Yaozhou City.
Hua Gate snack street, where almost one-third of the stalls are selling Yaozhou's special snack, Beef Ball Noodles.
Similar to countless other snack streets in Huaxia, as soon as midnight passes, the lively scene gradually quiets down, with most stalls preparing to close for the night.
At one insignificant noodle stand, a woman was still busily working behind the stove, her apron strapped on tightly.
She seemed to be in her mid to late twenties, with brows like spring mountains, and eyes as serene as autumn waters. She had a classic beauty associated with the slightest upwards twirl of her lips.
Even though she was dressed simply, she still gave off a stunning vibe, capable of captivating hearts and charming souls, even the way she stirred the pot was intriguing.
Her name was Lin Yueyao, the owner and server of this noodle stand.
Lin Yueyao swiftly prepared two bowls of noodles, sprinkled cilantro on the seemingly spicy red chili oil, and presented one bowl to the last customer of the day.
Before her was a beautiful woman, clad in a black OL
Office Lady
dress. She was curvaceous, gracefully attractive, and her mature charm seemed as if it would burst out of her dress at any moment.
The portion of her slender legs encased in black stockings shown beneath her dress was stunning. Defined by her lush and full red lips, she painted an alluring picture that could make anyone salivate.
Lin Yueyao couldn't help but take another look — it wasn't just men who appreciated beautiful women, women did too.
The professionally-dressed beauty at the table furrowed her pretty brows, sipping on her own high-end beer.
She accepted the chopsticks Lin Yueyao handed over with a nod of thanks.
"You're welcome!"
Lin Yueyao returned to the stove, picked up the other bowl of Beef Ball Noodles, grabbed another pair of disposable chopsticks, and hurried out of the stall, her eyes fell on a shadow in the corner of the wall.
A man sat leaning against a wall.
With one leg stretched straight out, the other bent, he stared blankly at the concrete beneath him, seemingly lost in thought.
His camouflage t-shirt and pants were full of dust and turned grey, black boots covered in grime, his shoulder-length hair looking as if it hadn't been washed for a long time, and his face hidden behind a scruffy beard, his features were hard to discern.
Defined as if carved by a knife and chisel, his face was accentuated under the dim street light.
The cigarette hanging from his mouth was burning down to the stub, ash still clinging onto the end. Evidently, it had been left untouched for a while, allowing the smoke to twist and turn around him, adding a layer of loneliness to his demeanor.
The man had been showing up in the snack street for almost a week. He sat in the same spot every day, smoking without an inch of movement, his eyes full of old and sorrow.
Even though Lin Yueyao was not expert on cigarettes, she recognized that the man's cigarette was a high-end foreign brand.
She knew the man must not be a homeless person. Although unclear of what had happened to him, it seemed that he must have suffered some significant setback to end up this way.
Filled with compassion, she cooked a bowl of noodles for him every day, which he never refused.
Lin Yueyao moved closer, and handed the bowl and chopsticks to him.
The man mechanically accepted them, spat out the cigarette butt from his mouth, and croaked "Thank you”.
For some reason, his solemn, distant gaze would always stir up the wounds hidden deep in her heart.
“What is your name?”
Her cherry lips slightly trembled.
Perhaps it was her first time initiating conversation with the man, she was a bit shy.
"Chuo Bufan!" The man still didn't raise his head.
"Take your time eating. If it's not enough, I have more."
Lin Yueyao sighed to herself quietly, turned around, and went back to her stall to continue her work.
Against the wall, the man held out his bowl. He was not afraid of the scalding hot, red chili oil and dug into his noodles with big bites.
Images flashed in his mind.
In the midst of bullets flying everywhere, people next to him fell one by one. They were Chinese, but also Westerners.
"Brother Fan, you go ahead. We will cover for you..."
"Ares, don't worry about us..."
A woman with exquisite beauty, dressed in a camouflage training suit, fell into his arms. She was covered in blood, weakly raising her hand, stroking his face, "Chuo Bufan, you are the man of my dreams... In this life and the next... and for every life after... you always will be."
Chuo Bufan held his bowl, shaking his head with a wry smile, "Thinking about these things again? Didn't you promise yourself to let it go as quickly as possible? How can you recover your state and skills if you keep letting regret fill your heart? How are you going to avenge those who have died if you can't recover your state and skills?"
Slugishly murmuring to remind himself, Chuo Bufan buried his head and continued to eat his noodles.
At this time, two vans parked outside Lin Yueyao's stall.
The van doors opened, and several young men with brightly dyed hair and flashy clothes jumped out, swaggering towards Lin Yueyao's noodle stall.
A blond-haired man leading the group shouted, "Yueyao, missed me?"
A man with a thin face and monkey-like cheeks grinned and said, "If you follow my big brother, you can eat and drink well every day without working so hard at a stall. Why can't you see that?"
Lin Yueyao kept her head down without uttering a word. Despite her inner disgust, how dare she provoke these hoodlums?
The blondie stepped forward, grabbing Lin Yueyao's hand, "Bro's taking you to sing and drink, let my buddies clean up this stall."
Lin Yueyao, her lovely face white with fear, cried out loudly, "Let me go... You have to let me go..."
The OL
office lady
beauty, her brows furrowed in anger, stood up and said, "What are you doing? Let her go!"
"If you weren't a woman, believe it or not, I'd have already beaten you till you're searching for teeth all over the ground?" The blondie roamed his disrespectful gaze over the OL beauty, "Or do you fancy this bro 'cause I'm handsome and want to leave with me?"
Those hoodlums all burst out laughing, and for a moment, vulgarities filled the air.
The OL beauty gritted her silver teeth in secret, and said, "If you guys continue making a fuss, I'm calling the police."
"So what if you call the police? Do they also manage people's love affairs?" The blondie pulled Lin Yueyao towards the minivan.
Although he was making a lot of noise, the blondie didn't dare to do anything to the OL beauty.
The woman's style and demeanor indicated that she was no ordinary person.
He was not foolish enough to bring unnecessary trouble upon himself. He only dared to bully someone like Lin Yueyao, who had no one to rely on.
Just as Lin Yueyao was about to be pulled into the van by the blondie, a shadow blocked their path, demanding word by word, "Let her go!"
The man had a face full of stubble, unkempt long hair fluttering in the wind. If it weren't for Zhuo Bufan, who else could it be?
Even though he was too lazy to deal with anything at the moment, he couldn't just stand by while these small-time hoodlums bullied the kind Lin Yueyao.
The blondie pulled out a switchblade from his pocket. With a press of his thumb, a shiny blade sprung out. "You, a beggar, want to play the hero saving the beauty? Do you believe that I can stab you with a single stroke?"
"A toad lusting after swan meat... A beggar also wants to be a hero saving beauty... This is really making me laugh..."
The gang of hoodlums burst out laughing.
Zhuo Bufan's eyes flashed with an icy murderous intent, "Beat it!"
