Chapter 40: Can You Do It Well?
After visiting Professor Ma and having a conversation with him, Lu Yibei felt the heavy emotions in his heart dissipate significantly, like thick rain clouds clearing.
After briefly explaining some precautions about the Zhipianxian to Professor Ma, he sighed in relief as if he had resolved a major matter.
“…That should be all. Thank you for your trouble, Professor.”
The Zhipianxian, created by Meng Meng, is almost indistinguishable from a real person once activated. If controlled skillfully, it could produce unexpected results in many situations.
Although Lu Yibei did not have to place a Zhipianxian in school to attend classes for him—he could still take retests even if he failed a class or two due to excessive absences—this was a good opportunity to practice using a large Zhipianxian, and he did not want to miss it.
Professor Ma, with a dark expression, glanced at the “Lu Yibei” standing motionless in the corner before quickly averting his gaze and said sternly, “Is that it? Then hurry up and take that cursed thing away!”
He didn’t want to look at that monster-like existence for even a second longer before Lu Yibei left Huacheng.
“Got it!” Lu Yibei replied, quickly leading the Zhipianxian into the restroom, storing it into the God Realm Prototype, and then swiftly leaving the laboratory.
Watching Lu Yibei depart, Professor Ma sighed helplessly. Just as he brought his teacup to his lips for a sip, he heard a soft call from the hallway.
“Professor, don’t worry! Even if I’m not at school, I will study hard!”
Hearing this, Professor Ma froze for a moment and revealed a faint smile.
————
With an appointment with Jiang Li on his mind, Lu Yibei hurriedly headed to the Market 96 near Mudan Street to start buying ingredients.
Even though nowadays, nearly every supermarket has cooking ingredients available for purchase…
He still trusted the quality of ingredients bought from the market more, perhaps due to having followed his father around the market since he was a child.
The taste of Xu Ji’s marinated dishes, the fishmonger in the southwest corner’s skillful fish filleting, and the tofu shop run by someone older than Lu Yibei—all had qualities that supermarkets could not provide.
However, there was a significant drawback to buying ingredients from the market: once the afternoon arrived, the freshness of many ingredients quickly declined.
So the afternoon was the last chance to buy quality ingredients.
Standing at the entrance of Market 96, Lu Yibei briefly pondered and made a mental note of several signature dishes from Luxi Chuancaiguan.
Making a few of his father’s specialty dishes was both a way to honor his father and a serious commitment to the date.
“Let’s buy some tofu first. Also need a sweetfish, half a pound of tenderloin, some patchouli, and some chili peppers…”
He mumbled to himself while quickening his pace into the market.
————
Amber Hall—Jiang Li’s bedroom.
Ahua stood with her hands on her hips, seriously explaining something to Jiang Li, looking every bit like a teacher.
Yes, Jiang Li was indeed caught by Ahua.
She underestimated Ahua’s gossip-loving nature, second only to Li Xuan in the whole of Huacheng.
She also overlooked the escalator that had been quietly constructed outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
When Ahua’s meaningful smile appeared outside the window, and she said, “Hey, miss, I just discovered something~!” Jiang Li found herself uncharacteristically flustered.
However, after a brief period of panic, Jiang Li quickly calmed down and accepted Ahua’s help.
Although neither Jiang Li nor Ahua had any romantic experience, Ahua at least had watched plenty of romantic-themed movies, comics, and novels.
“Miss, do you know what kind of woman a man finds hardest to forget? Apart from their mother, who is the strongest contender?”
As if nothing had ever happened with her being “caught,” Jiang Li thought for a moment and answered seriously, “The teacher who keeps them back after school and doesn’t let them go home?”
After all, she just couldn’t forget that short-tempered middle-aged female teacher from elementary school.
Ahua twitched her mouth and corrected her loudly, “It’s first love, it’s first love!”
I see that you really don’t understand!
Though that kind of teacher does leave a deep impression, it could lead to being a shadow during adolescence. But that’s entirely a different type of impression, isn’t it?
“So, the theme of our disguise this time is the feeling of first love.”
Jiang Li tilted her head, her expression like a student who had suddenly woken up after dozing off in a math class, looking up as if startled.
Ahua facepalmed and explained, “In simple terms, it’s something that looks ordinary but has a little cleverness and innocence, with a hint of desire mixed in, like…”
“This little white dress, while it appears to be a very common fitted off-shoulder dress from the front, the T-shaped hollow design at the back allows a glimpse of the back and waist’s graceful curves, quietly adding a touch of allure.”
“Pair it with these Mary Jane shoes and white ankle socks, and… oh, it definitely has to be metallic prosthetic limbs! Most boys have an inexplicable obsession with machinery!”
