```
Thud, thud~
Li Yan knocked on the counter, his eyes scanning among the dazzling array of cigarettes: "Pack of cigarettes."
The grocer, wearing toad glasses, reluctantly shifted his gaze away from the TV.
"This one."
Li Yan pointed, and the grocer deftly pulled out a packet of red and white cigarettes from behind the counter to hand to Li Yan, took the change, and then sat back down on the sofa, engrossed in watching the beauty pageant contestants on TV flitting around in various swimsuits.
He completely failed to notice the customer who'd just bought cigarettes disappearing as soon as he stepped out the door.
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The trip there and back took Li Yan about ten minutes, a bit faster than he'd expected. After buying the cigarettes, he took the opportunity to tidy up his appearance using the rearview mirror of someone else's car, making sure there were no bloodstains on his clothes before entering the villa under the gaze of the servants.
