Wait, why is this blond guy a lolicon?

Back to the place of transformation—the public toilet.

Jiang Ling deactivated her transformation and stepped out, rubbing her eyes as she looked around.

Hmm, nobody's here!

After confirming that he hadn't been discovered to be one of the characters from Cardboard Knight.

Jiang Ling strolled away, satisfied.

However, in the nearby bushes, a girl in casual pants and a baseball cap stared intently at the photo.

"I didn't expect... he's actually quite handsome!"

She murmured to herself, her fingertips lightly tracing the face on the screen. But then, a curious smile replaced her initial admiration.

"However, Alan isn't someone who's all about looks. He really needs to investigate (or peek into) the supernatural things."

"Jiang Ling, is that so? Hmph~ It's decided, you will be Alan's next long-term observation target."

……

As evening fell, the setting sun painted the sky a warm orange hue.

[Ding-dong]

Jiang Ling had just parked her bicycle downstairs when her phone received a voice message from Li Meiyu:

[You stinky blondie, Kexin is coming to visit me, so find a hotel for now and come back at 10 PM.]

Pfft, I almost laughed out of anger at the brat's message.

He wanted to see what other tricks Miyu could pull.

What happened to the money for the hotel stay?

You pay; if you don't have money, just sleep under a bridge!

Just you wait, I'm going up there right now and telling Kexin that you're my secret maid, that you sold yourself to me to get this place.

[You stinking blondie! Go to hell a thousand times! When did Miyu sell herself, you bastard!] Li Miyu was indeed furious.

A while later, she sent another message, her tone softening:

[Hmph... As long as you promise Miyu... when you come back, Miyu has prepared a big surprise for you!]

When asking someone for a favor, use the word "please".

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then a voice message came through, the voice soft and sweet, with an intentionally cloying sweetness:

Um... please... please help Miu...

Her tone was delicate and soft, so sweet and cloying that it made one's heart flutter.

However, if it comes from Li Meiyu's mouth, there must be something fishy about it.

Jiang Ling shook her head.

Actually, he didn't plan to go up after he knew Kexin was coming.

Kexin is naive, but even more intelligent.

Even if he deliberately lowered his voice when he saved the damsel in distress, it's hard to guarantee that Kexin wouldn't discover his true identity.

"Never mind, let's find a place to eat first," Jiang Ling thought for a moment and decided to go to [Izumi Ramen].

While filling our stomachs, we also took the opportunity to check out the work environment.

Without hesitation, he got back on his bike, turned on the navigation, and rode towards the ramen shop.

……

The evening rush hour had just passed at the Izumi Ramen restaurant.

The restaurant was still packed with people, with many office workers who had just finished get off work flocking in to order a steaming bowl of classic tonkotsu ramen to shake off the day's fatigue.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of bone broth and the steam of food.

"Thank you so much, Xiaoyi. I'm so grateful for your help today." Aunt Yuan Meizi, the shop owner, wiped the sweat from her forehead, straightened her slightly sore back, and deftly poured boiling hot soup into the noodle bowl.

"It's nothing, it's what I should do," Chen Yi said, bowing and scraping as he handed the bowl of noodles to the customer.

Looking at the hardworking and diligent Chen Yi, Yuan Meizi's eyes revealed sincere satisfaction and appreciation.

Xiao Yi is such a reliable and good kid.

She couldn't help but think of her eldest daughter, and the more she looked at them, the more she felt they were a perfect match.

Women of that era were very conservative in their thinking. When it came to daily life, they believed that a hardworking boy and a virtuous girl were the best combination.

While busy serving noodles, Chen Yi kept glancing towards the shop entrance.

Time passed second by second, but the figure he was waiting for never appeared.

"It seems Kexin still harbors resentment towards me," he sighed inwardly, feeling a strange sense of loss.

For some reason, he always felt that Kexin seemed to be deliberately distancing herself from him.

He was annoyed that she didn't wait for him to go to school in the morning, and then said she was going to Miyu's house in the evening... This subtle sense of distance made him very frustrated.

He had already apologized.

Why does Kexin still use passive-aggressive tactics on him? Even if he's wrong... she's forced into it.

Ding-dong~ Ding-dong—

The automatic doorbell rings, indicating that another guest has arrived.

"Welcome..." Chen Yi habitually raised his professional smile and looked up, but when he saw the person's face clearly, his smile froze on his face.

"Oh, Chen Yi?" Jiang Ling was somewhat surprised. Why was the victim here?

Could it be that they're here for a part-time job too? A thought flashed through my mind, but I couldn't quite grasp it.

