My game, Orange Flavor, is great!

A smile unconsciously crept onto his face, his mood instantly lifted by the little incident. Lu Zhao tightened his grip on the other person's hand and exclaimed, "By the way, the desserts at that restaurant are especially delicious. We absolutely have to order the brownie later..."

The cheerful words drifted in the cold air, and where Lu Zhao couldn't see, the man who had been riding the bicycle fell silently under a truck at the next intersection.

As if sensing something, Si Ling glanced in the direction of the intersection, then quickly looked away and continued listening to the voices of the people around her with a smile.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Getting Angry

After arriving at the restaurant, the two hands that had been holding each other finally let go.

The heat on his face hadn't subsided, and when he felt the damp sweat on his hands, Lu Zhao couldn't understand where he got the courage to run up and hold the other person's hand.

They were just ordinary friends who had only known each other for a short time.

"Guests," the waiter said, handing over a menu as soon as they were led to a table for two. "We have a new set menu for two this month. If you'd like to take a look, please do."

As soon as Lu Zhao took the menu, a gold-embossed title, "Couple's Set Meal," caught his eye.

She froze, slowly raising her head, her eyes wide. "This couple's set meal... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

The waiter politely replied, "It can be used by any two people. We just adopted this name because there have been more couples coming to the store recently."

Haha, I see.

She breathed a sigh of relief for no apparent reason. She glanced at Si Ling across from her, handed her the menu, and asked hesitantly, "Would you like to order this?"

"A Christmas couple's set meal?" Si Ling didn't seem uncomfortable at all. She casually flipped through a few pages and nodded. "Okay, I think the portion sizes here are just enough for the two of us."

The Eldar have a larger appetite than ordinary people, and these restaurants may have taken this into account, so they make the portions quite generous. People who can't finish all the food can ask for a few dishes to be removed, which is a very considerate service.

Seeing that her expression was normal, Lu Zhao scratched his face and said, "Okay, then let's order this. And while you're at it, let's change the baked snails on the menu to foie gras."

Although escargot is a famous dish, she still felt a little disgusted just thinking about it being made from snails.

"Okay, ma'am." The waiter didn't say anything more, marked the order, and left.

Perhaps it's because Christmas is approaching. In the past, the hall would only be half full at this time, but now it's almost full. They didn't arrive early, so the window seats with a view were already taken.

Lu Zhao glanced around, looked at the twilight in the distance, and then moved to a piano on the central platform. He explained with great interest, "I heard that this piano is a Yamaha, and it's very expensive. The owner of this shop moved it here from his home."

She doesn't know much about the piano, and she just listens to this kind of classical music casually. She only brought up this topic to find something to talk about.

“Really?” Si Ling smiled and glanced at the piano. “But I don’t know anything about the piano, otherwise I could play a piece right here.”

Please, please don't!

Lu Zhao, who had never liked to show off since childhood, twitched at the corner of his mouth and quickly said with a smile, "It's okay, you're so outstanding, it doesn't matter if you can't play the piano!"

If Si Ling were to actually go up and perform a song, someone as outstanding as her would definitely attract attention.

"Do you think I'm good?" Si Ling glanced at her with a slightly surprised expression.

"Of course!" Lu Zhao didn't understand why she said that, so he could only nod vigorously. "Look, you're good-looking, have a great personality, and the fact that you were able to move in next door to me shows that you're also very capable!"

She's definitely a rich, beautiful, and successful woman. If she were outside, her suitors would probably line up all the way to France!

She spoke eloquently, and somehow tickled Si Ling's funny bone. Si Ling suppressed her smile, held up her phone screen to face Si Ling, and asked, "Then, why won't you approve my application?"

What?

Lu Zhao's eyes widened as he looked at the "rejected" message on her phone and the "slut" comment in the message box. He immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

The profile picture and nickname of this "L" are actually Si Ling?

She was completely stunned for a moment, and stammered, "I... I didn't know this was you... Wait, how did you know my WeChat?"

