Shadow Assassin

In the evening, Sang Qi wanted to go downstairs for a walk.

She had been cooped up in her room almost all day, and since the weather was nice with a beautiful sunset, she decided to go downstairs for a walk.

Sang Qi came downstairs and had just stepped out of the travel agency when she heard Lu Min's laughter.

The sound came from not far away, and Sang Qi couldn't help but look over.

Lu Min was seen playing chess with an old man in front of a convenience store, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Hey, sorry, I won this round again," Lu Min said with a grin.

The old man lost the game, but he didn't look upset at all. Instead, he smiled with admiration: "You're a pretty good young man. Let's continue another day!"

"Absolutely."

As Lu Min helped the old man put away the chessboard, he finished the cigarette he was smoking. He turned around and saw Sang Qi standing at the entrance of the travel agency looking at him.

"What's wrong?" Lu Min smiled as soon as he saw Sang Qi.

Sang Qi said, "I'm going out for a walk. Don't wait for me to eat."

After giving his instructions, Sang Qi was about to leave. Lu Min stepped forward and called out to Sang Qi.

“I was just thinking of taking you out for a walk tonight, let’s go together.” Lu Min said as he walked to Sang Qi’s side and walked alongside her.

Sang Qi consciously kept a person's distance from Lu Min and said, "No need, I can manage on my own."

She just wanted to walk around quietly by herself.

"Don't get lost," Lu Min teased.

“…I’m not a child.” Sang Qi glared at Lu Min with a reproachful look.

She doesn't like being looked down upon like that.

“Lijiang Old Town is quite large, you…” Before Lu Min could speak, Sang Qi interrupted him.

I don't want to talk to you right now.

After saying that, Sang Qi quickened his pace and headed towards the ancient city.

Now she just wants to get rid of Lu Min and doesn't want him to follow her.

"Heh, this little brat." Lu Min looked at Sang Qi's back and shook his head with a smile.

……………

As night falls, Lijiang Old Town is brightly lit, with warm yellow lights illuminating every street.

There weren't many tourists along the way, but there were a lot of vendors, making it feel quite commercial.

Sang Qi strolled through several streets but didn't find much of interest, gradually becoming somewhat disappointed. This was quite different from the ancient city she had imagined.

There were many things on her mind, and she felt a strong urge to go home. However, it was lunchtime, so Sang Qi wondered where she could find a restaurant to sit down and have a meal before heading back.

She opened her phone to search online for nearby restaurants with good reviews, intending to navigate there.

The navigation system automatically planned the shortest route. Sang Qi followed the navigation, leaving the bustling streets and heading into the depths of the alley.

The alleyways between the residential buildings are all lit up, but there aren't many people around, and it feels a bit eerie to walk alone in one of them.

Sang Qi wasn't particularly timid and didn't care much about her surroundings, but for some reason, she always felt like there was a shadow following her.

She didn't have much evidence to prove that someone was following her, but a sense of unease lingered in her heart.

Along the way, she kept looking back but found nothing.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it?" Sang Qi muttered to himself, as if giving himself a psychological suggestion.

Sang Qi gave himself a mental pep talk and quickened his pace, soon switching from walking to running.

Once Sang Qi started running, he would run wherever he saw a road, completely ignoring the navigation directions.

At this point, the phone's voice navigation announced, "You have deviated from your route; a new route has been planned for you."

At the same time, Sang Qi heard heavy footsteps behind him.

It was heavy and dense, like the footsteps of several people.

Sang Qi grew increasingly anxious as he ran, unconsciously turning his head to look behind him as he went.

The streetlights behind me were dim, and there was no one around.

"oops."

Turning to look behind him, Sang Qi didn't notice that he was running forward and crashed hard into someone's chest.

She slammed her head into the man's chest, which was very solid, like a rock.

The second after hitting the person, Sang Qi lost her balance and fell backward. The person quickly reached out and grabbed Sang Qi around the waist, pulling her towards him with a long arm.

Sang Qi was embraced, and with her lower body having a point of support, she managed to steady herself.

Are you alright?

It was a deep, powerful male voice. Upon hearing the voice, Sang Qi suddenly looked up and met Lu Min's gaze.

