CHAPTER 475: CHAPTER 472 [CHEN YANLUO CHOOSES JUSTICE OVER FAMILY]

Chapter Four Hundred Seventy-Two [Righteousness Above Family, Chen Yanluo]

In the 1980s in Huaxia, the general architectural style was dominated by three colors: black, white, and gray.

The colorful, brightly lit scenes that came with economic prosperity in later years were absolutely nowhere to be seen in this era.

The living quarters for the flour mill’s family members were extensive, constructed along the river not far off, consisting of swathes of brick and tile houses. The only slightly better residences were the tube-shaped buildings built in the ’60s and ’70s—during the period of Soviet aid to China, these had a special name filled with a sense of the era: Khrushchev buildings.

Living in a tube-shaped building at this time was already considered high-class, only accessible to senior workers with long years of service, high-grade positions, or factory leaders.

At this moment, Chen Jianshe was just a driver in the vehicle team, and he was still living in a bungalow.

Moreover, as he was unmarried, he couldn’t live in a single room but shared one with another person from the vehicle team.

Chen Nuo took a walk around the factory’s residential area.

The family residential areas of state-owned factories in this era were essentially equivalent to a separate small society or small town, equipped with all sorts of living facilities.

From the supply and marketing cooperative where people could buy their necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, to kindergartens and primary schools, everything was available.

In addition, barber shops, bathhouses, and the like were all readily available.

Chen Nuo strolled around the residential area, first sneaking into the labor insurance warehouse under the cover of darkness, pilfered a set of work clothes to change into, and while at the warehouse’s reception room, stole a glance and noticed half a pack of cigarettes on the table. Zhongyuan, a popular brand among workers in this era, probably selling for twenty cents a pack. Chen Nuo promptly swiped them and pocketed them.

Otherwise, his hoodie and jeans from the current era were too conspicuous.

After changing into a dusty set of work clothes, Chen Nuo checked his reflection in the window; not too bad, passable.

He reached an intersection, which was also part of the living area of the factory, equipped with a street lamp—a rather high-end feature at that time.

Beneath the street lamp, people had gathered around a small table with several stools, playing poker.

This kind of scene was unique to that era.

Playing cards outside under the street lamps at night, rather than inside their homes, was solely to save on electricity by using the lamplight.

Chen Nuo casually approached and pretended to watch the workers playing cards for a while, before offering someone a cigarette.

The other party glanced at the Zhongyuan cigarette Chen Nuo offered, smiled, and refused it, then took out a slightly more upscale pack of Hongmei cigarettes and gave one to Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo took one look and understood that this person was probably a minor leader.

Why a minor leader? Because in those days, the real leaders were still smoking Hongtashan. And Huazi? That was for the high-ranking officials.

"May I ask you about something?" Chen Nuo said with a smile.

The minor leader glanced at Chen Nuo and said, "You’re not from our factory, are you? I haven’t seen you before, but... that face does look somewhat familiar."

Chen Nuo replied with a smile, "Chen Jianshe, you know him, right?"

"Chen Jianshe?" The other person looked Chen Nuo over, then laughed. "Are you his relative? I was wondering why you looked familiar; you do resemble him quite a bit."

"Distant cousin," Chen Nuo said with a vague smile. "Came to visit him, but I can’t find his house."

"You don’t recognize your own brother’s house?" the man teased.

Chen Nuo scratched his head and said, "Well... I’ve only been here once before, and it was dark tonight, so I couldn’t find the place."

The other man didn’t think much of it.

In this era, people were still relatively naive. Plus, first off, Chen Nuo had a clean-cut and honest look, not resembling a bad character.

Second, he looked quite a bit like Chen Jianshe; no one would believe they weren’t related if they said otherwise.

And third, in those days, the living quarters of large state-owned factories were very safe places, essentially self-sustaining micro-societies where outsiders committing crimes was simply asking for trouble.

The young people of later generations may not know that in this era, large state-owned factories all had their own security departments—and these security personnel were tough as nails.

Many of these factories had their own militia organizations, actual militias!

The security department militias of some of the larger factories were even armed!

"Straight ahead at the next intersection, keep going and then turn left where the street lamps are. When you see a red two-story building, the bungalows beneath it, the second door is Chen Jianshe’s home."

Chen Nuo listened attentively, thanked the person with a smile, and headed off.

