Chapter 120

Page Thirteen The Feast at Hongmen

Xiǎo Lěi sent me a photo of herself dressed in the girls’ school uniform and then went silent. I hope she is still quietly staying in the secret base.

But after Zhao Zhào saw the photo, he immediately concluded that Xiǎo Lěi had sneaked into the girls’ school.

“Why? That girl isn’t like you… okay, even if she is like you, she wouldn’t be drooling over pretty girls all day, right?”

“What do you mean by drooling? As a healthy high school boy, what’s wrong with liking cute and pretty girls!”

He pounded his chest and lamented loudly, receiving nods of agreement from many classmates.

“Besides, don’t you want to see the so-called lesbian garden where men are not allowed? Don’t you want to check out the women’s bathroom, changing room, and gym?”

“No, I don’t want to at all. That’s just being perverted! Do you have any self-awareness?”

What is this women’s gym?

Zhào Zhào snorted disdainfully through his nose. “Hmph, hypocritical.”

My phone vibrated. I took it out, but almost dropped it in shock.

“Damn.”

This was bad.

“What’s wrong? Did Xiǎo Lěi send you a new message?”

“No, it’s Lǐn Huā.”

I handed my phone to Zhào Zhào.

“Take a look yourself. There’s no way we can bluff our way out of this now…”

Lǐn Huā sent a photo, showing her hugging Xiǎo Lěi around the neck, with the latter reluctantly giving a V-sign to the camera.

Zhào Zhào helplessly shrugged his shoulders. “This is quite unexpected…”

Not only did that girl run to the girls’ school, but she was also caught by Lǐn Huā who had just transferred there. “Why are you always getting caught?”

She was also caught by Thunder Meow-Meow at the Lost Moonlight Bar. What kind of useless teammate is this?

“Hey, it wasn’t me who got caught. I’m fine, aren’t I?”

A new message came in, still from Lǐn Huā.

[Please invite Kǎi-Chan for dinner tonight, and bring Zhào Zhào along too. You must come!]

It didn’t explain why, but it did send the restaurant address. It wasn’t too far away; she reserved a private room in the Balance Commercial District.

Clearly, she got some information from Xiǎo Lěi and planned to settle things with me. In other words, this dinner was a trap, but I had to go— I needed to get that silly girl back.

What could Lǐn Huā possibly know from Xiǎo Lěi?

The worst-case scenario was that Xiǎo Lěi had been coerced and spilled everything. Then there would be nothing left for me to struggle with.

If we look on the bright side, even if Xiǎo Lěi hadn’t said anything, Lǐn Huā could deduce Zhao Zhào’s identity from her clothes. After all, Xiǎo Lěi’s entire wardrobe, including her underwear, belonged to Lǐn Huā.

In other words, the phrase “bring Zhào Zhào along” in the message was already a trap.

If Lǐn Huā only knew that Xiǎo Lěi equaled Zhao Zhào, it was nothing new. She had already known that when I borrowed clothes from her before. There was no need to go to such lengths to set up a trap.

But recently, Lǐn Huā had been close to Fēi Jiě. This photo wasn’t a selfie either; it was likely taken by Fēi Jiě. Since Xiǎo Lěi had met Fēi Jiě in her role as a deity, she would definitely be recognized.

At this point, Zhao Zhào equaling a deity was as good as having concrete evidence.

After hearing my analysis, Zhao Zhào thought:

“We’ll go, but not into the restaurant. Chairman, you stay outside and erase the bookmark, then we can slip away, right?”

It wasn’t a bad idea, but it was definitely a last resort, akin to admitting guilt. Still, it gave me a hint.

There was still a chance to salvage the situation and avoid total defeat.

“Why slip away? Let’s just go in. They caught Xiǎo Lěi, so what does that have to do with you, Zhao Zhào?”

I knocked on his desk.

“Remember, you, Zhao Zhào, are here, and they only caught the Great Deity, understand?”

Zhào Zhào nodded, half-comprehending.

…

Class ended, and school let out.

Since Xiǎo Lěi was caught, we didn’t need to go to the secret base. Zhao Zhào carried me down the stairs with my wheelchair.

But when we arrived, we found Lǐn Huā standing at the main entrance of the teaching building, leaning against the wall while being surrounded by a group of boys trying to chat her up.

The first floor was occupied by freshmen from Grade One, who were newcomers to the boys’ school.

To them, seeing no girls around, the sudden appearance of a pretty senior student was like seeing a panda—they were fascinated. I felt the same way when I first arrived.

