Chapter 14 Acting, accompany me in acting.

Downstairs in a residential building near the hospital.

Jiang Xiliu followed Jin Zhao deeper into the area, and asked suspiciously, "Are there really things to eat here?"

A cool evening breeze blew by.

She stopped in her tracks, pulling Jin Zhao to a halt as well: "If you dare to play me, you're dead."

These winding residential buildings don't look like places to sell things; instead, they look more like places from TV dramas where people commit murder and dispose of bodies.

Of course, Jiang Xiliu didn't think Jin Zhao would dare to lay a hand on her.

But it's possible that they deliberately take a detour to make her suffer.

Jin Zhao wasn't as bored as she thought. He just wanted to quickly finish Jiang Xiliu's dinner and then send this little tyrant away.

"It's not far. The place I'm taking you to eat is a bit out of the way, but it's probably the only place around here that serves decent food."

Jiang Xiliu's gaze swept over his face—Jin Zhao's expression control was comparable to that of a celebrity, almost without any change.

Of course, the young lady couldn't tell whether he was lying to her by looking at him.

A few seconds later, she looked away and, without thinking twice, threatened, "If it doesn't taste good, I'll beat you up."

Just as Jiang Xiliu was about to give up and start to throw a tantrum, they finally arrived at their destination.

The sizzling heat and spicy aroma of the wok filled the air. A long metal cart had been converted into a covered carriage, inside which were dozens of steaming iron basins. Outside the cart were several wooden square tables and benches, their surfaces gleaming as if they had been worn for decades.

They had hardly encountered anyone on their way here, but there were quite a few people here, almost filling the square tables.

This shows that the taste here is recognized by everyone.

"What would you like to eat?" There were many people in line, so to save time, Jin Zhao decided to ask Jiang Xiliu's preferences first before ordering by himself.

No one paid any attention to him.

Jin Zhao looked down at his side.

Jiang Xiliu's almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief. She raised her hand and pointed to the words on the red banner next to her: "Three dishes for ten yuan, meat or vegetables, choose whatever you like?"

Is this food really worth the price?

She knew Jin Zhao was frugal, but she never expected him to skimp on her: "You're just taking me to eat this?"

Jin Zhao: "..."

He sighed and said, "You didn't see it all. Take two more steps forward and take a look."

Jiang Xiliu walked forward and saw the words that were half-obscured by the pillar: "Critically Ill Patients and Their Families".

Clearly, this stall not only has good business, but the owner is also kind-hearted.

The young lady was unusually embarrassed by her loud disdain just now.

She decided to send her location to Assistant Liao later and arrange for him to come and donate some money as a way of apologizing for what she had just said.

Jiang Xiliu pretended to be calm, and her two hands, which had been baring their teeth and claws a minute ago, obediently lowered, and she began to recite the names of the dishes.

Actually, she didn't know the names of the dishes; she just picked a few that looked good from the names on another banner she had just seen.

There are too many people and not enough tables.

Some people packed their food to take away, while others simply put the food on chairs and ate it while sitting on small stools.

To Jin Zhao's surprise, he brought over a stool and said, "You can only use this as a table."

The young lady reacted calmly, even accepting the "terrible" dining environment with equanimity.

Wait until all the dishes are served.

"Is it good?" Jin Zhao didn't touch his chopsticks, waiting for her reaction.

Jiang Xiliu tasted every dish, except for one she didn't like. When she ate it, she held it in her mouth and glanced at Jin Zhao, saying, "Mmm."

Jin Zhao extended his hand.

Jiang Xiliu was barely satisfied with the dinner.

She doesn't usually eat carbs at night, but tonight she obliged and ate a couple of bites of rice.

After finishing her meal, she yawned. Whether it was from carbon monoxide poisoning or lack of sleep during the day, Jiang Xiliu couldn't keep her eyes open.

"Let's go." Jin Zhao put the stool back in its place, still carrying the packed lunch for Grandma Jin.

He asked for an extra bag and casually packed the young lady's things in as well.

Jiang Xiliu lazily raised her eyes and yawned again: "I'm so sleepy, carry me on your back."

She was really sleepy; her eyes were misty and moist from exhaustion.

"I'm carrying things in my hands," Jin Zhao said, making an excuse. "I can't carry you with just one hand."

Jiang Xiliu didn't care: "If you bite the strap with your teeth, you'll free up both your hands, won't you?"

Her head felt so heavy that she tilted to the side due to inertia, her forehead resting softly on Jin Zhao's arm.

Her leaning on him came without warning, her shoulder sliding down his arm half an inch, her entire weight tilting towards him, landing decisively and calmly, as if she trusted Jin Zhao completely.

Jin Zhao's body stiffened almost instinctively for half a second, then he immediately freed one hand and firmly grabbed her shoulder—if she fell somewhere, or didn't fall at all, as long as he didn't catch her, he could give her a good reason to continue tormenting him.

The young lady and System 0777 both let out a sigh in different tones.

Jiang Xiliu: "Sigh."

[System 0777: Huh?]

The young lady was very perceptive: "You... 'Huh?' What?"

[System 0777: I was shocked by Jin Zhao's lightning-fast reaction.]

He was subtly expressing his loyalty.

