Chapter 8 It Sounds Familiar

Chapter 8: It Sounded Kind of Familiar

The next day, as soon as they arrived at the mall, Guan Xia dragged Pang Le up and down every floor, but indeed, the person in a panda costume was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s really gone,” Pang Le said, the tension she’d been feeling finally eased. “Seems it really was just a coincidence.”

The mall had four floors and was absurdly spacious. After walking a full circle, Guan Xia could already feel the soreness she’d just gotten rid of returning.

Unable to resist, she lifted her leg to stretch and said, “I’m still pretty curious about why that He Wei guy suddenly had it out for me, but since he’s gone, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“You really wanna know?” Pang Le made a show of pulling out her phone. “Want me to ask around for you?”

Guan Xia rolled her eyes. “I was just saying.”

Knowing Guan Xia so well, Pang Le was aware she wasn’t genuinely curious. Pang Le chuckled at Guan Xia’s annoyed expression and went to steady her. “You really should exercise more. Your legs are sore after just this little bit of walking.”

Guan Xia indignantly glanced at her step count and shoved her phone in Pang Le’s face. “What do you mean, ‘just this little bit’? Look, it’s already over 12,000 steps!”

Pang Le couldn’t help but laugh again. She was about to say something when she noticed a few kids roughhousing as they ran over. She tugged Guan Xia aside and said dismissively, “Yes, yes, you’re amazing today, walking so much already this early in the morning.”

Guan Xia, irritated, punched Pang Le lightly and was ready to retort when she caught a glimpse of a figure downstairs out of the corner of her eye. It looked somewhat familiar, but when she focused, the person was gone. She turned back to Pang Le and said, “Watch your tone. If you keep being sarcastic, don’t blame me for stomping on your new shoes.”

Pang Le instinctively took a step back, glanced down protectively at her still pristine high heels, and raised her hands in surrender. “Alright, I’ll stop.”

Satisfied, Guan Xia turned and headed toward the gym.

As soon as they reached the gym, Pang Le was about to offer her usual reminders when her phone notification chimed.

Pang Le quickly glanced at it, and her expression immediately turned disdainful.

After sending a few brief replies, she looked at Guan Xia and said, “That He Wei really is bad news. The floor manager just texted me—this morning, right after the mall opened, the police came asking about him.”

Guan Xia’s heart skipped a beat. “What did he do?”

Pang Le handed her phone to Guan Xia.

Guan Xia took it and quickly skimmed through the chat log.

Second Floor Manager Sister Tan: Lele, that day you asked me about He Wei, did you know something?

Pang Le: Huh? I don’t know anything. What’s up, Sister Tan?

Second Floor Manager Sister Tan: This morning, right after the mall opened, the police came to ask the logistics manager about him.

Pang Le: Ah? What did he do?

Second Floor Manager Sister Tan: The police didn’t say. They just asked a few questions and took all of He Wei’s information.

Pang Le: Were they patrol officers or detectives?

Second Floor Manager Sister Tan: How would I know? They were all in plain clothes, but one of them looked familiar—I think he might be from the Local Police Station in our mall’s jurisdiction.

Pang Le: So they were regular officers. Seems He Wei really did something, but it probably wasn’t too serious.

Second Floor Manager Sister Tan: Who would’ve thought? He Wei seemed so honest and polite to everyone. Turns out he’s done something wrong.

Pang Le: You can’t judge a book by its cover, Sister Tan. Luckily, he only worked here for three days. Nothing’s gone missing from the mall, right?

Second Floor Manager Sister Tan: Shouldn’t have. He was wearing that huge mascot suit without even pockets—what could he steal?

Pang Le: True.

Returning the phone to Pang Le, Guan Xia felt her tension ease.

Pang Le snorted dismissively. “See? I knew it—no stranger would just randomly hold a grudge against you for no reason. He’s clearly not right in the head. He left today, and the police showed up right after. I bet they’ll catch him in the next couple of days.”

In much better spirits, Guan Xia opened a food delivery app. “Haven’t had bubble tea in days, and I’m kinda craving it. Want one?”

Pang Le immediately scooted next to Guan Xia. “Yes, yes! I want strawberry boba, half sugar, light ice.”

Over the next few days, Guan Xia ate and drank her way through with Pang Le and ended up gaining two pounds.

One evening, after watching a movie and driving back home, just as they entered the parking garage, Pang Le got a sudden craving. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Guan Xia. “Bestie, I suddenly feel like having hotpot.”

Guan Xia, about to unbuckle her seatbelt, glanced at the time. “9:30. If we eat now and go home to sleep, we won’t be up too late. Let’s go.”

But Pang Le fell silent for three seconds before saying, “Never mind. The place we usually go has limited parking, and at this hour, there definitely won’t be any spots. We’d have to park nearby and walk two kilometers. I remember there’s still some hotpot base my friend sent me in the fridge. Let’s just go to the supermarket by the entrance and buy ingredients to make it ourselves.”

Guan Xia nodded. “Sure, let’s go. Quick in and out.”

Since they were just going to the supermarket near their neighborhood, Pang Le didn’t bother driving. The two strolled leisurely toward the store.

It was almost closing time, so the supermarket wasn’t crowded. They quickly gathered most of what they needed. While picking out dipping sauces, a loud *bang* suddenly echoed from nearby, as if something had shattered.

Guan Xia turned and saw a girl who had dropped a bottle of soy sauce, shattering it on the floor. Dark soy sauce spread everywhere, even splashing onto a man’s black leather shoes nearby.

