Chapter 12: The Potion, the Proposal, and a Perilous Meeting

The Demon Hunter Guild, Wind Chime City Branch.

“This is the latest achievement from our Research and Development Department: the Anti-Demon Potion.”

With a grand sweep of his hand, the Head of the R&D Department made his yellowed lab coat billow, its pungent, sour odor causing Bai Chen and the other visitors to instinctively cover their noses.

“What’s this thing for?” Standing beside Bai Chen, his colleague Su Wanghai casually picked up a bottle.

Barely the length of a finger, its pitifully small capacity made it hard to imagine how it could possibly contend with a demon.

The moment he heard this, the Head of the R&D Department immediately perked up, letting out a booming shout as he shuffled closer, his slippers slapping against the floor.

“Don’t underestimate this tiny bottle; it’s a treasure we painstakingly developed over five months of seclusion.”

‘No wonder you smell like something even a rat would disdain,’ Bai Chen thought, subconsciously holding his breath.

He truly admired these individuals for being able to confine themselves to the research lab for so long, especially with the rubbish piled in the corners looking ready to become biological weapons.

“Once this potion is administered to a demon, its unique compounds will bind with their cells, swiftly weakening their power.”

“That magical?” Su Wanghai raised an eyebrow.

“Indeed, it is that magical.”

The Head of the R&D Department then launched into an effusive explanation of the potion’s benefits, proclaiming it a pivotal invention capable of altering the balance between humanity and demons.

As this was merely the first version, Bai Chen and his colleagues had been summoned to test it in real combat, allowing for further refinements.

“However, there’s one crucial point you must heed: it absolutely cannot be used on humans.”

“What happens if it is used on a human?”

“It won’t be fatal, but…” The Head of the R&D Department paused, deliberately lowering his voice to whisper the rest directly into Su Wanghai’s ear.

“That outrageous?” Su Wanghai stared, dumbfounded.

After collecting the potions and departing the R&D Department, everyone else was curious about what the Head had confided in Su Wanghai, but Bai Chen was an exception.

He hadn’t even been listening to the Head of the R&D Department; his mind had been preoccupied ever since they entered the branch.

It wasn’t until they returned to the Midsummer Night Restaurant that Su Wanghai actively sought him out.

“Something on your mind?”

“Ah, yes.”

Bai Chen nodded slightly.

“Some rather peculiar things have happened these past two days.”

“How peculiar? Do tell!” Su Wanghai immediately became animated.

Since keeping it bottled up felt uncomfortable, and Bai Chen wasn’t one to internally stew over problems, he decided to simply recount the events between himself and Mo Qiu.

Initially, Su Wanghai listened nonchalantly, but as Bai Chen’s narration progressed, his expression grew increasingly vivid.

His first remark after hearing the full story almost made Bai Chen burst into laughter:

“So, imagination can actually manifest into reality?”

“Unbelievable, isn’t it?”

‘I wouldn’t have thought so either,’ Bai Chen mused.

Sometimes, Bai Chen still felt as though he were dreaming, astonished that a girl with eyes devoid of highlights would truly bring him packed lunches.

Though, admittedly, the taste was hardly commendable.

“Now that you mention it, that girl does seem a bit odd.”

“She isn’t trying to trick me (TL Note: ‘Xianren Tiao’ or ‘仙人跳’ refers to a honey trap or a scam where someone is lured into a compromising situation for blackmail); could it truly be that a demon has set its sights on me?”

“No, I believe the reason is still exactly as I said before.” Su Wanghai paused, then looked him squarely in the eye.

“She likes you.”

“…There’s a limit to how far a joke should go.” Bai Chen inexplicably felt that both he and Mo Qiu had been offended.

“It’s no joke. Think carefully: with her trying so hard to please you, to get close to you, is it truly just because you helped her once and she wants to repay the kindness?”

“…”

“According to your description, she’s a peculiar individual, undoubtedly starved for affection since childhood.

Your appearance just happened to fill that void, stirring the innocent heart of a teenage girl.”

His words, surprisingly, held a certain logic, leaving Bai Chen at a loss for how to refute him.

As the saying goes, ‘beauty loves the hero,’ so it wasn’t entirely unfathomable that Mo Qiu might fall for Bai Chen, her rescuer.

Recalling the events of the past two days, Mo Qiu had initiated contact almost every time, and her behavior indeed aligned with Su Wanghai’s theory.

Yet, weren’t her actions perhaps a little… exaggerated?

As the girl’s deep-ocean eyes surfaced in his mind, Bai Chen realized that her actions weren’t entirely incomprehensible.

To possess such eyes, she must have endured something profound: a family tragedy? A perverted assault? Or a congenital defect?

Driven by a lack of love, she would naturally seek it out with such fervor.

“A girl whose heart holds no warmth—you are the sun destined to thaw her.” Su Wanghai declared, his voice rising in pitch.

“Knowing so much, have you had many romances?” Bai Chen inquired.

“None.”

“Then why are you pretending to be a love guru?!” Bai Chen was dumbfounded.

Just last Friday, he had also acted like an expert; apparently, this guy was a novice too.

“That’s where you’re mistaken. Must one experience love to gain insight?” Su Wanghai wagged a finger.

“Let me tell you, many romance authors are single themselves.”

“Apologize to all the non-single authors out there.”

****

The Midsummer Night Restaurant was exceptionally busy that day, even exceeding Bai Chen’s expectations.

Watching the endless stream of customers, he suddenly remembered an appointment for that evening, but a quick glance at the time revealed it was still early.

