Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

My phone vibrated.

Group 302.

[Wang Qiang: Does anyone know their schedule today? I need to track it in real time!!]

[Chen Mo: According to page 17 of the travel guide PDF previously sent by Li Chen, the itinerary for the second day is from Haining to Shitang Town, via a coastal provincial highway. Upon arrival, lunch is planned at a cliffside noodle shop. The afternoon destination is an abandoned lighthouse. Probability: 89%]

[Zhao Zixuan: You memorized someone else's strategy guide?]

[Chen Mo: PDFs have full-text search functionality. There's no need to memorize them.]

[Wang Qiang: Li Chen!!! When you get to Shitang, take a picture of the cliffside noodle shop for me!! I want to post it on WeChat Moments to pretend I'm traveling too!!]

Li Chen did not reply.

Yan Xi drew a circle in his palm with her thumb.

The road ahead bends over a mountain.

After the bend, the sea reappeared.

It's bluer than yesterday.

"Li Chen".

"Um."

"The noodle shop in your travel guide only serves 30 bowls a day, what time does it open?"

"11 o'clock. But locals say people started lining up as early as 10:30."

"Then we'll be there at ten o'clock."

Yan Xi released his hand and increased the car speed from 90 to 110.

The provincial highway curves in an arc along the coastline.

Sunlight streamed in from the right side of the windshield, illuminating the back of Yan Xi's hand as she gripped the steering wheel.

Li Chen took off his gloves and placed them on his knees.

He noticed the label on the inside of the glove.

There was a line of small handwritten text on it, written in blue pen.

"Don't get cold."

Yan Xi's handwriting. He hadn't noticed it before.

Li Chen turned the gloves right side out and put them back on.

He didn't speak.

Yan Xi looked straight ahead, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Shitang Town is located on a cliff top.

Stone houses lined up along the coastline.

The roof was gray, and the walls were pitted and uneven from the sea wind.

Like a row of old men stubbornly squatting on the edge of a cliff, refusing to leave.

The noodle shop is located at the easternmost part of the town.

A single-story house of less than 20 square meters.

There was no sign at the entrance, only a blackboard standing on the ground.

The chalk writing has been half-blown away by the wind.

"Limited to thirty bowls per day. While supplies last."

10:08.

There were already seven people lined up at the door.

Li Chen parked the car.

He opened the car door and went around to open it for Yan Xi.

Yan Xi got out of the car and glanced at the queue.

"Your itinerary says to start queuing at 10:30. The error is 22 minutes."

"The locals are more accurate than I am."

"It could also be that your data sample size is not large enough."

"I'll check a thousand comments next time."

"No need for a thousand, three hundred will suffice. Your web crawler's filtering precision will be within that order of magnitude, with an error margin of less than five minutes."

Li Chen glanced at her.

Yan Xi walked to the end of the line and stood still.

The wind blew from the sea, blowing her hair to one side.

The phoenix hairpin gleamed briefly in the sunlight.

Li Chen stood to her outside, facing the direction of the driveway.

I waited for more than ten minutes.

The queue hadn't moved much, and the noodle shop owner hadn't opened the door yet.

Yan Xi leaned against the stone wall behind her, her hands in her pockets.

Her gaze swept across the wall of the house opposite.

"You're analyzing again."

"The exterior walls are constructed using dry-laid stone, without mortar. The structure is stabilized by the weight of the stones themselves and friction."

"This technique is at least eighty years old."

"Could you possibly have a meal without analyzing architecture?"

"cannot."

Li Chen took out the packet of seaweed almonds from the side pocket of his backpack.

I tore it open, picked out a piece, and held it to her lips.

Yan Xi opened her mouth, bit down, and chewed twice.

"The last pack."

"I'll buy it for you when I get back."

"We'll talk about it when we get back."

The noodle shop is open.

The boss was a man in his sixties, lean and bald.

There were oil stains on the apron.

"It's all arranged! Maximum four bowls per table! No extra noodles, no extra meat, no takeout!"

The line began to move forward.

Li Chen and Yan Xi sat down in the window seats.

