"Wh...what?" The previously kindly old man now wore a look of utter shock. "The Cat's Eye... is it really lost forever?"
"You bunch of useless trash, you're all fired! Get out! Out! Out!" The old man had shed his kindly facade, his face contorted with rage as he roared at the duo of Liuxing and his dim-witted companion, spittle flying from his lips.
In the distance, Yang Can and Qi Xiaosa were chatting away, enjoying their drinks with great delight.
Hearing the old man’s roar, Yang Can gave a helpless smile. "This Jiuyue Tian is quite something. To be able to steal the gem right under all our noses!"
"Indeed! My lifelong reputation has been ruined by this Jiuyue Tian!" Qi Xiaosa said with a sigh. Ever since he started his career, he had solved 999 cases in a row; he had expected this to be his thousandth, but alas, fate had other plans.
"It looks like you won't be able to work here anymore, either," Yang Can said to Qi Xiaosa.
"After such a massive disaster, someone has to pay the price," Qi Xiaosa replied. "Compared to me, I'm actually wondering what you're going to do?"
"Nothing more than paying a bit of money, I suppose," Yang Can took a sip of beer and sighed.
"You're quite carefree about it!" Qi Xiaosa laughed, clinking his beer bottle against Yang Can's. He found himself admiring this man—he had even played along when he was showing off.
"People just live too tiresomely, you know? Sometimes, being a bit carefree feels quite comfortable," Yang Can watched as the bedraggled Liuxing quartet walked out, and couldn't help but remark.
Truth be told, his uncle had been quite good to him. Despite such a major accident, he had only scolded him and hadn't demanded he cover the losses. But looking at the situation, he would have to pay a portion of the insurance, while Qi Xiaosa had lost everything down to his last pair of underwear and was forced to live on the streets. He’d eventually had to turn to Liuxing; this time, he’d likely be turning to him.
"Liuxing is actually a decent guy; he just needs to grow a bit more. What I'm really wondering is how Jiuyue Tian pulled it off?" Yang Can shifted the topic. If his guess was correct, this Qi Xiaosa was likely the mysterious person who had stopped the Grasshopper Beast and the Thorn Wood Beast earlier.
"Hmph! I knew it all along, I just didn't expect Jiuyue Tian to have so many tricks up her sleeve..." Qi Xiaosa boasted smugly.
"Indeed, I didn't expect her to be so formidable," Yang Can agreed with a sigh.
Yang Can didn't call his bluff. Men were like that—they cared about face. By giving him this face today, he hoped that if he ever needed help in the future, Qi Xiaosa would return the favor.
"Indeed. If you find yourself with nowhere to go later, brother Qi, you can come work for me!" Yang Can thought it best to keep this ticking time bomb under his own wing; he wasn't sure if Qi Xiaosa would follow the original storyline and join Liuxing.
"Then I’ll thank you in advance, brother!" Qi Xiaosa was overjoyed at the news and raised his bottle to clink with Yang Can's again.
"Alright, I'll be off now. People are waiting for me!" After bidding farewell, he left with Jiuyue under Qi Xiaosa's gaze.
"Phew!" Yang Can slumped into the passenger seat. "Just had a quick drink with brother Qi. You drive!"
Even though they weren't in the rest of the world, traffic rules still had to be followed. The main point was that he didn't have a driver's license.
Jiuyue smiled. It had been quite a thrill today; she hardly knew what to say. She had acted on impulse and stolen the Colorful Cat's Eye, and luckily, she hadn't been caught.
She knew, however, that it was thanks to Yang Can's influence that she had managed to slip through the inspection; otherwise, she might have been discovered on the spot.
"Tell me, Liuxing is truly miserable. Ever since he met Jiuyue Tian, his Star of Ziwei was stolen, he missed the Tear of the Goddess, and now the Colorful Cat's Eye has been smashed!" Yang Can looked out at the neon-lit streets and sighed.
"Yes, he is!" Every time Jiuyue thought of Liuxing’s tragic history, she couldn't help but laugh; he really was a tragic figure.
"Still, he's lucky to have met us. If those debt collectors had caught him, heaven knows what kind of miserable life he'd be living." Yang Can replied, already planning to pull off something big in a few days as he silently went over his plan.
"Here, have some hangover tea!" Upon arriving at the villa, they found the Liuxing trio lying on the floor in a miserable state, with Liuxing bandaged up like a mummy.
Baozi, having been startled awake and coming downstairs, saw Liuxing and remarked at an inopportune moment, "Oh? Is this a friend from India? Greetings!"
"Pfft!" Jiuyue giggled; she admitted she was amused.
"He's quite enthusiastic!" Yang Can hugged Jiuyue on the sofa, whispering in her ear.
"It’s all because of your stupid basin!" Liuxing, in a fit of rage, punched Baozi, sending him flying. If it weren't for that basin, he wouldn't have ended up in this state.
"Young Master! Please, spare him!"
"I'm going to kill him!"
"Wow! Help!"
Yang Can lay on the sofa with Jiuyue in his arms, watching it all quietly and smiling. These characters were truly amusing.
Jiuyue, held in his embrace, laughed along with him.
"Liuxing, go fetch me a blanket, and then you lot go to sleep!"
...
The next day, Yang Can was woken by the sunlight. Jiuyue was still fast asleep in his arms, looking as adorable as a small kitten.
"Xiao Nao, shoo." Yang Can threw some leftover snacks from the night before to Xiao Nao to shoo him away.
"What a beautiful day," Yang Can stretched carefully, soothing his leg, which had gone numb under Jiuyue’s weight, and then stared at her. He had to admit, Jiuyue was truly beautiful.
In Yang Can's eyes, Jiuyue was the most beautiful person in the world of *Starry Sky*, and it had been worth all the effort he’d spent chasing her.
After a while, Jiuyue stirred from her slumber. She opened her eyes to find Yang Can gazing at her intently.
"Awake?" Yang Can smiled gently, then adjusted her into a more comfortable position in his arms.
"Let's go shopping later!" Yang Can thought that now was a critical time; he should continue to build up his rapport with Jiuyue.
"Okay!" Jiuyue agreed. This had been the most comfortable time in her life.
It was a pity she didn't know how long it would last.
As Jiuyue fretted, Yang Can had already finished freshening up. Seeing him, Jiuyue couldn't help but feel relieved. The man before her was a powerful Armor Hero; she had to believe in him.
Unknowingly, Jiuyue had come to view Yang Can as her shield and her peace of mind.
Elsewhere, the ERP organization, following an accidental discovery by Li Xinnan, found that the spiritual pressure of the descendants of the Five Elements Village was lower than that of others.
Upon returning from the hospital, Dongshan and Meizhen were overjoyed. With this discovery, they would have more time and resources to deal with the Phantom Beast attacks.
On the way, Yang Can encountered a sneaky, rat-faced individual who was up to something suspicious.
Seeing the rat-faced man in the distance, Yang Can couldn't help but be amused. He had been looking for them, and here they were, delivering themselves right to his doorstep.
"Xiaoxue, wait a moment."