On the first day, Ling Shu arrived early at the place where Zhou Sa worked and found a corner to squat and wait. 

However, he waited until it was dark and Zhou Sa still hadn't come out of the municipal government office building. 

Ling Shu was shivering from the evening breeze, with snot running down his nose and a few copper coins at his feet.

Feeling lost, Ling Shu looked up and saw a middle-aged woman throwing a copper coin at him. 

"You're a young talent, don't be foolish. Take it and go have some porridge before someone else takes it!" 

The woman quickly spoke and hurried away, not even giving him a chance to clarify.

Ling Shu silently picked up the few copper coins while still sniffling.

That night, when he returned home, he found out that his brother-in-law had left through the back door. 

Ling Shu was so angry that he almost wanted to hit someone.

On the second day... Prepared for the occasion, Ling Shu put on a thick coat and hired a yellow cab, instructing the driver to wait with him at the back entrance of the building.

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Zhou Sa emerged from the building.

But to Ling Shu's dismay, Zhou Sa went straight home instead of going to the concession as Ling Yao had suggested.

By the time Ling Shu returned home, his sister and brother-in-law had already started dinner, leaving him famished and thirsty.

Zhou Sa chuckled, "Where did you go off to this time? Your sister made your favorite sour cabbage and perch, but I ate it all and only the sour cabbage is left!"

Ling Shu was too exhausted to speak, another day of fruitless searching.

On the third day, Ling Shu asked Ling Yao for the address she had followed and went straight to the concession, waiting outside the foreign house she had mentioned. He didn't see for the woman who had ambiguous relations with Zhou Sa. 

Instead, he saw Yue Dingtang.

Yue Dingtang walked out of a small western-style house across the street, accompanied by a young woman.

A young, fashionable, and beautiful western woman.

Her skin was as white as snow, and her hair was golden.

She held a small umbrella and wore a lace dress, exuding a strong western vibe.

She was very close to Yue Dingtang, and they were talking. He seemed to have trouble hearing her, so she leaned forward slightly, and her mouth was almost touching his ear.

They said something, and then both of them laughed happily.

Wow, this old Yue really has good luck with women, Ling Shu thought to himself.

He hadn't gone to the police station or Yue Dingtang's house in the past few days, and Yue Dingtang hadn't sent anyone to ask about him. 

Even Uncle Zhou, who had promised to send him some sauce duck, had disappeared. 

"It's true that once you have new people, you forget about the old ones," thought Ling Shu, feeling a bit uneasy about Uncle Zhou's lack of loyalty. 

The two of them got into the sedan, one after the other. 

Ling Shu patted the shoulder of the yellow cart driver and said, "Quick, catch up to the car in front of us." 

The driver, who was dozing off, was startled by the sudden jolt and looked at the car in the distance with a worried expression. 

"Sir, how can I catch up to a car with my two legs?" 

Without hesitation, Ling Shu handed him a big silver dollar and he said, "Watch me, I'll keep up!" The driver's spirits were lifted, as if he had just been injected with chicken blood. 

He started running with the cart, gradually closing the distance between them. 

Although the car in front was driving in the city and couldn't go very fast, the driver managed to keep up with it. It wasn't until they left the concession that the car sped up and pulled away. 

Ling Shu signaled the coachman to stop.

"Alright, don't chase anymore. Let's stop here and take a break."

He already knew where the other person was headed.

The Yue Manor.

It was just at dusk.

Yue Dingtang had a great time chatting with Rebecca at Professor He's salon, and they seemed to have a deep connection. 

Just as the two of them were leaving, he invited Rebecca to their home for dinner, and she gladly accepted.

Standing behind the guests, Yue Dingtang was about to enter the house when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Captain Yue, it's been a long time. I've missed you."

Yue Dingtang raised his eyebrows and turned around slowly.

"I have an important guest today, so I'm afraid I can't entertain you."

Ling Shu grinned and lifted the things in his hand.

"I brought some pickled vegetables to see Uncle Zhou." 

Yue Dingtang's expression remained unchanged: "I can pass on the message for you. Stay at home and rest well. When your injury is healed, you can go to the police station."

Ling Shu said, "This is not appropriate. Uncle Zhou hasn't seen me in days, he must miss me a lot. You can't deprive him of the pleasure of seeing me, right?"

Seeing that Yue Dingtang had no intention of giving way, he had to raise his voice.

"Uncle Zhou, Uncle Zhou!"

Uncle Zhou heard the voice and came out with a look of surprise.

"Young Master Ling is here, please come in! Today we have guests and Fourth Young Master asked me to prepare many dishes. You can stay for dinner!"

Yue Dingtang smiled grimly and stepped aside to let them pass.

Ling Shu bounced inside with light footsteps.

"Uncle Zhou, I haven't visited in the past few days. Did you forget about me?" 

"How could that be? I wanted to send someone to invite you over for dinner. Fourth Young Master said you were staying home to accompany your sister." 

Their voices were gradually fading into the kitchen.

But Yue Dingtang quickly grabbed Ling Shu and pulled him back. "Come and greet our guest," he said.

Rebecca was sitting on the sofa reading a book, her serene demeanor resembling an angel painted on a stained glass window in a church.

As they approached, Ling Shu noticed that the book in her hand was in French.

"Rebecca," he said.

She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't notice her name being called.

"This is Ling Shu, who will also be joining us for dinner tonight. This is Rebecca, my friend," Yue Dingtang made a brief introduction.

It was indeed a simple introduction.

