Lin Cheng first tried punching Little Qi in the chest. In the next second, pain radiated from his knuckles all the way to his bone marrow. He couldn’t help turning back to ask, “What the hell did you make this thing out of?”
“Alchemy metal,” Lemon replied. “Refined from Wilderness Fire Crystals in the Abyss and Black Soul Jade. You wouldn’t understand anyway.”
“It’s not that—it’s way too hard. My hand hurts. How about we call off the fight?”
“Little Qi, beat him up.”
The moment the words left Lemon’s mouth, the two-meter-tall robot’s eyes lit up. It powered on and charged straight at Lin Cheng. It drew a dagger from its waist and spun it once in its grip. Wait—had it even picked up Grape’s habits?
Lin Cheng sighed helplessly. Black-red blood threads swiftly coiled around his body, wrapping his arms into a pair of formidable fists.
Lemon watched with eager anticipation. She was dying to know just how powerful Little Qi had become after mastering Grape’s techniques. The robot possessed every killing skill from Silver Wing’s two centuries of heritage. And Lin Cheng keenly noticed that it had also grasped the manipulation of energy—its joints were freakishly flexible!
Lin Cheng clashed with it for a full three minutes. By the time Xu Wanyue and Grape emerged, Xu Wanyue jumped in surprise. Fortunately, Grape explained the situation, and the two of them sat quietly by the pool’s edge to watch. Xu Wanyue was dressed in a white bandeau swimsuit that left her slender waist and legs bare to the warm sunlight. Ten minutes later, Lin Cheng finally managed to wrench one of the damn robot’s arms clean off.
“You might as well just kill me,” Lin Cheng said plaintively, shooting Lemon a look. In the next instant, however, he watched in disbelief as the severed arm wriggled back into place on Little Qi’s body. Seeing it about to rise again, Lin Cheng dashed to Lemon’s side, scooped her into his arms, and prodded the soft flesh at her waist. “Make it change back.”
“It’s already learned your fighting techniques! Just one more round?”
Lin Cheng started tickling her. Lemon’s legs kicked wildly in midair as she squirmed. At last, she relented with obvious reluctance. “Little Qi, turn into doggy.”
Little Qi promptly reverted to its little dog form and trotted over to the poolside to lap at the water.
“What the heck even is this thing?” Lin Cheng asked, utterly baffled.
“Basically a robot,” Lemon said. “I installed a semi-mature AI in its head. It can follow almost any command. Heh heh—only listens to me, though. Want it to obey you too?”
“What else can it do?”
“Fetch frisbees. Bark like a dog.”
“Yeah, never mind. Sounds pretty lame.”
“Oh… those are your words.” Lemon turned toward the little dog drinking from the pool and called out, “Little Qi, turn into a car!”
In the next moment, a flash erupted from Little Qi’s body. Lin Cheng’s eyes nearly went blind from the glare. When his vision cleared, a sleek black motorcycle stood before him.
“Top speed of six hundred kilometers per hour,” Lemon boasted. “It can make short leaps, has an autopilot system, and it’s loaded with cluster bombs—thirty-meter blast radius.”
Lin Cheng’s eyes lit up.
“How about we renegotiate…?”
“No way.” Lemon huffed lightly. “You turned it down yourself.”
She was still cradled in Lin Cheng’s arms. In the next second, he went after that soft spot at her waist again. Lemon laughed until tears welled in her eyes before finally giving in. “Little Qi, he’s your number two master from now on.”
Little Qi let out a woof. Lin Cheng promptly set Lemon down, strode over to the motorcycle, hopped on, fired it up, and took off. The villa grounds featured plenty of open road, so he looped around for a good long spin before returning. Mimicking Lemon, he called out, “Little Qi, turn into doggy.”
The motorcycle shifted back into the little dog, which padded over to the pool on tiny paws to resume drinking.
“Awesome,” Lin Cheng said as he returned to the poolside. Grape lounged lazily in a chair beneath a beach umbrella. Xu Wanyue appeared to be chatting quietly with Lemon. Lin Cheng figured the two of them might actually hit it off—they seemed to share some common ground, and Xu Wanyue had a real knack for handling kids.
Lin Cheng, on the other hand, wasn’t so great at coaxing Lemon. He tended to bicker with her more often than not. As his gaze drifted, he noticed that Litchi had changed into a pink swim skirt that modestly covered her soft bosom and rounded hips. She reclined lazily in her chair, sipping iced lemon water. Lin Cheng crouched down beside her and blinked up at her. “Need some sunscreen?”
“The sun isn’t that intense,” Litchi said, poking his cheek with a finger. “No thanks.”
Lin Cheng looked crestfallen. He had just turned to head for the pool when he caught Grape’s eyes quietly fixed on him. Right—he’d offered Litchi but skipped Grape. Her gaze was as cool and impassive as ever, giving nothing away, but who knew what she might be thinking deep down.
He hurried over to Grape’s side. “Need some sunscreen?”
