Saying you’re a pig is an insult to pigs’ intelligence.

She looked at the feast on the table, a huge pot of lobsters.

Good heavens, that was expensive.

She began to waver.

Tugging at the sleeve of the man beside her, she said, “President Lin, I don’t think I can win.”

Little Seven spoke honestly. In truth, her stomach had a sense of self-awareness too. She was merely greedy, but against people with stomachs that size, it was better to forget it.

“You have to believe in yourself,” Yi Chen said, glancing at the others. “Your stomach may not be much, but theirs is even worse.”

Little Seven stared at him, dumbfounded.

He was obviously insulting her!

And more than that, his words were vicious beyond belief. To mock her alone, he had dragged those other fat people down with her.

Under President Lin’s encouraging gaze—though somehow she felt that gaze was more like coercion—Little Seven could only brace herself and wait for the contest to begin.

Then a vague thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

He had said she didn’t need to repay him if she lost.

Then if she won...

Little Seven blurted out, “President Lin, if I win, you won’t suddenly say I have to pay you back, will you?”

Yi Chen looked at her in surprise, then smiled faintly. “Hm. And also...” Taking in the color draining from her face, he added, “If you win, the ten thousand yuan will be split sixty-forty—I take sixty, you take forty, since I’m the one investing in you.”

“...”

He actually... really... had such a thought...

Sixty to him... what kind of shameless profiteer was this!

Little Seven was on the verge of fainting.

If she could just pass out and be carried out of here, then she wouldn’t have to compete.

Gritting her teeth, she said, “I never knew the president had so much confidence in me. To think you came up with such an imaginative plan to invest in me. With this brilliant idea of yours, whether I win or lose, I’m bankrupt either way.”

Yi Chen smiled, patted her shoulder, and said, “Don’t worry. With that sturdy body of yours, you definitely won’t collapse. Just focus on the competition.”

“...”

He had actually guessed what she had just been thinking?

Did he really have a brainwave-sensing system installed or something?

Sigh. Lose, and she had to pay the bill. Win, and she had to pay him.

Little Seven thought, what was wrong with her brain? Why had she insisted on taking part in a gluttony contest?

It was exactly as the ancient saying of Earthlings went: there was no such thing as a free meal.

Still, she could not just cave in so spinelessly before a capitalist’s tyranny... no, before the authority of her boss.

So...

Just half a minute before the competition was due to start, Little Seven stood up and darted out.

Not a single person at the table had clearly seen how she had “fled the scene.”

“What’s going on? Why did she run?”

Everyone looked at Yi Chen.

He merely smiled without speaking. He walked to the manager, took out his wallet, pulled out several hundred-yuan bills, and handed them over. “Cost of the clothes.” Then he strode out at an unhurried pace.

When Yi Chen reached the car, he opened the rear door. “They’re waiting for you to compete.”

Little Seven said with admirable dignity, “I’m not competing.”

Yi Chen only said two words: “The prize money.”

Prize money... was prize money that great? Prize money was ill-gotten wealth. Someone as detached as she was had no interest at all in ill-gotten prize money, all right?

Fine, she was very interested = =

But, but...

Win or lose, the competition seemed to offer more than the prize money, didn’t it?!

Why on earth had she walked into this shop to begin with, ahhhhh.

With the person in front of him looking as though she was on the verge of tears and had lost all will to live, Yi Chen could not bear to tease her any longer. Taking pity on her, he said, “We’ll let it go this time. But in the future, don’t keep thinking about eating for free and taking things without paying.”

At those words, Little Seven nearly burst into tears. How comforting. So there really was justice in this world!

No, no, the president really did have a conscience after all.

She was instantly filled with gratitude toward the great president and could not help wanting to applaud him fervently. “President, you’re so wonderful. I’ll clap for you, give you a thumbs-up, and for you...”

Her phone rang. “President, you drive. I’ll take the call.”

“Hello, Yi Yang.”

It was Yi Yang on the other end. “Xi Yang, why haven’t you and my brother come back yet? It’s almost dark.”

“Oh, oh, we’re on the way. We’ll be there soon. What are you doing...”

The phone was snatched away, the call ended, and the device was flung back into her hands. Furious, he said, “Why is your ringtone the same as Yi Yang’s?”

Hm?

It took Little Seven a while to react. Once, she had heard Yi Yang’s ringtone and thought it sounded especially nice.

So she had changed hers to the same one.

“I thought it sounded really good, so I changed it.”

Yi Chen ordered, “Change it back now.”

Under his wrath, Little Seven said tremulously, “Then... President, what kind should I change it to?”

“Something different.”

“But my phone only has two ringtones, one for men and one for women. May I ask, President, would you like to be the third kind?”

“...”

They soon arrived at Doctor Chen’s lodging. Little Seven got out of the car and saw Yi Yang standing at the door with a cup of water in hand. She ran over and tapped him on the shoulder. “Yi Yang, what are you standing at the door for?”

Yi Yang jumped in surprise, turned his head, and was stunned by the sight of her. “Xi Yang, did you just buy that outfit?”

Only then did Little Seven remember that she had not changed back out of the clothes she was wearing.

Avoiding his gaze, she said, “No, I bought it just now. I’ll go change.”

Yi Yang stopped her. “Why change? I think that red dress looks fantastic on you.”

“No, no, I have to change back right away.”

