Chapter 261 A Memorable First Date (End)

"It's rare that you can get a 20% discount for taking photos. What do you think, Akong~" Ji Huaisu smiled.

Chu Hengkong struggled with a glimmer of hope: "I won't participate. I can pay the full amount..."

"Wow, it's such a waste not to take advantage of the discount..." Ji Huaisu said with disgust, "You're such a spendthrift!"

"That's right, Mr. Chu, it's not easy to earn Liuzhu~" Qingxia joined in.

Chu Hengkong wanted to slam his face into the bowl of noodles. He knew this was another fatal question, because no matter how he answered, it would be a dead end. If he said he wouldn't participate, he'd be considered extravagant and wasteful. If he insisted on participating, he'd be criticized for taking advantage of someone before they even confirmed their relationship... Both sides were a burning fire, and no matter how he answered, he was heading for a dead end. How could he choose?!

"That photo of yours..." Chu Hengkong took a deep breath, "How was it taken..."

"We have a sample here. If you are interested, please take a look~"

Qingxia produced a demonstration photo, and Chu Hengkong almost fainted when he took a look at it.

The layout of the color photo reminded him of arcades and amusement parks from the turn of the century, complete with those little blackout rooms where fashionable couples and children could take photos after school. A single rose-red circle formed a giant heart, with space for a human head on each side. It was as tacky as it could be. If it were just that, it would be fine, but Qingxia had thoughtfully found someone to serve as the model. The left half of the heart was an unknown silver beholder tied to a stick, and the right half...

On the right side was a large, grilled squid sprinkled with chili powder... and a plastic bow was attached to it...

"This is simply torture! There is no light in Fander's eyes! What did he do wrong that you have to torture him like this!" Chu Hengkong slammed the table.

"Wow, so cute!" said Ji Huaisu.

"Why do you have such a feeling?! Open your eyes and take a good look. You should call him a pervert now!" Chu Hengkong roared.

Ji Huaisu clasped his hands together and swayed left and right: "Akong, I want to take a picture of this~ Let's take a picture, let's take a picture~"

Chu Hengkong sighed deeply, feeling that he had no strength left in his body: "Miss Ji, you don't like taking pictures at all, you just like to torture me."

"That's right." Ji Huaisu nodded.

"It's fun, fun!" Qingxia was very excited.

"Okay, let's shoot..." Chu Heng said softly, "Let's shoot..."

He walked over to Ji Huaisu with his head held high, putting on the stiffest smile of his life. Qingxia gave them a thumbs-up, fiddled with the camera for a long time under Chu Hengkong's murderous gaze, and then looked down.

"Wait a minute, the lens cap seems to be closed..."

"That's enough, I can take the photos myself! Give me the sugar water!"

"Mr. Chu, accept your fate~"

Snap!

In the end, Inspector Chu's mischievous weapon turned into a selfie stick, helping the two complete this difficult challenge. Miss Ji's smile in the heart-shaped photo resembled the aftereffects of a swamp dweller who had accidentally eaten poisonous mushrooms, forming a sharp contrast with the zombie-faced Inspector.

Chu Hengkong finished the sugar water in one gulp, left Liuzhu to pay the bill, and then took Ji Huaisu and flew away. Qingxia waved to the two of them happily: "Welcome to visit next time~"

She turned and asked, "How?"

Qingye poked his head out, holding Fander, whose tentacles were still wrapped around the grilled squid. He sucked on the squid and said, "It's okay, not a bad job. I was worried you might mess up and piss him off."

"Chu Hengkong's temper is easy to control. You have to make him do something that he doesn't dislike but is embarrassed about. That way it will go smoothly. If you play a joke that offends him, he will really get angry~"

Qingxia took off her monocle and handed it to the restaurant manager along with Liuzhu: "Here you go, thank you for your cooperation. They both enjoyed their meal very much~"

"No, no, we're all here to serve our guests. That's our duty." The manager smiled. "It's not even dinner time yet. Would you like anything to eat?"

Qingxia's eyes lit up: "Give me two servings of both the eggplant and the meat!"

"Three servings!" Qingye raised his hand.

After the manager finished writing down the bill and serving the dishes, he hurried back to the front desk and asked quietly, "How much did you spend before?"

"640 Liuzhu after discount."