"Young man, what would you like to eat?" Aunt Yuan Meizi greeted him with a smile. Years of hard work had etched fine crow's feet around her eyes, but her smile remained warm and sweet.

Even though she's over forty, her smile is still sweet and charming, reminiscent of a vintage red wine that's been aged for many years.

But then again, people do get old...

No, why would I care about this?

Jiang Ling shook her head and ordered: "One classic tonkotsu ramen."

"Would you like a large portion?"

"Okay, and please add a dish of seaweed with sauce, please."

"Would you like something to drink? We have tea, juice, sparkling water, soda water..."

"Ordinary ice water will do."

A seasoned food connoisseur is here to share new ways to enjoy food.

Any beverage containing sugar, alcohol, or that interferes with the taste buds will affect the original flavor of tonkotsu ramen and is not recommended. It is best to eat it with plain water.

The choice of pure water is also very important, and it is divided into room temperature, hot water, and ice water.

Needless to say, even iced black tea, which is known as "Guojiao" (a famous Chinese liquor), becomes nothing more than horse urine that even dogs wouldn't drink when served at room temperature.

As for hot water affecting the tongue's heat dissipation, that's not recommended either, since the noodle soup is already scalding hot.

Therefore, the perfect drink pairing is plain ice water.

When you're enjoying a delicious meal and take a sip of noodle soup, you feel a dryness at the back of your tongue.

The cool water will instantly lower the temperature of your mouth.

It also washes away the salty taste stuck to the back of the tongue.

This ensures that every time you slurp up the noodles, you can recapture the deliciousness of the first bite.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Yi whispered to Yuan Meizi, "Auntie, I'm a little tired. Lingjiang should be finished with her club class by now, right? Should I go pick her up?"

Ouyang Keling is Kexin's younger sister. She attends Shenchuan Middle School. Soon after, the "All-Japan Marching Band Competition" will be held, which is a "full-band" competition. Therefore, many members of the band will voluntarily stay late to practice.

Yuan Meizi washed her hands and shook her head: "Lingjiang has a school bus to pick her up and drop her off. Xiaoyi, if you're tired, go and rest in the back."

"Leave this to me."

Chen Yi had only wanted an excuse to avoid Jiang Ling, so he immediately nodded:

"Okay, then I'll trouble you." After saying that, he practically fled into the kitchen.

Once the noodles were ready, Jiang Ling began to slurp them.

Hmm, five ants!

"Hmm~ Five ants!"

Almost simultaneously, a satisfied sigh came from not far away.

Jiang Ling turned her head.

At a table diagonally behind, a girl with long blue hair wearing a baseball cap was sitting, head down, intently slurping noodles, her face obscured.

The girl wasn't particularly tall, somewhere between a teenage girl and a young girl, and she wore loose casual pants, her style exuding a cool and carefree vibe that seemed out of place for her age.

Even from a distance of several steps, Jiang Ling's keen sense of smell seemed to be able to detect a very faint, pleasant fragrance.

The immortals of great love see beauties as mere skeletons.

And Jiang Ling, the immortal, could guess a beautiful woman's feet—

Her shoe size is mostly between 32 and 34, a perfect size that fits perfectly in one hand.

"But why did this guy order the same thing as me? A large bowl of classic tonkotsu ramen, a side of seaweed salad, and even ice water?"

Jiang Ling remarked, "Intelligent creatures always tend to evolve in a convergent manner."

However, Jiang Ling had no intention of striking up a conversation.

We met by chance, let's each go our own way and wish each other well.

[Ding-dong~]

Jiang Ling glanced at her phone; it was a message from Yan Youyou.

"Mr. Knight, have you eaten?"

I'm outside "Izumi Ramen," planning to have dinner before going home.

This restaurant's tonkotsu ramen is really delicious!

Ok?

He froze instantly, then looked up at the shop entrance again.

ding dong~

The automatic door opened in response.

A young girl walked in, her bangs covering half her face, revealing a fair and pointed chin.

The oversized school uniform concealed her slender figure, but her aloof and refined temperament was as undeniable as a swan's, even when draped in coarse cloth.

Their eyes met unexpectedly in mid-air.

A clear look of disgust flashed across Yan Youyou's eyes. She immediately looked away and quickly walked to the corner furthest from Jiang Ling to sit down.

Tap tap tap, head down, typing.

Immediately afterward, Jiang Ling's phone rang again.

[Ding-dong~]

"Mr. Knight, I...I ran into a really annoying guy at the ramen shop...and my mood suddenly turned sour..."

Jiang Ling: ……

"Oh, that's really bad luck."