"Hey, Wei Qing—are we still besties or what? You'd hide this from me?"
Bai Heng walked beside Wei Qing down the street. The fox girl looked genuinely offended, cheeks puffed with anger.
Wei Qing answered with a deadpan eye-roll.
"First: who's 'besties' with you? Don't go slandering my reputation out of thin air."
"Second: I already told you the truth. You're the one who refuses to believe it."
Bai Heng planted her hands on her hips, fox ears standing straight up. "Then explain this: what exactly do you have that Jingliu could possibly like? Don't tell me you're going to claim it's because you're handsome again."
"Could be," Wei Qing said lightly.
"Pfft!" Bai Heng pulled a face. "Jingliu isn't that shallow!"
They were still bickering when two figures suddenly stepped into their path.
Wei Qing looked up—
It was Dan Feng and Jingliu, standing shoulder to shoulder.
Dan Feng wore a confident smile. Jingliu, as always, looked expressionless… except when her crimson eyes fell on Wei Qing, there seemed to be a faint warmth there that hadn't been present before.
"What a coincidence," Dan Feng said first. "We were just about to come find you two."
Bai Heng's eyes lit up. She immediately bounced over to Jingliu's side. "Jingliu! Perfect timing—Wei Qing keeps insisting you—"
"Ahem!" Wei Qing coughed loudly, flashing Bai Heng frantic warning looks.
Jingliu tilted her head slightly. "Insisting I… what?"
"Nothing!" Wei Qing cut in instantly. "Bai Heng's just talking nonsense."
The infuriating fox blinked innocently, then dragged the last syllables out on purpose: "Ooooh so I'm the one talking nonsense"
Wei Qing looked like he wanted to clamp a hand over her mouth.
But Dan Feng stepped forward first and patted Wei Qing's shoulder with a meaningful expression. "Wei Qing, there's a new mall that just opened nearby. Want to go take a look together?"
Wei Qing lifted a brow, suspicion rising. "What, Dragon Elder—feeling generous today? Treating us?"
Dan Feng smiled. "Of course not. With my tiny little assets, how would I dare? Today's spending is obviously on Young Master Jing."
Young Master Jing?
And you, the Dragon Elder, are pretending to be broke in front of me?
Wait… Dan Feng, are you secretly from my hometown?
Wei Qing stole a glance at Jingliu. She remained impassive.
"This…" he forced a laugh, "…doesn't feel appropriate."
He wasn't some macho type who believed men must pay for everything, but Dan Feng's phrasing felt weirdly loaded.
"What's inappropriate about it?" Dan Feng threw an arm around his shoulder. "Jingliu's treating for once—are you really going to refuse her?"
Meanwhile, Bai Heng—hearing "treat"—immediately hooked Jingliu's right arm, eyes shining with gossip. "Jingliu, you seem different today. Did something good happen?"
"Mm." Jingliu answered evenly. "I'm in a good mood today."
Was she really?
Not exactly.
Not long ago, Dan Feng had racked his brain trying to give Jingliu advice, and in the end he'd arrived at what he considered a flawless conclusion:
A beauty belongs only to a strong one.
Of course, "strong" didn't strictly mean brute force. Strength could be shown in many ways.
If Jingliu could display traits of a "strong one," make Wei Qing feel her uniqueness, then everything would naturally fall into place.
And Dan Feng, naturally, would hide his achievements and fame.
Inside the mall, the four of them walked together—yet Wei Qing found the atmosphere increasingly strange.
Jingliu and Dan Feng flanked him on either side. And perhaps Dan Feng had noticed that Bai Heng was still completely out of the loop, because he abruptly yanked Bai Heng away.
"You two browse around," he said. "I need Bai Heng to help me pick out a gift for someone."
And with that, Dan Feng dragged Bai Heng into the crowd and vanished.
Wei Qing: "..."
Great. Now it was just him and Jingliu, standing awkwardly face to face.
Wei Qing could see it clearly: Dan Feng was running interference for Jingliu.
It was rare, honestly—so rare it almost made him feel like he was the protagonist of a light novel.
Maybe this world was one gigantic dating sim, and his dialogue options just hadn't unlocked yet.
Under the bright lights of the mall, Wei Qing and Jingliu walked side by side past shop after shop.
Seeing that she wasn't saying anything, Wei Qing tested the waters. "So… Jingliu. Are you looking to buy something?"
Jingliu stopped and considered seriously for a moment. "What do you think of that?"
Following her gaze, Wei Qing saw a pastry shop.
And the pastries…
…looked deeply suspicious.
They were lumps—honest-to-god lumps—something unnameable. From far away, they resembled round rice cakes. But up close, you could see the "rice cake" was covered in mushrooms stuck all over it.
Wei Qing stared at the mushroom-studded abomination, mouth twitching. "That… is certainly creative."
Jingliu nodded with calm conviction. "Then let's try it."
In truth, Jingliu didn't understand food like this at all. She had never been picky.
She simply thought the lump looked a little like the voidranger heart she'd gifted Wei Qing.
Dan Feng had told her: if a woman wants to capture a man's heart, she should make him remember her kindness constantly—but without seeming too deliberate.
Jingliu found that very reasonable.
So she decided to treat Wei Qing to a pastry that resembled a voidranger heart.
Under Jingliu's expectant gaze, Wei Qing stiffly nodded. "Alright… we'll try it."
After Jingliu paid, Wei Qing walked into the shop like a man marching to his execution.
The plate arrived.
Wei Qing's throat bobbed. He lifted his chopsticks and cautiously prodded the "mushroom rice cake."
The mushrooms bounced twice.
At least it won't kill me… right?
He prayed silently.
Then he took a breath, picked up a piece, and put it in his mouth.
Instantly—an indescribable chaos exploded across his palate.
Unbelievably, the rice cake was bitter. No—bitter and salty at the same time.
And the mushrooms—those visually cursed mushrooms—were spicy.
Was this even allowed?
Wei Qing immediately regretted not refusing Jingliu more forcefully.
But it wasn't over.
He kept chewing… and discovered the filling inside was sweet peanut butter.
Four completely incompatible flavors detonated together, and his eyes went wide.
It was an assault. A full-on sensory ambush.
Why does this evil food exist?
Heretic.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
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