Sending Dan Heng Away

Stelle walked down a small road in the Chang'le Region with the Xianzhou's local big shots, Fu Xuan on her left and Jing Yuan on her right, looking smug and full of swagger.

Her face practically screamed, "Hey, I know these two!" Her pride was about to overflow.

"This is the place."

Jing Yuan stopped and looked at the storefront before them.

The location of this restaurant was excellent, but even an outsider could imagine the yearly rent for opening a business here would be enough to make their teeth ache.

Still, it made plenty of money. This restaurant called Glazed Pavilion was incredibly popular. If Jing Yuan had not reserved seats in advance, they probably would not have gotten a table.

Following the attendant into a private room on the second floor, Stelle's stomach growled loudly with hunger.

It was no wonder. She had slept until noon that morning and had not eaten a thing, only thinking about hurrying to Aurum Alley on the Luofu to eat her fill.

Jing Yuan glanced at Stelle. Seeing her blank stare and crashed-computer demeanor, he knew she was hungry. Fortunately, Glazed Pavilion served food quickly, and the eight dishes they had ordered beforehand were brought out by the attendants one after another.

"All right, everyone, dig in."

Stelle had been waiting for Jing Yuan to say that. She had already been holding her chopsticks, ready to grab food. Now that she could finally taste the delicacies, she sampled every dish that came within reach.

"Delicious, delicious! Jing Yuan, you really know how to order. I love all of it."

The Trailblazer looked up and smiled at Jing Yuan.

Dan Heng, seated beside Stelle, turned to look at her, his gaze resting gently on her.

He picked several dishes for Stelle.

Needless to say, this was simply the Express Crew's traditional custom of respecting the elderly and caring for the young.

The parental duo, Welt and Himeko, had a habit of feeding the kids. Whenever they returned to the Express, they would bring little snacks for March 7th and the Trailblazer.

Dan Heng had never had the habit of buying local specialties before, but under the subtle influence of the two parental figures, he had begun worrying from time to time about the food and drink of these two perpetually immature children.

The only one left on the entire Express was Pom-Pom, crying out, "You're all eating snacks! Then no one will eat the food the conductor made, pom!"

Stelle glanced at the chicken wing and ribs that had appeared in her bowl, then turned to look at Dan Heng. Their gazes met.

"Dan Heng, you're so nice!"

What was the big deal?

Dan Heng touched his nose.

Since they were both members of the Express Crew, wasn't it only natural for him to treat her well?

Much later, Dan Heng would finally come to regret it. Only then did he realize that his possessiveness toward the Trailblazer had never stemmed from their identities as "members of the Express Crew." The way he treated her had never been something natural or inevitable.

It had always concealed selfish feelings.

Dan Heng simply realized it too late, and he had missed too much.

If he had known sooner, perhaps he could have walked side by side with the Trailblazer sooner.

But that was a matter for later.

For now, Dan Heng casually picked a few dishes for Stelle, never thinking that he liked her. He merely saw it as fulfilling an older brother's duty to care for a younger one.

Jing Yuan took all of these actions in. After some thought, he reached for an empty bowl and filled it with a serving of Pearl Jade White Jade Soup for Stelle.

"This soup is also one of Glazed Pavilion's specialties. I've wanted to invite you all here to taste it for a long time. Don't stand on ceremony. Try it and see if it suits your taste."

The man's golden eyes were half-hidden behind his silver-white hair. His visible eye watched Stelle with a smiling curve as she gently scooped up a spoonful of soup and put it into her mouth. When her eyes lit up after tasting it, it was obvious that every dish he had ordered was exactly to her liking.

"It's good! Jing Yuan, you really know how to enjoy life. Xianzhou cuisine is so delicious, unlike the stuff I ate in Belobog a couple of days ago."

Stelle began chatting idly with Jing Yuan, going from "where did you warp to after leaving the Luofu" to "I'll give you a bottle of Penacony's specialty Soolada."

During this time, Fu Xuan had been quietly eating. The Divination Commission's work seemed quite busy as well; Lady Fu clearly seemed too hungry to spare her mouth for conversation, doing nothing but burying herself in her meal.

Or perhaps she simply did not want to interrupt Stelle and the General's conversation.

But someone else did not see it that way.

Dan Heng silently looked at the food he had picked for Stelle. A glistening layer of grease had already congealed atop the chicken wing; it had clearly gone completely cold.

His gaze turned toward Jing Yuan.

It was enough that he picked food for Stelle. The two of them were companions who depended on one another in the Express Crew, so what was wrong with him taking a little extra care of Stelle?

But Jing Yuan?

Why was Jing Yuan acting so attentive, serving soup for the Trailblazer? As the Divine Foresight General, one of the former High-Cloud Quintet, was he really capable of doing something like this?

What exactly did Jing Yuan want?

He had even drawn away the Trailblazer's attention, to the point that she had not eaten the food Dan Heng had picked for her. It had gone completely cold by now.

In his field of vision, Jing Yuan's gentle gaze shifted away from the Trailblazer's face and landed on Dan Heng without a trace. With that one glance, it was completely different from the way he looked at the Trailblazer.

Jing Yuan's gaze at Dan Heng was filled with, "I did it on purpose. What are you going to do about it?"

Stelle lowered her head and quietly drank her soup, hearing Aha happily bouncing around in her mind:

"Didn't expect a romantic battlefield to get triggered on the Luofu too, huh? Didn't you see the looks in those two men's eyes? They're about to start fighting. Nice, keep up this romantic battlefield frequency. My Elation values are skyrocketing."

You're having a grand old time watching the show, but as the person at the center of this romantic battlefield, I've got ten thousand MMPs in my heart.

For some reason, Aha especially loved watching love triangles unfold. According to Them, They never watched for fun without getting something out of it—one day, They would definitely give the Trailblazer a surprise.

As for whether it would be a surprise or a scare, that remained unknown.

Right now, Stelle could only pretend not to notice the sparks flying from the clash of their gazes. She gulped down the soup Jing Yuan had served her in two mouthfuls, then quickly finished the ribs and chicken wings Dan Heng had picked out for her. They were a little cold, but it did not affect the taste much.

W-what should she do...?

Stelle bit her lip, lifted the Immortal's Delight Tea before her, and took two big gulps. Dan Heng was her good companion, while Jing Yuan was the target she needed to pursue this time. Both of them were important; she simply could not choose between them!

Still, everything had its order of priority.

Pursuing her target had to come first.

With that in mind, Stelle brushed back her hair and cast a furtive glance at Jing Yuan.

The Divine Foresight General was exceptionally perceptive. At a single glance, he understood what Stelle wanted to say.

"Dan Heng, I have prepared some Xianzhou specialties for the Express Crew. Have Fu Xuan take you to collect them."

Stelle also wore the satisfied smile of someone who had eaten and drunk her fill. Turning to Dan Heng, she pressed her palms together and said, "Little March still wants to drink Hot Floating Goat Milk. After you pick up the specialties from Fu Xuan, why not take a stroll around Aurum Alley? We can head straight back to the train afterward, okay?"

Dan Heng's Adam's apple bobbed.

These two clearly wanted to send him away.

Should he refuse? If he agreed, then once he and Fu Xuan left, it would be just Jing Yuan and the Trailblazer alone together.

But if he insisted on spoiling the mood and inserting himself between them...

Forget it. What right or standing did he have?

Dan Heng rose to his feet and followed Fu Xuan out of Glazed Pavilion.

Perhaps the "something to take care of" the Trailblazer had mentioned earlier was coming here to whisper secrets with Jing Yuan.

He ought to be tactful and leave quickly. He should not disturb them while they handled important business.

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