“What? Working overtime on a big weekend like this?”
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan had only just got home when Lin Wan’s phone started ringing.
She answered it, and it was a call summoning her back to work.
With a helpless sigh after agreeing, Lin Wan looked at Lu Zheng. “It is all because of that evidence you anonymously posted on Interpol’s website. Governments across Southeast Asia have gone mad with activity. They are in constant contact with our side here and have even sent people over. Li Ying and a bunch of technicians are tracing the source, and I have to help with coordination and communication.”
Lu Zheng grumbled, “Trace what? They could not trace a thing even if they tried!”
He had layered twenty or thirty strands of luck’s light onto his hacking skills. No one in the world could track him.
On top of that, the two of them had spent yesterday daytime openly eating out, shopping, and watching films in Haicheng, so they were completely in the clear. No chance of exposure.
Lin Wan spread her hands. “The problem is, this is not my responsibility.”
Lu Zheng asked, speechless, “So you still have to go and do pointless work?”
“I can hardly say it was my immortal-cultivating boyfriend who did it.” Lin Wan laughed. “Even if I did, an immortal cultivator who is also a hacking expert? The styles do not match at all!”
Lu Zheng, “…”
“Alright, alright. It will probably just be today. Once things settle, it will be up to each country’s law enforcement to handle arrests and interrogations. Interpol will not need to be involved.” Lin Wan smiled, gave Lu Zheng a quick kiss, and comforted him.
So Lu Zheng watched her freshen up and leave, their planned special-forces cosplay weekend cancelled.
Grumbling under his breath, he crossed over to the ancient world to seek consolation from Shen Ying.
…
“Brother Lu! Sister Wan!”
After a weekend of solid work, Lin Wan finally finished. She got off just after four, so she and Lu Zheng headed straight to the airport to pick up Zhao Xiaodao.
Half an hour later, Zhao Xiaodao stepped off the plane, flattered and surprised. She quickly sent her assistant away and climbed into Lin Wan’s car.
“Do you have work tonight?” Lin Wan asked.
“No, no. We have to record tomorrow morning, so we came tonight. They already sent the script, so I am free this evening,” Zhao Xiaodao said.
“Good.” Lin Wan nodded. “Then we will not eat out. We will eat at home.”
“Brother Lu cooking personally?” Zhao Xiaodao’s eyes lit up as she asked with a cheeky grin.
At previous gatherings, Lin Wan often asked Lu Zheng for cooking comments and had mentioned his skills, so at the mention of a home meal, Zhao Xiaodao could not resist.
“Tsk tsk. Finally I get to taste Brother Lu’s handiwork.” Zhao Xiaodao smiled. “What is Brother Lu making? Twenty-Four Bridges on a Moonlit Night, Whose Jade Flute Hears the Falling Plum Blossoms, or Harmonious Union Soup?”
“Heh heh. You are thinking too much.”
Lu Zheng, driving, gave a cold laugh. “Braised giant snake in oil and stir-fried wolf meat!”
Zhao Xiaodao froze, then forced a smile. “Brother Lu, you are such a joker…”
She glanced sideways at the silently smiling Lin Wan and felt a surge of panic.
Snake meat she could understand. There were farmed snakes these days, but a giant snake…
And wolf meat? What on earth was that?
“It is braised eel and stir-fried dog meat.”
Seeing Zhao Xiaodao’s shifty eyes and nervous breathing, Lin Wan added the explanation with a laugh.
She could hardly say these were ingredients Lu Zheng had somehow sourced for her.
The wolf meat had filled the freezer long ago. Firm and chewy, excellent for replenishing qi and blood. She ate it from time to time, in hotpot, braised, stir-fried, varying the style, and by now she had eaten seventy or eighty percent of it.
Not long after the New Year, the freezer gained a pile of seafood, fresh, fragrant, and tender. Lu Zheng had made her Buddha Jumps Over the Wall twice, and she had fallen in love with the famous Fujian dish.
The snake meat was a recent addition. She had only eaten it twice, rich with medicinal fragrance. Only her deep cultivation let her handle it. An ordinary person eating too much at once would probably get a nosebleed from over-nourishment.
Of course, she did not need to tell Zhao Xiaodao any of that.
“Phew—”
“That sounds more like it.”
Hearing Lin Wan’s clarification, Zhao Xiaodao let out a long breath. “You scared me to death!”
“And a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall simmering on low heat. It should be just about ready when we get back.”
Zhao Xiaodao said, “I never imagined Brother Lu was good at southern dishes?”
Snake, dog meat, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall were all southern ingredients and styles.
“I know a bit of everything,” Lu Zheng said. “These few are especially nourishing. I made them for Lin Wan originally, but since you are here, you get to benefit.”
Zhao Xiaodao grinned and looped an arm around Lin Wan’s. “Getting to eat dishes Brother Lu made himself. My luck is good today!”
Lu Zheng glanced in the rear-view mirror. “Indeed good. Shame these three dishes only replenish qi and blood.”
Zhao Xiaodao, “…”
She suspected Lu Zheng was taking a dig at her, but she did not dare retort.
…
Medicinal snake from Wansong Mountain, wolf demon meat still tender after thawing, seafood from around the Dragon Palace.
These were all things Lu Zheng prepared for Lin Wan. The two of them ate them from time to time. Even setting aside the qi and blood benefits, the sheer quality and flavour of the ingredients far surpassed anything modern.
Of course, eating them would not make one ascend to immortality on the spot, but it was enough for Zhao Xiaodao to feel warm all over that night. When she woke in the hotel the next morning, she felt energised beyond belief, and there was a patch of blood on the pillow.
Perhaps a little too nourishing…
While getting makeup done backstage, the makeup artist marvelled, “Sister Xiaodao, your complexion is amazing today. And your skin is flawless. I have never seen a celebrity in such perfect condition. How do you maintain it?”
The production was well-funded and provided its own makeup artist, so Zhao Xiaodao had not brought hers.
Zhao Xiaodao checked the mirror. The unmade side of her face glowed pink and white, soft and supple. She said mildly, “Nothing special. Just early to bed, early to rise, plenty of exercise, and some decent skincare products.”
The makeup artist looked baffled, knowing it was nonsense but playing along. “Sister Xiaodao really knows how to take care of herself!”
Zhao Xiaodao nodded coolly, inwardly thrilled. “I knew it! I knew yesterday’s food was definitely not eel and dog meat! It nearly nourished me to death. Stronger than old ginseng. I have to hold tight to these two thighs!”
But the excitement stirred her qi and blood.
“Blood! She is bleeding!”
“Help! Somebody! Sister Xiaodao has a nosebleed!”
The makeup artist’s horrified shout brought a crowd rushing in.
They burst into the makeup room and saw Zhao Xiaodao inexplicably bleeding from the nose. Everyone’s faces changed.
Especially her little assistant, whose face went white. She knew her boss had already had one nosebleed that morning.
“S-Sister Xiaodao…” The assistant’s voice cracked with tears.
“Quick! Call an ambulance!” The producer’s voice shook.
Adults did not just get random nosebleeds.
The surrounding crowd watched in shock and fear, hearts pounding. If their guess was right…
This would be earth-shattering news!
