The middle-aged man sitting behind the counter, smoking, was none other than Boss Guo of Ramen Guo, which used to be situated outside Chen Nuo's residential complex.
Well, that is, Guo, the "Tank-Hand" Boss.
Ever since Lu Xixi attacked them that night, Boss Guo and the Fourth Miss abandoned the original noodle shop, leaving no clue as to where they might have gone.
Chen Nuo had assumed that the pair had probably left Jinling City and fled far away.
But unexpectedly, he stumbled upon them here—still in Jinling City. They had simply switched locations and opened a new, smaller ramen shop.
Well, it seemed like they were banking on the idea of "invisibility in plain sight."
There was indeed some truth to that reasoning.
The Gate of the Snow Domain had tasked Lu Xixi with killing them at their premises, to no avail.
By general reasoning, everyone would definitely think the two had left. Even Chen Nuo had thought so before.
If he hadn't encountered them today, Chen Nuo wouldn't have guessed that they were still living hidden within Jinling City.
Seeing Chen Nuo, Boss Guo was also somewhat surprised, first raising an eyebrow. "How come you're here?"
Grinning, Chen Nuo walked into the shop and sat down at the table nearest to the counter, glancing at the items set on it.
Vinegar bottle, chili bowl, garlic bowl, chopstick container.
It was all the same as before.
"I was strolling around nearby and happened to see this place. I came in and actually ran into you," Chen Nuo pretended to speak nonchalantly. "Why did you close down the shop below my apartment? You didn't even say a word when you left."
Boss Guo chuckled softly, his demeanor composed. He made a discreet gesture to the Fourth Miss, who seemed somewhat on guard, then stood up from behind the counter, walked over to Chen Nuo, and sat down, calmly offering him a Lanzhou cigarette.
"An old customer from the previous shop," Boss Guo said, turning to the Fourth Miss with a smile. Her expression relaxed.
"The usual? Braised beef ramen? Thin noodles, extra meat, add a poached egg?" Boss Guo looked at Chen Nuo.
"Yeah, the usual."
"Hey, you just like thin noodles. What's so good about them, eh? It's what women eat, all that delicate fuss," he teased.
Chen Nuo rolled his eyes. "I just like the texture of thin noodles, alright? What's the big deal? I hate people like you. Are you that insecure about your own masculinity? Do you really have to compete over something like eating noodles? Does eating thin noodles mean you're not a man? Turning a meal into a hierarchy of disdain, so ridiculous!"
Boss Guo laughed and signaled to the Fourth Miss before the couple disappeared into the back kitchen.
Shortly after, Boss Guo brought out a bowl of noodles.
Chen Nuo glanced at it. "Yo, Old Guo, you've become generous, huh!"
The portion of beef in the bowl was obviously more generous than before.
"Since we ran into each other by chance, I added two extra spoonfuls of beef for you," Old Guo said cheerfully, sitting down and lighting another cigarette.
Chen Nuo, munching on garlic, picked up a few noodles with his chopsticks to taste, then looked over Old Guo and at the Fourth Miss, who was watching TV behind the counter.
"Old Guo, is this your wife?"
"Yeah," Old Guo nodded with a warm smile.
The Fourth Miss looked up at Chen Nuo, her expression a bit awkward.
"Nice, you two are well-matched," said Chen Nuo with a laugh.
Old Guo had a very cheerful smile, and even the Fourth Miss sitting behind the counter looked at Chen Nuo with much softer eyes.
Actually, he wasn't very hungry, since he had already had dinner with Sun Keke earlier that evening.
But that dinner had been interrupted before it was finished when Old Sun's phone call summoned them back, so now he was able to eat a bowl of noodles.
Moreover, Old Guo's ramen-making skills were indeed very good.
"Honestly, I've really missed this taste since your old shop closed," Chen Nuo said as he finished off half the bowl in one go. Feeling somewhat full, he slowed down and casually chatted with Old Guo. "It's a pity, though, that it's going to be harder to enjoy your noodles now."
"You can come here to eat," Old Guo said.
"It's too far from my house, and I can't come here to shop every day," Chen Nuo replied.
"The landlord raised the rent. I didn't have much choice," Old Guo said, offering a casual excuse.
Chen Nuo didn't point it out and quickly finished off the beef in his bowl.
To his surprise, the Fourth Miss turned and went into the kitchen, only to return with a small dish containing several pieces of braised beef.
