She is the most beautiful rose

Chapter 322 It's cool to be friends with her.

After the meal, Shen Manzhi did not leave with them.

While waiting for a car by the roadside, Qin Yanfeng's WeChat message popped up: "Flying to Hong Kong this afternoon, returning tomorrow."

【Have you got a meal yet?】

Shen Manzhi replied listlessly, "Okay, I'll eat."

Does your lower back still hurt?

She couldn't be bothered to pay attention anymore.

He zipped up his coat and held it to his chin, exhaling white smoke.

Across the street, in the glass window of a convenience store, sat a man eating instant noodles. He seemed a bit anxious, hastily wiped his mouth, picked up his car keys from the table, and pushed open the double sliding door to get out.

Parked on the side of the road was a black Jeep, and a little further ahead were two motorcycles. The owners were standing by the roadside smoking, and their gazes kept drifting over here as they talked.

Shen Manzhi casually lowered her eyes, canceled her taxi trip, and sent a text message.

A while later, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class pulled up on the side of the road. The driver was a crew-cut man wearing a chestnut-brown jacket, with a noticeable scar on his brow bone.

Shen Manzhi sat in the back seat and saw the jeep following silently behind her through the car window.

The man gripped the steering wheel, turned the car around, glanced at the rearview mirror, and asked, "Should we shake them off?"

"No need, where is the White Tiger?"

"The person you asked to keep watch over the area in the third district, Captain Bai is personally guarding it there."

After saying that, he hesitated for a moment, then continued, "You've had a lot of people watching you lately, do you want to get rid of them?"

Shen Manzhi closed her eyes slightly, "Not for now."

She still couldn't determine how many parties were behind these surveillance efforts.

For example, the man she had been following since the day she returned to China, and the Jeep driver behind her whom she eventually cornered at the tea house.

The former was merely following her, while the latter wanted to ambush her; their purposes were different, clearly indicating they were two separate groups.

Before returning to China, Baihu had told her that in investigating the cause of her mother's death twenty years ago, he had shaken the foundation of the old faction, but they had taken their grudge against "Nanzhi" from Linjiang.

However, it's possible that someone might know that Shen Manzhi is actually "Nanzhi" and follow her from the capital to this place to take her life.

Besides Si Ming, who else could it be?

Shen Manzhi suddenly looked up, "Have you found out who was behind that person from last time?"

The man hesitated. "Captain Bai said you'll find out when you have time to go see him."

Shen Manzhi raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was keeping him in suspense.

However, the person behind this poses no danger to her, so she's not in a hurry.

Back in Blue Bay, something furry covered me.

The naive and innocent girl initially showed hostility and defensiveness, but now she's becoming increasingly attached to her.

Shen Manzhi fed it and nodded at its erect airplane ears, saying, "After all, it's your savior."

The two, one human and one cat, started to feel sleepy after their meal.

They each curled up at one end of the sofa. Fortunately, the room had underfloor heating, so it wasn't damp and cold. Some even slept until the afternoon.

Shen Manzhi was awakened when the doorbell rang. She felt a warm glow in front of her and instinctively thought Qin Yanfeng was beside her.

During this time, when the two cuddled together to sleep, this person would place their hand here.

I bent down and touched something soft.

It rolled over and fell off next to her, then quickly spun around and stood up again. "Meow?"

Shen Manzhi rubbed her forehead, trying to calm her dazed mind, before slowly getting up to open the door.

She's the masseuse.

Shen Manzhi frowned, only then seeing the message Qin Yanfeng had sent a few hours earlier on her phone.

I hired a massage therapist to come over, and I slept until exactly 5 p.m.

She glanced at the time: 4:50.

Looks like I'll have to check my phone messages more often from now on.

The masseuse was very enthusiastic and her technique was very skillful. Shen Manzhi enjoyed the massage for an hour and a half.

Just after I saw the aunt off, Qin Yanfeng called, it was a video call.

Behind him was a floor-to-ceiling window, suggesting he was in a high-rise building, where the horizon was bathed in a magnificent sunset – a breathtaking sight.

"it's over?"

Shen Manzhi picked up Zhizhi, who was constantly rubbing against her legs, and asked, "Hmm, what did you tell Auntie?"

