X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server“Hello, what would you like to eat?”
“Here are the snacks you ordered. Please enjoy.”
“Check, please. This is the bill for your meal.”
On Saturday, at the Midsummer Night Restaurant, a figure darting quickly through the crowd drew most of the attention.
Bai Chen was moving so fast that even his colleagues cast him strange glances. Su Wanghai, busy at the counter, was frazzled. When he saw Bai Chen approach, he hurriedly called out to him.
“Bai Chen, this is for table—”
“Table 3’s drinks, right? I’ll take them over now.”
“Well… I haven’t even said what it is yet. How did you know?”
“That’s the professional competence a quality server should have.”
Leaving Su Wanghai bewildered, Bai Chen rushed off. Only Su Wanghai stood there, dumbfounded.
“Did you take some wrong medicine today?”
Later, during a lull, Su Wanghai watched Bai Chen gulp down cold water at the counter.
Bai Chen had been running around all day, hardly stopping. His uniform was soaked with sweat. He was like a robot running on overdrive—Su Wanghai dared not get too close, fearing he might get burned by the heat radiating from him.
“No, I’m perfectly healthy. Why would I take medicine?”
“Usually you’re not this diligent. There’s definitely something fishy.”
“What could be fishy? I just figured some things out last night.”
Bai Chen squeezed the empty cup, his expression turning serious.
After calling Mo Qiu, he realized she was also nervous about today’s date. Given her personality, the psychological pressure of facing something new was probably even greater than for most people.
Just thinking about that made Bai Chen feel he couldn’t wallow any longer.
On today’s date, Mo Qiu could only rely on him. If he proved unreliable too, what would she do?
Nervousness was nothing compared to his concern for the girl. Bai Chen would rather embarrass himself to win her smile… though he had never seen her smile properly.
Over two months, he had spent so much time with her, yet he had never witnessed a genuine smile. If this date could help her overcome that hurdle, Bai Chen felt it would be worth sacrificing himself.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Those dark circles are pretty bad.” Su Wanghai pointed at his own eyes.
“I’m fine. Just too excited.”
Having crossed the barrier of nervousness, Bai Chen still tossed and turned in bed from anticipation and excitement. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the Flower Festival and Mo Qiu’s face.
Even though he had slept less than usual, he didn’t feel particularly tired. In fact, he performed even better at work.
Bai Chen had requested time off from Cheng Xuan early. Having made significant contributions made things convenient—Cheng Xuan agreed without much fuss.
Seeing that time was almost up, Bai Chen prepared to change clothes and head to the Flower Festival to wait for Mo Qiu.
But just then, he saw Cheng Xuan coming down the stairs.
“Bai Chen, wait. There’s an urgent task that needs you.”
“Huh? Now?” Bai Chen froze, then pointed at Su Wanghai. “If it’s delivery, I can have Su Wanghai do it.”
“No, it’s a serious task. The police station sent a request for help.”
Cheng Xuan stood before him and patted his shoulder.
“I know you have personal plans today, but with great power comes great responsibility. The police want our most reliable person. It has to be you.”
“You… I…”
Bai Chen’s expression flickered. He glanced at the time and sighed.
“Alright, I’ll go and come back quickly!”
Before leaving, Bai Chen specifically messaged Mo Qiu to let her know he would be a little late due to something coming up.
[I’ll be there soon. Don’t worry, and take care of yourself.]
[Okay.]
[You won’t be mad at me, will you?]
[No.]
[I believe Mo Qiu can take care of herself. Please believe in me too.]
[I’ve always trusted you.]
Trust.
The moment he saw those two words, Bai Chen was filled with motivation again. He borrowed Cheng Xuan’s keys and rode off on her electric scooter.
Wait, why was the shop manager’s car an old person’s scooter?
It had four wheels but wasn’t much faster than a regular electric bike. As Bai Chen drove on the road, he couldn’t count how many times other little scooters overtook him.
Finally arriving at the meeting point the police had specified, Bai Chen listened to their brief explanation of the so-called emergency task.
It turned out to be a pervert in a recent neighborhood who liked stealing women’s underwear. The police had ambushed him several times, but he always escaped. After repeated failures, they realized he had demonic power and had to rely on demon hunters.
“Isn’t this just catching a thief?”
Bai Chen was dumbfounded.
“Is this really urgent?”
“Very urgent,” the police liaison said solemnly. “More than half the female residents in the neighborhood have been victimized. They no longer dare to hang their lingerie outside. But even indoors isn’t safe, because that thief uses demonic power to scale walls and climb through windows.”
Well… that was indeed somewhat serious.
Bai Chen didn’t want to waste any more time, so he quickly began cooperating with the police to set a trap.
After an anxious wait, they finally spotted a suspicious man sneaking onto a balcony through a window. Despite the防盗网 (security bars), his body could flatten like paper and slip right through.
This was the sixteenth floor! How did he even climb up here?