"Hey! Don't go overboard! You don't have to be so generous with this kid," Old Guo exclaimed, his eyes wide.
The Fourth Miss glanced sideways at Old Guo. "What's the big deal? It's not easy to come across an old customer."
As she spoke, she placed the dish of beef in front of Chen Nuo. "Eat!"
Apparently, the phrase "a good match" had touched a chord in the heart of the Fourth Miss.
As he watched Chen Nuo eat the beef, Old Guo's face showed a pained expression.
"With all this meat, I'm not only not making money off this bowl of noodles, I'm also losing at least eight yuan," he lamented.
Actually, Boss Guo was a pretty good person.
Setting aside grand principles about boldly defying oppression for the sake of love and freedom—those weren't relevant here.
Just consider the night Lu Xixi showed up unannounced; Boss Guo even tried to subtly suggest Chen Nuo leave first to avoid any trouble—that was quite kind-hearted of him.
Halfway through the bowl of noodles, Chen Nuo received a call from Li Yingwan.
"... I arrived early. I'm at the place where you got off, in that alley. If you walk inside, there's a ramen shop. Can you come over?" she said.
Chen Nuo hung up the phone, and within a minute, Li Yingwan walked into the shop.
"Oppa!" The long-legged girl ran straight over and sat down opposite Chen Nuo, her eyes shining. "Did you not have dinner?"
"You want a bowl too? Try some Huaxia delicacy... it's a different flavor from Japanese ramen."
Saying this, Chen Nuo told Old Guo, "Give her a bowl, braised flavor, less noodles, more meat."
"I might as well toss a whole cow in for you!" Old Guo grumbled as he went into the kitchen.
The Fourth Miss stood behind the counter, watching the TV and curiously observing Chen Nuo and Li Yingwan.
Although Old Guo was stingy with words, he was generous with the meat when the noodles were served.
Chen Nuo taught the long-legged girl how to eat ramen. "This is how you eat it... copy me. Crush the garlic cloves in your hand, hold the chopsticks... ah, right! A bite of garlic, then a bite of noodles... Yes, that's it."
Li Yingwan actually didn't like garlic.
Most girls actually don't like garlic.
But Firefly had always been a cool and stylish girl, never one for affectation. Although she didn't particularly like it, she didn't mind it either. She imitated Chen Nuo and managed to eat quite happily.
"Is this your girlfriend?" Old Guo asked from the side, chuckling with delight. "And she's a foreigner?"
Li Yingwan had just been speaking with Chen Nuo, using South Korean—the language she habitually spoke when talking to Chen Nuo.
"Hmm. What's up?" Chen Nuo looked at Old Guo.
"Not bad, kid," Old Guo grinned slyly. "You're doing the nation proud! Hey... right, I remember you brought another girl to eat at my place before, not her."
Old Guo was referring to Sun Keke. Chen Nuo had taken Sun Keke to eat at the noodle shop below his apartment twice before.
"...So, you've switched girls?" Old Guo was a bit gossipy.
"Haven't switched," Chen Nuo mumbled his reply.
Old Guo's eyes twinkled as he suddenly understood and gave Chen Nuo a thumbs up. "Young man, you're awesome."
"What's the matter? Are you jealous or what?" The Fourth Miss was not happy.
Just now, the phrase "well-matched" had made the Fourth Miss view this young man quite favorably—he was naturally handsome, after all. But now... she saw he was a young scoundrel.
Old Guo quickly ducked his head.
Chen Nuo, feeling mischievous, intentionally asked, "Hey, Old Guo? When you had your shop below our building, wasn't there a very pretty older woman who used to go there to eat noodles? You even gave her discounts..."
Old Guo's face suddenly turned pale. "Damn! What are you talking about, kid! Nothing like that ever happened!"
The Fourth Miss's eyes were already wide. "What older woman? And you gave her discounts?"
"Don't listen to this kid! He's got a nasty mouth; his words can't be trusted!" Old Guo, feeling deeply wronged, glared at Chen Nuo and snapped, "Stop talking nonsense!"
"Yes, yes, Sister-in-law, I'm talking nonsense! Don't listen to me; I was just joking!" Chen Nuo said, deliberately feigning seriousness to clear things up with the Fourth Miss.
"Don't stir trouble now; my wife will take it seriously if she hears!" Old Guo complained with a mournful face.
"No way!" Chen Nuo looked at the Fourth Miss with a cheery grin. "Sister-in-law wouldn't be so petty. Just looking at you, I can tell you're a virtuous person."
