It's Over, We're Losing Badly!

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lyme knocked on Li Ming's door. He knew that people from Schicksal had a peculiar attachment to breakfast, and this was even more apparent after arriving in the Americas.

He had to take Li Ming to a Chinese restaurant nearby so he could get familiar with it beforehand; otherwise, Lyme wouldn't have the time to accompany him constantly.

Then, as soon as he opened the door, Lyme stared at Li Ming as if he had seen a ghost. Li Ming's hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, he was covered in sweat, his face was sallow, and his eyes were dark.

"You, you~ What did you do last night?" Li Ming's appearance startled Lyme so much that his already imperfect Schicksal accent became even more pronounced.

Seeing Lyme arrive, Li Ming wiped his sweat and said, "Couldn't sleep, I played all night."

Lyme's face contorted in horror. Played? Play? Who?

Three question marks flashed in his mind. He felt that Mr. Ming was not a normal person at all and instinctively reached to close the door. However, Li Ming stopped him, "What do you need me for?"

"I originally wanted to ask if you wanted to go for breakfast, but it seems you desperately need sleep now."

"Perfect timing, I just finished my workout. Let's go eat!" Li Ming only went to the restroom to wash his face before dragging Lyme out. As for his hair, that messy bird's nest couldn't be tamed in a short time (anyone who's experienced it should understand the rebellion of their hair).

There was nothing he could do. Anyway, Lyme wasn't taking Li Ming to any high-end establishment. However, due to the price difference between vegetables and meat, and some adjustments to local tastes, Li Ming had a breakfast that wasn't quite like a typical breakfast.

His mouth felt greasy early in the morning, but as time passed, the bird's nest on his head finally returned to its original state.

Then, Li Ming was taken around by Lyme. They visited Redwood National Park, saw the Golden Gate Bridge, and found a Western restaurant for lunch. This time, Li Ming didn't feel greasy anymore; he was utterly exhausted.

In the afternoon, they went to Venice Beach to do something important: people-watching. Although there weren't many people there, there were still one or two eye-catching girls.

Then, both of them simultaneously set their sights on a girl with fiery red, wavy hair and a smoking hot figure. Although her sunglasses hid her face, they both agreed she was a great beauty.

"Where do you think she's from?" Li Ming was wearing shorts, his blue Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned, revealing his chest and stomach, highlighting his muscular physique. He looked quite fit.

People on the beach occasionally glanced at Li Ming, but his skin tone made those who wanted to strike up a conversation hesitate.

"Judging by her skin and hair color, I think she's likely of British descent." Lyme crossed his arms, wearing a cooler-toned shirt. Li Ming hadn't expected that Lyme, who looked thin and small, actually had abs. But then again, if he didn't, how would Lyme have the strength to carry his luggage?

"I don't think she's local," Li Ming said, feeling curious. Although he thought Lyme's reasoning was sound, judging by the girl's movements, Li Ming felt she wasn't from the Americas.

"I think she's from the Americas, but probably not from California." Lyme observed very carefully. The two stood by a drink shop on the beach. The server wiped down a table and smiled at them, clearly accustomed to this scene.

After observing for a while, Li Ming still trusted his own judgment because he felt the girl had a certain aura different from Americans. "I bet she's not from the Americas."

When guys start making bets, the mood changes.

"What are we betting?" Lyme became interested. Li Ming looked around and finally set his gaze on the drink shop. "Whoever loses later has to pay the bill and tip, how about it?"

Lyme glanced at the prices in the drink shop. The most expensive drink was only $50, so he agreed. Then, after some thought, they decided to play rock-paper-scissors to determine who would go. Before that, the server confirmed their ages. Knowing they were both over 21, she didn't say anything further.

Later, Li Ming experienced the harsh realities of life. Forget rock-paper-scissors; Li Ming was completely outsmarted by Lyme even in a simple game of rock-paper-scissors, and this was after Li Ming had cheated several times.

As Li Ming walked towards the red-haired girl, he was still looking at his hand, wondering if he should just become Yang Guo. He felt like something was off, like he couldn't play properly.

"No soliciting, no idle chat, restroom is to the right..." the girl said, lying on the beach. She lifted her sunglasses to look at Li Ming.

