“Gu Fei.”
Gu Fei turned around at the sound of his name, just as the passerby shook their head and said they hadn’t seen the cat.
Lin Hening walked up to him. “Are you… delivering food?”
Gu Fei replied, “I came here to restock supplies.”
Lin Hening nodded.
Awkward silence.
Lin Hening smiled. “Thanks for helping me look for my cat, Boss Gu.”
“No big deal,” Gu Fei replied casually. But then, in a more serious tone, he added, “You don’t look too well. Still not over your cold?”
No cold could disappear completely in a day.
But the real reason he looked bad wasn’t the cold. Lin Hening took a deep breath, not wanting to talk about it. “Maybe.”
Gu Fei asked, “Have you eaten?”
Lin Hening almost laughed. Every interaction he had with Gu Fei always seemed to revolve around food.
Typical restaurant owner—his go-to question was always, “Have you eaten?”
Lin Hening said, “No, I don’t really have an appetite.”
He glanced at the various restaurants lining the street and asked, “Have you eaten? If not, want to grab something? It’s cold—I feel like having hot pot.”
………………………………………….
Lin Hening stared at the menu for a long time, wanting everything. Finally, he peeked over the top of the menu at Gu Fei. “How much can you eat?”
Gu Fei said, “Order whatever you want.”
Perfect!
Lin Hening no longer had to worry about picking favorites—he ordered every dish he liked and wanted to try.
Since both he and Xia Zhile didn’t eat much, they could never order a variety of dishes when eating out. It was always frustrating.
While Lin Hening handled all the ordering, when the server asked about the soup base, Gu Fei suddenly spoke up. “Clear broth.”
Lin Hening immediately protested. “Hey, a hot pot without spicy broth is incomplete!”
Gu Fei, exuding a quiet authority, replied, “You had a 40-degree fever yesterday. Eat light.”
Lin Hening wanted to take care of his health, so fine—clear broth it was!
But at least he could have two bottles of ice-cold beer, right? A hot pot without beer was also incomplete!
Gu Fei frowned. “Antibiotics and alcohol? You’ll be hearing suona music at your funeral all night.”
Lin Hening: “……”
He hadn’t taken antibiotics today—only herbal medicine.
Fine. Alcohol was bad for the liver anyway.
When the hot pot started bubbling, Lin Hening dug in.
Eating with someone who had a big appetite was truly satisfying. With so many different dishes on the table, he could try a bit of everything without worrying about food going to waste—Gu Fei could polish off everything effortlessly.
And Gu Fei’s appetite? Absolutely matched his size!
When the hand-pulled noodles were ready, Gu Fei demonstrated what it meant to truly slurp noodles with gusto. Lin Hening stared, mesmerized, his own appetite reignited. He had been ready to put his chopsticks down, but now he went for an extra half-bowl of noodles.
No doubt about it—Boss Gu had serious potential as a mukbang (food-eating stream) host.
He ate heartily, but not sloppily. It was clear he was hungry, enjoying the meal, and truly savoring it. Watching Gu Fei eat was oddly satisfying.
The best way to respect food? Finish it all!
Lin Hening was stuffed. Perfect timing—he could walk around to digest while continuing the search for his cat.
Gu Fei suggested, “You could try the scissor method.”
Lin Hening had heard a bit about it and smiled. “I believe in science.”
“The end of science is metaphysics,” Gu Fei also smiled briefly before becoming serious. “The golden window for finding a lost cat is 72 hours. During this time, they usually don’t wander far and tend to stay near home.”
Lin Hening said, “I know, but it’s nowhere to be found. Maybe someone took it in, or maybe it fell head over heels for a little female cat and ran off with her.”
As they reached the entrance of the neighborhood, Gu Fei stopped and said, “You’re still not fully recovered from your cold. Don’t search for too long.”
Lin Hening nodded in response.
Gu Fei said, “Prosecutor Lin.”
“Hmm?”
Gu Fei hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “Don’t forget to take your medicine when you get home.”
Lin Hening waved him off. “Got it, you’re so naggy.”
“Prosecutor Lin.”
“What now?”
“Drink plenty of warm water, and if you don’t mind the trouble, make some ginger tea to ward off the cold.” Gu Fei paused before adding, “Isn’t your boyfriend a doctor? He should be taking good care of you.”
Lin Hening was lost in thought for a moment. To be honest, he had never really benefited from dating a doctor.
Every time he got sick, Xia Zhile was too busy. By the time Xia Zhile was free, Lin Hening had already recovered. Besides, Lin Hening wasn’t the type to whine for his boyfriend’s attention just because he felt a little under the weather.
“How are things between you two lately?”
It took Lin Hening several seconds to realize that by “you two,” Gu Fei meant him and Xia Zhile.
As always, Lin Hening didn’t like discussing personal matters with people he wasn’t close to. Although he and Gu Fei had known each other for a while and could be considered friends, there was still a difference between casual acquaintances and close confidants. Clearly, Gu Fei wasn’t at the level where Lin Hening would pour his heart out.
More importantly, things between him and Xia Zhile weren’t going well right now.
After Gu Fei had witnessed that whole “love triangle” incident, and with tensions rising between him and Xia Zhile lately, being asked about their relationship so directly made Lin Hening feel embarrassed and irritated, like someone had just hit a sore spot.
It was that kind of annoyance that screamed, Why are you prying? What does this have to do with you? Why are you so nosy? Are you deliberately trying to see me embarrassed?
Of course, he knew his annoyance stemmed from his own guilt. Lin Hening was a rational person—just because he was in a bad mood didn’t mean he would take it out on others. Plus, he could tell that Gu Fei’s question wasn’t ill-intentioned—it was just concern.