"At this hour, he might not be at home. That kid never sits tight, always likes to wander off and have fun after work."

"No problem. If he’s not home, I’ll wait for him to come back," Chen Nuo said, smiling and waving goodbye to the person.

「 」

Chen Nuo followed the directions given and made his way down the road.

It was just before 8 p.m., night had already fallen, but the residential area was still lively with domestic life.

Walking on the street, he could see the lights in people’s homes on both sides.

Some were just finishing their evening shift and preparing dinner, some were dealing with crying children, and several households had gathered to watch TV together...

As he reached the intersection, Chen Nuo was about to turn left according to the directions given, when something caught the corner of his eye, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Then, with a curious smile, he slowly made his way to the side of the road.

At the intersection, the doors of the hair salon in the residential area were still open.

The glass doors at the entrance had been closed, but lights were still on inside.

In that era, a hair salon was truly just a hair salon—apart from cutting hair, it offered no other services. Perms, dyeing, shampooing, and such were entirely absent.

Oh, there was one exception: they also did shaves.

The design of the barber chairs was full of a retro vibe, looking both bulky and cumbersome, very much reminiscent of those chairs you’d see in a dentist’s office.

Inside, two girls were sitting on a bench nearby, laughing and chatting about who knows what.

Chen Nuo had sharp eyes and spotted the girl sitting on the left, closer to the entrance.

She had an oval face, a slender and graceful figure, cheeks that were pale with a healthy blush, and a very pretty appearance. Her hair was tied into a plaited ponytail that hung down her back.

She was wearing what could be considered a fashionable Dacron shirt for that era, with sleeve covers slipped over the long sleeves.

Sleeve covers, a product of that time, were not typically used by ordinary people, but rather by professionals like finance workers or accountants.

The girl was dressed in simple attire, yet it was very clean. She and another girl were sitting together, flipping through a magazine.

As Chen Nuo approached the entrance to look inside, the girl inside was startled, looked up towards the entrance, and said in an unwelcoming tone, "We’re closed, we’re closed, come back for a haircut tomorrow!"

Chen Nuo didn’t make a sound, just stood there smiling, his gaze fixated on the pretty girl sitting there.

Ah...

Ou Xiuhua hadn’t lied.

Mother dear in her youth... was indeed a beauty.

Looking at Ou Xiuhua sitting there, her little face blushing, brimming with the vitality of youth...

Well, considering her age, she must have been just over twenty.

After thinking it over, Chen Nuo simply stepped forward and walked in.

The girl inside seemed a bit displeased and stood up, saying with irritation, "Hey! What’s with you, didn’t I say we’re closed?"

Her words conveyed annoyance, but her hands moved swiftly.

Chen Nuo, quick-eyed, noticed the two girls hastily hiding the magazine they were flipping through.

The magazine was colorful, and its cover was quite modern, featuring a woman with big, wavy hair and the like.

Ah, I see.

The two girls were sneaking a peek at the magazines after closing time when no one was around.

These magazines were probably not what one would call proper or respectable.

Of course, they weren’t really that improper—such material did not exist in that era yet.

What was considered "improper" mostly consisted of more fashionable content, perhaps some movie magazines or the like.

In an era generally leaning towards conservatism, wearing slightly trendy clothes or looking a bit coquettish, even perming one’s hair, could lead to being labeled as unseemly behind one’s back.

But everyone possesses a love for beauty, especially young girls.

Ou Xiuhua’s face looked a bit tense—she had been flipping through the magazine with her friend in secret, apparently brought back from a trip down south by her friend’s acquaintance, and the styles inside were all very chic.

The other girl was actually a hairstylist at the salon, still wearing her white lab coat.

Yes, a white lab coat.

In those times, hairstylists dressed similarly to doctors, all in white lab coats.

This hairstylist girl appeared rather forthright. She stood up to face Chen Nuo and quickly grabbed a broom from beside the wall. "Get out, get out. We’re closed, so why are you coming in? I’m sweeping the floor and closing up. Don’t get in the way!"

As she spoke, she brushed the floor with the broom right in front of Chen Nuo, the broom almost sweeping over his shoes.

Chen Nuo chuckled and stepped back twice. "I’m not here for a haircut, I just want to ask for directions."

Standing under the light, the female hairstylist got a clear look at Chen Nuo’s face—her expression suddenly softening.

