Both of them chose a spot near the window, contrasting against the brightly lit street outside, and opened up the conversation. In front of him, Zhan Se spoke freely, rattling off information as if pouring beans out of a bamboo tube.
After listening, Zhang Zhongkai fell silent for two seconds, frowning tightly, "Se Se, that corrupt official struts around all day, belittling others, but in reality, he's even more pitiful than us. They perform on stage and wield power behind the scenes, using their authority as a weapon to flaunt their presence. Actually, it's an outer manifestation of extreme fear and insecurity... because apart from their temporary power, they have nothing left."
"Wow, senior brother really is senior brother, no one is better at giving advice than you!"
She tilted her head slightly and smiled at his psychologically comforting analysis, giving him a thumbs up.
Squinting his eyes, Zhang Zhongkai suddenly tightened his grip on the chopsticks, "Se Se, I do have a proposal."
"What? Hmm!"
"You're unwed, and I'm unmarried. We're both not getting any younger, why not pool our lives together?"
With a 'pfft', Zhan Se nearly sprayed the mouthful of rice she was eating. After coughing several times, she touched her reddened face from coughing and waved her hands while laughing awkwardly, "What the, senior brother, isn't that joke a bit much?"
"I'm serious, I've thought about it for a long time."
The man's gaze was focused and fervent, and his handsome face now bore a calmness that was reassuring. Stunned for a second, Zhan Se found it somewhat amusing, "Come on, we're too familiar with each other, it's not easy to spark. At school, any girl who adores you would be better than me."
"What do you mean? As a poor teacher, who would look up to me?"
Both coming from outside the capital to strive for a living, they share a sense of helplessness and bitterness. She especially understood his situation. Having a Beijing household registration without an ancestral home, earning a salary without being able to afford a house, marching to the beat of the 21st century yet living a 20th-century standard of living. Moreover, Zhang Zhongkai was an orphan.
Zhan Se lowered her head to eat quietly, falling silent.
Over the years, it wasn't that she hadn't considered finding a boyfriend. But whenever men pursued her, the courage she had mustered up would be doused by a sudden rise of cold water in her heart, leaving it barren.
After a long while—
She suddenly looked up, half-joking and half-serious, "You wouldn't mind that there's a tomb in my heart?"
Her words seemed abrupt, but he just furrowed his brows and looked at her for a few seconds, "It doesn't matter. I'll pay respects regularly to help him ascend to paradise quickly."
After thinking with her head bowed and her brows furrowed for a long time, she suddenly laughed heartily.
"How about I think about it?!"
With a laugh, her mood truly brightened quite a bit.
Life is unpredictable; perhaps he really was the prince charming destined to relieve her distress. At least with him, conversations were enjoyable, speaking was easy, she felt comfortable and secure, and he was willing to take care of her. As for love, isn't it said that it could be cultivated?
"Great! You can take as long as you need, I'm willing to wait for you."
Zhang Zhongkai's smile widened as he pulled out a napkin and wiped the corner of her mouth from across the table.
A twitch in her heart, Zhan Se smiled back at him, yet she felt no emotional turbulence within.
Calm, calm.
So calm it hardly felt like the emotions before falling in love.
"Beep—Beep—Beep—"
The sound of a text message interrupted her thoughts. Casually pulling out her phone from her bag and placing it on the table, she tapped it open with her finger.
Just a glance at it, and her face changed drastically.
It was a message from an unknown number.
However, the aggressive and domineering text style was extremely recognizable.
"Come out! Three minutes. Otherwise, you know my methods!"
"Se Se, something wrong?"
"Uh, sorry, there's an emergency call from the station."
Zhang Zhongkai's obvious concern made Zhan Se feel sorry, but for some reason, she didn't want to divulge that entanglement to others.
"Oh, then you go ahead, we'll catch up later." Watching her constantly fiddling with the phone, Zhang Zhongkai laughed nonchalantly, stood up to pull her chair back for her, instructed her to be safe on the road, then sat back down, "I'll keep eating alone, don't want to waste."
"Okay, senior brother, then I'm heading out."
Three minutes was not much time, Zhan Se couldn't afford to think about her harsh and dreary fate, and least of all to say much to him, quickly downing a gulp of water from the table before running out. Because she had every reason to believe that Surname Quan's 'methods' were far more than just a matter of words.
Chewing his food, Zhang Zhongkai looked out the window...
Zhan Se stood at the door, taken aback for a moment.
She didn't see Lord Quan the Fourth's luxurious motorcade, nor that specially customized 'mobile mansion'. Not far away was a flashy sports car she rarely saw and did not know the name of, but just by the lines on the body, she knew it was expensive.
"Come here!"
Through the lowered car window, Zhan Se finally spotted him.
Under the street's neon lights, the man's rugged contour was barely discernible, his face grim and impatient as he watched her. Though he only uttered two words, his entire face was conveying a "I'm very annoyed" kind of coldness and ferocity.
As the saying goes, you can't bite the hand that feeds you.
That's the sorrow of the poor; even swallowing saliva carries a hint of bitterness.
Hence, even if Zhan Se wished she could sprout wings and fly to the heavens, her steps still halted in front of the high-class car window.
"You looking for me?"
"Get in." The two-word imperative, like a warning and a command, carried his intransigence.
Get in? Dangerous.
Not get in? Dangerous, too.
But she understood that Emperor Quan was not only cunning but resistant to soft or hard tactics. If he really wanted to do something to her, even if she knelt down to beg him, it would be useless. With the outcome being the same either way, why should she flatter him at her own dignity's expense? Hardening her heart, she crossed her arms and became less polite.
"Surname Quan, I don't owe you anything, what gives you the right to boss me around?"
Giving her a pointed look, Emperor Quan sneered with amusement, "Don't owe?"
His expression was so infuriating that it made her teeth itch with anger. Hatred fueled her rage, and her rage gave her courage, so she raised her voice and retorted, "Owe you what? Don't tell me you've taken a liking to me, why the constant badgering?"
The man laughed, scoffing as if he had heard a great joke. Propping his elbow on the car window, he mocked, "What about the item?"
"What item?" Zhan Se feigned ignorance.
"The Eighteen Sons."
Her heart skipped a beat!
Hesitating for two seconds, she lifted her chin up and spoke bluntly, "Pawned it."