Chapter 68: Eating Her Leftovers

After finishing a meal at Haidilao with Tian Huasheng, Meng Xingzhe received a message from Bei Luonan. Bei Luonan sent him the hotel address for the Industry Summit forum happening the next morning and reminded him to remember to take leave.

Upon returning to his dormitory after the hot pot, he felt uneasy no matter how he tried to relax.

His thoughts were like elbows bending outward, completely out of his control, constantly veering towards wondering how Yao Jia and Yue Xuran were on their date.

To calm himself, he sat in the living room, turned on the TV, switched off the lights, and started watching the scariest horror movie he could find.

As grotesque and terrifying ghost faces flashed across the screen, he gradually distanced himself from his thoughts and was almost calm.

But then, Yao Jia came back.

She sat right next to him and happened to catch the scariest scene in the entire movie.

She was so frightened she was about to scream.

Afraid of waking those already asleep, he instinctively covered her mouth and pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

Alright, he thought, feeling the explosive pounding of his heart, this embrace had undone all his efforts to calm down for the night.

He seemed even less calm now.

What had she just said to him?

—Why do you men love watching horror movies so much?

So, did Yue Xuran also take her to watch a horror movie tonight? Was she just as scared? Did Yue Xuran hold her tightly like he just did? And for even longer?

Thinking this, he felt a sour taste in his mouth.

He looked down at his hands, opening and closing them. He lightly pounded his chest, which felt like it might burst.

The soft warmth of her body seemed to linger in his embrace, in his hands. It made him both intoxicated and heartbroken.

He turned off the TV and went back to his room. As he passed her room, he paused.

There was no sound inside. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what he was doing, then finally lifted his foot and returned to his room.

Even after washing up and lying in bed with the main light off and the lamp on, he still felt restless.

Thinking he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, he decided to play a few rounds of games to vent his feelings.

He sat up in bed, leaned against the headboard, and opened the KartRider game on his phone.

Upon logging in, he was surprised to see that his unruly little apprentice in the game was also online.

He opened a racing room and sent her an invitation.

She quickly accepted, and they raced together.

Despite his restlessness, his gameplay was off, making many mistakes, crashing into walls, or falling into rivers. He thought he was surely going to lose to this little apprentice of his, who was at the King rank.

But unexpectedly, his little apprentice was so considerate, refusing to win against him—she made even more mistakes than he did, as if her hands were trembling uncontrollably, crashing into walls almost twice as much as he did.

After a few rounds, neither of them was in form, so they stopped to chat.

He questioned his little apprentice.

Xinghen: [What’s up with you tonight? Your driving is terrible.]

She quickly retorted.

Bread King: [What’s up with you tonight? Your driving is terrible, and you have the nerve to criticize others.]

Meng Xingzhe laughed.

It had been a while, but she was still a little contrarian. Why did he always encounter contrarians both in life and in games?

He thought her contrarian style seemed oddly familiar.

Xinghen: [I asked first, so you answer first.]

She replied with an ellipsis, seemingly speechless. However, she eventually conceded and answered his question.

Bread King: […]

Bread King: [Alright, I’ll tell you.]

Bread King: [I drove poorly tonight because I’m a bit unsettled. Let me ask you a question: do you think watching horror movies can calm a man’s emotions? Is that possible?]

Meng Xingzhe thought it was a coincidence; he could give her a unique answer to her question.

Xinghen: [Generally, yes.]

But today was an exception. If he hadn’t held Yao Jia, he would have calmed down with that horror movie long ago.

His little apprentice seemed skeptical of his answer.

Bread King: [Really? Even you say that.]

Xinghen: [Why?]

Bread King: [I have a colleague who says watching horror movies can calm people down. I think he’s talking nonsense.]

Meng Xingzhe looked at the words appearing on his phone screen, feeling something was off.

Bread King: [I went to a movie with a friend today, and he also chose a horror movie. He actually said horror movies can indeed calm people down.]

Meng Xingzhe felt this vague sense of wrongness, like something was lurking, ready to jump out and surprise him at any moment.

Bread King: [Now even you, someone I know in the virtual world, say this!!! I really don’t understand you men. How can watching horror movies not be scary and instead be calming?]

Meng Xingzhe realized he was holding his breath, reading the messages on his phone. It felt like that lurking thing was about to surface.

