Chapter 47

Shi Shunzhong needed to report Lei Huanxi's request to his superiors, and getting a response wouldn't be a matter of just a day or two. After all, this was an unprecedented event in the history of the national swimming team.

Lei Huanxi wasn't going to wait around here foolishly.

Early in the morning, when he went down to have breakfast, he originally wanted to call Annie and Mo Fatty, but then he thought these two must still be sleeping, so he decided not to bother them.

He came to the restaurant, took some food, and sat down in a corner by the window.

When he worked here before, he never imagined he would one day be able to leisurely enjoy a breakfast here.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar figure pass by. He looked up, and their eyes met. Both of them blurted out at the same time:

"Manager Gu?"

"Lei Huanxi?"

It was the security manager, Gu Biao.

The two could be considered "old acquaintances." Seeing Lei Huanxi, Gu Biao was quite embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, he sat down opposite Lei Huanxi and asked, knowing the answer already, "Having breakfast?"

"Yep, you too," Lei Huanxi replied, but in his heart, he thought, "Isn't this obvious? If you're here, you're having breakfast, not here to enjoy the view, right?"

Suddenly, he noticed that Gu Biao's right hand was wrapped in bandages, and he felt curious. "Manager Gu, what happened?"

Gu Biao's face turned even more grim. "Lei Huanxi, no, Brother Huanxi, I'm convinced. Beating you that time was wrong, but I was just working for someone. You know, someone else was behind it. I won't dare to do it again. You're my brother, no, you're my elder. Please let me off."

What was he talking about? It was all a mess. Lei Huanxi was completely confused. "Manager Gu, what exactly happened? What did I do to you?"

Gu Biao smiled bitterly. "Nothing, nothing, but I really learned my lesson this time. Look, my hand... I promise to treat you with respect from now on. If anyone asks me to do anything to you, rest assured, I'd rather quit than do it."

Lei Huanxi was really puzzled. From Gu Biao's words, it seemed that his hand was injured because of him?

This was a complete misunderstanding.

The first time, Gu Biao beat Lei Huanxi, but the second time, Lei Huanxi beat Gu Biao. Including the incident at the bar, they were even.

Besides, he didn't know anyone who could injure Gu Biao.

"Manager Gu, do you mean this injury is related to me?" Lei Huanxi decided to clarify the matter. "I'm telling you, I really don't know what happened."

Gu Biao was surprised. "You really don't know?"

He then smiled bitterly. "I still admire you. You might not know, but you have many friends and wide connections. Without you saying a word, someone naturally stepped in to teach me a lesson. If it weren't for that person letting me off, my hand would have been ruined. Brother Huanxi, there's no wine here, but I'll formally apologize to you. If you need anything in the future, just say the word."

As he spoke, he raised a glass of milk.

Lei Huanxi was still in a fog, completely unaware of what had happened, and dazedly clinked glasses with Gu Biao.

This gesture meant nothing to Lei Huanxi, but for someone like Gu Biao, it was like erasing all past grievances. He immediately perked up.

"Brother Huanxi, I was wrong before. Let's turn the page. If you need anything in the future, just say the word. I'll do my best to help, and if I can't, I'll do my utmost to find a way. Here's my card."

Gu Biao handed over his business card, chatted with Lei Huanxi for a while, and then got up to leave.

Wasn't Gu Biao's attitude changing too quickly? Who had stepped in to teach Gu Biao a lesson? He didn't know anyone who could do that.

"Brother Huanxi, you're so unbrotherly, having breakfast without me."

Just as Lei Huanxi was puzzled, Annie yawned and sat down in front of him with her breakfast. "Sitting so far away, it took me a while to find you."

She then picked up her phone and waited a moment. "Fatty, are you up? I'm in the restaurant with Brother Huanxi. Hurry up."

Lei Huanxi suddenly had an idea. "Annie, did you help me teach Gu Biao a lesson?"

"Gu Biao? Teach him a lesson?" Annie was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

If it wasn't Annie, Lei Huanxi was really at a loss...

Annie ate very little: a slice of bacon, a fried egg, a glass of milk, and a banana. But when Mo Fatty came down with his breakfast, Lei Huanxi and Annie looked at each other and said in unison:

"Any restaurant with a customer like you will go bankrupt."

Mo Fatty ignored them. For him, food was more tempting than these two.

