Chapter 198: Thank You Video

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“Girl, meeting a new friend, just be careful you don’t end up getting screwed over by someone like that one day.”

Boss Ma turned to look over, his gaze landing on Gu Chen, sizing her up.

The two seemed to have known each other for a long time, speaking in a joking tone.

The first time she met Long Fei, she had mentioned this Boss Ma.

Apparently, he was someone with connections.

Seeing him in person was better than hearing about him a hundred times.

Now she had no choice but to believe it.

“How could that be? This is a buddy I recently got to know. Super loyal, absolutely no problem.”

Long Fei vouched confidently.

“Fine, I know you won’t listen anyway.”

Boss Ma let out a slight sigh.

He then asked Gu Chen, “What would you like to eat? Everything on the menu is still available right now.”

“I’ll have the deluxe combo, my treat.”

Long Fei raised her hand and called out.

“Alright, got it.”

With that, he turned and walked into the back kitchen to start preparing.

Taking advantage of this time, Long Fei casually brought up his story.

Boss Ma was one of the earliest vendors here, and she had gotten to know him two years ago.

Back then, she had been expelled from school and had a huge falling out with her family.

In a fit of anger, she ran away from home.

But Long Fei had no way to make a living at the time.

She was so broke she couldn’t even afford food.

Later, she discovered this restaurant.

Not only was it cheap, but the portions were huge and filling.

At first, she was also terrified by Boss Ma’s appearance, thinking he looked too much like a bad guy.

But as they slowly got along, she realized he was actually a really good person.

She got through the hardest period of her life by mooching meals and crashing here.

After that, she met those sisters and slowly built up her life here.

When she had no money, she could put it on a tab.

That was how she became a spiritual little sister.

“I see.”

Gu Chen nodded, her head starting to ache.

“So, you’re still in your runaway phase?”

She had completely cut ties with her family, becoming a drifting weed.

“Yeah, no need to stay in contact with them. Forget it, let’s not talk about that. Eat up so we can head back and rest.”

Long Fei lowered her head.

It seemed a lot had happened with her family too.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t rather wander the streets than go home.

Since she didn’t want to talk about it, Gu Chen wouldn’t press further.

Soon, the combo was served.

It was basically a snack platter, but it looked pretty good and appetizing.

Plus, she was starving, so Gu Chen dug in quickly.

“Long Fei, you’re getting bolder these days. Running over to Boss Zheng’s place and causing trouble again—aren’t you afraid something will happen?”

After finishing his work, Boss Ma started scolding her.

“Nannan is still in their hands, so of course I have to go.”

Long Fei straightened up and answered.

“Even if you help her this time, what about next time? You haven’t even gotten your own life together, yet you insist on getting involved.”

Boss Ma spoke with the tone of someone who had been through it.

He then looked toward Gu Chen and continued, “That arena match—you’d better not participate. Red Wolf is very strong, not someone you can beat right now. That place doesn’t have many rules. Besides not being allowed to kill, crippling or maiming people is common. Don’t ruin yourself at such a young age.”

“Huh!?”

Gu Chen almost dropped her chopsticks, lifting her head with her eyes wide as saucers.

“Y-You, how did you know?”

“Boss Ma is one of the oldest vendors here. Word on the street travels that fast, huh. Something that just happened, and it already reached his ears.”

Long Fei propped her cheek on her hand and explained from the side.

“You kid, don’t talk nonsense. That kind of thing is a crime. Do I look like the type of person who’d do something like that?”

Boss Ma was left speechless by the teasing and explained seriously.

“Very much so.”

Gu Chen and Long Fei nodded almost in unison.

With a look like Boss Ma’s, if he hadn’t done at least twenty years in prison, his face and style would be wasted.

“Boss Ma, we’ll think things through carefully. Don’t worry.”

Long Fei had already made her decision, her attitude firm.

Zhao Nan had to be saved.

She had promised her that much.

As for Gu Chen, she wouldn’t force her.

“Forget it. You youngsters are impulsive, and I can’t stop you. If you really decide to fight in the arena, come find me first.”

Boss Ma saw he couldn’t talk them out of it, so he stopped trying.

“Oh? You’re going to help?”

Long Fei’s eyes lit up.

He had always been telling her to respect other people’s fates and let go of her urge to help others.

She never expected him to soften up.

“At most, I can give some pointers. If your friend really plans to go, I can increase his chances of winning a bit.”

“Yeah, thank you, Boss Ma!”

After finishing the late-night meal, it was already past midnight.

Gu Chen really had no time to waste.

She had to wake up before seven tomorrow to get to school, and there was also the monthly exam.

If she didn’t rest, she’d probably fall asleep during the test.

“Sorry for taking up so much of your time. How about finding a place nearby to stay and heading straight to school tomorrow?”

As they walked out the door, Long Fei felt a bit guilty.

“No need. I can’t sleep well in unfamiliar places anyway.”

Gu Chen declined the offer.

Mainly because she had a habit of only sleeping well in her own bed.

In a strange environment, it was hard to fall asleep and took time to adjust.

Back in high school when she boarded, she had insomnia for over a week before she got used to it.

“Yeah.”

“Um… Don’t force yourself on the arena thing. Also, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Long Fei paused, her expression conflicted.

She really wanted to save her sister, but she also didn’t want Gu Chen to be put in danger because of her own problems.

She even regretted bringing him here today, hesitating as she spoke.

“We’ll talk about it later. I’ll let you know once I’ve thought it through. I’m heading home now. I’ll contact you later.”

Gu Chen didn’t rush to give an answer.

He would think more clearly after getting some sleep.

Otherwise, he might get swept up in the heat of the moment.

After saying goodbye to her, Gu Chen rushed home as fast as he could.

Tonight, his dad had surprisingly come home first.

Luckily, his door was closed, so he hadn’t been discovered.

If he came home this late, he’d definitely get interrogated.

So he snuck into his room on tiptoes and finally let out a breath of relief.

“Ugh… I’m so sleepy.”

By the time he lay down on the bed, it was almost one in the morning.

The next day, his phone alarm went off right on time.

Gu Chen was sleeping soundly and was forcibly awakened.

“Huh?”

He struggled to open his eyes, saw the alarm reminder, and was extremely annoyed.

He tapped the snooze button for five more minutes.

A quick doze shouldn’t hurt.

He also noticed an unread message on his phone.

Half-closing his eyes, he opened it and found it was from Long Fei.

[Thanks for last night. Consider this a token of gratitude.]

Below the message was a video.

“A gratitude video?”

Gu Chen was still groggy, but seeing that, he instantly became much more alert.

A bunch of images flashed through his mind.

He sat straight up in bed, feeling his heart rate pick up considerably.