CHAPTER 378: CHAPTER 375 [BROTHERS]

(Two-in-One)

Chapter 375 [Brothers]

Creating artificial rainfall was naturally not a challenge for Chen Xiaoguo.

During the great battle with the wizards in Jinling, this damn dog had played the "who builds the dam" trick to give the wizards a sneaky blow.

After lights out, Sun Keke lay in her bed, quietly waiting. When she had silently counted to about one hundred and was sure that the other three girls in the dormitory were asleep, she made her move.

Sun Keke agilely rolled out of bed, opened the window, and jumped out like a cat.

After a year of practice, although she couldn’t yet project her spiritual power to form tentacles, her simple telekinesis had become quite proficient.

Sun Keke climbed to the rooftop of the dormitory building and saw Chen Nuo squatting there, smiling at her with an ambiguous, teasing expression.

Sun Keke blushed, but thankfully, it was dark and not too noticeable.

"You’re getting more and more impressive. The way you climb and leap to the rooftop is so smooth," Chen Nuo remarked with a feigned sigh. "If you had these skills when you fell from the building back then, you probably wouldn’t have needed me to be your meat-cushion."

Sun Keke huffed, grinding her teeth. "I just wish I’d crushed you to death back then."

"With that cushioning, it wouldn’t have killed anyone..." As he spoke, Chen Xiaoguo even gestured with his hands. "This big..."

Sun Keke’s face flushed with anger. She went over and kicked Chen Nuo on the shin, only for him to pull her into his embrace.

The girl struggled for a moment but couldn’t break free, so she let him hold her, then rested her head on Chen Nuo’s shoulder.

Wordlessly, they held each other on the rooftop for a good five minutes.

Finally, Sun Keke, nestled in his arms, let out a soft sigh.

Chen Nuo looked down at Sun Keke. He clearly saw the worry and resentment in her eyes but avoided her gaze and deliberately let out a long sigh himself.

"What are you sighing about?" Sun Keke asked softly.

"...Sigh! I’ve lost weight," Chen Nuo lamented, shaking his head.

Sun Keke snorted and then bit Chen Nuo’s shoulder again.

Chen Nuo grimaced.

"This afternoon was too rushed, and there were so many things I didn’t get to ask you." Sun Keke pulled away from Chen Nuo, and they sat down together on the rooftop floor. Staring into his eyes, she continued, "Tell me clearly now what exactly has been going on this past year. Don’t you dare try to fool me!"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Actually, it’s quite simple. I went out to handle something, ran into a bit of trouble, and got screwed over by a crazy old bastard. I almost died because of him.

Later, surprisingly, one of my biggest rivals saved me, and I managed to come back in one piece."

He wasn’t lying; that was, more or less, what happened.

But of course, Sun Keke didn’t understand.

The girl paused, stunned. After hearing all this, she didn’t press further but simply said softly, "I’ve never been able to understand these things about you.

It feels like I’m still so far from your world. I originally thought that after becoming an Ability User, I might get a little closer to you.

But now, it seems I’m still very, very far away."

As she spoke, Sun Keke looked up into Chen Nuo’s eyes and whispered, "Tell me, Chen Nuo, how can I get closer to you?"

Chen Nuo didn’t say anything. He just reached out to stroke the back of her head, then pressed her head onto his shoulder.

Actually... I’m fighting against the Mother so desperately because I hope that you, and everyone around me—my family, my friends—can all stay away from these things...

Suddenly, in that instant, Chen Nuo faintly felt as if he could somewhat understand the mindset of the believers inside Noah’s Ark.

After holding her for a while longer, Chen Nuo finally let go of Sun Keke. He then grabbed a large plastic bag he had brought, which was lying on the ground beside him. He laid out a pile of things he had bought from the supermarket earlier for Sun Keke to see.

"Military training is tough. I was worried you might not have enough experience or be fully prepared, so I bought you some things. Take a look..."

As Chen Nuo spoke, he pulled an item out from the bag.

Sun Keke’s face instantly turned beet red when she saw it. In the little rascal’s hands was... um, a pack of something only girls use... yes, with wings.

"You..." Sun Keke bit her lip hard and said in a low voice, "I-I’m not due yet..."

"Of course, I know that," Chen Nuo said casually.

Sun Keke glared. "How do you know?"

"Duh! How could I not know when my girlfriend’s time of the month is? This is called being prepared..."

Sun Keke narrowed her eyes. "What mischievous idea are you cooking up now?"

