Chapter Thirteen: Are You Satisfied?

Thank you, brothers, for your rewards, recommendations, and collections. The rankings surge has been quite successful, and your support is truly powerful!

"May I come in and sit for a while? I tried calling you, but your phone was off. I couldn't reach you all afternoon." Coffin gazed at Qiu Fengyu, her eyes fixed on him, then nodded toward a police car parked nearby.

Qiu Fengyu shrugged. "Of course, as long as you’re not here to arrest me."

He sat down and looked at her. "What do you want to say?"

"The Russian mob in Paso is finished. Their leaders were almost all killed in a single afternoon. The Paso police are calling it a gang vendetta. What’s your take?" Coffin’s gaze held his steadily.

"Great news." Qiu Fengyu nodded. "This means Silsa should be safe now."

"Silsa is missing—not just her, but David Burgin as well." Coffin sighed at him. "You did a clean job—the scene was well handled. The police can’t find any surveillance footage; all the hard drives are gone."

"Are you suggesting I did it?" Qiu Fengyu grinned. "Gang wars are perfectly normal. We Chinese have a saying: 'If you walk by the river often, you can’t help but get your shoes wet.' It means if you’re in the underworld, sooner or later you’ll get killed."

Coffin shook her head with a smile. "Even though there’s no evidence, I can guess it was you. I can’t arrest you, but I want to remind you: this world has its own order. If you do as you please, you’ll destroy yourself in the end. Do you understand?"

"Can I take that as friendly advice?" Qiu Fengyu smiled. "Actually, isn’t it you Americans who always glorify this kind of heroism? Do you know Denzel Washington? The famous actor? I’ve seen his movies. Don’t you think this story is similar? Perhaps it was done by one of your American heroes."

"In reality, there are no heroes in America," Coffin replied coldly. "Out. Now."

Qiu Fengyu laughed and hopped out of the car, but Coffin couldn’t help herself. "Qiu, one last thing… Well done!" With that, she started the engine.

Standing by the car door, Qiu Fengyu grinned at her. "Actually… you’re pretty sexy. I like it!" With a bang, he shut the door.

Coffin’s face flushed. She floored the accelerator, and the car sped off, as if fleeing some imminent danger. Qiu Fengyu watched her leave, a smile lingering on his lips.

After a few steps, he remembered he hadn’t turned his phone back on. When he did, his voicemail was instantly bombarded—messages from Britt.

"Qiu, the dinner’s starting. Please dress up a bit and shave. The beard ruins your image. Hurry up, we’re waiting for you!"

"Alright… I’d rather believe you’re shaving. Come on, we’re about to begin, just waiting for you... Your phone’s been unreachable..."

"Hurry up, please, man, you should be here by now. Don’t forget your pastries..."

"Fine… I suppose you really can’t make it. We’re starting dinner. You’ll regret missing tonight. My god, Alyssa looks stunning—I'd swear she dressed up just for you. You’re going to regret this..."

"Tonight’s dinner was a bit of a letdown. You didn’t come, and it broke my heart—and Alyssa’s. I told her you’d be there, so she made a real effort. Alright, man, I trust you must have had something important to do. Tomorrow, be ready with noodles. I’m coming over for lunch as compensation for your absence. Good luck!"

Qiu Fengyu listened to every message, not missing a single one. When he finished, he picked up the phone to call Britt, but after a moment’s thought, he put it down. He truly had forgotten. It had been a while since he’d acted like this—the restlessness still lingered.

Back at his shop, he climbed to the loft, grabbed a few beers, drank them, and gradually calmed down. Then he went to the kitchen, washed his hands, and finally returned to bed.

The next morning, a knock on the door jolted him awake. He went downstairs and opened it to find Britt waiting. The moment the door opened, Britt slipped inside and spread his hands at Qiu Fengyu.

"Man, what happened to you? You embarrassed me in front of everyone. You didn’t show, and it was awkward. I promised everyone you’d come, but in the end, we were all disappointed..." Britt began complaining the moment he entered, still mortified from last night.

"I’m truly sorry, Josh. I really had something important yesterday..." Qiu Fengyu spread his hands. "If you’ll let me, I’ll cook dinner for everyone at your place. Invite everyone from last night—let it be my apology. How’s that?"

"In that case… I suppose I can try. Tonight?"

"No, not tonight—any time you choose, just let me know in advance." Qiu Fengyu gestured for Britt to sit, then busied himself in the kitchen for a while before bringing out two bowls of noodles. The two of them slurped them up contentedly.

"I have to say, when you cook, your hands are the hands of God," Britt sighed, quickly finishing his bowl. "By the way… about last night—if you need any help, just say the word."

"Of course, I won’t be shy. In fact, I need your help right now—pass me the chili powder."

"Alright, you really do need my help—something you could reach for yourself." Britt chuckled, handing over a bottle of chili powder, watching Qiu Fengyu sprinkle it over his noodles.

Britt left after finishing. Qiu Fengyu then prepared the twenty bowls of noodles for the lunchtime rush. They sold out quickly, as usual. Though the shop had only been open a few days, it was already famous in the small town. In a place like this, fame comes easily. Coffin came by too—she ordered a bowl of noodles and ate it with great care, every bite serious.

"I’ll have a bowl of noodles," a girl said as she walked in, smiling at Qiu Fengyu before taking a seat at a booth, directly across from Officer Coffin.

Qiu Fengyu placed the noodles in front of her and sat down, next to Coffin. "Miss Knight? Oh, sorry, about last night..."

"I know, I’m not upset. I just thought… there must be a reason. Can you tell me?" The girl was Alyssa.

"He can’t tell you. And even if he did, it would only force him to lie." Officer Coffin suddenly interjected, before Qiu Fengyu could answer Alyssa.

"Oh? Sorry, Officer Coffin, you seem to know him well?" Alyssa looked at Coffin with interest, then at Qiu Fengyu, clearly intrigued.

"Don’t say anything," Qiu Fengyu abruptly stopped Coffin, then turned to Alyssa with a straight face. "Last night I did something big—I wiped out the Russian mob in Paso. Officer Coffin is about to award me the title of Honorary Citizen..."

"Haha… you’re really something," Alyssa burst out laughing. "Are you always this deadpan when you lie?"

"Only then will people listen. And sometimes, they might even believe it," Qiu Fengyu replied, utterly serious.

Alyssa laughed until she was out of breath, pointing at him but unable to speak. When she finally caught her breath, she said, "You really are an interesting person. With someone like you around, life could never be lonely." With that, she twirled her fork and started enjoying her noodles.

Qiu Fengyu glanced helplessly at Coffin, shrugged, and walked away.

Alyssa paid and left, delighted, while Officer Coffin watched Qiu Fengyu clear the bowls with a mocking smile. The noodles were sold out—Qiu Fengyu hung up the 'Sold Out' sign and went to tidy the kitchen.

"That girl was testing you," Coffin said as she leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching Qiu Fengyu wash dishes with a grin.

"She’s a sweet girl. Britt wants to set us up—hopes I’ll pursue her," Qiu Fengyu winked at Coffin. "Do you think someone like me would appeal to girls?"

"Maybe. Okay, can I believe you were telling her the truth just now?" Coffin’s interest was not in Alyssa, but in Qiu Fengyu’s seemingly outrageous claim.

"You mean the part about the Russian mob?" Qiu Fengyu looked at her seriously. "If admitting it would mean you’d leave me in peace, then yes, it was me. Satisfied?"