Chapter 100: The Beauty with the Ponytail

Chapter 100: The Ponytail Beauty

Su Xiaoran had risen early and arrived at the herbal cuisine restaurant, even bringing six exquisite breakfasts, which relieved Xu Yun and Ruan Qingshuang from the task of frying eggs and heating milk.

Qiu Yan tacitly allowed Xu Yun to continue escorting Guoguo to school, so naturally, Xu Yun carried Guoguo and got into the car.

His role as a driving coach was quite effortless—Su Xiaoran had a natural aptitude and a good sense of direction. After Xu Yun’s brief theoretical lesson yesterday, her driving skills had improved remarkably compared to the day before.

“Teacher Su, you really are gifted—just from theory you can understand it all,” Xu Yun couldn’t help but praise. He had barely slept last night, disturbed by Qin Wan’er’s antics, and yawned as he spoke.

Guoguo sat quietly in the back seat, her dark eyes darting around, lost in thought—no one quite knew what was on her mind.

Su Xiaoran, a careful person, noticed Xu Yun’s drowsiness and asked with concern, “Did you not rest well last night?”

Xu Yun sighed helplessly, “It’s all because of Qin Wan’er.”

“Ah? What happened to her?” Su Xiaoran recalled Qin Wan’er’s high school days as a night owl who often stayed up late reading without feeling sleepy.

Before Xu Yun could answer, Guoguo piped up, “I know! Teacher Su, Sister Wan’er was studying with Dad last night.”

Xu Yun broke out in a cold sweat at Guoguo’s words, fearing she might say something inappropriate. Fortunately, Guoguo’s phrasing was subtle enough to ease his worry.

“Looks like Wan’er still loves to study,” Su Xiaoran smiled faintly and casually asked, “What was she studying?”

A sudden ominous feeling crept over Xu Yun, his pores seemed to open as a chill ran down his spine.

As expected, Guoguo didn’t disappoint him. With complete innocence, she blurted out three words: “Masturbation.”

A heavy silence fell inside the car. Su Xiaoran’s expression shifted from curiosity to astonishment, then to amazement, before a blush crept up her ears and spread slowly across her cheeks.

Such a sensitive topic caught her completely off guard—she couldn’t accept it. Moreover, Guoguo’s casual tone made it impossible for her to erase the images forming in her mind.

Xu Yun suddenly felt like throwing open the door and jumping out of the car. Being misunderstood by Teacher Su was worse than dying amidst the bustling streets.

Unbothered by the adults’ reactions, Guoguo went on, “I don’t know what Sister Wan’er is learning at the academy. She hasn’t even mastered the simplest ‘handgun’ yet. If she were given a submachine gun, she’d probably be even worse at shooting.”

Little precious one, you just cleared your godfather’s name! Xu Yun suddenly felt a breath of fresh air, as if the clouds had parted.

Su Xiaoran suddenly understood and instantly felt ashamed of her earlier dirty thoughts. It was utterly embarrassing—misunderstanding a child’s words and then blushing so deeply. She certainly hoped Xu Yun didn’t notice her awkwardness.

“Guoguo, today during class, the teacher will have you read your essay. Are you ready?” Su Xiaoran hurriedly changed the subject.

“Of course I’m ready,” Guoguo replied confidently.

Su Xiaoran was genuinely curious about what kind of essay this little one had written. “Can you tell me a bit about it?”

Guoguo wore a mysterious expression, “No, no, you’ll find out in class.”

If Su Xiaoran knew she had written “My Mom is a Boss,” she’d probably forbid her from presenting it altogether!

Since Su Xiaoran was substituting for the regular teacher today, Xu Yun lost the chance to continue teaching her driving theory. Su Xiaoran handed the car keys back to Xu Yun, smiling apologetically. “When I picked up the car, the dealership said they’d give me floor mats, but they didn’t have them then. They called yesterday asking me to come today, but I don’t have time. Could I trouble you to pick them up?”

“No problem, it’s a small favor,” Xu Yun said. He was bored anyway, and since Guoguo was at school, he wasn’t worried in the slightest. Unlike Qiu Yan, he wasn’t so cautious.

Su Xiaoran took Guoguo to the classroom, and Xu Yun drove directly to the cluster of car dealerships in the development zone. As soon as he left, a car with a camouflage-covered license plate—a sleek Audi—followed closely behind.

About twenty minutes later, Xu Yun arrived in the development zone. At the dealership, he quickly collected the floor mats. Just as he stepped out, the Audi that had tailed him all the way suddenly turned around and left.

Xu Yun frowned. He wasn’t afraid if the people in that car wanted to cause trouble for him. What worried him was the possibility that they might be confirming his departure to do harm to Guoguo.

With no choice, Xu Yun immediately called Qiu Yan and told her what had happened.

Qiu Yan was furious: “I told you not to leave casually! If anything happened to Guoguo, I would never forgive you!”

Before Xu Yun could explain, she hung up. He dared not take things lightly and quickly got back into the car to give chase.

However, the Audi seemed well prepared. On the way back, Xu Yun saw several similar vehicles, but none had covered license plates. At that moment, he was certain the Audi had removed its camouflage and was blending in with the traffic, making it impossible to find.