Chen Nuo waved his hand. "You’re overthinking things. It’s just my concern for you."

He cleared his throat twice before continuing, "This isn’t for... when your ’visitor’ arrives. It’s for you to use every day, starting now."

"Huh?"

"As insoles," Chen Nuo said with a smile. "During drills and standing at attention, your feet sweat a lot, and regular insoles don’t absorb enough. Stick these on top of your insoles. They’re soft and very absorbent... I don’t need to tell you how absorbent these things are, right?"

Sun Keke: "..."

Then, there was some other miscellaneous stuff in the plastic bag.

A large pack of chocolate bars, a few small tins of luncheon meat, and several bags of beef jerky.

Two bottles of herbal heatstroke remedy.

"Hide the food well in your dorm. Daily training consumes a lot of energy, the cafeteria food isn’t nutritious enough, and you’ll have little free time. If you get hungry at night, have a snack in the dorm," Chen Nuo said earnestly. "The herbal heatstroke remedy is for preventing heatstroke."

"I won’t get heatstroke now; my body is very healthy," she said.

"Then save it for your classmates to use. It’ll help you build good relationships in the dorm. Places with many girls are often full of drama. If you don’t get along well with your roommates, your four years of college will be very trying."

Chen Nuo waved his hand and added, "I bought a lot of things for you. If you can’t use it all, share it with your dormmates.

If you run out, just call me, and I’ll bring you more."

"Mm..." Sun Keke nodded gently.

This Chen Xiaoguo, this was something Sun Keke really liked about him—he was thoughtful and caring.

These things might seem simple, but only someone who truly cherished you would do them for you.

"I’m craving beef noodles... the ones from Boss Guo’s place," Sun Keke said softly.

"Simple. I’ll bring you a bowl tomorrow night."

"But it seems Boss Guo has closed his shop. I went there a few times, and the doors were always shut."

"Hmm, then I’ll find him and drag him back to open up for business."

Sun Keke was taken aback. "Don’t be reckless! He must have his reasons for..."

She paused, then said in a low voice, "I know two other ramen places that are also really good. One is at the east end of Houjia Bridge, run by Hui people—their noodles are very authentic. There’s also one not far from our university, on Zhuangpai Road..."

Sun Keke spoke softly, and Chen Nuo listened attentively.

As he listened, he felt something wasn’t right.

Actually, Sun Keke didn’t really like eating ramen, nor was she particularly fond of beef.

Some girls find that beef has a peculiar taste.

But for Sun Keke to suddenly know so much about the local ramen shops... that was...

Chen Nuo’s heart stirred; he instantly understood. He reached out, took Sun Keke’s hand, and sighed softly.

Sun Keke shook her head. "During the year you were gone, I thought about you every day. When I couldn’t bear missing you anymore, I’d go eat the foods you used to like.

You liked eating ramen, so I searched for so many different places..."

Chen Nuo nodded. "Mm-hmm. When your military training is over, I’ll go with you, and we’ll try every single one of those places!"

"Chen Nuo... please don’t do anything reckless anymore. Stop making me worry, okay?

You were gone for so long this time, I really thought you weren’t coming back...

Do you have any idea how anxious and heartbroken we were? I secretly saw your mom crying so many times..."

Chen Nuo nodded solemnly. "Mm!"

"There’s something else I need to tell you."

"Tell me."

Sun Keke took a deep breath, looked Chen Nuo straight in the eyes, and said slowly, "While you were gone... she came by."

Chen Nuo: "..."

He knew perfectly well who Sun Keke meant by "she."

Whether it was the long-legged girl, the Squatting Little Witch, or the Neon sword-wielding girl, Sun Keke wasn’t actually very concerned about those three. She knew very well that she had nothing to do with those "three little ones."

The only one Sun Keke truly cared about, the one who weighed most on her mind, was Lu Xixi.

"When she came, she seemed to be in a very bad state emotionally—I can understand that.

She said she had looked for you for a long time, even searching the place where you disappeared, but she couldn’t find you.

Then... she told me to take good care of myself.

She said she was going to do something important and might even need my help.

Chen Nuo, I have a feeling she might be planning something huge, something that could be dangerous.

You’d better... you’d better..."

Sun Keke bit her lip hard before sighing. "You’d better get in touch with her. Now that you’re back, make sure she doesn’t do anything reckless."

After Sun Keke finished speaking, she got up and left.