Alright, then. As always, in any era, good looks are justice.

Chen Nuo was handsome, with clear eyebrows, bright eyes, white teeth, and rosy lips, fitting the aesthetic preferred by girls of that time.

By the way, the most beloved national idol among the girls in that era was none other than Teacher Tang Guoqiang.

That’s right, the one known for lines like "I have never seen such shamelessness" and "Which is the best for learning to operate an excavator?"

The young Tang Guoqiang was referred to as the "cream-type" pretty boy.

"You... aren’t here for a haircut?" The hairstylist girl hesitated. "Well... if you are in a hurry, I can stay open a little longer..."

Chen Nuo paused for a moment. Do I... get to enjoy the beauty premium?

"Then, give me a haircut." Chen Nuo smiled, walked over, and sat down on the barber’s chair.

"All righty!"

The hairdresser girl happily grabbed a white cape, stuffed it around Chen Nuo’s neck and fastened it, then she took out a clipper from a leather pouch.

Seeing this, Ou Xiuhua who was sitting by the side got up to leave. "Then, Xiao Yu, you’re busy, I’ll head home first."

"Don’t rush off." The hairdresser girl quickly stopped her. "I cut hair really fast, fifteen minutes at most. Wait for me a little while, it’s boring at home alone anyway. I have another magazine here, we can look at it together later."

Upon hearing this, Ou Xiuhua hesitated a bit, and it was unclear if she really thought it would be boring to go back alone or if she was interested in the other magazine, but she ended up sitting back down.

The hairdresser girl started to fiddle with Chen Nuo’s head efficiently.

At first, Chen Nuo couldn’t resist glancing at Ou Xiuhua through the mirror.

But after a few glances, he really couldn’t keep on looking.

Looking at his hair in the mirror...

Chen Nuo sighed, "Girl..."

"What girl! Call me comrade!" The hairdresser girl glared. "Stop being so flirty, where did you learn these bad habits!"

Chen Nuo smiled and didn’t object. "That, comrade, you’re an apprentice, right?"

"Huh?" The hairdresser girl was taken aback and seemed a bit nervous. "How do you know?"

"The way you’re cutting hair... the hairline you’re fixing for me in front, it’s almost pushed back past the crown of my head. If you push it back a bit more, I could go be a prince."

"What prince?"

"A person from the Qing Dynasty." Chen Nuo sighed and gestured on his head the hairline of the Manchu queue hairstyle.

The hairdresser girl’s face turned a bit red with embarrassment, but she glared and pressed Chen Nuo’s head. "Stay still! Who is the hairdresser here, you or me? What do you know, this is how I cut it!"

"...How about you just shave it bald for me," Chen Nuo sighed. "It’s cooler anyway."

"Well... okay then." The girl breathed a sigh of relief—her skills were indeed a bit sloppy. During the daytime, the bona fide barbers at the shop did the haircuts, and as an apprentice, she was only responsible for filling a spot at night.

A bald head was certainly a lot simpler.

In less than ten minutes, Chen Nuo’s head had basically turned into that of the former Brother Lei.

Smooth and shiny, the kind that reflected light under the lamp.

The skills of the hairdresser girl here might not be up to par, but she did a decent job with the bald head.

Chen Nuo casually touched his head. So smooth!

The hairdresser girl brushed the loose hair off his neck and shook the cape. "All done!"

Looking at the bald head in the mirror, Chen Nuo smiled and stood up. "Thanks."

"Pay up."

"Uh..."

"With a haircut coupon it’s one dime, without a coupon it’s two dimes."

Chen Nuo: ...

What in the world is a haircut coupon? Chen Yanluo had never seen one before.

As for money... I do have some, but if I pulled out those red hundred-yuan bills, I’m afraid it would scare her! She might instantly turn hostile and call the police.

In this era, there aren’t any hundred-yuan notes yet!

The largest denomination of Huaxia Currency is the ten-yuan note, colloquially known as ’the Great Unity.’

"Um, I didn’t bring money with me. Can I owe you for now?"

The girl was surprisingly easygoing and went behind the counter to grab a notebook, throwing it on the table. "You fill it out yourself."

"Register?"

"Yeah, which workshop of the factory are you from, your name, write it down here. Come back tomorrow with money or a haircut coupon to clear the charge."

Got it.

