After dodging a few more nosy questions, they finally let it go. At the end of the day, Zhao Zhao’s presence was the best defense we had. As long as we stuck to the story that Xiao Lei was his cousin, everything else was just noise—paper tigers.

With the cold dishes done, the hot ones started coming out.

It was a Sichuan restaurant, so naturally we got the classics—spicy hot pot, beef in sour broth, chili chicken—just about every dish was red. And the ones that weren’t? Still spicy, thanks to all the pickled peppers.

I can't handle spicy food at all, so I basically just sat there holding chopsticks like a decorative prop. There were barely any dishes I dared put in my mouth, and even those I had to rinse off with tea before I could eat them. I’d barely eaten a few bites, but I was already on my third glass of Coke.

The interrogation vibe gradually faded, and even Sis Xi started chatting with Xiao Lei. Xiao Lei, cautious to not slip up when speaking too much, kept her answers vague and noncommittal.

Rinka, fully aware I couldn’t eat spicy food, sat across from me gleefully piling stuff into my bowl. As she did, she sweetly coaxed:
“Kai-chan, are you just here to drink Coke? Come on, eat something—you need to heal that leg of yours.”

Oil and spice are the last thing my injury needs!

“I’m serious, I can’t take spicy food! Stop giving me more! And why are you only giving me chilies?!”

Lei Meow Meow looked over and burst out laughing at the mountain of peppers in my bowl.
“What’s wrong? A big strong guy can’t handle a little spice? Not worried people will laugh at you?”

She herself had zero fear of spice—she’d even eat the peppers straight—but it went straight to her face. Her cheeks would flush bright red, making her look oddly charming in a seductive way… at least until a few gulps of ice-cold Coke cooled her down.

We didn’t order any alcohol, just coconut milk and Coke.

Meow Meow had wanted some beer, but when she saw no one else was going to drink, she gave up. Sis Xi was willing to join her, but she has zero tolerance and terrible drinking behavior—I’ve seen it firsthand—so even Meow Meow didn’t dare risk it.

As for Sis Fei, she finally put down the study book she’d been reading once the hot food arrived. She didn’t drink either. Looking back to how Old Feng used to do both alcohol and cigarettes—now she’d quit both, like she was trying to leave all that behind.

Old Feng’s life had its highs and lows. Maybe it’s because of those experiences that she’s been able to take her second shot at life and really plan things out.

After enrolling at Biyang Girls’ Academy, she jumped straight into third year, aiming right at the college entrance exams. Her new life as a teenage girl? She’s giving it everything she’s got.

Honestly, if she’s going to change something, I wish she’d drop the “quiet and brooding” thing. Outgoing people always seem to have an easier time in life. That’s just the way this extrovert-dominated world works.

As the one who organized this whole gathering, Rinka was clearly no stranger to the restaurant. After a while, she nudged Fei and asked with a little smugness in her tone,

“So, Sis Fei—pretty good food here, right?”

She was clearly fishing for praise, voice full of “Look what I found!”

“It’s alright,” came the reply.
“How’s it compared to your cooking?”

Fei looked over the half-eaten spread, shook her head, and answered,

“Nowhere close.”

From anyone else that would’ve sounded arrogant. But coming from a former head chef of a five-star hotel? That was just confidence.

Xiao Lei and Zhao Zhao really are the same person—same habits at the dinner table: barely talk, just eat like there’s no tomorrow.

Zhao Zhao’s appetite made sense—he’s a big guy. But Xiao Lei’s body had shrunk so much, yet her intake hadn’t dropped at all. She was like a black hole in a schoolgirl’s frame: food went in, but her stomach never bulged.

Is this what they mean by “flat chest, bottomless pit”?

The dishes were about halfway gone when Rinka suddenly stood up, cup in hand, and turned to me.

Oh boy. A toast.

“Kai-chan, no matter how many lies you’re still telling, I mean it when I say: thank you. You saved my life. So… cheers.”

Her voice was earnest. Those words warmed something in my chest. I didn’t say much—just clinked my glass with hers and downed it in one go. Even if it was just Coke.

Then she turned to Xiao Lei.

“And of course, thanks to our divine messenger. This dinner is your welcome party, after all!”

“It’s all thanks to the great deity,” Xiao Lei said with a wink in my direction. “If you’re all happy and safe, that’s the best offering we can give them.”

She smiled, dimples deep, lips still glistening red from chili oil—which did take away a bit of the solemnity.

In the end, I was the only one who couldn’t eat spicy food. Rinka took pity on me and ordered a plain soy-sauce fried noodle dish to fill my stomach. But you know how it is with noodles—gone in two slurps.

They were still eating, so I just sipped Coke and stared out the window at the pedestrian street, lost in thought.

That’s when I saw a group of police escorting a line of people out of the office building across the street.

Leading them was a man not in uniform, just a leather jacket. Hands on hips, barking orders—judging by his stance, anyway. This restaurant’s soundproofing was excellent; I couldn’t hear a thing.