As she left, she didn’t forget to take the large bag of things Chen Nuo had bought.

Standing on the rooftop, Chen Nuo watched Sun Keke climb down, slip through the window, wave at him, and then close the window.

Chen Nuo sighed and looked up at the stars in the night sky...

「」

Of course, Chen Nuo had tried to contact Lu Xixi.

He had reached out to her the very night he returned home to Jinling.

However, his attempts were fruitless. His calls didn’t go through, and his messages received no reply. He tried using the Octopus Monster’s website, creating a new account to send a message to the "Star Sky Empress."

He also sent messages to several secondary accounts that Little Candy usually used.

To prevent the Octopus Monster from monitoring Lu Xixi’s main account, Chen Nuo’s message was cryptic:

"The Ancient Tomb Sect’s unworthy disciple Guo’er seeks an audience with Auntie."

Chen Nuo believed that if Lu Xixi saw this private message, she would understand it.

However...

All these calls and private messages were like stones dropped into the ocean, met with complete silence.

「」

The next day, Chen Nuo went to Jinling Teachers University early in the morning to create "artificial rain" again. Since it was broad daylight, he couldn’t just swagger in to meet Sun Keke; they only exchanged a few text messages.

Sun Keke reluctantly told Chen Nuo that there was no need to "make it rain" anymore, and only then did Chen Nuo leave, reassured.

With his hands in his pockets, he wandered the streets for a few minutes and then waited at a bus stop for a while.

It was the morning rush hour. Chen Nuo squeezed onto a bus, sandwiched in the crowd, swaying as the vehicle moved.

Midway, he spotted a pickpocket on the bus taking out a razor blade to slash a passenger’s bag.

Chen Nuo smiled. As the bus reached a stop, he squeezed his way to the rear door.

The bus came to a halt, and just as the rear door opened, Chen Nuo reached out and snapped the thief’s wrist. Before the pickpocket could react, his eyes rolled back, he fainted, and began frothing at the mouth. He slumped onto the steps of the rear door, blocking the exit.

"HOLY SHIT! Someone’s having an epileptic fit!" Chen Nuo deliberately screamed.

During the commotion, Chen Nuo leaped off the bus. He then saw the man on the ground, still frothing at the mouth, with several wallets and phones spilling from his pockets...

The bus instantly erupted into chaos...

「」

About ten minutes later, Chen Nuo had strolled to Tangzi Street.

In the morning, Brother Lei’s auto shop was still closed. Chen Nuo found a spot to sit down opposite it, at the entrance of Luo’s Pan-fried Buns.

A steamer basket of pan-fried buns and a bowl of small wontons, with added chili oil.

After finishing the bowl of wontons, Chen Nuo felt sweat beading on his forehead.

Jinling City’s September weather was still quite hot. Chen Nuo rolled up the sleeves of his T-shirt to his shoulders, wiping away sweat as he quickly popped the remaining two pan-fried buns into his mouth.

After swallowing the last bite of his bun, he saw a small access door in the roll-up shutter of the auto shop across the street being opened.

Zhu Dazhi sauntered out, a toothbrush in one hand and an enamel mug in the other. He then squatted by the entrance to brush his teeth, his mouth full of white foam.

Chen Nuo walked over with a grin, stopping in front of Zhu Dazhi.

The blockhead sensed a shadow suddenly fall over him. Frowning, he glanced up and saw Chen Nuo’s backlit face, a wide, toothy grin directed at him.

"...HOLY SHIT!"

Zhu Dazhi’s hands trembled, and he dropped his toothbrush and enamel mug on the ground.

He sprang up from the ground like a startled rabbit, let out a yelp, and after howling, turned and bolted into the shop.

"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law! Trouble! I’m seeing a ghost in broad daylight!!!"

Chen Nuo: "..."

「」

Zhu Dazhi dashed into the back of the shop and slammed right into Brother Lei, who was just coming out of the restroom holding hair clippers, sending him tumbling!

Brother Lei cried out in pain. Clutching his stomach, he scrambled up and roared, "What the hell! Did you run into a ghost this early in the morning?!"

Zhu Dazhi exclaimed, "Huh?" Staring wide-eyed, he yelled, "Brother-in-law! HOLY SHIT! How did you know? I really did just run into a ghost! Outside! He’s outside! Right out there!!"

Brother Lei was stunned. "Ghost my ass!"

Zhu Dazhi grabbed Brother Lei’s arm and pulled him forward. As they emerged from the hallway, they both saw a figure casually walk into the shop through the small door. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, with his hands in his pockets, strolling leisurely.

