“What?”

Chen Xi looked at Qin Lie, a hint of inquiry in her gaze.

Qin Lie looked at the woman in red on the screen, “I want ten.”

“Each one, amazing me like this.”

He turned to look at Chen Xi. “Can you do it?”

Chen Xi smiled, “What’s so difficult about that?”

Painting was like eating and sleeping to her – couldn’t be simpler.

Qin Lie lowered his head and chuckled softly twice.

Chen Xi couldn’t tell what this man was thinking.

After laughing, he looked up at Chen Xi and said, “Then give it a try.”

Chen Xi said, “Alright, one month, right?”

Qin Lie nodded.

Chen Xi was a bit curious, “You run your own company with quite a few designers under you, right?”

“So far, has anyone else amazed you?”

Qin Lie looked down at her, watched for a while, then said drowsily, “No.”

“You’re the first, and the only one.”

Now Chen Xi felt confident. She suppressed the urge to let her lips curve upward.

The rain stopped. Chen Xi said goodbye to Qin Lie, grabbed her helmet, and walked to the entrance. The sensor door slid open.

Chen Xi looked up and saw Qin Lie’s SUV.

She stopped and turned back to ask him, “How are you getting back?”

Qin Lie was curled up on the sofa with his back to Chen Xi, waving his hand to indicate she didn’t need to worry about him.

Chen Xi said, “How about I give you a ride back?”

She could see this person was so drunk he could barely walk straight – he definitely couldn’t drive.

Qin Lie turned his head to look at the woman at the entrance.

The rain had stopped, and moonlight was spilling all over the ground in front of the door.

Her wet hair scattered over her shoulders as she bathed in moonlight.

“You’d carry me?”

He’d forgotten his car was parked outside. His mind was foggy, leaving only astonishment.

Chen Xi had originally planned to suggest driving Qin Lie’s car back and coming to get her motorcycle tomorrow.

Hearing the surprise in Qin Lie’s tone, tinged with a hint of natural contempt.

She suddenly changed her mind – she’d just take her motorcycle back. He could ride or not.

“Can’t I?”

Who said women had to sit behind men?

Qin Lie heard the displeasure in Chen Xi’s tone.

He didn’t know what he was thinking as he got up and swayed toward the entrance.

Chen Xi watched him lock the experience center door and suddenly realized, asking him, “You own this experience center?”

Qin Lie nodded and asked her, “Was it fun?”

Chen Xi was honest, “Not bad, but you don’t advertise enough. Not many people are interested in coming in.”

After playing the racing game, her feelings about this experience center had completely changed.

This was good stuff, worth being known by more people.

She was even planning to bring Sensen here another day to let the little one know how awesome technology could be.

Qin Lie smiled indifferently without speaking.

Chen Xi suddenly felt that he’d thrown so much money into opening this experience center like it was just for fun – he wasn’t really that serious about it.

This man was unfathomable, and Chen Xi was too lazy to figure him out.

She opened the storage box behind the seat and threw the spare helmet to Qin Lie.

The wind at night was cold and harsh.

The moment she stepped outside, she shivered violently.

Looking at the man beside her, with his robust muscles, he seemed oblivious to the cold.

The air washed by heavy rain was so crisp it even had a hint of sweetness.

Under the moonlight, a straight highway crossed the quiet Gobi Desert, so spacious you could race wildly with abandon.

Street lamps illuminated puddle after puddle, like fallen moons scattered on the ground.

As the wheels passed by, the moon splashed.

Chen Xi drove faster and faster, turning to shout at Qin Lie, “Can you handle it?”

Qin Lie kept his head down without speaking.

Chen Xi simply let loose and ran, faster than the wind.

There was a curve ahead, and Chen Xi reminded Qin Lie, “Hold on tight.”

But Qin Lie’s arms remained leisurely crossed, like he was sitting on a sofa, taking a nap.

The howling wind and flying hair seemed to have nothing to do with him.

Chen Xi didn’t notice that Qin Lie was like a monk in meditation, showing no reaction to her warning.

She didn’t slow down for the curve, tilting the bike to execute a beautiful drift.

Wind roared, her long hair flew wildly – it was exhilarating and satisfying.

The next second, she glimpsed the person behind her in her peripheral vision, and half the boiling blood in her veins instantly went cold.

She saw the leisurely sitting posture of the person behind her, and blood rushed to her head in anger.

“Don’t you want to live?”

She roared back at him while trying to adjust the bike and ground to a safe angle as smoothly as possible.

But Qin Lie showed no reaction, cold and numb.

Chen Xi muttered a curse under her breath.

Annoyed, she pushed the speed even higher.