“…Hey, isn’t that Uncle Lei Luo?”

When I said that, both Meow Meow and Sis Xi looked up.

“…Yeah, that’s him.”

Meow Meow barely gave him a glance before going back to eating.

“He’s on duty. Let’s not distract him. Just pretend we didn’t see anything.”

The pedestrian zone was blocked off at both ends, so the police vans couldn’t drive in. The suspects had to be marched all the way out to the road, like a modern-day perp walk—complete with rubbernecking pedestrians whispering and pointing. Must’ve been humiliating.

“…Wait, is that Senior Li Jianlian!?”

Rinka suddenly jumped up, pointing. I followed her finger and spotted someone with messy black-and-white hair, head hanging low, looking completely defeated.

“No way! I just saw him this afternoon…”

Xiao Lei cut herself off halfway through.

“Isn’t that the guy who was making noodles at the water park?” Sis Xi recognized him too. I quickly told Zhao Zhao to bring the wheelchair over.

“Go ask Uncle Lei what happened! If Li Jianlian is getting arrested, this has got to be serious. And if the school hears about it, he’s in big trouble!”

I figured he probably took some illegal side gig. He’s always chasing high-paying jobs… didn’t think it’d land him here.

“I don’t know who this guy is, but I’ll go ask my dad. You with the busted leg, take it slow.”

“I’m coming too.”

I swung my leg up so Sis Xi and Meow Meow could slip past. Rinka waited until Zhao Zhao brought the wheelchair before coming with me.

Xiao Lei and Fei stayed behind—if we all left, the staff might think we were trying to skip the bill…

We found Uncle Lei at the entrance to the pedestrian zone. He was mid-conversation with Meow Meow and Sis Xi. Li Jianlian had already been loaded into the van.

Sis Xi looked… shaken. Hand over her mouth, on the verge of tears.

That wasn’t something I expected—it honestly stunned me.

“Yo, kid. How’s the leg?”

“I’m in a wheelchair. You tell me. But forget that—what’d these people do? And what’s going on with Sis Xi?”

Uncle Lei handed me a business card she’d been holding.

I took a look. Golden Bear Private Lending Company. Yeah, that already sounds shady as hell.

“Loan sharks?”

“Yep. I spent over two weeks investigating them. Finally found something I could nail ’em on.”

“Wait… does that mean Sis Xi—” I trailed off. Uncle Lei gave a small nod.

Her dad had borrowed from loan sharks and disappeared. Her mom lost it under the pressure of debt collectors and took it out on her—violent outbursts and all. That’s why she ran away and ended up under Lei Laohu’s wing.

This bust was Uncle Lei getting revenge on her behalf. No wonder she was emotional.

Lei Meow Meow gave her dad a light punch to the chest.

“Not bad, old man.”

He scratched his head and turned to Sis Xi.

“I was gonna tell you in a more formal setting, but since we’re all here, I’ll just say it. The bad guys got arrested, but legally speaking, you still owe the original principal and interest. So I talked with Yuanyue—we’ll cover the rest for your mom.”

“…!”

She tried to say something, but her throat was too tight. Her knees gave out, but Meow Meow caught her under the arms.

“Dummy,” Meow Meow said, half-laughing. “You’re my sister now. Don’t act like a stranger.”

“How much debt was it, anyway?” Rinka couldn’t help asking.

“It wasn’t that bad. Three hundred thousand principal. Interest ballooned it to four hundred sixty.”

Uncle Lei said it like it was no big deal. Four hundred sixty thousand isn't that bad? Okay… maybe for someone like Sis Yuanyue, who runs an entire conglomerate, it isn’t.

Meow Meow helped Sis Xi sit down on a nearby stone barrier. Rinka hesitated, then followed to comfort her too.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhao and I quickly explained Senior Jianlian’s situation to Uncle Lei. He rubbed his chin—out of habit, since he used to have a beard there.

“Can’t let him off right away. If he’s innocent, he’ll just give a statement and walk. We won’t notify the school or his family. Sounds good? If things are as you say, maybe this’ll teach him a lesson. Not all jobs are worth taking.”

“Thanks, Uncle!”

Now that he’d shaved his beard, he did look younger… though still no match for Sis Yuanyue’s ‘Tianshan Tonglao’¹ level eternal-youth looks.

“Don’t thank me. If you’ve got time for that, how about putting a ring on my daughter already?”

A police van honked a few times—despite noise restrictions downtown. Clearly in a hurry to pick him up.

“I gotta run. You guys go back and eat, alright?”

The convoy of vans rolled out. Uncle Lei didn’t give me time to say goodbye—he just jumped into one of them.

He’s got a loud voice—I could still hear him bragging from inside.

“See that blonde girl? That’s my daughter. Beautiful, right? The one she’s holding? My goddaughter. And that kid with the glasses…”

The van drove off.

…Wait. What did he say about me?