At thirty, I started my comeback from the intelligence system.

Looking for Cui Lanzhen? Su Qingqing's heart skipped a beat.

That old lady, she's been an accountant her whole life, she's incredibly shrewd!

I've never given her a friendly look before, and every time I go there, she makes me feel uneasy.

If the divorce were to reach Cui Lanzhen, given the old lady's shrewdness and protectiveness towards Chen Geng, she might see through it all, making things even more awkward.

Looking for Chen Geng, the leader? Hanfeng Group GG Company?

She did want to, but Zhou Peng himself was probably already overwhelmed with problems. If things got out of hand, his reputation would be ruined, and how could he possibly get in touch with Young Master Lu then... This path was also uncertain.

"Forget it, Niu Dan," Su Qingqing shook her head, pretending to be tired and magnanimous.

"After all, we were husband and wife, and it wouldn't be worth making things too ugly. Besides, I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore; I just want to live my own life."

Niu Dan looked at her suspiciously: "Qingqing, this isn't like you! Can you really swallow this? He brought his new lover and swaggered around in front of you today!"

Su Qingqing's eyes flickered. A more insidious and secretive plan was quietly taking root in her heart. Perhaps... she should take something shady.

Thinking of this, Su Qingqing's lips curled into a cold smile.

But on the surface, she still said to Niu Dan, "I'm really tired, and I don't want to get angry over people like this anymore. Let's go, come with me to get my nails done, it'll change my mood."

Seeing that she was not in a good mood, Niu Dan stopped trying to persuade her, but he thought to himself that Su Qingqing must be hiding something.

Each with their own thoughts, the two walked towards the nail salon on the commercial street.

……

On the other side, Chen Geng and Lin Xiaoxiao walked a distance after leaving the coffee shop.

The evening breeze dispelled the awkwardness and tension from before.

"Nurse Lin, I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this ridiculous farce."

Chen Geng sincerely apologized again.

He asked Lin Xiaoxiao out today to express his gratitude and clarify things, but he didn't expect to run into Su Qingqing and have her witness such an unsavory scene.

"Mr. Chen, please don't say that."

Lin Xiaoxiao quickly waved her hand, looking at Chen Geng with more understanding and sympathy in her eyes.

"I'm the one who should apologize. It was my idea to ask you out that led to you... running into his ex-wife. The things she said... I don't think... you're the kind of person she described."

She had seen Chen Geng's courage when facing a knife-wielding thug, his calm and restraint when dealing with unreasonable behavior, and his tenderness when mentioning his mother.

These details are more convincing.

Chen Geng smiled but didn't respond to that, instead saying, "Anyway, the coffee today wasn't pleasant. How about this, I'll treat you to dinner as an apology, and also to thank you for standing up for me earlier."

"Oh? No, no! Really, no!" Lin Xiaoxiao blushed and quickly refused.

Just then, Chen Geng's phone rang; it was Zhang Jiaxiao.

"Hey, Geng! Where are you? Got some free tonight? I'm taking you somewhere, you have to come!"

Zhang Jiaxiao's loud voice came through the receiver, and the background noise was a bit loud.

"Jiaxiao, I'm here..." Chen Geng glanced at Lin Xiaoxiao.

"Stop dawdling! Remember the other day when we got drunk under the Shenjiang Bridge? You even fell into the river! Thank goodness Brother Zhao from that barbecue stall was quick-witted and pulled you out! I went to thank him today! Brother Zhao's shop is called Veteran Barbecue, it has a storefront on Binjiang Road, and in the summer they set up tables outside on the roadside, it's really cool! You remember the location, right?"

Chen Geng was taken aback, then remembered that two days ago he was extremely depressed and had gotten completely drunk with Zhang Jiaxiao at a riverside food stall. He had slipped and fallen into the water, and in his dazed state, he was pulled up by a very strong arm. After that, he blacked out. It turned out to be the owner of that barbecue stall.

"Okay, I understand. But..." Chen Geng hesitated for a moment, looked at Lin Xiaoxiao, and a thought struck him.