Grape blinked in surprise, then gave a soft nod. “Mm.”
The Fruit Shop seemed to have more than its fair share of stunning women.
Up until now, Grape had been the one setting the standard for figures. She was the epitome of tall and slender, with perfectly balanced proportions—especially those defined lines tracing her waist. Every inch of her skin gleamed snow-white and smooth, yet it concealed the raw power of a leopard. Lin Cheng warmed some sunscreen between his palms, dragged over a small stool, and began gently applying it to Grape’s calves.
Come to think of it, he and Grape had known each other for years now.
Back then, her expression had always been this same one: cold, aloof, utterly unapproachable. These past few years, though—ever since opening the Fruit Shop and spending so much time with Litchi—she’d softened up a bit. At least her eyes no longer burned with that piercing killing intent. Even as Lin Cheng’s fingertips brushed her thigh, her body gave a faint tremble. When he glanced up, he saw her biting her lip, her pale cheeks tinged with a subtle flush.
Her silver hair was a side effect of her abilities; when she activated them, her eyes turned a striking silver too, like some snow spirit from legend. Lin Cheng applied the lotion with careful focus. Grape obediently lifted her arms, letting him coat the smooth, pale hollows of her underarms as well. Then she turned over, presenting her back.
It might have been his imagination, but Lin Cheng could have sworn he caught the ghost of a faint smile at the corner of her mouth. He’d hardly ever seen Grape smile before… aside from that manic grin she flashed after sating her bloodlust.
Litchi glanced over and caught Grape lying there with her eyes half-closed in lazy contentment. Her voice carried a sour edge. “You’re the only one who gets away with bullying Grape Sis like this.”
Grape opened her eyes, her tone laced with faint apology. “I… I was trying really hard to hold back.”
“I’m not mad at you,” Litchi said with a helpless laugh. Suddenly feeling playful, she dabbed a bit of sunscreen onto her own hands and said, “Hold Grape Sis down for me.”
Lin Cheng acknowledged with an “oh” and pressed down on Grape’s shoulders. Litchi’s fingers were then free to lightly graze the snow-white curve of Grape’s waist. Grape’s body shuddered. On pure instinct, she nearly bolted upright to twist Litchi to the ground—but Lin Cheng held her firm, and she managed to endure it. Litchi’s fingers trailed gently over her waist, her calves, her thighs.
Grape’s triggers had always been severe. Any stranger who touched her would get reflexively slammed to the ground. Things were much better these days, though. Litchi made a habit of pinching her cheeks every morning—like desensitization training.
But she never reacted that way to Lin Cheng.
A faint pink bloomed across Grape’s skin. She met Litchi’s eyes. “That’s enough, right?”
“I finally get to touch Grape Sis. Just a little longer.”
Litchi happily caressed Grape’s skin, oblivious at first to how Grape’s gaze was growing increasingly hazy. Perhaps it was the immobilization—the way Lin Cheng pinned her, leaving her unable to move, struggle, or resist—that caused her legs to press together, rubbing restlessly in unease.
Litchi picked up on it quickly and withdrew her hand. “All right, all right! Desensitization training’s over for today!”
Lin Cheng released his hold on Grape. “I’m going to change into my swim trunks.”
Litchi settled back into her chair. As Grape turned toward her, the flush on her cheeks quickly faded to normal. She cast a deep glance at Xu Wanyue and Lemon, who were now splashing each other by the pool. In a soft voice, she said, “Don’t worry. Him and Xu Wanyue… even if it looks like something’s going on right now, it’s probably just to rile up Jiang Lingxue.”
Grape murmured a quiet “mm,” her lashes drifting downward again.
Litchi always called her “Grape Sis,” but Grape knew full well that more often than not, it was Litchi taking care of her. Litchi had taught her all the little things normal people did—the fun, everyday stuff that helped her slowly blend into the world.
For over a decade, she’d grown up in Silver Wing, molded into nothing more than a pure killing machine. She simply didn’t fit anywhere. Maybe… that was why no one ever loved her.
Sensing Grape’s melancholy, Litchi leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Hasn’t Grape Sis noticed? Things between you and him have been changing these past few years. He never would have offered to rub in sunscreen before. Someday you could be just like everyone else—and then he’d probably tease you nonstop. That guy’s mind is always full of naughty ideas.”
“Mm…” Grape responded softly. She stared down at her own pale, dainty toes, lost in thought.
“And remember how he looked when he saw you in that maid outfit? His eyes nearly bugged out. Heh heh heh. Plus, I’ve got a killer move prepared for Grape Sis tonight. He might even get into it with Jiang Lingxue again—I can feel it. She’ll pick a fight with him, he’ll get all down about it, and that’s our chance to swoop in…”
Litchi trailed off midsentence and looked up.
In the distance, a pair of long, slender, snow-white legs gleamed so dazzlingly in the sunlight that Litchi spotted their owner instantly.
Jiang Lingxue had arrived.