His heart was beating faster and faster, like the tension before a revelation.

Bread King: [After the movie tonight, I returned to the dorm, and my colleague was watching a horror movie in the living room. I don’t know if he was calm, but I was definitely not calm!!!]

Meng Xingzhe stared at his phone, utterly shocked. It felt like the whole world had gone silent, with only the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears amidst the extreme quiet.

So Bread King was actually the little one next door?

His breathing became heavy and rapid.

He shook his hand, trying to dispel the tingling at his fingertips caused by the boiling emotions. He typed on his phone: [What scene scared you so much?]

He needed to confirm once more.

The next second, he saw a line appear on the screen—

Bread King: [A super terrifying close-up of a ghost face! Disheveled hair, pale face, gaping mouth! Ahhh, I don’t want to talk about it!]

Meng Xingzhe was completely stunned, staring at his phone.

He felt his heart pounding wildly.

His emotions were almost frenzied.

He wondered what kind of fate linked them together?

His little nemesis apprentice in the game was actually her, Yao Xiaojia.

What were the odds of such a thing happening?

No wonder her contrarian style felt familiar.

No wonder he couldn’t help but laugh when she argued with him.

Thoughts collided chaotically in his mind, making him both excited and frantic, yet he tried desperately to calm himself.

His feelings for her seemed about to burst from his body, ready to explode.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

The phone screen showed Bread King’s question: [Your turn. Why was your driving so bad today?]

Meng Xingzhe clenched his hand into a fist, calming himself, then relaxed and typed: [I’m a bit troubled.]

The little one on the other side naturally asked what was bothering him.

He typed cautiously, expressing his emotions without revealing himself.

Xinghen: [Because the girl I like has a boyfriend.]

He stared at the screen, breathing slowly.

Soon, her reply appeared—

Bread King: [Oh, that’s really unfortunate. But dear master, given the situation, you should let it go. After all, as Lu Xun said, there are plenty of fish in the sea.]

Meng Xingzhe looked at the screen and smiled bitterly: [Did Lu Xun really say that?]

Bread King: [Ugh, my annoying colleague influenced me. He loves attributing random quotes to Lu Xun.]

Meng Xingzhe smiled bitterly again. Wasn’t he the annoying colleague being complained about?

He thought for a moment and decided to ask a question. As he typed, his fingers trembled slightly, unable to suppress the emotion: [What if I try to win her over?]

He held his breath, waiting for the answer.

Bread King: [That’s a bit unethical. If the roles were reversed and a girl liked my boyfriend and tried to win him over despite me being his girlfriend, I’d be furious. But before I died of anger, I’d probably fight her first!]

Meng Xingzhe read her response, and all his wild, excited emotions cooled down.

She disliked people like that.

So he couldn’t become someone she disliked.

He lost interest in chatting, quickly said goodnight, and logged off.

He went to the bathroom to take a cold shower.

Then he watched horror movies for half the night to distance himself and calm his emotions.

---

Yao Jia stared blankly at her master, who had suddenly said goodnight.

Unable to sleep earlier, she decided to log into the game. Unexpectedly, she found her cheap master online as well. Even more unexpectedly, they both seemed preoccupied, resulting in a series of disastrous runs. And most surprisingly, her cheap master shared the same mindset as Meng Xingzhe and Yue Xuran, believing that horror movies could calm the nerves.

Truly, the same world, the same kind of straightforward men.

Shaking her head, she logged out of the game and put down her phone. As she lay there quietly, she felt that the game had somewhat diluted the presence of that unexpected hug from earlier.

She turned off the lights and went to sleep.

The next morning, as she was leaving, she ran into Tian Huasheng at the entrance.

She asked, “Where’s that person?”

Tian Huasheng rubbed his face with his large hands, “Are you asking about our big brother? He left early.”

Yao Jia responded with an “Oh,” suddenly feeling a strange sensation in her heart.

Recently, they had all been leaving for work together, but suddenly someone left early, disrupting the expectation of heading to work as a group.

What do you call the feeling of having your expectations broken?

Yao Jia shook off this inexplicable emotion and left for work with Tian Huasheng.

Upon arriving at the company, clocking in, and entering the call center, she noticed Meng Xingzhe’s desk was unexpectedly empty.

Suddenly, the feeling she had in the morning before leaving seemed to return.