“Wait a second, Ahua!” Jiang Li suddenly interrupted seriously, “I just thought of a question.”
“Hmm?” Ahua tilted her head, holding up the dress.
“Since you understand so much, why are you still single? Is it really reliable?”
Ahua, “…”
————
The afternoon sunlight streamed down warmly, hinting at the early signs of summer heat.
Lu Yibei, carrying his freshly purchased ingredients, walked lightly along the cobblestone streets of Mudan Street. A gentle breeze passed, causing the willow trees along the way to sway lightly, with occasional wisps of white catkins drifting and landing in the shimmering waters of the Clear Canal, leading to a scramble among the small fish.
Crossing the street and arriving in front of the old house, he took out his key, unlocked the door, and went straight to the kitchen.
“Buzz, buzz…”
Upon reaching the kitchen and setting down the convenience bag, his phone vibrated twice, bringing forth a notification sound.
Taking out his phone for a glance, it was a message from the online troll.
Online Troll 00: “As you asked me to investigate, I’ve found Hu Chuan’s info. Do you want to hear it now? [Catgirl peeking]”
Lu Yibei hesitated for a moment, turned around to put the ingredients in the refrigerator for temporary storage, then picked up his phone to type, “Go ahead!”
Online Troll 00: “You guessed it right. That guy is probably faking his d*ath. We’ve found some surveillance footage from near the Huacheng crematorium at a certain intersection from four years ago, early in the morning. [Video][Video]
Originally, these two segments of video had been deleted, and we put in a lot of effort to recover them.”
“…”
Effort?
Don’t think I don’t know, in the Urban Legends Chat Group, there are powers that can manipulate video files. Those resources are just there to erase the mosaics…
Having them help recover a few deleted videos is likely a piece of cake.
Lu Yibei complained in his heart, lightly tapping his phone screen to open the two video segments. After watching, his brow furrowed.
The two videos were shot at the same intersection, just past midnight, during that quiet hour of the night, with the street expected to be empty. Yet a man with a somewhat flustered expression appeared at the intersection.
In the first segment, he wore a hat and walked briskly with his head down, quickly disappearing into the night, leaving no chance to discern his face.
But in the second segment, barely twenty minutes later, his hat was gone. Clutching a white porcelain urn, he rushed past the intersection with a flustered expression.
From the image captured in the video, the man was indeed Hu Chuan.
Lu Yibei, “…”
The timestamps for both videos were recorded as over a month after Hu Chuan’s documented d*ath at the school… The urn he held, judging by its shape, should be an urn for ashes…
Did he covertly go to the crematorium late at night to steal the urn of his deposited ashes after faking his d*ath?
But why would he steal that thing? Was he afraid of being discovered as a fake d*ath by those ashes?
Stealing one’s own urn is as mind-boggling and spooky as digging one’s own grave. Lu Yibei couldn’t fathom the reasoning behind Hu Chuan’s actions.
Could it be… that it wasn’t Hu Chuan at all, but a spiritual ability user or an urban legend that disguised itself as Hu Chuan through some special means?
While Lu Yibei was lost in thought, his phone vibrated again with a new message.
Online Troll 00: “Apart from the previous video, I have another interesting video for you. Take a look! [Video]”
Wang Buliu: “Hmm.”
After simply replying with a word, Lu Yibei opened the new video. After watching it, his pupils slightly constricted.
The timestamp for the third video was two days after the first two segments, filmed near the archway at Mudan Street.
Also in the dead of night, the person in the frame was again Hu Chuan, holding the same white porcelain urn. As he passed through the archway, he headed in the same direction towards the old street of Mudan Street.
Was he… going to find his father? After watching the video, that thought sprang into Lu Yibei’s mind in an instant.
Hu Chuan had a connection with Zhang Shuo, who had participated in the assassination of his father, and Hu Chuan had come to Mudan Street once before leaving Huacheng… It was hard for Lu Yibei not to string these things together.
However, once he connected these events, he realized that things might not be as simple as they appeared on the surface. Before that car accident, Zhang Shuo might have already been observing his father in the shadows.
He might have even made contact with his father through a certain means long before!
Wang Buliu: “Did he visit Luxi Chuancaiguan?”
Online Troll 00: “I didn’t check on that. We can’t access the recording from every single surveillance camera. Besides, that place is too close to Huacheng Siye Society, and we can’t haphazardly check security footage there… [Blonde Wearing an OK Hand Sign]”
After reading the online troll’s reply, Lu Yibei frowned.
