Chapter 6
As dinnertime rolled around, customers trickled into the shop. Zhou Zhou excitedly got to work—serving dishes, wiping tables, and greeting customers. Meanwhile, the food delivery app kept buzzing with new orders. It wasn’t until past 8 p.m. that things finally slowed down. Just as Zhou Zhou was about to take a sip of water, another order came in.
“A large portion of braised chicken rice, delivered to the orthopedic ward nurse’s station on the third floor of XX Hospital.”
Gu Fei paused for a moment.
The kitchen staff responded, “Got it. Any dietary restrictions?”
Gu Fei lifted the curtain and walked into the kitchen, grabbing an apron from the rack. As he tied it on, he took the chef’s knife straight from the cook’s hands. “I’ll make this one.”
Jian Xiaoxi had barely posted his WeChat update—“Getting off work on time, long live world peace!”—when he made a beeline for the hospital to visit his buddy.
He peeled a banana from the fruit basket and handed it to Lin Hening while chatting about random things. Eventually, the conversation naturally drifted toward Xia Zhile.
Lin Hening left out the ridiculous “what’s the police even good for” rant to spare his friend the frustration. Instead, he just gave a simple summary of An Nian’s situation.
Jian Xiaoxi scoffed, “What’s he even looking for Xia Zhile for? Shouldn’t he just call the police? And then get a lawyer?”
Ah, but you don’t get it. No cop or lawyer is as comforting as a high school senior’s embrace.
Sure, reporting to the police and hiring a lawyer is necessary, but Xia Zhile is an irreplaceable part of the plan.
Lin Hening finished his banana and handed another one to Jian Xiaoxi. “Peel it.”
Jian Xiaoxi rolled his eyes but did as he was told. “What’s his boyfriend’s name? I’ll have someone look into it.”
Lin Hening only gave the pen name, and sure enough, Jian Xiaoxi’s face showed the same heartbroken expression as a fan discovering their favorite celebrity was a fraud.
Five minutes later, after making some calls, Jian Xiaoxi reported back, “No police records. No criminal history.”
Lin Hening wasn’t surprised. After all, he had also suggested reporting to the police, but Xia Zhile’s response was—
“An Nian is too soft-hearted. He thinks that exposing a big-shot writer like that would ruin his career.”
Jian Xiaoxi: “…”
Honestly, it’s not about protecting the writer’s reputation—it’s about the publishing house seeing him as their golden goose and sacrificing An Nian to keep their cash cow happy.
Lin Hening’s stomach growled with hunger, and his blood sugar was dropping fast. He had no energy left to worry about this mess. “Whose food delivery did you order for me? Why isn’t it here yet?”
An hour ago, as he was torn between pizza and sushi, Jian Xiaoxi had snatched his phone, promising a surprise.
Lin Hening didn’t mind the mystery. At worst, it couldn’t be worse than hospital food.
The delivery still hadn’t arrived, but Jian Xiaoxi finally revealed the secret. It was from a restaurant that their squad had recently become obsessed with—first discovered by his partner and then hyped up to the entire criminal investigation team. He’d eaten there a few times himself, and the food was amazing. Best part? Everything was made fresh, with real ingredients—not pre-packaged junk.
Lin Hening ignored the sales pitch and focused on the crucial detail. “Wait… this place is near your precinct?”
“Yeah! It’s like 20 kilometers from here. I was worried they wouldn’t deliver this far. But good food is worth the wait!”
Lin Hening: “…”
This meal better be worth it, or he was going to raise hell.
Just then, a nurse knocked on the door, bringing in the long-awaited food delivery that had traveled all the way from the city center to this tiny town hospital.
The insulation was top-notch—the box was still hot. He opened the “blind box” and found… braised chicken rice?!
For some reason, he felt like fate was at play.
The presentation wasn’t fancy—no Instagram filters here. But the smell? Absolutely mouthwatering. The chicken portion was insanely generous, with massive chunks of meat. It took him several scoops to even reach the white rice buried underneath.
“Damn, how’d you get so much meat?” Jian Xiaoxi was stunned. The owner was known for big portions, but this was almost double the usual serving.
Even more surprising, aside from the chicken rice, there was also an egg drop soup and a plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots.
“Damn, the owner really hooked you up. Must be ’cause you’re a new customer!”
The food was too good to be true. Lin Hening quickly took a bite—and was instantly transported. The rice was fragrant and perfectly cooked. The chicken was rich with savory sauce, tender and flavorful. The mix of green peppers and mushrooms added layers of taste. Every bite was a perfect blend of sauce and rice—so good it was almost spiritual.
He flipped the receipt over, deciding that this hidden gem would be his personal kitchen from now on.
Xinghua Restaurant.
And then—he choked.
Jian Xiaoxi quickly handed him some soup. “Dude, chill! It’s just food!”
Lin Hening finally swallowed and pointed at the receipt. “You know who owns this place?”
“Ha! Do you know them? Great! Next time, introduce me to the owner. Think I can get an employee discount?”
