Chapter 284 continues some of the foreshadowing from before.
Nan Ke stepped forward and confirmed again, "Are you sure it was four years ago?"
His gaze was fixed on the middle-aged man in front of him.
The boss insisted, "Yes!"
The confusion and bewilderment from before were no longer visible on his face.
The man opposite him chimed in, "Yes, it opened four years ago. Students from the neighborhood love to eat here."
Nan Ke remained calm and handed over the menu: "Is this how it is?"
He turned around, closed his eyes tightly for a moment, and then opened them again.
……wrong!
No, he didn't mishear; he was certain he had just heard something!
The next second, he wanted to turn around and ask again, but the man's cheerful voice rang out behind him again.
"When we first opened, it nearly killed me. For two whole months, hardly anyone came to eat. So I tried handing out flyers at schools. Oh, and I even created a medicinal dish..."
The conversation naturally turned to the entrepreneurial history from four years ago.
Nan Ke's ears suddenly went blank with a ringing sound, and the surroundings were so quiet that he could clearly hear his heartbeat.
He walked back step by step.
At the dining table, Tu Yao introduced each dish as she ordered it.
"When this shop first opened, it was very quiet and hardly anyone came to eat. Later, the owner made a medicinal dish and came to our school to hand out flyers for a week."
"Our students really love this dish."
Tu Chaoxi raised an eyebrow: "Really? Then I'll try some too!"
Tu Yao turned her head and met Nan Ke's thoughtful gaze.
"……What's the matter?"
Nan Ke tried her best to suppress the dizziness in her head and smiled: "Medicinal cuisine? I'll try it too?"
The table was laden with dishes, and Tu Yao recommended them one by one.
While eating, Tu Chaoxi casually tried to get information out of her, such as what her major courses were, how many herbs she had planted, and when her classes were...
Tu Yao answered each question carefully and in detail.
Having put aside her initial resistance, she now seems to be seriously interacting with them and has allowed them to get close.
Nan Ke glanced at it several times, seemingly calmly, then looked away without making a sound.
Seeing that she had almost finished eating and talking, I handed her a piece of paper.
Suddenly, he asked, "How's the situation with the welfare home going? Any news from the police?"
Tu Yao was taken aback, then nodded: "Zhao Yuanfeng has been formally detained. The police said his company will file an economic lawsuit against him."
"I don't need to worry about the orphanage being taken away."
She paused for a moment, glanced at Tu Chaoxi, and continued, "So I scheduled the transfer of ownership for this afternoon, and I'm going to go soon."
Sure enough, Tu Chaoxi got anxious, "Going in a little while? We haven't moved all that luggage from school yet!"
Tu Yao said with a hint of helplessness, "I had planned this a long time ago, okay? I moved my luggage in the morning and went to transfer the property in the afternoon."
She never expected that her three older brothers would be waiting at the entrance of the orphanage so early in the morning.
The morning's plans have already been disrupted; we can't afford to disrupt the afternoon's as well.
Before Tu Chaoxi could say anything more, Nan Ke immediately interrupted her gently, "Okay, do you need us to keep you company for a while?"
Tu Yao shook her head repeatedly: "No need, no need! I can go by myself. The property registration center is not far from here, and I have all the documents with me."
Nan Ke smiled and said, "That's good."
Tu Yao blinked. Her second brother looked both exceptionally gentle and exceptionally dangerous.
If he doesn't actively express his emotions, she has no way of knowing whether he's happy or angry.
...They should be happy.
"By the way," Nan Ke casually handed over the teacup, his tone still gentle, "when did that Zhao Yuanfeng appear?"
Tu Yao took the tea, took a sip, and recalled for a moment: "A month ago."
A month ago, his company was suddenly facing an audit, so he set his sights on the welfare home.
Nan Ke's fingertips, which were lightly touching the tabletop, twitched almost imperceptibly.
One month ago...
"...Is that so?"
Tu Yao suddenly had a strange feeling. Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, Nan Ke across from her looked up again and smiled, "Are you full?"
Tu Yao nodded subconsciously.
"I'll go pay the bill."
He stood up, his tall and slender figure slowly walking forward.
Tu Chaoxi and Lin Yue also got up.
"Let's go, Tu Xiaomao!"
After paying the bill, everyone prepared to go downstairs.
Suddenly, Nan Ke turned around and looked at the waiter who was checking the accounts.
"By the way, do you know Tu Chaoxi?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tu Chaoxi, Lin Yue, and Tu Yao stood to the side: ?
Why ask this?
Nan Ke remained calm, as if it were a casual question.
