Chapter 327: Chapter 327: Want to Escape
Su Shuochi drove Geng Haoyi and Fu Junyuan to transfer the deed for the house he had bought for himself and his wife.
Then, he hired some workers to give all the rooms on the second floor a fresh coat of white paint. There was no need to buy furniture or bedding, as Gu Jiaojiao had them in her space.
When it was time for lunch, Geng Haoyi insisted on treating them, saying he was the host. Since Su Shuochi wanted to get familiar with the area anyway, he agreed.
Fu Junyuan had been in a daze for most of the day. He still hadn’t fully processed the fact that Su had gotten up from his wheelchair.
Geng Haoyi suggested they eat at what was once the largest state-owned restaurant in the city. Two months prior, it had been taken over by the Xiao Family.
Over thirty years ago, the restaurant had been a private establishment run by the Lin Family, but it was officially converted into a state-owned enterprise in the 1950s.
State-owned restaurants weren’t known for their warm service, but since the Xiao Family took over, the staff’s attitude had undergone a complete transformation.
Upon seeing the three handsome young men, all the waitresses in the restaurant vied to serve them, one bringing tea and water, another holding the menu.
In an instant, Su Shuochi’s table was surrounded by several pretty waitresses.
Fu Junyuan’s flirtatious eyes, which could look deeply affectionate even when staring at a dog, would usually be practically shooting sparks at the sight of a pretty waitress.
But this time, he wasn’t in the mood. His mind was entirely preoccupied with Su Shuochi. ’How can he suddenly walk?!’
"Sirs, what kind of tea would you like?"
"Just bring Su your best tea," Fu Junyuan said, his eyes still glued to Su Shuochi.
"Sir, here’s the menu. Please, take your time," the waitress said enthusiastically, offering the menu to Su Shuochi.
She gazed at him, infatuated. He was wearing a white shirt and sunglasses, so she couldn’t see his face clearly, but he had an exceptional air about him.
The waitress holding the menu couldn’t help but gulp, a sweet smile on her face.
Su Shuochi, however, didn’t take the menu. Instead, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, ignoring her.
"Can I do the ordering?" Fu Junyuan asked, taking the thick menu from her hand.
"Of course," the pretty waitress said, reluctantly letting him take it.
Fu Junyuan turned to the blushing waitress. "Miss, why don’t you come over here and tell me what your tastiest dishes are."
"Sir, you can look for yourself," the waitress retorted, remaining firmly planted by Su Shuochi’s side.
"Go help him. And stay away from me," Su Shuochi said, his voice cold and his brow furrowed in disgust.
He had never liked people getting too close, but not wanting to make a scene, he had been tolerating the waitress for some time.
His words left the waitress thoroughly embarrassed. She had worked at this restaurant for many years.
She had met all sorts of people, but never a customer as difficult as Su Shuochi.
"Fine, look for yourselves then," the waitress said through gritted teeth, turning to leave.
"Hey, where are you going? Get back here," Fu Junyuan demanded, his own temper flaring.
Although she was indignant, the waitress didn’t dare to walk away. This wasn’t a state-owned restaurant anymore; many of her former colleagues had already been laid off.
If she truly angered these customers, the consequences could be severe. So, she stood meekly by the table without another word.
"Steamed sea bass, braised prawns, sweet and sour pork, crispy fried meatballs, ants climbing a tree..."
Seeing the waitress didn’t dare to leave, Fu Junyuan lowered his head to the menu and rattled off several dishes in one breath.
"Su, Geng, how does that sound?" Fu Junyuan asked with a smile, about to hand the menu to Su Shuochi.
"What you picked is fine. I’m not picky," Su Shuochi said. He didn’t take the menu, but his tone had softened considerably.
"Alright, let’s get those. But let’s skip the sweet and sour pork and get stir-fried cabbage instead," Geng Haoyi said, also not taking the menu.
Su Shuochi wanted to try the sweet and sour pork; he was thinking he could learn to make it for his wife. "Let’s get the sweet and sour pork to try as well," he said.
At the next table, one of the young men sneered, "Pfft, where did these country bumpkins come from? Don’t tell me they don’t even know what sweet and sour pork is."
They were the type who acted high and mighty, relying on their family’s money to look down on everyone. But they were always polite to the pretty waitress and couldn’t stand to see her being treated poorly.
"Who the hell are you? We’re born-and-bred Beijing people, you know," Fu Junyuan retorted angrily.
The young men took a closer look and realized they had indeed seen Fu Junyuan and Geng Haoyi before.
But they were used to being arrogant, so they pretended not to recognize them. "Oh? Well, let’s see which hutong you crawl out of."
In those days, very few people wore sunglasses. They had only seen people with perfectly fine eyes wearing them in the TV drama *Shanghai Beach*.
While some people around them wore sunglasses, they were usually blind.
They knew in their hearts that this man with such a powerful presence was definitely not blind.
But among them was an ignorant punk who looked at Su Shuochi with a swagger. "What, are you blind?"
Su Shuochi took off his sunglasses. His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the neighboring table. "You’d better shut your mouths," he said, his voice frigid. "I don’t want to hit anyone today."
The young men shivered and didn’t dare say another word, but that didn’t stop them from cursing him in their minds.
’Oh yeah? We’ll see how tough you really are, trying to act all high and mighty in front of us.’
The young men exchanged a look. They decided to eat first and then find an opportunity to teach Su Shuochi and his friends a lesson.
They didn’t dare cause trouble inside the restaurant; they had learned that lesson the hard way before, so they knew not to act rashly here.
Su Shuochi saw right through their intentions, but he couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath on a group of ignorant kids. He simply went back to his meal.
By the time the three of them had finished their meal, the young men at the next table were long gone. Fu Junyuan recognized a few of them.
He didn’t believe for a second that those punks would swallow their pride and just leave. "Su, I bet they’re waiting for us somewhere nearby."
"Who cares if those good-for-nothing punks want to start something? As if Su would be afraid of a few kids who aren’t even dry behind the ears."
Geng Haoyi joked as he drove. He was the type who loved watching a spectacle and didn’t mind when things escalated.
He knew today’s incident wouldn’t end peacefully, because he had spotted an acquaintance in the restaurant earlier.
Sure enough, as their car reached an alley entrance, they saw a dozen or so young men blocking the way, each holding an iron pipe.
Su Shuochi was protective of his car and didn’t want the windows smashed, so he told Geng Haoyi to park. He then opened the door and got out.
He didn’t want to cause trouble, but that didn’t mean he was afraid of it. He walked step by step toward the group of young men.
His leather shoes on the concrete pavement made a sharp CLACK-CLACK sound, as if each step was landing directly on the young men’s hearts.
The sound made the color drain from their faces, and they had the sudden urge to flee.
Although Su Shuochi’s gaze and powerful aura frightened them into wanting to retreat, they remembered the reward that woman had promised...