Lu Min looked at Sang Qi with a smile in his eyes, a playful look in his gaze.

Sang Qi, however, screamed and struggled as if he had seen a plague god: "Let me go."

Lu Min frowned slightly, said nothing, and released his hand.

As if freed, Sang Qi quickly jumped to the side and stood two meters away from Lu Min.

"Is it really necessary? Do you think I can eat you or something?" Lu Min felt that Sang Qi's reaction was too intense and seemed a little unhappy.

While fixing her hair and clothes, Sang Qi explained, "I don't like having too much physical contact with strangers. It's the same with everyone else. It's not targeting you."

"Heh." Lu Min scoffed. "I feel like you're targeting me."

"..."

Sang Qi glared at him and said indifferently, "I can't stop you from thinking that way."

"You little brat..." Lu Min hesitated, his tone ambiguous, with a hint of doting in his eyes.

Sang Qi naturally didn't notice Lu Min's subtle expressions and just stood quietly to the side.

"By the way, why were you running just now?" Lu Min asked, referring to what had just happened. "You seemed really flustered."

Sang Qi coughed lightly and said somewhat respectfully, "No...it's nothing, I'm just hungry and want to find something to eat as soon as possible."

"Oh? Is that so?" Lu Min said with a wicked smile.

Sang Qi feigned composure: "Otherwise what?"

"Okay, I'm glad you're alright. But I have to remind you, there are a lot of bad people these days. You're just a young girl out and about, so you should be careful."

"Thank you, I will be careful," Sang Qi said with a smile.

After saying that, Sang Qi took a step forward.

"Where are you going?" Lu Min called out to her.

"Have a meal."

"Go to the left to eat; there are no shops or restaurants on your side."

Sang Qi was taken aback, then looked awkwardly at the road to the left and silently went to the left.

Lu Min just smiled and said nothing, silently following behind Sang Qi.

………

Walking back to the bustling streets of the ancient city, seeing crowds of tourists and vendors, Sang Qi finally relaxed completely.

The shops on both sides of this street are all restaurants, each with its own unique characteristics and exquisite and grand decor.

Sang Qi quickly found the restaurant she had been navigating to.

Just as Sang Qi was about to go inside, Lu Min said, "You want to eat here?"

Sang Qi stopped in her tracks: "Is there a problem?"

"This restaurant doesn't serve authentic Yunnan cuisine. Don't be fooled by online guides. It's just a trendy restaurant that became popular through marketing."

Sang Qi was at a loss for words. She only knew that many bloggers had recommended this store, and it had a high rating on apps, so she decided to come here.

"Let's go, I'll take you to eat authentic Yunnan cuisine."

“…”

…………

“Joyful Little Restaurant?” Sang Qi said, looking at the sign at the restaurant entrance.

“This name is quite interesting,” Sang Qi said again.

Lu Min raised his head slightly: "Authentic Yunnan cuisine is usually hidden in the streets and alleys, in these small, unassuming restaurants. The environment may not be very upscale, but the taste is definitely not bad."

This time, Sang Qi did not refute him.

This "Happy Little Restaurant" isn't crowded, and you don't need to wait for a table during peak meal times.

Lu Min and the owner were old acquaintances. As soon as he entered, he greeted the owner and chatted for a few minutes. Then, the owner personally led Lu Min and Sang Qi to a quiet spot to sit down.

As soon as we sat down, the waiter served hot tea.

Lu Min pushed the menu over: "Order yourself."

Sang Qi wasn't familiar with Yunnan cuisine and didn't like ordering much. After looking around, she couldn't order many dishes, so in the end, Lu Min ordered them.

The two of them ordered two dishes and a soup: a steamed chicken in a clay pot and yak meat with garlic sprouts, as well as a vegetable and tofu soup.

The food was served very quickly, and all the dishes were served in no time.

"Try this steamed chicken in a clay pot; it's a famous specialty dish from Yunnan," Lu Min introduced the first dish served.

This dish is served in an earthenware steamer, hence its name.

Sang Qi thought the presentation was excellent; the chicken was golden and bright, and looked very delicious.

Just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks, Lu Min had already placed a piece of chicken on her plate.

