Ye Tiancheng wanted to take a moment to consider if there was anything suspicious around him lately, but time was not on his side. Su Muxian was in a state of extreme urgency, as the Su family had descended into chaos, and it was imperative for Ye Tiancheng to resolve the entire situation.
Su Muxian had witnessed Ye Tiancheng subdue the man who had turned into a zombie with needles earlier that day, which made her believe that such matters were a piece of cake for him and would be easily handled.
"Let's go to the Su family first. I can arrange for people to handle things here. Our Su family has already experienced too much trouble; we truly cannot afford any more incidents."
Su Muxian's eyes were filled with tears, and Ye Tiancheng had already promised to help. Since the current situation was too complex to untangle, the most crucial step was to address Su Muxian's problems.
"Alright, I won't tidy up anymore. I think we should leave now. Time waits for no one, and I believe the situation at your home must be quite anxious."
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, Fatty quickly started the car. He had always cooperated well with Ye Tiancheng; the two of them were a perfect match.
They quickly got into the car and set off. From the moment he got in, Ye Tiancheng closed his eyes and rested. Fatty, as the driver, drove steadily. The usually talkative Fatty was exceptionally focused while driving, understanding the importance of doing his job properly – joking when it's time to joke, and working when it's time to work, ensuring neither was neglected.
The most diligent was Xiao Huli. Having seen Su Muxian's worried expression, she had asked a few questions about the situation. After confirming that Su Muxian was alright, she began to concentrate on her obscure and difficult books. Fatty had complained about these books countless times, finding them incredibly uninteresting and even dizzying. It was remarkable that Xiao Huli, at such a young age, could maintain such focus.
They didn't talk much on the way, and the atmosphere was a bit somber. After driving for about five or six hours, everyone felt hungry, especially due to the cold and hunger. They decided to find a restaurant by the roadside to eat.
However, on the way to the Su family, to take the shortest route, they had to travel through rather desolate areas. This meant that there wouldn't be many decent restaurants along the way. Who would open a large restaurant in the middle of nowhere? It would only cater to travelers who were hungry for a quick bite, not to wealthy patrons looking for a banquet. Therefore, they could only expect simple, rundown eateries, which were evident from their exteriors and suggested a lack of culinary appeal.
"Let's just grab a quick bite here. I don't think there will be anything better ahead. If we can eat, let's just eat and not be too picky; it's pointless."
Fatty usually had high standards for food, but he had to consider the circumstances. This place was truly not suitable for being fussy. Having a meal was good enough. As long as it was warm, it was much better than cold food. Fatty had already eaten several pieces of bread along the way, but the tasteless bread had become difficult to swallow after a while.
"Alright, I'm hungry too. I should have eaten another meal before leaving. Eating such unappetizing things on the road is definitely a form of damage to my digestive system."
Ye Tiancheng might have become a bit pampered during his stay at the villa. Seeing the rundown eatery by the roadside, he lost all his appetite. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he could eat with the others. If everyone ate and he didn't, it would indeed spoil the mood. It was better to follow the group's pace and avoid being special.
"Oh my goodness, what is this place? It feels like a human-meat bun shop in the wilderness. The windows are so dirty, you can't see inside at all. It's absolutely amazing."
Fatty had inadvertently picked up a popular internet slang term that had recently become his catchphrase.
"I think the worst part isn't the windows, but this door that's about to fall apart. With the wind blowing, it'll shatter soon. The wood has turned to dust. I really don't know what this shop is thinking. At least they should pay some attention to the exterior, otherwise, people will lose their appetite before they even enter."
Ye Tiancheng might have been feeling a bit irritable from sitting in the car for too long, leading him to nag a bit. However, his words were all true and not at all nonsensical.
"Good heavens, let's be careful when we go in. I'm really afraid this door will fall and crush us."
After complaining, Fatty opened the door, which let out a loud creak, truly giving the impression that it was about to fall apart.
When the door made that sound, Ye Tiancheng clearly saw Su Muxian jump in surprise. Even after they had sat down inside the establishment, her eyes were wide open, and her entire demeanor was vacant. She likely hadn't recovered from the events at the Su family. She had been in an abnormal state in the villa earlier, and although she had recovered somewhat, she still didn't seem quite normal; overall, she was exhausted.
"Alright, Su Muxian, don't think too much about it. We should arrive at your home around noon tomorrow. As long as it's not an overwhelmingly powerful entity, believe me, I can resolve it. I have that much confidence, so there's no need to think of things too seriously. I promised you that unless there are special circumstances, I will resolve it exceptionally well."
