Leaving Little White Flower to continue cleaning the shop, Xia Xu headed alone to the construction sites where the old construction worker might show up.
Over the past few days, his classes had left him with only enough time for a hurried visit at noon. At night, the area was deserted and dark because the public facilities were still incomplete, making it a terrible place to search for someone.
Now that it was the weekend, he decided to try a different approach and search the nearby construction sites directly.
As a supporting character in "The Dying Man," the old construction worker was bound to have a supporting character fate. Xia Xu could confirm his identity through his status panel alone. If he really worked at one of the nearby sites, finding him should be straightforward.
"What are you here for? This is a construction site. No unauthorized entry."
Xia Xu hit a snag as soon as he reached the entrance to a nearby site. There was actually an elderly security guard stationed at the gate, and he stopped Xia Xu right there.
"I'm looking for a relative. Could you make an exception, sir? Don't worry, I definitely won't wander around."
As Xia Xu pleaded, he deftly pulled a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket and stepped forward to offer one.
"Then call your relative and have him come get you. Otherwise, you could wander around in there and get killed by something falling on you before you even knew what happened. I can't take responsibility for that."
Unexpectedly, the elderly guard refused to play along. Whether he wanted to avoid owing Xia Xu a favor or simply didn't smoke, he waved away the offered cigarette, looking utterly uncompromising.
"Come on, sir," Xia Xu said helplessly. "I don't have his number. I only know he's in here..."
"Save it. Let me tell you, young man, you've still got a lot to learn. Wearing that little suit and handing out cigarettes like a pro-you're probably selling either insurance or phone plans, aren't you?"
The elderly guard grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
The major telecom carriers all liked using street promotions to compete for customers. Their favorite tactic was sending groups of students to places like construction sites to sell mobile plans. He had seen it plenty of times.
"I..."
Faced with the guard who had supposedly seen through everything, Xia Xu exhausted every polite appeal he could think of, then was finally left speechless.
"Grandpa Liu, how about I take him inside? I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't wander off."
Just as Xia Xu was about to think of another approach, a girl's clear, bright voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Xia Xue, bringing your dad another special meal?"
The previously stern guard immediately broke into a broad smile at the sound of her voice, his expression turning kindly in an instant.
Xia Xu turned toward the voice as well. The speaker was a girl with shoulder-length hair, dressed in a school uniform and carrying a silver stainless-steel lunch box.
From her appearance, she was probably a high school student too, around Tang Youxin's age. Although her looks fell far short of Little White Flower's, their overall presence was very similar: both were petite, delicate girls.
The difference was that Tang Youxin was quieter and more introverted, with a vulnerable air that stirred sympathy, while the girl the guard called Xia Xue was more lively and sunny. Her smile was sweet, and with it, her otherwise merely above-average looks made her quite a little beauty.
"Yep. My mom has work today, so she had to send me again."
Xia Xue walked up to the guard booth with a cheerful smile, glanced sideways at Xia Xu, then said to the elderly guard, "Grandpa Liu, you haven't answered me yet. Let me take him inside. I promise I won't let him wander off."
"Of course, of course. Since you're asking, Xia Xue, it's no problem."
If this elderly guard had a granddaughter, he was undoubtedly the sort to dote on her. When he smiled at Xia Xue, the wrinkles on his face bunched up like chrysanthemum petals, but when he turned back to Xia Xu, his expression became disdainful again. "Go on, then. Go on. Stick with Xia Xue and don't wander around."
"No problem. Thank you, sir."
Xia Xu wasn't annoyed. Instead, he thanked him.
After all, the guard was only doing his job. Refusing him entry was his duty; letting him in was a favor.
"Thank you."
After following Xia Xue into the site, Xia Xu thanked her too.
"No need. It was such a tiny favor it hardly even counts."
Xia Xue spoke with an open, cheerful smile, then paused before adding, "But don't hold it against Grandpa Liu. He was just worried you'd get hurt. Things can easily fall and hit people on construction sites. There was an accident here just a few days ago."
"I understand. Don't worry, I'm not that petty. I'm already glad I got inside."
Xia Xu nodded slightly.
"I'm going to bring my dad his lunch. If you're looking for someone, try to stay around the edges. Don't go near the scaffolding or tower cranes. It's dangerous."
Still concerned, Xia Xue gave him another warning before jogging toward a group of construction workers who seemed to have just finished work for a break.
Xia Xu wasted no time. As everyone came down from the building one after another to rest and eat, he quickly checked their stats, focusing specifically on the older men. Naturally, the elderly guard at the gate was included.
He also took a quick look at Xia Xue's stats.
[Name]: Xia Xue [Life tier]: 1 [Fate potential]: Police Officer (3 stars) [Talent potential]: Forensic Trace Examination (2 stars) [Special]: None [Obsession]: Get into a good university. [Affinity]: 30
"If I ever have a daughter, I'm definitely naming her Xia Bingbao."
Xia Xu hadn't expected the girl to share his surname, and couldn't help making a wry comment.
People surnamed Xia seemed particularly fond of names playing on its resemblance to the word for "falling." Names involving rain, snow, frost, and the like were practically everywhere.
Still, the girl's talent and fate did catch his attention. She was actually a future police beauty, and her talent wasn't bad either. A two-star talent for forensic trace examination was an excellent fit for police work. With a three-star fate, she could presumably become a leading figure in the police force.
But after Tang Youxin and Yang Bowen had set the bar, a mere two-star talent was no longer enough to stir him. He also had little use for forensic trace examination, so there was no need to consider befriending or recruiting her.
Turning his attention away from Xia Xue, Xia Xu continued methodically checking the stats of the workers around him.
Construction sites were mostly staffed by young and middle-aged men, with relatively few elderly workers, so it only took him a little while to check almost everyone.
Once he confirmed that he hadn't missed anyone, Xia Xu left the site feeling somewhat disappointed.
He hadn't found the old construction worker here.
Fortunately, there were still two nearby sites he hadn't checked, so there was still a chance.
This time, Xia Xu had learned his lesson. After some thought, he deliberately found a nearby hardware store and bought a cheap white plastic hard hat before heading to the remaining two sites.
Sure enough, the cheap hard hat that was standard on construction sites worked wonders when paired with his suit. Guards and workers alike seemed to mistake him for some minor manager conducting an inspection on behalf of the property developer. Rather than stopping him, they all treated him politely.
"Seriously? Did that old construction worker just spring out of the ground?"
After searching all three construction sites, Xia Xu's face fell completely.
There was still no sign of the old construction worker.
According to his original theory, the old construction worker was part of a trope-based plot twist. That meant the man selling antiques was most likely a genuine elderly construction worker, and the antiques he sold should be real too.
If he was a construction worker, he surely had to come from one of the nearby sites. Xia Xu had therefore arrived brimming with confidence today, feeling there was at least an eighty percent chance he would find him.
Unfortunately, reality had proven him wrong. Either his guess was mistaken, or he had searched the wrong locations. This might not be the area where the old construction worker appeared at all.
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