What he said… Hu Chuan could be looking for someone from the Siye Society besides searching for his father?
But I previously checked the records from Huacheng Siye Society and found nothing related to him!
d*mn it, what on earth did he come to Mudan Street for late at night? Surely it can’t be just to sightsee?
Thinking about this, Lu Yibei hurriedly picked up his phone to send a message to the online troll.
Wang Buliu: “Is there any more? Is that video the last piece of information?”
Online Troll 00: “Yes! I also have several video segments found from the airport and train stations. After visiting Mudan Street, that guy left Huacheng. He subsequently went to Douanyan, Xiurong City, Ten Thousand Cities, and finally to Shizhou City, after which there has been no trace of him.
He was just running around like a headless fly, and his behavior at the airport and train stations appeared completely normal, showing no signs of purpose. I only had my companions use their powers to read the video information; I didn’t restore the videos.”
Wang Buliu: “Hmm, thank you. Let’s chat again when there’s new news.”
Online Troll 00: “[Blonde with Blushing Face and Sticking out Tongue OK]”
Tsk! HSO… Lu Yibei pouted, saved the emoji, put away his phone, and turned back to the refrigerator to take out the ingredients. While preparing dinner, he began to ponder again.
Hu Chuan running around the country was certainly not without reason; even if he were fleeing from wrongdoing, he didn’t need to go to so many places. Hiding in a remote area would have been sufficient to solve everything!
If that Hu Chuan wasn’t a spiritual ability user or an urban legend in disguise, could his suspicious movements possibly be orchestrated by Zhang Shuo?
His last disappearance occurred in Shizhou City… Did he hide there, or was he dealt with there? What was different about Shizhou City compared to the other places he visited?
As Lu Yibei thought, the clouds of doubt in his heart deepened. Then, as if venting frustration, he swung his kn*fe down hard, smashing the fresh tofu on the cutting board into a puree.
The emotions he had managed to calm down with at Professor Ma’s returned with a swell again due to the information gathered by the online troll.
Though he tried his best to restrain himself, it was really hard to control his thoughts…
——————
In the early evening.
After placing the last dish on the table, Lu Yibei wiped his hands with a cloth and sighed, “Ah, I hope they won’t disappoint Miaomiao Sauce!”
There were a total of four dishes on the table: Huacoshan Tender Fish, Tenderloin Tofu Wrap, Spicy Fish Paste Lotus, and Chicken and Matsutake Soup, all specialties of Lu Ming that Lu Yibei had also learned to make well.
Yet…
While he was cooking, he couldn’t help but think of matters related to his father, and the emotions that had already calmed surged up again, making him restless, to the point where he lost confidence in the dishes he had prepared.
Laying down the cloth, he quietly awaited the arrival of one specific person while sitting close to the entrance.
Outside, one corner of the sky had already turned red with the sunset, and several purple and ink-colored clouds were highlighted by the sunlight, framed with a wide border of rosy hues.
Lights began to illuminate the old street, and the foot traffic gradually thinned; in the distance, the sound of a cane clacking against the cobblestones could be heard.
Dressed in a strategically cute little white dress with subtle makeup, Jiang Li walked toward him with her back to the setting sun. Lu Yibei looked up, and their gazes met perfectly.
In that moment, Jiang Li shed her usual demeanor, which pushed people away from a distance, and seemed as gentle as if she were a pure white velvet swan, wanting to be cradled in someone’s palms.
Seeing Lu Yibei staring at her dreamily, Jiang Li internally rejoiced that her efforts hadn’t been in vain. She tossed a strand of hair over her shoulder and softly asked, “Do I look good?”
Lu Yibei smirked, “Well, it’s passable!”
“Really?” Jiang Li tilted her head, frowning slightly.
Ahua was indeed not reliable. To be honest, Jiang Li herself also felt a little out of place in such a getup…
“It’s just about enough to feast one’s eyes on.” Lu Yibei remarked, stood up, and gestured for her to enter, “I was worried that I might’ve made too much food, but now I think I can easily respond to the call of the ‘clean plate campaign.’”
Jiang Li subtly smiled, following Lu Yibei’s lead to sit by the window in the dining hall, a spot perfect for enjoying the view of the sunset casting its light on the old street and the Clear Canal.
The flickering candlelight from a small pumpkin lantern by the window illuminated the entire table.
She glanced at the appealing dishes on the table, then directed her gaze toward Lu Yibei.
“They look really nice! It wouldn’t be takeout, would it?”
“Hmm, hard to say!” Lu Yibei feigned seriousness, “But if any takeout could deliver a meal like this, their business would definitely be booming!”