As he walked in, he grinned at the two of them, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"See! Brother-in-law! Isn’t this seeing a ghost in broad daylight?!" Zhu Dazhi yelled at the top of his lungs.

Brother Lei took a deep breath. His vision seemed to blur a little. He strained his eyes to look again at the newcomer, and suddenly, his eyes turned red...

「」

"Boss Chen, you were gone for a whole year..."

The three of them sat in the shop, smoking.

Brother Lei had been rambling for over ten minutes.

The more Bald Lei talked, the redder his eyes became. He even wiped away a few tears later, saying, "This is great. You’re back! I... I have a boss again!"

To be honest, Brother Lei truly felt he was quite pitiful.

When he first started out in the underworld, relying on his youthful vigor, ferocity in fights, decent physique, and daring attitude, he followed a boss.

Unexpectedly, after one brawl, that boss ended up in prison. Brother Lei was also unlucky enough to get caught.

Then came prison time. Inside, Brother Lei, being quick-witted and observant, managed to suck up to an old-timer gangster, a prominent figure in the Tangzi Street area.

After getting out, he acquired the existing second-hand car shop there and started a business dealing in stolen vehicles, earning a decent amount each year.

Then... his luck turned sour again. That boss from Tangzi Street also got busted during a major crackdown.

As a result, Brother Lei was left without support. Though the street punks still considered Bald Lei a figure of some importance.

But in the eyes of bigwigs like Li Qingshan, he was just a stray dog. Li Qingshan even started eyeing his business.

And then, Brother Lei latched onto Chen Yanluo’s thigh, and his fortunes instantly took off!

Back then, Brother Lei felt incredibly content!

Wasn’t this just fate? Following Boss Chen truly meant having food, drink, and status.

Business was booming. Anyone who dared to cause trouble was no match for Boss Chen; they were easily crushed. Even Li Qingshan ended up kowtowing with his head in the dirt and was paralyzed for months.

Business got better and better, money poured in, and there were no risks!

Following a boss like him was pure comfort!

And then... Boss Chen, this great boss, disappeared too.

Sometimes Brother Lei genuinely thought... maybe he was fucking cursed to jinx his bosses!

He had followed three bosses in his life, and all three had met with misfortune.

Over the past year, although the business continued and not many people caused trouble...

Especially Li Qingshan. Although he was no longer affiliated with Boss Chen, he had always remained polite towards them.

After all, even with Boss Chen gone, Brother Haonan, that great "God," was still around to hold the fort, and Li Qingshan was genuinely afraid of Brother Haonan.

But Brother Lei knew in his heart that Zhang Linsheng’s abilities were far inferior to Boss Chen’s.

Emotionally, they were brothers, but the vast difference in their capabilities was undeniable.

So, truth be told, Brother Lei had felt quite insecure over the past year.

The electric scooter business had a low entry barrier; anyone with capital could get into it.

Seeing it boom in recent years, many who had made money in the underworld wanted a piece of the pie.

Their new shop on Daming Road had been messed with before, hadn’t it? Luckily, Boss Chen was there and handled it beautifully.

Over the past year, business continued to flourish, and they recently opened another new shop.

They had also encountered some trouble, like local thugs showing up at the new shop opening to demand protection money; Zhang Linsheng had dealt with all of them.

Brother Haonan had stepped in twice, beating down some insignificant punks.

But so far, they had only encountered small fry.

If they really encountered someone with actual power, Brother Haonan probably wouldn’t be enough.

If someone of Li Qingshan’s caliber were to target their auto shop business...

Brother Lei had actually worried about this. After thinking it over and over, he could only helplessly conclude that if it really came to that, they would probably have to make painful concessions to appease them.

"So, you’re really not a ghost?" Zhu Dazhi was still sizing Chen Nuo up with wide eyes.

Chen Nuo slapped him on the forehead. "When you see me, call me Boss or Senior Brother! What’s with all this ’ghost’ talk? Getting cocky, are you?"

Zhu Dazhi tilted his head, frowning in thought. "It’s not my fault... Brother-in-law said you were most likely... gone... as in, dead."

Brother Lei, standing nearby, shuddered. "When the hell did I ever say such a thing?!"

Zhu Dazhi’s eyes widened. "HOLY SHIT! Brother-in-law! Just a few days ago, you were the one dragging me to offer incense for the boss, asking his spirit in heaven to bless us!"

