A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1562 'The School Runaway Dragon?' (Please Subscribe!)

After the conferment ceremony concluded, the leaders began to leave. Xu Pingqiu waved to Hua Shier, signaling him to follow him.

Hua Shier followed him into the office, and when he pushed open the door, he saw that Lin Yujing was already waiting inside.

The girl didn't say anything, but simply handed him a brown paper folder.

Hua Shier took it and weighed it in his hand, not in a hurry to open it: "What is this thing?"

Xu Pingqiu pointed to the folder:
"Open it and take a look. This is your identity this time, and your mission objective."

"identity?"

Hua Shier was somewhat surprised and looked up at Xu Pingqiu, "Didn't we say we'd continue using the name Yu Tianlong?"

Lin Yujing continued for Xu Pingqiu: "It's also Yu Tianlong, but with a different identity."

"There's another layer. The more you talk, the more confused I get. Forget it, I'll take a look myself."

Hua Shier grumbled as he opened the folder, his gaze sweeping over the first page before he stopped, looking up at Xu Pingqiu, then down at the words on the paper, and read them aloud, word by word:

"Yu Tianlong, a transfer student repeating a year?"

Xu Pingqiu nodded with a smile, clearly having anticipated this reaction:

"Yes. We've changed your age. You are now Yu Tianlong, a transfer student who failed the college entrance exam two years ago and is 20 years old this year. Go to Tianyi Middle School on Dongshan Island next week."

Lin Yujing quickly followed up with a reminder: "You must memorize all your identity information and not give yourself away. The document below contains information about your mission target; you must memorize that as well and not reveal anything!"

Hua Shier was full of questions, and reached out to pat the transfer student's file:
"What about my status as the local boss? You can just say you don't need it anymore?"

Lin Yujing glared at him, her tone clearly impatient:

"Why are you spouting so much nonsense? Who says a 20-year-old repeat student can't be a leader? Haven't you seen the news? The age of those involved in crime is getting younger and younger. There are even teenagers who are leaders. It's perfectly reasonable for you to be a leader at 20."

"Hey~!"

Hua Shier pointed at Lin Yujing and drawled, "Watch your attitude. Forget about that day..."

Lin Yujing's pupils suddenly contracted, and behind Xu Pingqiu's back, she made a fierce face at Hua Shier that said, "If you dare to say another word, we'll both die," her teeth clenched tightly.

Hua Shier immediately withdrew her fingers. Fine, considering this girl's massage skills are indeed quite good, I'll let her off this time.

Xu Pingqiu, unaware of the undercurrent of tension between the two, continued explaining along the lines of their previous conversation:
"To support your undercover mission, the bureau will soon launch a month-long 'anti-corruption storm' special operation."

"You, 'Boss Tianlong,' temporarily left Guangzhou to stay with relatives in another city to avoid trouble, and also registered at a local school to prepare for the college entrance examination. This reason makes perfect sense."

Hua Shier pondered for a moment and found the premise quite interesting:
"Going undercover at the school? Are you guys making a 'Fight Back to School' movie? Fine, if you think it's reasonable, then it's reasonable. I'll obey orders."

He scanned his own identity information from beginning to end, closed it casually, and then opened the mission target's file.

Lin Yujing was giving a presentation alongside him, her tone businesslike, but her wording carried a hint of sourness:
"He Yuanyuan, female, eighteen years old, youthful and beautiful, with a charming appearance. Your task is to pursue her and become her boyfriend. Hmph, you're getting off easy."

"Hey, stop."

Hua Shier immediately closed the file, raised his head righteously, and said, "I'm an undercover agent, and I have principles. I'll perform, but I won't sell my body. Haven't you heard of that?"

Xu Pingqiu quickly came around from behind the desk, personally poured him a glass of water, offered him a cigarette, and kindly advised him:

"Yu'er, it's because you have a good image. Just think of it as a small sacrifice for the mission. Anyway, you're a grown man, you won't lose out no matter how you look at it."

Hua Shier took the water glass, took a sip, and waved his hand sternly:
"This isn't about who's at a disadvantage. I have a girlfriend. What if Jialu finds out? My image as a gentleman will be completely ruined!"

"Pooh."

Lin Yujing couldn't help but spit out a curse. She knew all too well how hypocritical this guy was—a classic case of saying one thing and doing another, a gentleman in name only, his actions betraying his words. A gentleman? Give me a break.

