After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

Lin Chu spent the next two days in the village.

The first day was mainly about dealing with the "concern" from all sorts of aunts and uncles.

The first to arrive was Uncle Zhao from next door, carrying a bag of peanuts he grew himself. He sat in the main room of Lin Chu's house, and although he hadn't shelled many peanuts, he asked a lot of questions.

"Lin boy, tell me the truth, what have you been doing out there?" Uncle Zhao lowered his voice. "Six months ago you were still working, how come you're suddenly driving that... that sports car?"

Lin Chu was prepared.

"Uncle, after I quit my job, I partnered with a friend to do some antique business." He repeated the prepared story again, "My great-grandfather left behind a few old objects, right? I took them to be appraised, and it turned out that one of them was an old item from a previous dynasty. I sold it for a good price, and then I used that money to invest in my friend's business. Now we're doing antique appraisal and reselling, and we've made some money."

Uncle Zhao was skeptical: "Antiques? When did you start knowing about these?"

"I took an elective course in cultural relic appraisal in college." Lin Chu said without changing his expression. He had indeed taken the course for credits, but he almost failed it.

Moreover, this statement isn't entirely false.

He can now easily detect the age of an item using his spiritual power.

Uncle Zhao believed him, nodding and then shaking his head: "You're really lucky, kid."

Then came Grandpa Zhang, Aunt Li, and finally Aunt Chen from the village store.

Everyone comes with something, and leaves with roughly the same answer.

No one doubted that Lin Chu was lying, because he spoke with such certainty.

The young man who was once well-known in the village now sits in a chair and chats with people, and there is something in his eyes that makes people believe in him.

Lin Chu herself didn't feel any change.

He simply used his instincts from his memories of dealing with officials in the imperial court.

On Sunday afternoon, when Lin Chu went to say goodbye to the village chief, she slipped a red envelope under the coffee table when he wasn't looking.

"Uncle, I'm leaving."

The village chief was watching TV and didn't even look up: "Let's go, let's go, don't forget about Monday."

"I remember."

He walked to the door, and the village chief's voice came from behind him again: "Lin boy, do your job well."

"understood."

……

Monday, 1:30 PM.

Lin Chu stood at the entrance of the coffee shop and looked down at the photos on her phone.

He didn't know why he arrived half an hour early.

I have no idea why my heartbeat hasn't been normal since this morning.

I wasn't this nervous when I fused with the essence of a true dragon before.

Lin Chu took a deep breath and pushed open the shop door.

Although I arrived half an hour early, the other person seemed to have arrived even earlier.

Lin Chu spotted the figure by the window immediately.

She's so eye-catching.

Cang Yao wore a light red shirt today, with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing a section of her fair wrist.

Her hair was casually draped over her shoulders, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears.

The moment Lin Chu entered, she also looked up.

Eyes facing each other.

Cang Yao's hand, holding the coffee cup, froze in mid-air.

She looked at the person at the door who was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar. He was much taller and fairer than she remembered, but his features hadn't changed much. He was wearing a light blue shirt and standing straight.

Cang Yao put down her coffee cup, stood up, and slowly curved her lips into a smile.

"Hello, I am Cang Yao."

Lin Chu walked over and sat down opposite her.

My name is Lin Chu.

Then the two of them fell silent for a moment.

"The village chief said you're a distant relative of his," Lin Chu started a conversation. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Yes, we're distant relatives." Cang Yao stirred her coffee, looking down. "I was abroad for a while and only recently came back."

"What country?"

"Running around everywhere." Cang Yao said vaguely, then quickly changed the subject, "What about you? The village chief said you used to work in Shenzhen."

"Yes, she was a designer, but she quit." Lin Chu looked at the menu. "She went on a trip for a while and just got back."

After Lin Chu finished speaking, he looked up and found Cang Yao resting her chin on her hand, looking at him.

That look wasn't appraising; it was more like confirming something.

"You look better in person than in the photos," Cang Yao said casually, narrowing her eyes.

"The same to you."

