After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

The sounds were mixed, like someone squeezing under the door, accompanied by heavy breathing and the sound of shoes slipping on the frozen snow.

The people in the lobby immediately stopped talking.

Old Liu, with his sharp ears, suddenly changed his expression. Instinctively, he reached behind his back and pulled out a large, two-foot-long adjustable wrench. He took two steps to the side of the door and lowered his voice:

"Boss Lin, something's wrong outside! It sounds like someone's pressing against the door and fiddling with something!"

Lin Fan remained calm as he strode to the shop's entrance.

He gripped the bolt, lifted it upwards, and then pulled it sharply backwards.

Two exclamations of surprise were heard: "Ouch! Holy crap!"

Immediately afterward, the two figures lost their support and tumbled forward along the door, landing with a thud on the floor mat, their knees hitting the floor with a loud thud, almost bumping into Lin Fan's feet.

The biting cold wind outside rushed in through the doorway.

Lin Fan looked down.

Two young men in their early twenties were lying on the ground, each clutching a selfie stick tightly in their hands. Their noses were red from the cold, and they were frantically trying to get up.

There were five or six people standing on the steps outside the gate and in the alley.

The two at the front were street patrol team members wearing fluorescent vests and carrying duty flashlights.

Two sanitation workers who were shoveling snow nearby followed behind, along with two young passersby who were watching the spectacle with their necks hunched over.

The group of people were all crammed under the eaves outside the door, craning their necks and sniffing the hot air coming out of the door.

The young man in the woolen hat on the ground rubbed his knees and got up. When he looked up, he met Lin Fan's eyes, and his face instantly turned bright red. He looked extremely embarrassed and stammered:

"No...I'm so sorry, Mr. Lin...we...we really didn't mean to..."

"What?! It's you livestreamers again! Are you ever going to stop?!"

A sharp, angry shout suddenly rang out in the lobby.

Su Xiaoxiao rushed to the front door, her eyebrows raised in anger, and pointed at the two young men who were getting up from the ground, berating them:

"The troublemakers who started this morning were just taken away by the police, and you guys still dare to eavesdrop under the door! Trying to break in, huh?! Do you really think we're easy to bully?!"

Aunt Wang rushed forward, grabbed the arm of the auxiliary police officer, and cried out with reddened eyes:

"Comrade! Arrest them quickly! Seize these bastards!"

Aunt Wang pointed at the two young men with selfie sticks in front of her, her chest heaving with anger:

"These young lads are always up to no good! This morning they threw rotten eggs all over me, and even after you took two of them away, they still wouldn't behave. Now, in broad daylight, they've brought people to block my door again!"

"What exactly do you want?! Are you determined to drive this good restaurant owner to his death?!"

Old Liu strode forward, slapping his large wrench against his palm, his face taut with menacing strength, and stood in front of Lin Fan:

"You little bastard! I've been fixing cars on the street corner for forty years, I've seen all kinds of thugs and bullies! Come at me if you dare! If anyone dares to take another step forward today, I'll smash their head open with this wrench!"

This completely threw the group of people standing outside the door into a panic.

The middle-aged auxiliary police officer quickly tucked his duty flashlight behind his waist, waving his hands frantically as he awkwardly tried to smooth things over.

"Oh dear! Auntie! Old Liu! Put those things down! It's a misunderstanding! It's really a misunderstanding!"

The middle-aged member of the joint defense team coughed dryly, his face flushed, and he looked at Lin Fan somewhat embarrassed:

"They didn't do anything wrong just now, they were just squatting by the door."

"We weren't on patrol, we just happened to be passing by, and... the smell made everyone freeze in their tracks!"

The young man in the woolen hat had also stood up completely, tears and snot streaming down his face. His two hands, frozen purple, were clasped tightly together in front of his chest as he pleaded in a tearful voice:

"Auntie! Miss Su! Boss Lin! We're really not here to cause trouble! We swear!"

The young man pointed to the frozen pocket of his cotton-padded coat and sniffled:

"We were so drawn in by the delicious aroma wafting from the shop that our legs just wouldn't cooperate, please don't misunderstand!"

"Gurgle gurgle—!!"

As soon as the young man finished speaking, the stomachs of the people standing outside the door began to rumble loudly one after another, as if they had planned it together.

The commotion was so loud that it could be heard clearly even in the quiet alleyway.

Several grown men stood in the freezing cold, heads bowed, but their eyes couldn't help but dart over Su Xiaoxiao's shoulder toward the source of the steaming aroma of food in the lobby.

Su Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and snorted coldly: "You were so arrogant when you posted that video online calling us a rip-off, but now you're saying you're hungry just because you smell something? Where were you before?!"

Old Liu spat out, "Exactly! One minute he's stirring up trouble online, calling Boss Lin heartless, the next he's drooling like a lapdog at the smell of meat!"

"Your faces must be made of shoe soles, right?!"

The two young men holding selfie sticks shrank back, heads bowed, and didn't dare to breathe loudly as they were scolded.

The cold wind outside howled into the lobby.

Lin Fan stepped forward and gently pressed Old Liu and Su Xiaoxiao's arms, signaling them to step back.

Old Liu snorted and tucked the wrench behind his back; Su Xiaoxiao, though full of resentment, bit her lip and retreated to the bar.

A biting draft was blowing straight in from outside the door.

Lin Fan remained calm as he looked at the middle-aged auxiliary police officer standing at the front, wearing a fluorescent vest:

"Team Leader Wang, Comrade Chen. It must be tough patrolling the streets in this freezing weather. The security of this Jin Street area is all thanks to you keeping an eye on things."

"Since we're already at the door, let's not stand in the wind. Come in and have some hot tea to warm up."

Upon hearing this, Old Wang felt a surge of relief and quickly waved his hand politely, "Oh, Mr. Lin, you're too kind. Patrolling is our duty..."

Lin Fan then looked at the two elderly sanitation workers standing behind Old Wang, still holding large brooms in their hands:

"Two gentlemen, you're already out shoveling snow and clearing ice on the streets at five or six in the morning. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's minus sixteen degrees outside. Come in and sit down. The kitchen just made hot soup and added rice noodles. Sit down and have a bowl of hot soup to fill your stomach."

The two sanitation workers were flattered and repeatedly wiped their chilblain-covered hands on their trouser legs, shaking their heads hurriedly and gratefully.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Lin... but we... please don't get your land dirty."

Su Xiaoxiao quickly stepped forward and greeted them warmly, "It's alright, it's alright! Please come inside, gentlemen!"

"If you get the floor dirty, you can just wipe it clean later. But standing here in this freezing weather, you could freeze to death, it's no joke! Come inside and sit down!"

As she spoke, Su Xiaoxiao turned to the side and warmly led the two sanitation workers and the joint defense team members into the warm lobby.

After arranging things for them, Lin Fan's gaze finally fell on the two junior livestreamers huddled in the corner.