Chapter 26 Part 2

The sound quality from the CD player before hadn't been very clear, and only half the lyrics could be made out. Lu Yan's powerfully penetrating voice seemed to merge with the boundless starry sky above.

Xiao Heng leaned against the wall. This time, he heard it clearly.

Lu Yan sang:

"Take a deep breath / To cross through the night /

Never stopping."

For a moment, all thoughts vanished.

Xiao Qishan, the economics department—all of it was thrown to the back of his mind.

Xiao Heng's gaze shifted from Lu Yan's slender fingers, finally landing on his wrist—on the part of the wrist half-exposed from his sleeve, tattooed with a black, seven-pointed star.

The wild, exuberant vitality emanating from Lu Yan was even more scorching than the cigarette that had just burned his fingertip.

As he finished the song, Lu Yan habitually closed his eyes, admiring his own excellent singing and performance. Before he could open them, he heard applause next to his ear.

Then he heard the young master's usual nonchalant voice say, "Dog son is awesome."

"..."

"Dog son sings so well."

Lu Yan opened his eyes and cursed, "Fuck!"

Lu Yan was contemplating whether to start a fight with this guy. "Looking for a fight?"

Xiao Heng was indifferent. "You wanna fly?"

Damn it.

The two stared each other down for a long time. Perhaps recalling the scene of Lu Yan being sent flying, one of them laughed first, and once it started, it couldn't be stopped.

Lu Yan put down the guitar, walked over, and draped an arm over Xiao Heng's shoulder, cursing with a laugh, "You motherfucker."

"I don't know what kind of crap you're going through, but, I think!" The hand Lu Yan had on his shoulder moved. He extended a finger, pointed forward, and motioned for him to look.

"Life, it's just like this sun!"

Lu Yan's tone was full and his emotions sincere. He continued with heroic spirit, "Look at this sun! Even though it set today, it will rise again tomorrow!"

Xiao Heng: "..."

This bowl of chicken soup for the soul from Lu Yan, which seemed to have been picked from a trash can, could, reluctantly, still be considered chicken soup.

Xiao Heng: "I thank you for that."

Lu Yan waved his hand. "You're welcome."

......

The next day.

The entire sky was shrouded in a layer of gray clouds. Thick, dark clouds obscured the sky so completely that not a single ray of light could get through. The streets of the Lower District looked even more desolate than usual.

"Welcome to today's news. Due to the adverse impact brought by the fugitive, Suspect Wang, who was previously at large in the Lower District, the relevant authorities have decided to strictly rectify the Lower District, cracking down on vice and crime to establish a new image for the Lower District—"

The proprietress was watching TV in the dessert shop while peeking at the sky outside, worrying, "Aiyo, the weather was so nice the past few days, how did it turn overcast today? It looks like it's going to rain heavily." Lu Yan was stocking the shelves, and when he remembered his line from last night, 'Life is like the sun', his right eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

Due to the weather, there were hardly any customers in the shop all day.

Lu Yan sat in the shop for half the day. He never would have thought that just as he was about to get off work, he would welcome the largest group of customers since he started working at the "Sweet Honey" dessert shop—a group of city inspectors.

"Welco—"

Before he could get the 'me' out, seven or eight city inspectors, with physiques comparable to Brother Wei's, pushed the door open and entered!

The one in the lead held a baton. After looking around, he said with an imposing air, "Your shop's business license, take it out and let me see!"

The proprietress immediately went to get the license.

The leader tucked the baton under his arm and pointed at Lu Yan. "You, take out your health certificate."

Health. Certificate.

Lu Yan felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him right on the head.

Working in the food and beverage industry required a health certificate, but no one ever checked for these things in the Lower District. Getting one was expensive and time-consuming, so Lu Yan had borrowed one directly from Zhang Xiaohui.

"The business license is fine," the city inspector returned the document to the proprietress and pointed at Lu Yan again. "You, come out."

Lu Yan followed the city inspector outside.

The two of them stood at the entrance of the dessert shop. The city inspector held Lu Yan's health certificate and looked at it repeatedly, asking suspiciously, "Is this you?"

Lu Yan's expression didn't change. "It is."

City inspector: "Your name is Zhang Xiaohui?"

Lu Yan blurted out, "This is the name my mother gave me. It signifies the glory of the Party. I am a law-abiding good citizen..."

The city inspector's head started to ache from listening. "Hold on."

The city inspector held up the health certificate with 'Zhang Xiaohui' written on it and placed it next to Lu Yan's face.

City inspector: "You, you don't look like him. You have double eyelids, but the person in this photo clearly has single eyelids."

Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat, but he had, after all, knocked around for many years. Lu Yan said, "My double eyelids, I had them done."

City inspector: "..."

Lu Yan: "I had plastic surgery."

The city inspector said again, "Alright then, what's your ID number? Recite it for me."

Lu Yan: "..."

Who would be idle enough to memorize Zhang Xiaohui's ID number!

It was the first time the city inspector had encountered someone working without a license who was so brazen. It was a real eye-opener for him. He pulled out the baton tucked under his arm, pointed behind him, and shouted angrily, "Caught another one! You, go squat in the back with the others!"

Lu Yan looked in the direction the city inspector's baton was pointing—and saw a neat row of people squatting on the dim street with their hands on their heads. Mixed in the middle of the crowd was a familiar figure. Xiao Heng: "..."

Lu Yan: "..."

As Lu Yan put his hands on his head, squatted down, and came face-to-face with Xiao Heng, a sentence buzzed in his ears: Look at this sun! Even though it set today, it will rise again tomorrow!

The author has something to say:

Lu Yan: Look at this sun! Even though it set today, it will rise again tomorrow!

Xiao Heng: You motherfucker.