Chapter 220

Page Seventy-Five Do you like it?

Xiǎo Kǎi was the kind of person who wouldn’t even call a taxi; he wouldn’t even ride the bus, walking all the way to the Balance Commercial District on foot.

Although we left later than him, Miss Lin had money power, and we still arrived at the commercial area earlier. We watched covertly from the sky bridge as he met up with Zǐ Jiàng, starting their sticky date…

Xiǎo Lěi bit her handkerchief and said enviously, “I’m so jealous! I don’t have a chance to be alone with the Chairman all day!”

Lin complained, “Stop being jealous. You’re the only one among us who has slept in the same bed as Kǎi-Chan.”

“They’re going to that bar again.” I reminded them.

Knowing where Xiǎo Kǎi was headed, we took a shortcut through the underground shopping street, arriving before them and hiding in a private room through the back door of the bar.

We shared Xiǎo Kǎi’s feelings with Lin and Xiǎo Lěi via the restraint.

Of course, this was done behind his back.

“Ah, today Zǐ Jiàng is full of feminine charm, it’s not easy to deal with.”

Today, Zǐ Jiàng came with determination.

Not only Lin, but even the fool Xiǎo Lěi could see it.

“She even put a restraint between them… I can’t lose to that guy!”

“Lěi, you can’t say that. I think Zǐ Jiàng should get Chairman’s love too? Her feelings aren’t any less than ours, it’s unfair that she’s excluded.”

“Feelings are selfish, and she’s almost devouring Chairman! No, let me go out!”

Seeing Zǐ Jiàng’s increasingly bold actions, Xiǎo Lěi’s eyes were spinning in panic. Just when I thought they were about to crash, a group of troublemakers appeared, coming just in time.

The sudden interruption made Zǐ Jiàng very unhappy, so she resorted to more aggressive tactics.

“Hiss, how ruthless…”

That decisive retaliation even made Lin gasp.

She added, “Lěi, be nicer to Zǐ Jiàng. I think she’s already quite restrained towards you.”

Seeing the tattooed man’s miserable state, Xiǎo Lěi nodded vigorously.

Only after Xiǎo Kǎi and Zǐ Jiàng left the bar through the front door did we three come out of the private room, but we didn’t follow them out. Lin approached the man with the scorpion tattoo on his arm. His arms were wounded, and four subordinates were still unconscious. The bartender brought a first-aid kit to bandage his arm, of course, for a price.

“Old man, it looks like you messed with the wrong people?”

In response to Lin’s gloating, the scorpion man looked pale and asked, “Who are you?”

I applied a cognitive hindrance spell; the dim light in the bar kept him from focusing on me.

“Hey, you’ve improved! You know to find out who you’re dealing with first. But unfortunately, you little guys aren’t worthy of knowing my identity. And I won’t tell you the identities of those two either.”

To intimidate the scorpion man, Lin deliberately created an air of mystery. Even if she revealed herself, these people wouldn’t dare move.

After the bartender finished bandaging the scorpion man, he quickly left, fearing to hear anything he shouldn’t.

“We’ve been played. Regardless of the target, the other lady is definitely someone special. I didn’t want to get involved with such people…”

The scorpion man indeed seemed terrified by Zǐ Jiàng’s ruthless actions.

Lin sat down in front of him.

“Though a bit belated, you have some vision. That lady, even if she… no one would question it. At most, it would just be considered missing.”

It wasn’t as exaggerated as it sounded, but the scorpion man clearly believed it.

“Don’t scare me, don’t scare me, or I’ll go crazy.”

He asked, “What do you want from me then?”

“It’s simple. I want to give your employer a surprise, and I need your help.”

The scorpion man frowned.

“…I’ve given them the email and phone number. I don’t want to be involved anymore.”

“It’s not difficult. Plus, there’s a reward.”

Lin offered irresistible terms.

Afterward, we left the bar.

“Lin, will those people really do as you say?”

In response to Xiǎo Lěi’s question, Lin tapped her fingers on Xiǎo Lěi’s head and said, “My silly Lěi, no one turns down money. This way, they have more credibility in communicating. If the Glorious Family doesn’t agree, we don’t lose anything… They will agree. They’ve already paid a four-thousand-yuan advance. If they don’t get what they want, they won’t stop.”

Lin wanted the scorpion man to lure members of the Glorious Family out. Providing a photo of Xiǎo Kǎi… or mine, should make it easy to bait them, with the reason being distrust of online transactions.

Xiǎo Lěi squinted at being poked but asked, “If they really transfer the remaining eighty thousand online?”

“It’s impossible. Even if they do, it’s just the scorpion man’s gain.”

