Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

[vomit--]

[Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!]

[He didn't have this expression when he punched me!]

The voice in his mind was Wang Can's disapproval.

Shen Mingchao suppressed a laugh and played along with Zhang Haixia's "performance," bending down and reaching out to help Zhang Haixia up.

But the next second, Zhang Haixia suddenly gasped and hissed.

"What's wrong?" she asked with concern.

Zhang Haixia feigned composure and whispered, "It's nothing."

As soon as he finished speaking, he struggled to stand up. As soon as he put his right leg to exert some force, he let out another "hiss" and unconsciously leaned towards Shen Mingchao.

"You still say you're fine?" Shen Mingchao helped the person to a nearby bench and then pressed on with a slightly more forceful tone, "Don't be stubborn, what happened?"

Zhang Haixia then told the truth: "I probably just fell and twisted my ankle."

Oh, that was very careless.

It's obviously an act.

Shen Mingchao thought this, but his face still showed a worried expression as he spoke softly, "How are you? Are you alright? Should we go to the hospital?"

"No need for that," Zhang Haixia shook her head. "I'll be fine in a bit."

Shen Mingchao sat down next to him, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the three figures not far away.

Hei Xiazi leaned against the wall, his sunglasses covering half his face, making it impossible to discern his emotions; Zhang Rishan stood ramrod straight, his face so somber it was almost dripping with water; Xie Yuchen's eyes were full of inquiry.

She deliberately spoke, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the others to hear: "Xiaxia, what exactly happened just now?"

This question wasn't just of interest to Shen Mingchao; Xie Yuchen was even more curious.

He first looked at Black Bear, silently asking with his eyes what was going on. Black Bear gave him a wry smile.

He then turned his gaze to Zhang Rishan, but the man simply remained expressionless and showed no intention of explaining.

Xie Yuchen had some doubts.

He knew Hei Xiazi and Zhang Rishan. Although these two disliked this suddenly appearing "boyfriend," they were by no means reckless and would not dare to fight in front of Shen Mingchao. At most, they would have a quarrel.

As he predicted, things turned out exactly as he had expected.

It all started with Zhang Rishan's inexplicable intuition.

Strangely enough, he could always sense a kindred spirit in this person.

This made him unable to help but become wary.

So he spoke directly, his voice icy: "Mr. Shen, have you ever had a tattoo?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Haixia wore an incredulous expression, as if she had heard something out of the blue.

"How is that possible?"

Zhang Haixia quickly explained, "Although I don't know why Uncle asked that, but—"

As he spoke, he turned to look in the direction where Shen Mingchao was, his eyes full of tenderness: "Chaochao doesn't like it, so I can't get a tattoo."

Hei Xiazi & Zhang Rishan: "..."

Was this kid doing it on purpose?

One sentence both flaunted their affection and was a group attack? Just look at how many people in their group don't have tattoos!

After a moment of silence, Zhang Rishan couldn't help but press further: "Then may I ask, Mr. Shen, have you ever practiced martial arts?"

"Practicing martial arts?"

Zhang Haixia's eyes widened, her tone full of innocence, "I'm only 20 years old, how could I have practiced martial arts? At most, I just accompany Chaochao to the gym, go for runs, and do daily exercise. Uncle, your questions are so strange."

Hei Xiazi & Zhang Rishan: "..."

This kid is doing this on purpose, isn't he?

Why does he specifically say he's 20 years old and keep calling people "uncle"?

Age is truly an insurmountable obstacle for them, isn't it?

Hei Xiazi finally couldn't hold back any longer. He knew Zhang Rishan's intentions; he was afraid that this suddenly appearing boyfriend was a cunning liar, and he wanted to test the other party's background.

I didn't expect this kid to be so shrewd.

He took a step forward, his gaze falling on Zhang Haixia's hands hanging at his sides, then probed, "You really don't know martial arts? Then how come you have so many calluses on your hands?"

The calluses on the hands of martial artists are different from those on ordinary people.

"Oh, you guys are asking about that?"

Zhang Haixia suddenly laughed, her smile exceptionally sunny and harmless. "Don't misunderstand, these are calluses I got from learning to cook."

His tone was tinged with distress: "There's nothing I can do, I'm clumsy. What others can learn in one try, I need to learn ten times. Over time, these calluses have formed. But fortunately, the final result is quite good, and Chaochao especially likes my cooking."

At this point, he warmly invited, "Next time you uncles come to visit us, I'll cook a few of my signature dishes so you can taste my cooking. Please don't be too picky!"

Hei Xiazi and Zhang Rishan fell silent for the third time.

They realized that this kid couldn't stop talking about Shen Mingchao.

Ask, ask, ask what you're asking.

After asking, every question was a stab to the heart; not a single word was pleasant to hear.

But the two of them still had doubts.

They gave a secret signal with hand gestures, with Hei Xiazi drawing attention while Zhang Rishan, who was nearby, seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Then--

That's how that melodramatic scene just happened.

The moment Zhang Rishan's fingertips touched Zhang Haixia's shoulder, the man collapsed like a fragile reed in the wind.

Seeing Shen Mingchao running towards them, how could the two of them not know what was going on?

That brat did it on purpose! They've been tricked!

Now that things are going on, they do want to explain.

But Shen Mingchao was completely focused on Zhang Haixia, showering her with care and concern. They were a young couple, while Shen Mingchao considered them outsiders. Perhaps in Shen Mingchao's mind, they were still bad people with a criminal record.

How are they supposed to explain this?

Even if she explains, will Shen Mingchao believe her boyfriend or them?

They originally thought that Zhang Haixia was so cunning that she would seize this opportunity to whisper sweet nothings in Shen Mingchao's ear and exaggerate their bad deeds.

But to my surprise, this kid was smarter than I had imagined.

Faced with Shen Mingchao's concerned inquiry, Zhang Haixia gently shook her head, her voice so gentle it could melt your heart: "Nothing happened, it's just that my uncles were quite concerned about us and asked me a few questions. The rest..."

He paused deliberately, his eyes sweeping over Hei Xiazi and Zhang Rishan, then leaned close to Shen Mingchao and whispered in her ear, "The mall floor was probably too slippery, I lost my balance and fell. Chaochao, don't worry, I'm fine."

What a clever tactic – retreating to advance and diverting the trouble eastward!

Shen Mingchao couldn't help but marvel in his mind: [Partners, tell me the truth, how many palace intrigue and domestic dramas have you watched in this space? Your skills are simply masterful.]

Wang Can replied instantly: [Not many, maybe a dozen or so, that's enough. But he's quite hardworking; I saw he's filled three notebooks with notes.]

After hearing this, Shen Mingchao looked at Zhang Haixia, who was pretending to be a "victim," and suddenly felt a deep respect for the academic genius.