Tomb raiders: You stole my little Qilin?

For some reason, Wu Xie has been away from home for the past two weeks.

He became quite close to Fatty Wang and went to Fatty Wang's shop almost every day.

In an inconspicuous shop in Panjiayuan, the two of them examined the genuine and fake antiques from every angle.

I often go to a nearby restaurant for hot pot or skewers, and my life is lively and carefree.

Occasionally, he would even help the fat man trick a few foreigners into buying counterfeit goods at high prices, and when he came back and told Wu Wei about it, he was beaming with pride.

Wu Wei was happy for his younger brother's carefree life, but also felt a little sad that his brother would grow up and stop clinging to him.

I called 999 many times along the way, but there was no reply.

Wu Wei couldn't help but wonder: Could this guy be using hibernation as an excuse to slack off?

Today is finally the day to remove the cast.

Wu Wei held up his right hand, which had finally regained its freedom, and spun around in front of the mirror several times.

Wu Erbai, standing nearby, instructed, "Your bones haven't fully healed yet, so don't move around."

Wu Wei chuckled twice, "Okay."

After changing her clothes, she told Wu Erbai, "Dad, I'm going out," and then disappeared.

Wu Erbai shook his head helplessly. These two kids were keeping him up at night, while he was busy and couldn't sleep.

Upon arriving at the courtyard house, Wu Wei pushed open the door.

He excitedly announced, "Hey bro, let's go listen to a crosstalk performance!"

Black Bear immediately noticed the arm with the cast removed: "Hey, your hand's all healed!"

Zhang Qiling directly reached out and gently pinched it.

Wu Wei urged them, "Hurry up, hurry up, I've bought the tickets."

Black Bear muttered, not understanding, "Why listen to that stuff? To celebrate?"

"One of you is quiet, and the other talks too much but is not serious. You both need to be educated in the art of language."

Black Bear immediately protested: "I protest! What did I do wrong?"

Zhang Qiling also spoke up quietly: "I..."

Wu Wei abruptly interrupted the two of them, saying, "Protest invalid."

The two exchanged a glance and agreed.

The small theater was packed, and two elderly gentlemen on stage were performing a traditional crosstalk routine.

The straight man threw out a punchline, eliciting laughter from the entire audience.

Wu Wei laughed so hard he slapped his thigh, tears almost streaming down his face.

"This is so interesting!" Wu Wei turned to look at the two people beside him.

Zhang Qiling's lips curled up slightly, it was unclear whether he was laughing at the crosstalk or at Wu Wei's exaggerated laughter.

Hei Xiazi did laugh, but not as exaggeratedly as Wu Wei. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs.

"Wu Wei, your sense of humor is way too low. You laugh at old jokes like that?"

Wu Wei took a sip of tea to calm himself down:

"This veteran artist's sense of rhythm has a unique charm every time you listen to it. Don't you think so, buddy?"

Zhang Qiling thought about it seriously and nodded: "Interesting."

"Look, even the young man says it's interesting!"

"Come on, even a mute would find something interesting."

Black Bear chuckled and precisely tossed the sunflower seed shells in his hand into the empty plate on the table.

During halftime, Wu Wei got up to go to the restroom.

As he walked down the corridor, he noticed someone.

He was a handsome young man in a white suit, standing by the window at the end of the corridor, one hand in his pocket, looking relaxed.

The light fell on his face, highlighting his refined features and the calm, scholarly air about him, creating a strange contrast with the noisy crosstalk theater.

Wu Wei took a second look and felt that it looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

He didn't pay much attention and returned to his seat after using the restroom.

The second half of the show was even more exciting. Wu Wei was so engrossed in watching that he didn't notice the figure in the white suit sitting a few rows behind him, who kept looking in his direction.

Black Bear noticed.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze passing over Wu Wei's shoulder and landing on that person.

The man's gaze at Wu Wei was not a casual appraiser, but a look with a clear purpose.

Hei Xiazi held his teacup and silently memorized the man's appearance.

