Removing tattoos?
Li Xiangfu struggled to maintain his usual smile, but after giving Li Anqing a couple of glances, it was evident that the latter remained stoic, showing no sign of joking.
After a brief pause, Li Xiangfu managed to respond, “You’re quite amusing.”
Li Anqing returned the cell phone, asking, “What else do you have?”
Li Xiangfu pondered for a moment and retrieved various photos he had received earlier from a drawer.
After a quick perusal, Li Anqing retained only a photo of Li Xiangfu picking up Li Shasha from school and heading towards the door.
Li Xiangfu followed suit.
Back in his room, Li Anqing examined the uploaded photos, waiting for the machine to initiate the process. Suddenly, Li Xiangfu mentioned the name ‘Qin Jiayu.’
“Could someone be playing with his name?”
Despite analyzing various possibilities, Li Xiangfu couldn’t find a reason that would explain someone hiding their identity.
“Instead of delving into this, why not consider why Qin Jin treats you differently.”
“Huh?”
Li Anqing leaned back, closing the distance between them. “Read more idiom dictionaries. Killing innocents and killing people for no reason… has been practiced for thousands of years.”
The lower right corner of the screen signaled the completion of the upload. Li Anqing began to enhance and enlarge the photo.
Li Xiangfu vaguely grasped the message he wanted to convey.
Li Anqing reminded him, “It’s more worthwhile to pay attention to those who extend goodwill for no apparent reason. You and Qin Jin have become quite close lately.”
Instinctively, people draw closer to those conveying goodwill when faced with malice or harm.
Li Xiangfu couldn’t argue with this observation.
After returning from Tianxi Ancient Village, he indeed felt fewer worries when interacting with Qin Jin.
The retouched photo now appeared much clearer, with the previously blurred areas restored.
“Judging from the chat logs and the cactus flowers, this ‘new friend’ of yours is very self-absorbed, fond of metaphors. What’s obvious can be overlooked.”
In other words, Li Shasha wasn’t the intended focus of this photo.
Li Anqing allowed him to study the contents of the photo on his own, moved the swivel chair slightly to the side, and focused on the progress of Fang Yuanjian’s case.
After about ten minutes of examining the photo, Li Xiangfu fixed his gaze on a spot and uttered slowly, “I’ve found it.”
A man on a motorcycle was circled, but the emphasis wasn’t on the man himself. Instead, it focused on the rearview mirror of the motorcycle. The left side of the mirror reflected a woman standing under a nearby tree.
After zooming in to confirm, Li Xiangfu leaned back and let out a soft sigh. He dialed a number in violation of the law, and a pleasant female voice greeted him on the other end: “Hello.”
Li Xiangfu stayed silent for a moment, then called ‘mom.’
Li Anqing lifted his eyelids and glanced over.
Skipping the basic greetings, Li Xiangfu broached the main topic, “Have you been to Shasha’s school recently?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“P rabqqfv ys j ofk vjsr jub,” atf abcf bc atf batfg rlvf aegcfv rafgc. “Kjxlcu j mtliv ab wffa atf fivfgr lr rbwfatlcu sbe rtbeiv tjnf lclaljafv.”
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“Yc Vjaegvjs, ktfc Vtjrtj lrc’a lc mijrr, P’ii yglcu tlw ab nlrla sbe.”
“No need. If you come, I still have to tidy up. Just wait outside the restaurant, and I’ll send you the address.”
The woman’s voice retained its authoritative tone, but the line went busy.
Li Xiangfu lowered his head, staring at the screen, and after a prolonged silence, he said, “The person behind all this isn’t using Li Shasha to threaten me; it’s about my mom’s safety.”
Li Anqing commented, “Then he probably chose the wrong person.”
—
The last time the mother and son had seen each other was before their departure from the country.
Their last meeting occurred before they left the country. On Thursday, Li Shasha mentioned that he could take a day off from school for the meeting, but Li Xiangfu mercilessly refused.
The meeting took place at a recently opened restaurant.
