The old police officer's name was Yue Fu, but because his name was too much of a mouthful, people called him Old Fu.
Old Fu was astonished watching the new colleague greet Li Chonglou familiarly. He then inquired and learned about Li Chonglou's past.
"So that's how it is. He even followed that big shot. No wonder the higher-ups value him so much."
Old Fu immediately understood why Li Chonglou could clean up the Honggang sub-bureau overnight. He was indeed not an ordinary person!
Li Chonglou no longer wanted to dwell on these matters. After all, his relationship with Lin Qianqian had cooled to the point of breaking, so after greeting the three of them, Li Chonglou briefly informed Old Fu about the situation inside and then left.
It was the middle of the night when he returned to his residence. After a simple wash-up, Li Chonglou fell into a deep sleep.
He hadn't slept so soundly in a long time. He slept until the afternoon of the next day, only to be woken by his phone ringing.
"Yu Ke?"
The sleepiness he felt upon waking instantly vanished. Li Chonglou never expected Yu Ke to call him.
"What do you need me for?"
"Can we talk outside?"
No matter how much he asked, Yu Ke refused to say. Li Chonglou hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing to her request.
They hadn't contacted each other since they last met at Zhou Tong's place. Li Chonglou had thought Yu Ke had come to her senses and understood his stance, so she wouldn't bother him anymore.
However, her sudden call, and her refusal to state the specific reason, made Li Chonglou suspect that something had happened.
When he went out, Sanyang was also training. Seeing Li Chonglou about to leave, Sanyang suddenly said,
"Oh, Li Ge, Brother Hei can be discharged tomorrow. He said he has something he wants to discuss with you."
Black Blade's injuries had healed? Li Chonglou was taken aback, then nodded. He also had some things he wanted to discuss with Black Blade but had been delayed by various matters. It was only when Sanyang mentioned it that he remembered.
About half an hour later, Li Chonglou saw Yu Ke at a barbecue stall.
"You actually come to a place like this?"
Li Chonglou looked at Yu Ke with surprise. She came from a noble background. The Yu family was one of the eight major families in Shangjing. She was destined to be a successor to high society from birth. Her daily life was filled with fine wines and exquisite dishes, and the money she spent on snacks was often equivalent to an ordinary person's wages for several days.
What kind of place was a barbecue stall? It was a place of entertainment for the vast majority of ordinary people. The probability of rich second-generation heirs and noble young masters appearing here was lower than winning the lottery.
However, Yu Ke seemed indifferent to Li Chonglou's surprise.
"I've gotten used to this kind of life for a month. It's actually quite good. It's free and unrestrained, and I don't have to worry too much. Plus, I can feel the real atmosphere."
Yu Ke's indifferent tone made Li Chonglou look at her with renewed admiration. However, he soon realized something was amiss.
After sitting down and skillfully ordering several dishes from the stall owner, Li Chonglou asked directly, "Has something happened to you recently?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the owner brought over two bottles of beer along with two plastic cups.
"You drink this too?"
"What's wrong with that?"
Yu Ke said, skillfully opening the beer with practiced hands. She then poured herself a full glass. Although her movements were all very潇洒 (xiao sa - elegant/graceful/carefree), her tightly closed eyes betrayed her when she tilted her head back and drank it down in one gulp.
Exhaling a breath of relief, Yu Ke finally said, "I've had a falling out with my family. You could say I'm now a wanderer without parents."
Although her words were decisive, Li Chonglou could clearly capture the bitterness and resentment hidden in her tone. He vaguely understood what had happened. He picked up the beer and poured himself half a glass.
"Family is still family. You can't cut ties with them with just a few words. Although I don't know exactly what happened, I hope you can reconcile with your family soon."
Li Chonglou looked at her calmly. The latter suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable, averted her gaze, and pouted, saying.
"Reconcile? That's impossible! They want me to marry into a family for alliance. Ha, you heard me right, marriage for alliance! In this day and age, there's still marriage for alliance!"
Yu Ke said this with a mix of helplessness and mockery, then downed another glass of wine.
Li Chonglou's brow immediately furrowed, but thinking of her background, he suddenly felt that such a thing was indeed normal.
So he advised, "What kind of person is the other party?"
In Li Chonglou's opinion, the rich and the commoners were fundamentally different. While commoners often possessed the freedom of choice in love that the rich lacked, the lives of commoners were also worlds apart from those of the rich.
From another perspective, since Yu Ke's birth had brought her so much wealth and status, she might also have to bear certain responsibilities.
This perspective could be considered heartless or lacking in human touch, but it often reflected reality. After all, the relationship with one's parents was not something you could shed at will; it was an innate and predetermined existence. No amount of emotional outburst now could change that.
However, Yu Ke was still a typical young person and couldn't understand Li Chonglou's point. She immediately said angrily,
"You mean I should agree to my family's arranged marriage? Even if the other person is someone I've never met?"
Yu Ke's pretty eyebrows clearly showed her displeasure, and her bright, lively eyes revealed a hint of grievance. Li Chonglou, however, just smiled.
"Of course, that's not what I mean. I'm just saying that if you have no other choice, then you can only accept this reality."
Yu Ke immediately sighed.
"Sigh, there are choices. This is also why I asked you to come out tonight."
Li Chonglou's eyebrows immediately shot up: "What choice?"
"My parents gave me a condition. If I can successfully take a company public within half a year through my own efforts, then they will let me choose freely in this regard."
Li Chonglou smiled and said, "This is the result of your month-long struggle, isn't it?"
As he spoke, the owner had already brought up the barbecue dishes she had ordered. Yu Ke immediately understood what Li Chonglou was referring to, and her face couldn't help but turn slightly red.
She had indeed deliberately lived a difficult life for a month, and the condition she mentioned was the result of her parents' compromise that very day. In fact, if her parents had held out a little longer, Yu Ke herself might have been the first to buckle.