Because she was addicted

Big Strong Uncle?

Wen Jia's mind went blank for a moment.

Ge Dazhuang was a notorious street urchin in their neighborhood, and in the old days he would come to her house almost every day to play mahjong. Later, his wife came to their door with a stick, smashed the mahjong table, and even got into a fight with Pan Mei, calling her a filthy bitch.

Wen Jia still vividly remembers that fight.

Not long after, Dazhuang's wife divorced him, and Dazhuang was kicked out of the house. Later, it was said that he went out to work.

So, Pan Mei has hooked up with Da Zhuang again?

This time, did they even bring Wen Zhao along to seek refuge with him?

Wen Jia turned and left in anger.

She thought it was tough for the mother and son since they had just arrived in Haicheng, and wanted to help them out. Who knew they had already arranged everything and were even living together?

She's despicable.

As soon as I reached the alley entrance, Lu Chenyan's WeChat message arrived.

"You checked out?"

She left early in the morning, probably before Lu Chenyan woke up, and didn't tell him.

"Yeah. My mom and brother went back home, so I moved back."

"Where are you? I'll come find you. I'll take you to the boat for seafood."

"Is it all-you-can-eat?"

Eat as much as you want.

Wen Jia sent him her location.

As you walk out of the alley, you see several luxury cars lined up and coming in, their grandeur attracting passersby to stop and watch.

"It looks like Old Madam Fu has returned."

The person speaking was carrying a vegetable basket, and his demeanor suggested he was an elderly man who had lived in this old town all his life.

"Wasn't he sick? He spent six years receiving treatment abroad."

"I heard she's better. Last year, her husband, Ah Shen, even came to my noodle shop to eat noodles, saying he was completely recovered."

"Ah Shen is a good kid. Even with such a big boss, he always remembers to greet people when he sees them. I heard he's getting married?"

"The old lady is probably back for the wedding."

The car swayed slowly as it drove deeper into the old town.

With the car windows closed, Wen Jia couldn't see anything.

As soon as the convoy left, even more people started talking about it.

"Speaking of Ah Shen, wasn't there a little girl who always followed him around when he was a kid? Calling, calling..." An old man sitting under a big locust tree playing chess was making a loud clattering sound as he gripped the chess pieces.

"Call him Ali!"

The old lady who had mentioned Fu Huaishen eating noodles at her shop came out of the noodle shop, taking off her apron as she spoke.

"Little Ali was pitiful from a young age. Her mother abandoned her and ran away right after she was born. Her aunt chased her all over the street with a broom and beat her every day. She didn't know where her next meal would come from. It was only after she met Ashen that she had a few years of peace. Back then, the two of them would come to my shop to eat noodles every few days, and Ashen always paid for it."

"Yes, yes, they even came to my shop for wontons. One didn't want cilantro, and the other didn't want scallions. I remember it vividly."

"Ali skipped school and got into fights all the time. She broke countless pickle jars and windows in our house. Ashen would chase after her all day, pulling her ponytail and tutoring her. The child is also very bright; she actually got into Shanghai University."

An old man came out carrying a teapot, swaying it and making a "yo-yo" sound. He took a sip from the spout, squinted his eyes, and reminisced.

"That day, we were standing on this bridge. Ali was holding up her acceptance letter, telling everyone she met that she had passed the exam. I even stumbled and almost fell into the river because of her. Are you saying she and Ashen are getting married?"

After the old man spoke, everyone fell silent.

The noodle shop owner hit him with her apron.

"Oh dear, you old fool! Why do you have to bring up something you shouldn't say?"

The old man looked completely bewildered. "What did I mention? Weren't you the ones talking?"

As a result, everyone around looked sullen, some went to play chess, some went to buy groceries, and some went to do laundry.

It seems this topic has touched on some taboo subject, and no one wants to bring it up again.

Wen Jia stood there listening for a long time, her curiosity just piqued and she wanted to hear more gossip, but in the blink of an eye, the people on the old street had all dispersed.

The "A-Li" they're talking about is probably Shen Li.

I never expected that President Fu and Shen Li would have such a connection.

They were childhood sweethearts.

But what exactly happened later that caused them to separate? If Shen Li got into the architecture department of Ocean University, why would he be running a coffee shop downstairs in the company building? Is that little girl who looks like Shin-chan Fu Huaishen's child?

Wen Jia was filled with questions.

"We're here, come out." Lu Chenyan was waiting for her at the entrance of the alley.

"What made you decide to eat seafood on a boat?"

Wen Jia got into the car and saw Lu Chenyan dressed casually in a black T-shirt and smoky gray trousers. His hair was slightly styled, and he had sunglasses hanging on the back of his head.

Lu Chenyan leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt, and said mysteriously:

You'll see when you get there.

They boarded the boat at the port, and the fishing boat sailed outwards. Gradually, the skyscrapers of Haicheng were left far behind, and before them stretched the boundless blue sea, extending into the distance and merging with the sky.

At the stern of the fishing boat, the boatmen kept throwing nets into the sea.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

She looked at Lu Chenyan, who was sitting in a chair and busy at work. He had brought a bulging bag with him when he boarded the ship.

He took out a sun-protective shirt from his bag, then a hat and sunglasses, and helped Wen Jia put them on. He then took out a bottle of sunscreen spray and sprayed all of Wen Jia's exposed skin before stopping, satisfied.

"Okay, now I'm not afraid of the sun anymore."

After finishing all that, he turned his head and gestured towards the other side of the deck.

"Over there, do you see it?"

Wen Jia followed his gaze and saw a middle-aged couple sitting not far away, dressed in outdoor attire. The man, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was taking fishing gear out of his bag. The woman was drinking tea with her legs crossed.

"Who is it?" Wen Jia asked, puzzled.

"Aren't you interested in new energy sources? After reading so many papers and articles, can't you recognize who that guy is?"

"Who is it?"

"Professor Fang," Lu Chenyan leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Is he Dr. Fang Wenzhong?" Wen Jia's eyes widened.

Lu Chenyan patted the back of her hand to calm her down. "Dr. Fang is the most authoritative professor in the field of new energy in China. The laboratory he heads is dedicated to this research. If you can get to know him and have a chat with him, it will definitely be helpful to you."

"How did you know his whereabouts?" Wen Jia asked, somewhat surprised.

Lu Chenyan patted his chest, "Don't you even know who your boyfriend is?"

Wen Jia glared at him angrily.

Meeting Dr. Fang Wenzhong was truly beyond her expectations. After studying those papers and information for a while, she had developed her own thoughts, and if she could get some answers from Professor Fang, it would be incredibly beneficial for her.

"So what should I do now?"

Lu Chenyan, however, was already prepared. He patted his bag and said, "What's the rush?"

The boat sailed for an hour before slowly coming to a stop.

Dr. Fang and his wife found a spot at the stern and began casting their lines with great enthusiasm.

His wife initially tried to encourage him with words of encouragement, but Dr. Fang kept catching fish, or if he did, he couldn't reel them in, or the line would break. Gradually, his wife began to complain.

"Are you sure you can handle this, Lao Fang? Look at that young couple over there, they're catching fish non-stop. Why don't you catch one yourself and show me!"

Dr. Fang also looked annoyed.

"This is unbelievable. Everyone says it's easy to catch fish, but I can't catch a single one."

He turned to look at the young couple a few steps away, then brought up another one. The girlfriend was excitedly shouting, too angry to care about manners.

"Hey! Keep your voice down, you're scaring my fish away."