Li Ming was immediately stumped by the girl's rapid-fire questions. He had actually prepared quite a few things to say, but when he met her crimson eyes, he saw a hint of cunning in them. Li Ming felt like his thoughts were being seen through.

Seeing Li Ming's awkwardness, the girl became a little interested. The people she had rejected when she first came here weren't as awkward as Li Ming. Most of them would stubbornly stare even after being rejected. Moreover, this young man didn't seem to be from the Americas. But she couldn't tell if he was from Schicksal, Eastern Seas, or of mixed descent.

"So, handsome, have you thought of what to say?" Her voice was clear and crisp, with a hint of competence, but Li Ming could still detect a teasing tone. She was speaking English, but it didn't have a heavy American accent, which made Li Ming certain.

He immediately changed his strategy, smiling as he approached her. "Miss, it's like this, and like that... What do you think?"

No local American accent, so she wasn't of mixed descent.

Li Ming explained the bet he had with Lyme to the girl. Her eyes flickered, and then she smiled, "This sounds interesting. I accept. Shall we go now?"

The girl threw on her jacket, covering her beautiful figure. Before Li Ming could react, she stood up and linked her arm with his. The softness made Li Ming's heart flutter, but he maintained a calm demeanor, smiling and waving at Lyme. Winning the bet against Lyme made him even more excited.

"Hehe, Lyme, I won!" Li Ming exclaimed excitedly. "Treat us! Treat us!"

The waiter on the side was already preparing to serve drinks. Seeing Li Ming's excited state, the waiter was ready.

Lyme glanced at Li Ming and then at the girl's actions. Although it seemed intimate, the distance was subtly maintained. She probably didn't know Li Ming. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and asked, "So, where is this lady from? I'm very curious?"

"Treat us, treat... Huh?" A huge question mark suddenly appeared in Li Ming's mind.

Suddenly, he turned to look at the girl, his face frozen in a daze. The girl chuckled, let go of Li Ming's arm, and used a hair tie from her wrist to tie her hair into a high ponytail. "Hello, my name is Murata Himeko. I'm from Eastern Seas."

"Murata Himeko? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before. Never mind, I won't think about it. But it seems you won." Hearing the girl's words, Lyme knew he had to treat them. He shook his head and looked at Li Ming, only to find him spacing out. "Hey! Ming, what do you want to drink?"

At this moment, Li Ming was experiencing a system crash. Murata Himeko? Huh? Himeko? Himeko is dead.

However, at this moment, the red-haired girl and the figure in the crimson Valkyrie armor that Li Ming remembered began to overlap, overlapping with the figure holding a wine glass, the smiling figure.

"Himeko..." Li Ming felt his already clear head become muddled again. But unlike in the Elysian Realm, Li Ming didn't lose control of his tear ducts. After a moment of stunned silence, he smiled, patted his head, and said, "Ah, it's nice to meet you, Hime-chan. Can I call you that?"

"Hmm? What kind of address is that? Fine, I'll allow it," Himeko said. She seemed to sense Li Ming's awkwardness and lightly patted his shoulder before continuing to tease him.

Li Ming inwardly convinced himself, I've already transmigrated into Honkai Impact 3rd. Is it strange to see Himeko? I've even touched Yae's head several times.

For a moment, Lyme couldn't figure out if Li Ming knew Himeko or not. Judging by Li Ming's state, he seemed to know her, but Himeko didn't know Li Ming. What kind of bizarre development was this?

However, Li Ming was from Schicksal, and Murata Himeko was from Eastern Seas. Could this be the legendary long-awaited union of Schicksal and Eastern Seas?

Lyme felt like there was some juicy gossip to be had. He quickly asked the waiter to bring three bottles of dark beer. As the drinks were served, the waiter glanced at Himeko, and Lyme asked, "How old are you?"

"21!" Himeko declared confidently. Indeed, she was tall and didn't look like a minor. Besides, no one else was concerned, so the waiter didn't pry further.

Before Lyme could start digging for gossip, Li Ming had already composed himself.

"My name is Li Ming, I'm from Schicksal, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Li Ming looked at Himeko and extended his hand. Himeko simply reached out and lightly shook Li Ming's hand. They had only just met, but Li Ming's inexplicable expression made Himeko a little confused. However, Himeko still chose to keep her distance, as it was only one person's word.

