Journey of Lies

It's unclear whether Sheng Zhi listened or not, but when the food arrived, he started talking about other fun places in Chiang Mai.

Jungle walks, elephant cafes, and a variety of entertainment options suitable for adults—adventure and stress relief...

Perhaps it was because Sheng Zhi's speech was so captivating, but Jiang Xia was somewhat moved.

The seafood tom yum soup was served, and Sheng Zhi helped her put it into a bowl while asking, "Your husband has been in Chiang Mai for several years now, and this is your first time here?"

After letting her stomach rest for a few days, Jiangxia was able to eat things with a bit of spice again. A sip of the sour and spicy Tom Yum soup finally tasted like the Thai food she had imagined.

"He's a painter, and he's always been a homebody. I don't think he's ever been to these tourist attractions."

After hearing Jiang Xia's explanation, Sheng Zhi pursed his lips and said nothing, then put on gloves and wrapped up the roasted pork neck from Northern Thailand for Jiang Xia.

"This place is better than any other in Bangkok. The garlic slices are very spicy; I used half a slice."

Sheng Zhi handed it to her, and seeing that she had a good appetite, he wrapped another one for her.

Jiang Xia took a bite, and the fresh lettuce leaves added a lot to the slightly greasy pork neck meat, while the sauce and garlic slices brought out the aroma of the pork neck meat.

This meal was arguably the most satisfying one Jiang Xia had during his trip to Thailand.

Jiang Xia had originally saved room for the restaurant's signature mango sticky rice, but when that huge plate was served, she knew she wouldn't be able to finish it.

"Let's eat together." Jiang Xia took a clean small bowl and gave him half of it.

Sheng Zhi paused for a moment, then took the food and started eating in silence.

The rich coconut milk paired with granulated coconut sugar, and the mango served with soft, sweet sticky rice, made Jiang Xia nod in approval: "So delicious."

"The mangoes are quite delicious."

After finishing what was in his bowl, Sheng Zhi picked up the lemongrass iced tea and drank more than half of it in one gulp.

"Are you thirsty?" Jiang Xia forked another piece of mango. "There are a few more pieces left, do you want more?"

Sheng Zhi shook his head and said no, then called the waiter and ordered another glass of iced water.

While it was time to pay, Jiang Xia rushed to scan the code and pay, but when she turned around, she saw that Sheng Zhi's neck was all red.

What happened to your neck?

"fine."

Sheng Zhi walked ahead to open the door for her. As Jiang Xia passed by him, she noticed that the redness seemed to be spreading, even forming raised spots...

Jiang Xia couldn't help but gently tug at his collar, and sure enough, his entire lower body was covered in red rashes. "Are you having an allergic reaction?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, that should be the case."

What are you allergic to?

"mango."

"What?!"

Once outside, Jiang Xia pressed, "You knew you were allergic to mangoes, so why were you eating them just now? Why didn't you say so?!"

"Don't worry, I just saw a 711-Eleven across the street. Just take two allergy pills within half an hour, and you'll be fine."

"You...you really are reckless!"

Before Sheng Zhi could say anything more, Jiang Xia took off running towards the convenience store across the street. She almost bumped into someone while crossing the road and could only keep saying "Sorry" all the way.

When Sheng Zhi arrived, Jiang Xia had already asked the clerk for three types of allergy medication. "Which one do you usually take?"

Seeing her anxious expression, Sheng Zhi couldn't help but smile.

"How can you still laugh at a time like this? Do you know that severe allergies can cause breathing difficulties and even death?!"

Sheng Zhi took one of the boxes, and Jiang Xia broke it open and put it in his mouth. She also brought him a bottle of mineral water that hadn't been paid for yet and made him swallow it.

After seeing him take the medicine, Jiang Xia went to pay the bill.

For the next half hour, Jiang Xia didn't dare to relax at all, sitting with Sheng Zhi on a bench in front of the convenience store.

The air conditioning in the store kept escaping intermittently, and on this hot afternoon, the two of them started sweating after only waiting for a short while.

Jiang Xia, holding the flyer he had just received, fanned Sheng Zhi as if atonement.

Looking closely at the spreading red rash, it suddenly appeared under my eyes as well.

"Let's go to the hospital. I'll call a car now." Jiang Xia hurriedly took out her phone, but Sheng Zhi stopped her again.

"It's really nothing. I know the extent of the problem. The redness will definitely subside within half an hour of taking the medicine. I didn't eat much either. And let me tell you... I haven't eaten mangoes for years, but they're really delicious."