Thinking it over, she took advantage of the time before work started to send Meng Xingzhe a message on her phone: [Are you late?]

Meng Xingzhe, sitting in a taxi, looked at the message and suddenly remembered that in his chaotic state yesterday, he forgot to request leave.

He replied to Yao Jia: [I have something to do this morning, won’t be coming to the office. Can you help me request leave?]

After receiving the reply, Yao Jia called Lin Qian to request leave on behalf of Meng Xingzhe.

Lin Qian told her, “Make sure Meng Xingzhe submits a leave of absence form later to explain why he needs the morning off, otherwise it will be marked as Unauthorized Absence during the performance review.”

Yao Jia agreed and immediately messaged Meng Xingzhe to remind him to submit the leave form to Lin Qian.

Meng Xingzhe replied with a simple “Okay,” and said nothing more.

Yao Jia stared at the screen for a while, ensuring no further messages would come, before muting and locking her phone.

During her morning shift, she received several calls from the same female customer, whose sole purpose was to insist on filing a complaint against Lu Jingyi from After-sales Service.

The customer claimed that Lu Jingyi had promised to arrive at her home at 1 PM to repair an appliance, but he didn’t show up until 2 PM. At 1 PM, her baby was still awake, but by 2 PM, the baby had fallen asleep. As a result, Lu Jingyi’s arrival woke the baby, who was startled and cried all afternoon, even vomiting by evening.

Yao Jia inquired with Lu Jingyi, who explained that traffic was severely congested yesterday afternoon. He eventually abandoned public transport and switched to a shared bike to reach the customer’s home. He also mentioned that the child’s awakening had nothing to do with him; it was the customer who, with her constant chatter and instructions to avoid touching walls, floors, and tiles, had caused the disturbance.

Patiently, Yao Jia negotiated with the customer, repeatedly apologizing until she finally managed to dissuade her from filing a complaint against Lu Jingyi.

After hanging up, Yao Jia felt exhausted. She unconsciously glanced to the side, hoping to find some solace in Meng Xingzhe’s usual eyebrow raise or smirk—a look that, though slightly mocking, had a healing effect, as if to say, “Encountered a difficult customer again? Well, who hasn’t?”

But all she saw was an empty seat.

She withdrew her gaze, gathered her strength, and continued taking calls.

Yet for some reason, the entire morning she found herself distracted, frequently glancing at the empty seat beside her.

When he was there, she hadn’t noticed. But now that it was empty, she realized she felt a bit uneasy.

It was as if something was missing, something she couldn’t stop thinking about.

During lunch, Lu Jingyi came upstairs to find Yao Jia, insisting on treating her to dinner as a token of gratitude, since she had helped him fend off three complaints this month, preserving his performance bonus.

Lu Jingyi flashed a bright smile, “If you don’t join me for dinner, it means you don’t appreciate me as a brother!”

Yao Jia could only smile and agree.

In the afternoon, Meng Xingzhe arrived at work.

He was wearing a tie and a suit jacket. The suit fit him perfectly, accentuating his tall and elegant figure.

His hair was styled, giving him a particularly spirited look. His face was clean-shaven, not a hint of stubble in sight.

Dressed like this, he looked even more strikingly handsome.

Yao Jia looked at Meng Xingzhe and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you go on a blind date or something? Why are you dressed like a groom?” Suddenly, she looked shocked, “You didn’t get married, did you?”

Meng Xingzhe chuckled, shaking his head internally at her wild imagination, but he deliberately said, “Yeah, I got lucky and married a rich lady.”

From his mocking tone, Yao Jia knew she had guessed wrong.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned away.

By the afternoon, she felt her work rhythm returning. The inexplicable feeling of unease from the morning had disappeared. After finishing a call, she glanced to the side, seeing the seat occupied, and felt a reassuring sense of calm.

At the end of the workday, Tian Huasheng approached, a bit shyly, and said, “Brother, Jia, I’ve got a dinner date tonight, so I won’t be home to cook!”

Meng Xingzhe took one look at his face and said, “It’s with a girl, isn’t it?”

Tian Huasheng’s rugged face turned a shade of red, “Uh, sort of, hahaha!”

Meng Xingzhe clicked his tongue twice, “Go on then!”

Tian Huasheng gleefully clocked out and waited for Hao Lidan. Once she clocked out, they left together.

