I was the leader of the righteous path in high school.

The old man seemed satisfied with his compromise, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out a bit.

He chuckled and said, "That's more like it!"

"Young man, don't always be in such a rush."

He looked Gu Yun up and down and asked his first question: "A student? Here to see a classmate? I heard that girl from the Chen family is quite hardworking at school and has a good potential."

"Could it be?"

Looking at his eyes, Gu Yun really wanted to ask, "Who exactly said that old people don't gossip?"

But it wasn't easy to explain why he was approaching them at this particular time if it wasn't that kind of relationship, so he could only vaguely reply, "You could say that. Are you acquainted with her family?"

"I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I've lived in this area for decades. I know a thing or two about how many people are in each family and what kind of business they do."

The old man placed the enamel cup at his feet, folded his hands on his knees, and resumed his gazing absently at the rain and mist, only this time he started talking.

"That Chen Jianguo... he's had a tough time. Back when the real estate market was booming, he had his share of good fortune, but then things went downhill."

"He's too ashamed to do anything else, so he just stays there, earning a meager salary. His wife doesn't work; she's completely focused on their daughter's college entrance exams. How can she not be under pressure?"

and many more……

Why again...

Gu Yunming keenly sensed something was amiss. If the other party really wanted to talk about something else, they wouldn't have brought up the other party's father.

Could it be that...?

Does the other party know exactly what Chen Jianguo did?

He frowned, carefully choosing his words before saying, "That uncle really has it tough..."

"That's why people sometimes easily go astray."

The old man interrupted him, turning his head to glance at Gu Yun.

Seeing that Gu Yun still didn't understand, he sighed and explained, "Especially when you feel like you've been cornered by life, when you see a seemingly glamorous rope, you don't care if it's a poisonous snake or not, you want to grab it."

This statement almost makes it clear.

Gu Yun was silent for a moment, then asked, "That rope... do you know what it is?"

The old man didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "You're asking about this because you want to help that girl?"

He paused, then lowered his voice, "Some things are too complicated; children shouldn't get involved..."

"Besides, this is their family matter. They could even become your mother-in-law in the future. You're meddling too much now."

It's not the mother-in-law, it's someone who's about to kill someone!

Gu Yun felt somewhat helpless; he wouldn't have bothered with this mess if it weren't for the mission.

Whether Chen Zhizhi lives or dies is none of his business; it's his own stupidity to put her in danger. But it's different when there's a mission.

We have to find a way to get through this.

So he patiently asked, "Grandpa, have you heard of Brother Zhuo? I'm mainly here to find him."

"Brother Zhuo??"

The old man was a little confused when he heard the name, but then he thought about it and realized he had heard it before. He said, "You young people call me 'brother' no matter what."

"He's in charge of the real estate in this area, and he's definitely rich and powerful. 'Brother Zhuo' is what people call him, right?"

Once the old man said that, the information matched up.

Gu Yun's heart sank, but his face remained calm: "I'm here today on the behalf of a classmate. Has anything unusual happened at the Chen family lately?"

"special?"

The old man thought for a moment and said, "Chen Jianguo seems to be living a bit more extravagantly lately. I noticed he's smoking better cigarettes."

"His wife, well, she always looks worried. You can run into her a few times when she comes back; she's always sighing. As for that girl..."

"She doesn't seem to be coming back lately, so I don't know what she's like."

Oh, he's become quite extravagant. It seems that the mistress is treating his father quite well.

And you still say it's not the master's task?

Does this mean we can almost conclude something?

Gu Yun was thinking, and the old man didn't say anything after he finished speaking.

After a while, the old man seemed to have finished chatting, picked up his enamel mug again, and pointed in a direction deeper into the alley:

"Go inside, the second to last row, the iron gate on the west side with the faded 'Fu' character pasted on it, that's Chen Zhizhi's house."

"Her dad is probably not home right now, and there's not much people at home. If you go there, you'll probably be turned away."

Gu Yun noted it down and nodded, "Thank you, sir."

"No need to thank me."

The old man waved his hand and returned to his initial state of silent contemplation, as if the clear conversation just now was merely Gu Yun's hallucination.

Gu turned and walked deeper into the alley, splashing through the puddles. After walking a dozen meters, he couldn't help but look back.

Under the banyan tree, the old man still sat there, his deep blue figure almost blending into the gray, misty background.

The rain was indeed getting heavier, but the other person was still sitting under the old banyan tree, looking exactly like a fool.

What a strange old man.

Gu Yun muttered one last thing to himself, tightened his raincoat, and quickened his pace toward the iron gate with the faded "Fu" character pasted on it.

Rainwater trickled down the low eaves, dripping and splashing into the puddles, creating muddy spray.

The iron gate to the west came into view—its dark red paint was mottled and worn, and the "福" (fortune) character pasted upside down in the center had curled edges and faded to a pale pinkish-white, which stood out starkly against the leaden rain.

The door was tightly shut, much like the other silent doors on either side, exuding a sense of emptiness. Gu Yun stepped forward and knocked on the iron door.

"Clang, clang, clang."

After a few seconds, no one answered.

He knocked three more times with more force, listening intently, but there was only silence behind the door, not even the sound of a television or footsteps.

Just as the old man had predicted, they were turned away.

Gu Yun was not surprised, and even breathed a sigh of relief.

He never expected to run into Chen Jianguo or the mistress directly; a face-to-face confrontation would be more difficult.

He hadn't figured out how to fabricate a lie about a student coming to his house.

Surely it couldn't be that they came to deliver a "Star of Progress" certificate to Chen Zhizhi, could it?

That means the other person probably doesn't think they're crazy, but they themselves probably do.

How could someone come up with such a stupid excuse to deceive someone who should be taken seriously?

Now that he has confirmed the address, it also confirms that the sense of crisis in Chen Zhizhi's words was not unfounded, and that's enough.

That "Brother Zhuo" is in charge of the real estate in this area. He sounds like a local bigwig. Chen Jianguo's connection with such a person, whatever the reason, means trouble.

The rest can be asked indirectly by Chen Zhizhi.

For example, what are her plans to go home tomorrow, and if she absolutely has to go, can I stop her?

Gu Yun had long ago prepared for the situation of doing his best and leaving the rest to fate.

Gu Yun took one last look at the faded iron gate with the character "福" (fortune/blessing) on ​​it, then turned and left.