After all, it wasn’t an ordinary barbershop, but one in the factory’s residential area, serving only the factory’s people, so it was possible to run a tab.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, picked up the pen. "I’m not from your factory, I’m here to see a relative. Can I have him come and pay tomorrow, would that be okay?"

"...That’s fine I guess. Write down the name of your relative."

Actually, she was really easy to talk to—and there was another reason.

In those days, even the barbers in the factory area were living off public funds, as the barbershop wasn’t private, but belonged to the factory. Barbers received a wage, and whether they earned much or little, it was all public money.

And in that era, everyone had an "iron rice bowl" job!

Getting fired for making a mistake?

That did not happen!

Unless you violated the national law and committed a crime, that was the only way you’d be fired.

Otherwise, once you joined a factory, you’d be with that factory for life. Through sickness and health, until death, the factory would look after you the entire time.

KPIs, the 996 work system, "blessings" of overtime.

None of those existed in this era.

In this era, forget about factories; if you went into a department store, the salesclerks would look down their noses at you.

Buy it or don’t, they didn’t care. If you didn’t buy, even better; they could save some energy and do less work.

After all, whether anything sold or not, it was all public money. Whether the business did well or not, the clerks had iron rice bowls, and the store had no right or authority to fire them.

Future generations might not understand the peculiarities of this era: ordinary people entering a store had to actively try to curry favor with the salesclerks.

You had to say, "Excuse me, could you please show me that item?"

It was normal for salesclerks to ignore customers or give indifferent responses.

If one with a bad temper snapped at you, you just had to take it.

You might say you wouldn’t stand for it, that you simply wouldn’t buy?

Fine, don’t buy. You could go to another store.

But every store was the same, all with the same attitude.

The fact that this female barber wasn’t particular about collecting money was because of this context. And generally, for people working in the same factory, there wouldn’t be issues with unpaid debts.

Chen Nuo casually wrote in the book: Vehicle Team, Chen Jianshe.

The girl didn’t even glance at it, just closed the book and tossed it into the drawer.

"Are you here to visit relatives? You’re not from our factory, right? Then which factory do you belong to?"

"I..." Chen Nuo’s eyes swiveled. "I’m from the sand and gravel factory. From Jiangning District... um, Jiangning County."

"Oh, from the county below... sand and gravel factory..." The female barber’s enthusiasm waned slightly as she looked at Chen Nuo, seemingly feeling a little pity for him.

Yep, that was a bit disdainful.

In that era, factories were also ranked.

A factory in the city versus one in the county wasn’t even on the same level.

A flour mill, directly under the grain system, was considered a favored son.

A sand and gravel factory from the counties below, both hard and wearying, was much lower in status.

The girl originally had some warmth, looking at a handsome young guy like Chen Nuo—what young girl doesn’t harbor romantic feelings? But once she heard where he was from, her enthusiasm cooled.

Even if one asked a matchmaker, this wouldn’t be considered a good prospect.

There was no chance.

Seeing the girl’s enthusiasm fade, Chen Nuo shamelessly moved to sit next to Ou Xiuhua on a long bench. "Uh, my relative went out for the evening. Can I wait here for a bit? It’s dark, and I don’t want to stand at someone’s doorstep and become mosquito food. Plus, if the security patrol thinks I’m a thief and catches me, that won’t be good."

The female barber was somewhat reluctant. "We’re about to close up, you..."

"Just for a while," Chen Nuo smiled. "You’re not closed yet, right? Once you close, I’ll leave immediately."

The female barber hesitated.

Ou Xiuhua, being kind-hearted, spoke up after a moment of hesitation. "Let him sit here for a bit. The security patrols at night have dogs with them. If he goes wandering around and gets bitten by a dog, that wouldn’t be good."

"Alright then," the female barber shook her head. "But you’re not allowed to smoke here!"

Chen Nuo immediately agreed with a smile, then turned to Ou Xiuhua. "Thank you, you’re so kindhearted."

"What are you doing? Don’t even think about flirting! Sit further away!" the female barber warned Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo smiled and shifted his seat towards the door.

He squinted at Ou Xiuhua, who looked a bit embarrassed.

Alas... This mother of mine really did have a good heart. But... it’s a pity good people don’t always have good fortune. In the future, you still have twenty years of hardship ahead of you.

Thinking of this, Chen Nuo’s heart stirred. "Say, your name is Ou Xiuhua, right?"