"After we organize a chef's meeting this afternoon, we'll serve a simplified version of the set menu next week. The full price for a meal for two is 800 Liuzhu."

The soldier counting the bills stared blankly: "Manager, are you kidding me? Who wants this fish combo?"

The manager found an old-fashioned camera and pinched the tip of his beard proudly.

"After taking a couple's photo, enjoy a 20% discount. After the discount, you can add a grilled squid for 640 Liuzhu. It's the same romantic meal for two as the inspector."

The little soldier stood in awe: "Business opportunity, business opportunity!"

"Blue Holiday" branch No. 7 achieved record-breaking sales during its opening season, subsequently becoming a popular destination for couples in Huilong City. Eating grilled squid on dates later became a local tradition. Rumor has it that the future city lord and his wife also endured the same torture here, and Lord Huilong's gloating laughter was remarkably similar to that of his adopted daughter...

But that was all later. Inspector Chu had no idea he'd inadvertently created a brand new business opportunity for the local restaurant industry, and he was still enduring new rounds of torture. This included, but wasn't limited to, helping someone carry bags in a busy shopping mall, carrying bags to the workshop area under the scorching sun, and missing out on a chance to fish because there were too many salvage tourists.

"I must raise this with Youyou when I get back." Chu Hengkong's face was as gloomy as water. "It's too unsafe to allow tourists to salvage the relics. Can you let tourists like the Fufu people touch foreign relics? What if there's contamination from outsiders? What if we salvage unauthorized books?"

"That's right, what if we take away the fishing opportunities of local fishermen?" Ji Huaisu imitated his tone perfectly.

"Don't judge a gentleman by your own standards."

"Don't worry, do you really think it's a relic of the trend? The ones that tourists can catch are all 'fakes' that were put in there after being aged by the workshop. They are essentially official gashapon machines."

Chu Hengkong chuckled, "A prefabricated relic."

"How dare we open a fishing pond without prefabrication?" Ji Huaisu said lazily, "If you don't guarantee safety, tourists won't be happy to come."

Come to think of it, in the world of Shendong, safety always comes first. He dumped his bags of cargo onto the boat and boarded it first. The swans on the bow seemed to be glowing orange-red in the setting sun. He wanted to invite Ji Huaisu aboard, but he found her grinning at the photos she had taken at noon.

So he couldn't help laughing, thinking that it was not bad to do something stupid like this occasionally.

Ji Huaisu hopped onto the boat and paddled it, slowly drifting toward the center of the lake. This empty island was undeveloped land reserved by the City Lord's Mansion. He had applied for permission to use it for the afternoon, citing a routine inspection as an excuse. The entire process was legal and compliant, a small perk within the resurrection unit.

"Do you remember we went boating the first time we went out?" he said casually.

"I remember that after playing games, we went to the small lake in the courtyard... There were quite a lot of people around, and it was so noisy that I didn't really enjoy the atmosphere."

"So this time I found a quiet place where we can chat slowly." Chu Hengkong put down the oars and let the wind carry the boat away. "I don't have any plans after this. I'm afraid you'll get bored if we play for too long. Let's talk about it later if there's somewhere you want to go."

"No need, I had a really happy day today." Ji Huaisu grinned, "There's just one small problem~"

Chu Hengkong smiled bitterly: "Looking for trouble again..."

"It's not a prank, it's serious."

She sat on the edge of the swan boat, reaching outward. The evening breeze blew across the lake, ruffling the girl's golden hair. Strands of hair swept across her face, and her purple eyes flickered in and out, like a golden beast hidden in the forest.

"——Akong, why did you suddenly ask me out on a date?"

Chu Hengkong's heart tightened for no apparent reason. He'd considered this development and had written down how to respond; after all, his partner was always so perceptive. But when he actually spoke, he was still a little nervous: "Because..."

But Ji Huaisu didn't give him a chance to speak. She kept talking to herself, "Akong, you are very naive in every aspect, but you are a very mature person in this aspect. You may be slow sometimes, but you are not really a blockhead.

I think you didn't feel anything right after saving Huilong City. But after the end of Jinye City, you actually had a vague sense of it. And when we returned from the wilderness, you knew exactly how everyone, whether it was me or Qingxia, viewed you.

Ji Huaisu smiled slyly and said, "After all, you have slept in the same bed with me. Even if you are slow-witted, you should have realized it. Am I right?"