This use of "Sister-in-law" again shifted the Fourth Miss from annoyance to delight; she suddenly found the young man agreeable once more.
When settling the bill, she even waived the change for Chen Nuo.
"Come back again! Whenever you want to eat noodles, just come. Sister-in-law will add more meat for you," the Fourth Miss said with a smile as she saw Chen Nuo and Li Yingwan out.
Chen Nuo took Li Yingwan's hand and hustled a few steps past the shop's door, but then immediately slowed down, pricking up his ears to eavesdrop with the wind.
"There really wasn't any pretty older woman..."
"No discount..."
"Oh, really... There wasn't..."
"Be gentle, be gentle... OUCH!!!"
Chen Nuo grinned and pulled Li Yingwan away.
He accompanied Li Yingwan for a stroll near the shopping street—it wasn't far from Jinling City's southern Confucius Temple, and they leisurely made their way under the grand arch of the Confucius Temple.
Upon seeing a Häagen-Dazs ice cream store by the road, Li Yingwan pulled Chen Nuo inside, chose a seat next to a floor-to-ceiling window, and ordered a couples' double scoop.
Chen Nuo actually didn't have much of an appetite, but it was all the same when accompanying a girl.
Li Yingwan, however, was in high spirits. Being out with Chen Nuo like this felt like a date, and her heart felt sweet. She ate her ice cream and even spoon-fed Chen Nuo, sharing a sweet moment.
Chen Nuo casually chatted with Li Yingwan, mostly listening to the girl complain about her mother and about Chen Nuo not spending enough time with her, then acting a bit coquettish.
Just then, Chen Nuo's eyes suddenly brightened as he spotted something outside the floor-to-ceiling window along the street.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Li Yingwan asked.
"Oh, I've run into someone I know. Look." With that, Chen Nuo pointed in that direction.
Following Chen Nuo's direction, Li Yingwan looked over as well.
On the roadside of the commercial street outside, stood a young man, tall and straight, with short hair and a rather handsome appearance. He looked very clean and refreshing.
Li Yingwan took a quick glance and recognized him.
That guy from No. 8 Middle School, what's his name... Brother Haonan, right?
What surprised Li Yingwan even more was that beside this Brother Haonan, there stood an incredibly beautiful girl!
Xia Xia held a paper box in her hands, inside which were freshly bought fried yogurt balls, skewered with several toothpicks.
The Red Card Fairy took a toothpick, poked a yogurt ball, and brought it to Zhang Linsheng's mouth. "Ah, open up."
Zhang Linsheng blushed and dodged twice, but ultimately couldn't resist the girl. He glanced left and right and quickly bit into it.
Xia Xia looked at Zhang Linsheng with a smile and found his embarrassment and discomfort quite amusing.
Ever since that night...
Okay, fine.
It was the night he said, "I want to sleep with you tonight."
Actually... The young man had been emotional after drinking and had just finished a near "farewell and breakup" call. In his heightened state, he blurted out that sentence to Xia Xia.
But in fact... They ended up not sleeping together.
That evening, Zhang Linsheng's words had also startled Xia Xia.
The Red Card Fairy had intended to play it cool a bit, but the young man's face was too stern at the time, and he spoke too confidently.
This almost cornering attitude left the Red Card Fairy at a loss for what to do. Later, she thought... well, if it's to sleep, then sleep!
After all, she had agreed to sleep with him the time he threw down eight thousand yuan.
The young man appeared cold, but Xia Xia felt he was actually a novice in love; she had noticed many details.
Sleeping... wasn't out of the question, and Xia Xia was confident in herself. If they slept together, she was sure she could completely enchant this guy.
Then she accompanied Zhang Linsheng as they left the club.
Upon exiting, she directly asked the club manager for a room card to a hotel room upstairs.
Then, arm in arm, they entered the elevator, went upstairs, and entered the room...
Throughout this process, Zhang Linsheng was able to maintain his composure, keeping a cool face and not showing any emotion.
But once they were actually in the hotel room, Xia Xia pushed him onto the couch with a smile and kissed him on the cheek. "Wait for me a moment, okay, handsome? I'm going to take a shower."
When Zhang Linsheng was left sitting alone on the sofa, Brother Haonan truly panicked.
His emotions subsided at that moment, and the previous behavior of "venting emotions" seemed suddenly cowardly as he sat alone on the hotel room sofa.
The complexity of these emotions was, indeed complex, but also, in a way, quite simple.
