Chapter Thirty-Three: Abandoning Her

Thank you, brothers, for your rewards, recommendations, and collections. The Half-Immortal will keep striving!

The next day, Qiu Fengyu’s noodle shop opened as usual. But the first to arrive was not the man named Anthony Malloy, but rather Harry Davis. This small-time hoodlum showed up at Qiu Fengyu’s noodle shop around ten in the morning.

“Mr. Qiu. I can do a lot of things. Serving noodles, washing dishes, mopping the floor—I can even clean your windows. I can do anything,” Harry Davis said, hovering around Qiu Fengyu.

“Do you really want this job?” Qiu Fengyu looked at him. “Tell me why. Is it because David is gone, you lost your boss, and now nobody pays attention to you? No more protection money?”

“That’s part of it…” Harry Davis admitted. “But mainly... you know, those Russians are expanding their territory. Ever since taking that heavy loss, they've been busy with it. Now they want us to join them...”

“They joined?” Qiu Fengyu glanced at him, meaning the two who used to run with Harry Davis.

Harry Davis nodded. “Yeah. They couldn’t take the pressure—they’re with them now. But I didn’t agree. I quit. I don’t want to be mixed up with that crowd anymore. Look at David—I know now. They’re just a bunch of bastards who want you to risk your life for them and give you nothing in return… It’s not worth it.”

“There are plenty of jobs here—cashier at the supermarket, deliveryman, bartender, or waiter at bars. I know of a lot. Why come to me?” Qiu Fengyu eyed him. “Honestly, I don’t want to hear any nonsense—‘Ah, this is the place I love, I adore this kind of work, I love Chinese food, I love noodles…’ If you say that, it’s just disgusting.”

Harry Davis couldn’t help but want to laugh, but he held it in and replied, “Yes, I’ll be honest. It’s because I know, in this place, except for you… there’s no one who can protect me.”

“You trust me that much?” Qiu Fengyu found him rather interesting.

“Yes, I think so. Just because David trusted you,” Harry Davis looked around before continuing. “I know David rarely trusted anyone that firmly. But he trusted you. Nobody knows what really happened in that Russian gang, but I know David escaped, and the first thing he did was ask me to thank you.”

Qiu Fengyu was taken aback, then regarded Harry Davis with curiosity.

“You’re smart.”

“Sometimes I can be rather stupid. For instance… when there are a lot of people, I forget things like this. When it’s just the two of us, I might remember a little.” Harry Davis grinned, seemingly sincere.

Qiu Fengyu took a deep breath and said, “One last question. How long do you plan on working here?”

Harry Davis looked at Qiu Fengyu and, with a smile, countered, “Well… how long do you plan on running this noodle shop?”

Qiu Fengyu was caught off guard again, then laughed. “Ah—that’s a brilliant retort, my friend. I have to say, I like you. Maybe that’s why David trusted you as well. You really are smart.”

“So… can I start looking forward to my job?”

“Of course, it’s yours. Serving noodles, clearing tables, cleaning up—anything I can think of, you do it. Anything I can’t think of, you do it too.” As he spoke, Qiu Fengyu unfastened his apron and tossed it to Harry Davis. “Starting now!”

Davis caught it and, as if it were second nature, tied it around his waist and got to work. In truth, Qiu Fengyu had underestimated him—he handled everything with practiced ease.

“Two bowls of ramen.” Anthony Malloy and his daughter, April Malloy, finally arrived.

Father and daughter sat facing each other in a booth. April seemed distracted, her gaze wandering restlessly.

“Two bowls of noodles, here you are,” Harry Davis said, bringing them over, but he accidentally spilled a bit of broth.

April frowned, displeased, and looked at Davis with a mocking tone. “You really ought to learn how to be a proper waiter.”

“Sorry, that’s my fault,” Harry Davis smiled, reaching out his hand. “My name is Harry Davis. You can call me Harry.”

“Sorry, I’m not interested in meeting you. I’ve had enough of this godforsaken town!” April retorted angrily.

