Chapter 94: Without Breath, You Are Dead

Seeing Uncle Qiu once again cleaning up after him, Jiang Fan scratched the back of his head and joked, “Uncle, you’re practically my support crew now.”

Now that he had a place to stay, and Uncle Qiu had also settled Zhang Chuangeng’s living arrangements, Jiang Fan took the opportunity to say, “Don’t keep worrying about my business. Rest for a few days first.”

He didn’t have many connections of his own, and for the moment he couldn’t think where to send Zhang Chuangeng. Fortunately, the matter still needed a few more days to sort itself out, so there was no rush; he could slowly figure out the work situation later.

It was almost eleven, and Xiao Yuxin was probably already up. Jiang Fan carried the baby back to the fruit shop. Although he still hadn’t seen Wang Wenyu, he couldn’t help asking about her anyway.

Xiao Yuxin took the baby and said, “Look at your bloodshot eyes. Go home and sleep for a while. By the time you wake up, maybe Nizi will already be back.”

Jiang Fan shook his head. “I can’t sleep. The moment I get home and see her clothes, I get angry.”

Xiao Yuxin gave him a sidelong look and teased him mercilessly. “More like you see her clothes and start missing Nizi. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.

“Last night I was thinking about why Nizi hadn’t come back. Her elders are only friends of her father’s generation. Even if they knew about the two of you, they had no right to split up a pair of lovers, much less lock her up and act all tyrannical about it.

“So it’s obvious enough: Nizi just couldn’t refuse their hospitality and ended up staying a little longer. Stop imagining things and go back to sleep.”

After hearing that, Jiang Fan felt much better, and the strain on his face eased. “I still won’t be able to sleep if I go home. I’ll just wait for her here.”

“If not, why don’t you go upstairs and sleep in my room? Then you’ll hear it as soon as Nizi comes back.”

Jiang Fan shook his head. “If I sleep in your bed, people might misunderstand. Better not.”

Xiao Yuxin shot him a look. “I’m telling you to rest in bed for a while. Why do you have so much nonsense? What do you mean, sleeping in my bed? Say it like that, and people who don’t know any better would think we’re up to something indecent.”

Just as they were joking, a half-worn Santana pulled up in front of Huifeng Restaurant across the street and stopped. A man in camouflage fatigues, with a stiff, unsmiling manner, got out of the driver’s seat, opened the back door, and said softly, “Miss Wang, wake up. We’ve reached White Sand.”

Jiang Fan couldn’t hear the man’s words, but he saw Wang Wenyu slowly wake in the back seat, rub her eyes twice, and sit up as if about to get out.

Xiao Yuxin hurriedly held him back and reminded him, “That’s the man who brought Nizi back. You’d better not show your face just yet, or you’ll expose the whole thing.”

The weight on Jiang Fan’s heart finally settled. He pouted and watched the man murmur a few words to Wang Wenyu before leaving on foot.

By the time Wang Wenyu walked up to him, Jiang Fan sat there and said in a sour tone, “Well now, Miss Wang, you do know how to come back.”

Wang Wenyu smiled, put a hand on Jiang Fan’s shoulder, and was just about to explain when Xiao Yuxin cut in, pointing at Jiang Fan’s eyes and teasing, “Nizi, if you hadn’t come back soon, your man might really have gone and thrown himself into the sea. Ever since the day before yesterday, he’s been muttering about why you still hadn’t returned. By yesterday he’d turned into a mad dog, taking his frustration out on my fruit basket, and he still hasn’t slept. Look at those rabbit eyes of his.”

“There was nothing I could do. Uncle Liang wouldn’t let me leave and insisted I stay two more days. I only managed to sneak away today, and I was caught before they finally let me come back.”

Hearing that Jiang Fan had been thinking of her and staying awake all night, Wang Wenyu smiled and sat intimately on his lap, using that as her answer and her comfort.

