Page Seventy-Four
It’s impossible not to stir up trouble.
Sister Zǐ snorted derisively from her nose.
“Hmph, a bunch of fools, selling themselves without even knowing the other party’s background. How amateurish. Do you really think you’ll receive the final payment? Wake up! You’re just cannon fodder hired to defuse bombs. You’re not even considered lackeys; you’re worthless pawns.”
“Damn it!”
The Scorpion Man seemed to understand something and frowned as he cursed.
“The information those bastards gave me was wrong.”
He carefully wiped the blood off his dinner knife and then cautiously put it away in his handbag. So it wasn’t an item from the bar?
Sister Zǐ continued, “Give me their phone numbers and email addresses. I’ll make them pay for disrupting my important date.”
…Ah, so this was the main point?
The Scorpion Man confessed honestly, clearly not wanting to have any further dealings with Sister Zǐ.
Before leaving the bar, Sister Zǐ glared at the bartender who had switched sides. With just a look, she scared him into falling back behind the bar counter. This domineering queenly aura already resembled that of Senior Sister Bìfāng.
But this state didn’t last long.
As they climbed the stairs and stepped onto the riverside promenade, Sister Zǐ hugged me from behind. Her body radiated heat, her chin resting on my shoulder, and her warm cheek pressed against my ear. There was also a hint of alcohol on her breath.
But she wasn’t drunk, nor was I.
“Sister Zǐ… you’re too close.”
“I helped you solve a big problem. What’s wrong with holding you for a bit?”
She mumbled, then complained, “But that’s really disappointing! You’re truly a bringer of misfortune. Even just going out to play can lead to such troubles.”
“I find these situations troublesome too. Stop teasing me.”
“Let’s set that aside. Shall we continue our date today?”
“Alright, the most important thing right now is the date.”
Considering Sister Zǐ’s mood, I reluctantly admitted that it was indeed a date.
She was in high spirits, burying her face in my neck and breathing deeply.
“Hmm, hmm, you smell so good. Your ears have a scent too.”
That scent came from earwax, scientifically known as cerumen.
This substance mainly consists of esters secreted in the ear, so some people’s cerumen can indeed be fragrant. As a benchmark for beautiful girls (male), there was no reason for my earwax not to be fragrant…
“But sticking your nose into someone else’s ear is too strange! Sister Zǐ, calm down a bit!”
Perhaps due to the alcohol, since the first bold contact, her behavior became increasingly proactive and open.
If this continued, it might lead to an irreversible step.
I turned around to push her away and maintained a suitable distance, confirming she didn’t intend to hug me again. I suggested, “It’s past twelve. Let’s stop here and revisit the old place. Why don’t we find somewhere to eat first?”
However, Sister Zǐ asked, “Are you resisting me? Do you think I was scary just now?”
“No, I’m not resisting you. As an opponent, you were indeed frightening, but you were standing up for me just now, right?”
She seemed to care about my opinion. To dispel her concerns, I took her hand voluntarily.
Her fingertips were still cold.
“So I won’t be afraid. Rather, Sister Zǐ was super cool just now! It should feel very secure! No matter how you are now or just now, I like both versions of you…”
“Did you say that? Does Lingmeng also like me?”
Sister Zǐ’s brown hair curled more. She awaited my reply.
“Some answers we can find slowly…”
“…Hmm.”
Sister Zǐ only responded softly, leaving her thoughts inscrutable.
Cherry Sauce disagreed with my comfort, and her roaring telepathic message surged like a tsunami.
—“Tsk! I’m getting impatient! Accept her and go marry her! You should have mustered the courage to respond just now! How long do you plan to be timid? Do you think this is being considerate of her feelings? Hanging her like this is actually hurting her. Timid! Because of the curse of Cupid’s arrow, Sister Zǐ will never like anyone else in her life! Besides Sister Li, you’re the only one who can reach her heart!”
The side effects of shared consciousness had vanished; Sister Zǐ couldn’t hear Cherry Sauce’s telepathic message, and I couldn’t sense her emotions either. However, there was one thing…
I understood that she held a hundred percent positive feelings towards me.
But was accepting impulsively an act of responsibility?
Could I handle everyone’s emotions now?
My answer was no.
—“There’s no perfect answer… Even if you become a deity, this remains an unsolvable problem. The most important thing is taking action! Sister Linhua, Sister Zǐ, and even Sister Lei have already started moving. You’re still like a rotten log, motionless!”
I was harshly scolded by Cherry Sauce.
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[9:37]
“Oh! Chairman has left!”
Hearing the door closing sound coming from the玄关, Xiao Lei, who had been sitting cross-legged on the carpet playing games, instantly dropped the controller and jumped up, rushing to the wardrobe to search for clothes to wear when leaving.
“Don’t rush. Wait until he’s far enough away before we start. As long as Cherry Sauce is with us, we won’t lose track of him.”
