Forge a path to success.

Chapter 257 A Memorable First Date (1)

It was the weekend, and the weather was perfect. The sun had just risen, and golden wildflowers swayed in the morning breeze on the hillside covered in blossoms.

Chu Hengkong walked from the foot of the mountain to the halfway point, picking and choosing along the way, but couldn't find any flowers he liked. He decided to use his spirit to explore the surroundings and headed towards a patch of blue flowers.

The young flower seller was carefully inspecting her flowers, a wooden basket full of blossoms slung over her arm. Hearing the noise, she looked up, her small face filled with surprise: "Oh, it's Lady Divine Child!"

"Just call me Detective," Chu Hengkong waved his hand. "Are these flowers for sale?"

"I picked these flowers to sell, what kind of flowers would you like?" The flower girl didn't offer to give them away, knowing that the trendsetter never took anything for free.

"It's...the kind that's pretty but not too tacky..." Chu Hengkong pondered, "It has to have a fragrance, but not too strong..."

The flower girl took out several white flowers adorned with pale purple, their unique shapes resembling swallows in flight.

"What do you think of the white larkspur? Its flower language is lightness, freedom, and justice."

"This one's fine." Chu Hengkong handed him a large flower bead. The flower girl deftly packed it up for him, chuckling, "Detective Chu buys flowers too?"

Chu Hengkong shrugged: "When you ask a girl out, you always have to bring flowers."

He gathered the five larkspurs, lightly touched the lawn with his toes, and leaped up as gracefully as a bird. The colorful marshland shrank in his eyes, and the waving flower girl became a patch of color among the flowers.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Hengkong had crossed half of the swamp and arrived at the dock. The Death Wing silently unfolded, carrying him into the air, skimming the waterfall towards the central courtyard. As he flew, he extended a flower, letting a few drops of fresh water splash onto the petals.

Just then, the first dragon boat began its ascent, and the citizens gasped in amazement as they watched the figures moving parallel to the vessel. Chu Hengkong raised his hand in response, admitting that he enjoyed the feeling, just as he loved flying. No vehicle could offer the freedom of soaring alone.

Chu Heng flew away from the Rising Dragon Ship and quickly returned to his dormitory in the central courtyard. The time was 7:30, exactly as predicted. The clothes he had urgently ordered yesterday had already been delivered to his door. He went inside and changed into a casual suit, slightly adjusting the thickness of the wristbands so that they could be neatly tucked into the sleeves. He then put on a pair of white gloves, so that no one could find any trace of the wristbands.

He carefully smoothed his hair, adjusted his bow tie in front of the mirror, and felt he was well-prepared. He turned back for a final check: "How do I look?"

Vande stood by the door, clutching its little sleeping bag, its eyes wide open like a camera lens out of focus. It tried several times, but couldn't utter a sound, and the sleeping bag fell to the floor with a thud.

"It looks alright." Chu Hengkong nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's keep it that way."

He took the bouquet and went out, then gently knocked three times on the door next door.

"Come on~"

A few seconds later, a groggy response came, followed by the sound of footsteps as heavy and unsteady as a corpse. The door slammed open, and Miss Ji, who had just woken up, stood in the doorway, wearing a tank top and shorts, with a head of messy blond hair.

"Good morning, Akong~" Ji Huaisu yawned.

"Good morning, madam." Chu Hengkong handed her the flowers. "It's such a beautiful day today. Would you do me the honor of joining me for a stroll?"

"Oh..." Ji Huaisu rubbed her eyes, trying to regain her senses. She instinctively took the bouquet and looked at the elegant man before her, who exuded the air of a foreign gentleman. "Thank you so much!!!"

Then, within 0.3 seconds, a terrified scream pierced the morning air! A flock of birds took flight around the dormitory, and Qingxia, who was brushing her teeth downstairs, was so startled that she threw her toothbrush cup out the window. Qingye, who lived on the upper floor, was jolted awake by the scream and hit her head on the ceiling!

Ji Huaisu, clutching the bouquet, leaped back, creating a five-meter gap. Utterly helpless, she collapsed to the ground, clutching a large vase in the living room. Her face was deathly pale, her expression one of utter terror, as if possessed by a ghost from a desolate wilderness. Suddenly, her dazed mind cleared completely, and her restored vision etched the harsh reality into her brain. Her screams intensified, causing Fan De, who had just regained consciousness next door, to lose his hearing: "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh! Don't come any closer!!"

Chu Hengkong's smile froze on his face, thinking to himself, "This is damn wrong!"
Before the date, he had prepared contingency plans for all sorts of unexpected situations. After all, Ji Huaisu was known for her strong will and anything could happen. He anticipated that Ji Huaisu might tease him for a while, in which case he could recite his prepared retort; she might make an excuse that she didn't have a suitable outfit and needed to go out shopping, and he would follow up by bringing out another women's dress that he had ordered in advance... He had even thought of the possibility that she might feign illness and refuse to come out, and he had specifically asked Jie An for a pill for this purpose in advance.

He went to great lengths this time, preparing 18 contingency plans and meticulously calculating every detail using the Immortal Machine. He hadn't even taken assassination missions this seriously. But who knew that from the very beginning, this girl would act like she'd seen a ghost?! If the leading lady of Earth's horror movies had that voice and that acting skill, audiences would be terrified in the theater. Even the most vengeful spirits would probably be scared into becoming Buddhas by that scream!