There are many types of friends, some are just acquaintances, some are close confidants, and then there are those who are attracted to each other despite being of the opposite sex. 

They start off as surface-level friends, but gradually get to know each other better, and who knows where it will lead in the end? 

"Hello," Rebecca smiled and extended her hand. Ling Shu shook it readily, lightly brushing his lips against the back of her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Rebecca. May I ask what book you're reading?"

Rebecca replied, "Botany for Ladies."

Her English was fluent, with only a slight accent. If one couldn't see her, it would be easy to mistake her for a Chinese person speaking.

Ling Shu was surprised, "Is botany still divided by gender?"

Rebecca patiently explained, "The title of this book is Botany for Ladies because the author is a woman. At that time, many female writers' botanical works were presented in the form of letters or conversations. So, she took a different approach and turned this book into a universal science introduction." 

Ling Shu showed no embarrassment and nodded in understanding, "I see. I'm very interested, but unfortunately, I can't read French. If only there was someone like you who is fluent in both Chinese and French to translate the book into Chinese."

Rebecca became happy, "You think so too? I'm actually working on it right now. Mr. Yue said that he has a more original version of the book at home, so I came over to bother him. Once it's translated, I'll send you a copy!"

Ling Shu gracefully bowed, "Then I'll be waiting to be your first reader."

Yue Dingtang couldn't help but admire Ling Shu's ability to please women. 

It wasn't something he intentionally did, but more like a natural talent. 

However, he had never used this talent on himself.

During dinner, Rebecca and Yue Dingtang naturally discussed academic issues in English and French. 

Yue Dingtang glanced at Ling Shu when he had a moment to spare.

The latter clearly couldn't join in the conversation, as he was busy eating with his head down, picking up grains of rice with his chopsticks and sending them to his mouth, noticeably slower than usual. 

In the end, he still had half a bowl left.

Yue Dingtang occasionally looked at him, but Ling Shu didn't lift his head, so he couldn't see his expression.

Should he bring up a topic that interests him? 

Yue Dingtang thought to himself.

But Ling Shu had been running around these past two days, not showing up in front of him, nor explaining where he had gone. If this continued, the two of them would inevitably grow further apart.

Yue Dingtang suddenly missed the time they spent in Fengtian.

Even though they were struggling on the edge of life and death, at least their bodies and hearts were once so close.

But Ling Shu didn't give him too much time to think.

"I'm full, you guys take your time." Ling Shu nodded to them and got up from the table.

Yue Dingtang seemed to hear him telling Uncle Zhou that he was leaving first, and couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"Mr. Yue? Mr. Yue?"

Rebecca's voice brought him back to reality.

"May I ask, what is this dish called?"

Yue Dingtang furrowed his brow and said, "It's Longjing shrimp, a famous dish from Hangzhou. Our family chef is from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and he's very good at this dish."

Rebecca smiled happily, "It's really delicious. If it's convenient, could you give me the recipe? I'll have my chef try to make it when I go back."

Yue Dingtang said, "Of course."

He admitted that he was a little absent-minded, and whatever Rebecca said to him next didn't really register.

It wasn't until the lady got up to leave after dinner that Yue Dingtang found a chance to ask Uncle Zhou alone.

"Why did you let Ling Shu go?" 

Uncle Zhou said, "He said he needs to leave quickly to catch a cab back. There's a dance tonight, and if he's late, he won't be able to dance the first dance with Miss Ya Qi."

Yue Dingtang thought his ears were playing tricks on him. 

"He's not going home, he's going to the dance floor. Why did you let him go? His leg isn't even healed yet, how can he dance?"

Dance with a limp?

"He's just a kid, it's natural for him to want to play. He knows his limits," Uncle Zhou shrugged it off and even teased him, "Fourth Young Master, you say you don't care about him, but you're more worried than I am. Do you want to go find him? You can have some fun too. Young people need to move around. He went to the Feilengcui dance hall."

Yue Dingtang was annoyed. 

"The driver went to take Rebecca. There won't be any cars available at this time of night." 

Uncle Zhou chuckled, "I told the driver to delay a bit and say that he needs to check the car. Why don't you go out and see? Miss Rebecca is probably still waiting for you."

Sometimes, Yue Dingtang truly felt that Uncle Zhou was a cunning old fox who had become a master of the Yue family. He saw everything and considered everything. Without him, the Yue family would just be an empty shell.

Meanwhile, Ling Shu was enjoying the warm and fragrant service. 

Every breath he took was immersed in a sea of rouge and powder. 

On his left, Ya Qi handed him fruit, and on his right, Rosie massaged his shoulders. The sound of music filled his ears, and when he opened his eyes, he saw slender waists and plump hips. He felt his willpower being corroded, experiencing both pain and pleasure.

"Young Master Ling, I heard you went on a long trip. When did you come back?" Ya Qi swallowed the words 'Do you know how much I miss you?' and replaced them with a smile. "We all miss you a lot. All of us talk about you every few days!"

"You're the one who misses me, right? The only thing the rest cares about is my wallet," he teased.

Ling Shu took a bite of the apple from her hand, oblivious to the dark clouds looming behind them.

A little side drama unrelated to the main story:

Yue Dingtang: I want to be flattered too.

Ling Shu: Haven't I always been trying to please you and bow down to your evil ways?

Yue Dingtang: (expressionless) For the salary.

Ling Shu: (indignantly) Of course not!

(Actually, it's to mooch off your food and save some money.)