Noon.
Dex Restaurant.
Lunch service was long over. Dexter, having nothing to do and succumbing to the coquettish request of a certain beautiful customer, was carving fruit platters.
Just then.
Two women and one man, dressed iDn formal but not overly expensive suits, arrived at the restaurant entrance.
Vivian saw them and immediately greeted them. "Excuse me, do you have Priority Meal Cards?"
One of the women, young and looking somewhat inexperienced, actually had one. She hurriedly pulled it out of her pocket with a smile. "Just one. Can the three of us share a meal?"
"Yes, you can. Please come in," Vivian said with a smile.
The two women and one man walked in and found a table.
Dexter put down his work and looked over with a smile.
In a hellhole like the South Side, three people dressed like this, with noticeable bulges at their waistbands...
FBI agents?
They certainly fit the image of FBI agents from TV and movies.
Dexter thought silently, then spoke to the trio. "Three guests, our restaurant has a special policy for law enforcement. If you wish, you can order three meals."
These three were indeed FBI agents sent to investigate the shooting of the ten illegal Colombian immigrants.
Hearing this, the two women were instantly delighted.
"That's wonderful! Thank you, Boss."
"So I don't need this meal card anymore?"
Dexter nodded with a smile. "Not needed. Use it next time."
"Okay, thank you."
Soon.
Each of the three FBI agents ordered a meal.
Dexter brought over a fruit platter. "Compliments of the house. Please enjoy."
Just like that, the three FBI agents had an impeccably good impression of Dexter.
Of course, suspect Dexter of being the mysterious sniper?
That would be ridiculous.
Ten minutes later, the three FBI agents were enjoying their lunch, full of praise.
Dexter continued carving fruit.
The scene in the restaurant was very harmonious.
Within the harmony, there was a sense of joy unique to Dexter.
After lunch, the three FBI agents paid the bill, politely said goodbye to Dexter, and left the restaurant to continue their work—investigating that mysterious sniper.
Dexter finished carving a fruit platter and prepared to take Dumb Nine to the Alibi Room to play some pool and kill time.
"Boss, wait a minute. I have something to tell you," Veronica suddenly called out to Dexter.
Interestingly, before Dexter could reply, Mickey also spoke up. "Boss, me too."
Dexter was actually a bit surprised. "Okay. One by one. Veronica first."
Veronica didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Kev and I want to invite you and Bianca to be our best man and maid of honor."
Dexter smiled. "I'm fine with it. As for Bianca... we'll have to see if she's still around by then."
Veronica: "????"
What does that mean?
"Are you guys having problems?" Veronica genuinely considered Dexter a friend and asked worriedly.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't curse me," Dexter laughed and scolded her decisively.
Veronica didn't catch on. "But you just clearly said..."
"I mean, there's still about twenty days left. That's not a short time. Who can say what the future holds?"
Veronica understood. She thought about it. "True."
"True my ass," Dexter scolded with a laugh again. "Can't you just wish us well?"
Veronica really couldn't keep up with Dexter's train of thought. "????? Boss, enough already!"
"Haha, alright, alright. Barring any accidents, we accept," Dexter stopped teasing and replied. Then, since the wedding was officially on the schedule, "I'll go arrange your honeymoon trip later. By the way, do you two have passports?"
Thump.
Passports?
Veronica hadn't actually thought about that. She was dumbfounded. "No..."
Dexter guessed as much but still immediately gave Veronica a thumbs up. "Impressive. I'm giving you the afternoon off. Grab Kevin and go get them done now. Expedite them. Don't try to save money on this."
Veronica was indeed anxious now. Only twenty-something days left, and government efficiency was notoriously bad. If they didn't hurry, god knows if they'd make it. "Okay, we'll go right now."
Dexter reached into his pocket, pulled out the keys to the Mercedes G63, and handed them over. "Drive there. It'll be faster. Otherwise, by the time you get there, they might be off work."
Damn government working hours!
FXXK!
"Thanks," Veronica didn't stand on ceremony and took the keys quickly.
Dexter didn't say more and turned to Mickey. "Mickey, what did you want to say?"
Mickey was direct. "I'm taking tomorrow off."
"Okay," Dexter didn't hesitate for a second. Mickey and the others had one day off a week anyway; taking a break was normal.
Everything that needed saying was said.
Dexter walked out with Dumb Nine. "Veronica, send you and Kevin's full info to my phone later. I'm going to find a travel agent now."
"Mmh. Thanks, Boss."
Plan changed. Leaving the restaurant, Dexter didn't go to the Alibi Room but headed to the hotel to get the Ferrari.
The temperature was quite high today.
Getting in the car and opening the roof, Dexter floored the gas and drove toward downtown Chicago.
There were no travel agencies in the South Side slum.
Downtown Chicago and the South Side were worlds apart—heaven and earth, to exaggerate slightly.
Without much effort, Dexter found a travel agency with nice, luxurious decor and walked in with Dumb Nine.