"Jiaxiao, what a coincidence! I have a friend I just met, a nurse at the First Municipal Hospital. She was the one who greeted me yesterday; I guess you've met her before. She helped me out a bit today too. I was just saying I was going to treat her to dinner to make up for it. Want to come along? Is it convenient for you?"

"A nurse friend? Sure! That's so convenient! It'll be lively with lots of people! Brother Zhao will definitely be happy! Bring her over quickly! Call me when she arrives!"

Upon hearing that there was a girl, Zhang Jiaxiao's voice became even more excited.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Geng said to Lin Xiaoxiao, "Nurse Lin, my buddy's inviting me to dinner. He's the one who was hospitalized with me, but he went to the neurology department. If you don't mind, why don't you come along? It'll be a simple meal, and it'll be a chance for me to make amends. My buddy works at the neighborhood committee office; he's a pretty reliable guy."

Lin Xiaoxiao initially wanted to refuse, but for some inexplicable reason hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Well... okay. Thank you, Mr. Chen."

The two took a taxi to Binjiang Road. In the summer evening, a gentle breeze from the river dispelled the daytime heat.

The signboard of Veteran Barbecue is very eye-catching. The store is not big, but a long row of tables and chairs is set up along the river railing in front of the store. It is almost full of people, with a lively atmosphere and a lot of noise.

A middle-aged man wearing a tank top, with muscular build, dark skin, and a buzz cut, was deftly flipping the meat skewers on the grill. His movements were swift and powerful, and his eyes were sharp.

Several equally capable young men nearby helped serve the food and clean up, maintaining a neat and orderly process.

Chen Geng recognized at a glance that the person in front of the grill was the one who had saved him in his vague memory last time.

"Brother Geng! Over here!" Zhang Jiaxiao waved from a table closest to the river.

Chen Geng led Lin Xiaoxiao over.

Zhang Jiaxiao's eyes lit up when he saw Lin Xiaoxiao. Lin Xiaoxiao was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans today, looking fresh and clean, and amidst the smoky atmosphere of the barbecue stall, she possessed a unique kind of clean and beautiful charm.

"Jiaxiao, this is Lin Xiaoxiao, a nurse at the First Municipal Hospital. Nurse Lin, this is my childhood friend, Zhang Jiaxiao, who works at the Binjiang Road Subdistrict Office. You two should have met yesterday, remember?" Chen Geng said simply.

"Hello, Nurse Lin! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Zhang Jiaxiao was a little incoherent, but enthusiastically pulled out a chair: "Please sit down, please sit down! Brother Zhao, add some more skewers!"

Zhao Longsheng looked up, his gaze lingered on Chen Geng's face for a second, and he nodded as a greeting before continuing his work, though the corners of his mouth seemed to curve slightly.

The three sat down. Zhang Jiaxiao was good at livening up the atmosphere, and soon the skewers, edamame, and peanuts were served. With the chilled beer opened, the slight awkwardness of their first meeting quickly melted away. Zhang Jiaxiao told some interesting stories about the neighborhood office, and Lin Xiaoxiao also shared some of her observations from the hospital. Chen Geng listened most of the time, occasionally interjecting a few words.

"My name is Zhao Longsheng, how should I address you, brother?" The middle-aged man handed his work to the waiter and pulled up a chair to sit down.

Chen Geng picked up a bottle of beer and handed it to Zhao Longsheng: "Brother Zhao, my gratitude is beyond words, it's all in this beer!"

Zhao Longsheng took the bottle, pried it open with a bottle opener, tilted his head back and took a big gulp, wiped his mouth, and looked at Chen Geng: "Kid, has your alcohol tolerance improved? Don't make me go back into the water to bail you out again."

Chen Geng was a little embarrassed: "Brother Zhao, don't make fun of me. But seriously, I'm not good with words, but from now on you'll be my brother!"

"It's nothing." Zhao Longsheng waved his hand dismissively.

"In the future, be mindful of where you drink and drink within your limits. Even if you have something on your mind, don't push your body too hard."

He didn't talk much, but his tone carried a sense of composure that comes from weathering storms and the advice of someone who had been through it all.

"Yes, I've got it." Chen Geng nodded seriously.

He could sense that this Brother Zhao was no ordinary person.

The men who helped out were quite agile and efficient, with a somewhat military bearing.