Translator: Cinder Translations
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Just as the man raised the wooden stick, ready to swing it at the woman, the force from the other end of the stick caused his body to momentarily freeze.
He turned around, puzzled, and saw a well-dressed man smiling behind him.
"Liu, my brother," Zhou Rong grabbed the end of the stick, asking, "What's going on? Why are you so angry?"
The dark-skinned man, Liu, was the owner of the Anping Inn and also worked as the cook. His wife, whom Zhou Rong had met before, was responsible for cashiering and guest registration.
Seeing Zhou Rong intervene, Liu's expression was conflicted for a moment, but he still didn't drop the stick. He muttered, "Zhou, this has nothing to do with you, stay out of it."
Everyone thought Zhou Rong would continue to play the good guy, but unexpectedly, he released the stick, nodded, and said, "Alright."
The woman was inevitably kicked out.
She cried painfully, as if something deeply sorrowful had occurred. However, perhaps due to Zhou Rong's presence, Liu didn't go too far. He didn't harm her with the stick, only forcibly escorted her away.
While most people's attention was focused on the confrontation between the man and the unfortunate woman, Jiang Cheng was quietly looking around. Chen Xiaomeng glared at him fiercely, as though she wanted to skin him alive.
Following Jiang Cheng's gaze, Chen Xiaomeng suddenly realized that another table of customers was seated nearby.
But unlike the tension at their table, the other customers were calm, not even glancing over at them, quietly eating their meals. It was as if they were used to such scenes.
She turned her attention back to Jiang Cheng, who seemed to sense her stare. He turned his head slowly and gave her a slow blink.
A moment later, Chen Xiaomeng's eyes widened.
She saw Jiang Cheng actually twisting his body, displaying a coquettish, reluctant yet inviting posture.
A wave of chill shot up her body, and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
After the brief commotion, the room returned to calm.
The customers continued eating in peace, and the innkeeper, Liu, seemed a bit reluctant after kicking out the middle-aged woman. He didn't even greet anyone before heading back to the kitchen.
"What's this?" Ben Fu squatted down and picked up a scrap of paper from the ground.
The scrap wasn't large. When unfolded, it revealed a small corner, likely a torn fragment of a larger sheet. The edges appeared to have been ripped.
There were many similar scraps scattered on the floor.
Zhou Rong thought for a moment and said, "Let's pick them up and try to piece them together."
Half an hour earlier, when Jiang Cheng passed by, the floor had been clean. It seemed the paper scraps had only appeared recently, most likely related to the middle-aged woman.
Not bothering to hide it from others, everyone quickly gathered and pieced together the paper scraps on an empty table in the middle of the restaurant.
It turned out to be a portrait.
Due to several missing pieces, only a rough outline was visible. It was clearly a man.
"Could this be the woman's husband?" Jiang Zhongyi tentatively said. "Maybe he disappeared for some reason, and the woman came here with the portrait to search for him."
Given the previous conversation between the woman and the innkeeper, Jiang Zhongyi's suggestion made sense.
"But this situation is quite normal," Li Lu cautiously peeked toward the kitchen, as if worried the innkeeper might hear. "But why would he treat her like that? Kicking her out is one thing, but why rip up the portrait?"
Indeed, that was extreme.
Moreover, the cold, indifferent attitude of the other customers was strange.
There was definitely something off about this situation.
Ben Fu glanced at the other two tables of customers, then hesitated before speaking, "Should we ask them?"
"No," Zhou Rong and the elderly Pei Qian spoke almost simultaneously.
They exchanged a look, and in the end, Zhou Rong spoke up, "The situation is unclear. It's better not to alarm them just yet."
Yu Man, with a flirtatious smile, looked at him and teasingly said, "So, according to Mr. Zhou, should we just ignore this lead? Who knows…" She twirled her hair, "This might be the key to starting the real mission."
Before she could finish, Zhou Rong stepped back, making way for her. "Miss Yu, feel free."
His attitude was resolute—if she didn't believe him, she could go ahead and try.
Yu Man's expression briefly turned awkward. She remained silent after that. She wasn't stupid and knew the risks involved, but her earlier remark wasn't sincere—it was a form of retaliation for Zhou Rong's dismissive behavior toward her.
But now, it left her in an uncomfortable position.
Fortunately, Pei Qian stepped in and said a few polite words to smooth things over, and the matter was left behind.
Pei Qian suggested that they leave for now and look for clues outside. The middle-aged woman probably hadn't just come to Anping Inn to search for her husband.
They could approach the situation from the perspective of unrelated passersby to avoid unnecessary risks.
Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Jiang Cheng.
This good-looking man seemed to be an odd presence, detached from the rest of the group.
He stood awkwardly, leaning forward with his tiptoes raised, staring intently at one spot, his expression flushed.
Ben Fu, who stood across from Jiang Cheng, was the first to notice something unusual.
He followed Jiang Cheng's gaze, which stopped at Yu Man's upper body.
Yu Man must have just come from a bar, as she was wearing a wine-red strapless dress made of sheer fabric, through which the curves of her body were unmistakable.
"Do you like it?" A sudden gust of perfume reached Ben Fu's nose.
Lost in thought, Ben Fu instinctively nodded and licked his lips.
At that moment, he felt a cold sensation above his head. As he looked away, Jiang Cheng was already standing in front of him, angrily grabbing his wig with his left hand and flicking his finger hard against his forehead.
The force of the flick nearly knocked him out.
"Pervert!" Jiang Cheng, taller than Ben Fu, stood above him, exuding the noble aura of a righteous man. "How dare you peek at the beautiful Miss Yu!"
"Alright, alright," Pei Qian seemed unable to do much about Jiang Cheng and hurriedly intervened, "Let's get back to business. The matter at hand is more important."
Only then did Jiang Cheng release Ben Fu with a grunt.
After leaving Anping Inn, the group aimlessly walked along the street. Ben Fu, clearly shaken by Jiang Cheng, kept a small distance behind, holding his swollen forehead.
Jiang Cheng had confiscated his wig, which now sat in his pocket as punishment for his lecherous behavior.
Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng took the opportunity to walk beside Yu Man, occasionally whispering something in her ear, making her laugh brightly. They chatted and laughed, appearing very happy.
(End of the Chapter)
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