Chapter 77
The five of them squeezed into one car and drove away from the scene. By the time they arrived at the bar, it was already 10 p. m.
Tomorrow is a day off, so everyone can drink as much as they want. We partied until 3 a. m. before finally heading home to rest.
As they left the bar, Shi Lei said to Texas:
"I need to talk to you. Let's go over there."
"Okay, sure."
The Emperor remained inside, Exusiai to witness this scene, immediately revealing a sly smile:
"Hey Croissant, look over there! How about we go check it out?"
"Forget it, I'm not going."
Croissant waved and hailed a taxi. She opened the car door, turned around, and saw Exusiai still craning her neck to look out. She couldn't help but offer some words of comfort:
"Stop looking, get in the car. Do you really think they're blind with that big light bulb on your head?"
"Okay, fine."
Exusiai was helpless against the halo, so she could only get into a taxi and go home first.
Shi Lei walked to a telephone pole less than fifty meters from the bar, stopped, and said:
"This will do, Texas. I'm visiting someone tomorrow and need to buy some fruit and teaware. Could you please come over and pay for it for me?"
He could have just asked for the money; at worst, he'd lose his guaranteed 3 points of Roleplay Value for the day. But since he'd previously stated his belief in not handling money, he had to be consistent in his words and actions.
"..."
Texas looked at him strangely, thinking that he had called him over for something important.
Today's hanging picture. jpg
124 Chicken soup is here!
January 17th, Weather: Sunny
At ten o'clock in the morning, Shi Lei met up with Texas and they went to a fruit shop to pick out fresh fruit.
He didn't know what Lee liked to eat, so he bought a little of each and packaged them in a beautiful fruit basket.
Tea culture is very popular in Lungmen and even throughout the entire Yan. A man in his thirties or forties like Lee probably wouldn't refuse a set of exquisite tea utensils.
After purchasing the gifts, Texas dropped him off downstairs at the Li Family Detective Agency.
Shi Lei got out of the car carrying a fruit basket and gift boxes, and tilted his head to ask her intentions:
"Do you want to come up with me?"
Texas had a pretty good idea of why he came. If it was just to post a commission, wouldn't it be enough to just have her pay the fees?
Therefore, Shi Lei's visit with gifts suggests he needs something from them. Given his relationship with the people at the Li Family Detective Agency, they weren't close enough for a formal visit. Texas felt it best to avoid this situation.
"No, you can go up by yourself. If anything else comes up, remember to call."
After saying that, he started the car and drove away from the scene.
Shi Lei looked up at the sign advertising the Li Family Detective Agency. Confirming the address was correct, he went up the stairs to the second floor and pressed the doorbell.
"Ding-dong!"
A continuous trembling sound came from inside the house, like chopping vegetables or driving piles.
"Here it is, please wait a moment."
It was a woman's voice; it sounded like...
Is that tiger?
A bright-eyed, somewhat clumsy female college student. Waai Fu opened the door and was very surprised to see him.
"Oh, Mister Zhongli, what brings you here?"
She was wearing square-framed glasses and a training uniform. Sweat from her workout was dripping down her forehead and through her hair, indicating that she was indeed practicing on Wooden dummy.
"Can I come in and talk?"
Waai Fu immediately stepped back, making way for him:
"Of course, please come in!"
Shi Lei stepped across the threshold and entered the entryway. A bookshelf blocked his view directly in front of him, while the living room opened to his left. A-Zheng was lying on the sofa watching TV when he looked over at the sound.
The trembling sounds from the room on the right stopped, replaced by the sizzling sound of oil being heated in a wok. You didn't need to look closely to know they were cooking inside.
Waai Fu had received help from him before, but had never had the chance to repay the favor, so he was exceptionally enthusiastic:
"Mister Zhongli, please have a seat."
Shi Lei sat down on the sofa near the door, placed the fruit basket and gift box on the table, and looked around, saying:
"Where's Lee? I need to talk to him."
Seeing the fruit in the basket, Ah no longer slumped limply on the sofa as before, but sat up and replied:
"He just went out, he should be back soon. If you're in a hurry, you can call him."
After saying that, he took a business card from the box on the counter and slid it down the table.
Actually, Shi Lei had Lee's phone number and could call him directly. However, it was best to discuss matters like imparting immortal techniques and talismans in person.
"It's okay, I'll wait for him here."
Waai Fu stopped boxing and quickly put on a T-shirt as a jacket; entertaining the distinguished guests was the most important thing now.
"Mister Zhongli, let me make you a cup of tea. Would you like black tea or green tea?"
Shi Lei figured they always served tea to guests, so they probably wouldn't object to teaware; it seemed he had chosen the right gift.
"Either is fine, thank you."
Hum, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen to check. Seeing it was him, he grinned happily.
"It's almost lunchtime, why don't you stay for lunch and try my cooking?"
Shi Lei came here seeking guidance, and assuming he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, he nodded in agreement.
"Sure, as long as you don't mind the trouble."
"No trouble at all, it's just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks. It'll be cooked in no time."
After saying that, Hum went back to the kitchen to keep busy.
Waai Fu arranged the cups containing tea leaves and poured in boiling water. Seeing wisps of white steam rising with a delicate fragrance, she gestured for them to enjoy, reminding them to take their time.
