The restaurant was lively yet peaceful in the afternoon.
Diagonally in front of Zheng Qing's table sat a fat customer enjoying the services of a Tooth-picking Sprite; directly behind them was a young wizard couple whispering sweet nothings to each other; behind the bar, the proprietress rested her chin on one hand, sleepily working an abacus; beneath the windows, a group of chattering young girls had ordered nothing but a large plate of fried rice and several cold drinks.
"...What kind of acne-removing bugs are you using now?" a sharp-chinned girl with a thin voice asked her companion. "I'm using the Miao Jiang Series right now. It works really well on acne, but my face always hurts a little afterward."
"That's because the bugs from Miao Jiang contain some toxins. My mom won't let me use them." Her companion took a small box from her handbag and set it on the table. "I'm using the Worm Series now... It works all right against acne and irritates the skin less. Want to give it a try?"
As she spoke, she opened the box, scooped out a little of the yellow, rice-grain-like paste with her finger, and reached straight for the sharp-chinned girl's face.
"No, there's no need." The girl put up a slight resistance, then let her companion spread the yellow paste evenly across her cheeks.
The yellow paste came alive the moment it touched her face, quickly wriggling outward and spreading flat over her skin. In mere moments, it lost its vitality, turning into a dry film that peeled away from her face.
Zheng Qing took a careful look.
Sure enough, compared with before the application, the girl's face looked distinctly refreshed, much smoother and cleaner.
"Well? Your face doesn't hurt, right? ...As far as I know, worms cause the