Li Yuheng waved his hand dismissively and declared with great bravado, "I'll take all of these hats!"
The old shopkeeper smiled and shook his head, carefully wrapping the hats one by one and stuffing them into a beautiful paper bag: "No need to pay, they're free."
Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "How could I possibly accept this?" He said this, but his hand honestly took the bag.
The old shop owner smiled mysteriously: "Consider it... a small gift."
"Boss Xiang is so generous? I met a little kid on my way here, and he said you gave him a hat too."
“Special people should naturally be treated specially.”
Li Yuheng suddenly leaned closer to the old shop owner and asked with a curious look, "Excuse me, Mr. Xiang, why are you wearing a mask?"
The old shopkeeper touched the fox mask on his face: "Well... it's because I'm too handsome, and I'm afraid of scaring the customers."
Li Yuheng: "..."
He looked the old shop owner up and down, his hunched figure and gray hair twitching at the corner of his mouth: "Your humble character is truly admirable."
I never expected this...
Is there really someone in this world more confident than him, the main character?!
Oh dear, he ran into this today.
0090: […Your Highness, so you do realize you're narcissistic.]
Li Yuheng rolled his eyes inwardly: "Little system, I call this confidence, not narcissism. Understand?"
The old shopkeeper seemed amused by Li Yuheng's expression: "Young man, when I was young, I was a famous handsome man for miles around!"
Li Yuheng nodded solemnly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said earnestly, "My apologies, I'm so sorry, you're a senior!"
Although he spoke respectfully, he was inwardly unconvinced: "No matter how handsome he is, he can't be more handsome than me."
Fine, let's just consider it as upholding the traditional Chinese virtues of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and go along with him.
Looking at Li Yuheng's feigned serious expression, the old shopkeeper couldn't help but laugh out loud again: "Young man, you're really funny."
He shook his head, his tone suddenly softening: "Alright, alright, old man, I won't tease you anymore. Actually, there is a scar under this mask. I was accidentally burned when I was young, and I've been wearing it all this time because I was afraid of scaring people."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently removed the fox mask, revealing half of his face covered with burn scars.
Over time, the scars have turned white, spreading across the right side of his face like dried tree bark, creating a stark contrast with the intact skin on the left side.
"Look, look," the old shopkeeper said with a smile, his expression calm, as if he no longer cared about this appearance.
Li Yuheng's expression turned serious as he intently looked at the old shop owner's face and said softly, "Boss Xiang, your scar isn't scary at all."
He paused, a sincere smile spreading across his face, and gave a thumbs-up, saying, "It's more like a medal, recording your extraordinary life experiences."
The old shop owner was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Li Yuheng continued, "Besides, true charm is never about appearance." He pointed to his face, "Although it's rare to find someone like me who possesses both inner and outer beauty..."
The old shopkeeper couldn't help but laugh again, his wrinkles smoothing out: "Young man, you have such a big mouth..."
Shu Bai stood to the side, his gaze falling on Li Yuheng's unusually serious profile, a barely perceptible smile flashing in his eyes.
Li Yuheng suddenly changed the subject, smiling as he looked at the old shop owner: "Boss Xiang, with my excellent eye for talent, shouldn't I be considered to have passed the test?"
The old shopkeeper's smile faltered slightly, but he quickly regained his amiable demeanor: "Pass the checkpoint? I'm just an old man who sells clothes, I don't understand what you're talking about."
Li Yuheng leaned lazily against the counter: "Really? If I'm not mistaken, you have a spouse, don't you?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of birdsong and the fragrance of flowers drifted in from the doorway.
"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Boss?!"
Li Qiyang stood at the door, his eyes wide like light bulbs above his black mask, his finger trembling as he pointed at the old shop owner: "You, you're the boss?!"
His voice was distorted with fear, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet shop.
The old shop owner slowly put his mask back on, smiling at Li Qiyang: "Young man, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."
Li Qiyang swallowed hard and subconsciously took a step back, his back pressed against the door frame.
When he came to buy a face mask yesterday, he saw the old shop owner wearing a mask, and his heart skipped a beat.
The previous boss, Madam White, also wore a mask!
But the old shop owner was kind and friendly. He not only didn't take the money, but also gave him a black mask and matching clothes, which made him think that the owner must be a good person.
We can't just assume someone is the boss because they're wearing a mask, can we?
Moreover, the old shopkeeper wore a fox mask, which was completely different from Lady White's silver mask.
But now...
Li Qiyang's gaze was fixed on the scars revealed when the old shop owner took off his mask.
Those hideous scars looked just like the ones on Madam Bai's face that he saw on the first night of the dungeon!
He couldn't sleep that night and wandered around the castle, where he happened to see Lady White standing at the window.
She removed her mask, revealing a face covered in scars. Although she was a bit far away and it was hard to see what the scars were, they still looked particularly terrifying in the moonlight.
Li Qiyang was so scared that he almost wet his pants. He covered his mouth tightly and scrambled back to Li Yuheng's room, where he slept for the entire night.
And now, this old shop owner also has scars on his face!
"You..." Li Qiyang's voice trembled like a leaf, "You're the boss!"
The old shop owner sighed and shook his head: "Young man, having too much imagination is not a good thing."
Li Yuheng crossed his arms and leaned lazily against the counter, watching the scene like it was a show: "Li Qiyang, can you stop making such a fuss?"
Only then did Li Qiyang notice that Li Yuheng and Shu Bai were also in the shop, and he immediately grasped at a straw: "Master! Run! He's the boss!"
Li Yuheng calmly picked at his ear: "I know."
Li Qiyang: "...???"
His eyes widened, and his mouth gaped open enough to fit an egg: "You...you know?!"
Li Yuheng nodded lazily: "Hmm."
Li Qiyang was completely bewildered: "Then you still—"
"Still what?" Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow. "Still chatting with him here?"
Li Qiyang nodded frantically.
Li Yuheng chuckled and slowly walked up to Li Qiyang, saying, "You're such a coward."
Then he said earnestly, "As a man, you should be as calm and composed as I am in the face of adversity, do you understand?"
No wonder he can't compare to me.
Tsk tsk tsk.
A noob attacking.
Li Qiyang: "..."
He glanced at Li Yuheng, who looked calm, and then at the smiling old shop owner behind the counter. Suddenly, he felt like a fool.
“Master…” Li Qiyang swallowed hard and lowered his voice, “Do you have some kind of plan?”
Li Yuheng smiled mysteriously: "Of course."
Li Qiyang's eyes lit up: "What plan?"
Li Yuheng: "I won't tell you."
Li Qiyang: "..."
The old shopkeeper watched them whispering and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Young men, what are you plotting?"
Li Yuheng turned around and said with a smile, "It's nothing, just discussing how beautiful your mask is."
The old shopkeeper touched the fox mask on his face and said meaningfully, "Really? Would you like one for me too?"
Li Yuheng waved his hand: "No need, no need. My handsome face is already handsome enough. Wearing a mask would be too much of a bully."
The old shop owner: "..."
Shu Bai: "..."
Li Qiyang: "..."
The old shop owner coughed lightly, changing the subject: "Speaking of which, have you found the 'truth' yet?"
Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "Are you giving us a hint?"
The old shop owner smiled without saying a word.
Li Yuheng shrugged: "Alright, then I'll give you a hint too—"
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