Chapter 2552

"There's no way to run away now. Let's go." Xing took a deep breath, a look of resignation on her face, and pulled Dan Heng to her side with one hand, walking towards Himeko.

"You don't need to push me. I can walk by myself." Dan Heng finally spoke, calmly brushing away Xing's hand that was on his shoulder.

"Okay." Xing shrank back.

Dan Heng straightened his collar, which Xing had been clutching, and strode to the front, leading Xing and March 7th to the sofa area where Himeko and Feiying were.

"Um, would you like to try Himeko's coffee? It's really delicious. I accidentally drank a bit too much just now, sorry about that." Seeing the three of them finally approach, Feiying quickly held up the still steaming coffee in her hand and said somewhat apologetically.

"I understand, but there's no need to put on a brave face in front of us." Xing patted Feiying's shoulder and sighed heavily.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't understand." Feiying tilted her head and looked at Xing, her face full of confusion.

"Could it be... that you really think Himeko's coffee is good?" Hoshi paused for a moment, and after confirming that Feiying's expression was genuine, her tone was filled with disbelief.

"Huh? Really?" March 7th, who was standing nearby, also came over, her eyes wide open.

"It's really delicious. Why do you guys think it doesn't taste good?" Feiying was even more confused.

"You audacious monster, I can tell you're not human at first glance." Xing took a step back, remained silent for two seconds, then slowly raised his hand, pointed at Feiying, and said with a serious expression.

"Huh? You actually figured it out?" Feiying subconsciously twitched her ears and widened her eyes in surprise.

What? The Astral Express is full of hidden talents? Can just anyone tell that I'm not normal?

That's amazing... No wonder it's called the Astral Express!

"Of course. After all, what normal person would like to drink Himeko's coffee?" Hoshi crossed his arms, raised his chin, and nodded, his tone full of confidence.

Peppy won't drink that stuff!

"Hoshi?" Himeko's voice came from the direction of the sofa. Although the voice was soft, it carried a chilling threat in Hoshi's ears.

"Oh, what I mean is... how could an ordinary person appreciate the subtleties of Himeko's coffee? Of course, it requires someone with a high level of discernment!" Hoshi quickly waved his hand, his speech suddenly increasing several times over.

Himeko nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, and a gentle smile returned to her face.

After confirming that Himeko had no intention of continuing the pursuit, Hoshi let out a long breath, then quickly walked around the sofa armrest, squatted down next to Feiying's chair, and whispered in Feiying's ear:

"How did you feel after drinking Himeko's coffee? Or... do you have some secret to drinking Himeko's coffee? Could you teach us?"

"Himeko's coffee is so delicious, is there some secret to drinking it? It's like you're fighting some high-difficulty boss." Feiying tilted her head, looking puzzled.

"Sigh... Isn't that right?" Xing asked in surprise.

"If I had to put it into words... I felt like after drinking Himeko's coffee, I was transported back to the days in the Aeon of Abundance's Nursery, bathed in the glory of Abundance once more. And I even felt a little dizzy, it was so magical." Feiying recalled that aftertaste, a longing look appearing on her face.

"Oh? Himeko's coffee is so effective? Could it be that Himeko's coffee was brewed differently this time?" Hoshi frowned, lost in serious thought.

Chen Li, who was also holding a cup of coffee, paused in mid-air after hearing Feiying's description, not bringing the cup to his lips for a long time.

It felt as if I had encountered the Aeon of Abundance?

Isn't that the same as being dead?

Or perhaps... the spirit of the Ambrosial Arbor simply enjoys this feeling of being alive but barely alive?

No... that's not quite right.

After all, Himeko's coffee is actually quite good for fertilizing plants.

The potted plants in the Parlor Car of the Astral Express were secretly poured into the Himeko by the three little ones and the others because they didn't want to drink coffee.

The coffee plant survived after being watered for so long; in fact, it's growing more and more vigorously. This suggests that the plant might really like the taste of Himeko coffee.

Feiying, on the other hand, is a spirit born from the Ambrosial Arbor.

So in a sense... Feiying's opinion that Himeko's coffee was delicious might not actually be just a facade.

"I'm very confident about this coffee. Would you like to try some?" Himeko smiled as she picked up the coffee pot, her gaze gently sweeping over Hoshi, March 7th, and Dan Heng.

Xing glanced at the three empty glasses in front of Feiying, then at Feiying's perfectly normal face, and felt a surge of excitement.

What if... what Himeko Himeko's coffee is really good this time?

However, March 7th, who was familiar with Xing, keenly caught the dangerous glint in Xing's eyes and immediately reached out and grabbed Xing's wrist.