Brother Lei: "..."

Zhu Dazhi continued, "And during the Ghost Festival, you even put out a bowl and chopsticks on the table, made me buy a pig’s head and a bottle of Maotai as offerings for the boss!

And the goddamn tin foil for folding spirit money? I was the one who rode out to buy it! Didn’t you and my sister spend the whole afternoon folding it?"

HOLY SHIT!

Brother Lei’s vision went dark. Only two words echoed in his mind: I’m screwed!

Brother Lei’s face turned pale with anger. Trembling, he glared at Zhu Dazhi, then looked guiltily at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo, however, didn’t look angry at all. He smiled and patted Brother Lei’s shoulder.

"It’s alright, Brother Lei. I understand. I don’t mind.

I was missing for a year—no sign of me, no body, completely out of touch. Anyone would have assumed I was dead.

My family, including my mom, didn’t say it out loud, but deep down, they thought so too.

The fact that you had the heart to still think of me, to offer incense and burn spirit money for me...

That’s true brotherhood!"

In fact, on the night he returned, after talking with Ou Xiuhua, Chen Nuo already knew how Brother Lei, Lin Sheng, Luo Qing, and the others had taken care of his family during the year he was missing.

Seeing that Chen Nuo genuinely didn’t mind, Brother Lei breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wry smile, "I... actually had someone make a memorial tablet for you... I’ll go chop it up and burn it in a bit. Damn, what bad luck."

"HAHAHA!" Chen Nuo laughed. "By the way, I just sent Lin Sheng a text. He should be here any minute."

The words had barely left his mouth when the deafening roar of a motorcycle engine sounded from outside.

Zhang Linsheng arrived on Brother Lei’s old motorcycle, rushing furiously to the auto shop entrance. He jumped off as soon as it stopped, not even bothering that the unstabilized motorcycle toppled over onto the roadside behind him, and charged into the shop in a few large strides.

Zhang Linsheng had a black motorcycle helmet on his head...

But as for his clothes, he was wearing a tight tank top and a pair of shorts—and to top it off, he was barefoot.

He clearly looked like he’d received the text while in bed and had rushed out without a second thought for anything else.

Standing in the doorway, Zhang Linsheng took off his helmet and stared intently at Chen Nuo for several seconds. Then, he tossed the helmet aside, strode over, and forcefully hugged Chen Nuo.

"DAMN IT! For this whole year, I really thought you were dead..."

Chen Nuo’s heart also warmed. He patted Zhang Linsheng’s back firmly. "I know... I heard from my mom that you wanted to acknowledge her as your godmother and Xiao Yezi as your godsister, and even talked about holding a formal ceremony."

Zhang Linsheng sighed. "Your mom refused. She said her fortune wasn’t good and she was afraid of jinxing me, so she wouldn’t agree to take me as her godson no matter what."

He looked around the shop; only Brother Lei and Zhu Dazhi were there.

"I’ve already called the staff. We’re closing for inventory today, no business! Just one thing on the agenda today: a welcome-back feast for Boss Chen!" Brother Lei grinned broadly.

"Great!" Zhang Linsheng said immediately. "I left home in such a hurry, damn it, I didn’t even bring my phone. Let me use your phone. I’ll tell Xia Xia to close her shop too. No business today."

After a pause, Zhang Linsheng asked, "Where’s Luo Qing? You did call him, right?"

Chen Nuo shook his head. "I did. I messaged him right after I messaged you. He should be here any minute."

Over this past year, Young Master Luo hadn’t actually been idle either.

Although he got into a less-than-prestigious university, Young Master Luo had actually already begun preparing to take over Boss Luo’s business.

Moreover, after Chen Nuo disappeared, Young Master Luo had actually grown closer to Zhang Linsheng, Brother Lei, and the others.

The auto business had scouted two new locations. During the process of acquiring these shops, Young Master Luo had contributed significantly and helped out a lot.

One was handling the property transfer procedures. Luo Dachan was in real estate, so with Luo Qing stepping in to help, things went much more smoothly.

Another shop had some disputes over its property rights. It was Luo Qing again who asked his father to help resolve the matter, which then allowed Brother Lei and the others to purchase it smoothly.

Ou Xiuhua had told Chen Nuo about all these things on the night he returned.

Zhang Linsheng paced back and forth a couple of times, then said to Zhu Dazhi, "Junior Brother, go find me a pair of shoes from the back."

