Zhe Huo was finally able to sit down to breakfast. However, having Luo Qinghan beside her, placing food on her plate and pouring tea for her, she couldn’t help thinking about what he’d said, about stealing a kiss from her during the night. Her thoughts were beginning to run wild.
She knew it wasn’t right to be having such thoughts. He was only a child. There was no doubt that he’d only kissed her because she was someone he innocently admired and trusted. Lots of adults enjoyed hugging and kissing little children.
And yet, for reasons she couldn’t quite comprehend, she kept remembering the last kiss he’d given her, wet and slippery and soft and sweet… in that moment, she’d felt like she was being romantically kissed by a man. She must have been mistaken—but it was nevertheless because of that, that she was unable to treat his kisses as a simple show of affection from a child.
Because of that, having Qinghan so close to her now was making her face go redder and redder. She flailed around for something to talk about. “Where’s Mr Tao? Won’t he be joining us for breakfast?”
Qinghan paused over a piece of spare rib, and then said, with deliberate care, “We’re eating together; he’s eating by himself.”
Zhe Huo was lost for words. The little scamp could be surprisingly bossy.
***
After the meal, Zhe Huo excitedly discussed the final task with Qinghan, finishing with, “When that’s done, we’ll go home, and I’ll shower you with praise before the master and grandmaster! The grandmaster will have to give you a share of the reward, too—after all, you could very well be a demon hunter in your own right!”
For the moment, Zhe Huo seemed to have forgotten that Qinghan was in fact a demon.
The boy nodded, and declared earnestly, “Whatever money I earn is yours to spend, Zhe Huo.”
She blushed at this, and mumbled, “Well, if you want to give all of it to me… I might not be completely opposed to it…”
Qinghan smiled sweetly at her.
Zhe Huo tried to pull herself together, coughing nervously. “It’s not that I want your money for myself, okay? I’ll just be looking after it for you! What would a child know about managing money, huh? You should let me handle it for the time being!”
“Alright. I’ll leave it to you.”
Zhe Huo scratched her head uncertainly. She couldn’t help feeling like she was walking into something.
They came downstairs, and sure enough, found Tao Feiyan feasting in one of the alcoves. Helter-skelter she hurried over and palmed a cup of wine off the table, concealing it behind her back and making surreptitious motions with her other hand. Qinghan calmly strode up and received it.
She expected the boy to work with her to smuggle this away. Instead, in full sight of Feiyan, Qinghan poured out the wine and replaced it with tea.
Smiling, Feiyan shook his head, and then asked Zhe Huo how last night had gone. When she answered that nothing had transpired, his eyebrows rose, but he reserved comment, and then smoothly changed the topic. “I suppose you’ll be heading off somewhere for your next task, then?”
Zhe Huo nodded, took a seat, and helped herself to a little cake. “We’ll be making a trip to Tiancheng after this, and then we’ll return home. What about you, Mr Tao?”
“Oh, me?” Feiyan favored her with a bewitching smile, his voice becoming low and sultry. “I’ve heard that a great many beauties can be found in Tiancheng. I’ve decided to go have a look for myself.”
Zhe Huo blushed. Sometimes this Feiyan was just too much! Talking about male prostitutes in the presence of a delicate maiden and a little boy!
Seeing her reaction, Feiyan couldn’t resist teasing her further. “Perhaps while I’m at it, we might cross paths again.”
“Forget about it,” Qinghan cut in coldly. “Zhe Huo, our bags are already packed. Let’s go.”
Zhe Huo turned and found to her surprise that Qinghan had already brought out her things at some point. Before she could respond, the boy was already dragging her away impatiently. In the end, Tao Feiyan only caught Zhe Huo shouting from the distance, “Mr Tao, may we meet again!”
He chuckled to himself. “We will.”
Opening the window, he looked down upon the hustle and bustle of the street outside. Seized by a sudden sense of unease, his exquisite lips drew tight. After a long moment, he finally uttered, one word at a time.
“You. Damned. Scum.”