But she stopped drifting and showing off – she just wanted to freeze him to death.

Wind howled wildly in their ears.

After a long while, Chen Xi heard Qin Lie’s rough, cold voice.

“What’s the point of living?”

Chen Xi laughed coldly, turning to throw back, “Don’t drag me down with your thrill-seeking.”

She looked up at the starry sky – so beautiful.

“Of course, there’s a point to living.”

…

After dropping Qin Lie off at his place.

Chen Xi stopped the bike, one long leg supporting her on the ground.

Her breathing was slightly irregular, her face sullen.

Her heart, frightened to her throat by him, hadn’t settled back in her stomach yet. She didn’t want to deal with this madman anymore.

Qin Lie took off his helmet and handed it to Chen Xi.

Chen Xi kept her hands down, waiting several seconds before taking the helmet and giving him a cold look.

“Had enough thrills?”

She asked coldly.

Qin Lie lowered his eyes, half his hard-lined face hidden in shadow.

Chen Xi heard an annoying snort of laughter.

“That’s it?”

Chen Xi was speechless, asking back, “Does it only count as thrilling if you die?”

Qin Lie swayed slightly – the alcohol hadn’t worn off yet.

He looked down at the furious girl and smiled somewhat triumphantly.

He waved his hand and said with a straight face, “That would be dying of thrills.”

Chen Xi was too lazy to waste words with this drunk and turned the bike around, revving the engine.

Behind her came Qin Lie’s almost-laughing voice, “Thanks.”

Chen Xi sat on the motorcycle, turned back to look at him, her gaze flickering for a moment.

She suddenly opened her mouth to ask, “Can I discuss something with you?”

Qin Lie raised his sharp eyebrows, waiting for her to speak.

Chen Xi said, “The VR experience center is too big – how about sharing half with me?”

Qin Lie’s expression was like he’d heard a joke.

“I’m not short of money.”

He said directly.

Chen Xi said, “If I open the repair shop next to you, I could help bring you many customers.”

Qin Lie laughed, “I don’t care.”

Chen Xi felt this man was impenetrable and couldn’t help asking, “You must want something, right?”

Qin Lie thought about it and said two words, “Thrills.”

Chen Xi thought this person probably really had brain problems.

Coming out of Jinshui Bay, where Qin Lie lived, Chen Xi went directly to the Mingzhu Jiayuan Residential Community.

During the rain, Bai Yuning had gone to the night market to pick up Fan Mingsu and Sensen.

He sent the old woman and child home, then went to the supermarket to buy ginger and brown sugar.

As soon as Chen Xi entered, she smelled ginger sugar water.

She helplessly sniffed and casually threw her wet jacket into the bathroom.

Bai Yuning came out of the study wearing light prescription glasses, “You’re on your period and got caught in the rain – hurry up and drink the ginger sugar water in the kitchen.”

Chen Xi disliked ginger flavor the most. She dawdled into the study with Bai Yuning and flipped through a brick-thick medical dictionary on his desk.

“Can you memorize all this?”

Chen Xi asked this every time she saw it.

Bai Yuning took off his glasses and smiled at her, “Even if I can’t memorize it all, I have to try. Learn until you’re old, memorize until you’re old.”

Chen Xi said, “You doctors are all monsters.”

Bai Yuning reached out to touch her damp hair, “Be good, go drink the ginger sugar water.”

Seeing she couldn’t dawdle her way out of it, Chen Xi had to go to the kitchen, pour a cup, and gulp down several large mouthfuls while pinching her nose.

Bai Yuning said, “Drink slowly, aren’t you worried about burning yourself?”

Chen Xi smiled and said, “You’re so nagging.”

Bai Yuning said, “No matter how much I nag, you don’t listen.”

He followed Chen Xi to the living room, watched her drink the ginger sugar water, and casually asked, “Why are you back so late?”

Chen Xi said, “Went to my mom’s dormitory, then it rained on the way back, so I took shelter at a VR experience center.”

Bai Yuning looked confused. “What VR experience center?”

Chen Xi said, “On the road to Mogao Caves, there’s a big exhibition hall in the middle of nowhere.”

“I was considering that place when I wanted to open a repair shop.”

Bai Yuning remembered, “Oh, that one.”

She said mysteriously to Bai Yuning, “Guess who owns that VR experience center?”

Bai Yuning asked, “Who?”

Chen Xi said, “Your classmate, Qin Lie.”

Bai Yuning nodded, “You ran into him today?”

Chen Xi said, “Mm, let me tell you…”

Chen Xi told Bai Yuning about what had happened over the past few days.

After listening, Bai Yuning frowned thoughtfully for a while, then reminded Chen Xi.

