Chapter 2
The man on the other end of the sinking pool had completely forgotten that the business card he handed over was a polite business card. He was now worrying about the subsequent operation of the bar.
After this incident, the bar will not be able to operate normally for at least half a month, and most of the enthusiasm for the new opening has been wasted. Now the online public opinion is also in chaos. Amid all kinds of suspicions, the bar's operating costs are only increasing.
Bar owner Chen Du was more open-minded about this and even suggested: "If it doesn't work, then turn it into a horror bar, focusing on an immersive atmosphere."
The sinking pool told him to get out.
"Honestly, Chenliuchi, are you a little overly nervous?" Chen Du said on the other end of the phone. "It's just a bar. It won't bankrupt us, right? At worst, we can just sell it. You don't need to worry so much."
Chen Liuchi said nothing when he heard this, but his hands were still wiping the cloth on his chest. He had obviously changed into a new shirt, but the sticky touch of the wine was like some kind of anxiety, following him like a shadow, and could not be wiped off for a while.
"Xiao Shen."
Chen Du sighed, "I told you to come to Australia, see the grass, the sea, the kangaroos and the spiders, and all your illnesses will be cured."
Chen Liuchi didn't want to chat with him about these meaningless things, so he just said, "Since the big boss doesn't care, then I might as well close the business and wait for you to come back from Australia."
Chen Du really didn't need the money; he'd brought Chen Liuchi in to give him something to do. Otherwise, Chen Liuchi would spend his days either sitting in his office poring over code or driving around the coast feeding seagulls. It was truly boring, a waste of his prime years.
But hearing his brother so depressed, he naturally couldn't just stand by and watch. He quickly stopped him: "Hey, hey, why are you closing the door? I don't have to pay for utilities and rent."
He pondered for a few seconds, but before he could figure it out, someone beside him seemed to say something. Chen Du immediately smiled, and his voice softened by eight degrees: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
"Xiao Shen," Chen Du coughed dryly, pretending to be a big shot. "Your sister-in-law Xinxin said that her brother is in charge of the port's Maritime Festival. He can order some drinks from our bar. It's better to keep the money within the family."
Chenliuchi was amused: "The Sailing Festival is looking for us? Does our bar have a boat as big as theirs?"
"We're definitely not the only ones involved," Chen Du exchanged a few words with the other person, then made the final decision with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry, you don't have to open the business this week. Just sort out the inventory and settle the accounts. I'll be back home next week, and we'll discuss the details."
Since the big boss wasn't anxious, there was no need for him, the second-in-command, to get angry. After hanging up the phone, Chen Liuchi let out a deep breath, consoling himself that since he had enough to eat and drink, he could just invest his money and wait and see. He shouldn't worry about closing down the business.
It was already dawn, and breakfast snacks were gradually being sold at street corners and alleys.
There was quite a commotion last night, and when Chen Liuchi walked out of the store, he could still feel curious and inquiring gazes. He didn't like other people's eyes being focused on him, so he raised his hand to cover his sweatshirt hood and walked quickly to the front of the car.
The car pulled out of the alley, leaving those sights far behind, and Shenliuchi finally felt relieved. He glanced at the time. It was 4:30 in the morning, a good time to feed the seagulls, so he turned the wheel and drove directly onto the seaside boulevard.
There was no traffic in the early morning, and it was not yet five o'clock when we arrived at the beach. The bread crumb vendors at the subway entrance were not yet open. Chen Liuchi grabbed two bags of French bread from the armrest box and walked out onto the pier.
It's the tail end of spring, but the beach is still quite cold this time of year. The sea breeze makes the hood of my sweatshirt unfastened, and after standing on the bridge for less than a minute, my hair is already ruffled. He holds his hair in one hand and breaks bread with the other. In the morning, there are fewer people and more seabirds, vying for his hand.
Chen Du always said that feeding seagulls was boring, but that was because he had never experienced it himself. After coming once, he realized that two hands were not enough. It was so busy and chaotic. It was not boring at all; he was exhausted both physically and mentally.
When the cell phone rang, the small bread bag had just been emptied. Sinking Pool threw the last piece of bread onto the sea, and a flock of seabirds flew up instantly.
It was only around six o'clock, and the caller was his brother Shen Maoyuan. Chen Liuchi turned on the speaker, otherwise there would only be the sound of the wind in his ears. Even so, it took him several calls before he could hear the person on the other end asking him why he was feeding the birds so early in the morning.
Shen Maoyuan knew his whereabouts, and Chen Liuchi was not surprised, but he still teased: "Are you watching me?"
Shen Maoyuan said helplessly: "Auntie said you haven't returned to the apartment all day, I'm worried about you."
"I'm twenty-seven, not seven." Chen Liuchi felt that his brother was always making a fuss, but he couldn't refuse, because Shen Maoyuan just wanted to seek peace of mind, and a few phone calls could make people feel at ease. There was no reason for Chen Liuchi to go against him.
"I heard something happened at the bar you invested in last night?"
Shen Maoyuan really ignored his complaint and asked instead, "Do you need help?"
Chen Liuchi said no, the dismemberment case itself did not happen in their bar, at best they were just unlucky and became one of the places chosen by the suspect to dump the bodies.