We wouldn’t suffer any loss.

It would be best to catch a member of the Glorious Family, ideally a core member, to extract information, gather evidence, and sweep away this entrenched online criminal organization.

Lin asked, “Let’s set this aside. Where did Kǎi-Chan and Zǐ Jiàng go to have fun? I can’t sense his senses.”

“They went for lunch.”

“What fancy restaurant?”

I thought for a moment and replied, “Is a ramen shop considered fancy?”

“…Why ramen? Are they old men?”

Lin couldn’t help but complain. I explained, “It was Zǐ Jiàng’s idea. She seems to be fond of ramen, so they went to try something new.”

“Something new?”

I glanced at the menu posted at the entrance of the store.

“The main dishes are… cilantro herb basil ramen, black truffle chocolate ramen, roasted pebble ramen. All have rich beef broth, topped with braised pork.”

Xiǎo Lěi imagined it, covering her head and asking, “What are those? Pebbles are stones! Can you really eat them?”

“You don’t say, they’re quite expensive. I think ramen priced at seventy or eighty yuan per bowl shouldn’t be that bad.”

This ramen shop specializing in unusual flavors was located on the sixth floor of the food court in Building C. As a popular spot, business was booming on Sundays, so they were still waiting outside for their turn.

“Going to queue might expose us, but if we don’t go now, they’ll finish and leave before we even get in…”

After analyzing, Lin suggested, “Find a nearby place to have lunch. Sharing Kǎi’s senses, we can taste the ramen too.”

She was still thinking about using that method to spy.

However, the plan was feasible, though Xiǎo Lěi seemed a bit uncomfortable. She squinted and said, “Watching your beloved watching another girl eat ramen, in first-person immersion… What kind of torture is this?”

“Then don’t look?”

“No, I want to watch!”

——————

Switching Perspective

——————

I asked nervously, “…Are you really going to try this?”

Sister Zǐ raised an eyebrow.

“We’ve lined up, you won’t back out now, right?”

My eye twitched.

On this enormous menu wall, I couldn’t find many normal dishes. Not only was the ramen questionable, but even the desserts were things like crimson devil pepper ice cream and fennel egg pudding. This so-called trendy shop was clearly a scammer!

The prices were key. Even if the dishes were strange, the prices weren’t cheap.

“Wait, let me see if there’s anything normal…”

“No, just eat the melted chocolate ramen! It feels sweet, but the broth is bone stock. Huh, I wonder what it will taste like!”

Sister Zǐ was excited since entering the shop, showing rare innocence as she gazed at the various ramen posters on the walls, her eyes sparkling.

— “She hasn’t hidden herself today. She wants to show you her true self. This is her resolve!” —

Cherry Sauce, the inexperienced dating expert, popped up again.

— “Even if you mock me, if you still treat me carelessly today, I’ll make sure you regret it!” —

Sister Zǐ called over a server to order ramen for both of us.

“Melted chocolate ramen, coffee milk ramen, and another serving of black soup.”

The server left with the menu. I asked, “Sister Zǐ, what’s next after lunch?”

“In the afternoon, do something more like a date. Like… watching a movie, window shopping?”

“Do you have any movies in mind or anything you want to buy?”

“Not really…”

Indeed, she just felt it should be done.

Even if smart, things you’re not good at remain so. Zǐ, detached from romance, couldn’t come up with specific date activities. Finally, she gave a mediocre answer.

“If you have no ideas, I have a good suggestion.”

“Where?”

“Do you know video halls?”

That old-fashioned video hall where Lin and I had memories was the most romantic place I could think of.

Though we picked a third-rate ghost movie back then…

Sister Zǐ propped her chin.

“Of course, don’t forget, I’m older than you. If I hadn’t dropped out, I’d be graduating college now.”

Her tone was wistful.

“Do you regret it? Choosing that path?” I asked.

“What for? Want to give me psychological counseling?”

Sister Zǐ teased but answered, “No regrets. The only thing I regret is not seeing through your tricks sooner.”

A gentle smile played on her lips.

“But if you were still Lu Huangze, I couldn’t sit here eating ramen with you like this.” I said.

Sister Zǐ propped her chin and looked into my eyes. “Even the old me would change for you. After all, you’re the first man to ever make my heart beat.”

I wouldn’t be happy being liked by a man, rather, it would be disgusting. After all, I’m not gay.

Covering my face, this conversation made me feel awkward.

“No! Even if you fall for me, I won’t like men!”

“Won’t like men?”

As if she caught something, Sister Zǐ narrowed her eyes.

“Now, do you like me as a girl?”