When Mu Yifan woke up, the car was parked outside by the entrance of some unknown alleyway. The sun had begun to set and the light shined in from the back window.
He looked at the familiar face of the man sitting in the driver's seat, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and drawled with a hoarse voice: "Tian, I'm really hungry."
He, still drowsy, had already long forgotten about the fact that that he had transmigrated into his own novel. The one sitting next to him was not his childhood friend.
Ears alert, Zhan Beitian momentarily froze. From birth until now, nobody had ever called him in such an affectionate manner. Also, there was a hint of cuteness in his tone. It was very natural, as if he had been calling him like that for many years.
Mu Yifan first exited the car, walked up to Zhan Beitian who then got out, sluggishly laid his head on his shoulder, and murmured: "I want to eat sweet and sour fish, sweet and sour ribs, sweet and sour.…"
He had just named five to six sour dishes.
Zhan Beitian looked down at the man who had intimately leaned against him. He lightly furrowed his brows. With a stern low voice, he ordered: "Stand up straight."
"No. Tired."
Not only did he not stand up straight, he hugged Zhan Beitian's arm like a persistent octopus. Zhan Beitian glowered at him and tried to pry his arms loose. He wasn't used to this type of closeness with others.
Unafraid, he lazily leaned on him once again. It was as if Mu Yifan was soft and boneless.
Zhan Beitian: ….
He pushed him a few more times but to no avail. In the end, he let Mu Yifan have his way.
With the sun about to set, Zhan Beitian pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was already 16:57. He narrowed his eyes and turned his attention towards the alleyway.
Ten seconds later, a tall and lithe female wearing a white t-shirt and jeans walked out from there.
She was about twenty-five years of age. Her features were delicate and pretty. Her forehead was covered in bangs and beneath them were large eyes that sparkled with life and purity. Her long hair was tied back in a high ponytail, her image clean and crisp.
She noticed someone looking at her and turned her head in that direction. Her eyes met with Zhan Beitian's intense gaze. She momentarily froze. Seeing as he continued to stare at her but not knowing where she might have seen this handsome man before, she politely nodded and then walked by.
Zhan Beitian tracked her every movement until she was ten meters outside of his range and then turned his focus towards the alleyway again.
Not long after, three suspicious, thug-like men walked out from there and secretly followed the woman.
As they walked past Zhan Beitian, the smell of cheap cigar and alcohol triggered Mu Yifan's sensitive nose. Nausea rose up within him.
He quickly stood up, turned around, and vomited.
All those undigested hot and sour noodles that he ate during the morning went to waste.
Seeing the mess on the ground, the three men's faces twisted in disgust. Two of them hurried to leave while the other shouted: Fuck!!! Son of a gun! You dirtied my pants and shoes! Compensate me!"
After hearing an angry voice, Mu Yifan's foggy mind cleared up. He looked at the stains and rapidly apologized: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. How much do they cost?"
The man's eyes darted past Mu Yifan and locked onto the expensive BMW. It was worth at least $150,000. Instantly, his eyes lit up with greed and he angrily demanded: "My shoes cost $1200 and the jeans cost $1500. All together, $2700."
Mu Yifan looked carefully. His sneakers were falling apart and his old pants were covered with holes that had been singed by cigar butts. He furrowed his brows and replied: "You trying to scam me? There's no way that they cost $2700."
Even if he had the money, he was not going to give it to someone like him.
"So what if I am?! If you don't pay up, don't even think about leaving here!" The man loudly threatened him.
After he had spoken, his two buddies surrounded Mu Yifan. Unconcerned, he turned towards Zhan Beitian and commanded: "Zhan Beitian, go."
Zhan Beitian: ….