Chapter Forty-Four: The Sleepy Little Bug

Just for this reason alone, Aunt Zhang felt that Fang Yuan wasn’t a bad person. According to her understanding, he was like a righteous outlaw, robbing the rich to help the poor—a good man.

Fang Yuan briefly explained the work schedule to Aunt Zhang, then went to sit and rest. He had spent quite a bit of energy smashing up those two shops earlier, and with the injuries from the day before, now that he had stopped, he realized his body felt exhausted.

Da Zhuang was quite dissatisfied with the wage Fang Yuan offered—two thousand five hundred—but recalling Fang Yuan’s reckless ferocity just moments ago, he decided to keep his opinion to himself.

Fang Yuan only claimed to be a business partner; the fat boss was the owner here. But Aunt Zhang was no fool; she could tell that Fang Yuan was the one truly in charge.

Ignoring the fat boss’s gaze, Aunt Zhang busied herself with her work.

Although Chuchu had told Fang Yuan that his injury wasn’t a big deal, and Fang Yuan hadn’t paid it much mind, since his wound was already healing, he thought there couldn’t be much wrong.

Since morning, Chuchu hadn’t said a word. Fang Yuan assumed she was sleeping deeply and tried calling her several times, but received no response. He remembered that it was Chuchu who had staunched his bleeding and sealed his meridians when he was hurt yesterday. Chuchu had warned him before that she was very weak now, and if Fang Yuan’s body failed, she could do nothing to help.

With Chuchu unconscious, Fang Yuan began to worry, a restless anxiety creeping over him.

Unable to wake Chuchu, Fang Yuan grew uneasy. He walked to the door, reached into his pocket, and felt a cool, smooth sensation.

It was the lucky stone—Pei Xi had given it to him.

Chuchu liked the lucky stone very much and insisted Fang Yuan keep it close, wanting to test whether it truly brought him luck. Fang Yuan couldn’t say if it had, but at least it hadn’t brought him misfortune.

But today, now, Fang Yuan wanted to try it.

If anything happened to Chuchu, he would be powerless to help, and any trouble for Chuchu meant trouble for his own body as well.

So, Fang Yuan placed the lucky stone in his palm and closed his eyes.

After a long while, there was still no movement from Chuchu. Fang Yuan couldn’t help but laugh at himself—when had he begun pinning all his hopes on a tiny stone?

Helpless, he put the stone back in his pocket, worried that if Chuchu woke and asked about it, he’d have to explain if he’d carelessly thrown it away.

At the same time, by the coast, Old Master Pei and Pei Xi were saying their farewells.

Some things Pei Xi had come to terms with; if her father felt this was the life he wanted, she would understand, support him, and let him know her concern.

She would no longer try to stop him, but each time they parted, she prepared for the worst. Every time she saw her father return safe, it felt like she had gained a little happiness.

Watching the ship recede into the distance, Pei Xi took out her phone.

“Hello, Fang Yuan.”

Fang Yuan was worrying about Chuchu when Pei Xi called.

“My father went out to sea today, so you don’t need to worry about him coming after you anymore. At least until he returns, you should be safe,” Pei Xi said calmly.

Though Old Master Pei hadn’t told her anything, Pei Xi could sense something.

She thought her father was just giving Fang Yuan a minor lesson, unaware of all Fang Yuan had been through for her these past days.

“Out to sea? What’s he doing out there?”

Fang Yuan wasn’t concerned with anything else Pei Xi said, but hearing Old Master Pei was out at sea, he was curious.

“You don’t know—my father pilots his own ship every year, all alone,” Pei Xi replied with resignation. She both loved and resented her father.

“Alone?” Fang Yuan was shocked. Old Master Pei must be nearly fifty, and he went out to sea alone?

“Yes. I called to tell you—you’re quite the actor, thank you. And I apologize for what my father did to you; I hope you won’t hold it against him.

I’ll be leaving here for a while myself. Not sure when I’ll return, so I wanted to let you know.”

Having sent off her father, Pei Xi had decided what she would do next.

“You...” Fang Yuan wanted to ask where she was going, but thought better of it, guessing she was probably heading back to school to sort out graduation.

“All right, goodbye.”

“Mm, goodbye.”

Their relationship had always been one of mutual understanding and use, so after this goodbye, they might never meet again.

Thinking of how much Chuchu liked Miss Pei Xi, now that Pei Xi was leaving and Chuchu hadn’t had the chance to say farewell, Fang Yuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

With his thoughts weighed down, Fang Yuan didn’t want to stay any longer, fearing his mood might affect others.

So, he returned alone to the apartment. Passing through the lobby, he naturally spotted Manager Xue.

As soon as Manager Xue saw Fang Yuan, a smile broke across his face.

“Ah, Fang Yuan, you’ve been busy lately. If you need any help, just let me know. Don’t be shy.”

Having worked here for over ten years, Manager Xue was certainly experienced.

Fang Yuan was troubled about how to promote the little restaurant. “Is this a good time to talk, Manager Xue?”

Being a shrewd man, Manager Xue glanced around. It was about lunchtime. “Let’s head across the street and talk over a meal.”

Sitting in the bun shop, Fang Yuan explained his partnership in opening a restaurant; to his surprise, Manager Xue was quite knowledgeable about it.

Manager Xue didn’t hide anything now—the bun shop was actually his own, and he was the owner behind the scenes. His wife managed the place.

Though the shop didn’t look big or upscale, business was excellent.

It was a residential area, surrounded by several apartment complexes, and right by an exit, so many residents passed by every day.

The bun shop had been open nearly ten years, since Manager Xue started working here.

Though it was a small business, the monthly turnover was impressive.

P.S.: Chuchu is here asking for recommendation votes—cast your votes, let’s keep going!