Chapter 169: Apology

There was a slight noise coming from the kitchen.

Yu Ling raised her head and looked across the living room to the open kitchen.

Zhao Chen stood with his back to her in front of the pricey German Miller stove. He wore the familiar apron with the adorable Shiba Inu printed on it. On the stove, a small pot of soup was bubbling with steam, emitting the rich, homely aroma of chicken soup.

He skillfully stirred the thin white noodles in the pot with long chopsticks. In his other hand, he held an exquisite ceramic condiment dish and was mixing something into it - a few drops of amber aged Italian balsamic vinegar, a small spoonful of top-grade caviar with a golden luster, and a little bit of emerald green onion?

This mix of extreme luxury and homely style once again accurately hits the absurdity in Yu Ling's confused nerves.

Zhao Chen seemed to notice her gaze and tilted his head slightly. His eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses remained gentle, and there was even a hint of a relaxed smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Are you hungry? Snacks will be ready soon." His voice was low and pleasant, with a strange soothing power. "Wangcai's new food is ready. He is quite satisfied with the salmon one." He pointed to the corner of the living room. Wangcai was lying in his luxurious doghouse, holding a huge, exquisitely packaged piece of dog chews and chewing happily, making a satisfied purr.

At this moment, the screen of Zhao Chen's mobile phone placed on the kitchen counter lit up.

A message pops up silently:

"Target: GQ. Status: Submitted. Plan A (apology) about to be implemented."

Message sender: "Wangwang Security - Execution Team"

Zhao Chen's eyes swept across the screen like a falling leaf. He didn't pause, not even picking up his phone. He simply scooped up a little chicken soup with a spoon, blew on it gently, and then, quite naturally... brought it to his lips to taste the saltiness.

"Yeah, the heat is just right." He nodded with satisfaction, as if the message had never appeared. He turned off the fire and picked up a large bowl next to him with a cartoon Shiba Inu printed on it - the same Shiba Inu pattern on the thermal bag at the convenience store last night.

He smoothly scooped the cooked noodles into the bowl, poured rich chicken broth on it, and topped it with a few slices of tender chicken breast. Finally, he carefully placed the luxurious dipping sauce, which was a mixture of top-quality caviar and black vinegar, next to the bowl.

After doing all this, he picked up the bowl of steaming and fragrant chicken noodle soup and turned to walk towards the living room.

Just as he was about to reach the sofa——

"Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!"

The doorbell suddenly rang rapidly! The sound was particularly harsh in the silent living room!

Yu Ling raised her head suddenly.

Zhao Chen paused, his brows furrowed slightly, as if slightly displeased by the untimely interruption. He held the bowl of noodles in his hand, but instead of opening the door, he walked over to Yu Ling and placed the bowl, adorned with a silly-looking Shiba Inu and emitting an alluring aroma, firmly on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

"Eat first. The noodles won't taste good if they clump together." He reminded me gently, as if the doorbell was just background noise.

Then he turned around and walked towards the entrance.

The visual access control screen clearly shows the scene at the door -

Gu Changhai supported (or rather half-dragged, half-pulled) Gu Qianqian, whose face was as pale as a ghost, blood still seeping from her forehead, and whose whole body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Gu Changhai's face was filled with suppressed humiliation and despair, while Gu Qianqian's eyes were vacant, filled with extreme fear, as if she were standing at the entrance to hell.

Zhao Chen stared at the screen, his face devoid of any surprise. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze was calm, as if he were looking at two insignificant insects that had strayed into his home.

He didn't open the door.

He simply stretched out his finger and lightly pressed an inconspicuous button next to the video access control screen.

“Sizzle…”

A slight sound of electricity.

The image on the visual access control screen switches instantly!

It was no longer the embarrassed and desperate faces of the Gu family father and daughter at the door, but jumped to a website interface with an extremely crude design, like the style of a web game from more than ten years ago!

At the top of the website is a pixelated, grinning cartoon Shiba Inu head, with blinding fluorescent text next to it:

"Ark of Doom - Bankruptcy Pancake Man Foundation (Haicheng Branch) Customer Service Center"

In the center of the screen, a huge, khaki dialog box popped up, with bold red Song font writing on it:

"Dear players, hello! Our guild's offline base (Genting Hills 1601) is currently closed to the public!"

"If you need to handle any business (such as: apologizing, begging for mercy, paying tribute, receiving a lunch box, etc.), please submit the 'G-level Threat Confession Task Application' to NPC [President Wangcai] in-game and queue for review!"

Current queue length: 999+

Estimated waiting time: >100 years

"Have fun playing the game! Woof woof!"

This extremely absurd, mocking and insulting "automatic reply" was clearly displayed on the visual access control screen outside the door, and was also simultaneously displayed on the huge smart TV screen in the living room!

The Gu family father and daughter facing the door, and Yu Ling sitting on the sofa in the living room, could see it clearly!

"puff--!"

Yu Ling, who was picking up noodles with her chopsticks, saw the words "G-Level Threat Confession Mission Application" and "Estimated Waiting Time > 100 Years" on the screen. She couldn't help but almost spit out the noodles in her mouth! The sense of absurdity overwhelmed her again like a tsunami!

Outside, Gu Qianqian stared at the glaring "G-Level Threat" on the screen, the mocking face of the pixelated Shiba Inu, and the century-long waiting line. Her last shred of willpower completely collapsed! A short, strangled gasp escaped her throat, her eyes rolled back, and her body collapsed limply.

"Qianqian!" Gu Changhai, filled with shock and anger, supported his daughter's completely unconscious body. Looking at the undisguised humiliation on the screen, his old face turned the color of liver. Humiliation, anger, and despair intertwined, making him tremble all over! He suddenly raised his head and let out a trapped, tearful roar at the cold access control camera:

"Zhao Chen!!! Killing people is not enough! Do you have to humiliate us like this?! Can you please give us a chance to live?!"

In the living room.

Zhao Chen seemed not to hear the desperate roar outside the door. He walked slowly back to the living room and sat down on the sofa next to the dazed Yu Ling.

He even picked up the document on the coffee table next to him - the "Zhao Chen Bankruptcy Debt Document" printed with "Registered in the Cayman Islands" that Gu Qianqian had forged and sent to Yu Ling, which almost caused them to break up.

Then, under Yu Ling's jaw-dropping gaze, Zhao Chen very naturally handed over the "bankruptcy document" that had once caused such a huge uproar...

It was placed under the bowl of piping hot chicken noodle soup with a Shiba Inu printed on it!

The movements were smooth and natural, like using an old newspaper to pad the table.

He picked up the chopsticks and gently stirred the fragrant noodles in the bowl. He picked up a piece of tender chicken breast, blew on it, and then brought it to Yu Ling's mouth, which was slightly open due to shock.

The eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were gentle and peaceful, with a hint of warmth from the everyday world, as if the pleading and collapse outside the door, concerning the life and death of a wealthy family, was really just an insignificant game customer service consultation.

"Be good, open your mouth." Zhao Chen's voice was low and gentle, with a hint of coaxing, "Try it. Caviar with chicken noodle soup, isn't it more delicious than the grilled chicken wings that your old Wang grills?"