100: Jian Shen is a liar

In the shop, the aroma of duck oil mixed with the dry heat of chili peppers, condensing into a bustling scene of human life.

The air in this hubbub strangely froze for a second.

Lin Que looked at the pair of eyes opposite him.

They were an extremely beautiful pair of almond eyes, the corners slightly upturned, carrying a touch of innate arrogance.

But at this moment, those pupils were instead like two clear springs into which stones had been thrown, rippling with astonishment and surprise.

Just like that day in the alley, when she was caught stealing a bite of plum blossom cake.

Lin Que's chopsticks paused in mid-air.

He was the first to react, putting down his chopsticks and raising his eyebrows slightly:

"You, know me?"

This question seemed to press a reset button.

On Ye Xi's cheeks, flushed red from the heat, the panic quickly faded, replaced by a touch of cunning amusement.

She pulled her scarf down completely, revealing a section of fair, slender neck, her chin lifted slightly.

"Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, Grade 11 Class 3, Lin Que."

She slowly read out the name.

"The one who wrote 'firefly' and scared the old men at the Writers Association is you, and the one who talked about 'stitching wounds' at the press conference is also you."

Ye Xi counted on her slender white fingers, listing them like precious treasures.

"Writing a letter that made the whole city cry, winning the first prize winner for an essay... and even being evaluated by Jian Shen as 'an evil ghost walking the human world'."

Lin Que: "..."

This girl wasn't just "knowing" him; she had practically investigated him thoroughly.

"There's more."

Ye Xi paused deliberately when she said this, her beautiful almond eyes curving into crescents, her tone full of teasing.

"Participating as a student representative at the New sharp Literature Summit held at Zijin Mountain Villa today."

"However..."

She narrowed her almond eyes slightly, looking at Lin Que.

"To be able to see you at this time, I'm afraid you've done something incredible at the venue again, right?!"

Ye Xi leaned forward, moving closer. A faint, cold fragrance similar to jasmine mixed with the heat of the duck soup drifted over.

"You tell me, do I know you?"

Lin Que rubbed his nose and smiled helplessly.

Fine, now even the live broadcast of his social death had been mastered by someone.

"Right!"

The girl seemed to remember something.

"What did you just call me?"

"plum blossom cake?"

Lin Que deliberately dragged out his tone.

"Pfft—"

Ye Xi could no longer hold it in and covered her mouth, laughing out loud. Her shoulders shook, causing even that beige knit cap to wobble.

"Where did that name come from?"

She finally stopped laughing, with physiological tears at the corners of her eyes.

Lin Que touched his nose, feeling a bit awkward:

"Last time at the Confucius Temple, I saw you... stealing a bite of plum blossom cake."

He didn't say the words "performance costume," which was giving her some face.

"So you remembered this?"

Ye Xi laughed until tears were almost coming out. She took a tissue from her down jacket pocket and wiped the corners of her eyes.

"Why would you think I was stealing a bite?"

"You looked like that, looking around, like a thief."

Lin Que spoke the truth.

"Besides, it's just eating a plum blossom cake, is it worth being so sneaky?"

Mentioning this, the smile on Ye Xi's face faded a bit, and she muttered softly:

"My family is strict; they don't let me eat these things, saying it's unhealthy and affects my posture."

"Then why do you still..."

"That's why I have to eat it secretly."

Ye Xi said righteously, picking up another piece of duck liver.

"Living in this world, one must have some little secrets of their own, otherwise how boring it would be. The piano is for others to listen to, but the plum blossom cake and duck blood vermicelli soup are for myself."

Lin Que was stunned.

These words were interesting.

"So you are also today..."

"Skipped piano class and snuck out the back door."

Ye Xi had a smug expression of "I am a bad student."

"I originally wanted to go eat that plum blossom cake from last time, but the owner wasn't open, so I had to come here to drink a bowl of soup. I didn't expect..."

She looked up at Lin Que.

The two smiled at each other, and the previous awkwardness completely dissipated.

With the steaming vermicelli soup in front of them, the two tacitly stopped talking and buried their heads in eating.