Again, due to the previous barbecue party and because Dex Restaurant was already somewhat famous in Chicago, quite reasonably, several employees of this company recognized Dexter almost immediately.
"Mr. Ding," a petite blonde beauty reacted fastest, running up to Dexter immediately with a happy smile. "How can I help you?"
This little beauty was quite pretty.
Dexter took a couple of extra looks and stated his purpose. "My friends are getting married soon. I want to arrange a honeymoon trip to Costa Rica for them. Ten days. Can you handle the itinerary here?"
The blonde beauty nodded immediately. "Yes, we can. Please, Mr. Ding, have a seat."
They chatted for a while and touched on a rather crucial issue.
"Mr. Ding, do your two friends need our company to arrange a tour guide to accompany them the whole time?" the blonde beauty asked.
Dexter paused.
Did they?
Veronica was fairly sharp.
Kevin... hard to say.
Without a guide accompanying them the whole time, with Kevin's brain, Dexter genuinely suspected they might go and never come back...
"Let me make a call and ask," Dexter replied. He took out his phone and called Veronica—calling Kevin about this would be pointless.
Veronica listened and fell silent for a few seconds. Honestly, having never been abroad, or even left Illinois much, suddenly running off to Costa Rica was genuinely worrying.
"Boss, is a guide expensive?" Veronica asked embarrassedly.
Dexter understood. "Not expensive. Besides, it's my treat. So it's settled. Need a guide."
"Mmh. A male guide, please. Thanks, Boss," Veronica said.
"You're welcome."
Hanging up, Dexter said to the blonde beauty, "Need a male guide with average looks."
"Okay, we'll arrange it," the blonde beauty smiled.
About half an hour later, most things were settled. The next steps required Kevin and Veronica's passports, so they couldn't proceed for now.
Dexter paid a deposit and left.
Getting in the car, seeing it was still a bit early, Dexter thought for a moment and decided to buy flowers and visit Bianca to kill some time.
---
Hospital.
As a resident, in terms of status, Bianca was probably only slightly above the nurses. Not much salary, extremely busy, doing all the grunt work.
At this moment, Bianca was treating a drunk's wound, busy as a bee.
Dexter walked into the hospital building holding a bouquet. After asking a nurse and searching around, he finally found Bianca.
Seeing what Bianca was doing, Dexter didn't interrupt. He stood obediently against a wall in a non-intrusive spot, waiting.
Before long.
In a place like this, a somewhat famous person like Dexter...
Naturally, several young nurses giggled and approached him.
"Mr. Ding, first time seeing you here."
"Are the flowers for me?"
"Go over there. What are you waiting here for?"
"..."
Young nurses basically had no room for promotion and low wages, so relatively speaking, they were the freer spirits in the hospital.
Being free spirits, they wouldn't miss a chance to join in the fun, teasing him one by one.
Of course, basically everyone in this area—nurses, orderlies, doctors—had heard about Bianca dating Dexter recently.
Dexter didn't dislike nurses.
In fact, he was quite fond of them.
After all, uniform temptation... as a man, those who know, know.
"Can't give you these flowers. Next time I'll bring an extra bunch for you."
"Not handsome enough, too embarrassed to come."
"..."
Facing the nurses' teasing, Dexter replied with a smile to each one.
"Haha, Mr. Ding, you're so funny," the nurses laughed.
Just then, the commotion here finally caught Bianca's attention.
Bianca turned her head, saw Dexter, and her expression instantly became a bit flustered. Then, she hesitated and said, "Wait for me a moment."
Dexter nodded with a smile. "You go ahead."
Responding to Bianca, Dexter smiled and asked the nurses beside him, "Aren't you guys busy?"
The nurses were tactful and left consciously in a moment.
A few minutes later.
Bianca finished treating the drunk's wound and hurried over to Dexter. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"Surprise," Dexter smiled and handed over the flowers.
Bianca felt quite shy, subconsciously looking around.
Some nurses were indeed watching the show.
She felt even more embarrassed.
"Leaving right away? Or want to sit in my office for a bit?" Bianca took the flowers and asked.
"No rush. Let me see your office."
"Okay."
They walked off.
The office was tiny—just a desk and a little bit of remaining space.
After Bianca put the flowers down, Dexter couldn't help but ask, "How many years until you become a licensed doctor?"
"A little over two years," Bianca replied, smelling the flowers.
"How old are you this year?"
Bianca: "?????"
This conversation feels a bit weird.
"Twenty-seven," Bianca paused, genuinely feeling the conversation was odd. She hesitated and asked, "And you?"
"One year older than you. Twenty-eight."
Hearing this, Bianca couldn't hold it back. She smiled and shook her head. "Talking like this is so weird."
"Right?" Dexter agreed. Saying that, he walked over and gently hugged Bianca from behind.
Bianca's body jolted, tensing up. "Working. Let go."
Dexter didn't let go. He lowered his head and kissed her.
A few seconds later.
Bianca blushed. "Let go. It's bad if someone sees."
Dexter let go. "Is it?"
They chatted for a few minutes.
Bianca's pager beeped.
