Chapter 53: Iced Tea and a High-Flying Return

“Unfortunately, Xiao Luo doesn’t care for any of these three options. While she occasionally indulges in coffee and beer, her absolute favorite beverage remains iced black tea. Would you care for a glass?”

Conveniently, some iced black tea Liu Xingluo had stashed away was still in the refrigerator, and Liu Ruyan promptly retrieved it. Though it bore the name ‘iced black tea,’ Liu Ruyan felt it hardly compared to actual black tea; it was more akin to a cheap sugary drink. Indeed, its price was modest, and it was certainly sweetened with white sugar.

Nevertheless, Liu Xingluo simply adored it, especially when it had been thoroughly chilled in the refrigerator.

[Only iced black tea, truly chilled, is authentic iced black tea. That’s a national treasure (TL Note: A humorous exaggeration, likening iced black tea to a highly prized, aged liquor, ‘guojiao’)! Room temperature iced black tea is nothing but horse piss; not even a dog would drink it!]

Liu Ruyan had once, out of curiosity, asked why she insisted on drinking thoroughly chilled iced black tea even in winter, and Liu Xingluo’s answer at the time was precisely this.

“Then, I shall have a glass to try.”

Considering it was a favorite of Her Royal Highness, its taste must surely be commendable, Lain thought, as he nodded in agreement, indicating he would accept a glass.

“Alright, but its taste might prove rather challenging for you.”

Judging by his attire, Lain appeared to be a person of noble standing, whose usual beverages were likely of a much higher price point. She wondered if he would be able to stomach such a cheap drink. In any case, Liu Ruyan had kindly forewarned him before he took a sip.

“No matter, my capacity for acceptance is quite robust. Hmm… how should one describe this taste? How do humans typically describe such a sensation?”

Having never before sampled such a concoction, Lain, even after taking a sip and wanting to offer his thoughts, found himself utterly at a loss for words.

“Sweet, I suppose. At least, after I’ve had it, that’s the word I always use to describe its flavor. It’s precisely because of its sweetness that Xiao Luo adores this drink so much.”

“I see. So humans call this sensation ‘sweet’? Noted. This knowledge will surely be useful in the future.”

Having committed this knowledge to memory, Lain reasoned that if he were to spend an extended period in the human world, there would undoubtedly be further opportunities to apply it.

“Oh, Sister, Lain, you two seem to be getting along quite well. I was worried the atmosphere between you might be awkward.”

To prevent any prolonged awkwardness, Liu Xingluo had deliberately hastened her pace while changing. However, judging by the scene before her, it appeared her concerns had been entirely unfounded.

“I am, after all, your older sister. When has a guest ever come to our home without me playing host? How could I possibly feel awkward?”

Although Lain’s status as an Evolved Beast made Liu Ruyan a little nervous, the moment she recalled his identity as Liu Xingluo’s friend, her tension significantly eased. After all, she had typically been the one to entertain Liu Xingluo’s friends whenever they visited. Liu Xingluo, who was usually the one to invite them over, would then be entirely preoccupied with playing with her guests.

“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Truly, you live up to being my sister; your hospitality is simply exceptional. Oh, isn’t this my iced black tea from the refrigerator? Perfect, I’ll have a glass too.”

Upon seeing her treasured ‘national treasure’ brought out, Liu Xingluo casually poured herself a glass. Far too many absurd things had been happening to her lately, one after another. How could she not indulge in her favorite drink to properly relax?

“Ah, refreshing! Indeed, iced black tea is truly best when chilled. Lain, what do you think?”

Draining the glass in a single gulp, Liu Xingluo felt an extraordinary sense of exhilaration. It would be no exaggeration to call it one of life’s supreme pleasures.

“Yes, I too find the taste of this beverage quite agreeable. Should the opportunity arise, I would indeed like to bring some back for the other Royal Princesses to sample, and I believe Her Highnesses would also offer positive appraisals.”

Of course, these words were merely a polite pleasantry, uttered to humor Liu Xingluo. In truth, Lain neither knew nor cared whether the Princesses would genuinely enjoy such a drink. His sole concern was completing his mission according to the divine instructions.

“Oh, by the way, Sister, why are you home so early today? It’s only three in the afternoon, and you’re already back. Usually, you don’t return home until an hour later, do you?”

“Who do you think I came home early for? It was all for you, of course. The thought of you, still rather immature, heading off to live alone in another city meant I had to come back early to help you prepare, didn’t I? But I didn’t expect you to be back so soon yourself. Speaking of which, didn’t you say you were still in Guangyuan City? How did you manage to return so quickly?”

Yet, Liu Xingluo had called her just two hours prior. Typically, travel between cities couldn’t be accomplished so swiftly. Not to mention, Zawame City and Guangyuan City weren’t exactly adjacent; the time required to return from there would certainly not be brief.

“Because I flew back by helicopter. The minister there heard I was returning and specifically dispatched a helicopter to bring me over. It’s a pity I didn’t have my phone with me then; otherwise, I would definitely have taken a photo to show you what the city looks like from a helicopter.”

“Huh? A helicopter? Xiao Luo, you came back in one of those?”

“That’s right, surprising, isn’t it, Sister? Since I’m now a government-affiliated Superhuman, it’s only natural to enjoy certain privileges, wouldn’t you say? You must be so envious, Sister. Despite being so old, you’ve never even flown on a plane once. How truly pathetic.”

Rarely getting the chance to show off in front of her sister, Liu Xingluo naturally wouldn’t let such a golden opportunity slip away.

“Huh? What did you just say? You’ve only ridden a helicopter once, and look at how full of yourself you’ve become.”

Seeing Liu Xingluo getting carried away again and daring to mock her age, Liu Ruyan was in no mood to indulge her; she promptly smacked her with a slipper.

“Ow, that hurts! But Sister, I’m telling you, the view from the helicopter was absolutely amazing. If there’s a chance, I’ll take you for a ride too, so you can experience that feeling of looking down on everything.”

“No need. Your sister here is just an ordinary person; I’m perfectly content staying safely on the ground. However, Xiao Luo, shouldn’t you properly explain everything to me now? All those things you encountered today.”

Liu Ruyan held little interest in the views from a helicopter. Furthermore, given Liu Xingluo’s current status, the places she would be heading to were likely quite dangerous. As an ordinary person, it would be best for her not to accompany Liu Xingluo on the same helicopter; her role as a family member was simply to support her steadfastly from behind.

Although she had heard a general account of the day’s events over the phone, those were merely broad strokes, hardly a proper explanation. Now, with Liu Xingluo herself present and with ample time at their disposal, she intended to make Liu Xingluo recount every single detail of her day, word for word.