“You should sign a contract for this, discuss advance payment and final payment, so you don’t end up with disputes halfway through.”

Chen Xi said, “It’s such a small matter, why sign a contract? What disputes could there be?”

Bai Yuning said, “What if you finish the drawings and he keeps saying he’s not satisfied? Wouldn’t you have worked for nothing?”

Chen Xi frowned, “That won’t happen, right? Is your classmate that kind of person?”

Bai Yuning leaned back into the sofa cushions. “I’m not that close to him.”

“Besides, he’s been in Beijing for so many years – I don’t know what kind of person he’s become now. Anyway, you should be careful.”

Chen Xi still didn’t take these words to heart. After finishing the ginger sugar water, she got up to take a shower.

Chen Xi asked Qin Lie for background materials on the ten characters.

She stayed home for two days, burning the midnight oil until she had two big dark circles under her eyes before coming out.

She had Qin Zhan help call Qin Lie to Liu Boyang’s repair shop.

Chen Xi ordered roasted lamb ribs, and the four of them set up a small table on the street like last time.

As the sky darkened, a row of street lamps quietly lit up.

The rhythmic beats of square dancing drifted over from the distance.

The lights of ten thousand homes emerged with the night.

Chen Xi saw Hu Zi Zhang on his tricycle and waved at him, “Uncle, do you have any sweet fermented grain left?”

Hu Zi Zhang waved back at her, “Sold out.”

He hummed a off-key song as he rode back, “In the third month comes the third day, Brother Wang went to Malian Mountain, haven’t seen Brother Wang for three days, too lazy to talk about needlework and tea.”

The table of people watched Hu Zi Zhang’s figure disappear into the distance, his off-key singing melting into the night.

Chen Xi withdrew her gaze, picked up her wine glass, and clinked it with Qin Lie’s.

Just as she was about to speak, Qin Lie spoke first.

“When can you give me the second character?”

Chen Xi’s wine glass hung suspended as she met the man’s dark eyes, feeling for a moment as if he’d seen right through her thoughts.

She set down the wine glass and smiled faintly, “I haven’t said I’d take this job.”

Qin Lie just made an “oh” sound and stopped talking.

Liu Boyang felt the atmosphere between these two was a bit strange, like they were secretly competing over something.

He was pondering this when Qin Zhan asked bluntly.

“Sister Xi, didn’t you want to take this job? Two hundred thousand – might as well earn it while you can.”

Chen Xi: “…”

She had to thank Qin Zhan, this pig teammate.

Qin Zhan turned to Qin Lie again, “Bro, Sister Xi will do this job, you absolutely can’t give it to anyone else.”

Qin Lie looked at Chen Xi with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “Oh?”

Chen Xi wanted to sew Qin Zhan’s mouth shut.

She coughed lightly, picked up her glass, and said, “Let’s drink. Three grown men can’t drink as heartily as I.”

Qin Zhan said, “No way.”

He drained his glass in one gulp and showed off by shaking the empty glass upside down.

Chen Xi sighed and filled Qin Zhan’s glass again.

She wondered how these two brothers could be so different.

Qin Lie also drained his glass in one gulp.

He set down the glass and said casually, “This job is too rushed. If you find it difficult, don’t force yourself – I have backup options.”

Chen Xi filled Qin Lie’s glass, then calmly took out a sketch pad from the bag at her feet, opened it, and handed it to him.

“The second character – nothing difficult about it.”

Hearing there were backup options, Chen Xi decided to stop beating around the bush.

Qin Lie took the sketch pad, glanced at it, and casually set it aside, continuing to drink.

The entire meal passed without mentioning the matter again.

Chen Xi tried several times to bring up the VR experience center but never found an opportunity.

After finishing a case of beer, Chen Xi felt dispirited.

Qin Lie looked up at her and suddenly spoke, “Chen Xi, ten characters, two hundred thousand – that’s all I want and all I’m giving.”

Chen Xi laughed lightly, but her gaze remained stubborn.

Qin Lie’s tone brooked no argument: “Don’t get ideas about that VR center.”

“I don’t lack money, don’t worry about customers, don’t lack anything – you can’t get it.”

Liu Boyang and Qin Zhan were already drunk.

The two were noisily playing finger-guessing games, completely oblivious to the undercurrents here.

Chen Xi asked Qin Lie, “Still drinking?”

Qin Lie asked, “Can you still handle it?”

Chen Xi said, “Do I look drunk to you?”

Qin Lie smiled, “Let’s continue.”

The two each drank two more bottles of beer.

Qin Lie’s eyelids were getting heavy.

Chen Xi’s cheeks were flushed red from the alcohol…