Early morning on the 12th.
Lin Hui once again went to the dining level with Hong Ling. After they had eaten, Wang Yue came by again, bringing along a young man named Xie Shengshang to join Lin Hui for the meal.
This was Lin Hui's last meal before leaving the Inner City.
The group switched to another restaurant and sat around a large round red wooden table.
At the center of the table, a small pine tree was slowly sprouting and growing.
Its trunk branched out, growing green pine needles, while white fruits of varying sizes naturally formed at the tips of those needles.
"These are the main course for this meal. Dig in—the fruits are pastries made from flour and pine nuts. They taste pretty good." As the host, Hong Ling greeted them warmly.
"It really isn't easy to mooch a meal off Minister Hong." The blackness on Wang Yue's body had now faded, revealing her original appearance. She was a short-haired girl with a somewhat boyish air, handsome features, and the same good looks—or rather, there were hardly any unattractive people in the Inner City's Moon Tower.
Xie Shengshang, who had come with her as a friend, was presumably her lover. The two sat very close together, each keeping one hand clasped beneath the table, sickeningly sweet to behold.
"What are you saying? With the relationship between you and me, you can come mooch a meal anytime you have the time," Hong Ling said with a smile.
"I wouldn't dare. Your mother, Elder Hong, is far too intimidating. I don't even dare get close to your house. Last time, Elder Hong merely spotted me from afar, and I nearly got bewitched into joining one of her events." Wang Yue wore a lingeringly frightened expression.
Beside him, Hong Lingxiang