Ice is not averse to deception

When Liu Ruo walked out of the hotel, Sun Bing was only a little over 100 meters away from the hotel.

If things had continued as they were, Liu Ruo would have been able to meet Sun Bing soon. But as soon as she stepped out of the hotel, she was drawn to a familiar fragrance.

It's teppanyaki tofu, a local specialty from Harbin.

Previously, Sun Bing knew that Liu Ruo liked to eat, so he would buy a plate of sizzling tofu from the street corner every day. Although this happiness was simple, Liu Ruo now understood the truth that simplicity is true happiness.

Suffering and ordinariness seemed insignificant at this moment, especially when she realized that her relationship with Sun Bing no longer belonged to her.

Her feelings were mixed, but Liu Ruo was still a step behind.

In the blink of an eye, her gaze brushed past Sun Bing.

Dongmei, who was originally quite far from Sun Bing, had just finished watching the news and was deeply moved by Sun Bing's heroic act when she looked up and saw Sun Bing not far away.

Dongmei was known as a tomboy because she was always full of a sense of justice and never tolerated any behavior she disapproved of.

She never expected Sun Bing to be so brave. It was worth all the time she had pursued him so relentlessly. Although it didn't work out, Sun Bing certainly didn't disappoint her.

It's not so strange that girls' hearts would flutter in front of heroes.

Caught off guard, Sun Bing was grabbed by the arm by Dongmei, who ran up from behind.

"Sun Bing! Is that you they're talking about in the news?"

Dongmei showed the news on her phone to Sun Bing, who was caught off guard but instinctively tried to break free.

"What? Now that you're a hero, you look down on your old friends?"

Sun Bing underestimated the strength of the tough woman; her struggles were futile.

"Stop fooling around, it won't look good if someone sees you." Sun Bing seemed a little angry, but after all, Dongmei had helped her, so she didn't want to make things too awkward.

Dongmei didn't let go at all: "What are we afraid of if we're doing this openly and honestly? I'm not going to eat you."

However, at this very moment, the scene that Sun Bing least wanted to see still happened.

He looked up and saw Liu Ruo holding a plate of sizzling tofu in the distance, putting it into her mouth. Then he turned his head and saw Dongmei holding Sun Bing's arm in an ambiguous way. They looked like lovers who had been in love for many years.

Seeing the hot plate of tofu fall from Liu Ruo's hand, Sun Bing finally came to her senses and, with a burst of strength, broke free from Dongmei's grasp.

Sun Bing quickly realized that what seemed like a gesture to prove his innocence was, in Liu Ruo's eyes, likely a sign of nervousness stemming from a guilty conscience.

That's absolutely true. This was also confirmed by Liu Ruo's expression, because seeing this scene, Liu Ruo's expression didn't relax but instead became even more... angry.

Having just recovered from a cold, Liu Ruo witnessed this scene and, burning with anger, forcefully threw away the hot plate of tofu in her hand and walked step by step toward Sun Bing.

Sun Bing considered offering an explanation.

But then his daughter Sun Xiaoni's words popped into his mind. He knew Liu Ruo's temper. After what had just happened, no matter how Sun Bing explained, it would not quell Liu Ruo's anger. It would only make the situation more out of control.

Moreover...

Sun Xiaoni once said that the deeper the misunderstanding is now, the stronger Liu Ruo's sense of guilt will be when the misunderstanding is resolved, which will obviously be most beneficial to Sun Bing.

After hesitating for a mere 0.08 seconds, Sun Bing ultimately chose to believe Sun Xiaoni.

Without having time to explain to Dongmei, Sun Bing turned and ran towards the alley next to her.

Liu Ruo became even more convinced that Sun Bing was acting out of a guilty conscience, and followed suit.

As for Wu Dayong, he has lost everything now, and all his hopes are pinned on the 200,000 yuan needed to find the source of the ice. He is even less likely to let Sun Bing out of his sight.

That's his lucky charm, that's the guarantee of his future good life.

Seeing this, Dongmei was also completely bewildered, but her innate curiosity led her to follow after them.

But the most devastated person wasn't Liu Ruo, but the tiger lurking at the door, looking for an opportunity.

He and his henchmen had been watching Liu Ruo for a long time, plotting how to seize the opportunity to capture her. However, before they could even make a move, Liu Ruo ran away in a flash.

The tiger was enraged.

What kind of professionalism is this? What kind of teamwork is this?

Tiger concluded that one of them had exposed their identity, otherwise Liu Ruo wouldn't have run away so decisively and so diligently.