He finished a plate and got up to take another full one. He wasn't picky, trying a little of everything, then sitting back down, getting up again, and taking more...

By the fourth time, Lei Huanxi felt that the waiters were all looking at them. "Fatty, I'll wait for you outside."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh." Mo Fatty's mouth was full of food, and he didn't even look up.

"Brother Huanxi, wait for me, I need to touch up my makeup." Annie also hurriedly stood up.

He couldn't afford to lose face...

After waiting outside for a full 20 minutes, he finally saw a satisfied Mo Fatty wobbling out. The look of contentment on his face made Annie say, "We can't bring Fatty to eat in the future."

"You don't understand. The most important nutrients of the day are in breakfast. I was very restrained today." Mo Fatty didn't care what others thought. "What's the plan for today?"

"Who here knows jade?" Lei Huanxi thought that since they were here, he might as well buy a piece of jade to take back. Little Fatty would definitely need it in the future.

Suddenly, he thought that Little Fatty and Mo Fatty had a lot in common... both treating eating as their most "sacred" mission...

"I do." Mo Fatty immediately volunteered.

"You know jade?"

"Are you looking down on me?" Mo Fatty was quite proud. "As your agent, I need to know a lot. When I was young, no one wanted to play with me, so I often went to antique markets and learned a lot. I might not be an expert, but I'm better than most people."

Hearing this, Lei Huanxi felt reassured. "Come with me to the antique market to buy a piece of jade."

"What do you need jade for?" Annie clearly wasn't very interested. She would be happy to go shopping at a mall.

But then she perked up. "Right, isn't the pet market next to the antique market? Let's go to the pet market first. I want to buy a parrot."

In the elevator, Annie was excited. "I have a friend who has a parrot. It's very smart and can even talk. I've always wanted one."

Lei Huanxi's face suddenly showed a sad expression, and he wiped his eyes.

"Brother Huanxi, what's wrong?" Annie was taken aback.

Lei Huanxi looked sad. "I'm sad for the parrots at the pet market... once they fall into the hands of Miss Annie, I can't imagine what kind of tragic fate they will face..."

"Lei Huanxi, you're asking for it!"

Lei Huanxi's screams echoed in the elevator...

...

The pet market in Yundong City was quite famous nationwide, attracting flower and pet enthusiasts and dealers from all over the country.

When they got out of Annie's car, Lei Huanxi couldn't help but say, "Can we drive a more low-key car next time? Didn't you see everyone looking at us?"

A bright red sports car was indeed too eye-catching in the parking lot.

Annie didn't care. "I like it."

The pet market here was a bit different from others. Except for the dog dealers, the other shop owners didn't greet customers much. They lazily held teapots, sitting there with an indifferent attitude.

They could tell at a glance whether you were a casual visitor, a dealer, or just there for the fun.

For young people like Lei Huanxi, nine out of ten were just curious and would buy a parrot or a mynah bird for fun.

On the contrary, the dog dealers were overly enthusiastic. As soon as they saw a customer, they would bang on the cages with a stick, making the dogs bark excitedly, looking lively.

"Brother Huanxi, I heard these are all sick dogs," Annie said without a care. "The dog dealers don't feed the dogs, and banging the cage is a signal for feeding. So when they bang the cage, the dogs think it's feeding time and get excited. They look good, but they're all sick. Some dealers even prop up the dogs' ears with toothpicks..."

Seeing the fierce looks from a few dog dealers, Lei Huanxi quickly pulled Annie's hand, and they rushed out of the dog market with Mo Fatty.

If they had stayed any longer, they would have been beaten. The dog dealers were all united, and those who bought sick dogs and tried to return them often ended up beaten instead of getting a refund.

Shopping with Miss Annie was tiring, but shopping at the dog market with her was dangerous.

"I haven't seen enough of those puppies yet," Annie was dissatisfied.

"Seen enough? If we stay any longer, we won't get out alive," Mo Fatty was still shaken, looking back at the dog dealers who were still glaring at them, and quickly turned around. "Let's go buy a parrot, it's too scary here."

Lei Huanxi and Mo Fatty looked at each other, both thinking that coming here with Annie was their biggest mistake today.

Thank goodness they ran fast enough...

"Look, what are those people doing over there?" Annie's mood changed suddenly, pointing excitedly at a group of people ahead.

In front of a shop, about ten people were gathered, watching something.