"Of course, I asked Captain Li to help me get it." Si Ling's lips curled into a smile as she looked at Lu Zhao's expression with amusement, then dropped a bombshell, "Captain Lu, you don't know yet, do you? I'm the one Captain Li recommended to join Team One, am I?"

Like the "Open Sesame" in the story, the moment the spell was cast, all of Lu Zhao's movements froze. Even her thoughts seemed to be frozen, experiencing a brief moment of blankness.

until……

The cup, accidentally knocked over, fell to the ground with a crisp cracking sound. Lu Zhao then came to his senses, turned to the waiter who rushed over to clean it up, and said in a flustered manner, "Sorry, please put this on the bill."

"It's alright, I'll get you another cup right away."

After the waiter finished tidying up the blankets and left, she realized what Si Ling had just said. She silently turned to look at her, her voice trembling slightly, "So, the job you mentioned before was to join the Spirit Management Bureau?"

"Yes, I'll be working under you from now on. I hope Captain Lu will take good care of me," Si Ling replied with a smile.

In other words, the other person moving to a neighborhood near me, inviting me to meals, and getting close to me are all because they will be working on the same team in the future, so they are trying to build a good relationship with me in advance?

In an instant, Lu Zhao felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, chilled from the top of his heart to his toes.

She didn't know why she felt so lost, nor did she have any reason to blame Si Ling.

She didn't do anything wrong; she was just a bit more sociable, but that's not a mistake. She just overthought things and misunderstood...

"Lu Zhao? Lu Zhao?" Si Ling's voice pulled her back to reality.

She stared at the person in front of her in silence for a long while, then suddenly stood up. "Excuse me, I think I got some water on my clothes. I'll go to the restroom to take care of it."

With that, he left as if fleeing in disarray.

Si Ling was left sitting alone, watching her retreating figure with a deep look in her eyes. "She seems angry..."

A soft chuckle escaped her lips. She beckoned to a passing waiter and instructed him, "I need to go out for a bit, I'll be right back. Could you please have someone bring all the dishes back, and not clear them away?"

"Okay, miss."

Having received a satisfactory answer, Si Ling leisurely got up and followed the route Lu Zhao had hurriedly taken.

As she expected, the route did not lead to the toilet, but to a balcony behind the restaurant. Because of its remote location, few customers came here.

She paused, looking at the lonely figure leaning against the balcony, her eyes darkened, and the smile on her lips gradually faded.

In that instant, it was as if countless memories surged forth, only to ultimately vanish into nothingness.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Only for You

Lu Zhao herself didn't know what was wrong with her. She suddenly wanted to escape from there, even though the other person hadn't done anything. From Si Ling's perspective, everything she did was perfectly normal.

But I just misunderstood...

Wait a moment?

Did I misunderstand?

What did she think?

The winter wind blew against her face. Even though she had the White Flame on her body, she should never feel cold all over. But now she felt as if she were in an ice cellar. A thousand thoughts were tangled in her mind, making it hard for her to even breathe.

With his icy, trembling hand pressed against his still-pounding heart, Lu Zhao gasped for breath, trying to clear his head.

But the truth is, the more lucid she becomes, the more she can recall the scenes between herself and Si Ling from the moment they first met until dinner tonight.

My back was soaked with cold sweat without me even realizing it, and the inexplicable panic inside me grew stronger.

Stop thinking about it!

Even if she figures it out, it won't do her any good!

"Lu Zhao".

A gentle, familiar voice sounded from behind, but Lu Zhao was so startled that he trembled three times. He turned around in a panic and found that Si Ling had been standing behind him at some point.

For some reason, the other person's usually bright and gentle eyes seemed particularly deep at this moment, making her instinctively feel a sense of fear.

“Miss Si…” she switched to her old form of address and walked over as if nothing was wrong. The lying skills she had learned over the years allowed her to lie without batting an eye, “I think I took the wrong turn, but the scenery here is quite nice, so I came to take a look.”

Nonsense, this place faces the back kitchen alley, so dark there isn't even a street lamp, what scenery is there?