Yao Jia exclaimed, “Oh, I know who he’s having dinner with!”

Meng Xingzhe glanced at her, looking at her like she was a bit slow, “Isn’t it obvious? Do you really need to guess? And you’re this happy about it?”

Yao Jia rolled her eyes at him.

The two of them clocked out and walked out together.

Suddenly, Meng Xingzhe said, “Order takeout for me tonight.”

“How do you know I’ll even be ordering takeout? I could have dinner plans,” Yao Jia replied.

Meng Xingzhe turned to look at her, “Really? You had dinner plans yesterday and again today? Didn’t you say your boyfriend is busy? Busy yet still so clingy? Is he really busy or just pretending?” His tone was full of disdain, with a hint of jealousy.

Yao Jia bared her teeth at him, teasing him. Then she told him, “Lu Jingyi from After-sales Service is treating me to dinner.”

Meng Xingzhe immediately recalled a man with distinct features, a healthy tan, and a tall, strong build.

He remembered this man coming upstairs to find Yao Jia.

He found it strange that he could recall a man’s appearance so clearly.

Perhaps it was because on the day that man came to see Yao Jia, she had smiled so brightly that he found it annoying. He had even deliberately complained to Tian Huasheng, “Her smile is so wide, her gums are almost showing. What an unsightly smile.”

In hindsight, he realized he might have unconsciously started feeling jealous even before he was aware of his feelings for her.

Looking at Yao Jia now, he sneered, “You have a boyfriend, yet you’re agreeing to dinner with another man?”

“???” Yao Jia thought, you, the Pizza Hut playboy, have the nerve to say that about me?!

“Aren’t you the one who hasn’t broken up with your girlfriend and is still going on dates with other girls?!”

Meng Xingzhe was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t expected to be repeatedly caught out over an imaginary girlfriend.

“We’re discussing your issue now,” Meng Xingzhe decided that since he couldn’t win the argument, he might as well muddle through with nonsense, “You’re not just agreeing to dinner with someone other than your boyfriend, but alone. Do you think that’s appropriate?”

His voice rose.

Prompting Yao Jia’s voice to rise as well, her emotions following suit, “What’s inappropriate about it?”

Meng Xingzhe stubbornly retorted, “A man and a woman, dining alone, how is that appropriate? Is that something a respectable girl would do?”

Yao Jia was so infuriated by his relentless pestering that she felt her blood was flowing backward. She thought she could probably master the Nine Yin Manual out of sheer frustration.

“Then just come with me! That way we won’t be alone together, right?” she shouted.

“If you put it that way,” Meng Xingzhe’s tone suddenly softened, “it does make some sense.”

He looked at her and nodded slightly. “Alright then, I’ll reluctantly accompany you to break this ‘alone together’ situation.”

“…” Yao Jia watched his quick change of expression, feeling as if she’d fallen into his trap.

He just didn’t want to order takeout himself!

---

As they walked out of Kunyu Building, Meng Xingzhe asked Yao Jia, “What are those Equator guys treating you to? I’m picky with food. At the very least, it can’t be worse than Haidilao.”

“?” Yao Jia felt Meng Xingzhe seemed to have some animosity toward Lu Jingyi, resorting to personal attacks about his skin color for no reason.

She retorted without needing to consult him first, “Are you having another bout of your ‘King of Trouble’ syndrome? The least is Haidilao? Then what about all those Pizza Hut meals you’ve had? And why call him an Equator guy? He’s not that dark, okay? It’s a healthy tan!”

As they bickered, Yao Jia led him to a skewer restaurant.

Standing outside, Meng Xingzhe looked at the sign with disdain. “This place?”

Yao Jia countered, “Yes, this place. If you don’t want to eat here, go back to your dorm. I’ll order takeout for you. Oh, and it’ll be from this place too!”

“…” Meng Xingzhe laughed in exasperation. He entered the restaurant like a pampered prince on a secret visit, avoiding touching anything as if afraid of picking up dust.

Ignoring him, Yao Jia went to the counter to put down some money before entering the private room.

Meng Xingzhe didn’t understand her actions. “What’s going on? Who’s treating whom?”

Yao Jia rolled her eyes at him. “He was supposed to treat me, but since I brought an extra mouth, how could I let him pay?”

Meng Xingzhe felt a stir in his heart. “You’re quite considerate.”

