The trio sitting nearby looked as if they'd been electrocuted, panicking all at once. One of them abandoned the short path and circled far around Zero's table to ask the clerk for paper, while another scrambled to cover the coughing man's mouth.
Zero wanted to listen carefully to what Jingliu was saying, but with this bunch cutting in, there was no way he could hear anything for now.
Coughing on milk tea, how can you cover someone's mouth at a time like this? Handle it wrong and it'll cause real trouble.
"Wait a second."
Seeing that a murder was about to happen right next to him, Zero couldn't be bothered with Jingliu's words anymore. He hurriedly grabbed a napkin from his tray.
He stood, glanced at the white-haired man coughing his lungs out, then at the accomplice in attempted murder, and without another word shoved the napkin into the white-haired man's hand.
"Brother, you alright?"
Jingliu's gaze followed Zero. When she noticed the group at the table beside them, her eyes suddenly sharpened.
The white-haired man clutched most of his face as he coughed, but at Zero's words he nodded quickly, over and over.
Seeing that the man wasn't about to drop dead on the spot, Zero returned to his seat, full of apology. "Sorry, what were you saying just now?"
Jingliu drew back her gaze, the chill in her eyes gone. In a gentle tone, she said, "Last night, after I got drunk… I didn't cause you any trouble, did I?"
'Emmmm…'
Being forced to train sword until he collapsed from exhaustion, that sort of thing was way too embarrassing to explain.
Zero kept a straight face. "Nope. Just remember not to drink so much next time."
He slid a straw into the spicy soup milk tea topped thick with whipped cream and gave it a stir, then pushed the other two cups of milk tea across to Jingliu.
"Want to try?"
Like him, Jingliu picked the spicy soup flavor. Casually, she asked, "Why did you order so many cups? Were you meeting someone?"
Zero gave the plain, honest reason, "Because the second cup is half off."
"Oh." Jingliu murmured, then mimicked his motion, stirring the cream with her straw.
Zero took a sip.
First came the silky taste of cheese cream, perfectly sweet. But when he savored it, he noticed little grains inside.
They were salty. On closer inspection, they turned out to be beef granules.
Zero, '…Why would there be beef granules in milk tea?!'
He didn't believe it. Took another sip, then the chill of the milk tea sent a stab of sourness through his teeth.
The drink was salty and spicy, with a vicious streak of sweetness laced in.
That one sip, it was pure torture, almost wrecking his throat.
Spicy soup, fiery, stimulating, delicious. Milk tea, smooth, silky, a joy after drinking.
He could accept having them both in his stomach at the same time. But in his mouth at the same time, absolutely not.
It felt like swallowing icy shards made by freezing spicy soup and cheese cream together.
What's the difference between this and gulping down frozen chili-oily hotpot base…
'Damn it! I want to drag back the liar who told me this tasted good and force ten cups down his throat!'
That sip shook Zero so hard he couldn't recover for a long while. He didn't even manage to warn Jingliu, and could only watch helplessly as she drank hers.
Jingliu lifted the cup, took a sip. Her cheeks turned red at a speed visible to the eye.
Expressionless, she chewed on something. When she turned back to Zero, her eyes were already brimming with tears.
Zero, '!!!'
He jolted, quickly grabbed the cup of normal-flavored milk tea, pierced the seal with the straw, and held it up to her lips.
For some reason, the trio nearby started fussing again. Faintly, he could even hear someone squeal.
Ignoring them, Zero told Jingliu, "This one's sweet. Here, sweeten your mouth."
Jingliu tucked a lock of long hair behind her ear, bowed her head slightly, leaned over, and bit the straw, taking a long gulp.
Once she recovered, she frowned in puzzlement. "Why is there a whole peppercorn in this milk tea?"
"Huh?"
Zero was dumbfounded. He felt his worldview collapsing.
"What a vicious flavor… No, I've got to get a cup for Jing Yuan, let him try too."
As Jing Yuan's master, Jingliu didn't object. Instead, she nodded, looking quite approving.
Leaning back against her chair, she tilted her face, fixing her eyes on the trio whose bodies were slowly going stiff, and smiled softly, "Good idea. I think Dan Feng and Yingxing would like it as well."
After settling the count with Jingliu, Zero went up to the counter to order again.
As soon as he left, Jingliu and the trio all met each other's eyes.
Calm and collected, Jingliu scanned the three of them, her gaze finally settling on the white-haired man trying to dodge eye contact.
"Jing Yuan, didn't you say you had urgent military affairs to deal with?"
The white-haired man pulled his hand away from his face. Exposed, he shivered, forcing out a laugh. "Was just… curious to try something new, you know…"
"So you dragged Dan Feng and Yingxing with you?"
The two she named were much steadier than Jing Yuan. Their brows didn't even twitch.
Yingxing kept a straight face and nodded.
"You two tagging along with Jing Yuan is one thing. But why bother changing clothes?"
Even after being exposed, Dan Feng didn't feel the least bit embarrassed. He smiled faintly and asked back, "So, how was the milk tea? Taste good?"
Jingliu, "…"
Realizing that her interaction with Zero just now had been seen by all three of them, a rush of shame and irritation welled up inside her.
It urged her to argue with Dan Feng, to explain her relationship with that man. But when she saw Zero returning with three milk teas in hand, she instantly gave up.
The trio noticed her looking past them and turned their heads too. Their faces, completely uncovered, were revealed right in front of Zero.
"What a coincidence."
Zero was surprised. 'Why are Jing Yuan, Dan Feng, and Yingxing here too?'
'Wait, then everything he just said to Jingliu… they heard it all? Did he just buy milk tea for nothing?'
'But since he already bought it, fine, it's you then, Jing Yuan!'
Keeping a calm face, he greeted each of them, then shoved a cup of milk tea straight into the hands of the overly radiant-smiling Jing Yuan.
"Here, the spicy soup milk tea you recommended."
Unexpectedly, Jingliu picked up the other two cups and smilingly handed them to Dan Feng and Yingxing.
Her tone was cheerful, "Coming all the way to this shop, how could you not try their signature? Isn't that right, Dan Feng, Yingxing… oh, and Jing Yuan."
At her words, the three fell silent for a moment.
Sensing the atmosphere going off, Zero was just about to figure it out when Dan Feng unwrapped his drink first. Smiling mischievously, he said, "Whatever the taste, it wasn't a wasted trip."
But after one sip, he immediately shut his mouth.
One second ago, he said this trip was worth it. The next, the little dragon turned into a baby salamander, scorched by the milk tea.
"Let's go."
Jingliu grabbed the sweet milk tea, then directly took Zero by the hand and led him out.
Zero's brain froze instantly. He even forgot to say goodbye to Jing Yuan and the others. It was like all his senses were gone, except for the hand Jingliu was holding.
Blank-faced, he let her drag him away. Only when she released him did he finally snap back.
Jingliu looked at him with smiling eyes. "Come on, let's go back together."
Zero, "Huh?"
'Why go back with Jingliu?'
His place was right nearby.
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