"Is there anything I wouldn't dare? Don't you think you're rather good-looking yourself?" Xiang Ri's gaze grew more intense, his tone laced with ambiguous teasing.
"You're asking for it, aren't you?" An Xin's anger subsided slightly at the veiled compliment to her beauty, but her expression remained cold. Inwardly, however, she resolved to move out as soon as she got back.
This man in front of her was clearly a pervert. If he ever truly tried anything, she would have no means of resisting. If that happened, it would indeed be a fate worse than death.
Unaware that the cross-dressing Miss An had already decided to retreat, Xiang Ri laughed even more wantonly at her continued show of defiance. "As the saying goes, to die beneath a peony blossom is to live a life worth savoring—"
"Boss!" A distant voice cut off Xiang Ri's unfinished sentence. Monkey rushed over, hastily setting down a tray in front of him and pulling a mournful face. "This is all we've got, boss. Make do with it." He cast a cautious glance at the "madam" beside him, relieved to find that she didn't seem visibly angry.
"What is this?" Xiang Ri pointed at the plate of charred, unrecognizable objects that resembled chopped wooden logs.
"It's braised pig knuckles," Monkey explained, gesturing animatedly. "You said to hurry, boss, but there's no decent restaurant nearby. Fatty happened to bring these leftovers from his dinner outside, so I brought them over."
"Is that all?" Xiang Ri frowned—not out of dislike, but because he knew most women would be repelled by such greasy fare. Glancing at Miss An, he saw her covering her nose, as though what lay before her wasn't food but something utterly revolting.
"There's nothing else, boss. This is it." Monkey's face grew even more pained, sensing the dissatisfaction in Xiang Ri's tone. "Should I send someone to buy something else?"
"No need," Xiang Ri said, waving dismissively. "I already said anything to fill the stomach will do. Oh, by the way, you can leave now—go look after the other guests."
Monkey, realizing this was a dismissal, hurriedly made his apologies and retreated.
Only then did Xiang Ri pick up one of the pig knuckles, peeling back half of the cling wrap before offering it to Miss An with a teasing grin. "Care for a bite?"
"No way!" Miss An recoiled as though she had seen the most horrifying thing in the world, shaking her head vehemently.
"Suit yourself. I'm not the one who's hungry, after all." Knowing full well how she would react, Xiang Ri didn't insist. He pulled back the pig knuckle and took a hearty bite. To his surprise, it tasted better than expected. "Mmm, not bad at all. You sure you don't want some?" He extended it toward her again, feigning generosity.
"I'd rather die than eat something like that!" Miss An declared dramatically, turning her head away in defiance.
"Great, more for me." Xiang Ri chuckled, pleased at the prospect of having all four knuckles to himself. He wasted no time, digging in with gusto.
Sitting silently nearby, An Xin watched him devour the greasy, unappealing food, feeling a mix of revulsion and intrigue. Yet, somewhere deep inside, a strange yearning stirred—a curiosity about the primal satisfaction of tearing into a hunk of meat.
Without realizing it, she lowered the hand covering her nose, only to find that there wasn't any unpleasant odor. Instead, a unique, savory aroma wafted up, tantalizing her senses and teasing her appetite.
"Could it really taste that good?" A hint of doubt flickered in An Xin's mind.
"It's terrible. Absolutely awful," Xiang Ri muttered between bites, deliberately downplaying the flavor as he continued to chew.
His blatant reverse psychology only provoked her further. Believing he was trying to keep the food to himself, she became indignant and promptly forgot her earlier vow. "You say it's bad? Then I'm going to eat it just to prove you wrong!"
Defiantly, she grabbed a pig knuckle, unwrapped it, and carefully tore off a small piece of meat. Tentatively placing it in her mouth, she was immediately greeted by an explosion of rich, savory flavor—succulent yet not greasy, crispy yet tender.
"This…" An Xin stared incredulously at the glossy piece of meat in her hand, utterly stunned that something she had deemed repulsive could taste so extraordinary.
"Eat up! Still acting stubborn?" Though slightly disappointed that sharing meant less for himself, Xiang Ri found great satisfaction in Miss An's astonished reaction. It filled him with a sense of triumph.
"Hmph!" Miss An snorted coldly, masking the faint embarrassment stirred by his remark. She continued tearing at the food in her hands.
Unwilling to let go of this opportunity to heighten his own amusement, Xiang Ri deliberately took a large, exaggerated bite in front of her, chewing loudly as he teased, "Eating so delicately—don't you find that completely unsatisfying?" He paused for effect, then feigned sudden realization. "Oh, I forgot. You're a woman. Women are supposed to eat like that!"
