Chapter 121

Page Fourteen! Feast at Hongmen!

When I opened the sliding door of the private room, I was stunned.

This small private room wasn’t round like a table, but rather like a long dining table. It could accommodate up to eight people, and the room itself wasn’t much bigger than the table. The width of the sliding door matched the width of the private room, and the edge of the door was only about an inch away from the table. If you wanted to change seats, you had to slide the door open.

However, the inner position offered a view of the outdoor pedestrian street through a glass wall, and the black reflective partitions on both sides made it seem less cramped.

Such small private rooms were quite common in Japanese and Korean restaurants, but I had never seen a Sichuan restaurant do this before. It probably had something to do with the location in the Balance Commercial District, where space was at a premium. A large round table would take up too much room.

But what left me stunned wasn’t the size of the room; it was the people inside. Four people were already seated on the soft seats along the long table…

I thought only Fēi Jiě and Xiǎo Lěi were here, but to my surprise, Thunder Meow-Meow and Sister Qiàn were also present. Both were wearing the summer uniform of Bìyáng Girls’ School.

When Yüan Yuè said she would send them to Bìyáng Girls’ School to study with me, I didn’t expect they would actually go. Now, they were truly school idols.

“Too slow, big brother!”

The school idol complained, disregarding her image. She sat at the right-hand side by the door, crossing her legs and leaning back with her arms spread wide, acting like she was back in her gang-leader days.

“Divine Messenger is actually a muscular pervert? You lying scoundrel, how many secrets are you hiding from us?”

She spoke with a sly grin, looking like a little delinquent.

Lǐn Huā helped me to a seat next to Thunder Meow-Meow, who tried to wrap her arm around my neck but let go when she realized it. She looked at me disdainfully with her slanted eyes.

“Hmph, not going to make it easy for you.”

“How nice, did you use perfume?”

“Don’t breathe! Hold your breath!”

“That’s unreasonable,” I replied. “If I don’t breathe, I’ll die!”

She pinched my waist, her fingers twisting painfully.

Is this how men fight?

Thunder Meow-Meow was becoming increasingly feminine, leaving nothing of Thunder Tiger behind!

Sister Qiàn sat beside Thunder Meow-Meow, not greeting me or complaining, just watching me with her head resting on her hand, blinking as if waiting for an explanation.

“Calm down, everyone. The situation might be different from what we think.”

Without waiting for Lǐn Huā to explain, Zhào Zhào’s conspicuous red crew cut appeared at the door, then he casually sat beside me.

Though the opposite side was empty, Fēi Jiě’s icy aura made even Zhào Zhào, a perverted man, hesitate to sit next to her, fearing he’d freeze.

With so many pretty girls around, the tall guy seemed excited.

“Oh, Chairman, it feels like a party.”

He really has a big heart. Does he not care that they’re all men in disguise?

Zhào Zhào’s presence left Thunder Meow-Meow speechless. Sister Qiàn also looked surprised, while the ice queen remained expressionless, nodding at Zhào Zhào and continuing to read her book.

“Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Mock Tests.”

… Yes, Fēi Jiě is really diligent.

“Waiter~ We can start serving now~”

After putting away the wheelchair, Lǐn Huā greeted the waiter and then sat next to Fēi Jiě.

“Why?” Thunder Meow-Meow looked confused between Xiǎo Lěi and Zhào Zhào. “But she admitted it herself!”

Admitted?

I glared at Xiǎo Lěi in the corner, but she turned her head to look outside, avoiding my gaze. Her hand was still fumbling with peanuts on the table.

It was natural she wouldn’t look at me. I had warned her not to go out, yet she caused such a big fuss, getting caught by Lǐn Huā and Thunder Meow-Meow, and even admitting she was Zhào Zhào… At least she didn’t reveal the secret of the doppelgänger.

“So, Kǎi-Chan, how will you spin the story today?”

Lǐn Huā asked, propping her chin up. She had already judged me as a liar before I even spoke.

Not just Lǐn Huā, but Thunder Meow-Meow and Sister Qiàn also didn’t trust me.

Being treated like this was tragic, like the boy who cried wolf.

Worst of all, I was indeed planning to lie.

“Just as you know, Xiǎo Lěi is the Divine Messenger, but she has another identity—Zhào Zhào’s cousin.”

“That’s right. My little sister has caused you trouble.”

Zhào Zhào chimed in, though with Thunder Meow-Meow and Tián Qiàn present, his prepared excuse still held.

“Cousin?” Sister Qiàn asked Xiǎo Lěi, who nodded eagerly.

Though a bit slow, she wasn’t stupid. She understood the situation.

Thunder Meow-Meow slammed the table, causing Xiǎo Lěi to drop her peanuts.

“Why did you say you were Zhào Zhào just now?”

Xiǎo Lěi clearly hadn’t prepared an answer, so I stepped in.

“I told her to say that—”

“Big brother, shut up!”

Thunder Meow-Meow shouted, silencing me.

As we all know, peanuts are rich in lysine, which helps improve intelligence. So, Xiǎo Lěi could rely on peanuts to stay sharp and improvise.

“Because my identity as the Divine Messenger is sensitive. Lying is safer. Borrowing clothes from Lǐn Huā doesn’t expose me.”

“That sounds plausible.”

Thunder Meow-Meow still wasn’t letting up. She took out Zhào Zhào’s iPhone and opened the photo album, placing it on the table.

“Wow!”

Tián Qiàn leaned over and gasped.

“What do you plan to do with this photo?”

Xiǎo Lěi tried to grab the phone, but Thunder Meow-Meow held her face, preventing her from reaching it.

“No! Don’t show it to Chairman!”

“What photo?”

I was confused, while Zhào Zhào seemed to remember something and rubbed his forehead.

“Oh, it seems Chang Kǎi isn’t aware?”

Thunder Meow-Meow teased, pushing the phone toward me. I looked at it, feeling my face flush with embarrassment.

The photo showed Xiǎo Lěi wrapped in a towel, clinging to me like an octopus on Lǐn Huā’s secret base bed. She had a flushed face and shy eyes, her head resting on my chest.

“Ah! What have you done, silly girl!”

It was taken the day before, when I was using a doppelgänger to shower.

“So you were sleeping, huh? But you slept deeply. Did you sleep through a girl being so forward?”

Thunder Meow-Meow continued teasing, but Lǐn Huā was getting agitated.

“Kǎi-Chan, using someone’s secret base as a love nest is shameful!”

Wow! Love nest? I’m still a proud virgin!

Then she muttered, “I haven’t even reached that level, I’m so envious.”

Huh?

Zhào Zhào took the phone and quickly deleted the intimate photos, destroying evidence, then put the phone back in his pocket and sighed.

“I lent you the phone for communication, not for taking these kinds of photos.”

Zhào Zhào was helping Xiǎo Lěi cover up, explaining why the phone was in her hands.

“Stuck with Chairman’s muscle gorilla all day, you wouldn’t understand my feelings. Finally seeing Chairman, taking a picture as a memento is normal, right?”

Although Xiǎo Lěi was speaking, her voice was distant.

At this moment, Xiǎo Lěi, blushing, was huddled in her seat, hidden from my view by the table. Only her arms occasionally reached out to grab peanuts.

A waiter pushed the food cart over, bringing seven cold dishes. Hearing the sound of plates and smelling the aroma, Xiǎo Lěi perked up and came out from under the table.

“Let’s eat?”