Jiang Li ignored Lu Yibei’s self-promotion and picked up her chopsticks, preparing to taste his cooking.
With a doting gaze, Lu Yibei watched as her chopsticks reached for the plate of Huacoshan Tender Fish, softly introducing, “This one is Huacoshan Tender Fish. It’s made from the back of a sweetfish, cut open and simmered on low heat for about five minutes with spices, then stir-fried with pickled peppers and broad bean paste, seasoned with fresh broth and patchouli. It’s one of my signature dishes!”
Jiang Li slightly nodded, picking up a small piece of fish and placing it in her mouth, her eyes momentarily flickering before she swallowed slowly, her expression remaining unchanged.
“Is it good?” Lu Yibei asked expectantly.
“It’s good.”
“This one is the Tenderloin Tofu Wrap, made from a three-to-seven ratio of tenderloin and tofu, deep-fried to maintain its shape in a wrapping style with green bamboo shoots, carrots, wood ear mushrooms, and a bit of crunchy sprouts, salty and fresh with a slight sour taste, very appetizing.”
“Hmm, good.”
“This one, this one is Chicken and Matsutake Soup. The rainy season has arrived, which is the perfect time for matsutake. And this is Spicy Fish Paste Lotus…”
Lu Yibei energetically introduced the dishes at the table, much like an elementary school student eager to show off his 100 on a test.
But after each of Jiang Li’s tastings, she only expressionlessly nodded and calmly said, “Good.”
This scene triggered a strong sense of defeat within Lu Yibei.
“Uh… Is it not good?”
Jiang Li gently shook her head, “It’s very good.”
Saying that, seemingly to prove she genuinely found it delicious, she picked up another piece of Tenderloin Tofu Wrap and popped it into her mouth.
Lu Yibei looked at Jiang Li with skepticism, picked up his chopsticks, and tasted one of his creations himself. His face instantly paled, and in a hurry, he spat out half of the Tenderloin Tofu Wrap. He then tried another dish, but the result remained the same.
The Huacoshan Tender Fish tasted bitter, the Spicy Fish Paste Lotus was bland, as if all the negative emotions he’d been suppressing while cooking had soaked into them.
Only the Chicken and Matsutake Soup was decent, but that had nothing to do with his skills; combining those two ingredients would yield deliciousness with just simple cooking.
What was good about it?
It clearly wasn’t good.
In fact, one could say it was inedible!
“…”
Lu Yibei opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but before he could speak, Jiang Li preempted him and asked, “Are you troubled? Can you share with me?”
To be honest, when she tasted the four dishes earlier, she felt quite disappointed. Despite her careful preparations, Lu Yibei seemed so indifferent.
However, upon noticing the suppressed sadness and unrest in Lu Yibei’s eyes, she felt more at ease.
Thinking again, at least the dishes were top-notch in appearance and fragrance!
“…” Lu Yibei remained silent for a few seconds, shaking his head, “For now…”
“For now, it’s not convenient?” Jiang Li nodded thoughtfully, “Then tell me when the opportunity arises later?”
“Yeah.” Lu Yibei nodded, lowering his head, unable to meet Jiang Li’s eyes.
He knew he had messed up, but he didn’t know how to share the events of the past two days with Jiang Li.
Having just broken down in her arms over losing his mother, did he now have to cry again over losing his father?
That would be too pathetic!
While Lu Yibei was lost in silence, Jiang Li quietly stood up, walked past the main hall, and left Luxi Chuancaiguan.
By the time Lu Yibei snapped back to reality and rushed after her to call out, he found she had already gone far away and soon disappeared into the setting sun of the old street.
“…”
Lu Yibei stood at the door of the old house, looking at the empty street, slowly lowering his suspended hand, letting out a long sigh as he turned back to the table and began to clear away the dishes dejectedly.
While there were reasons behind it, he was the one who asked her out.
Not taking it seriously—he had messed it up, and that was simply a fact…
It was only reasonable for her to be upset and leave in a huff. Lu Yibei thought again, letting out a silent long sigh and dumping the visually appealing but inedible dishes into the trash.
At that moment, footsteps sounded behind him, pausing in front of the old house door.
“Hmm? Why did you clean everything up?”
Turning around, he saw Jiang Li standing at the door, one hand propped against the doorframe, another holding a cane and two bags of instant noodles, her face filled with confusion.
Seeing Lu Yibei silent, she gently shook her head, “Forget it, if you’ve cleared it, then just clear it…”
“Well, if possible, could I trouble Chef Lu to help me make a bowl of instant noodles again?”
“Sure!” Lu Yibei exclaimed excitedly.