"Who says so!" Xiang Ri's words struck a nerve, igniting a spark of anger in Miss An. "I'm not like that!" she retorted, mimicking his manner as she took an aggressive bite, leaving her mouth glistening with grease.
"Miss An is truly impressive. Impressive indeed," Xiang Ri remarked casually, though inwardly he scoffed at her childish antics. What kind of person was this girl? So easy to provoke, so quick to lose her temper—definitely the impulsive type.
"What does my impressiveness have to do with you?" An Xin shot back, chewing her food furiously, her gaze fixed on him as though she were devouring his flesh rather than the pork. Yet, even she had to admit that biting into the meat was far more satisfying than daintily picking at it. Still, her upbringing restrained her from being as unrestrained as he was.
While Xiang Ri had already finished two pig knuckles, Miss An was still working on her first, with plenty of meat left on the bone. When she noticed his hand reaching for the last one, she panicked. "Hey! Can't you act like a gentleman for once?"
Having just discovered this newfound delicacy, she couldn't bear the thought of losing the final piece. Especially after skipping lunch earlier, her hunger was now unbearable.
Xiang Ri cast her a peculiar glance but remained unmoved, reaching for the last knuckle. "Still want more? I'll send someone to buy some later." He unwrapped it and moved to take a bite.
Caught red-handed in her desire, An Xin flushed, hastily feigning disinterest. "Who wants it? I'm already full. Unlike you, stuffing your face like a pig!"
Hearing this, Xiang Ri paused, withdrawing the food just before taking a bite. He waved it teasingly in front of her. "Jealous, are we? Are you sure you don't want it?"
"I said I don't!" An Xin glared at him furiously. Was this man toying with her? When he resumed dangling the food in front of her, a spark of anger flared. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and bit into it triumphantly. Laughing smugly, she declared, "There! Now it has my saliva. If you eat it, you'll be eating my spit!"
Xiang Ri was momentarily stunned, never expecting this move from her. But he recovered quickly, unfazed. Smirking, he bit into the very spot she had just bitten.
"You—!" An Xin's laughter abruptly ceased. She had been basking in her victory, only to be utterly defeated by his shamelessness.
"Disgusting! You're revolting!" she spat, horrified.
"What's disgusting?" Xiang Ri chuckled meaningfully. "It's not like I haven't tasted your saliva before."
"Bastard!" An Xin's face turned crimson as his words dredged up memories of that humiliating day—her first kiss, stolen by this scoundrel. Rage swelled within her as her fists clenched, her body trembling with anger.
Seeing her on the verge of exploding, Xiang Ri decided to stop teasing. "Alright, alright. I was just joking. No need to get so mad. Here, you take it. I've already had two." Smiling sheepishly, he offered the half-eaten knuckle to her.
"Get lost!" An Xin swatted his hand away furiously.
"Really don't want it?" He brought it back toward her.
"Go away!" she snapped, repeating her earlier action.
"Well then, I'll just eat it myself." Xiang Ri feigned helplessness and began to pull it back.
At that moment, An Xin's hand shot out. "Give it here!"
"But didn't you say you didn't want it?" Xiang Ri grinned, milking the situation.
"What's it to you? I've changed my mind, alright?" An Xin snatched the food from his hand, biting into it fiercely. By now, she couldn't care less about the saliva—her only concern was making sure this infuriating man didn't get another bite.
"Fine, fine, have it your way! But honestly, I advise you to move back home." Xiang Ri circled back to the previous topic.
"Never!" An Xin's expression turned murderous. "Do you think I don't know what you're up to? You just want me to move out so you can bring some other woman in here without anyone watching you! Then you can indulge in your shameless pleasures, isn't that right? Dream on!"
Xiang Ri couldn't help but admire her vivid imagination, though he had no intention of denying it. "Do you have no thought of making any sacrifices for others?"
"I can sacrifice for others, but never for you!" Seeing him tacitly admit to her accusation, An Xin changed her strategy, deciding to stay indefinitely. She even found herself a righteous excuse. "I'll stay here to keep an eye on you for Chu Chu, so you don't bring any other women in."
"There's just no reasoning with you!" Xiang Ri sighed helplessly. This woman was so stubborn. He couldn't hit her, couldn't scold her, and her intentions—even if misguided—were for Chu Chu's sake, leaving him unable to be harsh. In the end, he could only give her one last warning and let her do as she pleased. "Fine. If you insist on staying, just don't blame me if something happens later!"
An Xin gritted her teeth fiercely. "Hmph! If anything happens to me, I'll kill you first and then myself!" It was clear she had misunderstood the "something" in his warning.
Xiang Ri, oblivious to the deeper meaning in her words, found his mood entirely ruined by her obstinance. He snapped impatiently, "Just eat your food already! So much pointless chatter. Finish up so we can leave."
