Early the next morning, just as the sun had risen, Xia Xingguo arrived at the Su family home, full of excitement.
"Old Su, big news! Have you heard? Last night, Section Chief Wei was thrown into the filthy drainage ditch outside the steel factory. I heard when the security department found him, he was barely alive—his waist had even been broken!"
As Xia Xingguo spoke, the schadenfreude on his face was impossible to hide.
Su Wenshan had been sitting on the kang, but when he heard this, he jumped to his feet in shock.
"Who did it?"
Chen Xiue was equally curious. She poured him a cup of water. Xia Xingguo gulped it down in one go and continued:
"Who else could it be? The security department already reported it to the police. Most likely, it was revenge from the accomplices of those thieves from last time! I heard those people were extremely arrogant. They weren't even afraid of being discovered. They openly told Section Chief Wei they beat him because he was meddling in other people's business!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiue felt a chill of fear and turned to Su Wenshan.
"You hear that? Back then, you were upset because you weren't chosen as the model worker. Looking at it now, it's lucky you didn't get picked. Otherwise, the one with a broken waist today would've been you!"
Su Wenshan also felt deeply relieved.
Xia Xingguo snorted.
"In my opinion, Wei deserved it. Let him steal credit behind people's backs. Now he's stolen his way straight into the hospital. Let's see how smug he is now!"
Then he added:
"By the way, Old Su, I think you should go back to work today. With this incident involving Section Chief Wei, I doubt the factory director has time to care about your little matter. This is the perfect chance to let your issue blow over."
Xia Xingguo was right.
At that very moment, the leaders of the steel factory truly had no time to worry about Su Wenshan's minor issue.
They were all gathered at the hospital, standing outside the intensive care ward while answering questions from the police.
Behind a layer of glass, Section Chief Wei lay on the hospital bed with a breathing mask over his face. His eyes were shut tight, his face bruised and swollen, his waist and legs wrapped in plaster casts. He looked barely alive.
---
Meanwhile, on Su Yun's side—
Taking advantage of Xia Xingguo's visit, she quietly slipped out of the courtyard house with Su Baoguo.
On the way, Su Yun gave Su Baoguo fifty cents to buy breakfast. Then she turned a corner and headed to the steel factory herself.
Armed with an orange she had bought from the system supermarket, she successfully bribed the factory gatekeeper and learned what had happened the previous night.
Later, at the recycling station, Su Yun sat behind the counter in her work uniform, narrowing her eyes as she silently planned.
In this life, her family owed Deputy Factory Director Jiang no favors.
Since they dared to bully her father like this, if she didn't give them something in return, she simply couldn't swallow her anger!
Just as Su Yun finished making her plans, she looked up and saw Gu Hai walking into the recycling station with a shoulder bag slung across his back.
His tall, straight posture somehow carried an inexplicable excitement.
Seeing him, Su Yun felt slightly guilty and awkwardly said:
"Gu Hai, you're here so early today?"
Gu Hai approached her with a handsome smile and bright eyes. Reaching into his shoulder bag, he pulled out a lunchbox.
"Xiao Yun, I made soup dumplings for you this morning. Didn't you say before that you wanted to eat them? Hurry and try them—tell me if they taste good."
Su Yun coughed awkwardly and didn't dare reach out to take it.
After all, she had just made Gu Hai take the blame for everything last night. Turning around and eating food he personally made for her felt a little shameless.
Licking her lips, she said apologetically:
"Gu Hai, about last night… thank you so much. Otherwise, I would've been exposed. But I dragged you into it and got you kicked out by my mom. I'm sorry."
Gu Hai waved it off.
"It's nothing. Hurry and eat, or the soup dumplings will get cold and won't taste as good."
As he spoke, he skillfully opened the lunchbox.
Inside were neat rows of delicate white soup dumplings.
Each dumpling was small, refined, and almost translucent—beautifully made and instantly appetizing.
