Upside Down Grocery Shop - Chapter 25

The candle in Su Ran’s hand had already burned out, and he calmly gave a final warning.
“What you saw just now—don’t tell anyone else about it. Otherwise, disaster will follow, and I won’t be able to save you.”

” Su Ran,” Li Xiaotong looked at him with wide eyes. “Who are you, really?”

“Me? I’m just a shopkeeper, nothing more.”

Li Xiaotong knew that no matter what she heard or saw tonight, if she were to share it with anyone else, they’d think she was crazy.
As for Su Ran’s true identity, she might never know for the rest of her life.

“Su Ran, now that we know Qian Qian was murdered, I’m going to avenge her!”
If Qian Qian’s last memory was of a flying sword, this clearly wasn’t an accident.

Su Ran sneered, his tone laced with sarcasm. “Avenge her? You think you’re a hero? Upholding justice and seeking revenge? Wake up! It’s the 21st century. That old-school stuff doesn’t work anymore. Talking about revenge all the time doesn’t make you sound righteous—it just makes you look ignorant and childish.”

“Then what do you suggest? Just let Qian Qian’s death go unavenged?”

“What else can you do? She’s dead. Dead is dead. You’re not planning to resurrect her, are you?”

“Exactly!” Li Xiaotong’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Resurrect her! Su Ran, if you can let me see Qian Qian one last time, surely you can bring her back to life, right?”

“Girl, is your brain made of porridge? If resurrection were possible, wouldn’t the world have already descended into chaos by now?” Su Ran rolled his eyes in exasperation. “When someone’s dead, it’s over—done—GAME OVER. Got it?”

“But… but Qian Qian…” Li Xiaotong trailed off, unable to continue.

“I already broke the rules by letting you see her. If you keep making unreasonable demands, don’t bother coming back to my shop again.”

Li Xiaotong stood there crying silently, rubbing her eyes but making no sound.

“Such a headache. Don’t come looking for me again,” Su Ran muttered impatiently as he opened the door and pushed her out.

Only then did she notice that it was already broad daylight outside.
Seeing Qian Qian had felt like just ten or so minutes, but an entire night had passed.

Li Xiaotong wanted to say more, but Su Ran slammed the door shut with a resounding thud.

Inside, Su Ran remained silent. Resurrect her? If resurrection were an option, like hell it’d be her turn!

Li Xiaotong knew she’d angered Su Ran. He had already done her a huge favor by arranging that final meeting with Qian Qian, and he hadn’t asked for a single thing in return. She had gone too far with her demands, and she knew it.

Looking back at the grocery shop, she figured Su Ran wouldn’t forgive her anytime soon. It’d be best to wait until his temper cooled before apologizing.

But when Li Xiaotong returned to school, her dorm mates hit her with more bad news.

Qian Qian’s boyfriend was dead.

He had drowned in a river on the outskirts of town during the night. A jogger found the body in the morning, bloated beyond recognition.

Li Xiaotong could no longer sit still. With Qian Qian’s words still echoing in her mind, and now this tragedy, she was beside herself.

She rushed out to confirm the news. Though she didn’t want to believe it, the truth remained undeniable.

It really was Qian Qian’s boyfriend.

She had met the boy before.

He was a quiet type, not into sports or video games. He enjoyed writing and food, which had given him a bit of a belly.

He had treated Qian Qian well, but now, he was gone, just like that.

Rumors swirled: some said he had taken his own life out of love for Qian Qian; others claimed he had accidentally slipped, while some thought it was a swimming accident.

Li Xiaotong couldn’t tell fact from fiction amidst the gossip, but one thing she was sure of—he hadn’t slipped and fallen.

The boy knew how to swim, and he was good at it.

More importantly, he often warned Qian Qian and their friends about the dangers of water and fire, telling them to avoid unsafe areas. If they wanted to swim, he insisted it had to be in a proper pool.

After seeing Qian Qian, and now witnessing the boy’s death, Li Xiaotong was certain something wasn’t adding up.

But she couldn’t figure it out on her own. There was only one person who might know.

Today, Su Ran really didn’t want to open his shop. He hadn’t slept all night and figured he deserved some rest. But his right eyelid wouldn’t stop twitching, giving him an ominous feeling.

“Left eye twitch means fortune, right eye twitch means disaster. Am I going to have bad luck today?”

Before he could finish muttering to himself, he saw Li Xiaotong running toward him like her life depended on it.

She was out of breath, gasping for air as she tried to speak. “Something… something… something happened!”

“Take your time and tell me.”

After several deep breaths, Li Xiaotong finally managed to calm down. “Someone else died!”

Su Ran’s eyes flickered slightly.

In just a few days, two people closely connected to each other had died. Calling it a coincidence seemed far-fetched.

Qian Qian’s situation was still unresolved, and now her boyfriend was gone.

Li Xiaotong stared at Su Ran’s silent expression. ” Su Ran, say something!”

“What do you want me to say?”

“What do we do now?”

Li Xiaotong was about to lose her mind over Su Ran’s unnervingly calm attitude. A person had died, and he didn’t even flinch!

“What can I do?” Su Ran shrugged as he dragged over a small stool to sit on. “First, I’m not a cop, so this isn’t my jurisdiction. Second, I’m not a detective, so I can’t solve crimes. What do you want me to say?”

“But… but…”

She stammered for a while but couldn’t come up with anything.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to lecture me about great power coming with great responsibility. I’m not Spider-Man, and you’re not his uncle.”

Li Xiaotong fell silent.

She stood there, unmoving, staring outside.

Su Ran sat on his stool, equally motionless, staring at the street.

At that moment, a chubby kid burst into the shop, grinning at Su Ran.

“Boss, I’m back again!”

He glanced at Li Xiaotong but didn’t pay her much attention, assuming she was just another customer.

This kid again, coming to scam food and drinks.

“Did you bring money this time, or are you just here to mooch?”

“I’ve got money,” the kid said triumphantly, waving a ten-bucks note as he strutted inside like he owned the place. “Give me the best stuff you’ve got!”

Su Ran chuckled, snatching the note and handing him a piece of bread. “The rest goes toward your tab. You still owe me fifty-eight yuan.”

“Swindler!” The kid scowled, then broke into a sly grin. “I knew you’d pull something like this, so I came prepared. Check this out!” Like a magician, he whipped out a hundred-bucks bill.

“Well, well, the chubby kid’s rich now, huh? In this day and age, money talks. Help yourself to whatever you want!” Su Ran took the bill, inspected it, and confirmed it was genuine.

“Hmph!” The kid grabbed a bag of chips, plopped down on a stool, and started munching away without a care.