SDT 37

Chapter 37: See You Again

Several days later, on the evening when Lu Kongyun ended his training, he and the blackmailer had agreed to meet at Old Liyu Street Stall. It was the place where the blackmailer had first coerced him into dining together. The blackmailer said that last time he had wanted to treat but failed, so this time he wished to make it up.

Of course, the main purpose of the meeting was to hand over Lu Kongyun’s wristband.

Originally, they had planned to go to Daliyu Seafood City, because it could be indoors without the gasoline smell on the roadside, which would be easier for the young master to adapt to. But Lu Kongyun said no.

After completing the departure procedures, Lu Kongyun went home to change clothes, then drove to the street stall area in the old city district. He arrived early today, and there was parking on the roadside, so he did not need to park far away; he stopped directly opposite the street stall. Since he arrived early, he waited in the car. He opened the car window, rested his arm on it, and looked toward the street stall. He observed every guest approaching the stall tables.

The sky began to darken somewhat, and the street stall filled up quickly. There had been some empty tables, but in the blink of an eye, only two remained. He thought for a moment and could only get out of the car to occupy one first. He sat on the side facing the street, raising his head to watch every man passing by on the roadside.

He turned on his phone, but the other party hadn’t sent him a message. 

Idly, he watched the people passing by. 

He looked at his watch: ten minutes had passed since the agreed time.

Another five minutes passed. He tapped into the messages and set the phone down again, continuing to look in the direction of the roadside.

An indeterminate amount of time passed before a small white dot appeared in the distance, moving rapidly. He approached the food stall. He was jogging and the hem of his open-chested short-sleeved shirt fluttered behind him.

Lu Kongyun opened his mouth, realizing the other could not hear, so he picked up his phone and typed: No need to run.

The other did not stop to check his phone. When he entered the range of the street stall, Lu Kongyun raised his hand; the other immediately saw him, slowed his pace a little, changing from a jog to a brisk walk, and plopped down in the seat opposite him; his billowing shirt settled with the dust.

“I’m so sorry,” the blackmailer said, his face slightly flushed from the run. “A meeting ran over a bit.”

He rested one hand on his knee and, with the other, picked up the kettle on the table and poured himself a glass of water. “It’s about our case.”

A light figure combined with unconcealed fatigue. His smile seemed less innocent than it appeared, revealing a hint of something weighing heavily on his mind.

Lu Kongyun looked at him, waiting for him to continue. But the blackmailer did not; instead, he drank water while taking out his phone, glanced at the new message, and said: “You saw me that early? S-class Alphas have good eyesight, huh.”

He looked at Lu Kongyun again. “You’re dressed so nicely for a food stall. Don’t get it dirty.”

Then he scanned the QR code and ordered: “You order what you want. Anything. A wealthy man is here today.”

“You order,” Lu Kongyun said. “I eat anything.”

After ordering, the blackmailer first carefully scrutinized his face, then looked at his hand.

“Mm, it looks much better. Is the elixir the officer gave you okay?”

He removed the wristband from his arm and handed it to Lu Kongyun: “Here, return this to you.”

Lu Kongyun glanced at it, took the wristband from his hand, and put it on his own wrist. Then he explained: “In some special circumstances, I need to try using it to contact my doctor.”

“Oh, fine. I do not want to be monitored by you in the future… Though you would not.” The blackmailer said, “But you should not have given it to me in the first place. Do you remember our first meeting, when you tempted me at my home with a high-end wristband, what did I say then: ‘Do you think I am doing this just for a wristband?’”

He laughed after saying it.

Lu Kongyun corrected him: “It was ‘Do you think I’m doing this just for a few tens of thousands of dollars, or do you think this video is only worth a wristband?’”

The blackmailer was stunned, then leaned back in the plastic chair, squinting his eyes and drawing out his voice: “Doctor Lu, you hold a grudge. You will not seek revenge on me later, right?”

“…I am not as idle as you,” Lu Kongyun took a new wristband box from his leg, placed it on the table, and began to unpack it.

The blackmailer watched his actions.

Lu Kongyun took out a new wristband, identical to his own. When he fastened it on the blackmailer’s wrist, he paused, and he said: “Don’t just focus on catching criminals; eat more.”

