"There are some things I'd rather not say in front of Shanshan," Lin Fei muttered after stepping out of the villa, only to unexpectedly find his father-in-law, Mu Hong, standing in front of his BMW, engulfed in cigarette smoke. "We're all men here, I understand that the grass seems greener on the other side, but at the end of the day, you're married. Can you still call it a marriage if you're not even living together?!"
Lin Fei gaped in astonishment. "The grass is greener on the other side" wasn't something he'd expect a father-in-law to say to his son-in-law. For a moment, Lin Fei was at a loss for how to respond to Mu Hong, his "affordable" father-in-law.
The reason Lin Fei didn't live at home wasn't to make it easier to see other women. It was really that his "bargain" wife didn't seem to care for him, and Lin Fei had no idea how to interact with Mu Shanshan.
A wife like Mu Shanshan was so perfect, she was almost dreamlike. If a woman was willing to let Lin Fei do as he pleased, why would he ever think of renting another place to live? He would surely cling to staying at home every day.
Lin Fei's silence was taken as tacit agreement in the eyes of Mu Hong.
Mu Hong snorted coldly and patted Lin Fei's shoulder. "Considering what happened to your late parents, I won't pursue the past matters. From today on, you're going to move back in with us!"
Since Mu Hong had brought up his late parents, what could Lin Fei say? He could only nod helplessly in agreement. When Lin Fei was in his second year of high school, his parents were killed in a plane hijack by terrorists.
After the devastating blow, Lin Fei dropped out of school and enlisted in the military. After retiring from the military, he had been mixed up in foreign mercenary battlegrounds.
Mu Hong, Lin Fei's "affordable" father-in-law, was comrades with Lin Fei's father, having shared life and death experiences! After the tragedy with Lin Fei's parents, Mu Hong went to great lengths to locate Lin Fei and took care of his parents' affairs all by himself.
It was for this reason that Lin Fei genuinely respected Mu Hong, his "budget" father-in-law. As long as Mu Hong's requests didn't go against Lin Fei's principles, he would usually obey without question.
Otherwise, according to Lin Fei's temperament, he would never willingly marry a wife who was all looks and no touch, just to make himself miserable.
...
Lao Wang's Noodle Shop was a place Lin Fei frequented after returning to Zhonghai. The shop wasn't big, just seventy to eighty square meters, but due to its affordability, business was quite good.
Lin Fei was already hungry and headed straight for Lao Wang's Noodle Shop after leaving the Purple Garden Pavilion.
Upon arriving at the noodle shop and seeing people crowding around, pointing and whispering, Lin Fei thought to himself that something wasn't right. He hurriedly pushed through the crowd and upon seeing the state of the shop, his face went stone-cold.
Tables and chairs were scattered about, chopsticks and bowls were strewn across the floor, and noodles and vegetables were trampled into a mess.
The shop's owner, Lao Wang, had disheveled hair and a bloody scalp, with plenty of shoe prints on his clothing—it was clear he had been beaten badly. He sat on a plastic chair, staring blankly, quiet.
Lin Fei approached Lao Wang, furrowed his brow in concern, and asked, "Uncle Wang, what happened?"
The shock Lao Wang had received was evidently not light, as not even several calls from Lin Fei could bring him back to his senses. Having no other choice, Lin Fei had to physically shake Lao Wang a few times.
"Police, don't move!"
A sharp command cut through the whispers of the onlookers.
Lin Fei turned his head at the sound, feeling a jolt of surprise.
A slender and snakelike black belt, studded with shiny silver sequins, encircled her negligible waist; she wore a pair of pristine white Li-style shoes, adorned with Li script, their modern design clearly purchased directly from the country of Li, not mere imitations.
Here stood a woman—clean-cut, brisk, with a touch of wildness.
Chen Qi always had a strong sense of justice, championing the cause of the weak against the strong and maintaining public order had always been her life's creed.
Today, however, after work, while heading to the snack street to buy some food, Chen Qi was unusually furious, her silver teeth clenched with a crisp sound.
"In broad daylight, you dare to assault someone. Stop your violence immediately, hands on your head, and squat on the ground," Chen Qi threw down the food she had bought and quickly walked toward Lin Fei.
Lin Fei was startled and then let out a cold laugh, "Have you lost your mind? They say women are 'all boobs and no brains,' but yours aren't that big, are they?" A simple act of helping an old acquaintance had gotten him mistaken for a thug, and Lin Fei was anything but pleased. Not to mention the woman was dressed in casual clothes, even if she had been wearing a uniform, that was no reason to falsely accuse someone so rashly.
"What did you say?!"
As Chen Qi quickly approached Lin Fei, she suddenly froze, her beautiful eyes widening in disbelief. She truly couldn't believe, or rather, she subconsciously didn't want to believe, that Lin Fei was talking about her.
This was completely inconsistent with her expectations. In the past, when she, Chief Chen, arrested a suspect, everyone obediently put their heads down and squatted.
Some violent criminals with knives or guns wouldn't be so compliant, but in the face of police, they would ultimately appear intimidated.
She had never encountered someone like Lin Fei who completely disregarded her, Chief Chen, and mocked her openly.
Chen Qi, barely containing her anger, saw that Lin Fei was utterly ignoring her. The insulted woman could no longer control her emotions and dashed toward Lin Fei with a fierce shout.
Chen Qi had been cursed at before. Some suspects, upon capture, would spew all sorts of filthy language, and she had heard it all.
But someone like Lin Fei, who cursed her and then completely ignored her, was a first for Chen Qi. This feeling of being disregarded drove her nearly mad.
The woman brought forth a torrent of fierce leg attacks, and judging by the force, if one were to truly connect, even a burly man would likely end up with torn ligaments and broken bones.
"Go where it's cool and stay there."
Lin Fei didn't even glance at Chen Qi, helped old Wang up, and then backhandedly shoved the woman several steps back.
Lin Fei's impatient attitude, as though shooing away a fly, completely infuriated Chen Qi, and she was so angry she could almost spit blood.
"Ah, you bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
In her fury, Chen Qi lost all reason and charged toward Lin Fei, looking like a man on a suicide mission.
Lin Fei's frown deepened, not because of Chen Qi's onslaught; in the years he had spent abroad, almost every day was passed amongst the bullets and warfare.
A standard police combat technique like Chen Qi's posed absolutely no trouble to Lin Fei.
Although old Wang had recovered his senses, blood was still streaming from his scalp. As a man in his fifties with poor physical health, the best course of action would be to head immediately to the hospital to stop the bleeding. Any delay might cause the injury to worsen.
And yet, Chen Qi persisted in her bothersome interference; even a clay Buddha would be angered, let alone Lin Fei, who was revered as a mercenary legend.
Bang!