Lin Hening: “The owner is Gu Fei.”
Jian Xiaoxi: “???”
He showed him the WeChat post.
Jian Xiaoxi: “!!!”
Jian Xiaoxi understood now. “So because you’re his creditor, he gave you extra meat and free dishes.”
Lin Hening thought, Not necessary, man. Business is business.
His delivery app nickname was “Rice Warrior,” and the drop-off location was the orthopedic ward nurse’s station.
Maybe Gu Fei didn’t even realize that Lin Hening was the one who ordered the food. His restaurant was always swamped with orders—who had time to carefully check each customer and play favorites?
Lin Hening, now fueled by two bananas, shockingly finished the entire meal. Then, he tapped into the platform and left a glowing five-star review.
After personally delivering the food to the orthopedic ward nurse’s station, Gu Fei took the elevator up to the fifth floor—neurology.
The small hospital wasn’t exactly top-notch. The hallways were noisy, the walls were peeling from years of neglect, and an elderly man was absentmindedly scratching at the paint chips, only to get scolded by both the head nurse and a cleaning lady.
Gu Fei stepped into the ward. A family member near the door greeted him with a warm smile.
“Xiao Gu, you’re here again.”
Then, he turned back to his task—feeding his wife, who had Parkinson’s.
Gu Fei made his way to the last bed in the corner. The woman dozing off at the bedside just happened to wake up, glancing at the clock before speaking groggily:
“It’s so late already. Why did you still come?”
Gu Fei lifted the water kettle, confirming it was nearly empty. His voice softened.
“Go home and rest. I’ll stay tonight.”
Xu Fenli sat up and said, “It’s fine, I’ll stay here. You’ve been keeping watch the past two nights—go home and get some rest.”
Gu Fei glanced at the man on the hospital bed and replied, “If he needs to get up at night, you won’t be able to help him alone. I got plenty of sleep during the day. But you—look at those dark circles.”
Xu Fenli instinctively rubbed her eyes. Dark circles were the least of her worries. She looked utterly exhausted—her hair, dyed just a month ago, was already showing white strands at the roots. When she was younger, her hands had been rough and calloused from work, but in the past two years, Gu Fei had refused to let her do anything, taking over every task himself. With time and care, her hands had finally softened.
One of them sat at the foot of the bed, the other in the companion chair. They exchanged a few quiet words but didn’t speak much.
Gu Dalei was snoring, his thunderous breathing living up to his name. If he woke up, all hell would break loose.
Gu Fei grabbed the empty thermos and stepped out of the room. Xu Fenli followed him and called out, “Xiao Fei.”
Gu Fei turned around. “What is it, Mom?”
Xu Fenli’s lips quivered slightly, her expression stiff for a brief moment.
Gu Fei looked at her in confusion. She forced a thin, brittle smile, her eyes filled with affection, as if she wanted to say something but swallowed it back.
Gu Fei waited, but when she hesitated, he didn’t push. Instead, he changed the subject.
“I spoke to the doctor—he’ll need to stay at least half a month. I’ll hire a caregiver.”
Xu Fenli immediately waved her hands. “No, no, don’t waste money. I can handle it myself.”
Gu Fei’s voice turned cold. “You’ve taken care of him long enough.”
Xu Fenli bit her lip and lowered her head, murmuring, “…Don’t say that.”
Gu Fei dropped the argument. “Go home. I’ll get the hot water.”
“Xiao Fei…”
But Gu Fei was tall and had long legs—he’d already taken several steps away before she could finish. Xu Fenli hurried after him in her cloth slippers, hesitating before finally settling on a different question: “Is the restaurant busy?”
“Same as usual,” Gu Fei replied.
He’d specifically told Zhou Zhou not to mention the car accident to her, so Xu Fenli had no idea.
She nodded. “Take care of yourself. You don’t have to keep running back and forth. It’s a long trip.”
Gu Fei stood in line at the hot water station. The queue was long, so he waited a while before returning to the ward with a full thermos.
Gu Dalei was still snoring like a freight train.
Gu Fei insisted Xu Fenli go home to rest. She resisted but eventually gave in, glancing back every few steps as she left.
Once the ward lights were off, Gu Fei pulled out a foam mat from under the hospital bed, laid it flat, and neatly pieced it together.
Lying down fully clothed, he stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He rolled over, shut his eyes, and started counting sheep.
Suddenly, his phone chimed with a notification.
He unlocked the screen. It was a new review from the delivery platform.
User: “Rice Warrior”
Overall: 5.0
Taste: 5.0
Packaging: 5.0
Delivery Satisfaction: 5.0
Review:
[From the very first bite, I realized I’ve wasted decades of my life. I am guilty. I have wronged my stomach. I owe an apology to my lips, tongue, palate, molars, and every last taste bud in my mouth.]
Gu Fei: “…”
In the quiet of the hospital room, the cold white glow of his phone screen illuminated a rare sight—the subtle curve of Gu Fei’s lips.
