Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

Chapter 31: Chapter 23: The Joy of Daily Shenanigans

The Shanghai Agricultural Products Wholesale Market, or "Shangnong Pi" for short.

It was a comprehensive wholesale market that sold everything from grain and oil, food products, and general goods to seafood, fruit, meat, frozen products, organic food, and vegetables.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA pulled into a parking spot, and Su Ran was the first to get out and head toward the market.

"Su Ran, don’t walk so fast! I can’t keep up with you."

"Yeah, slow down! We came with you, so you have to take care of us."

"You have no idea how to treat a girl."

"If you keep walking so fast, believe it or not, we’ll tie you up and step on you with our high heels!"

Su Ran stopped and turned around. He looked at the four dainty girls in their short skirts, stockings, and long legs, their stiletto heels carefully navigating the stinking, bloody water flowing from the butcher stall ahead.

They didn’t look like they were visiting a wet market; they looked like they were here for a fashion show.

"Why don’t you all wait for me in the car? I can go in and ask around by myself."

"No way~"

Su Ran was speechless.

Su Ran walked back and stood in the middle of them. With two girls holding onto each of his arms, they carefully made their way across the potholed, blood-slicked path.

"Ah~" Aina lost her footing, her high heel twisting, and her entire body fell into Su Ran’s arms.

Liu Jinyu immediately yanked Aina away, warning her with a fierce pout, "You little minx, you’re even throwing yourself at him! Cut it out with the scheming, you hear?"

"I didn’t! I really twisted my ankle, it hurts~"

"Ugh~ Stop acting all cute."

"You’re always the one making a fuss."

"Honey~ Liu Jinyu’s being mean to me."

"Get lost. You’re so annoying."

Xie Yiren felt a headache coming on. She pulled on her jacket and was the first to walk out of the bloody-water zone.

Su Ran helped them across one by one, and then they all walked side-by-side into the market.

The Shangnong Pi market was huge, so the five of them split up. Su Ran started in the seafood section, Xiao Wanqing in the food products section, while Liu Jinyu, Aina, and Xie Yiren each took one of the other sections to ask about Stephen Chow.

"Ma’am, excuse me, do you know a Stephen Chow?"

"Who are you calling Ma’am? You’re the ma’am! Piss off."

Su Ran: ...

"Sir, excuse me, do you know a Stephen Chow?"

"Want some plump and juicy abalone?"

Su Ran: ...

"Miss, have you heard of someone named Stephen Chow?"

"I have. Come inside and ’play’ for a bit, and I’ll tell you."

"...I’ll be on my way."

RING RING RING... It was a call from Liu Jinyu.

"Su Ran, no one over here knows him. Yiren and the others haven’t found anyone either. Any leads on your end?"

"No leads here either. Let’s try asking at some of the older, more established shops. If we really can’t find him, let’s just call it a day. It’s too hot."

"Okay, I’ll ask a few more." Liu Jinyu hung up and continued her search.

But after searching for half the day, they had found zero clues about Stephen Chow. They did, however, get plenty of requests for their WeChat contacts.

Meanwhile, Su Ran came to an old-time general store where an old man was cooling himself with a palm-leaf fan at the entrance.

"Excuse me, Sir, I’d like to ask you something. Do you know Stephen Chow?"

"Huh?" The old man was a bit hard of hearing.

Su Ran raised his voice. "Do you know Stephen Chow, the heir to the Imperial Cuisine tradition?"

"What shit?"

"Stephen Chow!"

"What shit congee?"

"Ste-phen-Chow!"

"Shit in what congee?"

"...Sir, you just... take your time cooling off."

Su Ran answered Liu Jinyu’s call and turned to go meet up with them.

A man in a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops, carrying a bag of groceries, brushed past Su Ran and walked toward the general store. The moment the old man at the entrance saw him, he shot to his feet.

"Stephen Chow, you’re here to buy groceries?"

"Yep. Got relatives coming over tonight, so I’m grabbing a few things to cook."

...

「At the market entrance.」

The five of them regrouped. They all just shrugged at each other, having come up empty-handed.

"I thought we’d find some news about Stephen Chow here, but we still have nothing. Su Ran, what should we do now?" Xiao Wanqing sighed.

"If we can’t find him, we can’t find him. It’s getting hotter and hotter anyway. Let’s go. We’ll head back to Maoyue, and I’ll treat you all to a meal."

"You’re giving up just like that?"

"What else can we do? We did our best. If we can’t find him, so be it. When we get back to the hotel, order whatever you want to eat. Don’t be shy."

The four girls’ expressions turned a little angry.

"What’s wrong with you all?"

"Seriously, Su Ran, can’t you just persevere a little longer? Keep looking?"

"Is this just your personality? You don’t care about anything? You look for someone for a little while, can’t find them, and just give up?"

"If you fought with your girlfriend and she ran away from home and wouldn’t answer your calls, would you also just go out, look for a few minutes, and then give up because you couldn’t find her?"

"Forget a girlfriend, you probably wouldn’t even chase a girl in the first place. Too lazy to try. After all, even if you got her, you’d just end up fighting, right? Is that what you think?"

"That’s not it at all!" Su Ran spread his hands. "I was talking about Stephen Chow. How did you all drag my love life into this? When I pursue a girl, I’m very dedicated."

The four girls crossed their arms and shook their heads. Aina spoke up, "We don’t believe you’d be dedicated to chasing a girl. How about this... just pretend we’re the girls you like, and demonstrate for us right now how you’d pursue us. What, you don’t dare? See? I told you you’re not serious about girls, and you’re still trying to argue. Hmph~"

"Haaah..." Su Ran’s scalp tingled. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Seriously? Is this something that needs a demonstration? How am I supposed to demonstrate it? Besides, you want me to demonstrate how to pursue all four of you at once? What do you take me for, a player? I’m not that kind of guy."

Tch~

"You’ve got the four of us ’big sisters’ here to be your practice partners, and you don’t even appreciate the opportunity? Other guys would be dying for a chance like this. Cherish it, young man!"

"Er... alright, I’ll give it a try. If you were the girls I liked, I’d probably pursue you like this..."

He had barely finished his sentence when Aina stepped out from the group of friends and walked up to Su Ran’s side.

Su Ran asked, "What are you doing?"

Aina replied, "Because you’ve already won me over."

Su Ran: "Hah~ Aren’t you childish."

Su Ran almost died laughing. Aina was such a character.

Ewww~~

The other three girls shot her a look of utter disdain.

Liu Jinyu said, "Don’t hold me back. I’m going to beat the hell out of that scheming bitch."

Aina stuck her tongue out at them.

"Oh my god, you’re sticking your tongue out, too? I seriously can’t take it anymore! Su Ran, drive! We’re going to punish this little hussy, Aina, and we’re not going to be gentle!"

The three women shoved Aina into the back seat. Su Ran drove the GLA away. The front passenger seat was empty; they were all piled in the back, ready to "punish" Aina.

Su Ran’s head was buzzing the entire way. The four of them together were truly a chaotic bunch.

From yesterday to today, as they had gotten more familiar with Su Ran, their usual "quirky" natures had started to show.

The four best friends always goofed around like this when they were together. Now that Su Ran was there—and since he was Liu Jinyu’s "troublesome little brother" and thus one of their own—they didn’t hold back anymore. They were as rowdy as they usually were, completely casual and carefree.

The atmosphere was very harmonious.

They bickered and laughed all the way back to Maoyue. By the time they got out of the car, Aina’s stockings were already torn.

Being with these four, Su Ran felt, was undoubtedly a form of Refining his Heart in the Mortal World.