210: A surprise is just a surprise!

In short, the current situation is that you don't believe me, and I don't believe you.

But both of them desperately wanted the other to believe them.

So they were at a stalemate.

"It's truly one wave after another."

Lu Chuan cursed under his breath.

He had thought that on the day the Old Dean arrived, the surrounding buildings would be uninhabited, and since it was already past three in the morning, no one should see them.

But Ding Xinyang, that guy, didn't stay in his dorm and came out for some unknown reason, just happening to run into them.

After listening to Ding Xinyang's account, Lu Chuan rubbed his temples again, then sighed and tried to persuade him once more.

"Old Ding, you might have read too many urban cultivation or urban superpower novels, so you think I'm some legendary reclusive master, but I'm really not. I'm just an ordinary street vendor, at most my dishes are just a little bit to your liking..."

As he spoke, facing Ding Xinyang's increasingly strange gaze, Lu Chuan himself couldn't continue.

He could only roll up his sleeves and shake his head helplessly, saying:

"Alright, alright, you forced my hand!"

Ding Xinyang jumped in surprise and quickly raised his hands.

"A Chuan, don't be impulsive, I didn't say anything! Give me a chance!"

But seeing Lu Chuan's hand already coming down, he instantly stiffened, despair showing in his eyes.

However, Lu Chuan merely patted his shoulder and said:

"Since that's the case, I'll just have to keep you by my side until things take a turn for the better, then I can let you go."

Ding Xinyang was stunned, looking at Lu Chuan and stammering:

"You scared me to death! I thought the talks had broken down and you were going to lay hands on me!"

Lu Chuan looked at him strangely.

"Besides novels, you've watched too many Hong Kong movies, haven't you? Please, I'm an honest street vendor, how could I do such a thing!"

Ding Xinyang quickly nodded in agreement.

"Right, right, we're both good people who love peace, how could we do something like that? Since that's the case, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now!"

However, Lu Chuan stepped sideways to block him and said impatiently:

"So you didn't hear a single word I said, huh? Then I'll repeat it! There's no way I'm letting you go now; you'll have to stay with me for this period."

"Ah?!"

Ding Xinyang pointed to himself with a bewildered expression.

"Are you going to restrict my freedom?"

Lu Chuan looked at Ding Xinyang's surprised expression and knew that his request was excessive, but for his and He Jingrui's safety, he could only make Ding Xinyang suffer for a while.

"That's right, but I promise you, this won't be for long, and at the same time..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Ding Xinyang had already grabbed Lu Chuan's hand with an excited expression.

"It's a deal! I'll call and resign right away!"

"..."

Lu Chuan looked at Ding Xinyang, whose grin was getting wider, feeling that things were developing beyond his expectations.

He pulled his hand away from Ding Xinyang, then cautiously asked:

"May I ask why you're so happy?"

Ding Xinyang realized he was overdoing it, quickly reined himself in a bit, then cleared his throat and said:

"Cough cough, it's nothing, nothing. I just thought of some happy things."

Lu Chuan's mouth twitched.

"Stop using those ancient, stale memes!"

After speaking, without waiting for Ding Xinyang to reply, he continued:

"In short, now that you know my and He Jingrui's secret, you'll have to bear with it for a while. I'll provide you with food and lodging... Don't worry, I'm not locking you up, it's just that you can't leave my sight. Of course, if you're willing to help when I'm setting up my stall, I can pay you a salary."

Ding Xinyang nodded repeatedly, indicating his agreement.

Although he didn't know what Ding Xinyang was really thinking, since they had reached an agreement, Lu Chuan didn't dwell on it anymore.

He walked out of the shop door and looked at the increasingly deep... sky, frowning.

For some reason, ever since yesterday, his heart had felt as if it were pressed down by a large stone, heavy and oppressive.

It was like the suffocating feeling before a storm.

Lu Chuan really disliked this feeling.

"System, stop playing dead, come out now."

"Host, what does this System need?"

The System, which hadn't appeared for eleven chapters, finally showed its face.

Lu Chuan looked at the System and asked directly:

"System, oh System, you seem to be hiding a lot from your Host, aren't you? Aren't you going to explain?"

"This System doesn't know what the Host is talking about. If there's nothing else, this System will disappear now ~"

"Wait."

Seeing the System about to leave, Lu Chuan quickly spoke to stop it, then continued:

"I know you like to trick your Host, but this time it's not a joke. If I'm not careful, your Host will kick the bucket! You don't want to be a lonely System without a Host, do you?"

"...The Host is slandering this System's innocence. This System always considers the Host's best interests, how can you say it likes to trick the Host?"

Seeing the System still playing dumb, Lu Chuan clenched his fists, but he still forced a smile and said:

"Oh, yes, yes, I misspoke, the System is the best! So System, can you tell me what kind of trap... Oh no, what kind of treasure surprise is hidden in this mission to open a shop in the Demon City?"

"The Host is so eloquent. Since that's the case, this System will tell the Host what little surprise it has prepared for the Host ~"

Sure enough... Lu Chuan clenched his fists even tighter, but he maintained his smile and listened intently.

"The surprise is?"

"The surprise is, a surprise!"

Lu Chuan was bewildered.

"What do you mean?"

"If it's a surprise, would it still be a surprise if it was revealed in advance? Hehe ~"

The System said mischievously, then, before Lu Chuan could react, it shrank back into his body and disappeared.

"..."

His fists were itching.

Lu Chuan walked back into the shop with a dark expression.

A surprise? It was probably his surprise, and the System's joy, right?

How could this damned System have such a nasty personality?!

It was totally outrageous!

Unable to get any information from the System, Lu Chuan could only place his hopes elsewhere.

He looked at He Jingrui, who had just finished washing the dishes and walked out of the kitchen, and asked:

"Can you contact your comrade?"

He Jingrui looked at him in confusion, then shook his head.

"If it were peacetime, of course I could. But during a mission, all private communication is strictly forbidden, so I can't contact him."

"I see."

Lu Chuan nodded in disappointment.

Just then, Ding Xinyang, who was cleaning, passed by. His expression changed, and he quickly grabbed Ding Xinyang and asked:

"Old Ding, don't be busy yet, I have something I want to ask you."

Ding Xinyang looked back in confusion.

"A Chuan, what is it?"

Lu Chuan pulled him to sit down, then asked:

"I remember you said earlier that there was another hidden reason for the official earthquake announcement? How did you confirm that?"

Ding Xinyang was originally a bit nervous, thinking Lu Chuan had gone back on his word, but when he heard it was about this, he immediately relaxed.

He immediately pulled out his phone, then opened a webpage and showed it to Lu Chuan.

"It's like this, I usually like to browse Tieba, and one time I accidentally clicked into a very interesting forum, and then I often browsed there."

"Then, in this forum, there's a recognized expert who made a rigorous analysis of the official earthquake warning announcement and finally deduced the possible truth."

Lu Chuan took the phone, scrolled through the forum with its simple structure, and quickly found the pinned, featured post. He opened it and read it ten lines at a glance.

"I'm in the Demon City, just got on the plane... blah blah blah... In short, from various deductions, this emergency announcement might not be so simple."

"Of course, the above deductions are purely for entertainment. Everyone on the forum can just enjoy it, don't risk your lives! When an earthquake comes, run for it ~"

As Ding Xinyang said, this forum user with the ID "Mi Zong Huan Ying" truly lived up to his reputation as a recognized expert, deducing the most probable truth from various angles.

Although the end was probably for disclaimer purposes, or to avoid being targeted by officials, so he used the word "entertainment" to summarize the entire text, anyone with a discerning eye could see that this article was very rigorous and not "entertainment" at all.