“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry… I was wrong…” Lin Cheng immediately apologized with utmost sincerity.
Lu Xiaoxiao’s anger showed no signs of fading. Her eyes bored straight into Lin Cheng standing before her, and his head drooped a little lower. “Sorry… I didn’t understand what he really means to you… That story… it wasn’t actually like that…”
“So?”
“That story… On that spring outing day, we really did face a catastrophe crashing down on us. But that same day, the man in the mask appeared. He saved the girl I liked—and he saved me.”
“I was already injured by then, so I took a leave from school for a while. When I came back, I couldn’t catch up on my studies. Right around that time, I was dealing with some psychological issues too—terrified of the monsters that showed up after catastrophes. I ended up holing up in my rental apartment for years, too scared to step outside. I spent my days playing games, and that’s when I started working as a game companion. Later, I met a rich lady named Sister Luzi in a companion group. I was broke at the time, and she suggested I go to bars to drink with people. She showed me a whole new world. After that, I just drifted along in a haze until now.”
“I made up that story earlier just to lighten the mood. I had no intention of slandering Si Ming at all. If he hadn’t shown up back then, I’d be dead. I’m one of his fans too—a genuine number-one fan. I still have the cosplay mask and outfit he wore, perfectly preserved at home.”
“If he hadn’t appeared that day, I’d already be dead… So from that moment on, I truly started believing that heroes exist in this world.”
Perhaps because of the especially earnest tone in Lin Cheng’s voice, Lu Xiaoxiao’s anger finally began to ebb away. She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head. “Sorry, I got a little worked up just now.”
After all, she had just splashed beer all over him.
“No big deal. Getting beer dumped on you by girls you hit on at bars happens all the time. You get used to it after a while.” Lin Cheng shrugged it off indifferently. Then, cautiously, he asked, “But… why did you get so mad?”
“Si Ming saved my life.”
“Huh?” Lin Cheng blinked in surprise.
Lu Xiaoxiao dipped her head slightly. “When he left the Alliance, he left behind ten vials of Evolution Blood. My ability went completely out of control when I advanced from B-rank to A-rank. If I hadn’t used one of the vials he left, I’d be a corpse right now.”
“I see.” Lin Cheng nodded.
“That’s why I chose to become an Adjudicator.”
“Because of him?”
“Catastrophes descending on this world are a misfortune for everyone. Ability Users are the only ones who can save us from that nightmare. My wish is the same as his—not to become some hero worshipped by the masses. I just gained this power, so I want to protect the people around me. That’s all.”
Lin Cheng nodded gently. “That’s great.”
…At least that vial of Evolution Blood hadn’t gone to waste.
With that, he raised his beer in a toast to Lu Xiaoxiao. She ordered a fresh one, and they clinked glasses. Lin Cheng said, “I’ll finish mine—you drink at your own pace. Consider it my apology… That joke earlier was really harmless. Sorry.”
He drained the bitter beer, but Lu Xiaoxiao’s earlier words still echoed in his ears. Even the corners of his eyes grew faintly bitter.
Being a hero came at a steep price.
Over the next half hour, Lin Cheng and Lu Xiaoxiao talked at length about stories of the legendary Adjudicator [Si Ming]. As Si Ming’s number-one fan, Lin Cheng was naturally fascinated. Perhaps because Lu Xiaoxiao had rarely met someone else saved by Si Ming, she chatted with him late into the night, downing beer after beer.
She had seen through Lin Cheng’s lie at first glance because she knew Si Ming’s debut had been during the catastrophe at Linglan Middle School’s spring outing—the very school Lin Cheng had attended. That was the first time Si Ming entered the Adjudicators’ radar. With overwhelming power, he effortlessly slaughtered every Predator that descended. No one died in that catastrophe. When the Alliance Adjudicators arrived, he calmly applied to join.
And so the legend began.
Lin Cheng’s lie had been full of holes, of course. Si Ming’s true ability was top-secret SSS-rank intel even now—hardly some chuunibyou [Fate] power. And after retiring, Si Ming sure as hell wasn’t some deadbeat wasting away in a tiny rental apartment, scrounging cash off women and prowling bars for hookups…
He was clearly just a scumbag.
Yet Lu Xiaoxiao found herself thinking about him unbidden. Last night, she had tossed and turned, analyzing her own mind over and over. Maybe it was just the freedom and rebellion he embodied—the thrill of something new… That must be why he lingered in her thoughts. Once the novelty wore off, it’d fade.
If his apology hadn’t seemed so sincere, if he hadn’t truly meant no harm, she would have stormed out after splashing him. In her drunken haze, Lu Xiaoxiao thought hazily as she slumped over the table, cheeks flushed, fingers limp and useless.