Ou Xiuhua was startled and looked up at Chen Nuo.

The hairdresser girl next to her also asked curiously, "Do you know her?"

"...No, I don’t know him," Ou Xiuhua shook her head.

"What exactly are you up to! Let me tell you, this is our factory area! I just have to shout, and security can come over and break your legs! Don’t think you can mess around here!" The hairdresser girl reached for the broom and glared at Chen Nuo as she scolded, "How did you find out her name!"

"No, don’t misunderstand," Chen Nuo smiled. "I heard it from a relative, who said that there’s a particularly beautiful girl in your factory named Ou Xiuhua, who is your factory’s flower."

"What factory flower and all, such odd talk!" the hairdresser girl retorted, but then glanced at Ou Xiuhua. "But to be honest, you are the prettiest in our factory, you really could be the factory flower."

Then turning to Chen Nuo, "Who is this relative of yours? Always talking about female comrades behind their backs, definitely not a good person!"

"Right, right, right! He’s definitely not a good person!" Chen Nuo immediately nodded in agreement.

Both girls: "..."

"Let me tell you, my relative is named Chen Jianshe, from your factory’s vehicle team. Remember, from the vehicle team, named Chen Jianshe. The ’Chen’ written with ’ear’ and ’east’! The ’Jianshe’ from ’industrial construction’! I’m telling you, especially you, Comrade Ou Xiuhua! You must remember, this guy named Chen Jianshe, he’s bad news! Idle and slick, no real skills to speak of, always relying on sweet talk to deceive young girls. I don’t even know how many he’s tricked. I’m telling you, this guy is a hooligan. Previously he’s been gossiping about which girls are pretty in the factory, mentioned Ou Xiuhua, said she’s beautiful, said he’s going to find a way to deceive her or something... Oh, the things he said were so nasty! I can’t even repeat them to you; it would dirty my mouth! You all must be careful of him in the future! He may have sweet talk, but his heart is full of bad intentions! Especially you, Comrade Ou Xiuhua! He’s up to no good, plotting against you. He’s mentioned your name to me several times behind your back!"

Both girls were stunned!

Watching Chen Nuo speak with such fervor, Ou Xiuhua didn’t know how to react, but the hairdresser girl caught on. "Eh? Aren’t you this Chen Jianshe’s relative? How come you, how come you... how come..."

"I’m upholding justice above family ties!" Chen Nuo proclaimed with a righteous face.

Ou Xiuhua remained silent, but the hairdresser girl suddenly got angry!

"Chen Jianshe, right? I’ve heard of him! People in the vehicle team mentioned him, said he’s always shirking work and being slippery. Just from hearing about him, he’s not a good person! And he’s a harasser! Trying to make a move on Ou Xiuhua?! Don’t even think about it!!"

The hairdresser girl, full of righteous indignation, took Ou Xiuhua by the arm. "You have to be careful! If Chen Jianshe ever bothers you, tell me, I’ll beat him to a pulp!"

Ou Xiuhua, completely confused, "This... we also... also can’t just listen to one side of the story..."

"Your name is Ou Xiuhua, you’re the accountant in the factory. Hmm... and you’ve been taking night school classes recently, studying accounting, right? You’re also planning on taking an exam, the accounting qualification certificate, aren’t you?" Chen Nuo said with a smile. "See, I’m not even from your factory, and I know these things. It’s all because Chen Jianshe, after getting drunk, was bragging about it to us. He said, he’s had his eye on you for a long time, and sooner or later he’ll deceive you and have you in his hands."

"BASTARD!!!!!!!"

The hairdresser girl slammed the table and stood up. "No! Absolutely not! Are we just going to wait for him to show up?! No! I’m going to deal with this bastard now!! We can’t wait for him to come and harm you!"

Chen Nuo was taken aback. That easy? Is this girl that gullible? A stranger says a few words, and she really believes it?

And then, he saw the girl suddenly bolt out the door, her voice bellowing as she shouted, "Zhao Changjiang!! Zhao Changjiang! Get over here!! Zhao Changjiang!!!!!!"

Ou Xiuhua’s face was crimson with embarrassment. She went up and tugged at her. "Don’t, don’t shout for your brother!! We don’t even know this person. We don’t know if what he said is true or false. Why are you in such a hurry to call your brother!!"

