CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: THE INTERESTING YOUNG MAN

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The incident at the riverbank of the Ancient City had caused quite a stir. Sui Yi pondered, considering there were so many people present with countless holding smartphones, surely a few had captured something.

This made her a bit worried, even though she had exerted all her effort to disperse the magnetism in her body to interfere with the magnetic fields of those phones when she fell into the water.

The effect was still unknown.

After changing into a new set of clothes and choosing a secluded, unpopulated path, Sui Yi did not leave directly but returned to the ancient house. She had been prepared to find both her car and belongings gone, but they were still there.

Only, there was a person standing by the car.

A tall and leggy youth leaned against the wall, one hand resting on the hood, his slender fingers tapping rhythmically on the metal bar.

Sui Yi could only see his profile.

A cigarette dangled from his lips.

On hearing Sui Yi’s footsteps, the young man turned his head, his short hair slightly disheveled and faintly curled, his features clear but his eyes somewhat lazy.

He wore a white short-sleeve shirt emblazoned with a black skull, and his light blue, slightly faded skinny jeans.

As Sui Yi walked closer step by step, his gaze scanned over her a few times.

"Yours?"

"Hmm."

Sui Yi nodded and then heard him chuckle lightly, "Can you prove it?"

His laugh carried a carefree recklessness.

"There are three books and three sets of clothes in the bag..." Sui Yi glanced at him and said.

He lifted his hand, felt the bag vaguely, then lowered his hand and stood up, "Alright..."

With his hands in his jeans pockets and still clutching the cigarette, he was about to go, but suddenly turned his head and asked Sui Yi, "Aren’t you afraid that I might have taken something of yours?"

Sui Yi closed her eyes briefly, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and said calmly, "Aren’t you still here?"

If he had taken something, he would have left already, no need to stay.

"Heh," the youth raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp yet mocking, "you must be a bit suspicious, aren’t you? ... I don’t mind if you frisk me."

He spread his hands, assuming a conceding posture...

Sui Yi mounted her bike, glanced at him slightly and said, "Thanks."

She completely ignored his previous remarks.

"...." The young man tilted his head, pinched the cigarette between his fingers, and blew out a ring of smoke, "Let’s go... don’t give me a chance to regret it."

His finances weren’t very good either.

Sui Yi took out her wallet from the backpack, counted out ten notes, and handed them over, "I don’t like being indebted to anyone. I believe all acts of kindness should be repaid..."

Mere kindness isn’t as practical as having cash.

The youth looked at her for a moment, his expression indifferent, then suddenly smiled again and took the money.

Sui Yi rode away.

He watched her departing figure, flicked the cash in his hand and discarded the cigarette butt from his mouth, "Ten notes, a thousand bucks... pretty generous~~"

Then he lazily walked away.

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Losing her car and clothes was a minor issue, but the cards and books in the bag were a bit of trouble.

The security level in the Nanxun District of Jiangnan is not bad, especially in the ancient town, where the local customs are pure. But she hadn’t expected such a seemingly unreliable youth to keep watching over her belongings.

Recalling how he had accepted the money without any hesitation, Sui Yi smiled.

"This guy is somewhat interesting."

Although she knew it might taint his goodwill, Sui Yi always believed that if all good deeds go unrewarded, the world wouldn’t deserve to have any good people left.

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By the time Sui Yi returned to Elder Tang’s shop.

It was already dusk.

Elder Tang had been anxiously waiting in the shop and immediately came up to her with urgent inquiries upon her return.

Having received some information and hearing Sui Yi’s inexplicable remarks on the phone, he sensed something was off. Eventually, he pinpointed Sui Yi’s location and informed the police.

"Thank goodness you’re back... I really thought that assassin had done you in!" Elder Tang made a cup of tea for Sui Yi to calm her nerves, his face finally relaxing.

Elder Tang seemed in a much better mood, whether because Sui Yi had returned alive or because he had learned the assassin was already dead.

While talking, Elder Tang received a phone call, apparently about some deal. Sui Yi slumped on the sofa, pressing her temple with one hand, her eyes closed, with no inclination to listen.

After a while, Elder Tang said, "It’s Saturday in three days. I’m going to a place where there will be an event. Many clients will be there, some of whom you know. Since you’re also free, both of you should come with me."

"Saturday?" Sui Yi frowned. She had intended to go somewhere on Saturday and had even thought about asking for leave. But seeing Elder Tang’s expression, she paused and then said, "Okay."

Going there on Saturday night shouldn’t cause any problems.

Zhou Ran, having wrapped up his affairs, heard Elder Tang’s notice and his face lit up with irrepressible joy.

"Is Elder Tang talking about our annual cultural and ancient exchange meeting in Nanxun?"

"No... But it’s a gathering of some old friends, though it does have something to do with that exchange meeting."

"Really? That’s wonderful..."

Zhou Ran’s emotions were always clear on his face, and his eyes shone with anticipation.

They came from a somewhat unique line of work where, if one did well, frequent contact with professionals and wealthy celebs from different industries was possible, which was extremely beneficial for one’s future development.

As Zhou Ran was a recent graduate with an ordinary background, he naturally cherished such opportunities greatly.

Elder Tang’s gaze swept over to Sui Yi but only saw a faint trace of weariness on her face.

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Sui Yi looked tired, and Elder Tang, not wanting to bother her further, let her go upstairs to rest.

But he was slightly puzzled by the clear newness of her clothes.

Had this girl finally learned to treat herself better?

Due to exhaustion, Sui Yi fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but intense body pain jolted her awake in the middle of the night, more severe this time, dragging her mind into chaos.

A plethora of complicated noises invaded her dreams, sounding like clanging armor and distant echoing chants...

A face suddenly appeared! Intense heart pain!

It felt as though she was crushed under a thousand mountains and seas!

She suddenly opened her eyes and bolted upright in bed, instinctively clutching at her heart.

Her heart was racing, almost feeling as though she might die at any moment.

She took several deep breaths, cold sweat streaming down her face, before realizing it was just intense perspiration.

She had never had dreams before.

But... who was that person?

She couldn’t make out his face.

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Too awake to sleep further, Sui Yi showered and then studied for two hours with the lights on. Only when dawn broke did she go out for a run.

It seemed her physical condition had improved; she ran four kilometers continuously without much effort.

After her workout, she still went to buy soy milk and fried dough sticks, walking home while carrying her food bag.

But her phone was in her hand, searching for rental properties nearby.

Not satisfied.

She wanted a quiet place for herself, but clearly, such rentals were very pricey. After checking several options, she felt keenly aware of society’s harshness.

At the entrance, she saw Yu Hang perched on his bicycle.

Yu Hang also spotted Sui Yi, but upon seeing her indifferent expression, he felt offended, stiffened his gaze, swung around his bike, and huffed, "I was just passing by!!"

Sui Yi: "...."

This guy sure had persistence. Martial arts and all, was it that charming?

But since he had repeatedly shown goodwill, it didn’t feel right to keep snubbing him.

She hesitated, then lifted the bag of breakfast she had. "Want some?"

"What do you mean... I already told you I was just passing by..."

"Not eating?" Sui Yi said, holding the breakfast, ready to walk into the shop...

".... I’ll eat!"

Yu Hang quickly responded and jumped off his bike...