After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

The more Lan Yujuan listened, the more panicked she became, and she even lost her appetite.

"Alright, I'll sit here for a while. You go ahead and do your work!"

Lan Yujuan took out five 100-yuan bills from her bag and folded them into small squares beforehand.

Then, taking advantage of a break in the conversation, he patted the bartender on the shoulder, made eye contact for a moment, and then quietly slipped the item into the bartender's pocket from the side.

"I'll stay here a little longer tonight."

"Please let me know if you hear anything; I'll be very grateful!"

The waiter casually touched the pocket, and after feeling its thickness, his smile became even brighter.

"Don't worry, sis, I've got your back!"

"Why don't you sit down for a bit? I'll go tell the kitchen to hurry up and serve your food."

As Lan Yujuan sat down, she nodded gently, "Yes, that's fine."

Soon, the food she ordered was served.

A plate of shiitake mushrooms and bok choy, a serving of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a serving of fried rice with eggs—that's all she ordered for dinner tonight.

The waitress who brought the dishes was speechless when she saw what she had ordered.

The waiter glanced at the direction of the security camera and whispered during a break in serving the food:

"Sis, you haven't had dinner yet, have you? You've come to the wrong place!"

"Behind our food stall, there's a small alley with lots of fast food restaurants that are cheap and delicious."

"Some will stay open until the early hours of the morning, and some until dawn."

"Next time you come, just go eat in the alley behind the restaurant. Those who eat at this place are all rich suckers; don't get ripped off here."

After the waiter finished speaking, he winked at her and quickly left.

Lan Yujuan stared at the retreating figure, about to say thank you, but the person had already walked far away.

After thinking about it carefully, she could guess it.

This food stall is for people from the nearby bar street to have a late-night snack after drinking.

The small restaurants in the alley behind are for people who work in this area.

Working until the wee hours of the morning and then being able to enjoy a hot, filling meal that's also inexpensive makes me very happy.

Lan Yujuan sat quietly in the corner, watching the endless stream of customers come and go in the store, while the small square outside was decorated with lanterns and gradually became lively.

As night falls, all sorts of people come and go, playing various roles...

Although she couldn't find Qin Shuyi, who had run away from home, her mind was constantly brimming with various inspirations.

So she couldn't wait to take out her phone and record the fragments of inspiration that came to mind.

When she put down her phone again, she felt her neck stiff and sore. When she checked the time, more than half an hour had passed.

When the waiter saw her look up and around, he immediately came over with the drinks menu and a smile.

"Beautiful lady, are you full?"

"Are you waiting for a friend? Would you like me to clear the table and get some drinks?"

Lan Yujuan rubbed her neck and took the drinks menu, all of which had clearly marked prices.

Her fingers moved slowly down, selecting one item at a time, as she asked softly:

"Do Xu Jian and his brother's friends often come to your shop for late-night snacks?"

When the waiter heard her mention Xu Jian, he was taken aback for a moment, and then a strange expression flashed across his face.

"Beautiful lady, are you here for a late-night snack also to see Xu Jian, the young master Xu?"

After speaking, the waiter gave her another look. Although Lan Yujuan did not respond, it was clear that the waiter had already made up his mind.

"Young Master Xu?" Lan Yujuan was a little confused.

She wasn't sure if the person she was talking about was the same person as the Xu Jian the other person mentioned, or if they just shared the same name.

"The Xu Jian I'm talking about is probably in his early twenties, a tall guy over 1.8 meters, with a buzz cut, and still in college."

"But I heard that he formed a band, with himself playing the guitar and singing the lead vocals, and writing and composing his own original songs."

"Their little band often performs at several bars on this street."

Are we talking about the same person?

The waiter nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, even forgetting to promote the drinks.

"Yes, that's right!"

"That's him!"

Seeing her puzzled expression, the waiter couldn't help but ask:

"Beautiful lady, you know him so well, yet you still chased him all the way here."

"You don't still not know who he is, do you?"

Lan Yujuan shook her head, looking blank. "I don't know."

All she knew was that Qin Shuyi and Xu Jian were childhood sweethearts.

However, the Qin family is a century-old family, and the direct line mainly focuses on politics.

Therefore, she subconsciously assumed that the Xu family, which had a close relationship with the Qin family, must also be a wealthy, low-key, and powerful family with a history of over a hundred years.

As for which specific Xu family it was, she didn't ask further, nor had she been interested in it before.

