“Do you have any foods you can’t eat?” Lin Cheng asked, holding the menu as he looked across the table at Jiang Li.
He had brought her to a night market stall and sat down at a clean-looking barbecue joint. Jiang Li still seemed a bit dazed, as if she had a ton of questions but didn’t know where to start.
At his question, she hurriedly shook her head. “No…”
“Then I’ll just order whatever.”
Lin Cheng ordered some lamb skewers, vegetables, and charcoal-grilled oysters. He set the menu aside, gathered his thoughts a bit, and said, “Your dad must’ve fallen victim to a Pig Slaughter Scam. That’s where they spike drinks with drugs that amp up emotions and excitement, or use Psychological Suggestion abilities to make someone lose money. Those scams were super common ten years ago, but the Alliance has cracked down hard lately, so there are way fewer now.”
“Zhang Qianyuan’s second uncle’s boss happens to be an acquaintance of mine. This kind of thing isn’t allowed in their organization anyway, so he’ll probably send someone tomorrow to return the money they already gave back. You can tell your dad to stop hiding—it’s not his fault.”
“As for the future, don’t worry about it. Since they know about my connection to Hongshao, they won’t have the guts to retaliate.”
Lin Cheng had only just learned this, but apparently Hongshao had a fierce reputation in her organization. One phone call from her had been enough to scare Zhang Qianyuan into slapping himself silly.
Jiang Li nodded blankly, a faint spark of light returning to her previously dull eyes.
She kept feeling like she’d gone through some unreal dream. It should have been a nightmare, but at the end of it, this man had dropped out of the sky like a savior. It had been five whole years since they’d last seen each other. The sheer coincidence made her wonder if the pressure of the past few days had finally cracked her mind, leaving her with hallucinations.
So Jiang Li suddenly reached out and poked Lin Cheng’s cheek lightly with her fingertip.
Lin Cheng blinked innocently, eyeing the slender finger in his line of sight. “What’s up?”
Jiang Li froze, snapping back to reality. Her finger jerked back as if electrocuted, and she apologized in a rush. “S-sorry… I just wanted to check… if you were real…”
Her voice trailed off smaller and smaller, her pale cheeks flushing a soft pink.
Lin Cheng chuckled helplessly and reached out to poke her cheek in return. “I’m real. Don’t worry—everything’s gonna be fine from now on.”
“Thank you… Lin Cheng.”
“No problem. Consider it payback for all the books you lent me back in the day.” The iced beer he’d ordered arrived quickly. Barbecue had to go with ice-cold beer. He glanced at Jiang Li across from him. “Want some? If not, I can get you a soda or something.”
“I-I can drink…” Jiang Li carefully pulled out her glass. She solemnly filled Lin Cheng’s to the brim from the bottle on the table, then poured her own. Holding her glass with both hands a bit clumsily, she said, “To you…”
“Just sip a little.” Lin Cheng smiled wryly.
Jiang Li obeyed, taking a tiny sip from her glass. The food hadn’t arrived yet. Her eyes drifted to the bustling crowds at the night market stall, and she murmured softly, “You… still remember high school stuff…”
“I wasn’t close to anyone else back then. Most of my books came from you.”
Jiang Li’s mind was still foggy. She didn’t know what to say. High school felt so distant now, like ancient history. But the boy in front of her had changed completely, turned upside down. She vaguely recalled that his eyes used to hold a faint melancholy back then, but now they were totally different.
What about her back then? Had her own eyes always sparkled with brightness? And now, after all these years, the first time he saw her again… he’d caught her looking like a total mess. Thinking of that, Jiang Li slowly lowered her head. Her eyes were probably all puffy from crying by now. So ugly. The barbecue arrived soon after. She picked up a lamb skewer and brought it to her mouth. After just one, her cheeks were already bright red.
“Hm? Your face is super red.”
“It’s spicy…”
“If you can’t handle spice, I’ll ask them to make some without.”
“N-no, it’s fine… I can eat a little.” Jiang Li answered softly, but Lin Cheng had already called the boss over to order some non-spicy barbecue. Jiang Li felt flustered and at a loss, slowly bowing her head again, unsure what to say.
Lin Cheng was just hungry and wanted seconds after watching Zhang Qianyuan slap himself had killed his appetite earlier. He didn’t talk much, just quietly kept eating his skewers. Jiang Li also kept her head slightly lowered, nibbling daintily at her grilled eggplant. Every now and then, she’d lift her glass, her voice barely a whisper. “Cheers.”
