"Alright."
Yan was the first to pick up a mochi, shoving it straight into his mouth.
The taste was a bit sweet, not quite to his preference.
The texture was decent, though, and acceptable.
Afterward, he picked up an egg tart and a cream puff, handing them to Hu Liena:
"Nana, here. These are the egg tarts and cream puffs you love."
Hu Liena's preferences were etched deep into Yan's heart.
Yet every time, Hu Liena refused to appreciate his gesture, leaving him helpless and forced to endure it in silence.
"Yan, mind yourself. I have hands; I don't need you to fetch things for me."
As she spoke, Hu Liena retrieved an egg tart from the paper bag, brought it to her lips, and took a gentle bite.
The thin, crisp tart crust shattered away, the warm and dense egg custard filling carrying a rich milky fragrance that melted on the tip of her tongue, leaving an endless aftertaste.
Amidst her chewing, Hu Liena took the opportunity to glance sidelong at Blood Blade.
Seeing that Blood Blade's gaze was calm and he seemed unconcerned, she began to chew with abandon.
Xue Qinghe then pushed the paper bag toward Xie Yue.
Seeing this, Xie Yue reached out, picked up a cream puff, and popped it into his mouth.
With a gentle bite, the thick cream filling burst inside his mouth, the sweet and clear milky aroma directly conquering his taste buds.
Seeing this, Xue Qinghe smiled with satisfaction.
He then picked up a cream puff for himself and popped it into his mouth.
"This flavor is amazing, simply a delicacy among mortals!" Xue Qinghe praised between bites.
The cream puff was not particularly large, and within a few quick motions, Xue Qinghe swallowed it down into his stomach.
Gulp!
Taking a sip of the milkshake to moisten his throat, Xue Qinghe picked up a piece of peach crisp once more, tasting it with large bites.
At the same time, seeing that Hu Liena had finished her egg tart, he handed the paper bag out in front of her.
Hu Liena did not stand on ceremony with Xue Qinghe, reaching out to take the very last cream puff from the paper bag while simultaneously opening the paper bag in her own hands to share with Xue Qinghe.
"Huh? Nana, what is this again? How is it even more fragrant than pastries?" Xue Qinghe swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Wasn't this his favorite Crispy Pork Bites?
This smelly fox really knew how to eat.
"Hehe, Big Brother Qinghe has a good eye. These are Crispy Pork Bites; I had to queue for a long time to buy them."
Hu Liena handed the paper bag in front of Xue Qinghe, saying generously:
"Big Brother Qinghe, give them a try."
When all was said and done, the four of them were still thirteen or fourteen-year-old kids.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Xue Qinghe reached out, his thumb and index finger picking up a piece of steaming Crispy Pork Bites, rolling it once through a nearby dish of chili powder before slowly putting it into his mouth.
"So good~"
The familiar texture, the familiar taste, something one could eat a hundred times without tiring.
Xue Qinghe's hands were not idle either, tilting the paper bag toward Xie Yue, who had already finished his cream puff.
Xie Yue paused for a moment, picked up a piece of peach crisp, and savored it carefully.
Yan also contributed the fried chicken in his hands.
At this very moment, the four of them were like friends of many years, sharing the delicious food in their hands.
Just like that, with you taking a piece and me taking a piece, in the blink of an eye only three pieces of Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake remained in the paper bag.
As for the Crispy Pork Bites in Hu Liena's hands and the fried chicken brought by Yan, because eating them was too addictive, the four of them had devoured them completely.
"Big Brother Qinghe, I can't go on. My mouth is a bit dry, and you have the milkshake. You can eat these last three rice cakes yourself."
Hu Liena swallowed the very last piece of Crispy Pork Bites in her mouth, her face showing satisfaction.
Xie Yue and Yan also expressed the same, noting that without water, it truly was a bit choking.
Standing sideways to Blood Blade, Xue Qinghe took another suck of his milkshake, softened the peach crisp in his mouth, and swallowed it down.
Gulp!
Utterly satisfied!
"Alright."
Xue Qinghe nodded.
"Almost forgot."
Pausing for a moment, Xue Qinghe turned around, walked over to Qin Lan and Lu Zheng, and handed the paper bag over:
"You two try some as well; the taste is quite good."
Qin Lan and Lu Zheng had been tempted for a long time; after hesitating for a fraction of a second, each of them took a piece of Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake and tossed it straight into their mouths.