Their conversation became increasingly smooth.

As they chatted, Lin Chu realized that Cang Yao seemed to know her very well.

It's not the kind of understanding that's deliberately shown.

Rather, it's the details that are revealed unintentionally.

For example, when he raised his hand to ask the waiter for a glass of water, Cang Yao had already handed him the kettle.

He wanted to say "thank you," but before he could even open his mouth, she nodded, as if she knew what he was going to say.

"How did you know I was thirsty?" Lin Chu took the water bottle.

Cang Yao blinked: "You just pursed your lips."

"Is there?"

"have."

"Cang Yao," Lin Chu put down her coffee cup, "don't we know each other before?"

Cang Yao's fingers, holding the coffee, tightened slightly.

She raised her head, and for a moment, a complex mix of emotions flashed in her peach blossom eyes: surprise, restraint, and a hint of barely perceptible grievance.

But she quickly suppressed it.

"Why do you ask that?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it," Lin Chu said, looking into her eyes. "It's just that you seem to know me very well."

"Maybe I did my homework." Cang Yao tilted her head to look at him. "Your village chief uncle told me quite a bit."

"Uncle Village Chief didn't even know I don't eat sweets."

Cang Yao laughed out loud, but did not answer.

She lowered her head, took a sip of coffee, and when she looked up again, the light in her eyes had stabilized.

A light rain began to fall outside the coffee shop, and the two chatted for a long time until it got dark.

Lin Chu offered to take her back, but Cang Yao said no, as she lived very close by.

The two said goodbye at the entrance of the coffee shop. Cang Yao took a few steps with her umbrella, then turned back to look at him again.

"Lin Chu."

"Um?"

"Are you free tomorrow? I know a place in this mall that serves really good cheese baked rice."

Lin Chu looked at her silhouette standing in the rain, her eyes reflecting the light of the streetlights just coming on.

He suddenly felt something inside him being gently touched.

Whether this blind date was a coincidence or arranged, I don't reject this feeling as far as today is concerned.

"Maybe I should give it a try," Lin Chu thought.

"available."

Cang Yao smiled, turned around, and walked away with her umbrella.

My steps were light and quick, as if I were walking on clouds.

Lin Chu stood at the entrance of the coffee shop, watching her figure disappear into the rain.

……

Meanwhile, across from the coffee shop, on the second floor of KFC, by the window.

Jiang Ruoshui, wearing a burgundy silk shirt, crossed her legs and held a glass of cola in her hand. She looked at the two people saying goodbye downstairs through her sunglasses and pursed her lips.

"They acted quickly."

A woman with a single ponytail was sitting opposite me.

She was plain-faced, but had beautiful features and a cool, aloof air about her.

Wearing a simple white T-shirt, a long, rectangular object wrapped tightly in a cloth cover was leaning against her feet.

Zhou Caiwei stared expressionlessly at the two people downstairs outside the window.

The hand under the table was clenched tightly, the knuckles turning white.

The only thought running through her mind was: How did she get there first again?

It seemed as if they had sensed something.

Jiang Ruoshui turned her head, her red lips slowly curving into a charming smile: "I didn't expect you to take the initiative to seek cooperation with me."

She pulled her sunglasses down, revealing a pair of captivating eyes. "I thought Elder Zhou was planning to go alone."

"The situation in this realm is still unclear." Zhou Caiwei's voice was slightly cold, her face expressionless. "Having multiple sources of information is always safer."

"Alright then." Jiang Ruoshui pushed her sunglasses up again, her gaze drifting back to the coffee shop downstairs. "Pleasure doing business with you."

She picked up the can of cola and held it up to the outside of the glass window.

It's like paying tribute to someone, or it's like a demonstration.

Seeing Lin Chu leave, Zhou Caiwei also got up and walked towards the stairwell, but stopped after a few steps without turning back.

"That cheese baked rice place, are you coming tomorrow?"

Jiang Ruoshui was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

She picked up her Coke, took a sip, and glanced down at the empty coffee shop entrance.