The two of them polished off two bottles of beer together. Jiang Li felt her head spinning again. When she came to, Lin Cheng had already paid the bill. “I’ll walk you to catch a cab…”
Jiang Li hurried to her feet and followed behind him. Lin Cheng didn’t walk fast. When they reached the roadside, she suddenly reached out and lightly tugged his shirt corner. He turned, and she looked up at him, her eyes full of tentative hope.
“You got time?”
“Yeah.”
“Then… could you… could you give me a ride?”
“Sure.”
Lin Cheng had ridden his bike over. Worried that drinking and driving might spook Jiang Li, he stood quietly with her by the road waiting for a taxi. No taxi came, but a black car pulled up in front of him. Litchi rolled down the window and tilted her head toward him.
“Oh, the driver’s here.”
Lin Cheng opened the door and looked at the flustered Jiang Li. “Hop in.”
Jiang Li climbed obediently into the back seat, and Lin Cheng joined her. From the driver’s seat, Litchi asked flatly, “Where to?”
Lin Cheng named the hotel, and Litchi pulled out. Old tunes played softly in the car. Lin Cheng cracked a window for some air. Glancing casually at Jiang Li, he saw her eyes half-closed, leaning against the seat. “Feeling sick?”
“N-no, I’m fine.” Jiang Li answered quickly. She forced her eyes open and looked earnestly at Lin Cheng, murmuring seriously once more, “Thank you, Lin Cheng.”
“It’s really no big deal.”
“If you’re free next time… could I treat you to dinner?”
“I’ve got stuff to handle the next few days. Call me in a bit—I’ll come if I can.”
“Okay.” Jiang Li’s eyes lit up at the promise.
A while later, Litchi pulled up to the hotel. Lin Cheng got out and opened the door for her. Jiang Li stepped down carefully. Noticing her flushed cheeks, he suddenly realized she probably couldn’t hold her liquor at all—even a few beers had her woozy.
“I’ll walk you to your room.”
“Okay…” Jiang Li walked beside him, her steps unsteady. Lin Cheng hesitated, then placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her slender frame. Together they entered the hotel, took the elevator, and reached her door. She swiped her keycard to open it. Lin Cheng let out a breath of relief. “Get some rest.”
“Mm…” Jiang Li nodded softly. Lin Cheng turned and headed straight downstairs, sliding into the passenger seat. Litchi drove back toward the Fruit Shop building. Barely a few seconds in, her mocking laugh hit his ears.
“Did I ruin your vibe?”
“…” Lin Cheng was speechless.
“With that flushed, drunken look on her face, if I weren’t there, wouldn’t she have gone all soft and melted into your arms? Then you’d naturally walk her up to the hotel room, hang out a bit to ‘sober up,’ and leave?”
“Nah, not this time. She’s a high school classmate of mine. She was supposed to have a class reunion dinner, but ran into some trouble.”
Lin Cheng gave Litchi a quick rundown. She let out an “oh,” understanding why he’d suddenly called her. But her eyes lingered on him meaningfully. “Then shouldn’t you cherish this fateful encounter from the heavens? Nice skin, good figure, all soft and fragile-looking. Total pushover vibe.”
“Since when do you crack dirty jokes?” Lin Cheng shook his head helplessly. “Taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable spot is a dick move.”
Jiang Li had just endured months of nonstop mental strain. From the look of her bags, she hadn’t slept well in ages. She’d even started crying mid-conversation earlier—clearly on the verge of breakdown, her whole world pitch black. Then someone drops in like a ray of light tearing through the dark. Fake affection takes root easiest in moments like that.
But for Lin Cheng, it really was just a small favor. Screwing her over while she was desperate and helpless? That’d make him a total asshole.
“Doesn’t count with Lu Xiaoxiao?”
“That really doesn’t. I spotted my Evolution Blood in her at the bar, but her Energy Origin was weird—half human, half Abyss Crystal Core. So I took her home and fixed her up while she was drunk, to keep the blood from messing her up. Who knew she’d just pounce on me?”
“And you couldn’t hold back.”
“Any guy would’ve cracked.”
“I seem to remember last month, I slept over at your place too—for a whole night. But someone was all sweet and obedient.”
Here we go again—Litchi flipping into passive-aggressive mode.
“It’s different. That time… my brain just went, ‘No strings attached, sleep and forget, no chance of running into her again.’ Who’d have thought it’d get so tangled?”
“Heh.”
Litchi had pulled up by then. The next second, she swung her pale little foot at Lin Cheng’s leg. He was ready, catching her calf gently.
Litchi had the slim figure of a young girl—which she was. Her fair foot was in a black ankle boot, white socks hugging her ankle. The milky white of her calf in his view was especially tempting.
Lin Cheng reached out and stroked it lightly.
“Hm, Litchi’s legs are still the best-looking.”
“Drop dead,” Litchi said sullenly.