Chu Hengkong decided to bite the bullet and try, at least to block out the noise: "If there's anything offensive, I'd be very sorry..."

Ji Huaisu immediately conjured up a giant paw, holding it protectively in front of her chest like pepper spray: "You, you, you, shut up! Who are you?! Why are you here! What are your intentions in impersonating my boyfriend... my friend... my partner! What did you do to Chu Hengkong?!"

Chu Hengkong's face stiffened: "I am Chu Hengkong..." Ji Huaisu gripped the bouquet of flowers like a spear and jabbed it repeatedly at the door: "Get out! Get out! What kind of monstrous thing is this, acting all high and mighty, messing around with your knight ancestors so early in the morning? Fan De, go call Qingxia and Xiaoye! I'll deal with this monster first!"

Vande next door rolled over, deciding to play dead for good. Chu Hengkong took off his gloves, revealing his wrist, and groaned, "I really am Chu Hengkong!"

At that moment, Qingye somersaulted out of the window, gripping the Mian Sheng spear, ready to fire. Qingxia shot into the air like a rocket, startling even Qingkun Spear into being drawn. "What on earth happened?!!"

Upon seeing a certain man, Qingye let out a scream no less piercing than Ji Huaisu's, losing her balance and collapsing at the gate. Qingxia's wings cramped from shock, and the unfortunate girl, temporarily out of control, hung from a tree like a kite. Ji Huaisu broke out in a cold sweat, swiftly sitting up and grabbing her partner's hand: "Akong, what's wrong with you?! You can discuss any difficulties with everyone, please don't do anything rash!"

"Monster—" "A ghost...!"

Outside the dormitory building, the moans of the girls echoed, attracting the attention of passersby. Chu Hengkong looked up at the sky, feeling that he had never done anything so difficult in his life, and he almost wanted to give up.

"Calm down and listen to me," Chu Hengkong said desperately. "I really came here to ask you out."

Ji Huaisu let out a second round of horrifying screams.

·
"Ah Kong, shall we go practice boxing?" Ji Huaisu said sincerely. "Don't do this, I'm scared."

Wearing his usual green overcoat and white shirt, Chu Hengkong felt for the first time in his life like a defeated general who had suffered repeated defeats. He had to change back into his less-than-stellar attire, otherwise the ladies would have thought he was a demon and killed him on the spot. The thunderous laughter that followed the clarification of the truth was now firmly locked away in a corner of his memory.

He used to look down on young people who were unwilling to face the truth, but after experiencing it firsthand, he had to admit that there were some things he would never want to think about again.

"How did it become my fault for preparing for a date so carefully?" Chu Hengkong sighed.

"Is that what you call preparing for a date? This is more like a funeral procession coming to claim my life!" Ji Huaisu shrieked. "I am very grateful for your meticulous preparations, but my poor heart really can't take it... By the way, why are you dressed like this? Is it a custom where you're from?"

“I learned it. I’ve never been on a date before.” Chu Hengkong said expressionlessly. “My family education since I started working has always taught me that going out with a lady requires careful preparation to show the gentlemanly manners of an aristocrat, and most of the young elites I’ve met do the same.”

"Just wondering, in which situations did you meet these beautiful and talented men and women..."

“When I’m on a mission,” Chu Hengkong said, “they are usually my targets. I wait until they’re ready and then take them out with one slash. Then I use their phones to send an apology text to my date saying I can’t make it…”

Chu Hengkong hesitated for a moment. Even with his steely nerves, he subconsciously sensed something was amiss. Ji Huaisu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot: "Your so-called role model is just a spoiled brat who deserved to be killed by you! You should at least learn from your underlings back then!"

Chu Hengkong was speechless. His former underlings were all incredibly ruthless, Italians from generations of organized crime, who believed in using kisses and guns to deal with women. According to them, dating was all about passionate masculine charm; to win over your sweetheart, you had to fire three shots into the air to assert your ownership, then go up and force a kiss while spouting flirtatious lines…

Using this approach to deal with Ji Huaisu is probably because he thinks his life is too smooth. He is 100% sure that his good partner will be completely infuriated by the Italian street hustler's routine, turning the date into a full-blown brawl, or even leading to a complete break in their friendship.

He offered a weak protest: "That's what I dressed like when I attended high society events with my boss back in the day."

“Ah Kong, firstly, your boss brought you along to show everyone that ‘I have the world’s number one assassin.’ What you wear is really irrelevant.” Ji Huaisu patted his face. “Secondly, you said it yourself that it was a high-society occasion… Ask yourself honestly, am I a member of high society?”

"It's my fault." Chu Hengkong readily agreed, pulling out a pre-prepared slip of paper. "Then let's skip this topic. You can take a look at my schedule—"

Ji Huaisu took the piece of paper, folded it neatly with a smile, and put it back in his pocket.

"Since it's a date, let's relax and forget about the plans," Ji Huaisu announced cheerfully. "Let's go for a walk in the countryside!"

Chu Hengkong stood there, stunned: "But the first project I arranged was—"

"Ah Kong~" Ji Huaisu slapped his head hard, "I'm begging you, you're on a date with me, not accompanying your superior on a trip! Enough nonsense, let's go, let's go, let's go!"

"Okay, okay."

(End of this chapter)