Knowing that his lie had many flaws, Lu Zhao laughed and quickly turned to block Si Ling's view before she could speak. "Miss Si, are you also lost?"

Si Ling narrowed her eyes, her gaze becoming deep and unwavering, and the last trace of a smile on her face finally vanished. "...No, I didn't get lost. I came here specifically to find you."

Lu Zhao's heart skipped a beat. He had a feeling that the other party was about to say something shocking. He was about to laugh it off when he felt the building beneath his feet suddenly tremble, followed by a loud bang like an explosion.

Her expression changed, and she disregarded the increasingly strange turn of events between her and Si Ling. She instinctively stepped forward to support her and said urgently, "Something seems to have happened. I have to go and see!"

As she was about to rush in to take a look, Si Ling grabbed her wrist: "No, we'll go together! Don't forget, I'm your reserve team member."

Lu Zhao's pupils contracted slightly, and he could only see the seriousness in the other person's eyes. He immediately nodded and said, "Okay, the mall is probably in chaos right now. Remember to stick close to me and don't get separated."

As soon as she finished speaking, she grabbed Si Ling's hand again and rushed inside.

As expected, the Western restaurant was now in chaos. People who were just enjoying their meal were now fleeing because of the explosion. Only the manager and waiters were still dutifully trying to calm them down and help them escape.

"Manager!" She struggled to get to the counter with Si Ling and asked loudly, "Do you know exactly where the explosion came from?"

She rarely shops in this mall, so she's not very familiar with its layout. At this point, the only way to get the correct answer is to ask the store manager.

"It should be near the arcade on the right side of the third floor. Please do not go there, it might be dangerous!" The store manager replied, then continued to disperse the customers, having no time to answer them again.

Lu Zhao nodded to Si Ling. After finally squeezing out of the store with the crowd, he found that the elevators leading upstairs were also packed with people.

"I sensed signs of psionic energy fluctuations from the tremors just now. This must have been done by the Eldar. We must go up and check it out!"

As she explained, she tried to go up against the flow of people, but Si Ling pulled her back. "Right now, everyone is fleeing downhill. We can't squeeze up for the time being. Let's think about whether there are any other ways to get up."

Lu Zhao couldn't think of any other way out. She had only been to this shopping mall a few times. If Xia Zhifei hadn't brought her here, she probably wouldn't even be able to find her way around.

Even the emergency exits are probably packed with people by now.

Just as she was struggling with her decision, another explosion rang out from above. The shock made the already desperate people, who were trying to escape, even more frantic, and they all tried to squeeze down the elevator.

"Little one, be careful!" She quickly helped up a child who had fallen at the elevator entrance and was almost trampled, then shouted to the crowd, "Whose child fell down!"

"Nannan!" A frantic male voice rang out. A man desperately pushed through the crowd, scooped up the little girl in his arms, and kept thanking them.

Lu Zhao couldn't bear to watch this scene and could only tell them to leave quickly. He then turned to Si Ling and said, "This can't go on. Stampedes will keep happening. Can you help me disperse the crowd? I need to go up and see what's going on right now!"

"Do you know how to get up there?" Si Ling frowned, as if she had realized something.

Lu Zhao nodded emphatically, "Okay, wait for me downstairs."

After saying that, she pulled the other person to a secluded area with few people, suddenly spread out her fire wings, which were two or three meters wide, and hovered in mid-air by flapping her wings.

"Be careful, I'm going up to check!" She didn't have time to say more because the third explosion had already occurred. People in the mall ran downstairs like madmen, and some even jumped off the escalator in the panic.

Si Ling watched all this with a slight frown, observing these people who were so desperate to survive that they did so many absurd things.

She thought for less than half a second, then looked up at Lu Zhao, who had already flown up to the third floor, sighed inwardly, and snapped her fingers lightly with her right hand.

The next second, those who had been trampled, fallen from the sky, and injured for various reasons all stood up as if they had suddenly been fully revived. Some even touched their bodies, which should have been mangled and bloody, in a daze.