0125: Genuine Gratitude (Happy May 20th)

“Wait, you just brought me here to eat? Didn’t you say it would be a feast?”

Xu Lin gazed at the familiar barbecue street. Although he quite liked barbecue, his expectations had been for a more upscale restaurant or something of the sort.

Besides, it wasn’t summer anymore; it was already autumn and winter. The leisurely days of enjoying skewers in the open air had passed.

“Hmm, there’s every kind of meat here. Isn’t this a feast?” Qin Yunhe tugged him toward a stall.

“Brother Hui!”

“Yo, isn’t this Yunhe? Is that blood on you? What happened?”

A tall man wearing a leather apron, flipping meat skewers as he spoke, glanced at them.

“Got it during a mission, didn’t have time to clean up yet.”

“And this young man?”

“The hero of the mission.”

“You say hero? That must be impressive. Find a seat and order the usual?”

“Yeah.”

Xu Lin was dragged onto a small stool. The diners nearby, seeing their blood-stained appearance, instinctively moved away—clearly not wanting to get involved.

“I told you to change your clothes before coming back.”

“Why did you even take off your school uniform?”

“I can’t wear it all afternoon waiting for you; they’d think I was playing truant.”

“Isn’t that basically truancy?”

“Nope. I’m here to help you, took a leave specially.”

“Thanks so much. Tonight, we won’t leave until we’re drunk!”

“No, I don’t want to mess up.”

“Mistakes? You think you can get this sister drunk? Not that easy.”

She pulled several bottles of chilled beer from the cooler beside them.

“Don’t drink! Your wounds haven’t fully healed!” Xu Lin frowned and snatched the beer from her hand.

“My wounds are fine!” Qin Yunhe said, having felt much less pain on the way.

“Let me see.”

“Are you teasing me? Careful, I might have you spend a day in the police station!”

“If you won’t let me check, then don’t drink.”

Seeing Xu Lin’s insistence, Qin Yunhe, though not that close to him, noticed the worry and tenderness in his eyes.

She obediently put the beer down, scooted her stool closer to his side.

“What are you doing? It’s cramped.” Though he often wished to be close to a beauty, both of them were covered in blood and smelled foul.

“Look, are my wounds healed?”

“Huh? You sure have a strong craving for alcohol. I’m not looking; you go ahead and drink.”

He was just teasing; he wouldn’t really expose himself in front of so many people. Besides, he’d feel embarrassed.

“I told you, you’re still a kid.”

Saying that, she turned her body to block the view of others, then carefully checked the wound, noticing the blood on the gauze had dried.

Xu Lin took a secret glance, seeing the blood-stained bandage over her toned abdomen, feeling more pity than anything else.

“Sorry, I should have rushed in right away when I saw them lifting the curtains. I shouldn’t have let you get hurt.”

“No, in our line of work, we have to carry the courage to face danger.”

“I think Sister Qin, you’re truly suited to be a police officer. I hope this time you can earn your father’s recognition.”

“Thank you, Xu Lin. I have to tell you something—don’t laugh—but I thought I was going to die. I even called your name. Isn’t that strange?”

Qin Yunhe smiled and gently lifted the gauze again, seeing that the wound had fully scabbed over, only a slight redness of new skin remaining.

“What on earth did you give me to eat? My wounds have almost healed.”

“An ancestral remedy, though I heard it has side effects. Honestly, I took a medicine too, which is why I could defeat those people.”

“?”

Qin Yunhe’s mind was a bit overwhelmed. It felt like Xu Lin and she lived in different worlds—she the city girl, he a martial artist?

“Believe me, I’m telling the truth this time. According to my elders, there really are side effects. Do you know how much I sacrificed for this?”

“I have side effects too. Aren’t you afraid you’ll poison me?”

“If I hadn’t taken the medicine, you’d have lost too much blood.”

“That makes sense. The skewers are here; let’s eat while we talk.”

They dug in, managing to eat quite a bit more than usual—40 pork skewers, 50 lamb, 20 chicken wing roots, 10 fish, and 10 shrimp skewers, yet still not feeling even half full.

“Xu Lin, does your family’s medicine side effect really make you able to eat this much?” Qin Yunhe confessed she usually couldn’t handle so much.

“Wow, you guys sure can eat!”

Brother Hui came over to clear the plates and was stunned to see them almost done in ten minutes.

“Maybe it’s the hard work today. Another 50 lamb skewers, please.”

Qin Yunhe glanced at Xu Lin, who went to get drinks, then whispered, “Add 10 kidney skewers too.”