Their tastes were surprisingly consistent.

Extra spicy, no cilantro.

Lin Que looked at the girl opposite him, who was eating until the tip of her nose was sweating and her small face was flushed, yet her posture remained elegant. The sense of absurdity rose in his heart again.

One was a piano genius girl in the spotlight.

The other was a "crazy" student who had just caused a stir in the literary world.

These two people, who had nothing to do with each other, were now in a hole-in-the-wall shop, reaching a great harmony of life over a bowl of duck blood vermicelli soup.

"Hey."

After finishing a bowl of soup, Ye Xi wiped her mouth with satisfaction and suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

Lin Que was concentrating on dealing with the last sesame cake.

"That piece of yours, 'the person waiting to die', was it really written on the spur of the moment?"

Ye Xi's eyes were very serious, without the earlier teasing.

Lin Que slowed down his chewing:

"I suppose so, I thought of it in the exam room."

"I don't believe it."

Ye Xi shook her head, looking at him with burning eyes.

"That core of 'guarding kindness with malice' is too cold and too desperate. It doesn't look like something a high school student could write. It's more like... more like a survival rule refined after experiencing countless disappointments."

Lin Que felt a chill in his heart.

This girl's sensitivity exceeded his expectations.

He didn't answer directly but asked back:

"Then do you think kindness itself can guard kindness?"

"No."

Ye Xi answered quickly. She put down her chopsticks, and her almond eyes rarely lacked a smile.

"Kindness without teeth is just a piece of fat. It needs a vicious dog to guard it."

She looked at Lin Que, her voice lowering:

"That homeless man of yours, 'Old Crow', looks like a jerk, but he's actually that vicious dog, right? Only by scaring everyone away can the clean thing in his heart be preserved. Everyone says what you wrote is desperate, but I think... it's quite gentle, although it's that kind of thorny gentleness."

Lin Que completely stopped his movements.

He looked at Ye Xi in front of him and truly examined this girl for the first time.

He had always thought she was just a young lady from a well-off family who was well protected, perhaps a bit rebellious, but essentially innocent.

But her words just now, that sentence "a shepherd who looks like a vicious dog," precisely pierced the core and most secret point when he was creating 'the person waiting to die'.

This kind of understanding even exceeded "Jian Shen", who gave him the comment back then—which was himself!

Because "Jian Shen's" comment was written for the judges and the public, carrying a kind of guiding and literary elevation.

But Ye Xi's interpretation was a pure resonance that went straight to the heart.

"How did you think of that?"

Lin Que's voice unconsciously carried a touch of solemnity.

"Because I not only steal food, I also read idle books."

Ye Xi said as a matter of course. She wiped her hands and took out a mobile phone with cartoon stickers from the pocket of her expensive coat.

The style was completely incompatible with her outfit.

She skillfully switched screens, clicked on the Hongguo Reading APP, and shoved the screen in front of Lin Que.

"Look."

On the screen was the familiar black and red interface, and the book title was—'the human world is like a prison'.

Reading progress: 100%.

Below was her account review, with the ID "Ye Xi is not Ye Xi", and the comment content was very simple:

【Yang Jian is deified, there are no ghosts in the human world. Rather than saying it is saving the world, it is better to say it is the greatest dictatorship. The author is a madman, and also a genius. Looking forward to the new work!】

Lin Que looked at that line of text and couldn't speak for a long time.

A hater is actually by my side?

No, this counts as a hardcore fan.

"You read this too?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Ye Xi took back her phone, her eyes shining.

"I think 'Hell Dream Weaver' and many of your ideas are actually connected. You are both exploring the boundaries of human nature in a very extreme way."

She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice. That cold jasmine fragrance suddenly approached, as if sharing a huge secret:

"I even think that Jian Shen is a fraud. Whether it is 'The Miracles of the Namiya General Store' or 'the ferryman', they look warm, but in their bones, they are cold as ice. He has never solved any practical problems; he is just coaxing people. What he gives is not the antidote to cure the disease, but something that makes people not feel the pain... Morphine!"