“Mmm~” Su Mo couldn’t help but let out a soft hum at the sudden groping.
Ye Qingyi also instantly felt shy upon hearing it.
Oh my, when did I become so… handsy?
Su Mo grabbed her hand, knowing that if he didn’t put a stop to this now, he’d eventually be stripped bare and devoured by Ye Qingyi.
“That’s enough now. People are always passing through here. Wouldn’t it be bad if someone saw?”
Ye Qingyi also knew she had gone a bit too far. She obediently said “Oh,” and swung Su Mo’s hand back and forth, as if begging for forgiveness.
Well, Su Mo was a sucker for this act of hers. The scolding words on the tip of his tongue just turned into: “Don’t let it happen again.”
“Got it!” Ye Qingyi replied meekly, like a docile rabbit. “As compensation, dinner is on me tonight. You can eat as much as you want!”
“Okay, you said it.”
Not long after the two left, chatting and laughing, Xia Qingqing and Huo Jingshuo emerged from behind a large tree not far away, their expressions a mix of amusement and shock.
“Qingqing, your face is twisted from grinning.”
“Don’t look at me, your smile is about to reach the sky.”
“Their way of dating is really… unique.”
“Now this is what I call exciting…”
“Yeah, exciting, hehe.”
“Hehe.”
“Ah, Qingqing, quick, someone’s coming!”
“Oh, right…”
…
The night in the capital was ablaze with lights and vibrant with life, more prosperous than any city Su Mo had ever been to.
Luxury cars passed by them from time to time, the handsome men and beautiful women inside all looking immensely pleased with themselves.
If this were before, Su Mo would definitely have been envious. But now… it seemed just whatever.
This change came after experiencing all sorts of things.
As they walked, a barbecue restaurant caught Su Mo’s attention.
“Qingyi, look over there. Is that a chicken leg they’re eating?” Su Mo was puzzled. “Why is it so huge!”
Ye Qingyi looked in the direction he pointed and also found it incredible. “You’re right, why is it so big?”
Curiosity drove the two closer. The owner greeted them from afar: “Handsome, Beauty, come on in and take a seat. Our meat is anything but ordinary.”
Su Mo seized the chance to ask: “It’s all just meat, right? What could be different?”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong.” The owner said proudly, “Our meat is all shipped from Mengzhou Province. The taste and nutrition are several levels higher than elsewhere. Look, our chicken legs have more meat than the entire body of a regular chicken.”
“Why are they so big? They’re not pumped with hormones, are they?”
“No way!” The owner seemed happy to explain. “Legend has it that the spirit energy revival process is a bit faster over in Mengzhou compared to other parts of the country. So, the animals there grow much sturdier. Very valuable.”
Su Mo and Ye Qingyi looked at each other and said simultaneously: “Then let’s try it.”
“Great! Please, you two, have a seat. It’ll be ready right away.”
When the chicken legs were served, Ye Qingyi couldn’t wait to take a bite. The rich, savory flavor of the chicken burst in her mouth, instantly captivating her taste buds.
“Wow, so fragrant!”
Su Mo also tried it and exclaimed in surprise: “It really is! I never thought spirit energy revival could make animal meat more delicious too.”
As they were enjoying their food, a familiar voice came from the entrance.
Su Mo glanced over and found it was actually Wu Heng and that chubby young man.
Since they were sitting in the innermost corner, they hadn’t been spotted yet.
Just then, another girl walked into the barbecue joint. Su Mo found her familiar and was sure she was one of their fellow trainees.
“Boss, give me… Oh no, I forgot my phone.” She looked embarrassed and turned to leave.
“Wait, I’ll pay for you.” Wu Heng stepped in at that moment and paid for her.
“Thank you…” The girl’s face was flushed as she gazed gratefully at Wu Heng’s somewhat handsome face, assuring him, “I’ll definitely pay you back once I get back.”
Wu Heng smiled. “No need. This meal is on me.”
The chubby young man beside him was green with envy. “Well, well, you treat a girl to a meal, but you make me pay when we eat?”
“Who told you you lost?”
The chubby teen gritted his teeth but had no retort.
In the corner, Su Mo and Ye Qingyi found the whole scene quite entertaining, eating their food while watching the drama unfold.
In the end, the girl sat at a spot not far behind Wu Heng, where she could see his back just by looking up.
Su Mo swallowed a mouthful of meat and said with interest, “So, what’s the verdict?”
Ye Qingyi wiggled her eyebrows. “She’s a goner.”
“Just from one barbecue meal? It can’t be that serious,” Su Mo didn’t understand.
Ye Qingyi leaned close to his ear and whispered, “He did it on purpose.”
“Huh?”
Seeing his disbelief, Ye Qingyi continued, “She probably already liked Wu Heng. So, she staged this little act to get his attention.”
Su Mo looked at her strangely. “How do you know that?”
“Intuition.” Ye Qingyi said with full confidence. “We girls have sharp intuition about these things, and mine is sharper than most girls’.”
This was actually true. Ye Qingyi’s innate ability was related to this very aspect, and it had evolved further after she reached C-grade.
Well, her specialty matched the situation.
Perhaps noticing the two of them, Wu Heng smiled towards Su Mo’s direction as a greeting. Su Mo smiled back.
However, Su Mo clearly felt a cold gaze on him at that moment, coming precisely from that girl.
“Alright then, I believe you,” Su Mo said, his expression rather speechless.
Wu Heng and the chubby teen finished quickly and left. The girl packed up her leftovers and followed closely behind, seemingly planning to head back together.
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to glance towards Su Mo, her eyes filled with a fair amount of jealousy.
Ye Qingyi snorted. “If I weren’t in a male body right now, and if it weren’t for ‘a real man doesn’t fight a woman,’ I’d definitely go teach her a lesson.”
…
Returning to his room that night, Su Mo hadn’t even settled in properly when a knock on the door made him get up again.
He opened the door to find the very girl who had ‘forgotten her phone’ tonight standing outside.
He then remembered that this girl was also one of the selected twelve.
“Can I help you?”
Su Mo’s impression of her wasn’t particularly good or bad. After all, she was just a passerby, unrelated to him. If not for knowing Wu Heng, he probably wouldn’t have noticed her.
“Your name is Ye Qingyi, right?” The girl wore a smile as she spoke.
Su Mo replied flatly, “That’s right.”
“Hello, I’m Shen Nanshu. Since we’ll all be comrades from now on, please look out for me.” The girl had a lovely smile, but Su Mo’s heart remained calm. Then he heard her continue, “You know Wu Heng, don’t you?”
So that was her purpose. Su Mo nodded. “Yes, I know him.”
Hearing this, Shen Nanshu’s expression shifted slightly; it was hard to tell if she was pleased or displeased. She said, “Then… you already have a boyfriend, right?”
“What exactly are you trying to say?” Su Mo was growing impatient.
Shen Nanshu stared into his beautiful eyes, as if steeling herself. Suddenly, she said with determination, “Could you please keep your distance from Wu Heng in the future? I like him.”