Chapter 176: Shield Against Dust
This untimely ringing of the bell instantly broke the heavy and tense atmosphere in the living room!
Yu Ling was so frightened that her shoulders trembled and she subconsciously wanted to press it away.
"Take it," Zhao Chen said hoarsely, his voice carrying a hint of tired indulgence, even a hint of resignation. "She... probably unearthed something 'shocking' again."
Yu Ling hesitated for a moment. Seeing Zhao Chen's face, a mixture of embarrassment, heartache, and a resigned expression of "Come on, let the storm get worse," the resentment and anger in her heart strangely faded a bit. She sniffed and connected the video call.
"Reiko! Reiko! Are you still alive?! Quick! Look at this!!!"
Lidya Su’s scream exploded instantly, with the background of a complex equity penetration diagram on her computer screen and an enlarged, extremely clear photo of a Shiba Inu head on a metal shield!
"Look! The symbol of core membership in the 'Wow Group'! The 'Shiba Inu Guardian Shield'! Limited to just seven pieces worldwide! The holder has authority equivalent to that of the group's chairman! They can mobilize all resources! Including the entire 'Shiba Inu Security Team'!"
Lidya Su was so excited that he was incoherent. "Does your Zhao Chen have a side?! Is that right?! Hurry up and ask him to take it out and open my eyes!!!"
Yu Ling: “…”
She held up her phone, the screen showing her bestie's frantic face and the exaggerated shield photo. She stiffly and extremely slowly turned her head to look at Zhao Chen, who also had a look of "here we go again" on his face.
Zhao Chen looked at the shield photo on the screen, and the expression on his face changed from helplessness to numbness, and finally to a calmness that was almost desperate.
He raised his hand and pinched his brows with extreme fatigue. Then, under the sharp gaze of Yu Ling and Su Xiao (via video), he said to the phone screen in a calm tone of "I'm tired, destroy it."
"Miss Su, that's a limited edition shield figurine given to the seven core PVP commanders during the seventh anniversary celebration of 'Ark of the Apocalypse - Shiba Inu Security Team.' It's made of pure zinc alloy and weighs ten kilograms. Its main function is..."
He paused, as if trying to find a reasonable explanation, "...to prop up the table legs, or...as a teething toy for Wangcai?"
"puff--!"
Yu Ling couldn't hold it in and spit out the ginger tea she had just taken! She choked and coughed repeatedly! She even coughed up tears!
"Cough cough... cough cough cough... Zhao Chen... you... cough cough... can you be any more outrageous?! Cough cough cough..."
She coughed and laughed, pointing at Zhao Chen, feeling both angry and amused. The heavy grievance and heartache she had just felt were all washed away by this extremely absurd "game peripheral shield theory"!
Su Xiao was also petrified on the other side of the screen, his mouth wide open enough to fit a duck egg: "Ten...ten kilograms of teething toys???"
Zhao Chen looked at Yu Ling, whose face turned red from coughing but who was smiling with tears in her eyes. The huge rock in his heart that was suffocating him seemed to finally be pried open by this ridiculous episode.
A helpless smile flashed across his eyes. He reached out his hand and gently patted Yu Ling on the back to soothe her breathing. His movements were gentle and familiar.
"Slow down." He spoke in a low voice, with a hint of subtle doting. Then, he added to the petrified Su Xiao on the screen with great seriousness:
"Also, let me correct you. The main function of that shield is actually..."
He turned sideways, picked up the large, empty bowl with the grinning Shiba Inu printed on it that Yu Ling had just finished her noodles with, and then… firmly placed it over the "Shiba Inu Guardian Shield" photo! The bottom of the bowl just covered the arrogant Shiba Inu's head!
"To keep out the dust." Zhao Chen concluded seriously.
Yu Ling: “…………”
Lidya Su: “…………”
The world was quiet again.
Yu Ling looked at the man in front of her who was using an empty bowl to "block the dust", and then looked at the self-righteous expression on his face that said "Look, how practical". At this moment, all her grievances, anger, and heartache turned into a surging smile and a deep sense of powerlessness!
"Zhao Chen!" Yu Ling smiled, but tears welled up again, this time in a smile, "You big liar! Big bastard!" She grabbed a pillow on the sofa with the same grinning Shiba Inu printed on it and threw it hard at Zhao Chen!
The pillow fell softly on Zhao Chen. Instead of dodging, he caught it and stuffed the Shiba Inu pillow into Yu Ling's arms, asking her to hold it.
"Yeah, I'm an asshole," Zhao Chen admitted frankly, his eyes tender enough to drip with tears. He reached out and gently wiped away the tears of laughter from Yu Ling's eyes with his fingertips, his gesture cherishing her deeply.
"But I'm such a bastard... I'll only lie to others from now on and never lie to you again, okay?"
His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a desperate promise and a strong plea:
"I'll lay it all out for you to see, good and bad, clean and dirty. Are you still willing to take in this troublesome and bastard Zhao Chen?"
Yu Ling hugged the silly-smiling Shiba Inu pillow, feeling the lingering warmth of his fingertips on her face, and looked at the man in front of her who had finally torn off all his disguises, revealing his clumsy true heart and huge troubles.
The anger is real.
The heartache is real.
This absurd yet irresistible tenderness... is also real.
She sniffed, buried her face in the soft Shiba Inu pillow, and a muffled voice came out:
"...Put the noodle bowl on the shield...it blocks the dust...but it also gets the chicken soup smell...wash it yourself tomorrow!"
In the living room, the halo of the floor lamp gently enveloped the two of them. Yu Ling buried her face in the simpering Shiba Inu pillow, her muffled voice carrying the exhaustion of surviving a disaster and a subtle softness.
Zhao Chen's anxious heart finally settled down because of this coquettish complaint.
A huge burst of joy exploded in his chest like fireworks! The light in his eyes was astonishingly bright, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise high.
"Okay! I'll wash it! Ten times!" He responded immediately, his voice filled with immense joy at having regained what he had lost, and a hint of silliness. Where was the intimidating presence of the "Shadow Emperor"? He tentatively and extremely cautiously extended his arm and gently wrapped it around Yu Ling's shoulders.
Yu Ling stiffened slightly, but didn't push him away. She buried her face deeper into the pillow, leaving only the slightly red tips of her ears exposed, as a tacit agreement.
Zhao Chen's heart was instantly filled with a huge warm current. He tightened his arms slightly, holding her more firmly in his arms.
His chin rested gently on the soft crown of her hair, greedily absorbing the warmth and peace he had regained. The only sounds in the living room were the mingled, gradually calming breaths of the two, and the silent testimony of the silly Shiba Inu's pillow.
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