"How can I not be in a hurry? Look, he’s already found out all your details! He must be up to no good!! Besides, Xiuhua! You’re going to be my sister-in-law in the future! How can we let that Chen Jianshe guy harm you! No! It must be resolved today!"

Hmm? Chen Nuo sat inside, stunned, his ears perked up, listening intently. What does she mean? My mom? Going to be your sister-in-law?! This... There’s some gossip here!

Footsteps approached from outside, and several young and sturdy men came running over.

All of them were wearing green military uniforms, albeit without any shoulder or collar badges. Yet, their attire was neat and orderly.

They were probably the militia from the factory’s security department.

The one leading them was a towering man, dark and robust!

"What’s going on, what’s going on? Xiao Yu? Why are you howling in the middle of the night?"

As soon as Xiao Yu saw this person, her eyes flared. "Zhao Changjiang! Are you deaf or something!!! I’m telling you, someone is bullying Ou Xiuhua! They’re trying to molest her! Are you going to do something about it or not!!"

"WHAT THE FUCK!! Who would dare!!!" Zhao Changjiang instantly jumped up as if someone had stepped on his windpipe. "I’ll kill him!! Where’s the bastard?!"

Suddenly, his gaze landed on Chen Nuo sitting in the shop. "So it’s you!! Bringing your harassment to our factory, are you?!"

With that, he was about to charge inside, raising his hand to grab Chen Nuo’s clothes.

The militia behind him all wore fierce expressions, also ready to surge forward.

"It’s not him!! Stop messing around!"

Ou Xiuhua, with good intentions, stepped forward to stand in front of Chen Nuo.

Zhao Changjiang promptly withdrew his hand, swallowing hard, his face turning red. "Uh... Xiuhua, you-you’re here too."

"Don’t listen to Xiao Yu’s nonsense, it’s all baseless accusations!" Ou Xiuhua maintained a stern face, turning back to glare at Chen Nuo. "You, you speak without rhyme or reason, what are you trying to stir up? We don’t even know you, and you’re badmouthing others to us. You need to make things clear! What exactly is going on!!"

"Right! Make it clear, who’s trying to molest Ou Xiuhua?!" Zhao Changjiang glared at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo, however, was unruffled and slowly said, "I’ve only spoken the truth. I just saw your kindness in giving me a haircut so late when you were about to close, so I thought you were decent people. Besides, I’ve always disliked Chen Jianshe’s scoundrel behavior, that’s why I kindly told you. Believe it or not, it’s not my problem anyway. If you don’t believe me, and later something bad happens, it’s not my misfortune."

Having said that, Chen Nuo spread his hands and stood up to walk out.

"Wait a moment!"

Zhao Changjiang stopped Chen Nuo. "Who did you just mention? Chen Jianshe?!"

"That’s right, Chen Jianshe from your factory’s vehicle team."

"Dammit, I’ve always known that kid was no good! Always sneaky and deceitful!!" Zhao Changjiang clearly knew Chen Jianshe and did not speak kindly of him.

"Then who are you? Where are you from? What’s your exact relationship with Chen Jianshe? If you’re going to speak ill of someone behind their back, you should at least make clear who you are, right?" Ou Xiuhua still remained rational.

"My name..." Chen Nuo’s eyes flickered. "I’m Xiao Guohua, from the sand and gravel factory in Molin Town, Jiangning."

"Didn’t you just say you were Chen Jianshe’s relative?"

"Yes, I’m a distant cousin of his. I came into town today to run some errands, and it got too late; there were no buses back. He happened to have borrowed money from me before and hadn’t paid it back, so I came by to ask for it."

Chen Yanluo was truly a smooth liar, not even stuttering once.

Seeing Chen Nuo speaking with such confidence, Ou Xiuhua began to have her doubts...

Could it be that this strange young man was telling the truth? Did he really decide to uphold justice over family ties simply because he saw my kind heart?

Among the few militia from the security department behind Zhao Changjiang, someone whispered, "I know Chen Jianshe from the vehicle team... I’ve heard things about him; he doesn’t seem like a good guy, always trying to cozy up to female comrades, a real smooth-talker. Just last month, I heard he almost got beaten up..."

Alright, Chen Nuo sighed inwardly. Chen Jianshe, don’t blame me for dragging your name through the mud... You don’t exactly conduct yourself properly either.