When Xu Yun got back to the school, Qiu Yan was already there. Fortunately, nothing had happened to Guoguo.

But who was tailing him? That perplexed Xu Yun. They only followed but never acted. It didn’t seem like ordinary troublemakers. Could they be government agents?

Xu Yun was startled by the thought. Perhaps they were police officers. Police intelligence was multifaceted. Although Xu Yun was sure there were no government surveillance cameras near the herbal cuisine restaurant, he still believed the police could suspect that the Red Scorpion had been there.

“Go home now,” Qiu Yan said, her anger subsiding after confirming Guoguo was safe.

Xu Yun knew her stubbornness would never be outmatched by his own. Even if he promised never to leave again, Qiu Yan wouldn’t feel at ease.

Well, whoever was here or there made no difference. After all, the scorpion toxin in Qiu Yan’s body had long dissipated. Two days of recuperation had mostly restored her.

“Then I’ll leave Guoguo in your care,” Xu Yun said, knowing more words were pointless. He returned the car keys to Su Xiaoran in the office and went back to the herbal cuisine restaurant.

With Liang Shan joining, Ruan Qingshuang no longer had to handle the heavy work herself. Luckily, the “Three Tigers of South City” were thoughtful enough to introduce help.

Seeing Xu Yun return, Ruan Qingshuang had no suspicions. She still preferred Qiu Yan to escort Guoguo, and although grateful that Teacher Su had picked her up, she felt a twinge of bitterness—something just felt off.

Xu Yun watched Lv Wenyi wipe tables and Liang Shan mop the floor and sighed with satisfaction. “The place really is different when you have help.”

Before, he had to do these chores himself. He just couldn’t bear to let Ruan Qingshuang work so hard alone.

“Dan Jiahao didn’t come,” Ruan Qingshuang said. “I called Dan Hongning. He said his brother was nowhere to be found early this morning—maybe he ran off because he thought menial work was beneath him.”

Xu Yun frowned. Something felt off. Didn’t Dan Jiahao insist on tagging along with him yesterday? How could he be missing so early in the morning?

Damn, did that idiot really run off to buy wolfberries at the pharmacy?

Chuckling to himself, Xu Yun felt relieved. If that kid really could endure, he’d be quite the character. It’s not lack of talent that’s the problem in life, but lack of perseverance. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

“Forget it. Maybe he’ll be back soon,” Xu Yun smiled. “Today, I’ll serve as a waiter for a change. Shanzi, the kitchen’s all yours.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Yun,” Liang Shan said confidently.

The morning’s leisure lasted until about eleven, when customers began to trickle in. Xu Yun and Lv Wenyi busied themselves serving, while Ruan Qingshuang sat at the front desk, comfortably collecting payments. She never imagined the herbal cuisine restaurant would one day become like this.

Xu Yun’s first day as a waiter was fruitful. Just after noon, a girl arrived—about five foot seven, dressed in sleek, professional attire that accentuated her curves. Her delicate, refined face and high ponytail made her look as pure as fresh snow.

With a baby-faced charm and graceful figure, she was undoubtedly a heartthrob for young men.

“Excuse me, is this the number one herbal cuisine restaurant in Wenhui District?” The ponytail girl’s smile was sweet enough to make even Ruan Qingshuang sigh in admiration.

Xu Yun, of course, wouldn’t miss the chance to serve such a goddess. He stepped forward quickly, “Yes, indeed. Actually, this is the best in Hedong City. Miss, you’re probably not from around here—locals all know about us.”

The ponytail girl kept smiling, “It’s my first time trying herbal cuisine. What do you recommend? Something not too expensive, please.”

Xu Yun pointed to a seat by the window and gestured for her to sit. “Miss, you get a twenty percent discount.”

At those words, several regulars jokingly called out, “Boss’s wife, look at your boss—he gives discounts just for seeing a beauty. What about us old customers?”

“Today’s discount day. Everyone gets twenty percent off,” Ruan Qingshuang said with a warm smile, generously.

Thankfully, Guoguo wasn’t there—otherwise she’d have gone crazy. A twenty percent discount for everyone? Given the restaurant’s current earnings, that would mean a loss of several thousand.

Xu Yun called to Liang Shan in the kitchen, “Shanzi, prepare the stir-fried eel with celery and black bean chili, steamed old duck with yam, and also send out a dragon bone, winter melon, and dried scallop soup for this lady.”

Beauties get special treatment—what could he do? Xu Yun just felt inexplicably drawn to this ponytail girl. He couldn’t explain the feeling, but he assured himself it wasn’t some base instinct driving his attentiveness.

“Thank you,” the ponytail girl smiled gently, thinking the service here was really quite nice. She hadn’t expected that the female police chief Director Chen mentioned would live in such a place—it might actually be interesting.

Looking through the glass at the plaza across from the herbal cuisine restaurant, she realized Hedong City was truly a place teeming with hidden talents.

Just then, her phone rang—it was a call from Qinglong. Without hesitation, the ponytail girl answered, “What is it? ... I’m in Wenhui District. I’ll come over after I finish eating.”

With that, she ended the call decisively.