She suddenly realized she was drunk.
Her mind flashed back to the last time she’d gotten wasted—also with the man across from her. That night in the quiet bar, they’d talked about everything: ideals, the spirit, existence and nothingness, poetry, justice, love. It was all so ethereal, yet it soothed her in some inexplicable way. Maybe because his presence that night exceeded her expectations.
Dazed, she’d gone with him to the nightclub next door. Dazed, she’d let him put an arm around her waist. She still remembered the feel of his breath against her ear, the warmth of holding him tight in that rainy night, and what happened later that evening… Lu Xiaoxiao ground her teeth.
She lifted her head and looked at Lin Cheng. “Take me… back… to the hotel.”
“Sure.”
Lin Cheng grabbed her phone, scanned her face, and didn’t even need to ask. He quickly found her hotel details—room number, door code—all in her WeChat contacts. Lu Xiaoxiao seemed to have no strength left. Lin Cheng stood, crouched down, and looked at her still slumped on the table. “Hop on.”
Lu Xiaoxiao sat up slowly, gazing at the boy crouching there. She suddenly giggled. “You sure you can handle it?”
“You think all those nightly workouts over the years were for nothing?” Lin Cheng snorted with a grin. Then Lu Xiaoxiao collapsed onto his back. He adjusted her position, hooked his arms under her knees, and stood, setting off.
His fingertips brushed the white silk stockings wrapping her thighs—silky smooth.
As Lin Cheng walked, Lu Xiaoxiao suddenly leaned down and nipped his shoulder.
“Tonight… if you dare… lay a hand on me… tomorrow…”
“Relax.” Lin Cheng’s voice was soft. “I won’t.”
In her daze, Lu Xiaoxiao rested her head against his neck. For some reason, his voice just now sounded so gentle. She looped her arms around his neck, figuring this tough guy wouldn’t last long. But Lin Cheng just carried her steadily down the lamp-lit streets, the world pattering with fine rain. In her haze, Lu Xiaoxiao opened her eyes, watching the golden rain threads and the shadows of two people on the ground.
“You tired?”
“Still good. Manageable. Didn’t realize you were so light.”
“I weigh less than a hundred pounds.”
“Wait, isn’t the saying that girls under a hundred pounds are either flat-chested or short? You’re wearing lifts?”
“Sister’s got a slim waist and slim legs—get it?” Lu Xiaoxiao mumbled. Lin Cheng chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Her soft body pressed against his back. Lu Xiaoxiao wasn’t especially busty, but Lin Cheng vaguely recalled her curves were nice. Hmm, he’d kissed them once. Hopefully she didn’t remember.
“You seem kinda down lately,” Lin Cheng said suddenly.
“Do I?”
“I can tell. Why else would you be out alone, drinking solo, staying in a hotel? Fight with the family?”
“Nope.”
“Then what’s up?”
“Don’t ask. Annoying.”
“Knots in your heart only untangle when you talk them out.”
“No talking… You’ll just… trick me again.”
“Do you regret what happened that night?” Lin Cheng asked abruptly.
Lu Xiaoxiao froze.
Regret it? It was the first time she’d truly pondered the question. Her gut reaction had always been regret—not drinking that night, not going home with him, not letting her pride flare when he tried to push her away. But as she mulled it over for several seconds, her head spinning…
“Dunno. So dizzy.”
“Drink too much? Just sleep it off.” Lin Cheng didn’t press further, his voice gentle. After a while, Lu Xiaoxiao seemed a bit clearer. Suddenly, she said, “Guess I don’t regret it that much. Call it… getting bit by a dog.”
Lin Cheng laughed helplessly.
The ground was a little slick, so he slowed his pace, treading carefully.
After a moment, he asked, “Do you think… Si Ming ever regrets it?”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Just popped into my head. Does Si Ming regret putting on the mask and becoming a hero? Watching his friends get destroyed one by one, his heart burning only with flames of revenge. Once the hatred’s settled, his world’s just emptiness. In that instant, do you think he felt a flicker of regret?”
Lu Xiaoxiao reached out and tugged his cheek. “Si Ming’s a real hero. Don’t you dare badmouth him.”
“Not badmouthing—just a little speculation. After all, without the mask, Si Ming’s just a regular guy, right?”
“Doesn’t mean a little punk like you gets to joke about him.”
“He’s that spotless in your eyes?”
“Don’t care. He’s my idol, my goal all these years. He’s what kept me going. You’re not in the Alliance—you don’t know everything about him. If you did, you’d see… he’s perfect.”
Lin Cheng’s smile turned even more bitter. He hesitated for a long while, then finally fell silent, letting out a quiet sigh.
The world seemed utterly still, save for the faint patter of rain.