As the show ended, audience members left in twos and threes.

As soon as the three of them reached the theater entrance, a white figure blocked their way.

Black Bear instinctively stepped half a step in front of Wu Wei to block him: "Who goes there?"

The handsome young man simply looked at Wu Wei, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said in a clear and gentle voice, "Brother Wu Wei."

Wu Wei was taken aback. This form of address…

He tentatively asked, "...Little Flower?"

Xie Yuchen nodded, her smile deepening: "Brother Wu Wei, it's been a long time."

Wu Wei suddenly laughed, took two steps forward, and looked the young man in front of him up and down, who now looked almost the same as him.

"Is it really you? I thought you looked familiar in the hallway, but I didn't dare to recognize you. You've changed so much."

He turned to the two people behind him and explained, "Hey bro, this is Xie Yuchen, the current head of the Xie family."

Zhang Qiling nodded slightly.

Hei Xiazi narrowed his eyes upon hearing Xie Yuchen's name.

There have been quite a few rumors surrounding this young head of the family lately.

But when he called Wu Wei "Brother Wu Wei," this title made Hei Xiazi feel a pang in his heart.

"These two are my friends, you can call them Brother Xiao and Boss Hei," Wu Wei then introduced to Xie Yuchen.

Xie Yuchen gave a polite nod to the two of them, without much formality, and her gaze quickly returned to Wu Wei:

"Brother Wu Wei, it's a rare opportunity to meet you. I'd like to invite you to a meal. Please join us, you're both my friends, no need to be so formal."

Wu Wei turned to look at Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi: "Hey bro, Xia, wanna go?"

Zhang Qiling didn't care; he would go if Wu Wei wanted him to.

Black Bear readily nodded: "Of course I'll go. It's Master Jie's invitation; it would be disrespectful not to go."

He wanted to see what this head of the Xie family, who kept calling him "Brother Wu Wei," was really up to.

The restaurant Xie Yuchen chose was on the street next to the crosstalk theater; it was an extremely unassuming restaurant.

There was no signboard outside, only a palm-sized bronze plaque embedded in the side of the door frame, with the three characters "Yuzhenfang" engraved on it.

Pushing open the heavy solid wood door, a waiter came to greet them. Xie Yuchen gave his name, and the waiter immediately led them respectfully through the lobby and into a private room at the back.

The private room was elegantly decorated with mahogany tables and chairs, and several traditional Chinese paintings of flowers and birds hung on the wall. The lighting was warm and yellow, but not glaring.

The four people sat down, and Xie Yuchen naturally sat next to Wu Wei.

While waiting for the food, Xie Yuchen picked up her teacup and looked at Wu Wei through the rising steam:

"Speaking of which, I haven't properly thanked you yet."

Wu Wei waved his hand dismissively: "It's been so many years, why bring this up again?"

"It's something we can't leave out." Xie Yuchen put down her teacup, her expression serious.

"If it weren't for you that time, I might not be alive now. You know? Later, when Master asked me what my wish was, I said I wanted to go to Hangzhou to find you and Wu Xie."

Wu Wei was slightly taken aback: "Why didn't you come later?"

"You know about the mess the Xie family is in." Xie Yuchen lowered her eyelashes and gently twirled her fingertips around the rim of the cup.

"After Ninth Master passed away, the collateral branches became unruly, and business partners turned against me. I was learning skills from my master while dealing with those open and covert attacks. I even had to squeeze in time to sleep, so how could I have time to travel far away?"

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and when he looked up again, his expression had returned to composure.

"After finally settling down, you all went back to your own things. I heard that Brother Wu Wei got his doctorate and is traveling everywhere. He's much more carefree than us who are stuck in our families."

Wu Wei smiled and said, "I just travel around a bit, unlike you, who manages the Xie family so well at such a young age. My dad's tone is full of admiration when he talks about you."

Xie Yuchen's eyebrows curved slightly: "Uncle Wu, you flatter me."