The two of them chewed casually a couple of times before swallowing them into their stomachs.
The taste certainly was good, but there was simply too little; it wasn't enough to eat.
Xue Qinghe picked up the very last piece of Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake from the paper bag, stuffed it into his mouth, and bit down gently.
Then he folded the empty paper bag and tucked it between his fingers.
Xue Qinghe bit off the remaining half of the Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake.
Suddenly, Xue Qinghe froze, hurriedly turned around to approach Blood Blade, and spoke in an apologetic tone:
"Lord Blood Blade, I am terribly sorry. The food you bought was truly too delicious, and Nana and the others couldn't help themselves for a moment, so we ate it all."
Blood Blade was so angry his teeth itched, the hands hidden beneath his cloak long since clenched into tight fists.
Both trash guards had eaten, yet when it came to his turn, there was nothing left?
Was it really such a coincidence?
Xue Qinghe was unrelenting, keeping his gaze fixed on Blood Blade while waiting for the other's response.
Fearing that Blood Blade's identity would be exposed, Hu Liena walked over, wanting to smooth things over for him.
Blood Blade spoke up:
"It is fine. This was originally the food Nana instructed her subordinate to buy."
His tone was exceptionally calm, without a single ripple, as though he were speaking of some trivial matter of no consequence.
Though it felt like a thorn in his heart, as the Pope, he could still handle this tiny bit of pressure.
"Why has Teacher's voice changed?"
Hu Liena halted her steps, pondered for a split second, and understanding dawned in her heart.
Since Teacher wanted to conceal her identity, altering her voice was only to be expected.
"Magnanimous, Lord Blood Blade!"
Right in front of Blood Blade, Xue Qinghe tossed the final half-piece of Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake into his mouth while remembering to give Blood Blade a thumbs-up.
Gulp!
Xue Qinghe swallowed the food in his mouth, picked up the milkshake, and took another ferocious suck.
Gazing at the utterly uninhibited Xue Qinghe before him, a chill rushed straight to Blood Blade's spirit.
Has my identity been discovered? The next instant, Blood Blade denied the thought. Impossible. This fellow hasn't had any contact with me from start to finish; there is zero possibility he saw through my disguise.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated Blood Blade felt.
He was unwilling to admit that Xue Qinghe had seen through his disguise-that was a result he could not accept.
Yet Xue Qinghe's actions forced him to suspect that he had slipped up.
Seeing Hu Liena walk over, Xue Qinghe turned around and praised:
"Nana, you have a wonderful eye. This is the most delicious food I've ever eaten in my life, tasting even better than what the chefs in the imperial capital make."
As Xue Qinghe turned away, Blood Blade let out a long breath in his heart, thinking:
It seems my identity hasn't been discovered.
Blood Blade had absolute confidence in his disguise; the only reason Hu Liena had discovered him was because she recognized his voice when she heard it.
What could Xue Qinghe possibly discover facing nothing more than a guard draped in a cloak?
It was purely blind guesswork.
Amidst his musings, Blood Blade's expression grew much heavier.
Yet the next moment, the heaviness on his face vanished, replaced by intense disdain.
Following that kid Qian Zong, his mind has matured quite a bit indeed, but if he wants to deal with me, he's still a bit too green.
The more he reasoned it out, the more Blood Blade felt his thought process was correct.
Xue Qinghe hadn't discovered his identity, but he had already grown suspicious, which was why he kept testing him.
Such petty tricks were nothings he would ever take to heart.
Hu Liena had no idea about the relationship between Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue, let alone that Blood Blade had already started undergoing a mental storm.
She arrived before Xue Qinghe and proactively volunteered:
"Big Brother Qinghe flatters me. There are still many delicacies on the snack street; if Big Brother Qinghe hasn't had his fill of treats, we can take you for a stroll around.
"The food here is guaranteed to open Big Brother Qinghe's eyes."
After a brief period of association, Hu Liena discovered that Xue Qinghe was easy-going in nature, entirely lacking the arrogant playboy aura of aristocratic youths, which made her attitude toward him improve by another notch.
Xue Qinghe was overjoyed: "That's wonderful! It's rare to come out for a trip; I might as well wander around a bit longer today."
He turned his head to eye the two guards behind him, then said to Hu Liena:
"Nana, wait for me just a moment."
Before you continue