"The water is freshly boiled, be careful, it'll be hot."
"Okay, I'll leave it here, thank you. You can go about your business, don't worry about me."
Shi Lei looked around and felt that the space here wasn't very large. But it had everything he needed.
The television was playing boring variety shows, with no negative reports about the Schwayer Group.
About five minutes later, the sound of keys being fumbled outside came from outside. Lee opened the door and saw Shi Lei, giving him a knowing smile, seemingly unsurprised at all.
Actually, last night in the Underground Parking Lot of the Royal Hotel, Lee noticed that he kept glancing in his direction. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but because there were many powerful and influential people present, he didn't take the initiative to come over.
Looking back, it might have been related to him using talismans to extinguish the fire, but I'm not entirely sure.
Now, a glance out of the corner of his eye at the fruit basket and gift boxes on the table made Lee even more certain of his guess:
"Mister Zhongli, you've come at just the right time. I just bought a bottle of Aged fine wine. You must try it later."
Ah knew Lee's habits very well; buying such expensive wine must mean he knew in advance that the other party would be coming.
He didn't expose his little scheme; instead, he looked expectant and kept licking his lips.
"I want to drink it too."
Lee immediately put on a stern face and refused:
"No, you're not an adult yet."
A pouted, feeling very unconvinced, and argued:
"I'll be eighteen at the end of next month, it's only a month away, so it's no problem."
Lee's attitude was firm; he simply disagreed.
"Don't even mention a month, not even a day less. Minors can't drink alcohol. If you want to drink, go get your own soda."
Ah immediately became listless and slumped onto the sofa.
"Waai Fu, get the bowl, dinner's ready."
Hong brought out a plate of steamed coral fish, but unfortunately Shi Lei couldn't eat it. Considering there were four of them and there would likely be more than one dish, they didn't mention the allergy.
A moment later, Hong brought out two more plates of vegetarian dishes.
Shi Lei noticed that the plates were arranged separately, leaving space in the center, indicating that there should be another main dish.
As he had predicted, after returning to the kitchen, Hum quickly brought out a porcelain pot:
"Hahaha, here comes the chicken soup."
The moment the lid was lifted, a fragrant aroma filled the air, quickly spreading throughout the living room. Seeing that Hong had wiped her hands on her white apron and sat down, it seemed there were no other dishes.
Waai Fu helped serve the rice, and Hong offered to pour the wine. The five of them sat around the table eating, the atmosphere lively. Only A stared blankly, seemingly resentful that there was no wine to drink.
There were guests present, so Lee didn't say much. Instead, he placed a piece of fish in Ah's bowl as a gesture of goodwill. Seeing that the latter ate it willingly, he finally smiled with satisfaction.
Shi Lei never expected to experience the feeling of a large family within a company in such a small place. [Welcome to the group!]
;:]:..4:9.,3:""6!,*1:3";5."I believe the four of them have a very good relationship.
Do not discuss work during meals.
After the meal, Waai Fu and Hong took the initiative to clear the dishes. Lee spread out his right hand and invited Shi Lei to the balcony for a chat.
125. A blessing in disguise
Lee got up and went to the balcony, casually pulling out a brand-new pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He tore open the packaging but didn't rush to smoke; instead, he first offered cigarettes to his guests.
Shi Lei hadn't touched this for over two months. When he saw the cigarette pack being handed to him, he took one out and casually tucked it behind his ear.
Lee saw this but didn't say anything, simply putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. Actually, he rarely smoked in the office, mainly because he was afraid of setting a bad example for the underage kids.
"Phew~"
The white smoke swirled with the air and quickly dissipated. The Lee, its hands resting on the railing, asked:
"What brings you here today?"
Shi Lei looked into the distance and got straight to the point:
"I saw you use talismans to put out the fire yesterday, and I was quite interested in it, so I said I wanted to come and learn a thing or two from you."
This answer was exactly what Lee had expected. He exhaled a large puff of smoke and asked the question that had been bothering him:
"Mister Zhongli, with your abilities, you don't need to learn this, do you? Is there some special reason?"
Shi Lei came here specifically to learn about talismans, hoping to understand their fundamental principles so he could create his own magical arts. The difficulty of going from zero to one is far greater than going from one to two.
"You're right. Even if I learn it, I probably won't use it. But I'm learning this kind of thing mainly out of interest, not because I'm considering its practicality."
Lee stared at the man before him, his expression hesitant. He still couldn't understand.
Zhongli seeking to learn talismans from me is like someone who can easily master advanced mathematics coming to me for help with the most basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Ridiculous, and abnormal.
Seeing that Lee remained silent, Shi Lei continued:
"Having the Way but lacking the skill can still be acquired through practice. But having the skill without the Way is merely about acquiring the skill. To be honest, I want to learn talismans to improve my existing abilities. I wonder if you can accept this explanation?"
"All right..."
Lee stopped pressing for details, took out a Yellow paper talisman drawn with cinnabar, and patiently explained:
"Since Mister Zhongli is so kind as to offer his guidance, I will humbly demonstrate my skills. I will slow down the release speed so that you can clearly see the energy circuit and direction of Originium Arts."
Having said that, he began to perform the spell earnestly.