Huo Wen’an looked up at her when he heard footsteps, and smiled, asking her, "Why didn’t you invite me, the supervisor, to lunch?"

When he smiled, his once cold and stern face suddenly became animated, and Xu Xingguang noticed the plum blossoms swaying in the sunlight—cold yet intoxicating.

As Xu Xingguang stared at Huo Wen’an’s smiling face, a thought suddenly crossed her mind: people who have a beautiful smile must hold a lot of bitterness inside.

"I heard from my classmates that there’s an Aunt Su’s casserole restaurant in Cangshan Town, and it’s pretty good. Boss Huo, how about treating me to some casserole?" They had known each other for some time now, and although Huo Wen’an had been to her house for dinner twice, he had yet to treat her to a meal.

Huo Wen’an was taken aback for a moment before he replied, "Sure."

They walked side by side toward Aunt Su’s casserole shop, under the setting sun.

Cangshan Town was close to University City, and the small town brimming with historical vibes had become a popular photo spot for many college students. This made the restaurants here quite bustling during lunch and dinner times.

Aunt Su’s casserole shop had a great reputation, so much so that both the small tables inside and outside the shop were occupied, and there was even a long queue.

When Aunt Su saw Huo Wen’an walking toward her with a beautiful stranger, she was quite surprised and called out to Huo Wen’an, "A Zui, is this your girlfriend?"

She winked and smiled at Huo Wen’an, clearly complimenting how well Xu Xingguang and Huo Wen’an matched each other.

Huo Wen’an glanced sideways at Xu Xingguang before saying, "Just a friend."

Aunt Su, seasoned with handling such situations, realized she was mistaken about their relationship but wasn’t embarrassed. She warmly greeted Huo Wen’an, "Would you like some casserole? The usual, tomato beef casserole, and shall I fry two eggs for you? Since you haven’t been back for so many years, Auntie won’t charge you."

Upon hearing the dish name, Huo Wen’an paused for a while before turning to ask Xu Xingguang, "Tomato beef casserole, would you like it?"

Xu Xingguang had no objections.

"Alright, two portions of tomato beef casserole." Huo Wen’an insisted on paying, but Auntie wouldn’t allow it, so Xu Xingguang said, "Auntie, please take it. He’s treating me to dinner tonight."

Aunt Su took it as the playful interaction between young people and didn’t insist. "Alright then, A Zui, just scan the QR code."

After paying the bill, Huo Wen’an took Xu Xingguang to the supermarket across from the casserole shop. "Let me buy you a drink, what would you like?"

Xu Xingguang picked a bottle of jasmine tea.

While she waited for Huo Wen’an at the supermarket entrance, she noticed an old repair shop just diagonally across and walked straight over.

As expected, the owner was a middle-aged man, wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt stained with oil, lying beneath a car doing repairs.

He slid out from under the vehicle on a board when he heard someone approaching. When he saw Xu Xingguang, his eyes lit up, and he quickly rubbed his hands and walked toward her.

"Miss, do you need a car repair?"

Xu Xingguang said, "Boss Huo said you have second-hand electric bikes for sale and that you’re an honest person who won’t overcharge, so he told me to buy from you."

"Boss Huo?" The owner looked confused for a moment before it dawned on him, and he said, "Oh, you mean the Huo Family kid from the end of the town, A Zui, right?"

Xu Xingguang nodded. "That’s right."

"That kid, it’s been many years since he left. I heard recently that he’s back, and he didn’t even come to visit us old neighbors. When I see that kid, I really need to have a good talk with him. By the way, you are his...?"

The owner inquisitively and gossipily stared at Xu Xingguang.

"A friend."

The owner didn’t seem convinced by Xu Xingguang’s words. "Heh heh, must be a good friend then." He smiled, his face filled with wrinkles like that of an honest and kind father finally seeing his longtime bachelor son bring home a wife.

Xu Xingguang noticed the owner’s reaction and thought to herself: Boss Huo is quite well-liked by the town’s old neighbors; he doesn’t seem like someone who could be a murderer.

