37. The Taste of Lies
After Lin Ke returned from fulfilling her duties as the Grand Commander these past few days, perhaps as she said: it was unlikely that her enemies would seek revenge in such a short time. In this case, at least according to Lin Ke, Rose, who was still “the child entrusted by relatives,” was now ready to head home.
This bear-like midget, who loved to sweet-talk in front of Kefir and Nilu, making them happy while simultaneously belittling me as a pretty boy, was finally packing her bags to go home. Naturally, I wholeheartedly supported this! Not only would I no longer have to wake up early and stay up late to adapt to Rose’s bizarre habits, but even my time with my wife could return to normal. I wouldn’t have to watch Kefir play with Rose while leaving me on the sidelines!
Without any hesitation, I immediately agreed to Rose’s departure and, along with Lin Ke, took her to the carriage that would take her home overnight.
At this moment, night.
After hours of driving near the residential area of the United Kingdom of Mei Li’s capital, we settled in the other half of the city opposite Lin Ke’s home, watching the car still carrying Rose drive down the street not far away.
This place seemed to be Lin Ke’s “territory,” so she wasn’t worried about any danger. She waved goodbye to Rose with a casual air, though her tone still carried a hint of tension.
“Um… Rose, see you, um, next time~”
“Goodbye! I’ll come back to play again!”
It wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t come back to play! In fact, it would be better if you stopped tormenting me!
After exchanging a glare of mutual annoyance with Rose, Lin Ke and I turned to leave. Rose’s “home” was located in the opposite “district” from Lin Ke’s residence, making it quite a strange distance to be considered “far.” Moreover, this was Lin Ke’s territory, right? Under normal circumstances, would Rose’s “guardian” really need to worry about any “retaliation” for sending a little girl to someone else’s house for several days without even checking in once?
I didn’t have time to ask these questions, after all…
After that bear-like little girl Rose left, I had to deal with Lin Ke here. Ever since that afternoon tea when Lin Ke had “touched my little hand” after putting on makeup, she had transformed from her usual suit-wearing, big-sister demeanor. Almost every day since, she had dressed up like a pretty girl going to a ball, and tonight was no exception…
And what she had to do was more than just “dressing up.”
“Shall we… head back?”
As the car carrying Lin Ke disappeared from our sight, she cautiously leaned closer to me. A not overly strong scent of perfume wafted over; compared to the first time she had applied a fragrance that could rival the periodic table, Lin Ke had become increasingly skilled at her appearance.
“We’ll return from here, and when we reach the main road, my people will be waiting for us in a car.”
“Okay, thank you.”
As the night deepened, the residential area was quiet, with only the lights along the roadside remaining. After Rose left, it felt as if under this entire starry sky, it was just me and Lin Ke.
In the next moment, Lin Ke suddenly leaned in!
Heaven knows what she was about to do! All I knew was: thankfully, I reacted quickly and managed to dodge Lin Ke’s almost wet lips that were coming straight for me.
Then, after her little scheme, which only she knew about, mostly failed, Lin Ke parted her crimson lips, her voice tinged with nervousness, anticipation… and even a hint of disappointment, like a child who had done something wrong.
“Mr. Oujilide, may I… make a request of you?”
In the past, Lin Ke would have already shouted, using a rather “Western” tone like, “Yo! Let’s make a deal, yo!” So in this moment, her shyness and caution left me a bit at a loss for how to respond.
“Hmm? You’re saying we’re not ‘friends’?”
Lin Ke’s gaze drifted to the side, and after a long pause, she barely mustered some spirit.
“Do you remember that dinner we had to cut short because of the ‘bounty hunter’ chaos? The capital is relatively peaceful now, and I have quite a bit of dirt on hand. The Pig family is also too scared to retaliate for the time being. So, I was wondering… could I invite you again?”
Before I could respond, Lin Ke began to explain on her own, “No, it’s not for any other reason! It’s just to make up for the regret of last time! That’s all!”
Then, Lin Ke tugged at my clothes.
It looked like she was “acting cute,” but was it just my illusion? To me, she seemed more like she was “pleading,” as if refusing her at this moment would lead to some severe punishment for her.
I clearly wouldn’t have refused anyway; the previous “candlelight dinner” was interrupted before it even started by that bounty hunter. Although I had agreed to it to catch that bounty hunter, for Lin Ke, this meal probably held some other significance at this moment.
【Lin Ke is inviting Oujili De.】
【Lin Ke is lying.】
【Lin Ke is deceiving.】
The script appeared in my mind once again, perhaps this time because Lin Ke’s words were too superficial. Not to mention my own thoughts, even the script clearly told me at this moment what Lin Ke was calculating in her heart.
Lin Ke, oh Lin Ke… It seems that before you work on your “feminine charm,” you should first think about how to improve your lying skills.
Since you returned recently and started spending time alone with me, the script’s description of your “lying” has been like an alarm clock, reminding me each time, as if afraid I would forget.
I…
【Lin Ke is hesitating.】
I sighed and said, “Of course, no problem. You set the time. Let me think, should we not invite Ke Fei Er and Ni Lu this time?”
“Eh!? Of course… is that really okay?”
Don’t ask me for your own thoughts!
“Then it’s settled. The car to take us back seems to have arrived; let’s go back.”
I glanced at Lin Ke, who should have been happy but instead wore a frown, then… turned my face away, pretending not to notice her mood at that moment, and patted her shoulder to remind her.
After all, how Lin Ke thinks about it is something she has to “figure out” for herself. As for me, since I agreed to Lin Ke’s “invitation” again tonight, I inevitably have to face a troublesome question.
That is… how to explain to Ke Fei Er and Ni Lu once more!
Moreover, this time it seems I don’t even have the chance to hide it for a while, because… just as Lin Ke and I got into the car and returned to her home in the dead of night, the moment I sighed in relief and stepped into my own room!
Before I even had the chance to open the door, it was suddenly swung open from the inside by someone!
“Eh? Ah!”
Before I could even shout, I was “pulled” inside by two pairs of hands.