"Thanks."

After politely thanking him, Sang Qi picked up a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth. He could feel the tender and fresh meat with one bite.

Sang Qi had always thought that the best-tasting chicken was the white-cut chicken from Guangdong, but after eating Yunnan steamed chicken, she found that it was just as delicious as the white-cut chicken from Guangdong.

Lu Min sat opposite Sang Qi, watching her eat with great relish.

Because the chicken was too hot, Sang Qi picked it up and brought it to her mouth, puffing out her cheeks and blowing on it a few times to cool it down before putting it in her mouth. Lu Min found it kind of cute.

The food was a little hot, and Sang Qi's face was already slightly flushed. Her hair was down, and long strands kept slipping down her shoulders as she ate, smoothing them back as she ate.

It was an ordinary action, but for some reason, Lu Min watched it intently, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

It turns out that she can be quite girlish when she's not being arrogant.

...

After finishing their meal, Sang Qi left the restaurant but didn't go back. Instead, she chose to take a walk to digest her food, and Lu Min accompanied her the whole time.

Neither of them spoke; they simply walked side by side in a stiff manner, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

To ease the awkwardness, Sang Qi swung her arms around a bit too much, trying to loosen up her muscles.

While swinging her arms, she unconsciously touched Lu Min's abdomen.

Even through a layer of clothing, Sang Qi could still feel the firmness of Lu Min's abdomen and the outline of his abdominal muscles.

In just a few seconds, Sang Qi withdrew her hand, her face slightly flushed.

She apologized in a flustered voice.

Lu Min wore a roguish smile, as if he was quite happy to be taken advantage of.

"Why are you so nervous?" Lu Min said.

Sang Qi paused for a moment, then regained her composure: "Am I nervous? I'm just embarrassed for you."

"There's no need for that, I'm not embarrassed at all."

“Yeah, you’re really shameless.” Sang Qi would tease Lu Min whenever she had the chance.

Lu Min shook his head and chuckled, "Your little temper is actually quite endearing..."

"..."

After a few jokes, the two returned to their initial silence.

"Oh, right," Sang Qi suddenly said, "thank you for tonight."

Her tone was very serious.

Lu Min raised an eyebrow: "Thank me for what?"

"Thank you for taking me out for an authentic Yunnan meal tonight."

That's it?

"Otherwise what?"

Lu Min shrugged: "It's nothing. I thought you were thanking me for saving you."

“…Save…save me?” Sang Qi was a little confused.

Seeing Sang Qi's bewildered expression, Lu Min merely curled his lips slightly: "Just kidding, just teasing you..."

Sang Qi didn't think Lu Min was joking.

She thought for a moment, then her pupils suddenly dilated: "You mean in a dark alley?"

"Hey, you're not too stupid after all." Lu Min was pleasantly surprised.

Sang Qi was a little scared: "Was someone really following me?"

What do you think?

In the evening, Sang Qi refused to go with Lu Min and went to the ancient city alone. At first, Lu Min was worried that Sang Qi would get lost, so he followed her all the way.

Halfway through the chase, he noticed several people following Sang Qi. He didn't know where they came from, but assumed they were just petty swindlers. Without thinking much of it, he lured them away before finally appearing in front of Sang Qi.

Fortunately, he was there tonight. If it had been just Sang Qi alone, she might have been in trouble.

At that moment, Sang Qi fell silent, completely unlike his previous arrogant demeanor.

Lu Min glanced at Sang Qi and comforted her, "I think those were just some petty thugs trying to rob us. In the future, when you're out and about, don't go into quiet alleys; it's not safe."

"...Is Lijiang really that chaotic?" Sang Qi asked.

There are bad people everywhere, just be careful.

"Understood." Sang Qi quickened his pace.

“And one more thing,” Sang Qi suddenly stopped and turned around, “thank you.”

Lu Min smiled: "What are you thanking me for this time? Are you thanking me for taking you to eat Yunnan cuisine?"

Sang Qi smiled slightly: "Figure it out yourself."

After saying that, Sang Qi turned and walked forward.

"You're welcome, no need to thank me. I'd be happy to be your protector!" Lu Min replied with a smile to Sang Qi's retreating figure.