Xu Pingqiu glared at Lin Yujing, signaling her to watch her attitude, then turned back to Hua Shier and soothed her gently:

"Don't worry. We'll keep this from Xiao An for you. Even if she finds out later, I'll make sure to explain things to her. Is that alright?"

Seeing that Xu Pingqiu had gone this far, Hua Shier reluctantly nodded:

"Alright. But I still don't quite understand, what does this girl have to do with our case?"

Seeing that he had relented, Xu Pingqiu sat back down in her chair and began to formally introduce the case.

After Fu Guosheng provided clues about two bookmakers, the task force, after analysis, decided to take action first, targeting Kun Ge on Hong Kong Island.

But a very thorny problem lay before them—Kun was an extremely mysterious man.

Although Fu Guosheng was once his biggest demolition expert in mainland China, he did not have the other party's direct contact information.

The last time the two met, it was through one of Kun's men who acted as an intermediary.

The middleman was shot dead by Hong Kong police last month during a raid on Hong Kong Island for resisting with a weapon.

Therefore, although Fu Guosheng revealed the name "Kun Ge," the task force was unable to contact him directly.

Moreover, according to Fu Guosheng's confession, Kun Ge was known for being extremely cautious. Even if Hua Shier took the initiative to ask for goods under the name 'Yu Tianlong', it would be difficult for him to gain the other party's trust in a short period of time.

However, Fu Guosheng also provided another clue.

Once, he was drinking with the middleman, who got drunk and mentioned that Kun's wife, Sister Kun, was from Dongshan Island. After marrying Kun, Sister Kun immigrated to Hong Kong Island, but she still had a younger sister who was in high school on Dongshan Island.

Xu Pingqiu pointed to the file in Hua Shier's hand, his tone turning serious:
“Based on Fu Guosheng’s clues, we conducted a covert investigation and have now confirmed that Kun’s sister-in-law’s younger sister is He Yuanyuan. She is a senior at Tianyi High School.”

"According to our investigation, Ho Yuen-yuen has applied for the international program at the University of Hong Kong and will be studying on Hong Kong Island after graduating this year. What you need to do is become her boyfriend before that. This identity will be of great help to you infiltrating the Kun Group in the future."

Hua Shier clicked his tongue after hearing this, his expression a mix of embarrassment and discomfort.

"The plan is good, but isn't this tactic a bit too underhanded? What does arresting her brother-in-law have to do with her? This isn't..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yujing reached out and pinched his arm hard, sneering, "Now you know how to be chivalrous?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she paused for a moment, her ears turning bright red. She quickly corrected herself, straightening her tone once more:

“What I mean is, after her sister married Kun, she received living expenses from Hong Kong Island every month. Every penny she spent was tainted. Why should she stand aside?”

Hua Shier was silent for two seconds, then nodded and said nothing more. Although Lin Yujing's words were tinged with emotion, they were not wrong in principle.

Two days later, Hua Shier spent the whole day with An Jialu in Guangzhou. They went shopping, ate out, and watched movies, fulfilling his duties as the perfect boyfriend.

On the morning of his departure, Lin Yujing called him to do one last 'psychotherapy' (massage service).

After it was all over, Lin Yujing still said, "If you dare tell anyone, I'll kill you," and he still grinned and readily agreed, and then neither of them believed the other.

That afternoon, he shouldered a simple bag and boarded a long-distance bus from Guangzhou to Dongshan Island.

After a seven-hour drive, the scenery outside the window gradually changed from city buildings to rolling hills. Finally, after crossing a long cross-sea bridge, we arrived at Dongshan Island.

After getting off the bus, Hua Shier first stood by the roadside and took a deep breath. The sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, rushed towards him. The sky was high and the clouds were light, making him feel refreshed and relaxed.

He followed the address given by Xu Pingqiu and finally stopped in front of an old two-story building.

The wooden door was tightly closed, and the faint sounds of mahjong tiles being rubbed and washed could be heard from inside, mixed with the loud shouts of several old women.

Hua Shier raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Someone inside immediately shouted, "You brat, didn't you hear the knocking? Go open the door!"

Immediately following was a younger, louder female voice that retorted:
"I know! You're too lazy to even open the door, I'll make you lose all your money!"

The clattering sound of slippers grew louder as they approached, and the wooden door creaked open a crack.

A heavily made-up girl, who looked no more than eighteen or nineteen, peeked out, looked him up and down, her eyes lit up, and she whistled.
"Handsome, who are you looking for?"

