As spiritual energy revived, I, having acquired certain attributes, gradually ascended to immortalit

The hot pot restaurant was bustling with activity, almost completely full.

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but when I got inside, I found out that there was only enough room for four people at one table.

Chen Chen was quick and nimble, plopping down in first, pulling Chen Xu and Chen Ming along with him. Su Xiaoxiao also filled the seats, as if they had rehearsed beforehand.

Seeing this, Shen Qing and Gu Jingshi could only sit alone at a table to the side.

It's a pity that, apart from the occasional eye contact, the two barely spoke during the entire meal.

Chen Chen and his friends next door were itching to see this, their plans had been wasted.

So they focused all their energy on the hot pot, leaving Su Xiaoxiao to keep the atmosphere lively with all sorts of gossip and extremely disjointed topics.

Suddenly, the conversation turned to what was going on with the girl Chen Chen had been "bumping into" at the library.

"Don't worry about that," Chen Chen waved her hand. "She already has a boyfriend."

"Tch, who told you to dawdle?"

Chen Ming smirked gloatingly, only to be met with a glare from Chen Chen.

"Get lost, that's still better than you not daring to say a word."

Whether it was a veiled criticism or not, they glanced at Shen Qing, who was only focused on eating, and felt even more disappointed in him!

Amidst laughter and chatter, the dinner party quickly came to an end.

The six people stood at the entrance of the hot pot restaurant. The night breeze blew by, and the smell of hot pot on their bodies dissipated a little.

"It's still early," Chen Chen suddenly suggested. "Should we look around some more? It's the weekend anyway, and we don't know when we'll be back again."

As he spoke, he winked at Chen Ming and Chen Xu.

The two immediately understood. Chen Xu nodded and coughed, "It's quite early. There's nothing to do back there, right, Xiao Xiao?"

Su Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement, drawing out her words, "Yes, who knows when we'll be able to come back again."

She finished speaking as if to emphasize her point, then looked at Gu Jingshi, then at Shen Qing, her eyes darting around before she released her grip on Gu Jingshi's arm.

"Oh dear, my shoelace is untied. You guys go ahead."

She crouched down to look at her shoes, which had no laces at all, and casually tugged at Chen Xu's trouser leg.

The four of them tacitly slowed down and gradually fell behind. Shen Qing and Gu Jingshi unknowingly walked ahead and walked side by side.

Although no one spoke.

Behind them, Chen Chen and his three companions followed furtively, like thieves or clumsy detectives.

"What's going on between them?" Chen Ming asked in a low voice. "Weren't they doing fine before? Why did they suddenly break up without any warning?"

"Who knows?" Chen Chen shook his head, took a sip of lemonade, and said, "They broke up suddenly, and if you ask Shen Qing, he'll just say he doesn't know."

"A sudden, abrupt breakup."

Chen Xu pushed up his glasses and summarized, and the three of them looked at Su Xiaoxiao in unison.

"Xiaoxiao, do you know?"

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head, "Jing Shi has been very busy lately, and I haven't seen him for half a month."

I asked her before, and she just brushed me off, saying it might not be suitable, which is completely unlike her personality.

"Huh? You've been together for two years and haven't had any major conflicts?"

Chen Ming feels that he no longer understands love these days.

"Wait, quiet down." Chen Chen suddenly raised his hand to interrupt, his eyes lighting up. "They seem to be about to have a chat."

The four of them immediately fell silent, their eyes all turning to the two people in front of them.

Feeling a bit awkward remaining silent, Shen Qing coughed and decided to take the initiative, "How have you been lately?"

Although it started with awkward small talk, at least it broke the silence.

"It's alright." Gu Jingshi raised his hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind his ear. "I'm just handling some company matters. I've only just taken over, so I'm not very familiar with many things yet."

"That's great." Shen Qing nodded. "I have a job before I even graduated, unlike me who's delivering food now."

He spoke casually, and even chuckled.

The awkward conversation between the two made Chen Chen and the others walking behind anxious.

"What's going on between these two?"

"Shen Qing, you idiot, watch your ears! Your ears!"

"What's wrong with delivering food?" Gu Jingshi paused, turned around, and her tone suddenly became more serious. "I feel pretty good about it."

She looked up, and their eyes met.

"Besides, there are so many delivery people, but you're the only one I can spot in a crowd."

Space seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Holy crap!"

"Holy crap!!"

"Holy crap."

Three consecutive low-pitched "Holy crap!"s came from behind, expressing their incomprehension. Wasn't this supposed to be a breakup?

Su Xiaoxiao didn't speak, but her eyes clearly lit up.

"That would be an honor."

Shen Qing laughed and said, "But we've already broken up, aren't you afraid I'll misunderstand if you still say that?"

"Yeah?"

Gu Jingshi shook his head. "You can say those two words so calmly, it seems like you don't care much anymore. Are you still afraid of misunderstandings?"

Break up? Did she even say those two words?

Upon hearing Shen Qing's answer, Su Xiaoxiao finally couldn't help but rush up, glaring at him with exasperation, before taking Gu Jingshi's arm and leaving.

Shen Qing shook his head. He could naturally see through Chen Chen and the others' arrangements, but there was no need for them at all.

"Hey, watch your step, you bumped into me."

"Excuse me."

Suddenly, a quarrel broke out, and Shen Qing, distracted, subconsciously looked over.

After a young man bumped into someone and apologized, he brushed past another person and quietly handed something over.

The movements were so practiced that no one around noticed.

pickpocket?

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes. He was not sure at first, until the young man pretended to bump into someone else, and his sleeves instantly billowed up.

What era are we living in? There are still pickpockets, and even gangs committing crimes.

Sudden.

Perhaps it was the vigilance he had developed over the years, but the young man who had made the move seemed to notice something and suddenly looked in Shen Qing's direction.

"Let's go. With your emotional intelligence, I don't know how Gu Jingshi ever fell for you."

Chen Chen happened to walk up and gave Shen Qing a disapproving look.

"What, are you jealous of my looks?"

"Pah, pretty boy."

The thief looked around and saw only a few young men who appeared to be college students, playing around.

Was that just my imagination?

Or is there a cop secretly watching him?

Should we stop?

He was conflicted because, due to the police, this was only his second attempt this week, and he hadn't gained anything yet.

If this continues, we won't be able to meet our "performance targets" this month.

After much deliberation.

The thief decided to assess the situation further and gave his companion a wink, signaling him to keep a safe distance.

Anyway, the item isn't on him. Even if there are cops, we still need to find evidence.

His gaze swept across the scene casually, and suddenly, a striking head of long red hair came into view, but that wasn't the point.

The focus is on the girl's arm—a Patek Philippe watch. Although it's hard to tell which series it is, even an entry-level one is worth hundreds of thousands.

I can't believe such a big fish would appear here!

His breathing suddenly became rapid. Stop? What the hell? So what if he's a cop? This job could earn him a year's worth of earnings!

However, there were too many of them, so a direct confrontation was definitely not an option. He gave a wink to his companion not far away.

"Don't you have eyes?!"

"Who are you cursing? You're the one who can't watch where you're going!"

The sudden argument immediately attracted the attention of most people around, including Chen Chen and his group.

good chance!

A look of delight flashed in the thief's eyes, and he naturally moved closer as if watching a spectacle. But before he could actually get to the girl, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his arm.

"Isn't this A-Yuan?"