Older students from Grade Two and Three, upon seeing Lǐn Huā, shook their heads and sighed, patting the freshmen’s shoulders.

“Don’t get too excited. She’s your senior, the legendary cross-dressing boss. She’s a guy.”

Some even pointed at me.

“See that guy in the wheelchair? He confessed to the cross-dressing boss without knowing it, and look where it got him… poor thing.”

These gossiping classmates must have imagined some bizarre plot to connect my leg fracture with confessing to Lǐn Huā.

Zhào Zhào didn’t avoid it; he simply pushed me toward Lǐn Huā.

“Why?”

Zhào Zhào, who stood at 1.9 meters tall, was easily noticeable. When Lǐn Huā saw him from afar, she looked puzzled.

“Oh, Lǐn Huā, why are you inside the school?”

She seemed confused, stumbling over her words.

“Oh, I… I came to pick you up, worried about your leg…”

She probably thought that since Xiǎo Lěi was caught, I needed someone to push my wheelchair, so she came herself.

Zhào Zhào patted his chest and said, “Isn’t there me? I’ll take care of the Chairman.”

“Strange, so why are you still here?”

Zhào Zhào continued to play dumb. “Oh? Didn’t you ask me to go out for dinner with you?”

“Sure, but forget it, TAXI!”

As they walked out of the school gate, Lǐn Huā waved down a taxi on the roadside. Zhao Zhào helped me into the back seat and expertly folded the wheelchair into the trunk.

“Balance Commercial District.”

Considering the presence of the driver, Lǐn Huā didn’t ask many questions. After all, this topic was somewhat beyond reality. If a talkative driver took us directly to a mental hospital to meet Zhao Mā, it would be awkward.

Though she didn’t speak, Lǐn Huā frowned and pursed her lips, still looking strangely at Zhao Zhào in the front seat.

Obviously, Zhao Zhào’s existence touched on her knowledge blind spots. Conversely, this meant that Xiǎo Lěi hadn’t told her about the bookmark clone.

Lǐn Huā took out her phone and started messaging someone, probably asking Fēi Jiě if she had kept an eye on Xiǎo Lěi.

The driver was a quiet type, saying nothing throughout the ride into the Balance Commercial District.

The main roads in the Balance Commercial District were few, mostly pedestrian walkways between buildings. The overhead bridges formed a web-like structure, making it hard to find the restaurant unless you were a regular.

“Because Kǎi-Chan has difficulty moving around and the commercial district’s accessibility features aren’t great, I chose a Sichuan restaurant on the ground floor just ahead.”

“Oh, thank you very much.”

Although Lǐn Huā had considered me, her consideration was not thorough… I don’t like spicy food and I don’t understand its appeal. Plus, someone with a fractured leg should avoid heavy oil and spicy foods, which could cause inflammation.

“Lǐn Huā, the girl you met this afternoon was—”

She turned around and put a finger to her lips, signaling me to be quiet.

“She’s the Great Deity you mentioned, right? I already know that. She’s cute, though a bit naive.”

“Cough, cough!”

Zhào Zhào, pushing the wheelchair, suddenly coughed twice, noticing Lǐn Huā’s gaze and explaining, “My throat itches. Did you guys bully her?”

“Of course not. Although it’s our first meeting, I can become a real girl thanks to her. This dinner is a welcome banquet for her… We’re almost at the private room. Let me take over the wheelchair ~”

Lǐn Huā took the wheelchair from Zhao Zhào, and before entering, she smelled the scent of the restaurant. The Sichuan restaurant’s interior was red, with fake chili strings hanging like lanterns, creating a festive atmosphere.

The restaurant was spacious, and the staff were very welcoming. Seeing me in a wheelchair, they offered assistance, but Lǐn Huā firmly declined.

“We’ve made a reservation. Someone is already here. Thank you, no trouble, we can manage on our own.”

As we walked, she turned back and asked,

“So, the tall guy seems quite concerned about the Great Deity. Why is that? And why do you have her phone?”

Lǐn Huā suddenly spoke up, and Zhao Zhào’s mind hadn’t caught up yet, so I quickly took over.

“Oh, you mean this? The Great Deity doesn’t have a phone, so I lent Zhao Zhào’s to her, just in case something happened at the girls’ school and I couldn’t reach her.”

“I see, but what you and the Great Deity said doesn’t match. Kǎi-Chan, you’re lying to me again, right?”

This was tricky. How could I know what Xiǎo Lěi had told her…

Seeing my hesitation, Lǐn Huā sighed disappointedly.

“I was just testing you. When will you start telling me the truth?”