Chapter 45

Page Forty-Four The Time Has Come

I had already called Uncle Léi Là, and during the wait, Lǚ Yuè ordered some fried snacks. Because they tend to make one thirsty, I specially ordered two cups of cola.

Fried chicken with cola, the perfect combination for a happy recluse, is indeed the best match!

After about ten minutes, Uncle Léi Là, dressed like the Punisher, appeared breathlessly at the entrance of the bar’s hall.

To my surprise, he was accompanied by a beautiful woman wearing a lady’s beret. Her fiery red hair cascaded in big waves, and she wore a deep-V black dress, showing great confidence in her figure.

The bar was nearly full, but fortunately, there were still two empty seats in our four-person booth—I had refused several guests who wanted to share a table to keep these seats.

“Uncle! Over here!” Seeing me wave at him, he nodded and walked over with his elegant companion.

“There’s a strong tension between them… Their relationship isn’t good,” Tián Qiàn, sensitive to the atmosphere, noticed something off as they walked over.

This red-haired beauty hadn’t looked at Uncle Léi Là once, instead keeping her head arrogantly tilted, seemingly full of complaints towards him; while Uncle Léi Là seemed to be harboring resentment as well, roughly dragging her arm forward, far from being gentlemanly.

Originally sitting in the middle of the sofa, I and Tián Qiàn shifted to make room, each giving up half their seat. Uncle Léi Là glanced at me and sat beside me, while the red-haired beauty naturally sat next to Tián Qiàn.

“This is Tián Qiàn. Tonight’s performer is her big… friend. This uncle is Léi Là, whose occupation is… policeman.”

In fact, when Uncle Léi Là sat down, Tián Qiàn’s expression wasn’t very good.

After all, Uncle Léi Là had been investigating them for a week. Gangsters might be thugs, but they’re not stupid; Uncle Léi Là’s appearance was probably already known to them. Earlier, she didn’t recognize him from afar, but upon closer inspection, she realized who he was.

Knowing that they had been cautious lately to avoid the police, and now discovering that this policeman was actually the father of her brother, it made sense that the gangsters, generally not having much family harmony, wouldn’t have much respect for each other’s parents. After all, if family members were reliable, no one would want to be looked down upon as a lowlife.

Noticing Tián Qiàn’s resentful gaze, Uncle Léi Là was puzzled. He looked at me and then at the two cocktails on the table. He smacked his forehead and said, “Ah, did I interrupt your date?”

“No, don’t think too much. I and Sister Qiàn aren’t like that… Rather, who is this lady?”

“Oh, let me introduce her. She’s my ex-wife, Xiè Yuǎnyuè. I was quite surprised when we met on the way, as she actually had time to come here.”

“Hello, I’m Chang… Língmèng.”

I couldn’t help feeling surprised at Uncle Léi Là’s introduction. I had considered this possibility before.

But Aunt Léi looked only in her early twenties, which didn’t seem like someone with a son nearing twenty… Calling her Aunt felt strange, as if she were a blue-haired maid wielding a morning star hammer. For now, I’ll call her Sister Yuǎnyuè.

Even if Sister Yuǎnyuè was thirty now, she must have been pregnant with Thunder Tiger when she was… Suddenly, my look at Uncle Léi Là became disdainful, thinking how beastly he must be.

As for Tián Qiàn, seeing both her brother’s parents together made her already unpleasant expression even worse.

“Shut up, Léi. I don’t need you to speak. I’ll handle this myself,” Sister Yuǎnyuè impatiently shut Uncle Léi Là up. She took out a delicate metal box from her handbag and handed us two business cards. “I’m the chairman of the Yuǎnyuè Group. Our subsidiary, Yuǎnyuè Entertainment, is currently developing. Today, I have the honor of being invited by Mr. Yǔwén to try and secure the new talent he favors.”

She confidently introduced herself, as companies called “groups” usually imply significant scale.

Setting up Yuǎnyuè Entertainment as a subsidiary means Sister Yuǎnyuè intends to enter the entertainment industry.

“Then did you get lost in the underground shopping street?” Uncle Léi Là asked, folding his arms.

“There was no help for it! The electronic map doesn’t show underground areas, and the mall map is disjointed. The planning of this area is completely flawed!” Indeed, it was problematic. I nodded in agreement.

“You rely too much on plans and rules. When unexpected situations arise, you can’t cope.”

“That means my plan wasn’t thorough enough!”

“Then don’t cry to me when your son runs away!”

Completely ignoring me and Tián Qiàn, these two adults suddenly got engrossed in their bickering…

“Do you think you’re children?” Tián Qiàn, with a sour face, coldly spoke, leaving them speechless.