Lin Hua remained calm. Sitting on the bed, she asked, “It’s clear that Kǎi-Chan himself didn’t want to talk about the date with Sister Zǐ alone. Why did you tell us about it behind his back?”
“Are you blaming me?” I countered.
“How could I? I’m just curious about why you did it.”
Xiao Lei, who was changing clothes, nodded in agreement with Lin Hua’s question.
I explained, “Xiao Kǎi and Sister Zǐ agreed to spend the day alone. We’ll follow from afar, as long as he doesn’t know, it won’t break the agreement, right?”
At least in Xiao Kǎi’s own understanding, he spent the day alone.
“I’m not asking about that reason. I’m saying… why are you helping us? Can I interpret it as Cherry Sauce already approving of me and the idiot?”
“Huh? Are you still asking this now?”
I was surprised. Had I ever opposed their pursuit of Xiao Kǎi?
Lin Hua laughed and said, “Ha!” She crawled along the bed to sit next to me and then pressed her face against my back.
“Does Cherry Sauce also support my harem paradise plan?” she asked.
“It’s not as utopian as you think. It’s impossible for everyone to like each other. Seeking common ground while preserving differences is your realistic solution… If everyone becomes Xiao Kǎi’s believer, they’ll be like family.”
“After Kǎi-Chan becomes a deity, there might be hundreds or thousands of believers. If those are all part of the harem… Cherry Sauce, you’re more open-minded than I thought.”
No, that’s not what I meant.
“Only a portion of believers can become the dearest to the deity. That would undoubtedly be you.”
Quickly shedding her nightgown, Xiao Lei, now in just underwear, retorted, “How can so many people share Chairman? And believers aren’t as intimate as wives or girlfriends. I don’t know what gods are like, but I only want ordinary happiness.”
Falling in love with a future deity surely means no ordinary happiness, right?
“Calling believers wives isn’t wrong. It’s just a term.”
Lin Hua patted my shoulder and said, “Cherry Sauce should work in her own way. I’ve decided to love everyone!”
Universal love… are you the deity?
To express her determination, Lin Hua reached out and pinched Xiao Lei’s slender waist. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Xiao Lei, startled by the sudden grab, screamed.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Hua exclaimed, “Lei’s flesh is so elastic! I like this, so I love you!”
“Is that love? You’re lusting after my body!”
“Yeah! I’m honest! I’m lusting after your body!”
“You!!”
Once Lin Hua finished changing, we prepared to leave.
Today was Sunday. According to Dad’s rule, Mom would maintain her mother form today. At that moment, she was wearing an apron, sweeping the living room like a diligent young wife.
“Oh? Are you going out too?” She greeted us as we descended the stairs.
“Yes, it’s a waste of life to stay home on weekends.”
I decided not to tell Mom about the tracking of Xiao Kǎi yet; it would be complicated to explain.
Little Qinglan, carrying a vacuum cleaner like a shadow behind her, was making an unnecessary show of helping. After all, the vacuum cleaner had wheels to drag it along.
“Didn’t I tell you? As long as you stay away from Mom for a while, you can return. Aren’t you going to let Miss Fan’ni pick you up?”
Without turning back, Little Qinglan replied, “I won’t go back! Instead of being sad about not seeing Sister Wei, I’d rather stay like this! Ultimately, you need to find the culprit quickly, right?”
She rushed over to hug Mom’s waist, hindering her cleaning.
“It’s easy to say, but finding them easily wouldn’t be so hard…”
Seeing me sigh helplessly, Mom comforted, “Don’t rush. Everything takes time… Are you coming back for dinner tonight?”
The schedule for today wasn’t clear. I answered, “Not sure yet. We’ll decide later in the afternoon.”
“If you’re preparing dinner, please tell me ahead of time!”
“No problem.”
Due to the cat house at the entrance, the玄关was in shadow. The “tenant” Orange had invited was already settled in. Several wild cats of different fur colors were sleeping on the climbing frame, including a white one I recognized.
I had an impression of it. It was a friend of Orange’s, a female cat who wanted to turn human.
This intelligent white cat clearly disdained mingling with ordinary wild cats. It curled up alone in the highest wooden box, its white fur exceptionally clean, with a pink ribbon bow tied around its neck.
“Miau—”
It seemed to greet us, calling out to us.
“One, two, three… six, seven, eight… so many! This place is really turning into a shelter for wild cats?”
Unlike Xiao Lei’s reactions, Lin Hua remained calm. She watched the wild cats through the glass cabinet door, her lips curling into a faint smile.
“When Orange brings all the village’s winterless wild cats here, this number will double, right? We need to get them all sterilized, otherwise, it will lead to an overpopulation of wild cats.”
The cost of a warm winter is castration?
This was too cruel for the wild cats…