Shen Maoyuan disagreed, saying that their choice of location was problematic and that they should have chosen a location in the city center where there would be fewer unstable factors.
The two brothers could only chat for three sentences; if they said more, they definitely wouldn't be able to talk to each other. Chen Liuchi responded perfunctorily and began to urge him: "It's half past six, almost seven, Mr. Chen, don't miss your morning exercise time."
It was hard for Shen Maoyuan not to worry whenever he saw Chen Liuchi. Now, after complaining about his worries and being ignored, he was in a bad mood. However, he couldn't say anything harsh to Shen Liuchi, so he could only hint: "I heard that Fuguang's new painter reported yesterday. The portfolio is amazing. Do you want to come and see it?"
Fuguang Studio is a game development team under Galaxy Technology, specializing in a variety of game categories. The recently released mobile game Galaxy Love Home is a product of their studio. After graduating from graduate school, Chen Liuchi spent a year coding in the studio, but is now preparing to change careers.
There is no other reason.
The hair in Dachang is very curly, and my hair is getting thinner.
But Shen Maoyuan disagreed with this. He thought it didn't matter where he was working, so it was better to have the person under his watch and feel at ease.
Chen Liuchi pretended not to understand his brother's hint, brushed off the bread crumbs on his clothes and walked back to the shore. "Mr. Chen came to Fuguang yesterday. Did you remember to say hello to my former colleagues? It's okay if you didn't. We rarely see each other in the future anyway."
Before Shen Maoyuan could say anything, Chen Liuchi changed the subject: "By the way, our bar will be responsible for some of the drinks at the Port Maritime Festival in a while. You can bring your family for free. Are you coming?"
Shen Maoyuan was a little happy when he heard this, but since his brother had just rejected his invitation to work, he still took a slight stab at Qiao: "I need to ask my assistant to see if there is any arrangement that day, and what time exactly?"
Chen Liuchi flipped through the chat history with Chen Du: "The week after next, Saturday."
He looked at the weather. It was a sunny day with a temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, neither too cold nor too hot, suitable for traveling.
Shen Maoyuan nodded reservedly, saying that he would contact her later, and then urged Chen Liuchi to go home quickly.
Chen Liuchi returned to the car and dug out the sailing festival plan. The more he looked at it, the more he thought it would be a great event. Although they were responsible for the drinks that day, Chen Liuchi was only the second-in-command. How much of a responsibility did the second-in-command have to worry about?
He thought happily, as if he hadn't been the one who had been so anxious about the bar's future. However, his mood swings had been a thing for a long time, and Chen Liuchi had become accustomed to it and accepted it well.
It's true that family members can be brought to the Sailing Festival, but you can also bring more than one person. When Chen Liuchi learned this, he had some plans in mind. He clicked on the contact list and stared at it for a while, wondering when Cen Zhao would add him as a friend.
Will you add him as your friend? Chen Liuchi wondered.
I guess so. After finding out his phone number, wouldn't the next step be to search for his WeChat ID? Cen Zhao couldn't just use his business card to ask for drinks.
This confident wait lasted until the evening. Looking at the empty list of new friends, Chen Liuchi had to admit that he seemed to have overestimated Cen Zhao, or rather, overestimated the friendship between him and Cen Zhao for just a few dozen minutes.
Why haven't you added me yet?
Cen Zhao had a really busy day today. After a carpet search of the North City District where the bar was located, a total of seven bags of body parts were found. The autopsies were conducted from morning to night. The results of the toxicology and pathology tests were not out yet, so he estimated that he would still be busy.
His neighborhood wasn't far from the Municipal Bureau, so he usually walked to and from work. But today, he'd been standing for too long, his calves swollen, so he simply took a ride from Zeng Baoguo. But within three minutes of getting in the car, Cen Zhao regretted it. Zeng was being too noisy; he might as well have walked.
It would have been fine if they were just talking about the case, but after a few words, they were talking about Boss Shen in a roundabout way, winking and saying, "How's the friend addition going? Aren't you trying harder?"
Cen Zhao glanced at him sideways: "How can I work harder? Go to Galaxy Technology and ask?"
He had already shamelessly sent a message to that work WeChat account, but a simple greeting fell on deaf ears. Cen Zhao had to at least retain some self-respect.
Zeng Baoguo sighed, "Cen Zhao, you have finally had this day. There are still people who can fool you."
Was the sinking pool playing a trick on him?
Cen Zhao doesn't think so.
He thought again of Chen Liuchi's uncontrollable laughter, his eyes curved and an inconspicuous dimple appeared on his right cheek.
Chenliuchi has a face that can withstand close scrutiny. When he is not smiling, he looks cold and unapproachable, but when he smiles, it is a completely different story.
Cen Zhao thought about it and suddenly laughed. Zeng Baoguo, who was driving, was shocked: "What are you thinking about? Why is your laugh so disgusting?"
Cen Zhao was too lazy to pay attention to him. He opened his phone and clicked on Chenliuchi's WeChat page. A few seconds later, he took a picture of Zeng Baoguo and gave him another fright.
"Turn."
"? Where are you going?"
"Raise an army to hold the culprit accountable."
Cen Zhao tapped his finger on the photo of the beautiful scenery with clear skies and a gentle smile. "Ask Boss Shen why he doesn't give me a private contact number."
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