Knowing Bianca was busy, Dexter didn't want to disturb her too much. "I'm leaving then. Get back to work."
"Okay," Bianca nodded, then paused. "I get off relatively early tonight. Can leave at 7:30."
"Great. See you tonight."
"Mmh."
Dexter walked out, got in the car, and lit a cigarette.
To be honest, he didn't care much about what happened in the future.
Right now...
Playing with Bianca was very joyful, and he wanted that joy to continue.
With this thought, Dexter took out his phone, opened Twitter first, and posted an update: [Restaurant closes at 7:00 PM tonight. Priority Meal Cards cannot be used after 7:00 PM.]
Then, he searched online for luxury hotels in Chicago, found the most expensive one, called, and booked a presidential suite.
Done. Put away the phone, back to the restaurant.
---
Evening.
School was out.
Ian, carrying his backpack, walked alone toward the grocery store.
As he walked, suddenly, Mandy caught up and walked beside him.
"Ian." They were classmates, but they hadn't been very close and hadn't interacted much.
Seeing Mandy, Ian was a bit surprised, not understanding what Mandy wanted. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Mandy had taken a liking to Ian. She smiled sweetly. "Let's walk together. Two is better than one."
Ian wanted to refuse but wasn't good at it. He hesitated, then nodded.
They walked and talked.
Mostly Mandy talking, Ian answering.
As they talked.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Mandy asked directly.
Ian wasn't stupid enough not to understand the implication of that question. He nodded hurriedly. "Yes."
"Who?" Mandy was a bit surprised. "Didn't look like it."
Ian lied. "Not from school. Older than us."
Mandy was even more surprised, her eyes widening. "Didn't expect you to like older women."
Ian gave a faint smile.
Mandy couldn't really say much more.
As a warrior of pure love, since Ian had a girlfriend, Mandy didn't want to pursue anything further with him.
Conversation dwindled after that. Before long, they parted ways.
---
Carl, carrying his backpack, left school but didn't go straight home. Instead, he walked alone to a black gathering spot he knew.
"Can I work for you guys? I want to make money!" Arriving at the spot, Carl asked seriously.
Hearing this, several black guys laughed.
"White boy, how old are you?" one asked.
"Ten!" Carl replied.
"Damn! Not many white kids around here with balls like yours," the guy praised.
"Yeah!" Carl smiled proudly.
"Fuck off!" The guy pulled out a gun, laughing as he cursed.
Seeing the gun, Carl was incredibly sharp. He sprinted away. "I'll be back!"
One place didn't work, so Carl walked toward another.
Then, predictably.
Carl ran again.
He went around in circles.
Running to several places, even visiting gathering spots for Mexican and Colombian illegal immigrants, Carl still got no results.
Carl had a headache. Why is making a little money so hard?
With a headache, Carl ran to the Alibi Room, refusing to give up. He kept asking people who looked familiar, "I want to make money. Any way?"
He was a kid; kids are fun.
Some people teased him.
Carl gradually saw a new world, especially when one guy took out a condom filled with white powder. Whoosh, the door to a new world practically swung wide open.
Carl watched, dumbfounded.
Kevin, who had just rushed back, saw this scene and couldn't handle it. He ran to Carl and pulled him away. "Carl, what are you doing?"
Carl snapped back to reality, dead serious. "Trying to find a way to make money."
"You're so small, make what money? Go home," Kevin persuaded.
"Money is good stuff," Carl didn't want to go back; going back was boring.
Kevin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You're too young. Make money later."
"I'm not small," Carl emphasized. "If I whip out my junk, it'll scare you!"
"Haha," Kevin couldn't stop laughing and shaking his head.
"What are you laughing at? Do you have anything here that can help me make money?" Carl asked very seriously.
Kevin was about to say no, but the words were on his lips when, ding, he actually thought of one. He leaned into Carl's ear. "See those guys dressed like rich people? Want to make money? Go to them. As for how to make it, that's up to you."
Carl immediately looked at the rich people gathered in twos and threes. He got excited. Ideas popped into his head pew, pew, pew.
What ideas?
Scamming!
Hungry, no money for food, parents dead, all alone.
And wouldn't you know it.
This trick actually worked pretty well...
Not that the rich people were stupid enough to believe Carl's ghost stories, but rather, they found Carl amusing and interesting.
Time flew.
Not only did he successfully make some money, but he also got patted on the head and even kissed on the cheek by a few beauties. Carl was overjoyed, feeling like yet another new world had opened up before him.
"Damn!" Carl was so happy his walk had a bounce to it. He walked up to Kevin. "Why didn't you ever tell me your place was this fun? Can I live here?"
Kevin shook his head decisively with a smile, handing Carl a coke. "No. I see you made some money. Drink this coke and hurry home."
Carl took the coke and downed it in one go. Glug, glug, glug. "I'm hungry. Going to Dexter's first, then home. I'll come back tomorrow."
Dropping that line, Carl turned and left, grinning and saying to the rich beauties as he walked, "Ladies, see you tomorrow."
---