I was the leader of the righteous path in high school.

After seeing Xia Qige off, Gu Yun lay on the bed, and after a while, he suddenly sat up.

He hadn't forgotten his task for the day.

Go to Chen Zhizhi's house to check on things, and also find out what Brother Zhuo does.

Gu Yun never fights a battle he's not confident of winning.

Even if we really can't afford to offend her, we can figure out a way to keep Chen Zhizhi from going home tomorrow.

So how did Chen Zhizhi know about this?

After putting on his raincoat and going outside, Gu Yun began to think.

Chen Zhizhi's family wasn't considered wealthy, according to others. Her father worked in real estate, specifically in sales, earning five or six thousand a month.

The mother is not very educated and is currently taking care of Chen Zhizhi in the accompanying room so that she can focus on her college entrance exam and take the test with peace of mind.

This is considered a basic requirement in China; nothing is more important than the college entrance examination.

It's highly likely that around this time, the other party's father developed unusual emotions and became involved with someone they couldn't even imagine and couldn't afford to offend.

it's wired.

Even after boarding the bus, Gu Yun still didn't understand.

It was as if it had suddenly appeared; an NPC by the water posted a quest to find camels underwater.

Does the real world also lack logic?

The bus swayed along the wet streets for nearly an hour. By the time Gu Yun got off, the rain had turned into a misty fog.

Before me lay a patch of folds forgotten by skyscrapers, the urban villages of Los Angeles.

Like a worn-out, patched gray coat, it stands out starkly next to the city's impeccably tailored suits.

The low, self-built buildings are crammed together, with the exterior tiles peeling off and revealing the underlying cement, which is then stained with varying shades of dirt by rainwater.

The power lines overhead were tangled haphazardly, like a giant black spider web, catching the heavy, damp air.

The alley was so narrow that only two people could pass sideways. The ground was made of broken cement slabs, with dark puddles flowing through the cracks, and it smelled of sour, rotten plastic bags and vegetable leaves.

Several rusted tin doors were tightly closed, and the red paint on the lintels that read "Rental Room" had faded to pink.

He had lived in such places before.

However, because of the need to attend school, Gu Jianghai and Song Shan discussed it and decided to move their entire family to the vicinity of Luocheng Elementary School, successfully enrolling Gu Yun in the school.

If it weren't for their actions, he probably wouldn't have run into Xia Qige.

The thought of this made him realize that it would take away a lot of fun, so he stopped thinking about it.

Gu Yun walked further in through the slippery ground, the rustling sound of his raincoat particularly clear in the stifling silence.

At the end of the alley stands a half-withered old banyan tree. Under the tree sits an old man in a dark blue old Zhongshan suit, gazing absently at the rain and mist, clutching a enamel cup that has long since stopped steaming.

Finally, I saw people.

"Grandpa, I have something to ask you."

Gu Yun leaned closer and raised his voice, "Does Chen Zhizhi live around here?"

The old man slowly turned his face, his eyelids drooping, his ears large, looking no different from any other elderly person.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Chen—Zhi—Zhi—" Gu Yun enunciated each word clearly, almost shouting, "Are they here?!"

"What do you mean?"

The old man turned his ear to the side, his brow furrowing deeply.

"It's not Cheng, it's Chen, Chen Zhizhi!"

Gu Yun raised his voice again, feeling as if he were shouting into a deep well.

The old man's cloudy eyes flickered, as if trying to catch those few syllables: "...Chen something Zhi?"

"Chen, Zhi, Zhi!" Gu Yun almost had to use his hands to gesture.

"Oh……"

The old man drawled out his words, as if suddenly realizing something, and then nodded.

Great, I finally don't have to write it out!

In this awful weather, my phone is completely wet, making it difficult to type.

Gu Yungang breathed a sigh of relief, but then heard him mutter, "Chen...Cheng...paper?"

"I recognize Chen Chengzhi. She lived in the third house at the entrance of the village. She moved away last year... You've got the wrong person."

"His family is in a terrible state; his wife and children all ran away. Just like his name suggests, it's all bitterness and sorrow."

"I wonder when he'll finally be able to enjoy life."

Gu Yun opened his mouth, looking at the old man's calm gaze into the distance, and suddenly felt a little absurd.

Orange juice?

Although I don't know Chen Zhizhi's father's name, he definitely hasn't moved away.

So why did this old man try to fool me again?

He rubbed his head, forcing himself not to break down, and took his phone out of his pocket.

He wiped himself dry a couple of times and typed, "It's this one, Chen Zhizhi!"

The old man was clearly startled by his actions. After trembling, he took out his reading glasses from the cloth bag, wiped them, and looked at his phone.

After a moment of silence, he said, "I can't read."

Old man, you son of a bitch!

Forcing himself not to burst into a tirade, Gu Yun silently took two steps back, preparing to search for himself first.

If you can't find the answer here, then find someone who can read to ask.

Unexpectedly, as he watched him leave, the old man, contrary to his usual self, said in a strong voice, "Young man, everyone is at home sheltering from the rain at this time of year, so you won't get any other information."

"Come here, let's chat for a bit."

"Sir, I really have something to do."

Gu Yun's face darkened.

He was already lazy by taking a nap this morning, and if he still can't find any information to go back to today, he won't be able to forgive himself.

"Come here quickly, would I lie to you?"

"you……"

Gu Yun uttered a single word, but the rest of his words were cut off by an absurd sense of powerlessness.

He suddenly realized that he might be the one who had been dazed by the rain.

How can you trust someone who has played this game countless times?

What does it mean?

"Young man, don't be in such a hurry to leave."

Seeing that Gu Yun was about to leave, the old man slowly took a sip of the water in his enamel cup, which had long since gone cold, smacked his lips, and said, "Chen Jianguo's daughter, Chen Zhizhi, right? I know where she lives."

Damn it, you really are...

No, I should say, damn it, why is he making fun of himself again!

Fortunately, Gu Yun has a good temper; otherwise, he would have flipped the table like Brother Crow by now.

He rubbed his aching forehead and patiently asked, "Then how should we talk about the old man?"

"Keep me company and chat for a while. This rain is making me anxious, and there's no one to talk to."

Seeing that Gu Yun had taken the bait, the old man chuckled and patted the dry spot on the stone bench next to him: "Come, sit down."

"If we have a good chat, I'll tell you."

Damn it, sir, you were just kidding me, weren't you? You definitely were!

From being a "Chen Orange Juice" to being illiterate, he actually put on quite a complete act!

Are even old men in urban villages now having quest trigger conditions these days?

If you were to ask him to use an ancient meme, it would be...

The urban routine is deep, I want to go back to the countryside.

Rural roads are more slippery, and people's hearts are more complicated.

He took a deep breath of the damp, slightly musty air, suppressing the urge to complain.

It was still early, and in the misty rain, there was indeed no one else in the alley.

Searching by force is too inefficient. This old man in front of us may be the only readily available source of clues, even though he's quite dramatic.

"……OK."

Gu Yun walked to the stone bench, but did not sit down; he simply stood there.

He looked at the seemingly excited old man and sighed, "Sir, what would you like to talk about?"