Chapter 18: Stylish! The Young Lady Arrives

On a scorching summer night, the liveliest place had to be the outdoor food stalls.

The specialty food street in the East City District was called a street, but it was more aptly described as a food city. At this moment, it was buzzing with people and extremely lively.

On both sides of the road stood barbecue grills, blackened with oil. Skewered ingredients were lined up in rows, releasing a tantalizing aroma as they cooked over the charcoal fire.

SIZZLE, SIZZLE...

Fat dripped onto the charcoal, causing tiny sparks to fly.

Xia Qingxue looked on with curiosity at everything before her.

It wasn’t that she had never seen a lively scene before. Take the war against the Doomsday Holy Sect, for example. During the mobilization, she had shouted passionate and fervent slogans just like all the other soldiers. But the scene before her was clearly different from anything she had ever witnessed. It was a chaotic scene, thick with the atmosphere of mundane, everyday life—a type of normalcy she had never experienced.

When she first received Chen Pingchuan’s call, she had been a bit hesitant. After a full day of fun, she was tired, but in the end, she couldn’t resist the impulse in her heart and accepted his invitation.

Of course, Xia Qingxue never hid her true feelings. The inexplicable joy that bubbled up inside her made her understand her own heart. She liked the feeling of being with Chen Pingchuan. It was freeing and relaxing.

"Don’t walk behind me. Let’s switch places. You go in front, and I’ll follow," Chen Pingchuan said, naturally taking Xia Qingxue’s hand and guiding her ahead of him.

Tonight, Xia Qingxue wore a long white dress with a cute, gray V-neck short-sleeved top, heeled sandals, and a small, white leather crossbody bag.

Chen Pingchuan had always known Xia Qingxue had a great figure, but with the change of clothes, he realized he had still underestimated her allure. Her chest was full and prominent, her waist slender and shapely, and her hips were slightly lifted. Combined with skin as fair as ivory, she stood out in this open-air stall full of rough men. She was like a firefly in the night, glowing brightly.



As they walked, people turned to stare.

Thankfully, Xia Qingxue had a somewhat cool demeanor. This coolness wasn’t just in her appearance but also stemmed from her identity and aura. Her cold, noble-looking features gave her an intimidating air, causing people to lower their heads and avoid her gaze. This spared them a bit of trouble.

After a five-minute walk, Chen Pingchuan and Xia Qingxue arrived at the meeting spot. It was a stall they occasionally visited because its spicy flavors were perfect for drinking.

Chen Pingchuan carefully shielded Xia Qingxue in front of him before taking out his communicator.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...

"Fatty, where are you guys? I can’t see you."

"Hey, hey, hey, bro... Speak up, I can’t hear you!"

"I... said... I... can’t... see... you guys."

"Ah! Over here... over here... Bro, I see you!"

The voice on the other end was noisy, but Chen Pingchuan caught the key information. He scanned the area and, sure enough, spotted the people he was looking for in a corner of the barbecue stall.

Guo Yihang was more direct. Although he wasn’t far, he ignored the narrow passageway and began clumsily squeezing his way toward Chen Pingchuan. Since he was so bulky, bumping into other guests was inevitable. Thanks to his imposing size, however, the people he collided with only grumbled under their breath instead of starting trouble.

With Guo Yihang clearing a path, Chen Pingchuan and Xia Qingxue easily reached the table in the corner. Chen Pingchuan glanced at the two men who had stood up and spoke first.

"Let me make an introduction. This lady beside me is a new friend of mine. Her name is Xia Qingxue."

"Miss, these are my friends: Li Dafu, Guo Yihang, and Liu Yaofei."

Fearing Xia Qingxue might be wary of these people, he quickly added, "We’re all close brothers here, no need to be so formal."



As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Yihang, having a rare moment of cleverness, asked, "Brother Chuanzi, I haven’t introduced him yet. How did you know his name is Liu Yaofei?"

"Your memory is terrible. We met him at noon, remember? You were the one who asked his name."

Chen Pingchuan casually concocted an excuse to brush it off. He couldn’t very well admit that he was already well-acquainted with Liu Yaofei from the simulation.

Hearing this, Guo Yihang smiled awkwardly and scratched his head, apologizing to Liu Yaofei. "Slim Monkey, sheesh, look at this memory of mine. I completely forgot your name. Sorry about that!"

Liu Yaofei forced a smile. "No problem, Brother Hang. Just call me Slim Monkey. Brother Chuanzi’s memory is incredible. I’m impressed."

"Alright, we’re all brothers, so cut the chatter. I’m going to order some more food. Miss, you wait here for me. If you want to hear some stories, just ask Brother Dafu. He’s the local encyclopedia."

"Not at all, not at all. I just know a little more than others," Li Dafu replied with uncharacteristic humility, a stark contrast to his usual flamboyant nature.

Chen Pingchuan didn’t notice the strange behavior of his friends. The environment was simply too loud, and his attention was easily distracted by the commotion nearby.

Ordinarily, the food already on the table was more than enough for them. But since Chen Pingchuan was going to order more, and with an outsider like Xia Qingxue present, the others felt they couldn’t object.

Watching Chen Pingchuan’s departing back, the friends exchanged glances before Li Dafu took over the conversation.

"Sit, sit, everyone sit down. And this is..."

Li Dafu didn’t know how to address Xia Qingxue. Combined with her overwhelming presence, he found himself stuck.

Fortunately, Guo Yihang, the big fellow, wasn’t one to overthink things. Uncaring if his words were appropriate, he went right for it.

"What’s there to ask? This must be our sister-in-law! I’ve known Brother Chuanzi for years, and I’ve never seen him bring anyone out to eat. And I mean, not even once!"

Speaking in a simple, honest tone, Guo Yihang pulled a towel from somewhere, walked over to Xia Qingxue, and gave the stool a few cursory wipes.



Xia Qingxue glanced at Guo Yihang and, without refuting his claim, simply smiled and nodded.

"Thank you!"

Her voice was crisp and clear, which made Guo Yihang a little embarrassed. He broke into another silly, honest grin.

"Like my bro says, we’re different from ordinary people. We have to have style!"

Though I don’t really know what ’having style’ means. It probably means being cool and awesome or something.

With Guo Yihang’s comic relief, the atmosphere became much more harmonious. Li Dafu reverted to some of his usual self and jokingly scolded, "Fatty, how have I never realized you had the potential to be such a suck-up? You’ve got a bright future, kid. Why don’t you stop following Younger Brother Chen and come work for me, keep an eye on my places?"

Guo Yihang ignored Li Dafu’s clumsy attempt at poaching, returning to his seat and raising his glass. "Enough talk. Let’s drink."

After a few glasses, the two men opened up, starting to chat about interesting tidbits from the market.

Xia Qingxue smoothed out her dress and sat perfectly upright, her clear eyes occasionally observing the men. The surrounding clamor didn’t affect her in the slightest, as she exuded the complete air of a cool, noble lady.

"Sister-in-law, where are you from?"

Perhaps afraid that Xia Qingxue would feel left out, Li Dafu asked, feigning casualness to disguise his own curiosity.

The table fell silent once again.