"I'm so pissed off, so pissed off,"
Bystanders circled back and forth, watching a young man dressed sharply, totally rocking the suit look, standing in front of Hongtu Group headquarters, stomping his feet with a "keep away from me" expression.
"What a complete waste of my fucking morning," Song Yun glanced at his phone and realized it was already past ten o'clock. He sighed and touched the few hundred bucks left in his pocket, feeling his future bleak. Living costs in Sunan City were so high; how was he supposed to survive? He couldn't go back to killing and arson, could he?
This time, Song Yun couldn't even bring himself to take a taxi home, so he rode the bus instead. He hadn't been home long when the door was cautiously pushed open. Song Yun wondered if it could be the landlord changing her mind, asking him to come back as a bodyguard. Hmph, he wouldn't accept even if he was starving to death in Sunan City; he wouldn't live under someone else's roof and take their crap all day long.
Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking. Given Li Shishi's character, even if she was kidnapped, she'd probably spit in the kidnapper's face, the strong-willed woman she was, never one to bow her head.
The visitor was Xiao Qing, who peeked through the door with big, round eyes surveying the yard as if it contained floods and ferocious beasts.
"What are you looking at?" Song Yun suddenly appeared in front of her, startling Xiao Qing who instinctively threw a cannon punch straight at Song Yun's chest. Song Yun was also taken aback and, using the Trigram Steps, deflected Xiao Qing's force with a Swallow Swoops and Triple Scoop.
"I'm so... sorry, I saw the gate to big brother's yard open in broad daylight, and... I thought a thief had gotten in," Xiao Qing said, looking up to see it was Song Yun. She hung her head like a guilty schoolchild, her droopy demeanor eliciting sympathy.
"Hahaha, there's barely anything of value in the house. If a thief really graced us with their presence, then let them steal it all. But if you get on the thief's bad side because of those things, or if you get hurt, that'd truly be a loss. Next time don't handle situations like this alone, okay? You know all sorts of people are out there," Song Yun said with a chuckle as he patted Xiao Qing's head.
"Don't pat my head, I won't grow tall," Xiao Qing pouted, her face unhappy, "But brother, you really are amazing. I didn't use all my strength just now, but I was at least at eighty percent, and you deflected it so easily. And also, your footwork looked like the Trigram Steps but also seemed different. That elegant feeling, I've never seen it in all my life."
Of course, the traditional Trigram Steps couldn't compare to his modified version. Thinking back to his childhood and the Scripture Pavilion at his sect, Song Yun felt overwhelmed. As a kid, there wasn't a month he wasn't given a new secret text to learn, and after a month, whether he had mastered it or not, they'd swap it for another, starting all over again. This led to Song Yun mastering a variety of techniques; he always knew the weakness of any move his opponent made.
"That's a secret, oh. But if you want to learn, come see me every day, and I'll teach you," Song Yun grandly offered with a wave of his hand.
"Really? You're the best, brother! It's almost noon now, let me treat you to lunch as a way to thank you for your last instruction, how about that?" Xiao Qing batted her eyelashes hopefully at him, making Song Yun too embarrassed to refuse her invitation.
Riding an electric scooter with Xiao Qing, they arrived at the hotpot restaurant she had mentioned. This girl, once in Sunan, might not have picked up much else, but she sure knew where to find good eats—a veritable foodie.
Inside the hotpot restaurant, Song Yun followed Xiao Qing to a private booth. After waving over a server to place their orders, they began to chat lazily.
Until now, Song Yun never knew the seemingly reserved and shy Xiao Qing could talk so much, well-versed in everything from astronomy to geography and almost spot-on with the latest buzz from the Thorn List. Song Yun became genuinely curious about what kind of background Xiao Qing came from. Her running away from home seemed real enough, but breakthroughs in cultivation likely were just made up on the spot.
Soon the hotpot arrived, and Xiao Qing beckoned Song Yun to start eating. Indeed, the soup base was delicious, reminiscent of an authentic Sichuan and Chongqing hotpot.
While Song Yun was eating, the restaurant gradually filled up. At that moment, three or four middle-aged men dressed like public servants entered.
"Director Sun, it seems there are no open seats here. Should we go somewhere else?" one of Director Sun's underlings proposed tentatively.
"Can't you find a few empty seats yourself? As servants of the state who have toiled all morning for the country, should we really have to wait in line to eat?" Director Sun replied displeasedly, and the man started looking around for seats.
After a while, he found that the best spot available was where Song Yun and Xiao Qing sat, suitable for discussing discreet matters. So, he approached Song Yun.
"Excuse me, we are government officials. We've been all over the place this morning attracting investment, and we've got more to do this afternoon. Can you please give us your seats? We'll be quick."
"What's that got to do with me? We're just here to eat. Besides, if it's full here, go somewhere else," Song Yun glanced at the man with disdain when he saw his arrogant demeanor; no good feeling arose.
"If you want to eat, you can wait here. We're halfway done, you'll have a seat in an hour," Song Yun was not a petty man, and he felt a pang of sympathy after hearing they had been attracting investment for Sunan City. But seeing the man's unpleasant eyes, he couldn't resist replying as he did.
"As public servants who have worked tirelessly for the country, can't you spare us a seat?" the man asked anxiously, fearing getting into trouble with Director Sun and facing retribution if he couldn't handle this minor issue.
"Don't pressure me with the state. We are the owners of our country, aren't we? What's so bad about you servants doing a bit of work? Don't you know your salaries are paid from the taxes of the common folk?" Song Yun retorted coolly.
"How dare you speak to me like that," the man was about to explode into a curse but stopped when he saw the beautiful woman looking at him curiously from across the young man. So, he straightened his clothes, taking covert glances at Xiao Qing, and thought, such beautiful skin, features, and figure, surely she must still be in college. Probably impressed by a successful man like himself, he thought with a snort, so let's play along and reel her in.
"Beautiful miss, would you care to join me for lunch?" It was a pretense to lure her, but if he could bring this girl to Director Sun, well then, his career would surely take off.