“Okay.” Jiang Li nodded gently, saying softly, “But this time, could you temporarily forget all those troubling matters and just focus on me? Do it well, okay?”
As she said this, she gently rubbed her stomach, her tone almost childlike as she said, “I need a hearty meal; I’ve not eaten anything all day for this dinner, and I’m very hungry!”
“…” Lu Yibei paused, responding very seriously, “Okay!”
————
Moments later.
After finishing four entire packets of instant noodles, Jiang Li sat on the threshold of the old house, gently swinging her feet, one hand softly rubbing her slightly protruding belly. Then, taking advantage of the solitude, she unabashedly let out a loud, long belch.
She looked up at the sky, her eyes clear, as the night sky became dotted with countless stars, a faint, satisfied smile gracing her lips.
In the entire center of Huacheng, perhaps only Mudan Street could see the stars this clearly, Jiang Li thought.
From a distance, footsteps could be heard.
Having abruptly run off somewhere and then rushed back, Lu Yibei slowed down his pace as he neared the old house door, tiptoeing quietly to sit beside Jiang Li, gazing at her profile. The breeze softly stirred her hair, reminding him of a poem by Gu Cheng.
【You, sometimes look at me, sometimes look at the clouds.
I feel that you are far away when you look at me, yet very close when you look at the clouds.】
Just then, as Jiang Li turned to glance at him, he suddenly realized that when she looked at him, she was actually very close.
Perhaps even closer.
They stood quietly, their gazes locked, and the air seemed to be brewing with a sweet scent.
Then, Jiang Li suddenly spoke, “Lu Yibei, if you close your eyes right now…”
“Would you kiss me?”
“If I say yes?”
“Then… can I stick my tongue out?”
Jiang Li pondered for a moment, a look of extreme disdain crossing her face as she turned away and shook her head, “On second thought, let’s skip that!”
“Don’t! Don’t! How can we skip that?” Lu Yibei hurriedly said, “If we skip that, why did you say ‘if so’ just now? We’re all adults; we can’t go back on our words, right?”
“Skip…” Jiang Li tilted her head, contemplating, before stating earnestly, “It can be considered a polite return to that question of yours, ‘would you kiss me?’”
Lu Yibei, “…” I™ don’t want this kind of politeness; please be a bit more rude to me, don’t show pity just because I’m a delicate flower.
“Lu Yibei…” Jiang Li softly called his name, rising to her feet.
“Hmm?”
Lu Yibei replied, and as he lifted his head, his forehead knocked against Jiang Li’s thin lips. Her silver-white hair cascaded down, brushing against his face, bringing with it a fresh, intoxicating scent, as if creating a curtain that enclosed the two of them in a small space.
Her lips, soft and warm, lingered for about five seconds.
Lu Yibei felt as if he had turned to stone, frozen in place, as a buzzing filled his ears, akin to hundreds of Stinky Sisters transformed into magpies screaming in unison.
Without hesitation, during those five seconds, he had even conceptualized a name for the children’s soccer team.
Just as Lu Yibei was lost in shock, Jiang Li straightened up, turned, and walked away along the old street towards the exit of Mudan Street.
From a distance, her voice drifted back.
“Time to go!”
Hearing this, Lu Yibei seemed to awaken from a dream and jumped up, calling out to her retreating figure, “Wait, is that all? Is that it? How can you brush me off like this? What about my French wet kiss?”
Jiang Li turned back, tilting her head, letting out an exasperated sigh, “As for the French wet kiss, let’s save it for next time? When I come back… yeah, consider it a punishment.”
“Next time make sure you clean the house more thoroughly. At least, do ensure that the traces left by other girls are cleaned up; I mind that a little.”
Lu Yibei, “???”
Other girls? I’m not, I didn’t! Don’t say that randomly—where do you get these other girls from?
Wait, could she be referring to…
How did she become aware of that? Is this what they call a woman’s intuition?
While Lu Yibei was pondering, he opened his mouth to explain, but he realized Jiang Li’s figure had already vanished around the corner of the old street.
As the wind blew past, the catkins danced, and the figure of the girl seemed to fly away with them.
Staring at the desolate street, Lu Yibei raised his hand to rub his forehead.
Even so… why do I feel as though I’ve been flirted with by a bad girl and then just left hanging?
It’s hard not to think of her.
Is this what Miaomiao Sauce’s layered traps are like? Lu Yibei wondered.
Therefore, once he returned home, he thought of Jiang Li’s “next time for sure.” The moment he closed his eyes, all he could see was Jiang Li bending down to check his forehead. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night.
Until the phone rang, reminding him it was time to send Huasang on her journey…