"Don't try it! There's Abyss ahead!" March 7th's tone was extremely urgent.

"If Kou can go, so can I." Xing glanced down at the hand that March 7th was holding on her wrist, then slowly raised her head, her gaze fixed on the still steaming pot of coffee in front of Himeko.

As soon as she finished speaking, Xing shook off March 7th's hand, snatched the untouched cup of freshly brewed coffee from Feiying's hand, and gulped down a large mouthful.

The moment the coffee went down her throat, Xing's expression underwent a spectacular transformation.

From normal to solidified, from solidified to distorted, from distorted to a near-transcendent bitter green, the entire process takes no more than a second.

"Bitter... also..."

Xing used her last bit of strength to squeeze out those two words through clenched teeth. Then her body fell straight backward like a plank of wood that had been removed from its support.

"Snap." Chen Li snapped his fingers.

Countless golden threads surged from the void the moment Xing fell, precisely wrapping around her stiff body and catching her steadily in mid-air.

At the same time, another strand of gold thread caught the coffee cup that was about to slip from Xing's hand and steadily handed it to Chen Li.

"Curiosity killed the cat. Why don't you understand?" Chen Li glanced at Xing, who was hanging in mid-air by golden threads and rolling her eyes, and sighed helplessly.

"Huh? What happened? Is she alright?" Feiying's fox ears perked up instantly, and she stood up from her chair in surprise, peering at Xing with her eyes tightly closed.

"It's nothing," Chen Li said, snapping his fingers again.

The Fictionalize ability activated, and Xing's state was artificially restored to before she drank that sip of coffee; then the golden threads silently dissipated.

"Call!!"

Xing's eyes widened suddenly, she gasped for breath, looked around, and finally her gaze fell on Chen Li sitting on the sofa.

The next moment, Xing's eyes suddenly reddened, and she burst into tears.

"I'm Psychological Committee Member! I need you to brush my teeth for me to get up!"

Chapter 2552

Xing rushed straight to Chen Li, grabbed Chen Li leg tightly with both hands, and cried out in grievance.

The long gray hair fell to either side of Chen Li's knees, and the hem of her pencil skirt rose slightly because of the sudden movement.

"Sigh... brushing teeth?" Chen Li looked down at Xing hanging on his lap, his face full of surprise.

"Hmm! I feel like my tongue is dirty." Xing's crying paused for a moment, then she raised her head, looked straight at Chen Li with her still tearful eyes, and nodded vigorously.

"... In principle, I've already taken you back to before you drank the coffee. Your tongue is clean now," Chen Li explained.

"But that kind of mental torment remains in my heart! It's like that... uh..." Xing loosened one hand and gestured in the air for a long time, but couldn't find a suitable word to describe it.

"Phantom limb," Dan Heng reminded him at the opportune moment.

"Yes! That's right! It's a phantom limb!" Xing nodded in agreement to Dan Heng, then turned back to look at Chen Li with expectant eyes.

"Okay." Chen Li nodded after a moment of silence.

"Huh? Really? I'm taking it seriously!" Xing's eyes lit up instantly.

"Huh?" Feiying, who was standing to the side, looked at this scene with obvious surprise.

No way.

Can you agree to all these requests?

Is my benefactor the kind of person who would agree to any request if someone clung to his leg and begged for it?

Thinking of this, Feiying felt a surge of eagerness, but she didn't rush to take action. Instead, she turned her head subtly and cast her gaze at Pearl beside her.

Feiying believed that with Pearl's intelligence, she would definitely be able to understand the hint in her eyes.

Noticing Feiying's gaze, Pearl slowly shifted her eyes away from Chen Li and Xing, turning her head to meet Feiying's gaze.

Pearl merely glanced at Feiying indifferently, then said nothing more, turning her gaze back to the untouched cup of coffee in front of her, as if deep in thought.

For example... is this cup of coffee in front of me, mixed with coffee concentrate, Herdolin butterfly scale powder, some kind of gaseous planetary fish, trace amounts of iron particles, and several unknown ingredients, really drinkable?

Will it poison the Intelligent Machines?

Feiying paused for a moment, then suddenly stood up from the sofa, clenching her fists tightly in front of her chest. She looked at Chen Li with eager anticipation, as if she was brewing some daring move.

"I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless. I'm not the kind of person who'll agree to something just because someone begs and cries." Chen Li saw through Feiying's intentions and quickly raised a hand to stop her.

Chen Li Yingxing's request simply because Xing, out of curiosity, personally tested the poison and was mentally tormented by Himeko's coffee to the point of psychological breakdown, triggering the effect of the [Psychological Committee Member] Miraculous Item. Only then did Chen Li feel pity for him.