There was no other way; in order to acquire Sun Bing's seal-making shop, Tiger didn't have time to dwell on the team's own problems and charged forward with his men.

And so, the chaotic chase continued amidst the chaos.

Sun Bing didn't see the tiger, and the tiger didn't see Sun Bing either, but clearly in Sun Bing's mind, being caught by Liu Ruo was more terrifying than being caught by the tiger, so you can imagine how hard he tried.

Dongmei didn't see Liu Ruo, but Liu Ruo saw Dongmei. So in Liu Ruo's eyes, Dongmei's escape was just a way of showing off their love in front of her, and she moved with surprising speed.

The tiger, however, felt aggrieved.

They're a bunch of gangsters. It's one thing if they can't even catch Sun Bing, a man, but if they can't even catch Liu Ruo, a young woman, how are they going to survive in the underworld?

This is so embarrassing!

They chased each other like this for who knows how long, and after passing through countless alleys, Dongmei finally caught up with Sun Bing.

Of course, fueled by his dream of a better life, Wu Dayong caught up with him even though he was exhausted.

"Sun Bing, why are you running? I didn't know you could run so fast." Dongmei was panting, but it was clear that Sun Bing's speed had completely ignited Dongmei's fighting spirit.

"Dongmei, can you please stop following me? People will misunderstand if you keep doing this." Sun Bing looked utterly hopeless.

Dongmei objected: "What's there to misunderstand? Why are you so timid? Don't forget, when you were dating Liu Ruo, you often asked me for help behind my back. You're not grateful, and now you're repaying kindness with enmity?"

When Dongmei brought up the past again, Sun Bing became even more certain that the girl's feelings for him had clearly been rekindled.

Despair, helplessness, tears, inner turmoil...

A mix of emotions welled up inside Sun Bing, and no matter how composed she tried to be, she completely broke down.

He squatted on the ground and roared, "Who did I offend? Who the hell did I offend? Why is everyone targeting me? Why is everyone against me?! Being chased by a tiger is bad enough, but my wife doesn't believe me, I can't see my daughter, and even my brother-in-law, who's helped me for so many years, is turning against me. What did I do wrong in my past life to deserve this in this life..."

Sun Bing's voice grew louder and louder, and her emotions became increasingly unstable.

"I just want to make some money and have a more peaceful life."

"I just want the people who love me and the people I love to live normal lives!"

"All I want to do is find a source of ice so I can complete my part-time job at the Ice and Snow World... Why is it so difficult?"

"etc……"

Faced with Sun Bing's breakdown, Dongmei didn't know what was wrong with him. But when he mentioned Bingyuan, Dongmei suddenly seemed to remember something and immediately stopped Sun Bing's emotional outburst.

"Just let him finish speaking, that will make things easier." Even Wu Dayong couldn't stand it anymore. If a man doesn't even have the right to break down, that must be the most despairing thing.

But just as Sun Bing was about to continue his long, heart-wrenching cry, Dongmei interrupted his breakdown.

"What did you just say you were looking for?" Dongmei asked Sun Bing.

Sun Bing frowned, like a gun that had jammed, utterly frustrated, but still said, "I'm asking why I have to suffer like this!"

"Not this sentence, the last sentence."

Seeing that Sun Bing was so embarrassed he was about to collapse, Wu Dayong couldn't help but step over and say on Sun Bing's behalf, "He said he just wants to find the source of ice to complete his part-time job at the Ice and Snow World."

Dongmei heard her clearly now, and her expression immediately brightened. She deliberately paused before saying, "What if I said I could help you find the ice source?"

"You can help us find... what?!" Wu Dayong didn't react at first, but when he heard "Ice Source," he immediately became excited: "You said Ice Source? Are you sure?"

"Of course, a friend of mine works at an ice sculpture factory, so finding an ice source wouldn't be a problem at all."

Upon hearing this, Sun Bing, who had been roaring to the sky, could only manage to "roar" and couldn't actually "roar" anymore. He tried several times but failed. After Dongmei confirmed that it was Bingyuan, the expression on his face immediately changed color.

"Yes, of course. It's not far from here. There's an ice sculpture factory over there. Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, we can go there right now."

Seeing Dongmei's serious expression, Sun Bing knew she was telling the truth, but when she looked up, she saw that it was getting dark: "Tomorrow, it's getting dark."

Dongmei, with her impatient nature, couldn't stand this: "No need, there are dormitories at the ice sculpture factory. I can stay there tonight, and I can stay there from now on, it's fine!"