Chapter Four: Unspoken Understanding

The young man's attitude made Zhao Dabao frown. Zhao Dabao had started working a few years earlier than Ning Shuyi, and he had seen his share of slick, smirking types like this in his job—polite enough on the surface, but if such people ever truly changed their ways, that would be a miracle. He peered into the apartment from the doorway and saw a mess of odds and ends in the living room: a demolition hammer, a large chunk of something that looked like either a cement pile or a stone block, and along the wall, two big stone slabs propped up.

"You folks are really willing to invest, aren’t you?" Zhao Dabao eyed the young man suspiciously.

"Sir, we haven’t damaged the landlord’s property. We just brought some stuff in to practice our skills—is that not allowed?" The young man still wore a cheeky grin, casting a quick glance at Luo Wei behind Zhao Dabao. "If it bothers you, we’ll make sure to come downstairs and greet the neighbors first next time, alright? If you think it’s too noisy, we’ll stop. I apologize, sir!"

Zhao Dabao and Luo Wei were both highly irritated by this slippery attitude and were about to lose their patience when Ning Shuyi called down to them from the landing between floors, gesturing for them to come back.

The young man spotted Ning Shuyi at once. His smile grew even brighter, and he gave her a mock salute. "Oh! The police officer who lives downstairs—sorry to bother you again! I’ll fix it right away!"

Ning Shuyi ignored him, simply waving Zhao Dabao and Luo Wei back. The two men shot a glare at the glib young man, still fuming, and followed Ning Shuyi downstairs. When they reached the bottom, they found Huo Yan standing by the door, having come down a few less flights than Ning Shuyi, waiting in the middle of the stairs.

At the sight of Huo Yan, Zhao Dabao couldn’t help but sigh. Once they were back inside with the door closed, he remarked, "I shouldn’t have taken the lead just now. If Huo Yan had gone up, things would have been much easier. I doubt that kid would have dared to talk back to him!"

"Huo Yan, why didn’t you come up with us?" Luo Wei, who was quick-tongued and straightforward, felt that since they were all guests at the Ning family’s home, being warmly received, Huo Yan should have at least come up to warn the troublemaking tenants. "At the very least, you could have said a few words. Did you see the look of those people? Do you really believe they’re engineering students? They looked more like street punks to me!"

Huo Yan showed no displeasure at the question. He simply nodded toward Ning Shuyi. "She didn’t intend to stop them, so I didn’t think I needed to intervene."

His answer left Zhao Dabao and Luo Wei momentarily speechless. Ning’s parents had obviously been troubled by the upstairs tenants—why wouldn’t Ning Shuyi want to get involved?

But Huo Yan walked away after speaking, and the two men felt it would be inappropriate to press him further, as if they were trying to guilt-trip him, so they let it go.

Ning Shuyi had heard Huo Yan’s words and was surprised herself. She truly had not planned to take advantage of having her colleagues present to pressure the upstairs tenants. She believed that resources should be used where they mattered most, and these tenants’ antics seemed rather peculiar. With only half a month left before reclaiming the apartment, she wanted to use this time to confirm her uneasy feeling. When moving time came, if the tenants caused further trouble, she wouldn’t mind calling her male colleagues to back up her parents. But for now, it wasn’t the right moment.

Yet, even her parents hadn’t noticed her intention—how had Huo Yan sensed it?

Ning Shuyi glanced at Huo Yan, who had already returned to the table, sitting upright and eating with perfect posture. She said nothing and quietly returned to her seat.

Fortunately, after Zhao Dabao and the others’ earlier intervention, dinner passed peacefully without further disturbances from upstairs, allowing everyone to finish their meal in peace.

After dinner, Huo Yan went straight into the kitchen to help Ning’s father wash dishes. Ning’s father didn’t stand on ceremony, and the two men chatted quietly as they worked. Though their conversation was sparse, Huo Yan seemed much more at ease in this setting than in the lively chatter of the living room.

When everyone from the team had left and the house was quiet again, the Ning home was spotless and orderly, as though it had never hosted so many guests.

The three family members had just settled in to watch some television when the elder daughter, Ning Shuyue, returned with her husband, Nie Guang. Upon seeing them, Ning’s mother immediately got up to greet them, asking if they’d eaten.

"Mom, Shuyue hasn’t eaten yet. I’m just accompanying her to visit you both, and then I’ll be on my way," Nie Guang said quickly, signaling his mother-in-law not to fuss. "I have a flight tonight with a classmate, going out of town for a project inspection. I’ll be away for about two weeks. I’ve already taken leave from work, so during this time, I’ll have to trouble you and Dad to look after Shuyue for me."

"Nonsense, she’s our daughter—no need for such formalities," Ning’s father replied, standing up and gently pulling his wife aside when she looked ready to say something. "Dear, didn’t you hear Nie Guang? Shuyue hasn’t eaten yet—go heat something up for her."

Ning’s mother, her words cut off, looked a bit awkward but nodded and asked Nie Guang, "Aren’t you going to eat before you go?"

"No, Mom, I have to catch a car to the airport and can’t risk being late. Missing a flight would be a hassle," Nie Guang said as he put on his shoes, waving his hand. "I’ll be off, and when I get back, I’ll bring you and Dad some local specialties!"

With that, he hurried out, and after the security door slammed shut behind him, Ning’s father let out a long sigh.

Ning’s mother returned from the kitchen after heating up food for her elder daughter and, still unhappy, muttered to her husband, "I wanted to say a few words to him—why did you stop me? Hasn’t he been a bit unsettled these past few years?"

"Are they children?" Ning’s father sighed. "They’re both adults, and Nie Guang has always been strong-willed. A few words from you won’t change his mind. If Shuyue didn’t stop him, it means the two of them have already reached an agreement. As parents, we shouldn’t meddle too much.

"Otherwise, even if you manage to persuade him, no matter how right you are, he might end up thinking his own way would have been better.

"Anyway, it’s just a business trip—nothing’s set in stone. Maybe after seeing what it’s really like, he’ll realize starting a business isn’t so simple and give up the idea."

(End of this chapter)