Crying and begging won't get you anywhere.

"Ah, uh... you misunderstood. I... I just wanted to stand up and stretch after sitting for too long." Feiying's body stiffened for a moment, then she quickly withdrew her clenched fists and scratched her head somewhat guiltily.

"You'd better be..." Chen Li glanced at Feiying suspiciously.

Under Chen Li's gaze, Feiying obediently sat back on the sofa. Zhen Pearl, who was standing to the side, saw all of this, her hand holding the coffee cup paused almost imperceptibly for a second, and then she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

That's great, thankfully I didn't make the first move.

Indeed, impulsiveness is the devil.

"Could it be that Himeko's coffee-making skills haven't changed, and it's just that you're purely gifted?" Hoshino, who had stood up in a good mood, turned to look at Feiying and the cup of coffee in front of her, and muttered while stroking her chin.

"Aha, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll take it as a compliment. Actually, I'm not that amazing." Feiying scratched her head and smiled shyly.

"No. You don't understand what your constitution means at all." Xing's expression suddenly turned extremely serious, and she grabbed Feiying's hands, holding them tightly.

"Huh?" Feiying was taken aback.

Meaning, what does it mean?

"Are you considering changing jobs? If so, please be sure to join the Astral Express," Xing said sincerely.

God knows how important it was to find a member on the Astral Express who could drink Himeko's coffee without batting an eye.

If Feiying were here in the future, the people on the Astral Express would no longer need to rack their brains for excuses to refuse every time Himeko brought out a new cup of coffee with such anticipation. They would also no longer need to secretly pour the coffee into the flowerpot and then force a smile when Himeko asked, "Is it good?"

"Huh? Well, I don't actually plan to switch jobs..." Feiying blinked, somewhat at a loss, as Xing held her hands.

"Your name is Feiying, right?" Upon hearing this, Xing did not let go. Instead, he moved closer to Feiying with a pitiful expression, his eyes filled with a sincere light that was almost pleading.

"Feiying, I've always been your fan. From the moment I saw you take your first step onto the Astral Express in the first carriage, I was deeply attracted to you, and I'll never feel joy or sorrow again in this life."

Feiying tilted her head, her mind full of question marks.

Why do these words sound so familiar?

Sigh... no, you're using all my words!

If Feiying remembers correctly, she seems to have only used this term to... Chen Li.

Feiying slowly turned her head and looked at Chen Li with a hint of resentment.

You rascal, you wouldn't be using the same tricks I used on you to pick up other girls, would you?

Faced with Feiying's resentful gaze, Chen Li tilted his head, blinked, and looked completely bewildered as to why Feiying was looking at him like that.

"Alright. I invited Feiying and the Lady. Pearl here today because I have important matters to discuss." Himeko finally couldn't stand it anymore, cleared her throat, and steered the conversation back on track.

"Oh, then I'll go back to my room to get my toothbrush and toothpaste," Xing said naturally, releasing Feiying's hand.

"Why are you preparing all this?" Chen Li asked Xing with some confusion.

"Huh? Didn't you promise to brush my teeth? This is my personal therapy." Xing looked at Chen Li with surprise, her expression full of utter taken-for-grantedness.

"But haven't you already felt better? Brushing your teeth is just a means to an end, not an end in itself. Now that the goal has been achieved, the process can naturally be omitted." Chen Li pointed at Xing without changing his expression and said calmly.

Xing paused for a moment, then glared at Chen Li through gritted teeth.

Wow, seriously? You actually went back on your word? You lied to a child who's not even three years old.

The saying goes, "If you endure it for a moment, you'll only get angrier; if you back down, you'll only feel more cheated."

"Ah... I'm going to explode with you, you liar! Backup Hidden Energy Source!" Xing stomped his foot, and the energy within his body began to surge rapidly, a faint glow appearing around him.

"Snap." Chen Li snapped his fingers.

Chen Li used his authority Miraculous Forger to directly interrupt Xing's progress in using the Miraculous Item, and the light that had just appeared was extinguished instantly, as if the power had been cut off.

Xing glared at Chen Li with a hint of grievance, crossed her arms, and turned her face away unhappily.

After a long silence, Xing, who hadn't received any words of comfort from Chen Li, suddenly turned back, the grievance in her eyes now transformed into something else entirely.

"I feel like I need Law on the Protection of Minors! Since you don't know how to use this Miraculous Item anyway, how about I borrow it for the night?" Xing tentatively made a new request.

"No way." Chen Li refused decisively.