Qin Yanfeng leaned back in his chair, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at her. "What did you say?"

He has back pain, but he doesn't know why.
Shen Manzhi was too lazy to argue with him. She wandered around the kitchen, deciding to see what to have for dinner.

"You didn't sleep well last night, aren't your shoulders and neck uncomfortable?"

As Qin Yanfeng said this, she was taking fruit out of the refrigerator. She paused for a moment, then looked down and met his gaze in the video.

They observed quite carefully.

"still busy?"

Qin Yanfeng loosened his tie and took off his watch. "Just got back to the hotel. We're going out for dinner later. What are you having for dinner?"

What can I eat?
Shen Manzhi thought about it irritably. She hated cooking. She closed the refrigerator door and glanced at Qin Yanfeng, who was staring at her.

She made a quick decision: "Let's go out to eat."

Qin Yanfeng smiled and said, "Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll make it when I get back tomorrow."

"Let's talk about it when you come back."

She put down Zhizhi, washed her hands, and prepared to go back to her bedroom to change her clothes.

Qin Yanfeng suddenly spoke up, "Don't hang up the phone."

Shen Manzhi raised an eyebrow, propped her phone up on the corner of the sofa, and called over Zhizhi, "Come on, you two have a chat."

She sat gracefully on the sofa, looking down at her phone.

I stood them up when I went to the tea house last time, but we're meeting up for dinner tonight.

Shen Manzhi put on a beanie and said, "I'm hanging up now, I'm going out."

"scarf."

Qin Yanfeng looked at the exposed skin at the neckline of her hoodie and reminded her. Shen Manzhi picked up her phone and looked at the screen in the video, saying, "I'm not cold."

She was putting on her shoes while holding her phone. The screen was shaky, and Qin Yanfeng couldn't see the person in the video. He waited patiently, and the person who said they were going to hang up didn't.

"Where to eat?"

Shen Manzhi connected to the car's Bluetooth, "Mingguan, I made an appointment with them for dinner last time."

But because Lu Zhe acted recklessly in front of her that day, she had to coax him, so she canceled it at the last minute.

Qin Yanfeng tilted his head slightly. "Want to drink?"

Shen Manzhi smiled. "What, do you need to meddle in this too?"

So he stopped saying, "Be careful, call me back when you're done."

She responded listlessly and turned out of the garage, saying, "Okay."

She didn't spend New Year's Eve with everyone this year, so she bought gifts for each of them in advance and sent them over.

Since the shop was still open, we arranged to meet at a restaurant we frequented in the East District.

Shen Manzhi pushed open the door, and was immediately greeted by a wave of warmth. The contrast with the cold outside made her shiver slightly.

Inside, there was deafening chatter and laughter, beer bottles clinking together, and the sounds of drinking games growing louder and louder.

Shen Manzhi, wearing a hood, quickly walked through the hall and pushed open the door to the private room in the corridor.

"Sister Zhi!" Afei immediately stood up and invited her to sit down. "You're finally here! I've been waiting for you for so long!"

Shen Manzhi glanced at the dozen or so bottles of beer laid out in the spot left for her, and clicked her tongue lightly, "Is this how you waited for me?"

Ah Fei stood at attention, his eyes darting around, feigning seriousness, "Who is it, setting up so much wine here? Don't they know Sister Zhi is under supervision now?"

As he spoke, he offered the wine to Jia Ge and Chen Lin, saying, "Come on, Sister Zhi can't drink."

Shen Manzhi chuckled, took off his hood and sat down. "Alright, there's only one purpose tonight."

Ah Fei was opening a bottle of wine when he casually asked, "What?"

Shen Manzhi picked up the bottle of wine in front of her, slammed it against the edge of the table, and said, "I'll drink you under the table."

He Jia and Chen Lin remained silent. The former clenched his fist and smiled slightly, while the latter looked at A Fei with affection.

"Don't bully honest people," Ah Fei said, moving his stool a little further away from her. "Who knows who will get drunk and pass out!"

"Stop talking nonsense," Chen Lin said, opening a bottle for himself. "I wonder who got drunk first last time."

Shen Manzhi glanced at the extra bowls and chopsticks on the table. They usually traveled in groups of five, but with Jiang Yue abroad, it was just the four of them.

"Anyone else?"

