Chapter 17: A Thief in the Supermarket

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: A Thief in the Supermarket

After agreeing with the old lady on the time and place to meet in a few days, they had pretty much finished their meal. Hua Buwan quickly paid the bill, insisting she would let the older woman treat her next time, so this meal was on her. Hua Buwan figured that getting an opportunity to attend the auction meant paying for a meal was nothing; Wen Erya figured that she would be the host at the auction in a few days, so she didn’t fuss over it.

The three of them parted ways as soon as they left the restaurant, as they weren’t heading in the same direction anyway.

It was only then that Hua Buwan realized the old gentleman had actually driven a flashy convertible here. He pulled out the car keys, making a BEEP sound to unlock it, then went to the passenger side first to open the door, smiling as he watched the old lady get in. The old lady was dressed in an elegant qipao. The moment she stepped into the car, the gazes of everyone around fell upon her, making it impossible to look away. Then, the elderly couple waved goodbye to Hua Buwan. The old gentleman stepped on the gas, a VROOM roaring past her ears, and the car sped off into the distance.

Seeing how dashing the old gentleman looked driving, a surge of impulse rose in Hua Buwan’s heart. She wanted to buy a car too! She wanted to get her driver’s license! In the past, because she gave all her money to her family, her pockets were empty. Watching all her college roommates get their licenses, she could only envy them. Now, she could make her own choices!

Since she was free in the afternoon anyway, Hua Buwan simply went to a nearby driving school and did everything in one go—registering, paying the fees, and taking the physical exam. Then the instructor told her to download an app to practice test questions, and once she had practiced enough, she could sign up for the written exam.

Hua Buwan clicked into the app and took a look... over 1,800 questions! She wanted to cry. "How long is it going to take me to read through all of these?" she wondered.

Taking a taxi back to the supermarket, Hua Buwan felt depressed for a good while, practicing questions while keeping an eye on the store. Occasionally, two or three people walking by would come in to buy a drink, but other than that, there was barely anyone.

Later, she ordered some takeout, ate it, and then closed the supermarket’s front doors. Ling Qianjun had said he would come again today; he would probably take advantage of the night, right?

However, by the time it was past ten o’clock at night, Ling Qianjun still hadn’t shown up. Hua Buwan didn’t plan to continue sitting idly on the first floor. He could come in through the back door at any time anyway, so she would just leave the stairwell light on for him. Thus, she got up and went to the second floor to wash up.

After washing up and finishing her skincare routine, she lay in bed reading novels about exile and land reclamation. To her, these were educational texts filled with solid, practical knowledge that would be a great help in assisting Ling Qianjun.

Before she knew it, she read until past midnight. There was still no movement downstairs.

"Could he have been delayed by something today and can’t make it?" Hua Buwan put down her phone, yawning as she walked downstairs. She looked around but didn’t spot any sign of Ling Qianjun. Following that, she turned off the lights on the first floor and went back up to the second floor to sleep.

It was past three in the morning, the time when people were in their deepest sleep.

Zhou Guodong wore a hat pulled low over a pair of night-vision goggles. Soundlessly, he picked the supermarket’s door lock in just a few moves. After circling the ground floor, he first scraped together all the cash from the cash register and set it aside, then tiptoed up to the second floor. The door to the second floor wasn’t deadbolted, so he opened it easily and slipped inside.

Seeing Hua Buwan lying on the bed in a skimpy nightgown, he unconsciously swallowed hard. His lecherous gaze lingered over her face and body. After a moment’s thought, he anxiously fished a rolled cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, approached Hua Buwan, and blew gently, letting the smoke swirl around her.

With that, she fell into an even deeper sleep, her entire body going completely limp.

Zhou Guodong’s body grew flush with heat, but he decided to get down to business first. He stubbed out the rolled cigarette, put it away, and then began searching for where antiques like the Gold Leaf might be hidden.

However, after rummaging through everything, he failed to turn up even a single red cent.

"This isn’t right!" he thought. "Usually, the most valuable things are kept on the second floor. How come all the locked drawers here are empty?!"

Sweating profusely from his search, Zhou Guodong turned around, his gaze falling back onto Hua Buwan.

"Could it be hidden under her pillow?" he wondered.