“Sister Yuǎnyuè isn’t worried about Lǎo Léi… Léi Kèliè’s situation? According to Uncle’s words, he was granted to you after the divorce, right?” I wasn’t as resentful as Tián Qiàn, so I spoke more politely.

Clearly not expecting such a direct question, Sister Yuǎnyuè was surprised but quickly regained her confident and arrogant demeanor.

“I came here today to bring her back, didn’t I?”

She propped her chin up with one hand, looking as if she knew everything.

Tián Qiàn and I exchanged glances. I saw her shock in her eyes, and my own shock reflected back.

“At least for now, the situation is still under my control.” Then she raised her right hand to cover her mouth and whispered something to Tián Qiàn, making her face turn as red as a ripe peach.

“So, you already know everything?”

Perhaps due to shock, Tián Qiàn, who had been scowling, now used polite language.

“Hold on, what else did you say? Do you already know where that kid is?”

Only Uncle Léi Là, standing there with a puzzled look, hadn’t figured out what was going on, and no one was going to explain to him.

Is it because Xiaohaitang and Sister Yuǎnyuè have more reliable ways than the police to get things done?

“I’m very sorry for what that punk did to you and your friends. I promise she will personally apologize to you later.”

It seems fitting for former spouses, Uncle Léi Là also made similar promises, “By the way, do you have any plans to debut as an idol? With your looks, I guarantee you could be popular even if you’re tone-deaf.”

Before I could refuse, Uncle Léi Là smiled and said, “Oh, don’t be fooled by his pretty face. He’s actually a grown man.”

I was taken aback. Didn’t I tell Uncle Léi Là I was a man? But if Tián Qiàn found out I was a man, their perfect theory about fate’s curse wouldn’t hold.

I pulled out the fake ID Xiaohaitang gave me and slapped it on the table, “Sorry, Uncle, I lied then. I’m actually a girl~”

He picked up the fake ID and examined it for a moment, “So you are a girl? I found it hard to believe… How can there be such a handsome boy?”

Now I have to pretend to be a girl again? Tonight’s events will definitely be filed in my brain’s black history section, to be forgotten forcibly.

“When did Sister Yuǎnyuè gain knowledge of… their situation?”

When Thunder Tiger first went missing, she specifically called Uncle Léi Là, meaning she obtained the information afterward?

Tián Qiàn seemed to have an idea, “Could it be that the shopkeeper told you?”

“For now, it’s confidential. You’ll know eventually. Of course, if you two ‘sisters’ have aspirations to become idols, you can consider joining our Yuǎnyuè Entertainment. Although it’s a newly established subsidiary, I am quite confident.”

The word “sisters” was emphasized heavily, though it felt uncomfortable even to me.

“Hold on, I found it strange earlier. Why am I called ‘uncle,’ and she is ‘Sister Yuǎnyuè’? She’s already forty-two! It wouldn’t be inappropriate to call her aunt or madam, would it?”

Forty-two? If she said twenty-four, I’d believe her!

… However, revealing a woman’s age is a serious offense. Given that you don’t even know such basic details, no wonder you got divorced, Uncle.

Sister Yuǎnyuè, with a dark expression, was about to explode, but fortunately, the bar lights dimmed suddenly, with only the spotlight illuminating the stage. This sudden change saved Uncle Léi Là’s life.

I checked my phone; it was already 16:55. It seemed Thunder Tiger’s solo concert was about to start.

“Do you need to go to your brother’s side?” I looked at Tián Qiàn and asked.

“They’re in the temporary seating area in the dance floor zone. It’s too crowded there, so I’m staying here to watch over you.”

Regardless of gender, I understood the desire to avoid being squeezed with an annoying man.

The elderly store manager, using a cane, walked onto the stage and delivered an energetic opening speech.

“He really doesn’t look old at all. He doesn’t look like he’s seventy-eight.”

Sister Yuǎnyuè, who didn’t look like she was forty-two, commented modestly, “You’re being humble.”

“To all present, you might be here because of my invitation, or perhaps because of interest sparked by the event poster, or simply because you happened to be drinking in the bar. Regardless of your identity, I’m glad you are here at this moment, witnessing the rise of a new star, taking her first step as a new idol.

Someone might ask why I, who have been retired for so long, am helping a little-known young girl. Let me put it this way: I see a rare talent in her, one that is essential for an idol! What is this talent? Let me keep it as a mystery for now. I hope someone understands what I mean after tonight.”

Realizing that few people enjoy long speeches, the elderly man kept his remarks brief.

The spotlight shifted to the female host, who had long straight hair dyed dark red, and was the server responsible for welcoming guests at the door.

“Thank you, Boss Yǔwén, for your speech! Now, let’s get to the main event! Please welcome the star of tonight, Meow-Meow Léi, to sing the opening song ‘Magic Language’!”

“Pfft!!”

I sprayed cola foam all over Tián Qiàn.