Su Muxian glanced at Ye Tiancheng. This man was truly good, giving her confidence at critical moments. However, even though he had once belonged to her, that was in the past. Now that he had returned to Hou Mingzhu's embrace, Su Muxian couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. Things that don't belong to you, no matter how much you force them, are useless. She should move on from such illusions.
"You don't need to comfort me. You don't have any responsibility towards me. I know you're a good person, and I'm already very happy that you're helping me. I won't ask for more, you can rest assured."
She had been looking dejected, but realizing that she didn't have the right to be unhappy in front of Ye Tiancheng, and that Ye Tiancheng had no obligation to pity her, Su Muxian suddenly felt a bit better and forced a reluctant smile.
"Alright, don't think so much about it. Let's eat something first. Filling our stomachs is the priority."
Ye Tiancheng wanted to change the topic. He was a bit too direct. Sometimes, when he intended to cheer someone up, his words not only failed to do so but made the person feel even more depressed.
"Oh my, isn't it cold? Why are there still flies? There's a dead fly in my noodles. This is truly hard to swallow, it's so disgusting."
It wasn't that Fatty was deliberately looking for trouble. He had already eaten half of his noodles when he saw a dead fly floating in the broth. This was incredibly revolting. If he had discovered it earlier, he would have simply not eaten the noodles. But discovering it now, it was too late, and it made him feel helpless.
Fatty initially wanted to endure it. After all, eating out was never as comfortable as eating at home. Moreover, they had been eating food prepared by five-star chefs by the poolside in the villa, so even ordinary food tasted different. This was understandable.
However, finding a fly in his food was utterly disgusting. Anyone normal would find it unacceptable. Even a rough fellow like Fatty felt this was a great humiliation. If this continued, he might go crazy.
"Forget it, Fatty, you eat my bowl. My bowl should be fine. Let's just bear with it. We need to hurry after eating, we don't have time to argue about this fly issue."
It wasn't that Ye Tiancheng was magnanimous, but rather that he couldn't be bothered to argue. After all, this bowl of rough noodles, without a drop of oil, with only a few rotten leaves floating on top, cost them fifty yuan per bowl. It was clearly a complete rip-off. He was already angry, but he didn't want to waste time. Sometimes, letting others off is also letting yourself off.
"Brother Ye, I really can't stand it. It's one thing for this black shop to charge exorbitant prices. We're not short of tens of yuan, and it's understandable for things to be more expensive in special locations. But to have a fly in it, I feel like I won't be able to eat for several days. I'm so disgusted I'm already full."
Fatty wasn't exaggerating; he was genuinely full. The thought of the fly swirling in the soup made Fatty feel like he would have psychological trauma. It was too disgusting.
After a brief internal struggle, Fatty finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted loudly.
"Boss, could you please come over? There's a fly in your noodles. I think you owe me an explanation."
Fatty wasn't someone who was difficult to deal with, but he just wanted an explanation, nothing more. He just wanted the matter resolved.
Fatty called out two or three times before an older woman finally appeared. This woman looked to be in her fifties or sixties. She was rather gaunt, clearly having endured much hardship over the years. Older people often look more affluent with a bit of flesh on them; someone like her must have suffered a lot, making her look so withered and malnourished.
"Sir, what can I do for you?"
The old woman spoke calmly, and seemed a bit hard of hearing, which made Fatty even more annoyed. He disliked this sluggishness, feeling as though he was being brushed off.
Fatty composed himself. "You should have heard what I said earlier, and we've been discussing it for a while. There's a fly in your noodles. Although I know this isn't a proper restaurant and you might not even have a health certificate, finding a fly in your noodles requires some sort of explanation. Otherwise, I can't accept it. How do you propose we resolve this?"
"Are you trying to bully an old person like me?"
Seeing that the old woman was not to be trifled with, her words were indeed sharp, immediately escalating the issue as if Fatty saying anything more would be bullying an elderly person.
"It's precisely because you are old that I've been considerate. Otherwise, I would have lost my temper long ago. After all, finding a fly in food is really detrimental to one's mood. I might even want to resort to violence."
Facing Fatty's outburst, the old woman remained very calm, even looking at Fatty with disdain.
"Young man, don't be so hot-headed. Look at your faces, they are dark, and you are already entangled with bad luck, yet you don't realize it. You should accumulate good karma and virtue. Coming to trouble an old woman like me now will only diminish your good fortune and make your recent endeavors increasingly unfavorable. You might be heading for great misfortune!"