"The electric bikes are over here." The owner led Xu Xingguang to select a bike, "The bikes here may look old, but the internal parts are definitely fine, and the batteries are all up to standard. Since you’re A Zui’s girlfriend, I’ll give you a fair price. In short, you’ll get what you pay for."

The owner automatically assumed Xu Xingguang was Huo Wen’an’s girlfriend.

Xu Xingguang didn’t bother to correct him.

As a mecha designer, Xu Xingguang could tell at a glance whether these electric bikes were problematic or not.

She took a liking to a black and grey electric bike, and just as she was about to inquire about its price, she heard the owner ask, "By the way, did A Zui find his sister?"

Does Boss Huo have a sister?

Xu Xingguang shook her head, calmly saying, "I don’t think so." Having known Boss Huo for some time, she hadn’t seen any women around him, so it seemed he hadn’t found his sister.

"Ah, that girl Huo Xin has always had intellectual issues, it’s been over ten years since she disappeared, and who knows if she’s still alive now."

Boss Xie subconsciously assumed Xu Xingguang was Huo Wen’an’s girlfriend and thought she would know about Huo Wen’an’s family matters, so he brought up these topics.

Boss Xie couldn’t help but lament, "Just as his mother passed away, his sister had that incident, poor A Zui."

From the vague remarks made by the owner, Xu Xingguang extracted a few key pieces of information.

Boss Huo’s sister Huo Xin was probably mentally impaired; his mother recently passed away, and his sister had something bad happen to her. That incident had greatly affected Huo Xin, causing her to disappear, and she remains missing to this day.

Now, in what timeframe did Boss Huo’s crime occur?

"Uncle Xie." Huo Wen’an came into Boss Xie’s repair shop with the drinks.

His appearance interrupted Xu Xingguang’s contemplation.

Upon hearing "Uncle Xie," Boss Xie immediately turned around and saw a tall, slender young man standing behind him.

The young man wore a black knitted cardigan, bearing a figure long and graceful, with exquisite and delicate features, his skin pale and cold, save for his lips, which were red as vermillion.

Boss Xie scrutinized Huo Wen’an with multiple glances before matching him with the silent, reticent boy from his memories.

"You’re A Zui!" Boss Xie, wiping his hands excitedly, instinctively reached out to grab Huo Wen’an’s arm.

Realizing his hands were covered in oil, Boss Xie quickly retracted his hand. He moved closer to Huo Wen’an, speaking excitedly, "You finally decided to come back, you’ve really changed a lot in appearance."

Huo Wen’an smiled faintly and said, "I’ll be thirty in a couple of years, wouldn’t I change?"

"Almost thirty, huh." Boss Xie commented, "I remember you were just fifteen or sixteen when you left Cangshan Town; in the blink of an eye, you’re almost thirty."

Noticing that Huo Wen’an looked a bit too thin, with an appearance suggesting ill health, Boss Xie couldn’t help but feel concerned. He asked Huo Wen’an, "How have you been these years?"

Huo Wen’an chose to share only the good news, "Pretty well."

Boss Xie, however, didn’t believe it.

If A Zui had really been doing well, he would have come back to visit long ago. Almost thirty and still not married, it seemed he hadn’t been thriving all these years.

Yet this was the dignity of an adult; Boss Xie saw through it but didn’t call it out.

Boss Xie was quite the chatterbox, murmuring, "Our town was also supposed to be demolished to build the University City together with that paddy field area in front, but for some unknown reason, while the government had requisitioned our land, the town wasn’t demolished."

"In the past few years, the neighbors have moved out one after another. Before moving, they were all inquiring about you."

"Even if they’ve moved away, every Dragon Boat Festival they return for a visit. On that day, everyone gathers for a meal at the town’s restaurant. Now that you’re back this year, they’ll be relieved to see you."

"The Dragon Boat Festival, huh?" At the moment, it was only the end of February, a few months away from the Dragon Boat Festival. He was uncertain whether he’d live to see that day.

Huo Wen’an said, "I haven’t seen them for a long time, I’m looking forward to it too."