"What else can I say?" Chu Hengkong smiled bitterly.

"So I find it a little strange. With your personality, Ah Kong, emotional matters are always very important to you, and even if you knew about it, you wouldn't rush to deal with it. But after returning from the wilderness, you suddenly took the initiative to ask me out. Although it was neat and tidy, it was actually not like you." Ji Huaisu said, "And when we were on a date today, I realized that you were really preparing seriously. You did a lot of things you're not good at, and you wholeheartedly wanted to satisfy me."

"—It's like I've made a promise to myself that I'll complete this mission."

Chu Hengkong could only smile bitterly.

When a man's thoughts are seen through, there is nothing he can do except smile bitterly.

"This kind of thinking is quite strange, so I guess it won't be like this~"

Ji Huaisu put his fingertips on his lips.

"Akong, after coming out of the wilderness, you've realized how unpredictable the world is. I don't know when we'll be separated again. Since you know my feelings for you, you must respond. You can't let me wait in vain without receiving any response."

"Your invitation to a date is a reflection of this sense of responsibility. In other words, it's an 'obligation' that you consider yourself to have, isn't it?"

"Sometimes I really wish you weren't so sensitive." Chu Hengkong said.

"What a pity! I'm not an idiot when it comes to love!" Ji Huaisu said proudly.

He wanted to explain, but he didn't know how. He'd been taught since childhood that men should take responsibility, but he'd never truly been a lover or a husband. He didn't know what a normal relationship was like, but his intuition and heart told him that since he knew emotions existed, he couldn't turn a blind eye to them.

After going through so much along the way, he should be nice to Ji Huaisu.

He didn't hate Ji Huaisu, rather he liked this brave and upright girl very much.

Then he should be a good boyfriend and a good husband.

Because this is his responsibility. It is a duty he must face.

At this time, the swan boat drifted to the shore, and Ji Huaisu jumped off the boat first. Chu Hengkong stood on the shore and took a deep breath.

"Ji Huaisu, I hope you won't be angry." He said softly, "My personality is rather eccentric, but I like you..."

"No, no, I'm really not angry." Ji Huaisu chuckled and said, "Do you know why you feel guilty and awkward now?"

"……I have no idea."

She put her hands behind her back and jumped forward: "Because you just like me, but you haven't fallen in love with me yet!"

Her face suddenly enlarged in Chu Hengkong's eyes, and she gently kissed the man's lips.

It was a light kiss, neither deep nor prolonged, passing by like a dragonfly skimming the water, yet it left a thunderous shock in the man's heart. He froze in his place, staring blankly at the girl's face. Her cheeks flushed with shyness, but her eyes held no trace of confusion, only a frank expression of her feelings.

Ji Huaisu raised his hand and pointed straight at him.

"But it doesn't matter, because I love you." She said openly, "I will make you fall in love with me too, Chu Hengkong!"

"I had a great date today. Next time, I'll ask you out!"

She leaped away like a flash, leaping off the tiny dust island and returning to the courtyard where they lived. Chu Hengkong remained frozen in place, motionless for several minutes. His mind was blank, his heart racing, but it was very different from the previous out-of-control moments. It felt like it was urging him to do something, yet when he really wanted to act, he timidly retreated.

He slowly sat down against the tree trunk and looked up at the starless night sky. After a while, he realized that he should go home. Only then did he realize that he still had a lot of things on the swan boat that he hadn't taken.

That girl must have been quite shy, right? That's why she hurried away and forgot to take her things.

He looked at the boat and smiled, a smile that was a little silly. He took these spoils back to the dormitory and placed them at the door of Ji Huaisu's house. Then he sat down on the sofa, his mind full of the kiss in the evening.

He grew increasingly restless, pacing the living room mindlessly. He considered going next door to say something, but then decided there was no need. But the blonde girl continued to hover before his eyes, like a wisp of hot mist that wouldn't dissipate. Finally, he threw himself on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey, buddy?" Finder waved his tentacles at him. "Are you okay? Can you hold on?"

"I don't know how to describe it..." Chu Hengkong's headache got worse and worse. "I feel like... I just... I don't know..."

"It feels so messed up," he said blankly. "What's going on?"

"That's weird." Vander said strangely, "What's going on?"

(End of this chapter)