Chapter 50: Splashing Water

“…Can you feel the importance of everyone helping each other in the Mutual Aid Association? Without the mutual help of our companions, it would be impossible for more and more companions to gather together safely. The Demon Generals created by the Fungal Demon are very power ful. Some of them are terrifyingly huge, and just looking at their appearance can scare a person to death! There is also a kind of Semi-Body Demon General whose size cannot be seen, which is also very scary. They can really crush a person’s skull with their bare hands!…”

Originally, Chen Fengshi had quite a few opinions about the Mutual Aid Association, but because he learned about Juzi’s power, he did not want to say anything to refute her ideas now.

He himself did not care at all about the combat power of the Fungal Demon Parasites or informants, but for the people of the Mutual Aid Association, any one or a few Parasites were an unbeatable threat. Coupled with the forces within the social system controlled by the Fungal Demon, their attitude of hiding to survive was completely understandable.

However, Chen Fengshi could not praise this idea, because he knew it was not the right choice.

So, he was quite curious whether Juzi would mention the Demon Extermination Association, and thus he asked: “Among the companions of the Mutual Aid Association, is there no one who wants to destroy the Fungal Demon?”

“…You don’t have this kind of thought, do you?” Juzi looked at him in surprise.

Chen Fengshi smiled easily and said: “Just asking out of curiosity.”

“It’s good if you don’t! Really, don’t have such suicidal thoughts; we can’t even hide from the Fungal Demon fast enough.” After Juzi finished sighing, she thought for a moment before saying: “I heard that the former President established the Demon Extermination Association, but I don’t know what the situation is now. Everyone thought she was quite selfish, and they were also afraid of being implicated, so they cut off contact for a long time.”

“Selfish?” Chen Fengshi asked without changing his expression, wanting to know more about the overall thoughts of the Mutual Aid Association, and also taking the opportunity to learn about Little An from the side.

Juzi casually stated what she knew, which should also be the mainstream view of the Mutual Aid Association. “She possesses the Primordial Power of Life, which is very powerful! But the rest of us are not; we need the cooperation of many people to face the Fungal Demon, and if we encounter a powerful one, there is even no way at all. Moreover, her parents are away all year round, and the resources in Xuancheng are all at her disposal. Her survival ability is simply not comparable to ordinary people. For her to advocate fighting from this perspective, no matter what she thinks, will definitely make the companions in the Mutual Aid Association feel she is selfish. As for me personally, since I’m not familiar with her, I’ll keep my opinions to myself.”

Chen Fengshi really appreciated these words; she not only answered him but also objectively stated her own stance.

So, after Juzi finished speaking, when she downed her drink, he also took a big gulp without hesitation.

They chatted and drank. Chen Fengshi kept bottling up the things at school, always unwilling to think about them, for fear that he might accidentally blurt them out in this kind of atmosphere. And his sober mind warned him that he could not, not only to avoid letting others know too much about his own situation, but also because he knew that he could not easily open his heart, especially under these circumstances.

But as Juzi drank more wine, her guard dropped more and more, and she chatted about more of her own affairs. She was a very outstanding person. When she was in her third year of high school, her father died in a car accident. Under this heavy blow, not only did she not become depressed, but instead she gritted her teeth and studied even more desperately, because she felt that in the future she must take on the responsibility of taking good care of her mother.

After graduating from a top university, she worked in finance. Because of her dedication, talent, and luck, she achieved financial freedom in just two years. Her life was no longer bound by money. She played for half a year and found it too boring, so she worked as a consultant for companies opened by two of her friends one after another.

“After quitting, I originally thought I could accompany my mother to travel around every day, but as a result, she met some travel buddies and formed a group to fly everywhere. I joined them twice, but there was a big age gap and too few common topics, and I also felt that flying back and forth was quite tiring.” When Juzi said this, her slightly red face was full of grievance. “Mom just left me like this and has been flying around with her travel buddies for three months…”

This kind of leisurely lifestyle was really nice. Chen Fengshi was envious, but not envious enough. He felt it was probably because he was too young and still didn’t know how tiring a restricted lifestyle could be.

Juzi, whether she originally just loved to chat or for some other reason, saw that Chen Fengshi showed no signs of being annoyed at listening, so she just kept chatting and drinking. When the second glass of wine was added, he felt there was no problem, so he didn’t refuse; when the third glass was added, he went to the restroom and came back to find his glass full again; the fourth glass was poured when he wasn’t paying attention… As for how many glasses he drank after that, he simply couldn’t remember.

They drank, talked, drank, and talked…

At this time, after Little An settled Queen Huang down, while changing her clothes, she kept communication with Canyue, telling her to monitor carefully on her end.

Canyue was very serious, staring at Queen Huang who was moving around in the room even while speaking. “Don’t worry, Empress! Although I sleep when I’m idle, when it comes to real business, I absolutely don’t slack off for a single second!”

Little An took a comfortable bath, recalling the string of restless events since meeting Chen Fengshi, and comparing them with the coziness of this moment, a feeling of relief and happiness arose spontaneously.

“Empress, I request to ask a question.”

“Ask.”

“Empress, can I speak freely now?”

“You may.” Little An knew that keeping Canyue quiet for so long must have suffocated her, and she expected her to have a lot to say.

“Empress, Number Seven is so handsome, and his voice is so magnetic. Why didn’t you bring him back to the Base?”

