunity, and taking a chance will be good for him! He’s not out there fooling around, getting into fights, or ending up in jail! As long as our son walks the right path, I’ll support him even if I have to sell everything we own! Even if all two hundred thousand yuan is lost, it was lottery winnings anyway. Worst case scenario, our son comes home, and I’ll support him! We can slowly help him find another job!"

After speaking, Zhang Tiejun patted his son’s shoulder firmly, his tone resolute. "Work hard, and do well! I have no other worries. As long as you’re on the right path, your old man will be at ease!"

His father’s hand patted his shoulder forcefully. Zhang Linsheng felt his eyes grow warm.

Chen Nuo was shopping for groceries.

He actually quite enjoyed strolling through the wet market.

He held his sister Chen Xiaoye’s hand with one hand and carried a bamboo vegetable basket in the other—the kind of basket that would be obsolete fifteen years later.

The vast market was filled with a cacophony of sounds—clamor, shouting, and haggling—enough to make one’s head buzz.

He’d pick up a handful of baby bok choy from one stall, then feel some pork belly at another. By the time he had walked through, Chen Nuo’s basket was already half full.

Looking at the bustling, crowded market... This is the vibrant energy of everyday life!

Chen Xiaoye held her brother’s hand in one hand, and in the other, she clutched a roasted corn cob, munching away with her face covered in drool.

From the east end of the market to the west, and then back from west to east.

Seeing his sister eyeing the coin-operated kiddie ride near the entrance of the small convenience store with longing, he reached into his pocket for some coins, lifted Chen Xiaoye onto the ride, seated her properly, and inserted the coins.

"Daddy’s daddy is called Grandpa..."

Watching his little sister rocking back and forth on it, she let out a laugh that sounded like a honking goose.

Chen Nuo also stood by, squinting his eyes.

He set down the vegetable basket, went to the counter of the convenience store, bought a pack of cigarettes, then came out, squatted by the roadside, and lit one.

Behind him, Chen Xiaoye was still playing joyfully.

After a couple of drags of his cigarette, Chen Nuo suddenly let out a sigh and loudly called out to the left.

"Come on out. You’ve followed me for almost half an hour, aren’t you tired?" Chen Nuo said in English.

From behind a half-wall of red bricks on the roadside, an S-shaped figure emerged.

"You noticed me a while ago?" Niveer pouted.

"No shit." Chen Nuo stamped out the cigarette butt on the ground, flicked it into a nearby trash can, stood up, walked over to Niveer, gave her an up-and-down look, and shook his head. "A Burberry plaid tee, a Bvlgari pendant, and the worst is that blonde hair of yours. You can be spotted from over ten meters away. If you want to stealthily follow me, at least wear a hat or something."

"It’s so hot, wearing a hat?" Niveer was not having it and shook her head.

"Just look around. This is a wet market. Who dresses like you to come here?"

Hmm, maybe in more than ten years, someone might wear Burberry to a wet market to buy groceries. But in 2001, definitely not!

He looked at the girl’s super S-shaped figure, then at the beads of sweat on her forehead and the tip of her nose.

Niveer was indeed very sensitive to heat; being Caucasian, her face turned as red as a lobster when she got hot.

Chen Nuo turned back to the convenience store, grabbed a Northeast Big Stick ice cream from the refrigerator by the door, tossed the money on the counter, then turned around, tore off the wrapper, and handed it to the squat-obsessed girl.

"Why are you following me?"

Niveer took a bite of the Northeast Big Stick ice cream and didn’t seem to mind. "You disappeared for so many days. We had an agreement—I won’t do anything destructive, but you have to let me find you when I need to."

"Hmm, I went abroad to handle some things."

Niveer’s eyes brightened as she looked at Chen Nuo. "You... You went to save someone again? Like you saved me before?"

Chen Nuo remained silent.

The young school director seemed to regain her energy. "Chen Nuo, I have looked into it carefully! That South Korean girl from the school also came from abroad to find you... I guess, she’s been saved by you too, right? Besides us two, are there others? Will there be more people looking for you in the future?"

Chen Nuo glanced sideways at the girl. "Hasn’t anyone taught you not to talk with your mouth full? You’re supposed to be British nobility. Don’t you have any manners?"

Niveer rolled her eyes. "You treat me to dinner today, like last time... that... um... spicy, salty, very delicious one!!"

Chen Nuo stared blankly at the girl.

Niveer got anxious, waving her two hands side to side...

Oh, you mean crayfish. Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Alright, I happened to need your help with something, so I’ll treat you to some crayfish."

Having said that, he turned around and picked up Xiao Yezi, who had been secretly watching from the kiddie ride for a long time.

"This is my friend, Niveer. But she might not be very good at speaking Huaxia." Chen Nuo gestured towards the athletic girl.

Then he pointed to Xiao Yezi. "This is my little sister."

"Hello! I actually can... speak Huaxia... a little!" Niveer greeted with a smile in her awkward Huaxia.

"Hello." Chen Xiaoye looked at the pretty young lady in front of her and suddenly asked, "Are you also trying to be my brother’s girlfriend?"

"...Eh?" Niveer’s eyes widened.

"Then, have you learned the tongue twisters?" Xiao Yezi looked at her with a smile.

BANG BANG BANG.