Zhang Xuan draped an arm over Zhou Heng’s shoulder.

“Look, I’ll handle the money and find the people too. We’ll just keep this situation under control for now. Given enough time, we might still find a way to sort it out.”

Lu Yile’s eyes lit up. He hurried over to Zhou Heng’s other side, slung an arm over his shoulder, and gave him a thumbs-up.

“He’s got a point. Think about it, Zhou Heng. What kind of person is Chu Ji? There’s no way he’d stay mad at a guy like you forever. If we can keep dragging this out, maybe Chu Ji will get bored and forget about you.”

His two best friends looked at Zhou Heng with complete sincerity.

Zhou Heng suddenly felt utterly aggrieved.

Since when did his two best friends have to take responsibility for the trouble he’d caused?

More importantly, even if he let his two best friends take responsibility, this mess still wasn’t in Zhou Heng’s hands. Their whole plan depended on Chu Ji being so high above them that he didn’t care much about lowlifes like them.

Whether they lived or died was up to their enemy—and now they were even taking comfort in the fact that their enemy looked down on them.

When you got right down to it, who the hell was Chu Ji? Why should Zhou Heng have to bend over backward to do everything he could just because Chu Ji said so, all for the sake of earning a single word of forgiveness from him?

Why, when the two sides faced off, did Zhou Heng have to put himself beneath Chu Ji’s feet and beg him, from a lowly position, to spare his life?

But the complaints only circled in his mind a few times before Zhou Heng suddenly smiled. He put on a casual air and said to his two best friends,

“I’ve already asked someone to get in touch with Chu Ji. If all goes well, this’ll be settled today. You don’t need to worry.”

His two best friends weren’t convinced.

“Seriously? Zhou Heng, aren’t you being a little too sure of yourself?”

“Zhou Heng, who exactly did you ask? Did they grow three heads or sprout six arms? How could they possibly handle someone like Chu Ji?”

Zhou Heng confidently thumped his chest.

“What, you don’t believe your big brother Zhou? I’m telling you, the person I found really does have three heads and six arms—a big shot with arms so mighty you could race a horse along them. Chu Ji’s just a kid compared to him.”

His two best friends were even less convinced.

“Hey, now I really want to know who this person is. Zhou Heng, tell me, and I’ll help you figure out whether they’re trustworthy.”

“Mm, Lu Yile’s got a point. Zhou Heng, who did you find? You look so confident that I’m worried someone’s scamming you. How about I go home and get the money ready, and find some people too? That way, if your contact still hasn’t gotten back to you by tomorrow, we’ll have a backup plan.”

The thing was, the more sincerely his two best friends showed their concern, the less Zhou Heng wanted to tell them about the matter he wasn’t at all sure of.

So Zhou Heng changed the subject and chatted with them about things like which restaurant they’d go to for a buffet once this was over, and which internet café they’d hit afterward to game all night.

There was always more to talk about, but the road had an end.

They parted near home. After walking a little farther, Zhou Heng’s smile finally faded. At last, the young man had a chance to sigh and let the worry show on his face.

Maybe it was because he’d just assured his best friends that everything was fine, but the frustration and discontent in Zhou Heng suddenly surged to the surface.

Unable to help himself, Zhou Heng pulled his phone from his pocket and opened Su Mo’s WeChat. (Before leaving, Zhou Heng and Su Mo had exchanged contact information and added each other on social media.)

Zhou Heng: You there?

Su Mo: ?

Zhou Heng: I—I just wanted to ask how confident you are about dealing with Chu Ji. Have you started yet? Is there anything I can do to help?

Su Mo didn’t reply.

Zhou Heng waited a while, then couldn’t help typing another message.

“Senior Su, are you there?”

Su Mo: Annoying.

Zhou Heng froze. His expression darkened even more.

But what could he do? He needed Su Mo’s help. He swallowed his discomfort and typed,

“Sorry to bother you.”

Zhou Heng put his phone back in his pocket and sighed all the way to his front door. Then he opened it.

The living room lights were on, and the background music and singing of Peking opera filled the room.

Zhou Heng shuddered. He quickly raised a hand and rubbed his face. When he lowered it, the troubled look was gone, replaced by his usual calm expression.

Zhou Heng walked into the living room.

His grandfather was stretched out on the sofa, watching TV with a beaming smile. He seemed to hear Zhou Heng’s footsteps and turned his head toward him.

“Grandson, I’ve made dinner. Wash the dishes after you eat.”

Zhou Heng gave him two thumbs-down.

“Grandpa, with your cooking, why didn’t you wait until I got home before making anything?”

His grandfather laughed and sheepishly scratched his head.

“Well, I learned a dish from your Grandma Wang. Ah, Grandma Wang’s cooking is incredible. That dish was so good I nearly swallowed my tongue. I thought, how could I not let my grandson try something that delicious? So I made it for you as soon as I got home.”

“As for how it turned out… well…”

The old man’s face began to turn red.

“It’s still edible, right? Don’t complain, grandson. Your grandpa made it with his own hands.”