"This seems more sincere..."
Chi Qiu spoke in a voice filled with hidden resentment. As things had developed to this point, what temper could he possibly have left? Initially, in a moment of hot-headedness and spurred on by the bad influence of his so-called friends, he had acted rashly, resulting in the current situation. In order to prevent things from getting even worse, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and do this.
Losing a bit of face was not a big issue.
The major issue was if Chen Miao rejected him, or didn't even plan to reconcile at all, then that would be a significant problem.
"Alright, little sister, I've never asked you for anything, just this one thing. Could you do a favor for your cousin and not tell anyone else?"
"Really?"
Yu'er nodded thoughtfully, then her eyes rolled around as a hint of anticipation flashed through them, "Then as a condition, cousin, can you buy me a roasted sweet potato on the way back? That'd be great."
"If you do, I will definitely not tell anyone, I'll keep your secret."
"..."
Chi Qiu fell silent, his expression complex; this was yet another dreadful choice. If Yu'er's parents found out he had bought her such a thing to eat, wouldn't they curse him to death? Experience new stories on mvl
But given the choice between completely offending Chen Miao and being scolded by Yu'er's parents, he decisively chose the latter.
At least with the latter, he wouldn't lose his life; with the former, he was very likely to be sacrificed by the Chi Family in an attempt to smooth things over with Chen Miao.
"Deal!"
...
As the sky slowly darkened, Chen Miao finally left Secret Realm Building and prepared to head home.
Today, he had fought in around thirty to forty battles. The different professions of supernatural beings had brought Chen Miao a great deal of surprise. It had to be said that each supernatural being had their own expertise. Even if two had the same profession, their approaches to battle would be completely different.
Very interesting.
Of course—
He had chosen the same tactic for each one.
On the bus, Hungry Monkey leaned against the window, dozing off. Perhaps because it was late at night, there was not a single passenger on the bus besides the two of them and a silent driver focused solely on his job.
The bus's television suddenly started broadcasting another piece of news.
'Urgent Notice: On November 24, at 22:21 in the evening, a bus with the license plate number Feng·GA182, Route 119, veered into a bridge pit outside the suburbs because the driver dozed off. There were only two passengers on board, and along with the driver, all three died.'
'The two passengers had their faces completely disfigured; this announcement is being released, please relatives come to the Western Third Law Enforcement Bureau to claim the bodies.'
"..."
Chen Miao, who had just stood up, suddenly froze in place, expressionlessly looking up at the television hanging not far away on the bus ceiling. Although the images of the bodies on the TV were blurred with mosaics, the bloody mess was unnerving. However, he could still clearly recognize, through the clothing, that the two bodies were indeed what he and Hungry Monkey were wearing.
"Where are you going, Miao?"
At that moment, Hungry Monkey's voice came from behind.
Seen from his seat, Hungry Monkey had stood up at some unknown point, his mouth twisting into a strange smile as he unnaturally asked Chen Miao, "Miao, we'll reach the stop in just two more stations, why do you want to get off?"
"Huh."
Chen Miao took a deep breath. Ignoring everything around him, he drew the Thompson Submachine Gun from within his coat and held it in his hand. Right now, only this thing could make him feel safe. He didn't want to care what the situation was, all he wanted to do now was to get off the bus.
Whoever tried to stop him would die.
Hungry Monkey had clearly changed from the one he knew. Whether it was possession or something else, it was clear that Hungry Monkey was now a significant source of danger.
Just then—
"Finally, here it comes, damn it, made me wait so long."
A cursing voice came from outside the bus. A middle-aged man wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, his whole body drenched, clung to the bus door and pushed himself in. He saw Chen Miao, who was about to get off, stiffened momentarily, then chuckled.
"Oh, lucky one tonight, eh? Now that you're up here, don't think about getting off; you can't get off."
"Sit down, there are still a few stops ahead, let's have a chat."
The man seemed to make himself at home, picking a spot to sit down regardless of his wet straw coat. He fumbled in his chest pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one out to light for himself, then offered one to Chen Miao, "Want one?"
Through it all.
The man never once looked at Hungry Monkey, conversing only with Chen Miao the entire time.