“Alright, gotta replenish to work well tonight,” Brother Hui said with a knowing smile.

“Aren’t we—”

“It’s fine, I won’t tell your dad.”

Xu Lin returned with a bottle of hawthorn drink. Passing by, Brother Hui patted his shoulder. “Good luck tonight.”

“Huh?”

Xu Lin, puzzled, returned to his seat and saw Qin Yunhe’s cheeks flushed, obviously tipsy.

“Don’t drink too much.”

“Why don’t you drink?”

“I don’t like it. It’s boring. Soda tastes better.”

“You little kid, you just don’t understand the charm of alcohol.”

“I’d rather not understand.”

Xu Lin smiled bitterly, recalling how before rebirth, whenever he was upset, he drank. In college, it was the same. But after graduation, returning home to his parents, he felt responsibility and the need to grow up.

So he stopped drowning sorrows in alcohol, turning frustrations into motivation to work hard. Though he hadn’t fully gotten on track, fate gave him a second chance.

Qin Yunhe looked at Xu Lin’s youthful but handsome profile, tinged with mystery, and her mind wandered to that unexpected kiss from that day.

What am I thinking? Must be the alcohol—only three bottles and I’m already a bit woozy.

She held her forehead, took a deep breath. The cool evening breeze brushed over, yet despite the chill, she felt a burning heat within.

After another drink, her head cleared but the heat persisted, and her heart began to race.

Soon, the next round of meat arrived, and they quickly devoured it, their stomachs finally comfortably full.

“See, the side effects really do make you able to eat!”

Xu Lin stretched but noticed Qin Yunhe, who had been lively moments ago, now silently clutching her head.

“Sister Qin, are you feeling unwell? I’ll take you home.”

“I’m fine.” Before his hand could touch her, Qin Yunhe flung it away.

“What kind of drunken antics are you pulling? I’m taking you home!”

Xu Lin stepped forward and steadied the swaying Qin Yunhe. She tried to push him off again, but when he gently wrapped his arm around her slender, firm waist—

She relaxed her resistance, letting him lead her outside.

“Brother Hui, the bill.” Xu Lin called to the owner.

The man smiled and walked over.

“You go ahead. I’ll put it on your tab. Next time, we’ll settle up.”

“That won’t do.”

“Her father’s a friend of mine. Come on, next time.”

“All right then.” Xu Lin felt Qin Yunhe tug at his sleeve with her head down, and he nodded helplessly.

Supporting her, they left the food street and reached the main road, where Xu Lin hailed a taxi.

“Sister Qin, where do you live? I’ll take you back to sleep.”

“Building 10, Unit 2, Apartment 702, Haoyun Xiucheng.”

“Driver, you heard that. Let’s go.”

“Sure!”

After about ten minutes, Xu Lin carried the asleep Qin Yunhe upstairs.

“Seriously, how did three or four beers knock her out? That’s her limit?”

At the seventh floor, before he could fumble for the key, Qin Yunhe handed it to him, surprising him.

“You’re not asleep?”

“No.”

Her voice sounded strange, almost deliberately low.

He opened the door and carried her to the living room, placing her on the sofa.

“Phew… so tired! You rest, I’m leaving.”

“Okay.”

Xu Lin glanced at her worriedly. Not only her face but her whole body was flushed—was this another side effect?

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Go!”

Qin Yunhe suddenly sat up and growled at him sharply.

Xu Lin froze, hesitating to leave, then reached out to touch her forehead.

But in the next moment, his fingers felt a warm wetness as she licked his hand!

Xu Lin was shocked and quickly withdrew, but instantly a fierce heat surged from his abdomen, engulfing his body.

He felt like a tiger, with Qin Yunhe before him transformed into a piece of succulent meat, radiating temptation.

“What is this...?”

“This is the side effect of your medicine!”

Qin Yunhe stared at him, breathing heavily, struggling to hold herself together.

“Then I should go!”

Xu Lin suddenly bit his arm hard, drawing blood. The sharp pain snapped his mind clear for a moment.

He hurried toward the door, but suddenly a figure lunged at him, knocking him to the floor.

“Xu Lin… you’re leaving too late.”

“Forgive me.”

Xu Lin lost control, one hand sliding up her bandaged arm.

“Just this once… consider it repayment for saving your life… just this once.”

Qin Yunhe’s voice was seductive as she grabbed his arm and gently licked the blood.

Xu Lin’s reason shattered instantly, flipping her onto the floor.

With the sound of tearing cloth, bloodied fragments floated down as a cry of pain rang out.