Bibi Dong: I Finally Got Under That Guy's Skin!

The setting sun leaned against the buildings, its rosy glow soft.

Spirit City was bustling, even at dusk, as the sun sank in the west.

The streets were still crowded with people, and vendors' cries rang out without cease.

It was a peaceful, lovely scene.

"Steamed cakes! Delicious steamed cakes..."

"Smack!" The storyteller's wooden block struck the table. "Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's tale. If you wish to know what happens next, listen in next time..."

"Braised beef offal! A fine dish to go with wine! Braised beef offal, delicious and cheap, braised..."

"Carriage coming through! Coming through! Make way!"

"Fresh fruits and vegetables!"

Outside the door.

"Your Holiness, may you rest in peace!"

Li Mubai stood in the doorway with a smile on his face.

He waved goodbye to Bibi Dong, who was about to board an elegant carriage.

Rest in peace???

Bibi Dong was stepping into the carriage when she heard those bizarre words.

She lost her footing in a moment of inattention and nearly fell right onto the carriage step.

"Careful!"

Li Mubai's worried voice rang out.

Oh, my... This young lady finally got a taste of her own medicine, huh?

But why didn't she fall?!

If she had, I could've watched her make a fool of herself.

Hahaha...

Bibi Dong steadied herself.

Hearing that familiar, mocking inner voice in her ears, she could not help clenching her hand into a fist.

Calm down... calm down...

I still need him to help develop Spirit Hall. Hold it in... hold it in...

Whew, whew...

She told herself this inwardly.

With her back to Li Mubai, Bibi Dong drew a long, deep breath, then breathed out the frustration lodged in her heart.

Her urge to give Li Mubai a beating vanished with that breath of stale air.

"See you tomorrow, Elder Mubai."

To get under Li Mubai's skin,

Bibi Dong turned and looked back at him, a barely perceptible smile on her face as she spoke.

By now,

she had already anticipated what would happen next.

After Bibi Dong said those words,

the false smile on Li Mubai's face abruptly vanished as he stood in the doorway.

His formerly upright body seemed to go limp, and he slumped against the doorframe.

Sure enough.

The next moment,

that familiar inner voice rang out beside Bibi Dong's ears.

What the hell? What does this woman want?

See you tomorrow? Has she latched onto me or something?

See you my ass! Who's in the mood to see you tomorrow?!

That's seriously disgusting!

I've lost my appetite because of her.

From the sound of it, this woman's coming again tomorrow? In that case...

I'll get up early tomorrow and find Old Bear. We'll go listen to music at a pleasure house together!

If I can't afford to offend you, surely I can hide from you?

I refuse to believe a lofty Pope like you would go looking for me in a place of wine and roses!

Hmm... it's settled, then...

The carriage rolled slowly through the noisy streets.

Inside, with the curtains drawn all the way down,

Bibi Dong sat with perfect poise.

Her two long, fair legs were crossed.

The slit in her skirt reached all the way up to her thigh, exposing a broad expanse of snow-white skin,

enough to set the imagination running wild.

But at that moment, a faint smile appeared on her fair face.

Whenever she thought of Li Mubai's frustrated inner voice just now,

she could not help feeling a little happy, though she did not know why.

The face reflected the heart.

And so her feelings were on full display on her face, where a victor's smile appeared.

Of course,

it was also because the carriage was an enclosed space.

Otherwise, she would surely have worn a stern expression, appearing cold and ruthless.

"I can't hear Li Mubai's thoughts anymore. Could there be a range limit?"

"Once he's too far away, does this special ability disappear?"

"Hmm... forget it. If I can't hear him, so be it."

"That guy has an awful lot going on in his head. If I really could hear his thoughts all the time, wouldn't he annoy me to death?"

Bibi Dong stopped guessing, though the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

The noise outside the carriage continued, but it could not affect Bibi Dong in the slightest.

The mountains to the west cast a boundless rosy glow, and the carriage slowly disappeared down the street.

At the dining table in the room.

Li Mubai, still disgusted by Bibi Dong,

leaned back in his chair and gazed at the plate of red-braised pork trotters before him, enticing in color, aroma, and flavor.

Yet he had no appetite at all.

The last thing Bibi Dong had said before leaving had really left him a little frustrated.

He truly did not want to face that annoying woman with her endless questions again.

A fair-skinned maid with long, wavy hair gently placed a bowl heaped with white rice on the wooden table in front of Li Mubai.

She had thoughtfully brought a pair of bamboo chopsticks as well.

She knew Li Mubai loved red-braised pork trotters, so she had served him extra rice.

"Master, please eat."

Her mature, alluring voice drew Li Mubai out of his irritable mood.

"Oh."

Li Mubai picked up his chopsticks and looked at the rice heaped in his bowl.

For the moment, he had little appetite.

"Xiao Qian, take half the rice off, please. I can't eat this much, and I don't want it to go to waste."

Li Mubai did not touch the bowl for fear of dirtying it, instead calling to Xiao Qian, the wavy-haired maid.

"What's wrong, Master?"

"Haven't red-braised pork trotters always been your favorite dish?"

"I remember that whenever we had this dish before, you'd eat two big bowls of rice."

"What's wrong today? Is the food I made today not to your liking, Master?"

Xiao Qian stood before the table, looking puzzled.

She held a small bowl of rice she had served herself, her five slender, fair fingers pressed tightly against it, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Nothing like that."

"I just had some snacks earlier, so I can't eat this much now."

"Of course it's not your cooking."

"I've always loved the food you make."

As soon as Li Mubai saw Xiao Qian's tightly clasped fingers, he hurriedly waved his hand and explained.

He was deeply afraid his little maid would read too much into it.

They said a woman's heart was a needle at the bottom of the sea.

But after spending so long with Xiao Qian, Li Mubai could still guess some of what she was thinking.

After all, they shared a pillow.

How could he not guess even a little of what was in her heart?

"I see..."

The trace of anxiety and disappointment in the little maid's eyes vanished like smoke in the wind at Li Mubai's explanation.

A hint of warmth returned to her eyes.

She then put down her own bowl of rice, picked up the one in front of Li Mubai, and went into the kitchen.

When she returned,

the rice that had originally risen above the rim of the bowl was already half gone.

It no longer even reached the rim.

"Master, have some."

Xiao Qian picked up a glistening red piece of pork trotter and placed it in Li Mubai's bowl.

"Thank you."

Li Mubai did not stand on ceremony. He picked it up and began eating.

Seeing how heartily Li Mubai ate,

Xiao Qian's fair face also broke into a warm smile, her eyes full of satisfaction.

Only then did she reach out with her chopsticks.

She did not take any red-braised pork trotter, instead picking up some greens from the side.

Then she began eating in small bites.

"Xiao Qian, don't just eat vegetables. You'll get thin eating only vegetables, and you won't look good if you get thin."

Seeing Xiao Qian eating the greens,

Li Mubai picked up a piece of red-braised pork trotter himself and put it in her bowl.

"Thank you, Master. You eat it. I've been trying to lose weight lately. I've gotten fat..."

"Lose weight? What for? I'm telling you, if you lose too much weight, certain places will get smaller..."

"Oh... M-Master, we're... we're still eating. Y-your hand..."