On Saturday, Li Xiangfu arrived on time with Li Shasha.
The private room’s sliding door had an unusual pattern with goldfish swimming all around, and the light blue walls created the illusion of being inside an aquarium.
Li Shasha was about to comment on the peculiar decoration when Li Xiangfu pushed the door open. Upon seeing the woman seated inside, Li Shasha softly exclaimed, appearing somewhat surprised.
Throughout their years as partners, Li Xiangfu rarely spoke about his birth mother, painting an image of a mean and shrewd woman with just a few words.
Reality defied imagination.
The woman wore a black dress, her loosely pulled-back hair, and smiling almond eyes exuded a cultivated temperament from a society that revered women. Her natural beauty mirrored Li Xiangfu’s features.
“I’m not sure what you like to eat now, so I ordered all the signature dishes.” Her voice sounded too youthful.
The pre-ordered dishes arrived promptly.
After the waitress left, the woman produced a small box and slid it over.
When Li Shasha attempted to bring the box in front of her, the woman shook her head, saying, “It’s a bit heavy, so I’ll open it on the table.”
Upon opening the box, it revealed a collection of small gold bars.
Li Shasha silently closed the lid, mentally converting the value to at least two robots. The woman rested her cheek on her hand, smiling. “My name is Tao Huaixiu. In terms of blood relationship, I am your grandmother.”
Tao Huaixiu’s reverse aging made her appear only around thirty years old, making it challenging for Li Shasha to address her as a grandmother. However, Tao Huaixiu seemed indifferent to the title, turning to Li Xiangfu. “Tell me, what did you come to see me about today.”
After a prolonged silence, Li Xiangfu started directly with a question, “Have you encountered any strange things recently?”
“I added a friend,” Tao Huaixiu replied promptly, her words delivered calmly. “The other party left a message mentioning your name, and I thought you had changed your number.”
Li Xiangfu frowned, awaiting the continuation.
Tao Huaixiu added, “We exchanged a couple of sentences, but then there were no more messages.”
Li Xiangfu turned to her. “I want to see the chat log.”
Tao Huaixiu unlocked her phone and handed it over casually.
A familiar nickname caught Li Xiangfu’s eye – indeed, ‘-‘.
[-: “Misfortune is not as bad as one’s family. Do you agree with this saying?”]
Upon seeing this sentence, Li Xiangfu’s eyes turned slightly cold.
From the subsequent replies, it was evident that Tao Huaixiu had already reacted: [Do you have a conflict with my son?]
Receiving no response, Tao Huaixiu started answering the question: [No.]
[-:?]
Tao Huaixiu sent a short essay: [If you can catch me, Xiangfu will have to call you ‘father’, his son is going to be your grandson, kidnapping up also becomes easy, failure can also be to the family disputes on the set; if you can catch his sister, siblings love, more can reach the spiritual level of torture …… a big road through Rome, the young people walk the narrow road.]
[-:?]
Tao Huaixiu: [You’re not interested in pursuing women, and you are only capable of seeking pleasure through chatting software. Little trash, are you a mule?]
As Li Xiangfu read through the records, Li Shasha also followed along, commenting, “Mules are actually quite smart.”
Li Xiangfu replied casually, “Most mules are castrated.”
“……”
‘-‘ didn’t send another message, and instead, a question mark was unilaterally typed over by Tao Huaixiu.
A red exclamation point accompanied the question mark.
Tao Huaixiu reclaimed her phone, wiped the corner of her mouth, and said, “As you can see, he blocked me that day.”
Putting down the chopsticks with a solemn expression, she continued, “Originally, I was also prepared to talk to you soon. I’ll be going abroad for a while, staying at a friend’s house. You can come with me.”
Li Xiangfu declined, saying, “Going anywhere won’t stop the paranoia from following me to the door.”
“My foreign friend has just returned from military service,” Tao Huaixiu said in a gentle tone, “You know that in some countries, the homeowner has the right to shoot to kill in self-defense during a crime.”
“…”
Seeing Li Xiangfu’s silence, she added, “You can come to me whenever you’re ready to consider it.”
