Chapter 723 — There's Official Business to Discuss

"I... I really did pin it..." The boss's heart went cold. Had he been exposed just like that? How was he supposed to do business after this?

"I don't care whether you pinned it or not—just give me my money back, now! I've spent thirty yuan at your stall. Hand it over!" The young man was growing impatient; he no longer wanted to hear the boss's explanations.

"Fine, fine, I'll refund you right now..." The boss wanted to smooth things over. After all, how could he possibly stand up to a fitness instructor?

"We want refunds too! Give us our money back—I played here yesterday..."

"And me—I played here the day before yesterday..."

"I played here half a year ago. Refund me too..."

The boss collapsed on the spot, foam frothing at his mouth. His cash box was cleaned out by the crowd, and those who hadn't grabbed any money started grabbing his plush toys and prizes. In an instant, nothing was left of the stall...

When the boss came to, he found he had nothing left at all! But who could he blame? Who told him to run his business without a shred of honesty?

Wei Zhao, of course, had no idea how badly the boss had fared after he left—and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. What did it have to do with him? By now Wei Zhao had accompanied the young lady and Little Shu to the fried mushroom stall.

"This kind of stuff isn't healthy. You'd best not eat it..." Seeing Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu eating with such relish, Tang Zhi could not help but speak up in warning: "If you want to eat it, you can make it yourselves at home."

"That's right—Arrowbrand Bro, can you make fried mushrooms?" Shen Yushu thought it over and agreed. Food from outside was never clean; who knew whether the mushrooms had been washed, or whether the oil was gutter oil?

"I should be able to..." Wei Zhao had watched the boss prepare them once, and that was enough for him to learn.

"Then from now on you can make them for us, and we won't come out to eat them anymore!" Shen Yushu was overjoyed. At last she could enjoy delicious fried mushrooms at home.

Tang Zhi rubbed her smooth forehead, somewhat annoyed at herself. She really had gone looking for trouble where there was none—she had only made more work for Wei Zhao!

Now that she knew Wei Zhao could make fried mushrooms, Shen Yushu had no desire to keep eating. If she could have them every day from now on, there was no need to stuff herself sick in one sitting.

After finishing the fried mushrooms, Wei Zhao saw that it was about time, and offered to take Tang Zhi back to the hospital.

With the young lady and Shen Yushu present, Wei Zhao could hardly do anything with Tang Zhi; the four of them together made things a little awkward.

Tang Zhi naturally felt much the same as Wei Zhao, so upon hearing his suggestion, she agreed.

Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu were, after all, following Wei Zhao's lead. They had returned home loaded with spoils today, their haul quite plentiful, and they no longer wished to keep shopping. They had school tomorrow; if they slept too late, they wouldn't be able to get up.

……………………

Chen Yuxuan and Qiu Lingshan left An Liwen's hospital room. Qiu Lingshan frowned: "That friend of yours is a little strange. There seems to be something more behind his kidney being cut out..."

"I hadn't been in touch with him for many years either. If I hadn't come back this time on business, I wouldn't have contacted him at all." Chen Yuxuan shook his head. "Still, the An family's strength has not been weak these past years—they've quietly become the most formidable of the Five Minor Houses..."

"They just built their fortune on crooked, unorthodox means. Sooner or later, someone will deal with them!" Qiu Lingshan said flatly.

"Heh heh, how about we grab a meal together—do you have time?" Once out of the hospital, Chen Yuxuan asked Qiu Lingshan.

"No. I have a lot of cases, and I don't want to waste time." Qiu Lingshan turned down Chen Yuxuan's offer outright. "Besides, I'm in uniform and would have to change—too much trouble."

"Actually, I came to see you because there's official business to discuss as well." This time Chen Yuxuan was full of confidence. He had come to Songshan City on assignment, originally to carry out a confidential mission, but because one part of it required cooperation with the local police, Chen Yuxuan had reported to his superiors and was now preparing to make contact with Qiu Lingshan.

Still, when it came to making contact, procedure dictated that Chen Yuxuan first touch base with the local police chief. But he had already given Yang Huaijun advance notice, and since Qiu Lingshan was the head of the Criminal Investigation Unit and happened to be in charge of this matter, it made for a perfectly legitimate reason.

"Official business?" Qiu Lingshan was slightly taken aback. "If it's official business, then let's talk in my office. Forget about dinner."

"It's about dinnertime now. Surely we can't discuss matters on empty stomachs?" Chen Yuxuan said with a bitter smile.

"Fine, then. We'll just have two fast-food meals," Qiu Lingshan said flatly. "There's a cafeteria here in the hospital."

"All right..." Chen Yuxuan had no choice. Fast food, at least, still counted as eating together, though any hint of romance was certainly out of the question.

The two of them went to the hospital cafeteria. Although Qiu Lingshan was in police uniform and Chen Yuxuan in his armed police uniform, no one paid them much attention, since many officers from the police bureau had been stationed at the hospital lately and it was perfectly normal to eat work meals in the cafeteria.

Chen Yuxuan wanted to reserve a private room and order a few dishes, but Qiu Lingshan simply bought two fast-food meals, so decisive that she left Chen Yuxuan no room to object. He could only smile bitterly.

"If there's something on your mind, just say it." Qiu Lingshan found a quiet corner with few people, set the fast food on the table, glanced at Chen Yuxuan, and asked, "If you're here to see me about official business, you should have contacted my supervising chief first."

"I've already given Yang Huaijun advance notice," Chen Yuxuan said, naturally not about to give Qiu Lingshan any excuse to refuse him.

"Very well, Major Chen. Is there anything you need us to assist with?" Qiu Lingshan nodded and asked.

Hearing her tone, Chen Yuxuan felt rather helpless. Could Qiu Lingshan not speak to him as she would a friend?

"While on border patrol, we discovered a cultural-relic smuggling ring. They exchanged heavy fire with us while crossing the border. The ringleaders are the infamous husband-and-wife pair of thieves from the black market in antiquities." Chen Yuxuan briefly explained how it had begun.

"That should mean cooperating with the local police and cultural-relic authorities, not with the Songshan police, shouldn't it?" Qiu Lingshan had of course heard of this "husband-and-wife duo of thieves"—a notorious gang of tomb robbers led by a man and a woman, hence the name.

In fact, wanted notices for the husband-and-wife thieves had long since been issued, but no one knew their true faces. The two always wore masks, no matter the occasion, so their real identities remained a mystery.

"In theory, yes. But we found a work notebook on the husband-and-wife thieves." Chen Yuxuan lowered his voice. "It records the plan for their next operation..."