Chapter 145: Finding Meng Ze

According to the address on the employee file, Bai Shuruo arrived at Meng Ze's home.

This was a hutong; Meng Ze's home was in the middle of the hutong, a small courtyard with a very small shop outside that repaired electrical appliances.

As she was observing Meng Ze's home, trying to figure out where to enter, the old man repairing appliances inside shouted at her: "What are you doing here?"

Bai Shuruo saw the old man's expression and was somewhat puzzled: "Do you know me?"

"I know you. Aren't you some kind of manager at Meng Ze's company? He showed me your photo."

"Oh, so that's how it is," Bai Shuruo said.

However, she also felt it was strange; if this old man was very close to Meng Ze, then when he learned she was Meng Ze's superior, he should have shown a welcoming attitude.

Yet this old man seemed to be full of hostility, and the look in his eyes when he saw her was fierce. Could it be that this person hated the rich?

Bai Shuruo then asked: "Do you know where Meng Ze went?"

She had asked Linda; Meng Ze had not been to work for some time, saying he had taken leave.

The old man said unpleasantly: "Him? He said he didn't protect you well a while ago and had no face to see you. Who knows where he's gone to mess around now? You should call his phone."

"I can't get through," Bai Shuruo said.

"That must be because his phone broke when he was saving you. I told him to go get it fixed a long time ago. This guy is just too lazy. He doesn't save any money when he earns it, spending every last cent. Why don't you go look for him at the internet cafe up ahead? He's probably there."

"Alright," Bai Shuruo said.

She felt that this old man neither liked her nor liked Meng Ze.

But he knew so many things about Meng Ze, so he must be very close to him.

So she tentatively asked: "Are you Meng Ze's maternal grandfather? Meng Ze said he lived with his grandfather."

"That's right," Meng Xinghua said.

Bai Shuruo asked again: "Grandpa Meng, may I ask one more thing? Has Meng Ze ever been to Fengcheng before? As a... librarian?"

Meng Xinghua paused and asked Bai Shuruo in return: "Why are you asking about this?"

"Just curious," Bai Shuruo said.

Meng Xinghua said: "I'm not very clear about that. As far as I know, he did work as a librarian in another city, but I don't know exactly where."

"Then how long did he work as a librarian?"

"About half a year. He was in high school at the time and originally wanted to drop out, but later he felt that studying was better after all, so he came back."

Bai Shuruo nodded.

However, she always felt this old man was very strange. He was cold to her at first, but later told her all these things. Could it be that he wanted to express something to her?

Did he want her to remember things from the past?

Bai Shuruo didn't overthink it and just said: "Alright, goodbye then, Grandpa. I'll go find Meng Ze first."

……

She had come out in the Castle's private car today.

Because she had been kidnapped by Han Chunqiu once, Han Yangting now made bodyguards follow her whenever she went out, and she had to take the family's private car.

The bodyguard did not follow too closely, so as not to make her feel pressured.

If Bai Shuruo didn't look carefully, she wouldn't even know there was a bodyguard by her side, but as long as she turned her head, she could see the person responsible for protecting her.

That was a man of medium height, with a very sturdy build, but he looked completely unremarkable and was about thirty years old. He looked ordinary in a crowd, but Bai Shuruo had seen with her own eyes him smash 20 bricks with one palm.

After leaving Meng Ze's home, she walked to the internet cafe ahead.

This internet cafe was about one kilometer away from Meng Ze's home, not far to walk, so Bai Shuruo chose to walk.

Walking to the entrance of the hutong and turning left, there were many locust trees on this road. Bai Shuruo stepped on the mottled tree shadows and arrived at the internet cafe called "Yichangkong".

She didn't understand why the internet cafe would take such a name; it looked rather inauspicious.

However, she also felt that this name was very real. Aren't things on the internet all just "all for nothing" in the end?

Bai Shuruo walked in, and the bodyguard followed, but at a great distance. Moreover, the two didn't look like they were together, so no one could tell they were a pair.

"Miss, here to get online? Playing games or..."

"Thank you, I'm here to find someone," Bai Shuruo said.

This internet cafe had "No Smoking" signs as soon as you entered, but the inside was still filled with the smell of smoke, coffee, and snacks. Compared to the fresh air under the locust trees outside, it was nauseating.

Hearing that she was looking for someone, the internet cafe manager stopped bothering her.

Bai Shuruo patrolled the inside once and saw Meng Ze sitting in the rightmost seat of the innermost row, wearing large headphones. One of his slender hands was holding the mouse, while the other was typing rapidly on the keyboard. The cartoon characters on the screen were fighting incessantly, and monsters were constantly spurting blood.

Even though he was in the middle of a heated game, Bai Shuruo still walked to his side and tapped him on the shoulder.

Meng Ze was originally impatient with being disturbed, but when he looked up and saw that the person was Bai Shuruo, he couldn't help but take off his headphones and ask: "How did you know I was here?"

"Your grandfather told me. He said you were surfing the internet here," Bai Shuruo said.

"He really is a busybody!" Meng Ze said unpleasantly.

Bai Shuruo laughed instead: "Meng Ze, you and your grandfather are really alike. It seems like neither of you can stand the other, yet you understand each other the best."

"Understand? What do you mean by that?" Meng Ze said while logging off.

"You're not playing anymore?" Bai Shuruo asked in confusion.

Not many men could log off a game so decisively.

Meng Ze said: "There's nothing fun about it anyway, just killing time."

"Shall we go out and find a milk tea shop to chat?" Bai Shuruo said.

"Sure," Meng Ze replied.

……

There were several milk tea shops on this road. They all looked unremarkable from the entrance, but they had quite a few customers inside, the prices were fair, and the environment was quite quiet.

Bai Shuruo ordered two cups of milk tea at random, then picked a seat further inside with Meng Ze and sat down.

Meng Ze continued the previous topic: "You just said my grandfather understands me. What makes you say that?"

Bai Shuruo said, "He knows you very well. Your phone is broken, yet he still knows where you are, and he even knows you used to be a librarian in Fengcheng. No wonder you don't have much of an accent; it turns out you spent some time in Fengcheng."

Meng Ze paused and said, "He told you that?"

"Yes."

"Then don't talk to him anymore in the future; that old man is very bad."

Bai Shuruo laughed, "Only the closest people can say things like that."

"We are quite close. Hitting is affection, scolding is love, after all; it's fine to understand it that way."

"He hits you?"

"He's hit me from childhood until now." Meng Ze took two sharp sips of his milk tea, "Let's not talk about him. Let's talk about you. Are you... doing alright?"

Thinking of the scene where she was kidnapped, Meng Ze still felt lingering fear; his mind was filled with the image of her struggling while he was powerless to do anything.