He reached out to the blackmailer again: “Your phone.”

Following the manual, he operated to bind the wristband to the blackmailer’s phone, then activated the permissions. He handed the phone back to the blackmailer: “Now your wristband data is in recording state; you can view it periodically in this app or close it at any time. If your body feels unwell and needs treatment in the future, reconnect it to the designated doctor’s phone and grant new permissions.”

The blackmailer lowered his head to look at the wristband on his wrist. He looked for a very long time without raising his head.

“I am going to the restroom,” he said as he stood up abruptly and quickly walked toward a nearby alley.

He soon returned, his face bright and clear. The food hadn’t arrived yet, but several bottles of beer were on the table. The blackmailer sat down and poured himself a drink.

“I don’t drink,” Lu Kongyun said.

“I didn’t ask you to drink.” The blackmailer downed half of it in one gulp. “I’ll drink it myself.”

He lowered his head and swallowed the beer with a choked throat, then put down the glass and said, “Doctor Lu, there’s only one last order left. I promised you. So don’t be so nervous. I won’t give you any more orders.”

Lu Kongyun looked at the blackmailer.

“Oh.” He picked up his cup and drank a mouthful of plain water.

The blackmailer propped his elbows on the plastic table, supporting his cheeks with his hands, and watched him drink water.

“What are you looking at?”

The blackmailer: “Let’s chat a bit; why just drink water and wait for the food?”

Lu Kongyun: “Chat about what?”

The blackmailer thought for a moment and said, “Didn’t you say you beat that tennis player after you started college? How about telling me about that match?”

Lu Kongyun did indeed still remember that match. Because he had lost to the opponent before, the memory was more profound. He recounted some points he remembered, and the blackmailer would ask questions. From the questions, it was evident that though the blackmailer did not know much about tennis, he had some foundational knowledge.

So they were able to engage in a conversation. 

They were able to engage in a conversation, and they listened enthusiastically and with great interest.

Lu Kongyun: “His stamina is good; he has strong endurance for movement, which can compensate for some defensive flaws. Actually, he has technical shortcomings, and his offensive awareness is average. If not for my differentiation period, I wouldn’t have lost in middle school.”

The blackmailer shifted his hand from one to both, looking at him with a bright smile. “Yeah. I believe it.” 

“…” Lu Kongyun picked up his water cup and drank. 

Where’s the food? So slow.

The dishes arrived quickly. This place did not provide disassembly tools for the crabs; Lu Kongyun could only gnaw them down like sugarcane just like the blackmailer.

When the two had nearly finished eating, raindrops began to fall from the sky again. The street stall owner deftly began to erect a plastic sheet awning. The blackmailer looked up at the sky, stood up, and said: “Wait a moment.”

He walked away alone and soon returned with a simple transparent umbrella.

The blackmailer had drunk some beer and appeared slightly tipsy, so Lu Kongyun went to meet him. The blackmailer saw him and naturally held the umbrella over his head, asking: “Where is your car? About the same distance as last time?”

Lu Kongyun heard the sound of rain falling on the umbrella, the same as the first time. The umbrella was not large; the blackmailer stood outside it, his hair bearing some water sheen.

He pulled the person under the umbrella: “Right across the street.”

“Damn it… why didn’t you tell me earlier? You wasted my money on an umbrella.” The blackmailer punished him by letting him get wet in the rain, and then he went across the street holding the umbrella.

“Don’t take me home.” The blackmailer slumped in the passenger seat with his eyes narrowed, saying strange things, “To your door. I’ll take a taxi home.”

“Why?” Lu Kongyun reached over to pull the seatbelt beside him.

The blackmailer blinked his drunken eyes, looked down at his movements, raised his hand, and then put it down, letting Lu Kongyun buckle it. 

He seemed to be thinking too. 

“There is no reason. It’s just that last time after eating, you sent me home, and I, holding the crabs, thought that next time, I would not have you send me. I would send you, watch you enter Orange Garden, then go home myself.”

Lu Kongyun did not understand. But he said nothing, starting the car toward home.

They drove from the old town onto the coastal highway, passing a bustling tourist beach. It was crowded with tourists, and fireworks shimmered in the deep sky above the sea. .

