Mutual Destruction

"Here?"

A waiter led Xi Jin to a spot in the restaurant.

His black outdoor jacket set off the icy air around him.

He took in the noisy voices around him, the steam rising from the hot pot, and the grease that had accidentally splashed onto his clothes from the neighboring table.

The disdain in his eyes was almost overflowing as he said stiffly to Nan Xingyu, "I want a private room."

"Oh, it's really hard to get a table here."

Nan Xingyu linked her arm through his and pushed him toward a seat.

"We only got to skip the line because it's your birthday. Even for a table in the main dining area, you'd have to wait three hours. How could there be a private room?"

With that, she sent the waiter on his way.

Of course she knew there were no private rooms.

She had deliberately chosen not to reserve one.

The real show was still to come.

Xi Jin stood rooted to the spot like the divine needle that calmed the seas, casting her a sidelong glance.

"Nan Xingyu, what are you scheming?"

He knew her too well.

Normally, she went along with whatever he wanted.

Today, she had taken the initiative to pull him along and even found excuses to persuade him to compromise.

Nothing good could come of it.

"..."

Nan Xingyu had to admire his powers of observation.

She had acted so naturally. Could he still see through her?

"What?"

She deliberately blinked at him, playing dumb. "What could I possibly be scheming? It's not like I could poison you through the hot pot, could I?"

A cold snort rumbled in Xi Jin's chest. "Kill me? Do you want to be a widow?"

"..."

Nan Xingyu couldn't be bothered to keep going in circles with him. She simply let go and sat down herself.

She lifted her chin slightly, ready to let things fall apart. "Anyway, this is the only table available now. If you don't like it, go outside, take a number, and wait in line. I won't stop you."

Hands in his pockets, Xi Jin stood over her.

The emotion in his ink-dark eyes was hard to read.

The other diners had already begun sneaking glances at them.

After all, Xi Jin's looks and bearing were far too eye-catching.

Standing in a crowd, he looked as though he carried his own spotlight.

Some even recognized him as a shooting champion.

Whispers reached his ears.

Half a minute later.

He seemed finally to give in, hooking a fingertip around his jacket zipper and pulling it down.

He sat down across from her.

Nan Xingyu was ordering when she caught sight of him sitting down out of the corner of her eye.

She couldn't help the smile that quietly tugged at her lips.

A trace of mischief flashed in her eyes.

She couldn't wait to see him die of social embarrassment.

The food soon arrived.

The red and white broths in the divided hot pot bubbled and steamed.

Xi Jin rolled up his sleeves, then picked up the serving chopsticks and began cooking food for Nan Xingyu.

Tripe needed fifteen seconds, duck intestines were just right after seven dips and eight lifts, and beef rolls had to be taken out as soon as they changed color...

He knew exactly how many seconds each dish needed.

As though it had long been etched into his mind.

When she ate hot pot with him, Nan Xingyu didn't have to worry about a thing.

He would always put the perfectly cooked food into her bowl.

At first, she had felt embarrassed.

It had felt awkward to have a young master who was used to being waited on serve her instead.

But later, when she thought of his mad possessiveness after nightfall.

She felt.

That bit of "service" was her due.

As time went on, she came to accept it without a second thought.

Sometimes she would even order him directly, "Xi Jin, cook me some shrimp paste."

Xi Jin always wore a cold expression, making it impossible to tell whether he was willing or forced.

Yet his hands never stopped moving.

Just then.

A waiter brought over a bottle of red wine that had been left to breathe and set it gently on the table.

Xi Jin frowned and looked at Nan Xingyu. "Who said you could order that?"

Nan Xingyu motioned for the waiter to pour the wine before looking at Xi Jin and saying matter-of-factly:

"How can you have a birthday without wine? It wouldn't feel festive at all."

"You're not allowed to drink."

Xi Jin ordered.

Every time she drank too much, she either clung to him and cried or used the alcohol as an excuse to curse and hit him, without holding back.