With Wang Wenyu in his arms, Jiang Fan’s anger vanished at once. He even had the leisure to ask why the man hadn’t driven the car back.

Wang Wenyu explained, “The bureau arranged the car. I didn’t want to drive it myself, and my uncle was worried that it wouldn’t be safe for a young woman like me to take the bus alone, so he found a car for me to use. And when he found out I still don’t have a driver’s license, he even arranged for someone to bring me over.”

Xiao Yuxin laughed. “Then having a car really does make my trips to buy stock a lot easier.”

“Sis Xin, actually you could learn to drive yourself. I work, so it would be convenient for you to use the car too. In the next couple of days I’m going to ask Brother Tian to help me get my license, and I can help you get yours at the same time.”

“Fine, that settles it. I’ll learn right now.” Xiao Yuxin agreed at once, eager to get behind the wheel immediately.

Just then she spotted Brother Hui’s car slowly approaching. It looked as if he meant to stop at the fruit shop, so she quickly reminded Jiang Fan, “If Brother Hui comes by again, talk to him properly. Don’t go getting stubborn with him anymore.”

Brother Hui’s car really did stop. After getting out, he first greeted Xiao Yuxin, politely nodded to Wang Wenyu, and then joked with Jiang Fan, “So, has your anger cooled off yet?”

Jiang Fan smiled. “How do you know I was angry again? But my woman’s already back, so I’ve got no anger left.”

Brother Hui took the stool Xiao Yuxin handed him and sat down about a yard away from Jiang Fan. “If you had no anger left, you’d be dead. I’m asking whether you’ve stopped being angry with me over what happened that day.”

With outsiders present, Wang Wenyu was still a little shy. She got up from Jiang Fan’s lap and said to Xiao Yuxin, “Sis Xin, let that bad man hold the baby for a bit. I’ll take you for a stroll around the block so you can get familiar with the area too.”

Xiao Yuxin could see that Jiang Fan’s attitude toward Brother Hui had already softened, and Wang Wenyu did not want to talk to unfamiliar men either, so she was happy to use the excuse to step away.

She also wanted Jiang Fan and Brother Hui to build some connection, so she said, “He still isn’t very convenient using one hand, and he’s already helped me look after the baby all morning. You can send the baby over to Auntie’s place with me, and he can just keep an eye on the shop.”

After the two women left, Brother Hui handed Jiang Fan a cigarette and asked casually, “How are you planning to handle Lu Zai’s matter?”

Jiang Fan reached for the lighter to help him, but Brother Hui refused. He lit it himself, took a deep drag, and answered cautiously, “When I wanted them to handle it, they didn’t have the time. I’ve got something to take care of these next two days, so let’s talk after I’m done.”

Hearing such a flimsy excuse, Brother Hui guessed what was on his mind and smiled. He took a business card from his hand bag and handed it over. “If you need help, just say so.”

Seeing him again, Jiang Fan felt that Brother Hui’s friendliness toward him was quite natural, unlike the insincerity of the skinny one. He joked, “As long as you don’t tell people I’ve been selling rotten apples, that’s already a huge help.”

That one joke drew them a little closer again. Brother Hui took up the thread. “About that date I asked you for the other day that never happened—what about tonight?”

Jiang Fan pointed at his bloodshot eyes. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I need to rest a bit first. If I wake up early, I’ll call you. If I sleep too late, then it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Fair enough. Call me then.”

Brother Hui paused, then added, “Let me remind you of something. The one around Lu Zai called Ah Zhong is far more devious than the skinny one, and he’s vicious when he does things. When you deal with them, keep an eye on him.

“If anything unexpected happens, and you trust me, give me a call.”

Seeing that Brother Hui truly meant to help him, Jiang Fan said, “Thanks. If anything unexpected happens, I’ll definitely trouble you. By the way, do you want some fruit? I’ll give you a cheaper price as an apology for my rash behavior that day.”