The thin man raised his cup of tea, a faint smile on his face. "Come, let me toast to you, Old Jia, with tea in place of wine. Here's to a pleasant partnership," he said.
"To a pleasant partnership!"
Jia Zhengyi raised his teacup as well, breaking out into boisterous laughter.
Their teacups clinked in the air, and then they both tilted their heads back, downing the tea in one go as if they were drinking wine.
But when they put their teacups down, they got the shock of their lives! They both shrieked in fright and fell off their seats for, out of nowhere, someone had suddenly appeared sitting in the chair beside them. It could only have occurred when they tilted their heads back to drink their tea, yet there wasn't a sound or sign that pointed towards how this person could've appeared so suddenly.
"You…who are you?" Jia Zhengyi asked, choking on his spit as he tried to repress the fear rising within him.