Just one word: chickened out.
The boy was still green, and a decade later there would be a term: born a singleton.
Until that evening, the only person he had ever specifically fantasized about when it came to matters of the opposite sex was Qu Xiaoling.
But the emotions of heartbreak, combined with the anger in his heart, made him impulsively tell Xia Xia he wanted to sleep with her.
Yet when he actually entered the room and the girl went to take a shower, the boy still felt uneasy.
The looks and figure of Xia Xia were, of course, impeccable.
But the problem was... the boy was still just a boy, not quite evolved into an LSP.
Deep down, a boy's heart tends to be somewhat loyal.
If you were to identify the thought in Zhang Linsheng's mind at that time, it was something very naive and simple, and even hilarious in the eyes of many LSPs: this girl with the good looks and figure just wasn't the one he had in mind.
So...
After Xia Xia finished her shower, the Red Card Fairy wrapped herself in the bathrobe of the five-star hotel and deliberately left her hair half-dry, leaving a few strands in front of her forehead, looking very tempting. Then she walked out of the bathroom with full confidence...
The room was empty! He was gone! That kid... he actually slipped away?! Left!!
At that moment, for Miss Xia Xia, the Red Card Fairy, it was an unprecedented, huge blow!
A tremendous humiliation!! Isn't my figure good enough?!! Isn't my face pretty enough? Although I'm not that kind of bombshell, standing in front of the mirror, I've got breasts, I've got a butt! My legs are shapely and long! Damn it! Was there something about me he disliked?! We were in the room! I even washed up for this damn thing! And you ran away?!
An unprecedented sense of defeat was followed by immense annoyance. The immense annoyance then transformed into unprecedented determination! And fighting spirit!
I... I just don't believe I can't get you!!! Good lad! You said you wanted to sleep with me, but you ran off, didn't you! Now it's different, lad! Now, I'm determined to sleep with you!! Is there a guy in Jinling City I can't handle?! I don't buy that!!
In the following days, Xia Xia started to seduce Zhang Linsheng with various phone calls.
Intuitively, Xia Xia accurately judged one detail: although she did not know why this young man had chickened out that night, she was certain of one thing—he was not completely indifferent to her.
Setting aside physiological issues, then it must be psychological.
From Zhang Linsheng's behavior that night, Xia Xia could guess that he definitely had some emotional problems.
Heartbroken, hurt, seeking an outlet for his frustrations.
Got it!!
So she teased him every now and then with a call or a flirty text message.
She didn't get angry or reproach Zhang Linsheng for running away, nor did she inquire about the reason.
After several days, finally, tonight, she managed to get Zhang Linsheng to agree to a meet-up!
The reason she used was: "You stood me up so badly that day; don't I deserve some dignity as a girl? You have to come out tonight, no matter what, even if it's just to take me out for dinner and apologize to me. That request isn't too much, is it!"
Before meeting up, Xia Xia carefully dressed herself.
She knew that boys of Zhang Linsheng's age didn't fancy the sexy and flirtatious type.
Boys of this age still liked the pure-looking girls.
Thus, Xia Xia wore a small white T-shirt with denim shorts, exposing her smooth, long legs, and trendy sneakers.
Plus straightened medium-length hair, she looked just like a high school student.
But!
The T-shirt was off-the-shoulder, and the shorts were cut high, almost to her bottom.
She went for a style that was both saucy and pure.
With this outfit, when she saw Zhang Linsheng, Xia Xia knew she had made the right choice.
When the boy saw her, there was a clear look of astonishment in his eyes, and he stood there dumbfounded for a second.
Then, what was even smarter about Xia Xia, although she used the pretext of getting an apology from Zhang Linsheng to get him out, when they actually met, the Red Card Fairy didn't even mention that night's events!
Not a single word about it!
She just walked along the street with Zhang Linsheng, arm in arm and cozily.
They didn't hang off each other, just casually linking arms every now and then, as if by accident.
But not for long, not the whole time.
When crossing the street, she'd link arms. After crossing, she let go.
When something in a shop along the road caught their eye, she'd link arms again and pull him to look together.
After looking and leaving, it's as if she naturally let go again.
Give and take!!
Especially when they occasionally walked arm in arm, during the few steps they took side by side, Zhang Linsheng distinctly felt his elbow unintentionally brush against the girl's soft spots...
Although it was just a brief, startling touch, followed by the girl casually letting go...
