Chapter 136: A Head-On Collision

“Time waits for no one,” the old man sighed. “In the blink of an eye, I’ve gotten this old. I used to be such a handsome young lad, and now my face is all wrinkles.”

Su Qinghu and Cai Huayang’s eye contact was abruptly interrupted by the old man’s lament.

She looked at him, trying to spot any trace of that former handsomeness, and the old man obligingly lifted his chin a little.

Su Qinghu: …Sir, forgive me, but I really can’t see any sign that you were ever handsome!

“Right?” The old man modestly looked away, then not-so-modestly asked, “Can you see how handsome I was?”

Su Qinghu hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and answered honestly, “…No.”

The old man was quite chatty, but she really couldn’t bring herself to lie and nod.

“This girl is honest,” the old lady leading the way laughed, glancing at the old man. “Back when you were young, I wouldn’t call you handsome—at most, your features were where they were supposed to be!”

The old man’s face instantly fell apart.

Su Qinghu felt a pang of sympathy for him. See, it wasn’t just her being mean—even the old lady said so!

“My wife still says I look good! You’re just jealous she managed to find someone as good-looking as me back then!” the old man protested.

“Alright, alright, pretend I never said anything,” the old lady chuckled. “Your wife treats you like a son—still praising and coaxing you after all these years!”

The old man immediately looked proud. “No matter what, my wife is the best—no one can compare!”

Su Qinghu: …

Even in this era, people are still showing off their love…

Suddenly, she felt like life was full of wisdom. The old man’s wife was a real expert. The old man might not be handsome, but he was neat and clean, didn’t even smell of smoke… Whenever something happened, his first thought was always about his wife…

“Let me tell you, girl, you can never go wrong praising a man. The more you praise him, the harder he’ll work,” the old man said cheerfully. “He’ll be willing to do anything.”

Su Qinghu gave him a thumbs up.

So the old man understood perfectly well, and was happy to play along.

He was so pleased, he kept talking. “Even if you and your guy fell in love at first sight, you like him and he likes you, but still, you shouldn’t just rush into marriage. Take your time, test him a bit, let him know marrying you isn’t easy—then he’ll treasure you!”

Su Qinghu: “…Alright.”

Sir, can we please change the subject? I finally managed to steer the conversation away from love at first sight, and now you’re bringing it right back!

Don’t you realize there’s a nosy young man right here, mentally recording everything we say?

Su Qinghu, who really didn’t want to keep chatting, just nodded. After nodding, she asked, “Sir, are we there yet?”

“We’re here, we’re here, just down that alley,” the old man said, pointing. Both Su Qinghu and Cai Huayang looked over.

Cai Huayang: …Isn’t that the place I just came from?

Su Qinghu nodded slightly to the old man, thanked him, grabbed her bag, and hurried over. Of course, as she passed Cai Huayang, she gave him a casual nod as if nothing had happened.

As long as she kept a straight face, maybe she could bluff her way through having been caught talking nonsense earlier!

Surely Cai Huayang, a grown man, wouldn’t be so petty as to run and tell Chen Lie all the nonsense she’d just spouted, right?

That would be way too childish!

She didn’t believe Cai Huayang was that kind of person!

As soon as Su Qinghu dashed off, the others leading her were momentarily stunned, but quickly followed.

A real, live reporter! They could actually watch an interview—this was a once-in-a-lifetime event!

Cai Huayang watched the old man and lady follow, paused, then trailed after them too.

He wanted to see how his sister-in-law did her job, so he could write a longer letter home about it.

Su Qinghu had no idea what these people were thinking. She had just explained her purpose to the old man and convinced him of the educational value of the interview, when suddenly a crowd gathered at the door.

There were already a lot of people living in this courtyard, and now with the doorway blocked, it was even more crowded and chaotic.

“Let’s talk outside,” the old man said cheerfully, pushing himself up from the bed and deftly transferring to a contraption that looked like a wheelchair, though so crude you’d hardly believe it was one.

He moved so quickly that Su Qinghu’s hand, which had shot out to help, froze in mid-air.

No wonder—no wonder she’d felt something was different about the courtyard earlier. The steps at the entrance had been replaced with a sloped cement ramp.

“I—” Su Qinghu reached out to help, then paused and asked, “Should I push you outside?”

“Sure,” the old man replied cheerfully. “That way we’ll get out faster, and you can finish your interview and get home sooner.”

Su Qinghu swallowed, then gripped the back of the chair and pushed the makeshift wheelchair out the door.

Just as they reached the entrance, before they’d even crossed the cement ramp, she locked eyes with Erdan, who was coming straight toward them clutching a green-skinned melon.

Erdan’s eyes went wide. He gaped at Su Qinghu, his face full of panic: “Where am I, why am I here, can I turn around and run?”

Behind him, Dadan was also staring at Su Qinghu in shock, his eyes full of the panic of being caught and the struggle to keep calm and think of a way out.

Su Qinghu hadn’t thought much of it at first, but seeing their expressions now, her eyes narrowed.

These two…

So shocked, they didn’t even know where to put their hands and feet. If there’s nothing fishy going on, she’d eat her hat right here!

Under her stare, Erdan took two steps back, then turned to run.

“Stop right there,” Su Qinghu said with a cold smile. “What are you running for? You think you’re a gourd baby with an invisibility cloak?”

She’d clearly seen them—no way they could escape now!

Erdan skidded to a halt, grinning sheepishly at Su Qinghu.

She glanced at him, checked her watch, then turned her gaze to Dadan. “You have two minutes to get your story straight. In two minutes, I want to hear your explanation—no, wait, your defense! In two minutes, I’ll hear your defense!”

Dadan: …

“What are you standing there for? Start thinking!” Little rascals, sneaking out while she wasn’t home—this place was quite a distance from their house!

And it wasn’t close to their school, either!

Most importantly—not! At! All! On! The! Way!

Erdan sucked in a sharp breath. He knew, clear as day, that Su Qinghu was mad!

Dadan looked at her, trying to gauge her mood, but all he could conclude was that she was angry.

Su Qinghu shot them a look, pushed the old man to a shady spot, and stopped.

Dadan, Erdan, Cai Huayang, and the others all silently followed, stopping a good meter away from her.

Su Qinghu’s hands tightened on the wheelchair.

Dadan and Erdan looked at her back, even more nervous now. Would she see through their lies?"