Hua Shier peeked through the crack in the door and saw several elderly women playing mahjong around a square table, smoke billowing around them, clearly engrossed in the game. He looked away and politely asked:
"I'm looking for Granny Li."

The girl flung the door open and shouted into the house, "Grandma—she's looking for you!"

An elderly woman with a full head of white hair at the card table looked up, squinted at the doorway for a long time, and looked somewhat bewildered.

"I don't know you."

Hua Shier smiled and took half a step forward, his tone warm and natural:
"Auntie, I am Yu Tianlong."

This identity was arranged by Xu Pingqiu. The identity itself is fake, but the kinship with this family is real; this family does indeed have such a distant relative.

Grandma Li paused for two seconds, then suddenly slammed her hand on the table, her wrinkles smoothing out:
"You're Xiaoyue's son? You've grown so much! I used to hold you when you were little!"

With that, he pushed the cards in front of him aside and stood up decisively: "My nephew's grandson is here, I'm not playing anymore!"

Several card players immediately protested, shouting at each other: "You're cheating again! I'm ready to win with a straight flush!"

"Honestly, it's always like this. I'm not playing with you next time!"

"Let's go, let's disperse!"

Grandma Li rudely shooed everyone out, and only after driving away her old friends did she greet Hua Twelve with a smile and invite her into the house:

"Come in, come in quickly. Your grandma called me, I know everything about you. Stay here and relax until the college entrance exam."

When the heavily made-up girl heard that he was going to stay, a hint of undisguised surprise appeared on her face. She leaned over and curiously tugged at Granny Li's sleeve.

"Grandma, why does he call you Auntie? Aren't you going to introduce him? I don't even know him."

Grandma Li first smiled kindly at Hua Twelve, but when she turned to look at her granddaughter, the smile vanished instantly, and her tone became perfunctory and rude:
"This is your aunt's grandson, what's his name again?"

Hua Shier smiled and replied, "Yu Tianlong."

"Yes, Tianlong! It's a good name, it sounds powerful."

Grandma Li gave a compliment, then reluctantly pointed at the girl, her tone as flat as if she were introducing a cheap household appliance:
"This is your cousin, Li Xiaojuan."

The girl immediately broke down, her face turning bright red, and she stomped her feet in protest:
"Grandma! I changed my name a long time ago! Saying that will damage my image!"

"You have absolutely no image to speak of."

The old lady didn't even turn her head, her scolding coming naturally and smoothly, clearly indicating that she had never given this granddaughter a kind look before.

The girl turned to Hua Shier, pouting, and tried her best to maintain her carefully crafted image, raising her chin as she introduced herself:
"Don't listen to my grandma's nonsense, she's getting senile. My name is Li Bala, you can just call me Bala."

Hua Shier reached out and shoved her aside: "Don't block my way. I don't talk to people who don't respect the elderly."

Upon hearing this, the old lady was overjoyed and, holding Hua Twelve's hand, praised him repeatedly:
"Good child! Much better than ours. Well-mannered and polite, a truly good child!"

Li Bala stumbled from being jostled, his face instantly turning as black as the bottom of a pot. He spat and muttered a curse under his breath:
"Damn, I thought a handsome guy would be different, but it turns out he's just a bootlicker."

She crossed her arms, adopted a completely unwelcoming attitude, and stood blocking the stairwell, declaring with righteous indignation:
"Grandma, we have nowhere to live."

Granny Li snorted and didn't even glance at her:
"Go and clean up the storage room across from your room. If you don't, my nephew will live in your room, and you'll have to move out."

Li Bala stomped her feet in anger:

Grandma! I'm your granddaughter!

Although Hua Shier didn't think much of the girl's behavior, he didn't mean to cause such a commotion for the grandfather and grandson on their very first day.

He quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Auntie, where is the room? I can tidy it up myself, no need to trouble my cousin."

Grandma Li clearly knew what kind of person her granddaughter was, so she nodded and took Hua Twelve's hand, heading towards the stairs.

"Come on, I'll show you. It's on the second floor."

The old lady's hands were warm, and holding them made me feel at ease.

Hua Shier felt that an old man with such hands couldn't be too bad-tempered.

The conflict between the grandfather and granddaughter is most likely due to the girl's fault.

Li Bala followed behind in a fit of rage, yelling, "Don't touch my things! I'll handle my own things!"

Upon reaching the second floor, directly opposite the stairwell is a room facing the sea.

The windows were wide open, and the sound of the sea breeze carrying the sound of waves crashing on the shore drifted into the corridor. Outside the window, the sea and sky were blue, and the scenery was picturesque.

