By nightfall, even the sweat was gone.

  Guo Dalu found a rundown temple and sat in front of the altar, staring bnkly at the cy Buddha. The cy Buddha seemed to be staring bnkly back at him.

  He had everything pnned out so well. First, a hearty meal. Then, a luxurious bath. He had even imagined the soft hands that would help him scrub his back, the delightful scene pying vividly in his mind.

  But now?

  Now, the only thing scrubbing his back was a bedbug. Maybe more than one. The cushion he was sitting on felt like the headquarters of all bedbugs, as if every single one in the world had gathered here, marching in orderly lines toward his clothes, preparing for a feast on his back.

  Guo Dalu spped down hard, wishing he could just sp himself to death and be done with it.

  “Am I destined to be poor forever? Will I never go a day without starving?”

  Suddenly, he thought about the value of friendship.

  “Why did I insist on going off alone? Why did I leave Yan Qi behind?”

  Imagining them now, feasting and drinking to their heart's content, he felt even hungrier—so hungry he could almost swallow the bedbugs.

  “A man should never abandon his friends. No matter what he wants to do, he should do it with them. What else in this world is truly worth cherishing besides friendship?”

  Suddenly, Guo Dalu became sentimental, cherishing friendship more than ever.

  Whenever he was broke and starving, he always became this way.

  Fortunately, he would be seeing them again tomorrow. He only wished time would pass faster.

  "I miss them so much, but they've probably already forgotten about me. Wang Dong is surely fast asleep by now, and Yan Qi is probably flirting with his beloved."

  Thinking of this, Guo Dalu let out a long sigh. He suddenly realized just how much he valued friendship—more than his friends seemed to value him.

  That thought was both comforting and a little bittersweet.

  This feeling made him momentarily forget everything else.

  Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, as soon as Guo Dalu woke up, he decided to head to Kuiyuan restaurant and wait for his friends.

  He pnned to have a big meal first—on his friends’ tab, of course.

  He would treat himself to the best dishes to make up for the suffering of the previous night.

  In fact, he felt that everyone owed him some sort of compensation. He had almost forgotten why he had suffered in the first pce or what had caused his misery.

  Maybe it was because he was so hungry his head was spinning. In his dazed state, it seemed like he had endured everything for the sake of friendship.

  He felt deeply sorry for himself.

  Unfortunately, the owner of Kuiyuan restaurant did not share his sentiments.

  Not only was the door still shut, but even the windows were closed.

  Guo Dalu, of course, didn’t bme himself for arriving too early—he bmed them for not opening on time.

  Were they doing this just to make his life difficult?

  A person who is dizzy from hunger usually isn't very reasonable.

  Just as he was about to knock on the door, someone behind him suddenly patted his shoulder and greeted him.

  Yan Qi stood there, dressed in brand-new clothes, beaming with joy, looking well-fed and well-rested.

  Guo Dalu, in a foul mood, grumbled, “You call this early? The sun's already shining on my backside!”

  Yan Qi chuckled, “A moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold. Why not lie in a beauty’s embrace and bask in the sun a little longer?”

  Guo Dalu replied, “Too many bedbugs there.”

  Yan Qi raised an eyebrow. “Bedbugs? How could there be bedbugs in a beauty's nest?”

  Realizing he had misspoken, Guo Dalu coughed twice and ughed. “Not real bedbugs—just that her hands kept crawling all over me, even more annoying than bedbugs.”

  Yan Qi blinked, shook his head, and sighed. “Nothing is harder to endure than a beauty's longing. You just don’t know how to enjoy your blessings. I wish I could find a ‘bedbug’ like that to crawl all over me.”

  Guo Dalu burst into ughter.

  He wanted to ugh more heartily, but the sound that came out was more like a donkey's bray—like a hungry donkey straining its neck.

  Yan Qi looked him up and down and asked, “Are you feeling unwell again? You must have eaten too much.”

  Guo Dalu replied, “Mm.”

  Yan Qi giggled. “Since that dy treats you so well, she must have cooked up a feast to help you regain your strength.”

  Guo Dalu shot him a cold gre and said, “Didn’t expect you to suddenly become so experienced in these matters.”

  Yan Qi sighed again and said, “How did I get so lucky to have a friend like you?”

  Guo Dalu asked, “Where did you go st night?”

  Yan Qi replied, “You still have the nerve to ask me? I waited at the teahouse until I was practically dizzy, but I didn't even catch a glimpse of your shadow. In the end, I had to wander around like a lonely ghost, and I almost couldn’t find a pce to sleep.”

  “So this little rascal knows how to py dumb too.”

  Guo Dalu was so annoyed that his teeth itched, but he couldn't expose Yan Qi's act.

  He could only chuckle and say, “Who told you to be so impatient? If you had waited a little longer, you wouldn't have left me alone to deal with several young dies at once. It was such a headache!”

  Yan Qi shook his head, sighing repeatedly, as if he regretted it deeply.

  Seeing this, Guo Dalu felt amused and continued, “Actually, you don’t need to feel bad. There will always be another chance. One of them, in particur, is not only beautiful but also gentle and considerate. She anticipates what you want without you even having to say a word.”

  Hearing this, Yan Qi's eyes widened. “If that’s the case, she’s practically a Bodhisattva sent to save the suffering.”