Jiang Xiliu didn't speak. The system didn't know if she was satisfied with its answer, but that didn't stop it from being curious.

[System 0777: Miss, why are you sighing again?]

Jiang Xiliu answered slowly, "It's similar to why you said 'Huh?', except I'm disappointed that he actually caught me."

Jin Zhao had no choice but to reason with the young lady, who was pretending to be asleep with her eyes tightly closed. He could only try to reason with her gently: "I'll carry you on my back, and you can carry my bags."

The young lady's long eyelashes fluttered slightly: "..."

“If you don’t carry it, this bag will keep bumping against your calves. If it gets torn by something, the food and soup will get all over you.”

Jiang Xiliu immediately looked up, annoyed, to confirm, "Are you threatening me?"

Even though the two weren't close enough to know each other, Jin Zhao instinctively chose to go along with it: "Of course not, I was just... stating a fact that is very likely to happen."

"It's obvious that I don't want this to happen, which is why I'm trying to persuade you."

The reasons were very valid, and the attitude was very sincere.

Jiang Xiliu knew which option to choose: walking back the way she came or carrying a light bag.

When she lay on Jin Zhao's back, Jiang Xiliu, who had been yawning just moments before, suddenly became energetic.

Since she had nothing better to do, she thought she'd take the opportunity to probe the progress of the task: "Isn't your grandma going to have surgery soon? There are only a few days left, how are you planning to raise the money?"

Jin Zhao didn't know why she kept asking about the surgery fees, but his suspicious nature kept him from saying anything immediately.

But the young lady couldn't wait even a second longer.

Jiang Xiliu used her free hand to grab his ear without hesitation, while the bag in her other hand swayed and hit Jin Zhao's chest, making him feel a little stuffy.

"Can't you hear? I hate mute people the most."

Previously, when Jiang Xiliu wanted him to stay quiet and be a pretty vase by her side, Jin Zhao lied and said he had a girlfriend in order to reject her; now that she doesn't want him to be a quiet vase, he is quite proactive in shutting up.

Why are all men like this, so despicable?

The young lady thought of someone again, feeling unhappy.

"Let go." A sudden pain shot through my ear.

Jin Zhao never expected that she would actually dare to pinch him with all her might while she was still on his back.

What's the difference between this and a passenger suddenly rushing up in the car and grabbing the steering wheel from the driver?

The only difference is that there is only one passenger on the bus.

Jin Zhao staggered a few steps, and as he swayed, Jiang Xiliu belatedly realized the panic. In her panic, she also felt a little resentful: Who told Jin Zhao to be so tall?

If she falls from that height, she could very well be disfigured.

Being disfigured is still a terrifying prospect for a young lady who cares a lot about her image.

Once Jin Zhao had finally lifted her back to her original position, the young lady preemptively turned the tables and accused him: "What's wrong with you? Did your ears infect your legs? Are they both broken?"

Jin Zhao was amused and annoyed by her unreasonable behavior. If he hadn't been trying so hard to maintain his balance, she would have been sitting on the ground crying and making a scene, instead of riding on his back and swaggering around cursing him.

"Jiang Xiliu!"

The young lady couldn't hear him gritting his teeth, and even if she did, she pretended not to hear it.

"What?" He was in the wrong, but he was still defiant.

"I'm planning to sell our house." Jin Zhao never knew he had such a good temper. When he was extremely angry, his instincts told him the best solution was to try to calm her down.

A nonsensical sentence.

Jiang Xiliu blinked, and it took her a moment to realize that Jin Zhao was answering her first question.

The young lady snorted twice: "I knew you heard me. Were you deliberately ignoring me just now?"

“If you had answered me earlier, I wouldn’t have twisted your ear. If I hadn’t twisted your ear, I wouldn’t have been so frightened.” Jiang Xiliu analyzed the situation and convinced herself, then blamed Jin Zhao, “It’s all your fault after all.”

Jin Zhao took a deep breath.

System bubbling.

[System 0777: We can't let him sell the house!]

[System 0777: If he sells it, he'll have money to pay for medical expenses, and our mission will fail.]

[System 0777: Failure to complete this task will affect your luck. The Linjiang project was something we snatched by force, but if your luck is too low, you might accidentally miss out on it. That project is worth at least several billion in profits.]

Between billions and hundreds of thousands, even a fool knows which to choose.

Jiang Xiliu: ...She knew without the system saying so.

Is the reason she's willing to spend that small amount of money to complete the task because, like in the original story, she wants to win Jin Zhao's love?

Of course not, she was trying to exchange for something bigger; she was trying to gain a lot with a small investment.

The young lady's eyes flickered, and she whispered in Jin Zhao's ear, "Do you want to sell the house to me?"

With her legs dangling in mid-air, she said understandingly, "You don't want your grandma to find out you sold the house after she's discharged from the hospital, do you? As your sugar daddy, I can allow you and your grandma to continue living there."

Jin Zhao chuckled: "That house is registered under my grandmother's name. Whether it's sold to you or someone else, she'll know."

Jiang Xiliu's hand was twitching near his ear again: "What do you mean? You're not selling it to me? You're planning to sell it to someone else?"

"If you really want to help me keep it a secret."

"Act with me in a play."

A note from the author:

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Young lady – a well-known "actress" (not really)