Little Seven pulled free and hurried inside, only to hear a sharp crash behind her.

She turned back. The cup of water in Yi Yang’s hand had fallen and shattered on the ground.

Yi Yang bent to pick up the broken glass, and one of his fingertips was accidentally pricked by a shard. Blood immediately welled up.

Little Seven hurried over. “Ah? What happened? Let me see—there’s blood. Come on, come on, let’s get it bandaged.”

Yi Yang said nothing, only glanced toward Yi Chen.

Yi Chen had just taken a phone call and looked up to see Little Seven dragging Yi Yang inside.

His brow furrowed.

“Xi Yang, it’s nothing. Just a little cut.”

“It’s already bleeding, and you call that a little cut?” Little Seven pulled him to sit down in a chair and immediately found a bandage, carefully dressing the wound.

“Listen, don’t underestimate a small cut. If it gets infected, it’ll be trouble.”

Yi Yang did not take it seriously. “It’s not that serious. This little cut will heal on its own in two days.”

“But if it isn’t handled properly before it heals, that’s when the trouble starts,” Little Seven said, wrapping the bandage around his finger with great care, her small face very solemn. “And the资料 says that once the outer layer of human skin is broken, bacteria will seize the chance to invade at once, so it has to be bandaged properly.”

Seeing how much more concerned she seemed than he was, a warm current passed through Yi Yang’s heart.

“Xi Yang, thank you. But...” He glanced toward the doorway. “You just pulled me so anxiously in front of my brother. When we go out later, I’m afraid he’ll shoot us that look immediately. Its killing power is a lot worse than this little wound.”

Little Seven nodded in complete agreement. “Your brother’s eyes really are... Every time he looks at me, I feel like I’m about to be eliminated on the spot.”

Though she was talking about President Lin, her face was blooming with a radiant, sugary smile.

Yi Yang looked at her, that smile full of girlish delight. “Xi Yang, did you and my brother do something at the dessert shop?”

Little Seven blinked. “Do something? No!” Though on the way here, she had certainly brought trouble upon herself.

Little Seven felt both vexed and regretful.

From now on, she absolutely would not be greedy anymore, or one day she would end up ruining herself.

Yi Yang seemed deep in thought. “Xi Yang, do you think when we go out later, my brother will come straight at us?”

“...”

“Oh no, he should come straight at me. He can’t bear to cut into you, so...” Yi Yang stood up, took the cup from the table, and said, “I’d better go apologize to my brother on my own. Otherwise I’ll be in for a terrible beating. My brother’s black belt is no joke.”

With that, Yi Yang carried the cup and went out.

Little Seven thought it over and followed him.

Yi Chen stood by the door with both hands in his pockets, his dark eyes fixed on some distant point.

“Brother,” Yi Yang said, handing him the cup, “this cup of water is my apology. I shouldn’t have taken Xi Yang out without asking your permission.”

Yi Chen glanced at the cup and said coldly, “I’m not thirsty.”

“Brother, if you don’t drink it, your little brother here will be very upset. If you do, it means you’ve accepted my apology.”

Yi Chen looked at him, then still took it and drank a sip.

Yi Yang took back the cup, stared at it for a long moment, and then said, “Brother, I’m sorry.”

He ran back inside.

Yi Chen frowned and turned his head. Little Seven was over there shuffling toward him, inch by inch.

President Lin issued an order: “Come here.”

“...”

Could she not go over? >_

The answer was yes, she could.

But, but...

Fine. In front of him, she was a hopeless little alien.

Little Seven shuffled over.

Yi Chen said expressionlessly, “What were you two talking about inside just now?”

“W-we didn’t talk about anything.” Suddenly remembering something, she leaned forward and looked at his chest. “Um, those things you said to me on the rooftop during the typhoon—I still want to hear them again. Can you now...”

“You think I’m still in the mood to say those things?”

“...”

“Why wouldn’t you be in the mood?”

President Lin grew even angrier. “Ye Xi Yang, calling you a pig insults the intelligence of pigs.”

Little Seven: “...”

Little Seven did not get angry, nor did she become discouraged. In fact, she knew perfectly well that President Lin was upset; she had simply said that on purpose to provoke him.

But for the signal device, Little Seven put on a bright smile. “Then how about I tell you a joke to cheer you up?”

Yi Chen looked at her and said coldly, “Sometimes I really wonder whether you’re just stupid or whether you’ve never developed a heart at all.”

He turned and walked away.

“Hey? Where are you going?”

Little Seven chased after him.

Yi Yang came out from inside, looked at the two of them leaving, then looked down at the cup in his hand. There were several fingerprints on it.

Slowly, he took out his phone. When the call connected, he said after a long pause, “Send someone to pick it up.”

#

Little Seven sat in the passenger seat, her nerves in knots. Why was she so frightened?

Because the person beside her was truly terrifying.

With that dark, brooding expression, just looking at him made her want to get out of the car.

The car soon came to a stop. Yi Chen got out without even giving her a glance.

Little Seven hurriedly got out too, only to see a young woman by the roadside, her face flushed red, gazing at Yi Chen with shy, adoring eyes.

Oh my. This man was so handsome, and most importantly, this extremely handsome man was walking toward me!

Yi Chen strode forward expressionlessly, and the direction he was heading happened to be exactly where the starry-eyed girl stood.