Su Yun swallowed helplessly.
Unable to resist the temptation of delicious food, she took the chopsticks Gu Hai handed her, picked up a dumpling, and carefully bit into it.
She first sucked out all the rich soup inside, then ate the dumpling in one bite.
It felt like the greatest delicacy in the world.
"So delicious!" Su Yun exclaimed.
Seeing how happily she was eating, Gu Hai's mood improved even more.
After she had eaten her fill, Gu Hai quietly moved closer and sat beside her like before.
Then he puckered his lips slightly, staring at her expectantly.
Su Yun turned to him curiously.
"What's wrong? Is your mouth still swollen?"
As she spoke, she examined his lips carefully.
"It doesn't look hurt at all… Last night, I really bit too hard. Should I apply some medicine for you?"
Gu Hai: "...That won't be necessary."
What he wanted wasn't medicine.
He wanted Su Yun to kiss him again!
Yesterday, everything had happened too fast. After returning home, he had replayed it in his mind all night, tossing and turning restlessly.
His thoughts had run so wild he had even imagined what they might name their future children—
Yet he still hadn't truly experienced the feeling of a proper kiss.
After all, it had been his first one!
Thinking this, Gu Hai's cheeks flushed red.
Shyly staring at Su Yun, he desperately tried to hint at her with his eyes.
Su Yun frowned slightly.
She had absolutely no idea what he was trying to do.
Gu Hai mentally encouraged himself. Just as he was about to subtly bring up last night's kiss—
A loud familiar voice suddenly came from outside the recycling station.
"Brother Hai! Comrade Xiao Su! We're here again!"
We.
That meant more than just Gouzi had arrived.
Gu Hai ground his teeth in frustration. Just as he stood up, Gouzi and Su Wenbing entered the recycling station together.
Su Wenbing carried a sack of scrap goods. Wearing an apologetic smile, he followed behind Gouzi, too embarrassed to raise his head.
With obvious guilt, he softly greeted:
"Brother Hai… Comrade Xiao Su."
Su Yun immediately narrowed her eyes and gave Su Wenbing a long, meaningful look.
"Gu Hai's childhood friend… you're here to sell scrap again?"
That tone made Su Wenbing's spine go cold.
He instantly cast a pleading look toward Gu Hai.
Gu Hai looked up at the sky, pretending not to notice him.
Seeing this, Gouzi quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Hehe, Comrade Xiao Su, I really had no idea before that you were Brother Hai's sweetheart. Now that we know, things are much easier!"
Heaven knew when Gouzi had learned Su Yun was Gu Hai's girlfriend, his eyes had nearly popped out of his head.
His Brother Hai was truly incredible.
He had directly won over their biggest supplier.
As expected of the leader of their Qinglong Gang!
Thrilled inside, Gouzi continued:
"Comrade Xiao Su, those watermelons you exchanged with me the other day sold out immediately the moment they hit the market! Officer Zhou even came to find me last night and said if I have any stock, I should sell it all to him. That business line is basically stable now!"
He pointed at the sack in Su Wenbing's hands.
"Comrade Xiao Su, help us check this batch first. If it's good enough, we'll exchange all of it for watermelons!"
Su Yun remained calm, smiling brightly.
"Sure. Let me take a look."
Su Wenbing felt extremely nervous.
Carefully, he handed over the sack of scrap goods.
Su Yun casually reached inside.
Immediately, the mechanical voice of the Treasure-Hunting System sounded in her mind:
Ding! Detected one Qing Dynasty chamber pot. Preserved intact. Recycling price: 50 yuan. Would you like to sell it?
Su Yun: "..."
This had gone too far.
He actually brought that kind of thing for her to inspect?
Was this intentional?!
Touching a chamber pot with the very first grab instantly ruined Su Yun's mood.
She snorted softly in irritation.
Continuing to rummage through the bag, after a few more items—
She heard the system notification again.