"Then what more is there to say!" The hairdresser girl tugged at Zhao Changjiang. "Are we going to wait for him to trouble Ou Xiuhua? Zhao Changjiang, are you even a man? You’re my brother, when did you become such a coward?!"

Chen Nuo, with a sharp eye, noticed the girl secretly giving Zhao Changjiang a meaningful look.

Chen Nuo understood perfectly: This girl had ulterior motives! She was dead set on getting Ou Xiuhua together with her brother, Zhao Changjiang! That’s why, as soon as she heard about this menace Chen Jianshe, she decided he had to be nipped in the bud.

Zhao Changjiang’s face turned ashen. Suddenly, he stamped his foot hard, turned around, and let out a loud shout, "Let’s go!!"

With a sudden RUSH, the young men all followed Zhao Changjiang and ran off.

Ou Xiuhua was stunned for a moment, then gave Chen Nuo a deep look. "You... don’t go anywhere! We need to get this matter straightened out later!"

「 」

Chen Jianshe, in fact, had stayed at home tonight and not gone out for fun.

After all, he had dreamt of a prophecy last night, and today there indeed had been a death in the factory.

Chen Jianshe was a bit dazed throughout the day.

Partly because he was afraid, and partly because he was excited and thrilled!

He didn’t go out tonight. He lay down early at home, hoping to fall asleep quickly to see if he could dream of anything else tonight.

But...

He went to bed around eight o’clock, but no matter how much he tossed and turned, he just couldn’t fall asleep.

Suddenly, he heard someone outside pounding on the door!

The pounding on the door made it go BANG, BANG.

The young man from another factory who roomed with him had gone out to see his girlfriend, leaving Chen Jianshe alone at home. He responded hazily to the door, "Who is it?"

"Security department!" Zhao Changjiang shouted back.

"I..."

Before Chen Jianshe could finish his thought or hesitate, with a loud BANG, the door was kicked open!

With a sudden RUSH, four or five burly men charged in from outside, instantly cornering Chen Jianshe!

In the darkness, he couldn’t tell who it was that fiercely berated, "Chen Jianshe, it’s you who has been harassing female comrades, isn’t it?!"

Chen Jianshe was stunned, his mind still blank, and he felt a pang of guilt. "Harassing? Which one?"

"Which one?! Looks like it’s not just one!! You’ve harassed plenty, haven’t you?!" Zhao Changjiang raged. "Beat him up!!"

Just as Chen Jianshe was about to retort, before he could even start, a fist smashed into his nose. Everything went black before his eyes, stars danced wildly. His nose throbbed with pain, and snot and tears gushed out all at once.

With a wail, he crouched down, covering his face.

The men surrounded him and began a flurry of punches and kicks...

「 」

Chen Nuo was watched by the hairdresser and Ou Xiuhua all the way to the outside of Chen Jianshe’s room, where they could hear the THUDDING and BANGING of punches and kicks from inside, mixed with Chen Jianshe’s pig-like screams.

The hairdresser looked angry, while Ou Xiuhua’s face was filled with anxiety. "Quick, go stop them! The matter hasn’t been clarified yet, don’t beat him up too badly!"

As she spoke, Ou Xiuhua fixed Chen Nuo with a wary gaze. "And you’re not allowed to leave!"

Chen Nuo stood behind with a smile, hands casually tucked into his pockets.

Listening to the commotion inside.

Chen Nuo’s mind was racing. Is this... not going to reveal anything?

Yes, it was just a test.

Throwing some dirt on Chen Jianshe was originally just to remind Ou Xiuhua, laying the groundwork so that Ou Xiuhua on this timeline would not be harmed by that scumbag Chen Jianshe again.

But Zhao Changjiang’s arrival from the security department was an unexpected bonus.

Chen Nuo took advantage of the situation, and things had reached this point, not without reason.

Seeking out Chen Jianshe was naturally for that miraculous Time Retrospection ability!

That brought him to this era.

But the one who started all of this wasn’t Chen Jianshe, but rather, hidden inside his body, or in the darkness, that mysterious voice!

The voice that had given Chen Jianshe the Time Retrospection ability!

That unknown existence!

Chen Nuo felt that, rather than rashly confronting it by himself, it would be better to... use Zhao Changjiang, an ordinary person, to make the first approach.

To probe the reaction on Chen Jianshe’s side.

