Gonggong glanced at it and realized that this was probably the card he wanted. He seemed about to speak, but Zhurong glared at him, and he quickly shut his mouth.
Xu Ershao, on the other side, was completely unaware of what was happening, and laughed three times: "Bang!! Hahaha, a little bird delivered to my door! Watch how I soar into the sky!"
Old Tian felt a little guilty and glanced at Chen Xiao: "Hey, you guys don't care about Chen Xiao at all! It's a kidnapping after all, such a big deal. Come on, Chen Xiao, sit down and have some water to calm down."
However, it is clear that while these words are true, they do not seem to be very sincere.
Chen Xiao was still bandaged up. Xiangbin came over and carefully helped Chen Xiao sit down, and even thoughtfully gave him a cushion.
The three unscrupulous bosses of the abandoned street were still playing cards, while Xu Ershao seemed to be struggling to stay afloat. Judging from his appearance, he had the fewest chips, and had probably lost quite a bit.
But Young Master Xu seemed very happy; the more he lost, the happier he became.
"I have something to announce."
Chen Xiao thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Okay, go ahead and say it." The three old men didn't look up.
“I…” Chen Xiao thought for a moment and said, “I… plan to study abroad.”
Now, all three unscrupulous bosses looked up at the same time!
All three of them looked somewhat surprised.
Old Tian chuckled and said, "Kid, you haven't forgotten that you owe us money that you can only pay back when you're sixty, have you? You think you can just pack up and leave now?"
Chen Xiao smiled but didn't say anything.
Zhu Rong frowned, looking at Chen Xiao with some concern in her voice: "Chen Xiao... now that you're with us, we can still take care of you to some extent, but if you leave..."
"I've made up my mind." Chen Xiao looked at Zhu Rong and said softly, "Big Sister Zhu Rong, I know you mean well, and I appreciate it, but... I can't always hide by your side like this. There are many things I have to face on my own."
Old Tian suddenly shoved the cards in front of him over, stood up, and looked at Chen Xiao seriously: "Are you really sure?" The club has already sent people to arrest me. If there's a first time, there will be a second; the trouble will only continue." Chen Xiao sighed: "I was... maybe I really was too naive before. At eighteen, I thought things were all very simple..."
“We old guys are here, what are the club people afraid of!” Zhu Rong slammed his fist on the table.
Chen Xiao remained calm as he looked at Zhu Rong: "Can I hide here forever?"
"..." Zhu Rong was speechless.
Zhu Rong knew she couldn't bring herself to say something like, "Let a grown man like Chen Xiao hide under the protection of these old folks for the rest of his life."
"I've made up my mind." Chen Xiao shook his head. "First, it's impossible for me to continue being an ordinary person. Second, I'm already involved in this circle. It's not just the club and the service organization; other superpowered organizations might also come after me... for example..." Chen Xiao suddenly paused, not finishing his sentence, and didn't mention the Rocky incident from today.
"And thirdly... there's a feud between my clubs, so I can't join one! Therefore..."
"So what?"
“So…” Chen Xiao looked at the three old men.
"I've decided to join the service!"
Old Tian's face darkened. He looked at Chen Xiao, sighed, and seemed hesitant to speak. He muttered softly to himself, "Sigh...it always ends like this..." Chen Xiao bowed to the three old men, "Thank you for taking care of me before. Um...and Uncle Gonggong, may I speak with you alone for a moment?"
Gonggong paused for a moment, looked at Zhurong, who was in a low mood, and waved her hand.
Chen Xiao and Gonggong walked out of the coffee shop and onto the street.
"Gonggong...do you remember that night? You accepted a commission, asking me to keep it a secret for you—those two strange fellows, and the strange collars they brought!"
Chen Xiao looked at Gonggong.
Gonggong's expression immediately changed.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry into your privacy, it’s just… I’m worried!” Chen Xiao sighed. “When that red-haired guy from the club came to arrest me this time, he took out a collar that was almost exactly the same as the one I saw last time! He told me to put on the collar and obediently go with them… So, that collar wasn’t for locking up any animals, but for locking up people, right?”
Gonggong had not yet spoken.
“After I was attacked and hospitalized, you didn’t come to see me or say a word to me… You probably guessed what I saw, right? So you’re avoiding me, afraid I’ll ask you questions, right?”
Chen Xiao looked into Gonggong's eyes and said seriously, "Gonggong, there aren't many people in this world who are good to me... You guys are all among them! So, I really don't want anything to happen to you! Tell me, do you have any grudges with the club?"
Chapter 127 [White Gloves]
How much do you know about the club?
Gonggong did not answer Chen Xiao's question directly, but instead asked him a question in return.
Chen Xiao thought for a moment: "At least, I know that my parents' deaths were related to the club."
Gonggong nodded: "I understand how you feel. But..."
He stared at Chen Xiao, his expression serious: "Chen Xiao, I didn't know these things. Now that I've said them, I don't know if you'll listen... but I feel it's still necessary to say them!"
Chen Xiao looked at Gonggong with sincere eyes: "Go ahead and tell me. I know you won't lie to me."
Gonggong seemed to smile, then his voice sounded somewhat low.
"Clubs are not necessarily evil...and service organizations are not necessarily righteous."
The voice wasn't loud, but Chen Xiao sensed a strange and complex undertone in it.
After hearing this, he lowered his head and thought for a moment, then gave a bitter smile: "You're not the only one who's said this to me."
“Old Tian also said that, right?” Gonggong laughed and patted Chen Xiao on the shoulder: “We all know about Old Tian’s situation. He was also… a heartbroken man.”
Chen Xiao looked into Gonggong's eyes, seemingly trying to glean something from the gaze of this burly man.