It sent the innocent young man's thoughts on a rollercoaster ride.
Even to the point where, by the end, Zhang Linsheng found himself looking forward to crossing the street!
Xia Xia's posture was quite subtle.
She appeared very close to you, occasionally initiating some physical contact. But it was just occasional, and she would soon distance herself.
Her behavior, on the other hand, somehow managed to make herself seem both cute and innocent—while seemingly having no guard or distance from the man beside her.
When eating something, she insisted on letting you have a taste.
When she found something amusing, she excitedly pulled you along to share the experience.
When laughing happily, she would unintentionally press her soft, fragrant body against you.
When talking, she would bat her large eyes and watch you with a sweet, sticky gaze.
But, that was it!
No more would be given.
In simple terms, this woman was too cunning!
At this moment, they had just purchased a box of fried yogurt from a small roadside shop.
Xia Xia picked up a toothpick, pierced the first bite and fed it to Zhang Linsheng, then unabashedly used the same toothpick to pick up another for herself...
But she only took a small bite and then frowned, saying, "Oh dear, it's too sweet..."
While speaking, she sweetly smiled and offered the half-eaten yogurt ball to Zhang Linsheng's mouth, forcefully popping it in without argument.
Zhang Linsheng was rendered speechless.
Brother Haonan was awkward to the extreme. But internally, he couldn't help feeling a touch of secret delight. Peaks and valleys.
For a moment, Zhang Linsheng didn't understand why his emotions had become so tumultuous.
Perhaps if he were older, he might understand that the atmosphere Xia Xia deliberately created this evening was the so-called "ambiguity."
But although the youth felt awkward and somewhat shy, deep down, he was actually quite enjoying the atmosphere—not detesting or rejecting it at all.
It was at this moment...
A graceful figure was slowly approaching step by step on the street.
She stood in front of Zhang Linsheng, her gaze curious and scrutinizing as she examined him.
Those beautiful eyes carried a hint of novelty.
The woman in front of him had soft, slightly wavy hair tied back in a simple ponytail. She wore a snow-white hoodie, jeans, and sneakers.
But her figure was surprisingly impressive; standing there, she made the elaborately dressed Red Card Fairy beside her seem much less imposing.
"Hello there." The woman greeted him with a naturally sultry voice, her tone very casual.
"Uh?" Zhang Linsheng was momentarily stunned, his face a picture of surprise and disbelief as he looked at the woman before him.
He recognized her!
"You, you are..." Zhang Linsheng began to speak.
"You're Zhang Linsheng, right? Also known as Brother Haonan?"
Lu Xixi's eyes were smiling as she squinted at the young man in front of her.
"...I am." Zhang Linsheng was somewhat perplexed and instinctively glanced behind and beside Lu Xixi—Chen Nuo wasn't there.
This was Chen Nuo's "wife."
Lu Xixi glanced at Zhang Linsheng and then at Xia Xia beside him.
The Red Card Fairy seemed to sense a natural rival; her relaxed expression vanished, and she subconsciously moved closer, standing by Zhang Linsheng's side and reaching out to hook his arm. "Linsheng, who is she?"
"Uh, a friend of a friend." With Xia Xia present, Zhang Linsheng was deliberately vague.
After a brief surprise, Zhang Linsheng regained composure and nodded at Lu Xixi. "What a coincidence, are you out shopping too?"
"No, it's not a coincidence." Lu Xixi's smile was joyful. "I came out especially to find you tonight."
"Huh? To find me?" Zhang Linsheng was puzzled. "Uh... Is there something going on with Chen Nuo?"
Lu Xixi's expression slightly shifted. "No, there are some things I wanted to ask you."
"Ask me? What about?"
"You're called Brother Haonan, right?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
"So I'm curious... why did someone call me Sister-in-law Haonan the other day?" Lu Xixi frowned, looking at the young man before her.
"What the heck?"
Inside the Häagen-Dazs store, Li Yingwan watched with a face full of gossip as she looked outside.
"Ah, the girl with him is pretty...
Hey! Oppa, look! Another woman is coming!
Wow, Oppa, hurry and see! That woman is even more beautiful!!!
Oh my god, she's really stunning!"
Turning her head, the long-legged girl asked in confusion,
"Huh? Oppa? Why did you crawl under the table?"
Lu Xixi glanced around, then casually pointed. "Do you have time? Let's sit over there and chat."
The direction the Star Sky Empress was pointing was...
Häagen-Dazs!