Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

It was past four in the afternoon.

The gathering had ended.

Val drove off in that old Chevrolet sedan from Luke's house.

In the car, the chubby boy sat in the passenger seat, pouting and scowling, still in a gloomy mood.

Val glanced at him, "come on, Jack, you're already a man, don't be so petty.

How about we make up?"

The chubby boy sighed, "I just feel sad that you actually forgot my middle name.

I have to ask Mom why she gave me this middle name."

Val was about ten years younger than Linda, and he had often been disciplined by his sister when he was younger, which instilled a sense of instinctive fear of Linda, "Hey, man, there's no need to do that, it's just a small thing.

I hated crybabies in school who always ran to their parents, and I believe you do too.

Let's make up, hmm?"

The chubby boy turned his head away, still ignoring him.

Val, out of options, played the money card, "Jack, I'm sorry, I understand how you feel, and I would probably be hurt too if I were you.

To make up for my oversight, I'm willing to buy you a gift.

Just tell me, as long as it's within my power, I'll get it for you."

"Not everything can be solved with money." The chubby boy shook his head, thinking to himself that if he wanted gifts, he wouldn't need to go home with you. He could just stay at my brother's house for one night and easily get quite a bit of spending money.

"OK, then how can I make it up to you?"

"Do you really want to make things right?"

"Yes."

"Then help me with something."

Val frowned, "What is it?"

"I haven't figured that out yet, I'll tell you when I do."

Val felt like he was on a sinking ship, as if the chubby boy wasn't really upset, but was just scheming.

Val began to weigh his options.

It could be a big or small matter, but if the chubby boy really did go complain to his sister, Val would inevitably be scolded by her and their dad.

It was all because of that rascal Luke getting him into this mess.

Since Val had gotten a formal job recently and had finally managed to change his image in front of his dad and sister, it felt great, and he didn't want to let them down over this.

"OK, I promise you, I will help you with something within my ability," Val decided after much deliberation.

Knowing the chubby boy as he did, Val thought he wouldn't be up to much.

"Putt-putt..."

Suddenly, the car began to shudder and slowly came to a stop, with smoke starting to come from the front.

fuck!

"This damned car is messing up again," Val muttered, banging on the steering wheel.

The chubby boy complained, "This car is older than me; it's about time you got a new one."

"I'd like to, but I don't have enough money. How about lending me some of your pocket money?"

The chubby boy clutched his wallet tightly, "I think... it could still be fixed."

...

A few minutes later.

A Mercedes G500 drove by.

After seeing off Val and the chubby boy, Luke was still cleaning his house. He hadn't finished yet when he received a distress call.

Luke pulled over to the right, got out of the driver's seat, "What happened to the car?"

The Chevrolet's hood was already open, and Val was bent over fixing the car, "Old problem, it'll take about ten minutes to fix."

"Then why did you call me?" Luke retorted.

The chubby boy urged, "Big brother, take me home."

Luke said, "You can't even wait ten minutes?"

The chubby boy rolled his eyes, "The car was smoking just now, I don't want to sit in a car that's about to explode."

Val disagreed, "My car is not going to explode, it's just a minor issue."

The chubby boy was not convinced, "Then why was it smoking?"

Val put his hands on the car, serious, "Because you are too heavy."

Luke laughed, "come on, there's no need to blame each other for such a small issue.

This is a kind of spiritual cannibalism, a waste of life, take it easy."

Val said, "If I were as rich as you, I would be relaxed too."

"I'll take Jack home first.

If you haven't fixed it by then, I'll come back and help," Luke said, motioning his brother to get in the car.

Val wiped his cheek with a greasy hand, "I'll definitely fix it, it's a must."

Once in the car, the chubby boy looked back worriedly, "He won't get blown up, will he?"

As Luke started the car, he said, "No, he doesn't have any inheritance."

"Hehe." The chubby boy chuckled, then looked back again, "It doesn't feel quite right just leaving him like this.

Suddenly, his silhouette seems a bit desolate."

...

After dropping the chubby boy off, Luke returned home.

Halfway there, he saw Val still bent over fixing the car, so Luke stopped, walked over, and asked, "How's the car doing?"

Val said helplessly, "The problem is a bit serious, it might be the engine."

"Do you want to use my car to tow it to the repair shop?"

Val hesitated; his car was over twenty years old and had changed hands several times, frequently encountering minor issues. He usually fixed them himself, since taking it to a repair shop was too expensive and he was reluctant to do so.

But this time, the problem with the engine was beyond Val's repair capabilities.

After much hesitation, Val finally took Luke's advice and used Luke's car to tow the Chevrolet to a nearby garage.

The mechanic checked the car and quoted a repair cost of twelve hundred US dollars, which was beyond Val's financial expectations.