“April, don’t be like that!” Anthony Malloy admonished his daughter. “We need to learn to make friends with the people here, all right?”

“That’s your business, Malloy. Don’t look at me like that. This is your issue, and who knows when it will be over.” The girl’s temper flared again as she snapped at Malloy.

“It’ll be soon, just a little patience. I promise, at most two months.”

“Your promises are worth as much as a pile of ****!” April scoffed and began eating. Still, the noodles tasted quite good. She seemed to want to find something to complain about, but in the end, said nothing.

“Well…” Davis felt standing there was pure torture, so he shrugged and walked away. Clearly, this girl was not someone he could mess with—her temper was truly something else.

“You’d better not provoke that girl,” Qiu Fengyu said to Davis as he returned to the kitchen. “She’s not someone you can handle. My advice—take it.”

“I just wanted to get to know her… What’s her name?” Davis asked Qiu Fengyu eagerly.

“Even if I know, I won’t tell you. If you’ve got what it takes, ask her yourself,” Qiu Fengyu replied, waving his hand. “Take the noodles out… And remember my advice—she’s out of your league.”

“All right, I get it. I’ll remember!” Davis nodded, carrying the noodles out.

After selling twenty bowls, Qiu Fengyu decided to make a trip to Paso City in the afternoon to stock up on supplies. With Davis working there, he’d have to sell at least thirty bowls a day just to make about the same money as before.

After buying all the ingredients, he also picked up a set of clothes for Davis, matching his size. When Qiu Fengyu returned to the shop, Coffin was already there, and she said, “Photos.”

Qiu Fengyu took out his phone and opened the camera roll—photos he had taken of the so-called father and daughter. Clear, front-facing shots. Coffin was satisfied and sent the images back to the police station.

Soon, the police called back. “We’re sorry, Officer Coffin. We can’t access any information on these two—the clearance level is too high. We can’t find anything.”

Qiu Fengyu, standing to the side, laughed. “I’m not the least bit surprised by that.”

“At least now we know—this man isn’t a killer; he’s a government person. Either an FBI agent or someone even higher up with a need for secrecy. In any case, our investigation ends here. That’s an order.” She seemed to worry that Qiu Fengyu would do as he pleased, so she added a warning.

“I’m not your subordinate,” Qiu Fengyu shrugged.

“Just remember this!” Coffin said. “It’s obvious. If we can’t find any record on them, they must be agents or some other official personnel. Coming here… there can only be one reason: either the girl or the man needs protection… or a new identity, a fresh start. Or maybe the Federal Witness Protection Program… In any case, it’s not our business.”

“So… do you think I’d meddle in all this? How bored would I have to be?” Qiu Fengyu spread his hands. “All right, I understand.”

Coffin still seemed uneasy and glanced at Qiu Fengyu, as if wanting to say more. Qiu Fengyu nodded quickly, giving an “OK” gesture to show he understood.

Anthony Malloy was a man of routine. Every day at twelve-thirty, he and April would arrive at Qiu Fengyu’s noodle shop for lunch. No matter what April thought of Qiu Fengyu or Davis, she still came every day with Anthony to eat, though she rarely spoke.

Harry Davis, knowing she wasn’t someone to mess with, never dared approach her. Each time, he’d set down the noodles and walk away at once.

“Is she going to bite you? Come on, you ought to show a little courage. Even if you don’t talk to her, don’t act so wimpy,” Qiu Fengyu told a rather dejected Davis, just back in the kitchen.

“I... I can’t help it. I don’t know why, but when I see her, I just feel… uneasy,” Davis replied, his face awkward.

“My god, don’t tell me... you’ve actually fallen for her?”

“I don’t know… Qiu, I’ve never felt like this before…” Davis gave a wry shrug.

“You’ve never been in love?”

“I have, but… you know, it was never serious, just fooling around. Yeah, maybe I do like her—damn it, what should I do?”

“Then just give her up,” Qiu Fengyu said carelessly.

“Oh God, she’s never liked me, never even looked me in the eye. How am I supposed to give up on something that never started?” Davis was exasperated.