Unspeakable Thoughts

"It's not great to just sit around and eat up everything, but I don't have a clear direction right now either. I'll see how it goes—maybe something will turn up in a while." Lin Li brushed it off casually, then reached out with his chopsticks to pick up a piece of sweet and sour spare ribs.

Su Yue ladled him a bowl of fish soup. "One of my student's parents runs a hotel, over on Desheng Road in the East District, not far from here. Yesterday, I saw her post a hiring notice on her social feed. If you want to go, I can ask her about it for you."

What would he do at a hotel? Work as a waiter? A security guard? Help out in the kitchen? How much could those jobs pay in a month? The spirit beasts he'd killed today alone were worth three or four months of wages from a hotel gig.

Lin Li could feel Su Yue's genuine desire to help him, and he was deeply grateful to this kind-hearted, beautiful friend. If she'd said this to him before he got his golden finger, he'd have agreed without a second thought.

"Work at a hotel? No way, that's too tough." Lin Li shook his head as he spoke.

"Making money these days is never easy! If you go work at a hotel, slog through a year, you might get a junior management position, and then it won't be so hard." Su Yue looked at him helplessly, trying to persuade him.

"Work a year and become a junior manager? I don't think I've got what it takes... You don't need to trouble yourself on my account. Favor debts are the hardest to repay." Lin Li picked up the fish soup she'd poured for him, took a sip, and said.

"You..." Su Yue wanted to keep urging him, but the words barely left her lips before Lin Li cut her off again.

"Su Yue, I appreciate your kindness, but I have my own plans in mind."

"..." Seeing how firm Lin Li was, Su Yue let out a soft sigh inwardly.

Then, a charming smile spread across her face. "Alright, do what you think is best! Here, have some more stir-fried kidney to build yourself up."

I don't even have a girlfriend, what do I need kidney for? Seriously... Lin Li watched Su Yue keep piling stir-fried kidney into his bowl and couldn't help shooting her a glare.

"Hmph... Since you won't listen to me, I'll just let you stuff yourself until you're miserable." With that petty thought in mind, Su Yue filled his bowl nearly halfway with the dish.

"Alright, alright, it's about to spill over." Lin Li quickly reached out to block another chopstick-load of kidney she was aiming at him.

"Eat up! It won't taste as good tomorrow. If you don't finish everything I cooked today, I'm not letting you go home." Su Yue said with a bright smile.

Not go home? Fine by me—the power's out there anyway, and it's pitch black. I'd rather stay here... Lin Li grumbled to himself, then dug in with gusto.

Honestly, Su Yue's stir-fried kidney was absolutely delicious—perfectly salted, expertly timed, even better than what some professional chefs could whip up.

Watching Lin Li wolf down her cooking, Su Yue's eyes crinkled with delight.

"Phew..."

After swallowing the last bite from his bowl, Lin Li let out a slow, satisfied breath. Every scrap of food on the table was gone, most of it ending up in his stomach, leaving him stuffed to the brim.

"There's still half a bowl of fish soup left. Drink it up." Su Yue picked up the ladle and poured the last two scoops into Lin Li's bowl.

"..." Lin Li turned his head to look at the smiling Su Yue, silently begging this big sister to let him off the hook. No luck—she ignored him completely.

"Gulp, gulp..."

He raised the bowl and downed the remaining soup in one go.

"Burp~" After finishing, Lin Li let out a belch and said repeatedly, "I can't take another bite, seriously."

"There's nothing left anyway! Alright, go rest in the living room and digest a bit." Su Yue laughed, then stood up to start clearing the dishes.

Lin Li glanced at her as she tied on an apron to wash up, then got up from his chair and slowly shuffled toward the living room.

"Phew..."

Stomach sticking out, he plopped down on the sofa, listening to the clatter of dishes from the kitchen. He scratched his head and thought to himself.

"Su Yue kept piling food on me just now—she was clearly trying to stuff me silly! Huh, she probably did that because I turned down her suggestion about the hotel job. She wanted to make me suffer a little through this... Ah, pain and pleasure mixed together."

There was no way for Lin Li to avoid Su Yue's tactic—after all, her cooking was too good. How could he skip it just because he was afraid of overeating?

He grabbed the TV remote, turned it on, and switched to a channel dedicated to Cultivator news. Just in time, a beautiful news anchor was reporting on a bizarre case involving a Cultivator.

"At 12:35 PM today, in a plaza in the Central District, a naked man suddenly appeared out of thin air in the middle of the square, startling nearby pedestrians. An investigator from the Ability Management Bureau happened to be patrolling the area and apprehended the man on the spot. According to follow-up investigations, the man, surnamed Li, is twenty-eight years old and a Cultivator at the First-Order Initial Stage. He awakened an invisibility ability, but it can only conceal his physical body, not his clothes. Since awakening the ability not long ago, he usually just amused himself at home. At lunch today, he drank heavily with friends and, while drunk, made a bet that he'd dare to stroll naked around the square. His friends naturally didn't believe him and called him a braggart. Provoked by their teasing, the drunk man stripped off his clothes, activated his ability to hide his body, and ran to the square. Later, when his Spiritual Energy ran out, the ability deactivated, leading to the scene that followed. Under relevant regulations, this Cultivator was sentenced to three days of administrative detention for public indecency. A spokesperson for the Ability Management Bureau warned all newly awakened Cultivators not to act as recklessly as this Mr. Li..."

What a weirdo. He must be kicking himself now... Lin Li watched the report and shook his head inwardly.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Light footsteps came from behind, followed by a waft of fragrance. Su Yue, done with the dishes, emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of washed fruit. She bent over, set the plate in front of Lin Li, and sat down beside him.