Opposite the sea-view room is a small, sunless room, no more than five or six square meters in size, crammed with a single bed and an old desk, currently piled high with miscellaneous items.

Li Bala rushed in first, quickly grabbed her belongings one by one, took them back to her room, and slammed the door shut as she left.

After asking Granny Li what things she could handle, Hua Shier rolled up her sleeves and started working.

They moved miscellaneous items, wiped dust, and mopped the floor quickly and efficiently.

Grandma Li stood at the door watching him work, and the more she watched, the more satisfied she became. She smiled and nodded, praising him:

"Good boy, you don't look like someone who's been spoiled. Take these things downstairs, I'll find someone to sell them, and then I'll take you to buy new bedding so you can move in tonight."

Hua Shier straightened up, smiling and waving his hand:

"Auntie, you can rest. I can do this myself. You don't need to worry about the bedding or anything. I already picked out the shops before I came, and I'll go buy them in a bit."

Grandma Li looked at him, her wrinkles deepening with a smile, and nodded repeatedly:

"What a good child. Okay, I'll go call your grandma and tell her I've picked you up, so she can rest assured." With that, she went downstairs with a smile.

Hua Shier continued to tidy up with his head down.

Li Bala leaned against the doorframe of her room, arms crossed, watching him bustling around, a mocking smile playing on her lips:
Has anyone ever told you that you're such a green tea b*tch?

Hua Shier stopped what he was doing, turned around and looked at her, his tone calm and sincere:
"No, not really. But some people say I'm a cure for green tea bitches. Cousin, would you like to give it a try?"

"Pah! Who's your cousin? I don't acknowledge you as my cousin."

Li Bala's expression changed, she turned around and went inside, slamming the door shut and cutting off the azure scenery outside the window.

Hua Shier carried all the scavenged items downstairs and sorted them neatly at the door. He then called a scrap collector for the old lady, exchanged the old items for a wad of loose change, and only then did he go out to buy his own household necessities.

Just before he left, Grandma Li poked her head out of the kitchen and told him to come back early, saying that she would cook some of her best dishes for him that evening.

Hua Shier smiled and responded.

As soon as I stepped out of the street corner, I saw Li Bala, who had changed into an even more eye-catching outfit, standing on the roadside laughing and joking with a few young men dressed in a flashy manner.

After exchanging only a few words, the group of people walked away arm in arm into the distance.

Hua Shier raised his eyebrows.

He didn't want to meddle—this cousin wasn't related to him by blood at all—but then he thought, this girl was, after all, Grandma Li's granddaughter. The old lady was a good person, and if something happened to her granddaughter outside, and he clearly saw it but pretended not to, his conscience would bother him.

After thinking about it, he still followed after him.

After walking about two blocks, the group filed into a bar called 'Never Mind'.

Hua Shier paused at the door for two seconds before pushing it open and going inside.

The bar was dimly lit, the music wasn't too loud, and there were only a few customers.

He didn't see Li Bala, but the group of thugs were gathered around a high table, each with a can of beer in hand, chatting happily.

A waiter came up to him and asked how many people were in his party.

Hua Shier directly described Li Bala's clothes and appearance to the waiter and asked her if she had entered the store.

Before the waiter could even speak, the group of thugs over there had already heard the commotion and all turned to look.

One of the young men, with a buzz cut, put down his beer can, swayed his shoulders, walked up to Hua Shier, tilted his chin up, and asked in an unfriendly tone:
"Who the hell are you? What do you want with Bala?"

Hua Shier looked down at him, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Say what you just said again, you fucking bastard?"

When the man with the crew cut saw that Hua Shier dared to talk back, his face darkened, and he reached out to grab Hua Shier's collar.

Hua Shier's eyes narrowed slightly. Just then, Li Bala ran over from the direction of the restroom, shouting as she ran:

"Don't do it!"

She stepped directly between the two, spreading her arms to block the buzz cut, her tone urgent and forceful, clearly showing her protectiveness.

The displeasure on the crew-cut face instantly doubled, his gaze fixed on Hua Shier over Li Bala's head, and he asked through gritted teeth:

"Bala, who exactly is he? Why are you protecting him so much?"

Li Bala glared at him, her tone stiff: "He's my cousin."

After saying that, he turned around abruptly, his anger shifting, and went straight for Hua Twelve: "You were following me?"

Hua Shier said irritably, "Why would I follow you for no reason? I only followed you because I saw you hanging out with these people and was worried you might get into danger."

Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!