“Don’t mention him! He can do whatever he wants. Unless he begs, I will absolutely never invite him to join again!” When Little An mentioned this, she was full of anger. A guy who loves to argue, and he even turned around to set conditions for her, making her invite him! His skin was so thick it had no bounds. Did he really think Earth would stop spinning without him? Or that humanity would go extinct?

“Empress, leave this matter to me! Look, this way, it won’t damage your dignity, Empress, and our group can gain a powerful companion!” Canyue was full of confidence. Little An felt it was impossible just listening to her; wouldn’t Canyue inviting him be the same as carrying her decree? “Where do you get your confidence?”

“Hehe, Empress, I’m still single! If I make him my boyfriend, wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?” Canyue’s bluntness left Little An dumbfounded. Then, hating her for not being more serious, she gritted her teeth and scolded: “Even if you’re desperate! You can’t be such a crazy fangirl. You’re ready to throw yourself at him before you’ve even met him?”

“One point of handsomeness beats five points of goodness, and a beautiful voice beats three points of goodness. Does the rest still matter?” Canyue’s reasoning was simply overwhelming. Little An was so shocked that it was as if she had just met her. They had grown up together since childhood, yet she never knew she was so, so—

“Shallow!” Little An felt that only these two words could express her feelings at the moment.

“You said it yourself, Empress, that you can never know what’s in someone’s heart, and you also said that people’s hearts are the most fickle. Anyway, my IQ can’t compare to yours, Empress, so I don’t expect to rely on my brain to understand such complicated issues. I might as well just look at the outside. The outside is the most intuitive. Even if it’s plastic surgery, whether it looks good or bad is clear at a glance.”

Such powerful reasoning, such self-justifying logic, directly left Little An with no temper, but such an absurd focus on looks was still too ridiculous, too ridiculous…

“Aren’t you afraid of meeting a scammer?”

“They wouldn’t be interested in my little money, right? If they really are, as long as I like him, I don’t mind letting him live off me. If it’s a scammer trying to get to your family’s wealth through me, Empress, how could they escape the sharp eyes of your family’s layer-by-layer filtering? I wouldn’t need to worry about it at all!” Canyue was really not ordinarily open-minded.

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore. If you keep blabbering, I’ll throw a bunch of dumbbells at you!” Little An really couldn’t be bothered with her. This kind of chat wasn’t relaxing; it was asking for stimulation!

“I don’t even have time to chat with you, Empress!” Canyue was long used to Little An’s temper. Their relationship was always up and down, and bickering was the norm. However, they were not real sisters after all.

Her father worked as a butler for Little An’s family, so bickering and getting angry happened often, and the one who had to take the initiative to apologize in the end could only be her. However, it usually wasn’t right away; more often, they would forget about holding a grudge later and naturally resume communication.

So, at this moment, Canyue certainly wouldn’t let the opportunity slip by. She happily fired back a parting shot: “Empress, you can enjoy your quiet bath alone, while I’ll search for information on Number Seven, do my homework, and try to make him like me as soon as possible.”

Little An held it in and said nothing, not wanting to speak! She simply felt that Canyue was embarrassing her. How did her family raise a girl who was so eager to throw herself at guys, so starry-eyed, so thoughtless, and… and yet so proud of it?

Chen Fengshi knew nothing of this.

He was already drunk.

He listened to Juzi pour her heart out, listening and drinking, unknowingly drinking more and more. Later on, he didn’t even remember whether he had talked about his own affairs, because he had drunk too much.

The luxurious seafood platter was left with only soup dregs, but for them, the portion was really just a token midnight snack. In his daze, Chen Fengshi heard Juzi say she forgot to bring money and her card was maxed out, asking if he could cover the bill first. He muddledly agreed, and then fell asleep on the table.

Juzi swiped her card to pay the bill, and then took a few hundred-yuan red bills from his wallet. The waiter holding the card machine smiled and said: “Sister, you’re so pretty, do you still need to play tricks on him?”

Juzi was a regular customer, and the waiter knew she didn’t care about this little bit of money. Finding an excuse to make Chen Fengshi pay was nothing more than looking for a reason to set up another date.

Her little trick being seen through, Juzi quickly put a finger to her lips, made a shushing sound, and said: “Don’t say anything, it’s a secret! Otherwise—no more tips for you in the future!”

“I didn’t see anything at all, and I don’t know anything!” The waiter said it seriously, but being familiar with her, she still wore a relaxed smile. Then she very proactively helped support Chen Fengshi and walk him out. She escorted them all the way downstairs, and when she offered to walk them further, Juzi said it wasn’t necessary, and just asked the waiter to keep an eye on the motorcycle.

“Don’t worry, Sister! There are security cameras at the door. Only a brainless thief would come here to steal things. Usually, there are also customers who leave their vehicles overnight. Having cameras installed gives the boss peace of mind too.” The waiter waved goodbye. Seeing that Juzi, while supporting the drunk Chen Fengshi, still had to dig into her bag, she quickly said: “Sister, you go back first. Giving the tip another day is the same.”

“Okay, I’ll send a red envelope on WeChat later. Bye—” Juzi supported the dead-drunk Chen Fengshi across the street, which was the residential community where she lived.

“…Sleepy… sleep, not walking, I want to sleep…” After walking a short distance into the community, Juzi was already very tired from supporting him. Chen Fengshi had some consciousness at first and managed to take steps, cooperating somewhat, but suddenly he threw a tantrum and refused to walk, insisting on sleeping. How could Juzi hold him back?

Shouting from her mouth, trying her best to hold and pull him, Chen Fengshi still just directly toppled over to one side, pulling Juzi along with him as they fell into the shallow pool!