At this moment, listening to Chen Jianshe’s painful screams as he was getting beaten up inside the room...

Secretly, Chen Nuo’s spiritual power had already quietly enveloped the surroundings.

However, he did not detect any abnormal energy fluctuations, not even the slightest trace of exceptionally strong or sustained spiritual power.

Chen Nuo sighed inwardly: It’s not going to save him? Not going to show itself? Can it really be this composed?

「 」

After the chaos inside, Chen Jianshe, who had been beaten until his face was swollen like a pig’s head, was dragged out.

Ou Xiuhua and the hairdresser quickly stepped forward.

"Stop hitting him! Let’s get to the bottom of this first! You can’t just beat someone up like that—what if you’ve got the wrong person? How will you account for that?" Ou Xiuhua glared at the hairstylist girl with resentment—by now, she had a pretty clear idea of what her best friend was thinking.

"Clarify it then! Take him back to our security department! Interrogate him thoroughly!" Zhao Changjiang responded loudly.

"And that one, Xiao Guohua, bring him back too!" Ou Xiuhua turned her head, only to freeze in place.

The person... is gone? He was standing right here a moment ago, wasn’t he? In the blink of an eye, he’s vanished?!

「 」

"Chen Jianshe!! Do you realize what you’ve done? Explain yourself!"

"I..."

"Stop your stammering! If we brought you in, it’s definitely because we have evidence! Let me tell you! If you come clean yourself, you can still take the initiative! If we have to spell it out, then you’ll be on the defensive! Understand?!"

"I..."

"Not talking? Beat him again!"

"No, no, no, I’ll talk, I’ll talk... Last month, I said I had a stomachache and took sick leave. The medical certificate I used was fake; I stole a blank medical form from the factory’s infirmary and filled it out myself... Is this what this is about?"

"Forging medical certificates to take leave counts as absenteeism! What else? Do you think we’d bring you in for such a trivial matter?!"

"That... I... I sold the vehicle team’s scrapped tires. But... these tires were already designated as scrap! Selling them doesn’t count as stealing factory property, does it? I asked; they were originally just going to be thrown away."

"...Whether it counts as theft or not, we’ll determine that after an investigation! Anything else?!"

"Nothing else! Really, there is nothing else!!"

SLAP!!

Zhao Changjiang slammed the table. "What about you harassing women?!!!"

Harassment? I haven’t done anything like that for two months!

"Um... who did I harass?" Chen Jianshe asked, feeling a bit guilty. Then a thought struck him—wait, that’s not right...

The woman I harassed before wasn’t even from our factory. Even if it were to be dealt with, it wouldn’t be by our factory’s security department.

"Ou Xiuhua from the finance department!!! She claims you harassed her! Did you or didn’t you?!"

Chen Jianshe looked bewildered.

"Ou Xiuhua? Who is she? I swear I don’t even know her, I’ve never even seen her, alright?!"

「 」

In Chen Jianshe’s room, Chen Nuo stood in the dark, disorderly room, surveying the messy surroundings.

He carefully searched through Chen Jianshe’s belongings.

After a thorough search, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

So, where exactly was that mysterious voice hidden? Could it be inside Chen Jianshe’s mind?

Chen Nuo thought, then shook his head.

When he had killed Chen Jianshe back in Mount Niutou, he had meticulously searched Chen Jianshe’s Consciousness Space.

And he had found no trace of any mysterious life consciousness concealed there.

So, according to Chen Nuo’s speculation, it was highly likely that, during this period in 1981, Chen Jianshe encountered some mysterious entity that, for some reason, granted Chen Jianshe some kind of power, and might have since then been covertly lurking in the shadows, following Chen Jianshe.

But in 1981, in Huaxia Jinling, could there be such a powerful mysterious entity?

To Chen Nuo’s knowledge, the most powerful beings in this world were the four Seeds.

In 1981, Seed was still slumbering in the Relic World of the tropical rainforest in South America.

Kamisou Ichiro was still searching the world for octopuses.

The Gray Cat, meanwhile, was pretending to be a pet cat in Europe, traveling the world with a humanoid doll.

The Fourth Seed’s whereabouts were unknown...

Moreover, none of these four Seeds possessed the ability to control Time!

Apart from the Seeds, who else could there be?

The Mother?

Chen Nuo shook his head.

If the Mother were able to roam the world at will... then she would have killed everyone long ago.