There's a cliff right outside the window.

Looking down, you see the sea, with waves crashing against the rocks and breaking into white mist.

Two bowls of noodles were served.

The broth was clear, and the noodles were chewy.

On top are two pieces of pork cartilage and a small handful of chopped green onions.

Yan Xi picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of noodles.

I chewed it three times and swallowed it.

"The broth is made by simmering pork bones and shrimp shells for at least eight hours."

"You even need to analyze what you eat when you eat noodles."

"This isn't analysis. This is respecting craftsmanship."

Li Chen lowered his head and ate his noodles.

The noodles are indeed good.

The soup was delicious, and the noodles had just the right amount of alkaline flavor.

Halfway through the meal, there was a commotion at the entrance of the noodle shop.

Three men walked in.

He was dressed casually and appeared to be in his early twenties.

One of them was wearing silver earrings and had brown hair.

Shoulders sway when walking.

There are no seats left in the store.

Three people stood in the aisle and peered inside.

The brown-haired man with the earring scanned each table before his gaze settled on Yan Xi.

Li Chen was looking down and picking at the scallions in his bowl of noodles.

He used his chopsticks to move the chopped scallions to the side of the bowl, and then continued eating.

He didn't look up, but he noticed.

That person's gaze lingered for more than five seconds.

Then he said something to the person next to him.

The speaker was speaking too fast, and Li Chen couldn't hear what was being said.

But the rising intonation and the laughter of one's companions are enough to determine the topic.

Yan Xi noticed it too.

She didn't stop eating her noodles.

His face showed no change in expression.

The brown-haired man nudged the person next to him and walked over.

"Beautiful lady. Are you alone?"

Yan Xi is drinking soup.

The spoon stopped at her lips, and she glanced at the person beyond the spoon.

"no."

"And who's sitting across from you—?"

"My boyfriend."

Li Chen raised his head, put down his chopsticks, and looked at that person.

No expression, no aggression.

Just watching.

The brown-haired man and Li Chen locked eyes for a second.

He smiled.

That kind of smile that suggests the other person poses no threat.

"Dude, your girlfriend's so pretty, you'd better keep a close eye on her."

Li Chen remained silent.

"Hey bro, not to be mean, but—"

The man's hand was already outstretched.

The direction was Yan Xi's shoulder.

Li Chen stood up very quickly.

The chair leg scraped against the concrete floor.

He didn't block that hand.

It was fired directly.

Right fist. Straight line.

The distance of the punch is less than forty centimeters.

The fist lands slightly to the left of the opponent's jaw.

The angle is precise, and the power is generated from the waist and hips.

The power transmission chain from the soles of the feet to the knuckles is complete and without loss.

The brown-haired man paused for a moment.

It's like something happened before the brain had finished processing it.

He took a step back.

My knees buckled during the second step.

There was no third step, because he was already sitting on the ground.

The noodle shop was silent for two seconds.

Someone dropped their chopsticks.

His two companions behind him realized what was happening.

One took half a step forward.

Li Chen turned around, his eyes turning cold.

He hung his hands naturally at his sides, staring at the two people.

The person who had taken half a step stopped there.

He pulled his foot back.

The person on the ground was holding their chin, the blood still dripping from their mouth.

He opened his mouth twice, as if he wanted to say something.

Li Chen looked down at him.

"Don't reach out your hand if you can't control it."

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone in the noodle shop heard it.

The people on the ground got up.

His two companions came over and restrained him.

The three people retreated towards the door.

When I retreated to the doorway, I knocked over the blackboard, and the chalk writing side fell face down on the ground.

gone.

The noodle shop owner peeked out from the kitchen.

She glanced at the overturned blackboard on the ground, then at Li Chen.

"Young man, you can fight."

Li Chen bent down, lifted the blackboard, and leaned it back against the wall.

He patted the dust off his hands.

"I'm sorry to bother you."

"Don't bother them. Those are thugs from the next village; they've come several times already."

"He harasses female customers every time. Calling the police hasn't helped."

"Your punch is more effective than the police station."