He thought he was beyond saving, finding even her small gestures touching.

He went to the counter, retrieved the money Yao Jia had put down, handed it back to her, and placed his own bills instead.

Yao Jia: “?”

Meng Xingzhe gave her a sidelong glance. “Two grown men needing a girl to treat?”

Yao Jia thought, fine, if you want to treat, then treat.

In the private room, Yao Jia introduced, “This is the person I mentioned earlier, Meng Xingzhe, from the desk next to mine,” she paused, adding, “He’s my sworn brother.”

Lu Jingyi immediately caught on and greeted Meng Xingzhe, “Hello, Brother, my apologies!”

Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe sat on one side, with Lu Jingyi across from them.

Once seated, Lu Jingyi called the waiter to start ordering. After choosing the skewers, he opted for the normal soup base.

Meng Xingzhe asked the waiter, “Do you only have one type of soup base?”

The waiter replied that they had normal and mild spicy. Meng Xingzhe said, “Then bring two soup bases, one normal and one mild spicy.”

The waiter agreed. Lu Jingyi looked up and asked, “Brother, can’t you eat spicy food?”

Meng Xingzhe casually replied, “Yao Jia can’t handle it well.”

Yao Jia was busy rinsing her dishes and utensils with hot water. Hearing this, her heart skipped a beat.

He actually remembered she couldn’t handle spicy food.

Lu Jingyi quickly said, “Oh, I overlooked that. I always thought with Yao Jia’s good skin, she’d handle spicy food well!” He added, “Brother is truly attentive!”

After hearing Lu Jingyi’s words, Yao Jia, feeling a bit touched, rinsed Meng Xingzhe’s dishes and utensils as well.

Soon, the soup bases and skewers arrived. With everyone’s agreement, Lu Jingyi decided to order a few bottles of beer to liven up the atmosphere.

He called the waiter and instructed, “Bring us your best and most expensive beer!”

Meng Xingzhe immediately followed up, “No need for the most expensive, just something decent will do.”

Yao Jia was stunned by his humble approach to life. She turned to him in surprise.

Taking advantage of Lu Jingyi and the waiter opening the beers, Meng Xingzhe leaned close to Yao Jia’s ear and quickly whispered, “I’m the one treating, after all.”

His warm breath brushed past Yao Jia’s ear, sending a slight tingle through her scalp.

Yao Jia shrank her neck and laughed, whispering back, “You’re so stingy!”

Meng Xingzhe watched her smile, her eyes curved, lips upturned, and teeth neat and white. He felt the air sweeten with her laughter. He wanted to hide her smiling face away, not wanting anyone else to see it.

With the beer served, they started enjoying the skewers with their drinks.

Meng Xingzhe tried skewers from both soup bases, then called the waiter to request a bowl of clear water.

Lu Jingyi, a straightforward person, became more talkative with the beer.

He sincerely thanked Yao Jia, “Honestly, Yao Jia, we in After-sales Service really find your Customer Service Department annoying. We work ourselves to the bone, but your department often logs complaints against us. You’re the only one truly friendly to us, always helping mediate with customers to avoid complaints. On behalf of our After-sales Service team, I sincerely thank you!”

Yao Jia quickly responded, “No need, it’s just a small effort. I know everyone has a tough job.”

Lu Jingyi sighed, “Not everyone in your department thinks like you. Most don’t care if we live or die. If a customer wants to log a complaint, they just do it.”

He couldn’t help but add, “Actually, it’s not just our department. Other departments are also annoyed with your Customer Service Department, especially the Warehouse Department. They complain about delayed returns, and bam, another complaint logged.”

Yao Jia laughed, “Our position is quite unique. It’s the epitome of thankless work. We’re at the bottom of the pecking order, annoying everyone, with low pay and exhausting work. We’re like human trash cans, listening to customers vent every day. Yet, despite being so disliked, our role is essential. So, is it important or not?”

As Yao Jia finished, she fished a skewer from the mild soup base, about to eat it when Meng Xingzhe intercepted it.

“??” With others around, Yao Jia restrained herself from scolding Meng Xingzhe for even snatching food. She just stared at him, wondering if he felt any shame.

Lu Jingyi mentioned, “Lately, I’ve been quite troubled. Work is busy, and on top of that, my investments seem to be going down the drain.”