Li Ming could tell Himeko was keeping her distance and didn't find it strange. He didn't care about these things anyway. Now that Li Ming knew Himeko was in America, he'd figure things out later. There would always be opportunities.

Rhine felt a bit depressed at not getting any gossip. However, he thought it was because the two of them were holding back in front of him. So, even though he was treating them, he was now the most excited.

"Cheers!" "Happy!" "Welcome!"

The three of them had different thoughts: one wanted gossip, one was curious about their identities, and one was just there for the free food and drinks.

You could say that even a simple drink had eight hundred schemes going on, but it was Himeko and Rhine combined with sixteen hundred schemes, and Li Ming owed eight hundred.

What kind of malicious intentions could a college student who was simply there to freeload have?

The three of them downed over ten bottles of dark beer, and the initially not-so-enthusiastic atmosphere slowly warmed up. Although drinking in the afternoon was a bit strange, none of them felt out of place.

The waiter was thrilled, holding ten dollars in his hand. Li Ming had just given him a tip. Although they had initially agreed that the loser would pay for the drinks and tip, Li Ming willingly gave it, believing in reciprocity.

"I applied for a research program, majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. I'm 21 this year," Li Ming said, putting down his bottle, but his eyes unconsciously drifted to Himeko.

"Psychology major at the University of California, Berkeley," Rhine chimed in, also getting into the mood. It was the first time Li Ming had heard Rhine's major, and he looked at Rhine in surprise. "No wonder I felt something was off about you the moment I saw you."

"Huh? You're also from Caltech?" Himeko, who was already a bit tipsy, heard Li Ming and was surprised. "But I haven't seen you around campus. Oh, right, I'm in Aerospace Engineering, specializing in Interstellar Propulsion Dynamics. Uh, I'm currently doing research, but not as impressive as you guys."

As she said this, Himeko suddenly felt guilty and glanced at the waiter. Seeing that the waiter was smiling and counting his tip, completely ignoring them, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"So you're also from Caltech. We can chat more in the future," Li Ming said with a smile. "I wonder if Aerospace Engineering's Interstellar Propulsion Dynamics is close to Mechanical Engineering. It might be a bit difficult to get around!"

"It's pretty close. It's basically just a short walk to visit," Himeko replied.

"So you're all alumni? Did you know each other before?" Rhine's eyes suddenly became sharp, but the tipsy Himeko and Li Ming, who was looking at Himeko, didn't notice.

"No, I applied to Caltech in April, but I'm on vacation recently and came out to play. But the teachers here are super nice!" Himeko shouted with a laugh, taking a big gulp.

Li Ming smiled. Two bottles of dark beer weren't enough to get him drunk.

Rhine observed. His first attempt to pry for information had failed, but it didn't matter. He began preparing his second plan.

"But Interstellar Propulsion Dynamics in Aerospace Engineering is quite a niche major. Most European universities don't offer it. Miss Himeko, what made you decide to major in it?"

"Because the future is the era of interstellar travel! I've been preparing to enter Caltech's Interstellar Propulsion Dynamics program since high school!" Himeko raised her hand dreamily, as if imagining the beauty of the stars.

Hearing Himeko say this, Rhine seemed to recall something. "Hmm, you're the one who published at fifteen..."

Before Rhine could finish, Himeko forcefully shoved a drink into his mouth, making him cough. "Shh, don't say it."

Rhine also realized. From this, it seemed Himeko was only fifteen. In America, she would still be subject to the drinking age restriction. Thinking of this, Rhine glanced at Li Ming and saw him foolishly chugging a bottle of dark beer.

"Hmm, what were you guys talking about?" He felt a bit hazy from the alcohol. His usually faint dark circles were now more prominent.

Rhine originally wanted to ask Li Ming, but seeing him looking like a dead pig, he felt like he had a lot to say but didn't know where to start.

Why do I feel like I guessed wrong? Maybe Li Ming really has no connection to Miss Murata Himeko. But whether it's his micro-expressions or his actions, Li Ming seems very concerned about Miss Himeko.

After thinking for a long time, Rhine finally sighed. It's over. I've lost big time. I didn't get any gossip, and I wasted so many bottles of dark beer. The main thing is that Li Ming drank most of it. Himeko looks like she's drinking a lot, but she's actually not.