### 390. Li Kang De
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The restaurant in the city center was definitely pricey.
The internet claimed it was 200 per person, but in reality, when they were done, the two of them had spent around 500.
Sure, the ambiance was swanky, and they had waitstaff hovering around just for them, but the taste wasn’t notably better than your average diner fare.
Lin Nan wasn’t too fussed about the atmosphere or service; she could enjoy a meal even in a roadside stall filled with flies.
However, her hopes were dashed, and as they left, her face was a picture of disappointment—like she had just been robbed.
Snapping a picture of the bill, she sent it to Pan Maoxin, and after about ten minutes, the meal cost was transferred to her via WeChat. But she promptly sent it over to Pan Maoxin’s father, explaining the situation.
“I really wish I could be a bit more heartless.”
Conning a kid felt a tad too harsh for her conscience.
She shook her head, feeling the pinch, and let out a long sigh as she boarded the bus back with Chen Yao.
After their meal, it was already 5:30 PM, and it was rush hour. Lin Nan nervously squished into the crowded bus like a can of sardines with Chen Yao for a full two hours before they finally hopped off at the bus station by the school’s back gate.
Lin Nan wasn’t in the best of moods; after this outing, both she and Chen Yao were completely broke.
Impulse spending was not the way to go.
“Tomorrow Big Dog’s milk tea shop opens! We should go and mooch some free food and drinks,” Chen Yao said, holding Lin Nan’s little hand, completely oblivious to their financial catastrophe. “Stop frowning; just enjoy yourself.”
“The problem is, I didn’t even enjoy the meal,” Lin Nan mumbled, feeling a bit deflated.
With a heavy sigh, she was looking around as they made their way back to the rental apartment when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Chen Yao was pulled to a halt, following her gaze to a small street-side restaurant, where Lilith was sitting, laughing it up with a guy dressed all in black.
“Her boyfriend?” Chen Yao asked curiously, “That Wang Rui from next door?”
He had never actually seen Wang Rui; he only caught snippets of his voice in the hallway now and then.
But according to Lin Nan, it seemed Wang Rui and Lilith had something going on.
“No, that’s probably her son.”
“Son?”
Chen Yao squinted, observing the guy in black, who definitely looked like he was an adult.
Keen to clarify, Lin Nan quickly blurted, “I think Lilith won a game SOLO against him…”
“Got it!” Chen Yao exclaimed, realization dawning on him. So that’s what she meant by son. He’d also claimed two of his own—Tu Junhui and Xiong Da.
“Let’s go! Let’s ask her kid to pay us back!” Lin Nan tugged at Chen Yao towards the small restaurant, chattering non-stop, “This guy has been freeloading off us for almost two weeks! If we do the math, at 70 a day, he owes us at least a thousand bucks!”
When it came to matters like this, Lin Nan was always a bit stingy.
Chen Yao had no choice but to let her drag him along, his face showing pure resignation as they stepped into the little restaurant.
Upon entering, the guy in black immediately spotted Lin Nan and instinctively shouted, “Mom?”
Then Lilith swiftly smacked him on the head, scolding, “You little wretch!”
Turning to scrutinize Lin Nan and Chen Yao, she said with a pout, “Where were you two this afternoon? If my son hadn’t come to find me, I might have starved! That Wang Rui only gave me chips to eat.”
Chen Yao was completely baffled, turning to gaze at the black-clad guy, who showed no signs of anger or resentment—he looked just like Lilith’s son, no doubt about it.
When would Tu Junhui show that kind of generosity?
“I need to go make some money! … Where the heck was Little Black before?” Lin Nan plopped down next to Lilith, picking up chopsticks and helping herself to a mountain of food on the table.
Lilith’s son was nicknamed Little Black, but his real name was Li Kang De. He found the former to be more catchy.
Chen Yao had been feeding Lilith for two weeks, so they had a pretty good rapport by now. He sat down beside Lin Nan, making himself at home.
Lilith didn’t mind their sudden arrival; she simply corrected Lin Nan, “His name is Li Kang De, and ‘Little Black’ sounds terrible!”
Chen Yao glanced curiously at Kang De, feeling the name was a bit odd. But then again, health and virtue were positive traits, so it wasn’t too surprising for parents to give their child such a name.
Kang De had a rather introverted demeanor—or perhaps he was just a bit slow; otherwise, he wouldn’t have confused Lin Nan for his mother initially.
As the discussion continued about him, the twenty-something-year-old was blushing slightly and kept his head down, looking quite shy.
“Lilina thought he was just mooching off us at home, doing nothing at all, so she gave him 500 bucks to send him out to earn his keep,” Lilith explained, placing a slice of meat in her mouth and chewing with a mouthful of food, “She didn’t pass him her phone, so he couldn’t get in touch.”
“This afternoon, he just happened to drop by to see me,” Lilith said with pride. “In just one month, my son is already making 7,000 a month!”
Lin Nan gasped in shock, “How did he manage that?”
“Working as a duck chef!”
Chen Yao was utterly confused and looked up at Kang De, who certainly didn’t strike him as someone who had the charm to be a duck chef.
And how could such a thing be said so nonchalantly?
“He’s the main chef at a roast duck restaurant! Everybody raves about his skills in slicing duck,” Lilith said proudly, tilting her head back, “All those years of training didn’t go to waste!”
What have you been training exactly?
Lin Nan felt exasperated, silently continuing to mooch off the spread.
“Well, at least you’ll have food now, right?” This was Lin Nan’s biggest concern.
“Of course!”
Kang De spoke for the first time, saying, “If Lilina isn’t around, I send her 5,000 as living expenses.”
Such envy…
Lin Nan pursed her lips, but then felt a bit puzzled, lifting her head to ask Kang De, “But aren’t you and Li Na… kind of enemies? Why call her ‘sister’?”
When piecing together the relationships, Kang De was the witch’s son, making him a typical villain in this world, while Li Na was the saintess—clearly on the side of good.
How did those two end up connected?
Could it be due to resurrecting Lilith, a compromise of sorts?
Lilith seemingly didn’t think much about it, “If you can’t beat them, sometimes you just call them sister!”
Chen Yao listened in confusion, his head spinning from the conversations. Why did their accents seem so strange? Li Na? Wasn’t that the nickname for Li Lisi?
What was this enemy relationship… weren’t Li Lisi and Li Na besties?
But he still chimed in with an even more pressing question, “Isn’t this hierarchy off?”
Instantly, Lilith inhaled sharply, slamming the table and glaring at Kang De, “From now on, you call her ‘Aunt Li Na!’ I’m the same age as her!”
“I’ll be beaten to d*ath…”
Kang De looked down, trembling in fear.
“Then just call me sister from now on!”
“This…” Kang De hesitated again, feeling like that was a bit too much.
Chen Yao sighed deeply, wishing Tu Junhui could be as easy to push around as Kang De. After all, he just lost at a video game and was being called “son” without a hint of irritation.
