Chapter 44 Entrance

Qu Chen awkwardly tried to dodge, but the old lady's grip was surprisingly strong, and he couldn't break free.

He has always been quite strong, but now he felt a sense of resistance against an old woman.

Other elderly people immediately gathered around and helped out.

"I have some medicated oil here."

"I have some ointment here, it's very effective."

"So thoughtful!" the old lady in charge praised, and reached out to lift Qu Chen's clothes.

"No..." Qu Chen panicked, his ears burning.

"Oh dear, this child is still shy." The old lady laughed heartily as she worked on her hands. "My granddaughter is almost your age. What hasn't Grandma seen?"

A sprightly old man seized the opportunity to come over and cheerfully offered his help: "Young man, what are you being coy about? Let me help you take your clothes off, I have everything you have!"

Having said that, while Qu Chen was arguing with the old lady, she swiftly and decisively pulled off his T-shirt.

Qu Chen, suddenly feeling a chill, thought: "..."

He was surrounded by a group of enthusiastic elderly people, but he didn't have to worry about being seen by passersby in the distance.

The old man who stripped him of his clothes looked him up and down, nodding in approval: "Not bad physique, you have the style of my youth! It's just a little bit lacking."

The person next to him, who was clearly his wife, immediately rolled her eyes: "Come on! Everyone knows you were as skinny as a stick when you were young. This young man could take on three of you with one punch."

The old man, his past exposed, immediately became displeased: "Nonsense! My muscles are all from working hard every day! Unlike these young people nowadays, who eat all that heroin and build up dead muscles!"

"That's called protein powder! Don't talk nonsense, or the police will come knocking on your door!"

Surrounded by these unfamiliar elderly people, Qu Chen felt a throbbing vein in his forehead as he listened to their comments about his muscles.

He was extremely annoyed; he shouldn't have meddled. He lowered his eyes, his whole body radiating a low-pressure atmosphere.

But the next second, a sharp pain in his shoulder instantly interrupted his frustration.

The old woman leading the group poured her hands full of medicinal oil and was massaging him with all her might to open up the bruises. Her strength was astonishing. At this moment, Qu Chen's mind was completely elsewhere. He gritted his teeth and focused all his attention on controlling his expression, afraid that he might cry out in pain.

The old lady looked up and saw his tense profile, and chuckled, "Oh dear, young man, you're really putting in a lot of effort. If I pressed like that on my granddaughter, she would have been screaming and crying by now."

Qu Chen's forehead was already covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. He clenched his teeth and remained silent.

The old woman didn't lessen her pressure, muttering, "You have to rub this blood clot open up; once it's cleared, it won't hurt, and it'll heal faster."

After massaging it for a while, she reached out to the side without turning her head: "Medicated plaster."

Upon hearing this, Qu Chen quickly forced out a refusal through gritted teeth: "No..."

Before he could finish speaking, with a "snap," a plaster exuding a strong Chinese herbal smell was precisely slapped onto his shoulder, covering it completely.

Seeing his frustrated expression as he tried to dodge but couldn't, the old lady laughed heartily: "I know you young people are shy and find the smell too strong, but this stuff is incredibly effective. My granddaughter gets hurt during training, and she puts this on her, and it heals really quickly."

Her words revealed an undisguised pride and affection, and she couldn't stop talking about her granddaughter.

After treating the injury, the old lady looked up at the sky, clapped her hands, and said, "Alright! Young man, you haven't had dinner yet, have you? Come on, Grandma will treat you to dinner. If you finish eating now, you can catch the show."

Qu Chen's expression changed immediately: "You... Grandma, how did you know I wanted to watch the performance?"

Could it be that the other party knew his background and was doing this on purpose...?

"Slap!" A slap landed squarely on his uninjured back. "Your delicate skin makes you look like you're not a local from the beach! The biggest event on the island today is the performance. Why are you here if you're not going to see it?"

Qu Chen breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it was just a common deduction, but still stubbornly insisted, "I am indeed not a local, but I don't watch performances either."

As soon as he said it, he met the old lady's knowing gaze and, as if possessed, added, "I couldn't get a ticket."

"I see." The old lady stroked her chin thoughtfully, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "We have a way to get you in!"

What?

Qu Chen didn't quite believe it.

But somehow, being with this group of elderly people made him feel completely relaxed.

Especially Grandma Yu, who was in charge, had an indescribable warmth in her words and actions, which made him inexplicably want to get closer to her.

“Oh dear, this is not something that can be explained while we’re standing here,” Grandma Yu said with a cheerful wave of her hand. “Come on, let’s go eat with Grandma first.”

Qu Chen paused for a moment, but ultimately followed.

Qu Chen was caught off guard by this dinner.

He was fed rice, noodles, and old-fashioned snacks by these elderly people. When the dishes were served, they would use serving chopsticks to scoop food into his bowl first.

"Here, the chopsticks are clean, you eat first."

Finally, the bowls were piled up to be level with his eyebrows, allowing Qu Chen, who had never met his grandparents since childhood, to truly experience the older generation's concern for his safety.

He had never seen anything like it before. He struggled to finish his bowl, and just as he began to say, "I'm full..."

Someone stuffed a peach shortbread into my mouth without me even realizing it.

"How would such a big boy know if he's full or not!"

"Exactly, that's only a small amount!"

Qu Chen: "..." Is his stomach a bottomless pit?

Even after he was so full he was burping, Grandpa Li was still shaking his head and sighing beside him:

"This appetite is less than half of what I used to eat when I was young."

After dinner, Qu Chen followed the elderly people to the entrance of the performance venue.

The crowd surged and the noise made his eardrums tingle. He stood there, wondering why he had come even though he hated noisy places the most.

Despite thinking this, his feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he didn't move an inch.

Grandma Yu saw through his hesitation at a glance, leaned closer and whispered, "Xiao Qu, don't disbelieve me. Your Grandpa Li will take you in later. He's seventy-three this year, and according to regulations, he can bring a family member to accompany and take care of him."

Will this work?

As it turns out, it really works.

The once sprightly Grandpa Li walked to the security checkpoint, instantly switching to a trembling, unsteady mode, gasping for breath as he stammered, "Comrade...I need someone...someone with me..."

The security guard sized up the frail old man, then glanced at Qu Chen, who stood to the side with a blank expression, and readily waved him through.

Qu Chen followed behind the unsteady Grandpa Li, glanced down at the seat number on the ticket stub, and his pupils widened in shock—first row.

"This is... a VIP seating area?"

Grandma Yu waved her hand: "What VIP? This is the family area!" Then she turned around in a hurry, "I'll go find you a cushion. You can sit on the open space in front of Grandma, you'll have a better view!"

"Really, there's no need..." Before Qu Chen could finish speaking, the old lady had already squeezed into the crowd.

Just then, Grandma Zhang took out a handkerchief from her cloth bag and handed it over: "Here, take this, use it to cheer on Old Yu's daughter later!"

Qu Chen unfolded the handkerchief, his pupils suddenly contracting. On the plain cotton cloth, the group's logo, "Zoothys," was embroidered with colorful thread. The stitches were fine and neat, clearly showing that a lot of effort had been put into it.

His voice tightened: "Grandma Yu's granddaughter...in Zoothys? Who is she?"