"I'll take my sweet time eating!" An Xin retorted defiantly.
"Then take your time. I'm leaving!" With that, Xiang Ri stood and began walking out.
Seeing this, An Xin panicked. She hastily abandoned her half-eaten meal and chased after him. "You bastard! I'll make you regret this!"
By the time they stepped out of the bar, the sky had turned completely dark.
They hadn't gone far when, passing the mouth of a shadowy alley, Xiang Ri was struck by an ominous sensation. Without hesitation, he tackled the woman behind him to the ground.
"What are you doing?!" An Xin screamed, thinking he was taking advantage of the darkness to assault her. She struggled to push him off.
"Idiot! There's a gunman!" he hissed, just as another surge of alertness struck him. He rolled with her several times, ending up at the edge of the alley. Without pause, he lifted her in his arms and bolted into the darkness.
*Rat-a-tat-tat...* Sparks flew from the spot they had just vacated, leaving a dozen bullet holes in the wall.
"What's going on?" An Xin, now fully aware of the danger, clung tightly to his clothes. For someone raised in comfort, encountering a scenario straight out of an action movie was both terrifying and strangely exhilarating.
"Shut up!" Xiang Ri clamped a hand over her mouth and swiftly shifted their position multiple times. Behind them, metallic clangs and flashes of light filled the air as bullets rained down.
Realizing her voice might draw the killers' attention, An Xin dared not speak again. Her silence allowed Xiang Ri to exhale in relief as they huddled in a corner, holding their breaths.
Footsteps echoed from outside, drawing closer. Soon, two figures appeared at the alley's entrance.
Xiang Ri's eyes narrowed. These two were unmistakably the same assassins who had escaped him before. Their persistence left no doubt—this was a fight to the death. Thankfully, they were armed with silenced pistols. Had they chosen heavier weaponry, this might have been his last day on earth.
"What do we do?" An Xin, trembling with nerves, whispered into his ear, her voice barely audible.
Gripping her clammy hand briefly, Xiang Ri steadied her before clenching his fist. With a low growl, he hurled a punch at one of the figures. The sound of impact was like a thunderclap, sending the target flying out of the alley and crashing to the ground.
The remaining assassin, unsure what had just happened, instinctively fired a series of shots toward the source of the noise.
But Xiang Ri had already shifted positions, delivering another devastating punch. The second assassin followed the first, flung out of the alley like a rag doll, landing motionless.
"What just happened?" An Xin, her earlier fear forgotten, stared in disbelief. She had been anxiously wondering how they would escape, only for the man beside her to resolve the situation in mere moments.
Although the alley was shrouded in darkness, An Xin's eyes gradually adjusted, allowing her to make out her surroundings. Yet, she couldn't comprehend how Xiang Ri had managed to send the two assassins flying with what seemed like two punches aimed at thin air.
"It's nothing—maybe those two were drunk," Xiang Ri replied nonchalantly, though a sense of relief coursed through him. Damn, if he hadn't just grasped that new skill, tonight would have ended very differently.
"Drunk?" An Xin's expression was filled with doubt. She wasn't naive enough to accept such an explanation but couldn't wrap her head around how he could strike them from such a distance.
Following closely behind him as they exited the alley, An Xin suddenly froze. Just meters from the alley's mouth lay the bodies of the two assassins. Unable to contain herself, she stumbled to the side and began retching. Their deaths were horrifying beyond words—one man's chest had caved in entirely, while the other's face had been smashed inward, his features grotesquely obliterated.
"Hey, are you alright?" Xiang Ri stepped forward and patted her back gently, though he too felt deeply unsettled by the grisly scene.
"I... I..." An Xin started to speak but abruptly stepped back, retreating several paces to put distance between herself and the man. Her eyes betrayed an uncontrollable fear. "You... you killed them?"
"Killed them?" Xiang Ri shrugged indifferently. "You saw it yourself—if I hadn't killed them, it would've been us lying there tonight. Now do you understand how dangerous it is to stay by my side? Every day could be our last, with assassins lurking around every corner. You should seriously consider moving back—"
Before he could finish, Xiang Ri's expression shifted sharply. In an instant, he lunged toward An Xin, who was standing a few steps away.
A sharp *whizz* cut through the air. Xiang Ri felt a sudden searing pain in his right arm and realized he'd been shot. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he surged forward and delivered a brutal kick to the assassin, whose chest was already a collapsed ruin. The force of the blow sent the man flying across the street, where he landed lifelessly.
A shrill scream echoed from the other side of the road. Without a moment's hesitation, Xiang Ri grabbed the stunned An Xin by the arm and bolted, fleeing into the night.