She had barely finished speaking when the door was pushed open. "Oops, you're late!"

As Lu Zhe entered, he casually took off his hat, exuding a refreshing and clean-cut vibe.

Shen Manzhi raised an eyebrow, holding the wine bottle in one hand and turning to the side, her expression unreadable.

Lu Zhe greeted everyone one by one, and when he looked at Shen Manzhi, he smiled frankly and walked to the empty seat next to her.

“Lu Zhe,” He Jia called out to him, pointing to the seat next to him, “come sit here.”

Lu Zhe paused for a moment, glanced at Shen Manzhi, then smiled and walked over, "Okay."

"Hey, Redhead, how's your alcohol tolerance?"

Ah Fei's tone was sarcastic.

"Tsk," Shen Manzhi picked up a large glass and poured some wine, "How do you name someone?"

Ah Fei pouted.

Lu Zhe smiled, not caring much, and opened two bottles right away, "I can get you drunk without any problem."

"Tch," Afei rolled his eyes dismissively, "If you get drunk tonight, you're not allowed to go skateboarding with Linzi for a month!"

Chen Lin was speechless.

“Okay,” Lu Zhe readily agreed. “If you lose, you’ll have to call me ‘brother’ from now on.”

Ah Fei snorted and quickly picked up a piece of pork rib to fill his stomach first.

Now that Lu Zhe was here, Shen Manzhi asked He Jia, "Where is Pei Ying?"

“It’s exam week, so I didn’t invite her,” he said, glancing at Shen Manzhi as he watched the younger children bickering. “You know about Lu Zhe, right?”

Shen Manzhi clinked glasses with him, "Yes, I saw you last time I came."

Lu Zhe had been pestering Chen Lin to teach him skateboarding, and they became familiar with each other over time. However, after he got into a fight with Jiang Yue, the people at the tea house started to dislike him.

Despite saying that, she was also soft-hearted. Later, when she saw Lu Zhe being beaten by a group of debt collectors to the point of almost breaking his bones, she still protected him.

"Jiang Zai will be back in a few days, and then Lu Zhe won't be allowed to come anymore."

Ultimately, the fight between the two was because of Shen Manzhi. Lu Zhe provoked Shen Manzhi and realized that Jiang Yue liked her, so he kept provoking her.

Ultimately, it was Lu Zhe who insisted on stirring up trouble. There was no misunderstanding to begin with, but he just had to jump on Jiang Yue's sore spot.

Shen Manzhi tapped her wrist on the table and said to A Fei, "Bring in some ice."

She opened another bottle and chuckled, "It's alright, Jiang Zai can't just take the beating for nothing, can he?"

When Lu Zhe came to cause trouble for someone else, he didn't really want to take the job, but it was better for him to come than for others, so he just casually strolled over.

As it turned out, Jiang Yue and he didn't get along, which led to what happened later.

Shen Manzhi lowered her eyes, her emotions calming down a bit. "It's best if we're even. It's not a good thing if he keeps going against Lu Zhe."

He Jia sighed inwardly. She was right. If Jiang Yue had always been at odds with Lu Zhe, it meant that she hadn't let go of him at all. And since he was extremely careful to avoid suspicion, how could they possibly get along naturally in the future?

"Sister Zhi, add less," Afei said as he returned with the ice bucket, only putting a few pieces in her beer glass. "Although ice-cold beer is refreshing, it's winter after all."

With many people inside and the space enclosed, eating hot and spicy food naturally makes one crave even more stimulating drinks. In summer, ice-cold beer is the first choice, but in winter it can be a bit daunting.

Shen Manzhi raised her chin in response, took off her coat, picked up the wine bottle, and stood up, saying, "Let's have one first."

Ah Fei raised his glass first, "Let's drink!"

Lu Zhe integrated quite quickly and didn't try to steal the spotlight. He stood obediently next to He Jia, raised his glass, and the moment he looked up to drink, he saw Shen Manzhi holding a bottle and downed most of it.

Her long hair was loosely tied back, her neck was long and beautiful, and she drank with a crisp and neat posture as she swallowed.

His eyes and brows exuded a bold and unrestrained spirit.

It's really cool to be friends with someone like that.

This thought suddenly popped into Lu Zhe's head as he sat down.