So, Lin Hening forced a smile and casually replied, “We’re doing fine. Why?”
“Lin Hening!”
Just as Gu Fei was about to respond, he closed his mouth. Both he and Lin Hening turned their heads at the same time.
A Mercedes had pulled up by the roadside, and Xia Zhile stormed out of the car, looking furious.
While still in the car, Xia Zhile had spotted Lin Hening walking and chatting with a tall, imposing man from a distance.
The guy looked familiar. Then it hit him—he was the driver who had hit Lin Hening before. What was his name? Some kind of bandit? A thug?
As Xia Zhile unbuckled his seatbelt, he saw the two of them stop, still talking. Lin Hening was clearly about to leave, but the man looked reluctant.
He threw off his seatbelt, yanked open the car door, and stormed straight toward them!
He looked at Lin Hening first, then glared at Gu Fei.
Gu Fei met Xia Zhile’s burning gaze directly, without a hint of avoidance.
Xia Zhile wanted to glare back, but the man’s sharp, rugged features made him nervous. He suddenly remembered how Gu Fei had single-handedly subdued Wang Tu that night, using just one arm to render him completely powerless. A chill ran down Xia Zhile’s spine, his legs feeling weak—he didn’t dare to keep staring.
The big doctor surrendered. Gu Fei retracted his gaze as well and said to Lin Hening, “I’m heading off.”
Gu Fei hopped onto his beloved little motorcycle and sped away.
Xia Zhile immediately turned to Lin Hening and interrogated, “What were you two talking about?”
Lin Hening’s eyes briefly rested on Xia Zhile’s face before drifting away indifferently. “About the cat. He suggested some mystical method called the ‘Scissors Technique.'”
Unexpectedly, Xia Zhile jumped up in fury. “How could you talk to him about our Kewpie Mayo?!”
Lin Hening: “???”
Xia Zhile raged, “That’s our cat! What does he have to do with it? How could you just casually tell an outsider about Kewpie?!”
Lin Hening: “???”
Huh?
What was wrong with Xia Zhile? Had he lost his mind?
Lin Hening said, “If I don’t ask others, who should I ask? The birds in the sky to see if they’ve spotted our cat? Or the mice on the ground if they’ve seen their mortal enemy?”
Xia Zhile got even more worked up. “Don’t change the subject! That’s not what I meant!”
Lin Hening found him utterly unreasonable. “Then what do you mean?”
Xia Zhile’s eyes were turning red with frustration. Irrationally, he shouted, “You can tell other people, but you can’t tell him!”
Lin Hening: “…”
“You’re seriously ill.”
Xia Zhile continued his outburst, “I thought you were looking for Qiu Bi, so I rushed over after work to help you search. But look at you—chatting leisurely here with that Gu guy!”
He paused suddenly, as if realizing something. Stepping closer to Lin Hening, he sniffed the air carefully. A strong aroma of sesame paste, along with the unmistakable scent of chili oil—the kind that lingers even if you don’t eat—hit his nose. “Did you have hotpot? With that Gu guy?”
Lin Hening finally understood what kind of tantrum Xia Zhile was throwing.
Was this… catching a cheater?
He could hardly hold back his laughter. Who was the one saying not to jump to conclusions? Who was the one preaching about needing evidence before making accusations?
It hadn’t even been three days since Dr. Xia righteously declared those words!
So now, just having hotpot with Gu Fei made him unclean? Then what about all the meals you’ve had with that little flirt? Did I ever investigate you? Did I ever interfere?
What a double standard.
Xia Zhile stared at him in shock, eyes widening with rage. “Lin Hening, do you even have a heart? Qiu Bi has been missing for two days, and you still have the mood to eat hotpot? And with that Gu guy?!”
Lin Hening remained unexpectedly calm. “What do you expect me to do? Search for the cat while crying my eyes out, munching on cold steamed buns?”
Xia Zhile was furious at his nonchalant attitude. “You’re the one who lost Qiu Bi! And now you’re acting like you’re in the right?”
For a moment, Lin Hening felt like he had stepped into the pediatric ward of a hospital. A mother, exhausted beyond belief, was cradling her sick child with heartache. Meanwhile, the usually uninvolved father suddenly turned into the perfect parent, pointing fingers: “What were you even doing? You can’t even take care of a child properly?”
Ha.
Haha.
Hahaha.
Lin Hening turned on his heel and walked away.
Xia Zhile yelled after him, “Where are you going?”
“Home!”
“Home? What about Qiu Bi?” Xia Zhile followed closely, his voice still seething with anger. “No wonder your attitude toward me has been so bad lately—so impatient, so cold. Turns out it’s all because of that Gu guy, huh?”
“You’re never this careless! And now you ‘forgot’ to close the door and let the cat run away? I bet you were thinking about Gu Fei, that’s why you got distracted and left the door open! An Nian even told me to come and apologize to you, to coax you—ha, why would I? You already have someone to comfort you, don’t you?”
Lin Hening: “…”
What was that saying again? Oh, right—jealousy makes people unrecognizable.
The ever-gentle, well-mannered, and handsome Dr. Xia now looked downright vicious, his face red with anger, veins popping. Where was that refined and respectable social elite now?
Lin Hening couldn’t help but question himself—was he just as ugly when he used to interrogate Xia Zhile about An Nian?
The thought sent a chill down his spine. He suddenly felt regretful. His prized good looks, his temperament, his composure—none of it could be tainted by these two idiots.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Hening exhaled slowly. “When we found Qiu Bi, you said he was a witness sent by Cupid. But now that he’s gone…”
Xia Zhile, still seething with anger, was suddenly struck speechless as if someone had smacked him over the head.