Seeing that Sheng Zhi still had the energy to joke, Jiang Xia breathed a slight sigh of relief, switched hands, and continued to fan him.

Sheng Zhi pulled down her hand, and with a little force, the distance between them closed.

"Aren't you afraid your husband will get jealous if you treat me this well?" Sheng Zhi teased her with a mischievous smile. "If you have an allergic reaction after eating a mango, you'll have to treat me better in return. It's a win-win situation."

Jiang Xia brushed his hand away impatiently, "Who knew you were so childish, actually joking about your own body."

Sheng Zhi let out a long sigh, scratched his neck, and teased her on purpose: "Hu Junxi doesn't know I'm allergic to mangoes. Jiang Xia, you finally know my secret."

"Have you used the same trick on every woman of the opposite sex?" Jiang Xia glared at him.

"I swear, apart from my family, only you know that Hu Junxi doesn't know I'm allergic to mangoes."

Jiang Xia didn't believe him.

"If you ever want to kill me, just add concentrated mango extract to my food. It's easy to kill you." Sheng Zhi unbuttoned the second button of his shirt. He felt much better now and his breathing was much smoother.

Jiang Xia turned her head to look at him, then looked to the other side somewhat sullenly. After waiting for a while and confirming that his rash was starting to subside, Jiang Xia got up.

"I want to go back."

"Aren't you going to browse around a bit more? This place is only open on Sundays, so we'll have to wait another week to come back." Sheng Zhi said loudly, but Jiang Xia walked faster and faster.

He had no choice but to get up and follow her, finally catching up with her in the parking area.

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have joked about my allergies to scare you. I'm fine now, don't be angry."

Jiang Xia said with a serious expression, "I value life and death very much. I don't know how you can talk about such things so casually. What will your family think? Have you thought about your parents?"

Seeing this, Sheng Zhi also stopped joking and said, "I will no longer make such life-or-death jokes in the future."

Jiang Xia hesitated, then put on his helmet and refrained from offering any further comment.

She thought she was going home, but Sheng Zhi took her to a chain Thai massage parlor on his motorcycle.

"Going back so early is too boring. Let me show you an authentic Thai massage."

Jiang Xia handed him the helmet; the red rash on his body had disappeared by now.

Considering how uncomfortable he was just now, it's good that he can relax a bit now.

With the influx of Chinese tourists to Thailand in recent years, chain stores in this type of service industry have long been trained to provide trilingual menus and introduce the products to the two customers in fairly fluent Chinese.

Jiang Xia couldn't tell the difference between the packages, so she chose the 120-minute hot stone massage recommended by the staff.

Sheng Zhi chose another set meal, and the two of them followed the staff to the foot-washing area.

A pebble-paved foot bath, frangipani blossoms shimmering on the water's surface, Jiang Xia changed into slippers and sat down.

After waiting for half a minute, two technicians came in one after the other, one fat and one thin, and they tacitly assigned customers to each other.

The technician serving Jiangxia was lean and a bit older than the other one.

The other party asked where the two were from. After learning that they were from China, they greeted each other in broken Chinese, saying that they were still learning Chinese.

The incense in the store smelled wonderful; I couldn't quite place the spices, but it had a hint of citrus and tea.

As the technician went up to the second floor, the entire shop became quiet, and the dark wallpaper also exuded tranquility.

The wooden floorboards underfoot made a dull thud. Jiang Xia had gotten massages a few times with friends back in China, but most of them were at spas that included beauty and skincare treatments. This was her first time getting a Thai massage.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, the technician pulled back the curtain for the two, revealing only a dim, yellowish light on the wall.

There are only two beds?

Before Jiang Xia could ask any further questions, her technician had already brought over a bamboo tray, on which, besides a set of clothes, were unopened... disposable underwear?

Jiang Xia glanced at Sheng Zhi's tray and saw that there was only one set of clothes.

"Why did you give me this?" Jiang Xia muttered to himself.

"You chose the hot stone, didn't you?" Sheng Zhi suppressed a laugh.

Jiang Xia then noticed the promotional image on the wall; it turned out that the hot stone required stripping naked.

After an emergency trip downstairs to communicate, Jiang Xia was able to switch to a traditional Thai massage. She wanted to change to a private room, but was told that there were no private rooms available.

Back upstairs, Sheng Zhi had already changed his clothes.

"Go inside and change." Sheng Zhi leaned against the wall, his long arms and legs accentuated by the loose massage clothes.

Jiang Xia changed her clothes and came out just in time to see two technicians waiting in line at the door with hot herbal ginger tea.

It's too late to leave now.