Yu Xiaowen opened the car window and looked for a while, then suddenly said: “I thought of an order.”

Lu Kongyun glanced at him.

Yu Xiaowen finished speaking, pulled out his phone, and pulled up the blackmail countdown for Lu Kongyun. “Although you may be shocked, you have no choice.”

Lu Kongyun was dazed for a moment, as if he had completely forgotten about it.

“I want to go to Jiang City,” Yu Xiaowen said.

“…” Lu Kongyun continued driving, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “Is going to Jiang City the last order?” 

“Yes. The last… order.” Yu Xiaowen thought for a moment, then said, “I’ve never traveled abroad before, and I’d like to try it. You come with me, but we can split the bill.” 

The blackmailer was about to withdraw. Lu Kongyun thought 

… then his life would return to normal. 

He asked, “Then you’ll delete all the videos and evidence, leaving no backups. Then we’ll be done with each other. Right?” 

“Yes,” Yu Xiaowen said. “Don’t worry. I’m a blackmailer with a unique professional ethics. I won’t show up again.” 

Lu Kongyun raised his fingertips and gripped the steering wheel. 

“Whatever you want. You’ve done what you wanted to do. Anything is fine.” 

Yu Xiaowen was speechless. He just laughed and looked at Lu Kongyun’s profile: “You’d better.” 

“…” Lu Kongyun said, “If you want to see the snow and the fireworks on the river, you’ll have to wait until their New Year, after the end of the year.” 

“On the river…” Yu Xiaowen was stunned. A small glint flashed under his eyes. After a moment of silence, he said, “That’s great! But it’s too late. I’m going there in the next few days. I just happen to have time these days, and Country C has a visa-free policy, so I can go there anytime. Let’s go? Go there and come back soon. And then we’ll be done.” 

The car accelerated a little. 

“Are you in that much of a hurry?” Lu Kongyun said coldly. 

Yu Xiaowen: “Yes.” 

Lu Kongyun couldn’t tell the blackmailer. He had missed the interview because he’d run away after the fight, so he had to wait for the military to issue a notice regarding his actions and a new interview. So he said, “I have work to attend to, so I can’t just leave. The end of the month is the earliest I can. Can’t I wait even a little longer?” 

Yu Xiaowen looked at him for a moment, as if considering it. 

Then he exhaled and said, “Then we’ll talk about it later.” 

They arrived at the Orange Garden. Before getting out of the car, Yu Xiaowen raised his hand. Lu Kongyun looked at his fingers, then back at his eyes. They were red from a bit of drunkenness. So was his mouth. 

Yu Xiaowen’s gaze met his, flicking to the roof of the car before returning to meet his again and giving him a drunken, foolish laugh. 

“Hey, we’re here.” 

Yu Xiaowen’s fingers wobbled, almost touching Lu Kongyun’s arm. Then he dropped them back to his lap. 

“I’m leaving,” he pursed his lips. 

Lu Kongyun stared. 

Then he looked him in the eye again: “The threat countdown on your phone hasn’t been canceled yet. So even if it’s not an ‘order,’ I still have to listen to you. Right?” 

“…That’s what I’m saying.” Yu Xiaowen rubbed his eyes. “I may be smart, but I’m definitely not one for sophistry. There’s no need to worry so much.” 

Lu Kongyun bared his fangs. 

Yu Xiaowen turned and got out of the car. Lu Kongyun grabbed his fingers. His palm was warm, making Yu Xiaowen shiver and immediately turned back. 

Lu Kongyun looked at him, slowly pressing his fingers onto the umbrella, then applying a little pressure, allowing him to hold the handle. 

After a moment, he said, “Take your umbrella, don’t leave it in my car.” 

He withdrew his hand. 

Yu Xiaowen suddenly grabbed his in return: “Lu Kongyun!” and immediately let go. 

Then Yu Xiaowen got out of the car, holding the umbrella. He bent down and waved goodbye to the car: “Goodbye.” 

Lu Kongyun drove into the Orange Garden checkpoint and headed for the basement. 

He was driving slowly, so the blurry figure in the rearview mirror shrank slowly until the car turned and disappeared.