Song Yan stood obediently at the door, holding the book.

Old Zeng scoffed, "Keep pretending. You're as docile as a kitten in front of people, but when you start acting up, you're capable of tearing the roof off."

Song Yan: "I know I was wrong. I'm sorry for letting you down."

Old Zeng: "Without your gun, Wei Aiguo wouldn't have gotten the second-class merit so easily!"

Song Yan looked at Lao Zeng in horror, "You know? It can't be... Didn't you say that no matter what, there wouldn't be any problems with that gun? You kept saying that even if you threw the gun on the street and someone picked it up, there wouldn't be any problems! You've caused trouble, haven't you?" Song Yan's face turned deathly pale.

Old Zeng opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. He had said something like that, and he even said that it was fine if she didn't pay him back.

“The criminal was about to kill me. I almost died at his hands. He had detonators strapped to his body, intending to take everyone down with him. I could make his detonators disappear… but how could I explain to others that the detonators had vanished into thin air… There were foreign journalists and many innocent spectators in the audience… I didn’t have time to think it through, I just… I just…” Song Yan’s eyes were filled with unconcealed terror.

Old Zeng couldn't bear it any longer, and his tone softened a bit, "You actually dared to bring a gun to J City!"

"That's not important." Song Yan

Isn't that important? Old Zeng wanted to yell at her again.

Before Lao Zeng could even yell, Song Yan spoke first, "Will it implicate your subordinates? Will it implicate you and Lao Han? How can I ensure that no one is implicated? Including Wei Aiguo and my parents."

It would be a lie to say Lao Zeng wasn't surprised. "You want to take this all on yourself?"

Song Yan: "I caused this mess, and I want to take responsibility for it all by myself, is that okay?"

Old Zeng saw no sign of retreat in Song Yan's eyes, and his heart, which had been feeling heavy and blocked for days, suddenly felt lighter.

Seeing that Song Yan's face was deathly pale, Old Zeng immediately said, "I'll cover for you in the trouble you've gotten yourself into."

Song Yan looked at Lao Zeng in surprise once again.

"I want to know why you brought a gun to J City. Have you thought about what you'd do if it were discovered during a search?" Old Zeng asked. This was a thorn in Old Zeng's side. If Song Yan were caught on the spot, would he still have a chance to shift the blame? If so, it would implicate everyone.

Song Yan remained silent for a moment. She felt that if she answered, Old Zeng would definitely not believe her. "I always carry important things with me at all times. I'm confident that no one can find them."

Sure enough, Old Zeng sighed after hearing her words. "You should go home soon."

“I’m telling the truth,” Song Yan added.

Song Yan stood still.

"Let's go!" Old Zeng said weakly.

Old Zeng said he'd help deflect the trouble, which sounds easy, but the reality is far from simple. Perhaps it was about his integrity and his reputation. The question he asked was something he really wanted to know, something very important to him.

Song Yan approached Old Zeng. "I can't explain why I hide things; it's very inexplicable."

Old Zeng didn't understand what Song Yan meant, but then he saw Song Yan pick up a teacup, and the teacup disappeared right in front of Old Zeng. Song Yan then picked up another teacup, and it disappeared again right in front of Old Zeng.

"Where did the things go?" Old Zeng was almost speechless with shock.

Song Yan picked up the wooden stool from the ground, and the stool disappeared instantly.

Song Yan: "I don't know how to explain it, but I just want things to be put away."

Old Zeng thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and rubbed them. "This, this, hide it," Old Zeng pointed to the bedding in the room. Then the item vanished before Old Zeng's eyes. "There really are demons in this world!"

"I'm not a fairy! I've just hidden everything away. If other people knew, they would really think I'm a fairy," Song Yan explained.

"Take the thing out and let me see it." Old Zeng felt his mouth trembling.

Old Zeng watched as the jar, stool, and bedding appeared out of thin air.

Old Zeng: "Who else knows this secret of yours?"

Song Yan's expression held a mixture of filial piety and remembrance. "There was also an old man who cared about me a lot, but he's no longer in this world."

"You can't let anyone know you have this skill. You just kept the gun hidden and then casually pulled it out again?" It's true that anything is possible in this world. But this is just too strange…

Old Du said he would try to persuade Old Zeng if he got angry, but he slipped away first. When Old Liao saw him come back, he immediately asked him why he had come out by himself. He said he had run away after seeing Old Zeng get angry.

It almost made Lao Liao furious.

Old Han got anxious too, "You're so unreliable. If you hadn't said that, I would have gone with the child."

Old Liao was furious: "What kind of people are these? What kind of people are these? Song Yan is terrible at judging people. He gave all the good food to good-for-nothings like you."

As Lao Liao spoke, he headed off.

“Old Zeng got angry, and I was a little scared. Then I forgot about what I promised Song Yan. Sigh, let me finish.” Old Du pulled Old Liao aside. “Let’s not go over there yet. Let Song Yan apologize first. Maybe Old Zeng is just a little upset and feels awkward. Let him say a few words, and maybe this matter will be over. Song Yan wasn’t without fault, was he?”

Old Liao reluctantly waited a while after Old Du's persuasion. But she wasn't willing to wait any longer...

Before Lao Zeng could even react in shock, Lao Liao burst in first, followed by Lao Du and Lao Han.

Old Liao: "Are you ever going to stop? Song Yan, just ignore him!"

Song Yan was pulled behind Lao Liao.

Because of his profession, Old Han was very attentive to people's expressions, and seeing how unpleasant Song Yan's face was, he became anxious. "Don't pay any attention to this old man, go back to sleep. If he dares to give you attitude again, or dares to kick you out again, I'll kick him out."

Old Du wanted to cover his face. These two were the least capable fighters. They acted like they were some kind of powerhouse. If Old Zeng wanted to fight, they'd be complete pushovers.

Old Zeng didn't care about Old Liao and the others' shouting at all. "You go back first, let me think about it."

Old Zeng also needs to process what he just saw.

Old Liao dragged Song Yan away angrily. "You're smart to know what's good for you."

Old Du and Old Han watched as Old Zeng lay stiffly on the kang (a heated brick bed), staring blankly without saying a word, lost in thought. He didn't even take off his clothes.

Old Du tried to persuade him, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Old Zeng waved his hand. "Don't say anything, I'm going to lie down for a while."

Old Zeng remained silent for the rest of the day, and hardly spoke at all the next day. When he saw Song Yan, his gaze held an undisguised complexity. Old Zeng considered himself a seasoned veteran, having traveled extensively, if not everywhere in the world, and seen countless wonders and rare sights. But since yesterday, he realized that what he had known before was nothing at all.