Seeing that she indeed didn't know, the waiter immediately seized on the opportunity to gossip, handing her the drinks menu while lowering his voice to say:

"Hey beautiful, if you boost my sales figures tonight, I'll tell you everything I know!"

Lan Yujuan thought about it for a moment. Since she was free anyway, she figured it would be good to listen to more rumors about those two and learn more about them!

So she took the drinks menu, ordered an expensive bottle, and asked them to open it and bring it over.

The waiter was overjoyed when he saw the drink she ordered.

Although it can't compare to the top seller in the entire store, this commission is enough to make someone happy all night long!

After the wine was served, the waiter poured her a drink while whispering excitedly in a low voice.

"I heard that Young Master Xu's father is the biggest real estate developer and entrepreneur in our province! And he's the only son in the Xu family!"

"But this young master Xu is just like his mother at heart. I heard that his mother is a nationally renowned folk singer."

"This young master Xu has never liked business; he's always loved music!"

"His father, in order to make him realize his mistakes and give up music, and go back to take over the family business, cut off all his sources of income."

"Young Master Xu is quite rebellious; he'd rather go hungry and wander the streets than give up on his musical dreams!"

Lan Yujuan sat in the corner, smelling the aroma of the wine on the table while listening to the waiter's detailed explanation.

From the waiter's eyes, it was easy to tell that besides enjoying the spectacle, there was also a certain amount of admiration.

"Cough, cough!"

Lan Yujuan cleared her throat, forcefully pulling the waiter's wandering thoughts back.

"So that means Xu Jian comes here for late-night snacks every day after getting off work in the early hours of the morning. That information is reliable, right?"

The waiter nodded repeatedly, "Yes, absolutely reliable!"

After glancing around, he leaned down and whispered in Lan Yujuan's ear:

"Young Master Xu is currently having a very intimate conversation with one of our waitresses!"

"I also heard that young Master Xu is currently being fed and housed by one of our shop's waitresses, who works part-time to support him!"

Upon hearing this, Lan Yujuan frowned. "What?"

"Doesn't Xu Jian sing at bars every day and earn money from each performance?"

The waiter stroked his chin and whispered, "Well, actually, I don't know much about music either."

"I just said it casually while listening to them chat."

"I heard that supporting a band is expensive, and recording songs in a recording studio is even more expensive, not to mention that I also want to release my own album."

"In short, with the meager earnings of Young Master Xu, it's simply not enough to make ends meet."

At this point, the waiter revealed a mysterious smile, touched the tip of his nose, and whispered:

"However, you don't need to worry."

"A young man like Young Master Xu, with his good looks, talent, and supposedly excellent stamina, has plenty of women eager to throw themselves at him!"

"Even if you want to spend money on him, he has to be willing to do it first."

After hearing this, Lan Yujuan couldn't help but gasp in amazement. Her mind was filled with the vivid and sensual scene that Qin Shuyi had witnessed a few days ago when she pushed open the bedroom door and rushed in.

A man like that is fine to listen to occasionally sing, but he's definitely not a good match for you.

Lan Yujuan glanced at the time and realized that Xu Jian's usual time for having a late-night snack was still four or five hours away.

Qin Shuyi has not appeared yet, and we don't know where she is now.

Thinking of this, Lan Yujuan took out her phone again, found Qin Shuyi's recent photos, and leaned over to ask:

"I'm not waiting for Xu Jian. Actually, I'm here to see this girl. Have you seen her before?"

The waiter leaned over to take a look, his expression instantly changed, and he pointed at the screen, saying:

"This looks familiar..."

"I think I saw her in the alley behind here just now..."

Lan Yujuan grabbed her phone and jumped to her feet. "Just now? Where in the alley behind?"

She grabbed the waiter's wrist, her eyes filled with anxiety, and said:

"This is my niece. Her family is frantically searching for her. Could you take me to the back of the house to have a look?"

"She knows Xu Jian, and they have a good relationship, so I guessed she might have come here to seek refuge with Xu Jian."

The waiter was startled and quickly tried to pull his wrist away, saying, "No, I'm on duty right now, I can't leave my post!"

"Besides, I was just saying it casually. Maybe it's just a resemblance, or maybe I'm mistaken?"

Upon hearing this, Lan Yujuan immediately pointed to the bottle of wine on the table and said:

"If you can lead me to the girl in the photo tonight, I'll open three more bottles of wine on the table!"