While chatting with Lu Jingyi, Meng Xingzhe asked, “What kind of investment?” Meanwhile, he dipped the skewer into the clear water he had requested and handed it back to Yao Jia. “Here, eat.”

Yao Jia took the skewer, momentarily stunned. As she tasted it, she realized the spice level was just right for her. The skewer, after being rinsed in water, was mild enough for her to handle. It dawned on her that, despite the mild label, it would have been too spicy for her without rinsing.

So he had tried skewers from both soup bases to test the spice level for her? And he had specifically asked for a bowl of clear water.

Yao Jia’s heart raced.

She heard Lu Jingyi lament, “I heard from a friend that P2P investments were great, with high returns. So I put all my savings into it. Initially, it was profitable, with lots of interest coming in every month. But recently, there hasn’t been any payout for two months. I thought about withdrawing my principal, but damn, they won’t even let me do that! Then I saw the news and realized the P2P I invested in has crashed, facing a payout crisis. My money might be gone!”

Upon hearing this, Yao Jia immediately turned to Meng Xingzhe, “Didn’t Bei Luonan say you also invested in P2P and even lost your house? You must have some experience and lessons in this area!”

Meng Xingzhe nearly choked. He really wanted to drown Bei Luonan in chili water and be done with him!

Lu Jingyi, seeing a glimmer of hope, quickly asked, “Brother Meng, have you also invested in P2P? What should I do now to minimize my losses? Should I hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit?”

While casually fishing a few skewers from the mildly spicy pot and rinsing them in a bowl of clear water, Meng Xingzhe replied, “When a P2P platform collapses, many people consider filing a lawsuit immediately. However, that’s not the best course of action. You should first report to the police station or the economic investigation team, because criminal compensation takes precedence over civil debts.”

He nonchalantly placed the rinsed skewers onto Yao Jia’s plate.

“If more than 30 victims report, or if the amount involved exceeds a hundred thousand, the police will open a case. Once a case is opened, they will investigate, and the recovered funds will first be used for criminal compensation, with any remaining for civil compensation. So, you should report it first.”

Yao Jia, eating the skewers rinsed by Meng Xingzhe, said, “You seem to understand this well. How did you end up losing your house? Didn’t you report it first?”

Meng Xingzhe gritted his teeth and acknowledged the false accusation with a grunt.

He wanted to kill Bei Luonan again for fabricating his life story, forcing him to continue weaving lies to cover it up.

Yao Jia gave him a sympathetic look, then picked up a piece of tripe from the plate and took a bite.

Unexpectedly, the tripe was stubbornly spicy, retaining its fiery flavor even after being rinsed. Yao Jia was so overwhelmed by the spice that she stuck out her tongue, trying to cool it down.

Meng Xingzhe squinted at her pink tongue.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s spicy!”

Meng Xingzhe took the half-eaten skewer from her hand and naturally took another bite.

“Yes, it’s spicy. You shouldn’t eat this.” Meng Xingzhe finished the entire skewer himself, eating it with ease. He then prepared another skewer for her.

Yao Jia inexplicably felt her ears grow warm. A thought flashed through her mind. He was usually so particular, even annoyed if someone spoke too close, fearing their breath would contaminate his pristine airways.

Yet, he didn’t mind that the skewer had been in her mouth, and he ate it so naturally…

She rubbed her warm ears, thinking he might have been too busy talking to Lu Jingyi to notice.

Lu Jingyi, as if a guiding light had illuminated his path, thanked Meng Xingzhe profusely, “Brother Meng, thank you for your advice. I’ll take leave tomorrow to report it to the economic investigation team!”

This guidance seemed to bring the three of them closer together.

After a few bottles of alcohol, Lu Jingyi started treating Meng Xingzhe as a newfound benefactor, almost shifting the dinner’s theme from thanking Yao Jia to thanking Meng Xingzhe.

Taking advantage of the tipsy atmosphere, Lu Jingyi leaned forward with a mysterious air and said to Meng Xingzhe, “Brother Meng, I have something private to say. It’s about our Kunyu Electric. Just listen and forget I ever mentioned it.”

— Translator’s Notes —

• Nine Yin Manual: The Nine Yin Manual (Jiǔ Yīn Zhēn Jīng) is a legendary fictional martial arts scripture from Jin Yong’s wuxia novels, representing the pinnacle of internal martial arts techniques and often sought after in stories for ultimate power.