Just as the underwear thief gleefully held a bra in his hands, Bai Chen couldn’t stand it anymore and leaped out.
“How dare you, you little thief! Prepare to die!”
The thief looked utterly baffled, and so did the police. Bai Chen’s hand crackled with lightning, forming a sharp spear.
His gloved hand gripped the end of the spear, and he hurled it with all his might.
The thief swiftly dodged sideways, his body thinning like paper to avoid the spear.
The spear pierced through the air, flew out of the balcony, and exploded high in the sky, scattered arcs resembling a stunning flower.
—
On the other side of Windbell City, at the Flower Festival.
When she received Bai Chen’s message, Mo Qiu was already waiting at the entrance. She hadn’t expected so many people; the doorway was crammed.
Those who arrived late couldn’t find shade and had to stand under the sun with umbrellas. Mo Qiu, having come early, occupied her favorite dark little corner.
It was a clear, sunny day. Being directly exposed to the sun was no joke. The crowd at the entrance was noisy, making the temperature rise even more. Mo Qiu ignored their clamor and stared at her phone screen.
Bai Chen still hadn’t sent a message.
Why did this scene feel so familiar?
The girl looked around and thought, ‘There won’t be another demon attack, will there?’
But demon hunters were really busy. In contrast, coasting along in the Empire’s organization was much easier. As long as she wasn’t directly assigned a task, she could occasionally attack passersby and create panic.
“Oh, it’s finally opening!”
“Hurry, hurry! I can’t wait!”
“What terrible weather. When will it cool down?”
The tail of the autumn tiger was still wagging; the past couple of days had indeed been quite hot.
Mo Qiu disliked hot weather. She had specially worn a light white gauze dress. Wearing such clothes made her feel light and airy, as if she were wearing nothing at all.
Mo Qiu didn’t like that feeling; heavy clothes gave her a sense of security. She couldn’t understand why girls liked such outfits. Apart from seducing men, there was no benefit, right?
Then again, she thought, ‘I’m still a man at heart. No matter how this fabricated skin looks, it won’t affect my inner self.’
The Flower Festival gates opened, and the crowd surged inside. The roadside quickly emptied.
At this time, there was still no sign of Bai Chen. Would he even come today?
Mo Qiu, crouching in the corner, stood up. Her legs were numb, so she had to kick them, the tips of her sandals clicking against the marble floor.
Putting on the sun hat she had bought earlier, the girl sent a message to Bai Chen, then followed the crowd inside to see the Flower Festival for herself.
As she stepped into the venue, Mo Qiu’s eyes lit up.
The name “Flower Festival” was no exaggeration. Looking around, there were indeed many varieties of flowers, a riot of colors, much more pleasing to the eyes than an electronic screen.
There were also many people, but the open-air venue was spacious, with plenty of plants, so the air wasn’t as stuffy as she had imagined. It actually felt like spring, full of life.
Moreover, the temperature was a bit cooler than outside. Even with her sun hat, Mo Qiu wasn’t sweating much. The expressions of those around her were also much better than when they were waiting outside.
But it was so noisy. Mo Qiu hated crowded environments buzzing in her ears. If it weren’t for getting closer to Bai Chen, she wouldn’t have come to a place like this.
Her claim of liking flowers was all a lie meant to deceive him.
Mo Qiu had indeed tried to grow flowers, but every variety she tended eventually withered. She simply wasn’t cut out for it.
Why was that? She had carefully prepared fertilizer, yet couldn’t keep anything alive. She thought, ‘I’m so good at cooking, there’s no way I can’t make homemade fertilizer.’
Nevertheless, her flower-growing attempts had familiarized her with many species. Here, she could recognize most flowers at a glance, including some rare and expensive varieties.
As Mo Qiu wandered alone through the Flower Festival, waiting for Bai Chen to arrive, she suddenly spotted another familiar figure not far away.
That person was also alone, but showed no displeasure. In fact, upon seeing so many flowers, she kept a smile on her face.
“Homeroom teacher Zheng Yuxin?”
Mo Qiu stopped walking. The moment Zheng Yuxin looked her way, she ducked behind a shelf and squinted.
Why was Zheng Yuxin here? Was she interested in this too?
Recalling Zheng Yuxin’s recent attitude toward Bai Chen, she had been much stricter with him due to his severe academic decline, compared to Mo Qiu.
Moreover, in her eyes, Mo Qiu and Bai Chen were always together. If Zheng Yuxin saw Mo Qiu at the Flower Festival, she would definitely suspect Bai Chen was nearby.
If Zheng Yuxin met Bai Chen, today’s date would be ruined, or at least a third wheel would appear.
‘No, I need to avoid her for now. I can’t let her find us.’
Thinking this, Mo Qiu bent down and walked back, planning to wait for Bai Chen at the entrance.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, How to Avoid Regression is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : How to Avoid Regression