When he asked if she had done it on purpose.

She would say she had been drunk and didn't remember a thing.

God knew whether she was really drunk or just using the alcohol as an excuse to act wild.

Nan Xingyu pouted in displeasure. "Cheapskate. You won't even let me have a bottle of red wine."

Xi Jin lifted his eyes slightly, a hint of warning in them. "Do you want to be unable to get out of bed tomorrow?"

"..."

The implication in his words was all too obvious.

Nan Xingyu steeled herself and played dumb, picking up her glass and giving it a gentle swirl.

"I'll only have a tiny bit. I won't drink too much, really."

Xi Jin reached out to stop her.

The person across from him had already gulped down more than half the glass.

Xi Jin's face darkened. "You like drinking that much, do you?"

He paused, his gaze turning playful. "We'll continue when we get home."

Nan Xingyu put down her glass. "Continue what?"

A wicked glint flashed through Xi Jin's dark eyes as he said, suggestive yet direct, "I'll feed it to you mouth to mouth."

"Get lost!"

Nan Xingyu picked up her chopsticks, put a piece of leafy greens in her mouth, and mumbled, "I don't want that. It'll be covered in saliva. Gross."

"Who said anything about that mouth?"

Xi Jin put down his chopsticks and leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the edge of the table. His gaze settled on her, the wickedness in his eyes deepening.

"I prefer Xiaoyu's other mouth."

"..."

Nan Xingyu froze for a few seconds.

Only then did she grasp the filthy meaning behind his words.

Both angry and embarrassed, she picked up a crumpled tissue from the table and threw it at him.

"Xi Jin! You huge pervert!"

Xi Jin didn't dodge. He let the crumpled tissue hit his chest and fall at his feet.

He propped his face on one hand and tilted his head as he looked at her.

"It's not like we haven't tried it. Only getting shy now?"

"..."

Nan Xingyu was speechless.

She couldn't help feeling apprehensive.

He doesn't want to play some strange game again, does he?

Even more horrifying was the fact that she seemed to be growing used to his perversions, and sometimes even... would...

Ugh...

When she thought about how she was becoming more and more like a toy for satisfying his desires.

She wanted nothing more than to pounce on him and tear him apart.

Just then.

Singing came from nearby. "Happy birthday to you..."

Nan Xingyu instantly dropped her teeth-gnashing expression.

Her lips curled into a sly smile.

It was here.

The "surprise" she had arranged especially for him had finally arrived.

Come on.

Xi Jin.

Let's hurt each other.

Xi Jin hadn't noticed anything unusual about her at all.

His gaze remained fixed firmly on her, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

That look.

It was like he was sizing up prey that could never escape his control.

The more she appeared to be making a "dying struggle."

The more pleasure he felt.

As though controlling everything about her was his greatest pleasure.

But that pleasure was soon interrupted by something suddenly pressed down onto his head.

He frowned slightly and flicked his eyes upward.

He saw several staff members standing in front of him.

They held glow sticks, smiling and clapping at him.

Loud music blared in his ears.

The surrounding diners were drawn by the commotion and turned to look.

Quite a few even took out their phones to take pictures.

A glowing birthday hat sat on Xi Jin's head.

Damn.

He'd been set up.

He looked across at Nan Xingyu, only to find that she had already stood up and joined the group, holding glow sticks in both hands.

Her eyes curved with her smile.

The multicolored revolving light in front of him suddenly came on.

Spinning madly.

Colorful beams swept across Xi Jin's face.

Illuminating his increasingly stiff expression with perfect clarity.

"Today is your birthday, I send you my blessings..."

The waiters surrounded him, singing the birthday song in unison.

Nan Xingyu held up her glow sticks and waved them to the beat, joining in loudly. "Hey!"

"..."

The corner of Xi Jin's eye twitched slightly.

Beneath the table, his hand quietly clenched into a fist.