After that, there was no further communication between the two during the meal.
“I’ve already settled the bill,” Tao Huaixiu picked up her bag, touched Li Shasha’s head before leaving, and said, “With family, it’s alright to be a bit more condescending to your grandfather. To appreciate family wealth, you should at least make an effort.”
After they left, Li Shasha sat quietly for a while, then said, “I suddenly feel that playing with children isn’t bad.”
The initial impression of the exchange between Tao Huaixiu and ‘-‘ may seem amusing, but upon closer inspection, one can discern the woman’s shrewdness. She could instantly turn adversity into an advantage, and her nature appeared quite ruthless.
The remarks about self-defense and counterattack didn’t seem like a joke.
Taking a sip of tea with downcast eyes, Li Xiangfu remarked, “You often say that some childhoods take a lifetime to heal, right?”
Li Shasha looked at him.
Li Xiangfu continued, “This saying applies to quite a few people, and she is one of them.”
With plenty of time left, Li Shasha suggested going to the Science and Technology Museum.
Li Xiangfu glanced at her. “Carrying a box of gold?”
Li Shasha replied, “The more things are on the surface, the less likely they are to be noticed.”
Little did anyone suspect that the box carried by a passerby was filled with small gold bars.
Li Xiangfu never refused the reasonable request, so he called a taxi and changed the destination on a whim, directing the driver to an old industrial area.
As they stepped out of the car and faced rows of dilapidated residential buildings, Li Shasha voiced his curiosity, “What are we doing here?”
“This is Qin Jin’s old house,” Li Xiangfu explained, leading him around the corner and opening the door to a unit with deteriorating wood, “Qin Jin brought me here last time.”
Standing in front of apartment 401, Li Xiangfu hesitated to press the doorbell several times.
He had come here impulsively, driven by a sense of nostalgia. People often long for the past, and if Qin Jiayu were still alive, he might have returned to his old apartment.
Sensing his contemplation, Li Shasha suggested, “We can wait here to see if he comes and then ask Qin Jin to take a look.”
Li Xiangfu’s eyelids twitched, cautioning, “Don’t cause trouble.”
“He’ll agree,” Li Shasha asserted confidently, “Dad, you’re famous now, and he’ll feel a sense of competition.”
Li Xiangfu chuckled, “By fame, you mean spinning on the stage?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Li Shasha, uncharacteristically serious, defended, “Those participating in ‘Masters of the People’ are all talented individuals. Besides, Qin Jin is older than you, so if you don’t work hard now, you might end up in the ‘Love Protection War’ in the future.”
“…,” Li Xiangfu’s lips moved, but before he could respond, his eyes abruptly shifted.
A few moments later, he bent down and picked up Li Shasha.
Li Shasha made a puzzled sound, “Hmm?”
“Check your upper right side,” Li Xiangfu directed.
Li Shasha’s small hand touched a slightly raised area near the door frame, and after careful inspection, he turned her head, saying, “It’s a miniature camera.”
Li Xiangfu considered that the camera likely belonged to Qin Jin, a precaution for anyone lingering at the door for too long. Even if Qin Jin himself approached, he would receive an early warning.
Suddenly, Li Xiangfu’s pocketed phone buzzed and vibrated, displaying Qin Jin’s incoming call.
Li Xiangfu glanced at Li Shasha.
He bit his lip, “How much of what I just said do you think he heard?”
Li Xiangfu replied honestly, “All of it.”
Li Shasha uttered in a deep voice, “Dad, my social life is over.”
The author has something to say:
Li Xiangfu: Don’t look at me; I won’t sneak you out of the city overnight.
Li Shasha: Why don’t we go live abroad with Grandma for a while?
Li Xiangfu: …even less likely.
Thanks for the chapter! LOL There is a mountain of weird in our MC & his kid, but I’m sorry, that mother kind of wins the prize…
Who doesn’t want gold bars?? 🤣
His mother is kind of terrifying…
Social death… the poor young boy will be remembered….