Across from them, the waiter looked slightly surprised, as if he had been stumped by the question.
Nan Ke stared at her expression, not missing the fleeting look of confusion in her eyes.
But the next second, the waiter immediately smiled and said, "Of course I know! You're a big star!"
"He was at the music festival a few days ago, wasn't he?"
"The students who come to eat here have been talking about him these past few days."
The waiter began to talk incessantly.
Tu Chaoxi raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a bit smug, and whispered in Tu Yao's ear: "See? That's how popular your brother is!"
"If you spent more time online, you wouldn't have mistaken me for both a human trafficker and a policeman that day!"
Tu Yao blinked, “...Oh.”
The two were whispering amongst themselves, neither noticing that Nan Ke's face was slightly pale, and the more they listened, the lower their hearts sank...
As the waiter spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted to the young man behind Nan Ke, who was wearing a mask and was completely covered up.
She frowned in confusion, and the next second, her gaze turned to shock.
"Ugh...you!! You!!!"
Seeing that she was about to walk over, Tu Chaoxi's eyelids twitched, and she quickly interrupted, "The money has been paid. Please check it. We're leaving!"
After saying that, he grabbed one of them with each hand and pulled Nan Ke and Tu Yao, who were standing there in a daze, away.
"Third brother, follow me!"
Lin Yue realized what was happening and quickly chased after them.
Tu Chaoxi didn't stop until she ran around the corner.
I finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that no one was chasing after me.
Upon reflection, he couldn't help but kick Nan Ke.
What's wrong with you?
Why did you suddenly ask her if she knew me?
Nan Ke snapped out of her reverie and gave a wry smile: "...I was just wondering if mentioning my older brother's name would get me a discount."
"A discount?! I'll break your legs!"
Tu Chaoxi laughed in anger: "Am I bankrupt? Do I need to rely on this face to treat you to a meal?"
Lin Yue subconsciously tried to cover for Nan Ke: "Second brother... second brother wants a discount, not to dine and dash."
Tu Chaoxi: ...
Tu Chaoxi said irritably, "Shut up!"
"...Can I dine and dash if I mention your name?"
Tu Chaoxi turned around, and Tu Yao, her face flushed from running, looked at him with a melancholy expression.
Tu Chaoxi: ...
"You should also keep quiet!"
Tu Chaoxi: "...Alright, what time did you schedule the procedures for? Is it too late now?"
Tu Yao couldn't help but laugh. Unlike her second brother, who didn't show his emotions, her eldest brother was the easiest to get angry and the easiest to calm down.
Happiness and unhappiness are both written on their faces.
Tu Chaoxi glanced at the time; it was one o'clock in the afternoon, the hottest time of day.
He pulled out his hat with a disgruntled expression, put it on Tu Yao's head, then put his coat into her backpack and handed it to her.
"...You really don't want us to deliver it?"
Tu Yao nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Once the transfer is complete, I'll be free to come to you anytime."
I managed to appease him.
Nan Ke remained silent throughout, staring intently at her.
Tu Chaoxi watched Tu Yao turn into another street before she finally turned her gaze away.
Let's go back too!
The car continued driving forward.
Nan Ke stared silently ahead, and after a while, his gaze slowly shifted to the window.
At both ends of the road are rows of lush camphor trees. As the car continues to move forward, the road widens, evolving from a bumpy path into a wide and flat avenue.
And the camphor trees were gradually replaced by ginkgo trees.
In an instant, Nan Ke felt the absurdity of stepping from an old space into a brand new world.
He didn't know how long he had been walking, his heart pounding, and Nan Ke's face grew paler and paler.
"...Brother, transfer him back."
Just as Tu Chaoxi was planning to postpone her work for another two months, Nan Ke's slightly trembling voice suddenly rang in her ears.
He immediately looked in the rearview mirror: "What's wrong?"
In the passenger seat, Nan Ke clenched his fist tightly. "Turn it back."
His voice trembled even more violently.
"...I want to confirm a few more things."
Tu Chaoxi's eyelids twitched: "What is it?"
Nan Ke's Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "...Brother, Third Brother."
"We were all overjoyed to see Tu Xiaomao again."
But they forgot the most important thing.
"Have you ever wondered why she's here?"
"What?"
Tu Chaoxi's hands, gripping the steering wheel, froze instantly.
From the back seat, Lin Yue also looked over.
Nan Ke's breathing trembled slightly as he calmly uttered a few words.
"It is a fusion of two worlds."
"...but the integration doesn't seem to be going so smoothly."
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