The girl, flustered, kept apologizing and handed the man a tissue. Fortunately, the man seemed good-natured and didn’t get angry. He took the tissue, carefully wiped his shoes, and even asked if the girl was okay.

His voice wasn’t loud, but Guan Xia could hear it clearly. It sounded somewhat familiar.

Pang Le glanced over briefly before losing interest. She picked up a dipping sauce and showed it to Guan Xia. “Is this the one? I think this is what we bought last time we had hotpot.”

Guan Xia examined it closely and nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, this is it. Now we’ve got everything. Let’s go.”

Pang Le tossed it into the cart, let Guan Xia lead the way, and headed to the checkout counter.

After paying, they stood at the packing counter at the end of the checkout lane, quickly bagging their items. Guan Xia heard that familiar voice again: “No bag, thanks.”

Subconsciously, she looked up and saw an unfamiliar face—square-shaped with large eyes, thick eyebrows, a low nose bridge, and thin, pale lips, as if he weren’t in the best health.

After just a glance, Guan Xia averted her eyes.

Pang Le divided their items into two bags, handing the lighter one to Guan Xia. “You carry this one. Let’s go. I’m pretty sure we still have a few bottles of drinks left from last time we had hotpot. We can finish them tonight.”

Guan Xia asked, “When was the last time you had hotpot at home with your friends?”

Pang Le thought for a moment. “I think it was… six months ago?”

Guan Xia: “…I’ll make sure to check the expiration date before drinking any later.”

Back home, after they’d chopped everything, set it out, and got the pot boiling, Guan Xia immediately picked up the drink Pang Le had left on the table and checked the expiration date. It was still good for another week.

Pang Le leaned over to look as well. “Not expired. Perfect timing to finish them today.”

She evenly distributed the drinks, opened one, and handed it to Guan Xia. They clinked bottles before digging in.

“Happy weekend,” Pang Le said, downing half her bottle in one go. She happily settled into her chair and started mixing dipping sauces for both of them.

Guan Xia waited for the pot to boil. As she glanced away, her eyes fell on her phone lying on the table, and she suddenly felt a wave of melancholy.

During their meals, she not only received a reply from that police officer but also had a few intermittent conversations with him. However, to her surprise, the system still didn't respond.

Even though she carefully guided the police officer to ask her questions, fulfilling the necessary conditions she had analyzed during the system binding.

As one of the transmigrators, Guan Xia felt that her system was probably the most difficult one to handle among all systems.

After quickly eating until she was about 70% full, Guan Xia couldn’t help but ask Pang Le, "Have you heard any updates about the case in my building recently?"

Pang Le fished out the nearly overcooked tripe and placed it in Guan Xia’s bowl, casually replying, "Well, yes, but nothing significant. My ex-boyfriend only told me that the police seem to have made major progress, though he doesn’t know the specifics. He inferred it from hearing that the task force had multiplied the number of officers assigned."

Guan Xia didn’t quite understand these intricacies within the police system and looked at Pang Le with confusion.

Pang Le couldn’t help but laugh when he met her gaze. "If you don’t get it, neither do I. But I guess that suddenly increasing the police force after so many days since the case happened means they’ve at least confirmed the direction of the investigation. Otherwise, mobilizing this many officers costs money every second. Without sufficient reason, the higher-ups wouldn’t easily approve it."

Hearing this, Guan Xia understood and once again sincerely prayed that the police would arrest the murderer as soon as possible.

They didn’t leave the table until 11 p.m., both feeling too lazy to move, so they each took a corner of the sofa to chat.

Pang Le’s phone buzzed a few times, and he suddenly asked Guan Xia, "Are you free next weekend? Lawyer Shi invited us to go camping."

"Us?" Guan Xia looked skeptical. "He invited you, right? Don’t drag me into it."

Pang Le said sincerely, "It really is both of us. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself." He handed his phone over.

Guan Xia was too comfortable in her position to move and thought for a moment before replying, "Let’s see. If the police catch the murderer in the next few days, I plan to go back and pack up to move. My birthday is coming up soon, and it’d be nice to start fresh in the new place for good luck."

Pang Le remembered and asked her, "I recall you pay rent annually, right? Have you talked to your landlord? If she tries to pull a fast one on you, I’ll bring Lawyer Shi along to help you out."

Guan Xia smiled. "It’s settled. My landlord is really easy to talk to. Not only did she agree to refund the extra rent after I move out, but she also said she’d pay me for any items I bought over the past two years if I don’t take them with me. It’s not much, but better than nothing."

Pang Le was surprised. "Sounds like your landlord is really nice. But since you’re moving, how can I not be there?"

Pang Le started typing on his phone again. "Then I’ll reschedule with Lawyer Shi and help you move first."

Guan Xia wasn’t having it and scoffed. "I think you just want to drag me along. Let me make this clear—if it’s one of those 'he brings a friend, you bring a friend' setups, I wouldn’t go even if you threatened to cut ties with me."

Pang Le rolled his eyes at Guan Xia. "What kind of person do you take me for? Do you think I, Pang Le, would do something so untrustworthy? Don’t worry, it’s not just us—there are plenty of people. Lawyer Shi is a hiking enthusiast and has a dedicated group. They often organize trips to the mountains to unwind. You definitely won’t be bored or feel awkward."

Only then did Guan Xia feel reassured and shifted into an even more comfortable position to relax.