Police station.
Gu Yang and Su Yan sat in the lounge waiting.
After leaving the hospital, Gu Yang had suggested they come over to grab lunch with Su Yao.
He said that Su Yao had been worked to the bone over the last two days, and if they didn't go, he would surely just settle for gnawing on a steamed bun with some pickled vegetables.
Su Yan knew better than anyone how busy Su Yao must be, and since she had nothing else to do, she simply agreed.
"Yan-yan, there’s something I want to ask you."
Now that they were finally alone in the rare quiet, Gu Yang took out the sachet containing the protective amulet.
Su Yan immediately understood what he wanted to ask, but she feigned ignorance and waited for him to continue.
"Yan-yan, where did you get this protective amulet?"
"You mean the one I gave you? There’s a Taoist priest who always hangs around the south side of the city. I asked him for it; I heard it’s incredibly effective." Su Yan spouted nonsense without a blush or a change in her breathing.
"A Taoist priest?" Gu Yang trusted her unconditionally, but he still found it hard to believe.
"Yeah, he doesn't appear often. Honestly, whether you can meet him or not is all down to fate." Su Yan added, sounding certain.
There had been enough strange occurrences in the county over the past two days that the appearance of a Taoist priest seemed perfectly reasonable.
Gu Yang’s brows furrowed. So, even if one went out of their way to look for him, they might not find him?
"Is there something wrong with the amulet?" Su Yan asked with a look of confusion.
"No, I just think it’s quite good."
At that moment, the lounge door opened, and Su Yao walked in.
Before Su Yao could see it, Gu Yang immediately tucked the sachet back into his pocket.
"Gu Yang, Yan-yan, you’ve been waiting a long time, haven't you? I heard Su Mo was hospitalized?"
Su Yao’s sunken eyes made it clear he had pulled several all-nighters, yet his spirit seemed remarkably high.
"Yeah, Yan-yan and I just came from the hospital," Gu Yang replied briefly.
If Su Mo weren't a member of the Su family, he wouldn't even be willing to mention her name.
"What happened? Is it serious?" Although Su Yao asked out of concern, it was clear he didn't truly care about Su Mo.
"Burns. She’s still undergoing treatment. Are you done with your work? If so, shall we eat and talk?" Gu Yang took the initiative to end the topic.
Su Yao glanced at the time. "I only have half an hour."
"Fine, let’s find a restaurant nearby."
A few minutes later, the three of them were sitting in a small eatery not far from the police station.
They ordered four dishes and a soup, along with ten steaming hot white flour buns.
Su Yao was truly hungry; he grabbed a bun and began chewing it voraciously.
Only after finishing one bun did he have the mood to chat with them.
"The city has been in total chaos these past two days. A lot of leaders from above have come down to inspect, so those of us on the force have basically been eating and sleeping at the station. It’s exhausting."
"What, regretting it now? If you had listened to your uncle back then and become a teacher, you’d be living so comfortably," Gu Yang couldn't help but tease him.
"Spare me. I’d rather be worked to death in my current job than be a teacher. Don't you know my temper by now? I’m not cut out for educating people," Su Yao said righteously.
Su Yan listened quietly, finding it hard to associate the current image of Su Yao with that of a teacher.
She couldn't help but think of her own teacher. In the blink of an eye, it had been over half a month since she left Big Willow Tree Village. She wondered if Granny Li and the teacher were doing well.
"Yan-yan, what were you doing the night before last? Gu Yang and I spent the whole night looking for you."
Su Yao fixed his gaze on Su Yan. Although they weren't close, he cared for his cousin from the bottom of his heart.
Su Yan replied, "I went home quite early."
"You didn't see Gu Yang at the time. He insisted you were out there somewhere, and he was so anxious he nearly drove the tires off his car. I was even moved by his devotion to you," Su Yao said with dramatic flair.
Gu Yang had such a reserved personality; even if he had feelings, he always kept them bottled up. If he didn't say anything, how was anyone supposed to know?
Gu Yang’s face darkened, and he kicked Su Yao hard under the table.
Su Yao winced in pain and glared at him.
No good deed goes unpunished!
"Thank you for your concern, Brother Gu." There wasn't a hint of joy or shyness on Su Yan’s face.
Seeing her calm reaction, Su Yao shed a tear of sympathy for his friend.
"Gu Yang is your fiancé; sooner or later he’ll be a son-in-law of the Su family. It’s only right that he worries about you. As for you, you should look at Brother Gu’s handsome face more often; otherwise, you’d definitely fall in love with him immediately."
Su Yan:...
She saw Gu Yang clearly enough, but she certainly wasn't head-over-heels in love with him.
"Su Yao, I think you’ve had enough to eat, so you should head back," Gu Yang said, unable to listen to his nonsense any longer.
Su Yao chuckled. "I’m not full yet. By the way, are you heading back to the capital soon?"
Counting the days, his stay this time had been quite long, presumably because of Su Yan.
"Yeah, my ticket is for next week," Gu Yang said, keeping an eye on Su Yan’s reaction.
He felt that the time they spent together was too short, and perhaps the next time they met would be months away.
Not only him, but even Su Yao was staring at Su Yan.
Su Yan suddenly felt that not giving some kind of reaction would be inappropriate.
"Which day next week are you leaving?"
"Thursday." Gu Yang felt a faint sense of anticipation.
Su Yan thought for a moment. "I’ll come to see you off."
That simple sentence was enough to satisfy Gu Yang, and a smile bloomed on his face.
"Okay."
Su Yao looked at his "cheap" expression with disdain.
This guy was done for; he had fallen completely.
Thinking that he and Gu Yang were the same age, and that they used to mock each other for not having women in their lives, he hadn't expected that he would suddenly be the only one left alone.
Suddenly, he really wanted to fall in love too!
"Let’s talk about something serious. When you were transporting those unconscious people from the city yesterday, guess who I ran into?"
Gu Yang: "Tell me."
"The Song family," Su Yao said, not intending to keep them in suspense. "Song Yong’s parents and Song Xue were all found unconscious in an abandoned house outside the city, and their condition was quite serious."
Su Yan paused with her chopsticks; this was something she hadn't expected at all.
"I heard that before Song Yong was arrested, he gambled frequently. He lost a large sum of money over half a month ago and mortgaged the family property. It’s the Song family’s bad luck, really—the creditor happened to go to collect the debt on the day the incident occurred in the city and kicked them out. They must have had nowhere else to go and hid there, and then they got hit by the curse." Su Yao sighed at the end.
Basically, everyone who had been out that night was affected, while the people who stayed at home were mostly fine. The Song family had just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Would you say that’s karma?"
Gu Yang’s eyes were deep, and he remained silent.
Su Yan, however, curled the corners of her lips upward. "Of course it is."
That creditor had done a good job; it had saved her the trouble.