"Xia Baozhu, want to go ice skating tonight?" Sun Xingyan returned to the shop after seeing Professor Deng off and began to use his usual methods to woo Xia Baozhu.

He still wanted to follow his heart; if he liked someone, he liked them. Even if they weren't together in the future, it was better than regretting not trying harder later.

"I still have to reply to readers' letters tonight." Xia Baozhu waved the readers' letters in her hand to him.

"What does it say? Let me see!" Sun Xingyan curiously took it, unfolded the letter, and quickly began to read it.

"This must be a primary school student, the handwriting is terrible. Oh, no, it's not a primary school student, it's a disabled person, and it's writing with its feet!"

Upon seeing this, Sun Xingyan immediately threw the letter aside as if it were a bomb, and rushed to the kitchen.

"I need to wash my hands! Where's the soap? Quick, San Gou, give me the soap!"

I heard the three dogs laughing heartily from behind.

Xia Baozhu changed her gloves and smiled as she picked up the letter and read it, though she held it from a great distance.

Although it was hypocritical, and despite feeling sympathy, she still felt a sense of unease about writing a letter with her feet.

After reading the reader's complaints about life and their belief in striving for a better future, she decided to send them some daily necessities and write them an encouraging letter.

When Sun Xingyan came out, he saw Xia Baozhu holding the letter without minding the dirt, and he gave her an admiring look.

Xia Baozhu found Sun Xingyan's actions today strange; he actually offered to take her home.

"No need, I'm fine on my own, you know how strong I am," Xia Baozhu said with a smile.

“I’d like to talk to you about investing in and opening a shop,” Sun Xingyan said, finding a perfect excuse.

“That’s perfect, let’s talk as we walk.” Xia Baozhu nodded in agreement, pushing her bicycle.

"This time I want to add tables and chairs to the newly opened store, and have the employees wear uniforms."

"As for the initial employee training, I plan to personally oversee it. What do you think of San Gou as the store manager?"

"The recipe is kept secret, and the purchased seasonings are ground into powder and packaged."

Xia Baozhu thought about and planned the chain fried chicken store last night, and she plans to refer to the model of the famous hamburger store.

Product standardization, unified store style, diversified product mix, and the establishment of an efficient supply chain system.

Of course, these things cannot be achieved overnight; they require taking one step at a time.

Facing the investors, Xia Baozhu spoke eloquently, intending to increase Sun Xingyan's confidence in the investment project.

Sun Xingyan nodded repeatedly. His mind was now divided into two parts: one part seemed to be listening to Xia Baozhu's words, and the other part was thinking about whether living with Xia Baozhu would be just as easy and comfortable.

In short, he was absent-minded.

The night sky was dotted with stars, and the moonlight was bright. Sun Xingyan watched the two figures intertwined and separated under the streetlights, finding it particularly interesting.

He couldn't help but laugh, especially when he saw two people's heads touching.

"The willow tree is sprouting; I'll make you a whistle."

Sun Xingyan tore off a willow branch, twisted it a few times, and removed the woody part inside, leaving only the bark.

He took a folding knife out of his pocket, cut off the willow bark, and removed about three millimeters of the outer bark from one end to reveal the tender green inner layer.

He handed Xia Baozhu a whistle made of willow branches: "Blow it and see if it makes a sound?"

Xia Baozhu watched him make it, took it, removed her mask, put the willow twig whistle in her mouth, and felt the unique bitterness and fragrance of willow waft into her taste buds. She gently blew on it, but it didn't make a sound.

"You're taking too much into your mouth. Just take a little bit in."

Sun Xingyan's heart raced as he gazed at Xia Baozhu, breathtakingly beautiful under the streetlights.

At that moment, he had an impulse to replace the willow twig whistle and put himself to Xia Baozhu's lips; this thought made his body feel hot.

Thinking of Xia Baozhu's martial arts prowess, Sun Xingyan turned his gaze to the willow tree and selected another willow branch suitable for making a whistle.

Xia Baozhu tried several times and finally blew the whistle in her mouth, short and loud.

It was quite fun. Xia Baozhu had never played it before, so she blew it a few more times, attracting the attention of passersby who were then captivated by her radiant smile.

"Try this one too. This whistle is longer, and it sounds different when you blow it." Seeing that Xia Baozhu liked to blow it, Sun Xingyan handed her the whistle he had prepared for him.

Longer whistles require more breath and sound more muffled than shorter whistles, but they are still quite interesting.

Sun Xingyan made several more, each of different lengths.

Not only that, he also made a willow branch hairpin and handed it to Xia Baozhu.

"Your hands are quite skillful," Xia Baozhu praised, touching the sturdy, secure headband that didn't come loose.

"That's right. I've been a very skillful person since I was a child. I'm not bragging, but there's nothing I can't do if I want to."

Sun Xingyan boasted about himself with great pride.

Xia Baozhu nodded, suppressing a laugh. Sun Xingyan's intelligence was undeniable, but his self-praising manner could easily make others think he was exaggerating.

"We're almost there, you can go back now," Xia Baozhu said to Sun Xingyan as she saw her alley.

She couldn't invite Sun Xingyan over to her house late at night, as it might cause unnecessary gossip.

"Alright, I'm going back." Sun Xingyan waved his hand and walked away gracefully.

After walking a dozen steps, he turned around and, not seeing Xia Baozhu again, continued walking forward.

He was very satisfied with the start of the evening. What pleased him most was that Xia Baozhu liked the whistle he gave her and smiled very happily, her smile was especially beautiful.

The thought of that smile made him itchy to scratch his head. If Xia Baozhu's fighting skills weren't so high, he could have taken the opportunity to grab her little hand.

Xia Baozhu opened the door and heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Chen Shanlou.

"What's up?"

Xia Baozhu immediately thought of the gun on the roof beam. Could it be that he came to get the gun?

"Something's wrong." Chen Shanlou's voice still carried a hint of suppressed anger.

"Let's talk here." Xia Baozhu didn't want Chen Shanlou to come into her house.

"Are you sure?" Chen Shanlou raised his voice.

"Could you please keep your voice down?" Xia Baozhu wasn't afraid of gossip, but she hated explaining herself.

"cannot."

Xia Baozhu had no choice but to step aside and let Chen Shanlou in.

As she closed the door, Chen Shanlou's hand landed on her shoulder, and she immediately turned around and slapped his hand away.

What are you doing?

"Xia Baozhu, shall we have a fight?"

“I won’t hit you. If I hurt you, you’ll accuse me of assaulting a police officer.”

"Oh, you've finally learned your lesson." Chen Shanlou walked into the courtyard.

"What's going on today?" These words made Xia Baozhu feel like she was a clandestine underground worker.

"Let's go inside and talk."

Xia Baozhu chose to open the main door of the hall. The empty hall was desolate and cold, much like a rendezvous in a cold palace, creating an indescribable sense of disorientation.