He decided to send Mo Qiu a message, asking her to wait, as he might be late.

Upon receiving her reply, Bai Chen felt a slight easing of his worries, and then immersed himself fully in his work.

As an external staff member, his duties at the Midsummer Night Restaurant were not entirely fixed.

Most of the time, he worked as a waiter, serving dishes and taking orders.

Occasionally, when delivery staff were short-handed, the manager would call upon him to make deliveries.

If he were needed for deliveries tonight, he could have met Mo Qiu along the way.

Unfortunately, the number of delivery orders was pitifully low today; instead, the restaurant itself was bustling, prompting the delivery staff to join the ranks of the waiters.

Bai Chen, seventeen years old, possessed no shortage of initiative.

Combined with his regular habits of playing basketball and running, his work speed was even on par with that of veteran employees.

His youth imbued him with enthusiasm, and he always greeted guests with a radiant, warm smile.

Even customers who saw the packed restaurant found their furrowed brows relaxing at his demeanor.

“Here are your ordered dishes; please enjoy them at your leisure.

There’s no need to rush, and we offer complimentary lemon water.”

Bai Chen placed the dishes on the table and was about to turn away when one of the female customers called out to him.

She was dressed in a short top and shorts, meticulously styled, and possessed a fiery figure.

“Hey there, handsome.”

She lifted her wrist, adorned with a bracelet, and gestured with her phone.

“You seem like a really nice guy. How about we add each other on WeChat? QQ works too.”

Facing the fiery beauty’s overture, Bai Chen maintained his smile.

“I apologize, but I still have work to attend to.”

“Ah, really…” The fiery beauty visibly deflated.

‘Nice guy,’ he thought.

He was merely stating a fact; there had genuinely been an incident before where a customer had choked almost to death from eating too fast.

Since then, the manager had introduced complimentary lemon water and repeatedly urged staff to be more attentive.

As night deepened and the peak hours of customer traffic passed, the restaurant’s ambiance gradually grew quiet.

Bai Chen whistled softly as he cleared the unoccupied tables.

‘Did I forget something?’ he wondered.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and instantly froze.

‘Damn it, I forgot my appointment with Mo Qiu!’

It was already more than ten minutes past their agreed time, and that girl was still waiting for him at their designated spot!

‘She’s alone, waiting for me on the street?!’

Recalling the recent string of serial murders, Bai Chen swallowed hard.

Even if he found her intensity overwhelming, he couldn’t allow her to come to harm because of him.

Bai Chen tossed the rag into a bucket and rushed to the counter.

“Manager, are there any deliveries? I’ll go!”

Manager Cheng was startled by his sudden fervor.

“So enthusiastic? Unfortunately, no orders right now.”

*Slap!*

Bai Chen slapped his forehead; he needed an excuse to leave.

He quickly sent a message to appease Mo Qiu.

Just as he anxiously scanned his surroundings, he spotted Su Wanghai preparing to leave, and his eyes immediately lit up.

“Su Wanghai!” Bai Chen called out, stopping him.

“Are you finishing work so early today?”

“Finishing work? I still have patrol duty.”

Su Wanghai was a full-time employee of the Demon Hunter Guild, unlike Bai Chen, who could simply go home after his shift.

“I’ll switch with you; I’ll go on patrol.”

“You?” Su Wanghai raised an eyebrow.

“Perhaps it’s better not to trouble you…”

“I’ll treat you to a barbecue this weekend.”

At the mention of that word, Su Wanghai’s expression transformed, and he slapped Bai Chen’s palm.

“Deal! No backing out now.”

“When have I ever gone back on my word with you?”

After a quick tidying, Bai Chen rushed out, sprinting all the way towards Mo Qiu’s location.

Even as he ran, he didn’t forget to send her messages.

The agreed meeting spot was only a ten-minute walk from the Midsummer Night Restaurant, and running would cut that time by more than half.

‘Why isn’t she replying?’

Initially, Mo Qiu had responded swiftly, but since Bai Chen had left the restaurant, he hadn’t received another message.

‘Could she be angry, having waited too long?’

Bai Chen licked his lips, Mo Qiu’s angry expression surfacing in his mind.

‘Would she truly get angry?’

‘Even if she were utterly disappointed in me, her expression wouldn’t change much, would it?’

She was simply that kind of person, unresponsive no matter what occurred, as if accustomed to pain.

At this thought, Bai Chen’s heart clenched, and he accelerated his pace.

“A girl whose heart holds no warmth—you are the sun destined to thaw her.”

Su Wanghai’s words echoed in his mind.

He knew he had to apologize to Mo Qiu once they met.

She always sat alone in the darkness, and only with great difficulty had she met someone who made her reach out, attempting to grasp at their clothes.

Bai Chen didn’t consider himself a grand hero capable of saving her, but he felt he should, at the very least, reciprocate her efforts.

He arrived!

Bai Chen was so breathless he nearly collided with a passerby fleeing in the opposite direction.

‘What was he afraid of?’

Bai Chen swallowed, his steps faltering.

‘It’s the smell of blood!’

Bai Chen saw the person standing at their designated meeting spot, and simultaneously, his own steps halted.

It was also a young girl, but she was not Mo Qiu.

Her long, deep-blue hair reached her waist, and her eyes shimmered with a starlike luminescence.

In that brief moment of eye contact, Bai Chen sensed a dangerous aura emanating from her.

‘A demon!’

At her feet, freshly washed clothes lay discarded on the ground, stained with traces of blood.

Bai Chen’s mind, in that instant, utterly exploded.