"Where are your shoes? You didn’t really come all the way from home barefoot, did you?"

"Nonsense! I was wearing slippers. I was riding so fast on the way here that they flew off."

Zhu Dazhi laughed heartily and ran to the back. He found a pair of shoes and even a set of his own clean clothes for Zhang Linsheng to put on.

After waiting a few more minutes, Luo Qing still hadn’t arrived. Brother Lei scratched his head. "HOLY SHIT, Young Master Luo doesn’t live that far away, does he?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then picked up his phone and made a call. The call connected, but it was the Luo family’s housekeeper who answered. She said Luo Qing had rushed out in his car a while ago and had left his phone at home.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and decided the four of them should split into two groups and head towards opposite ends of Tangzi Street to find him.

As a result, Chen Nuo and Zhang Linsheng headed east. Just as they reached the intersection, they saw a black Audi parked by the roadside with a traffic police officer standing beside it.

Young Master Luo Qing was standing in front of the traffic officer, assiduously bowing and scraping with his rear end stuck out.

「A few minutes later...」

In a Cantonese-style dim sum restaurant, the five of them were seated around a table.

Luo Qing had a woeful look on his face. "Damn it... I didn’t bring my phone, or my driver’s license and vehicle registration!

And Bald Lei, you never fucking told me that the road next to your place is a one-way street!!"

"It’s not one-way during the daytime. It’s only restricted during the morning and evening rush hours," Brother Lei explained, trying to suppress his laughter.

"Alright, just my bad luck." Luo Qing waved his hand dismissively. This wasn’t a big deal for him; he had already asked his family to take care of it.

Whether it meant points deducted from his license or a fine, it would be handled. It was just that his car was temporarily impounded.

After drinking a cup of Tieguanyin tea, the group polished off a steamer basket of chicken feet, a basket of char siu bao, and a basket of shrimp dumplings.

Chen Nuo had actually been full since eating the pan-fried buns that morning, so he was just having a few more bites to accompany everyone.

After they smoked a couple more cigarettes, Brother Lei suddenly put down his teacup. From a leather bag he had brought with him, he took out a ledger and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Chen Nuo.

"This is the auto shop’s account book for the entire past year! Take it back and have a look."

Chen Nuo glanced at it. "Look at shit."

He tossed it right back.

Chen Nuo stood up, picked up the teapot from the table, and filled the teacups in front of Zhang Linsheng, Brother Lei, Luo Qing, and Zhu Dazhi.

"It’s too early in the morning for alcohol, so let’s use tea instead. I want to thank my four brothers for taking care of my family this past year."

Chen Nuo said this, drained the tea from his cup, and then his gaze swept over the four men.

"Lin Sheng, Luo Qing, we’re classmates. No need for too many words. After all this time, we all understand each other.

Dazhi... ah, forget it. I won’t waste my breath on you; it’s not like you’d use your brain anyway. You’re my Junior Brother, and you’re family too.

And finally... Brother Lei!"

Chen Nuo sighed. "Showing me the account book... that’s like you’re insulting me, Brother Lei."

He slowly poured Brother Lei another cup of tea. "Whatever you thought in the past, let’s not talk about it.

From now on, I’m not your boss, or whatever else you called me.

Remember, from today onwards, we are brothers!"

Brother Lei stared at the teacup before him, dazed for a moment.

Then, this fierce-looking bald man solemnly picked up his cup and, without a word, drank the tea.

A smile spread across Chen Nuo’s face. "That’s right."

After a pause, Chen Nuo said slowly, "Now that I’m back, I won’t let myself get into risky situations again.

I’m truly grateful for all of you taking care of my family while I was gone, and I’ll definitely keep that in mind!

However, there’s something else that’s come up, and I’ll have to trouble you all again, especially you, Brother Lei."

"Huh?" Brother Lei was momentarily stunned, then immediately said, "Alright, just tell me. Whatever it is, I’ll definitely get it done for you."

"Actually, it’s nothing major. I just need to go out of town again for a bit."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone froze.

"Going out of town again?" Zhang Linsheng exclaimed.

"Don’t worry. This time, I’m not going on an adventure, nor am I doing anything dangerous.

I’m going to take care of some personal business. I’ll only be gone for a few days and then I’ll be back.

It’s really just a small personal matter; there won’t be any danger."

Well... at most, I’ll just get my legs broken.

Chen Nuo added silently to himself.

"Where are you going?"

"To Britain."

「」

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