Fu Lin retorted, "No way, I'm a proper and decent person. You're the one whose mind is in the gutter, Himeko."
Kiana stealthily walked up to Theresa, lowered her voice, and mumbled, "Auntie, it seems Fu Lin really can cure Honkai energy erosion. How much salary are you planning to give him? Also, you've been delaying Himeko's salary for a long time, haven't you~"
Upon hearing this, Theresa glared fiercely at Kiana, but soon replied nonchalantly, "Salary is no problem. As long as Himeko can be cured, that's all that matters. As for Himeko's salary, I'm just keeping it safe for her—otherwise she'd just spend it all on alcohol again."
------------------------------
As time slowly passed, the Honkai energy erosion inside Himeko's body had almost been purified.
Fu Lin withdrew his power, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked, "Himeko, how are you feeling?"
"Feeling, huh... better than ever!"
Himeko tried moving her body a little and felt an endless supply of energy and strength surging through her from head to toe.
It even felt as if she had returned to her youthful, vibrant self, with every cell in her body brimming with vitality.
And the pain that she had always relied on alcohol to numb, caused by the erosion of Honkai energy, had miraculously disappeared as well.
In the next second, Himeko turned around, pulled Fu Lin into her arms, and said excitedly, "You little one really gave me an unexpected surprise. If you need anything in the future, just tell big sis — as long as I can do it, I absolutely will."
However, at this very moment, Fu Lin was completely caught off guard by Himeko's sudden move and found himself flailing his hands, a sense of suffocation welling up inside. He mumbled, "Himeko, I... can't breathe!"
Hearing that, Himeko snapped back to her senses as if waking from a dream, quickly released her arms, and looked down apologetically at Fu Lin, who was gasping for air.
"Sorry~"
"It's okay...."
Fu Lin, whose face was still damp from being washed with facial cleanser earlier, waved his hand and returned somewhat wearily to his seat. As soon as he sat down, he suddenly felt a gaze locked tightly onto him.
Following the direction of that gaze, he saw that it was Fu Shi, who was staring at him curiously, so he responded with a smile. However, the smile didn't seem to have much effect.
Fu Shi still stared fixedly at Fu Lin, as if waiting for him to explain what had just happened. Fu Lin couldn't help but wonder to himself, What did I do this time?
Noticing that Fu Lin had picked up on her gaze, Fu Shi blinked thoughtfully and then asked curiously, "You... like big breasts?"
"Pfft!"
Fu Lin had just taken a sip of water, and upon hearing that, he immediately spat it out. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at Fu Shi, water still in his mouth dribbling down the corners.
"Cough cough... Nonsense! I like... I like..."
Fu Lin coughed while trying to explain.
But when he noticed the surrounding people also turning their curious gazes toward him after Fu Shi's words, he suddenly became a little nervous and embarrassed, and the words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat.
"Don't all boys like big breasts? I've been rejected again, huh, sigh~"
Himeko gently cupped her chest with both hands, then let her eyes sweep across everyone's chests, supporting her cheek with her hand, muttering gloomily.
Just then, two waves of grievance-laden aura suddenly surged toward her like a tide, sending a chill down her spine.
Theresa, "....."
Fu Hua, "....."
Meanwhile, Kiana blinked her large eyes, her curiosity piqued, and she couldn't help but press on, "Fu Lin, go on, tell us — what kind do you like?"
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but perk up their ears, not for any particular reason, just curious about Fu Lin's taste in a partner. Maybe this was the gossip gene embedded in human DNA.
Fu Lin pressed his palms together, his expression calm as still water, and softly said, "I have no such worldly desires. In my eyes, all of this is just fleeting clouds...."
Fu Shi rolled her eyes, her face full of disdain, and interrupted him with a →_→ expression, "Yeah, right, keep making things up~"
Faced with Fu Shi's blunt response, Fu Lin was momentarily speechless, but he quickly adjusted and changed the subject to avoid the awkwardness dragging on.
He cleared his throat and coughed twice, then deliberately exclaimed in a cheerful tone, "...Alright, alright, let's stop with the nonsense — let's hurry up and eat! I've been starving and can't wait any longer!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he eagerly picked up his chopsticks, waiting for the delicious dishes to be served, as if the awkward scene from just now had never happened.
But at that moment, the whole room fell into an unusually quiet state. No one spoke, and only the crisp sound of Fu Lin's chopsticks could be heard.
Bronya, sitting nearby, couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "That topic change was way too forced...."
Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard it clearly, and the already delicate atmosphere became even more awkward thanks to that sentence.
"...Heh."
Fu Lin's hand paused mid-motion as he let out an awkward chuckle.
Seeing this, Himeko turned and walked into her room, then returned holding a bottle of unopened red wine, breaking the awkward mood by exclaiming,
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Mei, hurry and bring out the dishes. Let's have a healthy celebration! I even brought out my treasured red wine!"
As soon as she said that, the previously dull atmosphere was instantly lit up. Kiana waved her hands excitedly and cheered loudly, "Awesome!"
"I'll help you, Mei." Fu Hua couldn't help but smile, got up, handed Fu Shi over to Fu Lin, and followed Mei toward the kitchen.
Himeko walked over to Fu Lin and asked, "Want some red wine?"
Fu Lin slightly lifted his head, nodded lightly, and slowly raised his glass to show his agreement.
"That's great. Finally, someone to drink with me~"
As Himeko spoke, she carefully uncorked the wine bottle, and immediately, a rich wine aroma filled the air, intoxicating and pleasant.
Himeko skillfully poured the red wine into two delicate wine glasses and then gracefully handed one to Fu Lin.
Fu Lin accepted the glass, carefully admired the gem-like, crystal-clear liquid inside, and gently swirled it...