Chapter 155: Unreliable Flirting Experience +1

Xu Yunzhou:

"???"

His hand holding the teacup froze mid-air. He was completely stunned.

Wait...

When did this girl start speaking so bluntly?

Xu Nuo watched his petrified expression, a faint glimmer of amusement flashing in her eyes, but it quickly dimmed.

She let out a soft sigh, her tone turning gentle:

"Alright, I won't force Teacher."

She paused, her voice growing softer, and added seriously:

"Teacher's health is the most important. You need to rest more."

Then she set down her teacup and stood up:

"Let's go eat."

When she reached the door, she suddenly turned back, winked at Xu Yunzhou who was still sitting on the sofa, and in that "I know everything but I won't call you out on it" tone, lightly added:

"As for someone who said eight years ago he'd 'wash up clean and wait for me'... I've long since forgotten."

Xu Yunzhou:

"!!!"

How could he take that lying down?

He practically bounced off the sofa, crossing two steps to stand before Xu Nuo in an instant, reaching out to grab her slender, fair wrist wrapped in prayer beads!

But Xu Nuo seemed to have anticipated it, lightly sidestepping.

Xu Yunzhou grabbed nothing but air.

He froze, then tried again.

Xu Nuo dodged just as easily, even having the spare energy to take a half-step back, putting a safe distance between them.

Her movements were fluid and effortless, carrying the instinctive reflexes of someone honed through countless battles.

In those eight years with the Xiang Gang, she had learned true martial arts from the disciples of several Republic-era boxing masters—and had engaged in numerous real-life fights.

Her skills far surpassed Xu Yunzhou's, who had remained at the level of her time in the Crescent Group.

"Teacher, stop fighting."

Xu Nuo smiled. This time, her smile was much more genuine, a mischievous glint in her eyes:

"I feel like... I shouldn't bully you too much."

She tilted her head:

"Can we go eat first? I'm hungry."

Xu Yunzhou looked at this girl smiling like a little fox, torn between exasperation and amusement.

In the end, he could only helplessly withdraw his hand and sighed:

"...Fine. What do you want to eat?"

Xu Nuo's eyes instantly lit up.

She licked her lips, almost without thinking, blurting out:

"Hotpot."

She paused, then added, her tone carrying an almost devout longing:

"Spicy. The spicier, the better."

She looked up at Xu Yunzhou, her eyes sparkling:

"I haven't been back to Great Xia in so long... I've got to satisfy the spicy-gene that's carved into my Bazhou bones."

(TL Note: Bazhou is a region in Sichuan known for its spicy cuisine.)

Xu Yunzhou watched her instantly transform from the aloof "Lord Nuo" back into a "gluttonous little girl," and couldn't help but laugh:

"What a coincidence. I know a place. The owner says he's a real Bazhou native."

...

Half an hour later, deep in an old alley, a hotpot restaurant with an unremarkable sign but a long line out front sat.

The red oil broth boiled and bubbled in a nine-grid copper pot, sending up clouds of spicy steam.

The aroma of chilies and Sichuan peppercorns filled the entire private room, aggressively occupying every inch of air.

Xu Nuo closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, she slowly opened them—a thin layer of moisture had formed in her eyes.

"Mm..."

Her voice was a little choked, but her face wore a satisfied smile:

"This... is the taste of home."

Xu Yunzhou picked up a strainer ladle, grabbed a chopstickful of goose intestines, carefully swished them in the bubbling red soup and placed them in Xu Nuo's bowl:

"Try it."

Xu Nuo looked down at the curled goose intestines in her bowl, coated in red oil, and was silent for a few seconds.

Then, she picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and chewed.

Swallowed.

When she looked up again, her eyes were even redder, but her smile was brighter.

"It's delicious," she said.

Xu Yunzhou watched her like this, and something in his heart was gently touched.

As he continued to help her cook tripe and yellow throat (aorta), he casually said:

"If you have some free time in the next few days... how about going back to Bazhou for a visit? I can go with you."

Xu Nuo paused.

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she lowered her head and fished out a slice of sliced pork kidney from the pot.

Then, she placed that slice of kidney into Xu Yunzhou's bowl.

Looking up at him, her gaze calm, her tone even calmer:

"Teacher, you should nourish yourself more."

Xu Yunzhou:

"Thanks..."

The words had barely left his mouth before he realized something was wrong.

Kidney? Nourish? So she was still continuing that earlier topic!

This little girl...!

Xu Nuo watched his face instantly darken and finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing with a "pfft."

That smile was dazzlingly bright, like sunlight suddenly breaking through clouds after a rainy day.

Xu Yunzhou looked at her laughing heartily, was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and laughed along.

Yeah... It was good that she could laugh like this.

...

After the meal, Xu Yunzhou waved over a waiter to ask for the bill.

The owner—a slightly chubby middle-aged man with a simple, honest smile, wearing an apron—came over cheerfully, waving his hands repeatedly:

"No need, no need. You must be Lord Nuo, right? A police officer already came by earlier and settled the bill."

Xu Yunzhou was taken aback:

"Police officer?"

The owner nodded, his smile carrying a hint of reverence and just the right amount of warmth:

"That's right. Said it was to welcome Lord Nuo (Nuo Ye). Oh, young man, your surname is Nuo? That's quite a rare surname..."

Xu Yunzhou laughed it off without explaining further, and walked out of the hotpot restaurant with Xu Nuo, both of them smiling.

A gentle breeze brushed their faces at the mouth of the alley, blowing away the strong hotpot smell clinging to their clothes.

Xu Yunzhou shook his head with a smile and said to Xu Nuo:

"No wonder I saw a security officer wandering around the restaurant earlier, even glancing a few times toward our private room. Must have been arranged by Sister Xi. On one hand, to welcome you; on the other hand... probably knowing someone of your status was back, she didn't want any troublemakers bothering you."

Xu Nuo nodded, her expression a bit complicated. After a moment of silence, she said softly:

"Sister Xi is actually a really good person. Even though we can't help bickering every time we meet, it's because I have a good temper and always let her win."

She said the last half-sentence with a slight lack of confidence, but still felt the need to emphasize it.

Xu Yunzhou couldn't help but laugh. He suddenly found the twists of fate quite amusing.

The lively, adorable Lin Ruoxuan from childhood had become a ruthless business tycoon.

The socially anxious Song Jiaru had turned fierce and bold.

And Xu Nuo, who he had thought was the most violent and obsessive, had instead become the most steady and composed of them all.

"So what do you want to do now?"

Xu Yunzhou restrained his smile, looking at her with a gentle tone:

"It's still early. Any plans for the afternoon?"

Xu Nuo looked up at him:

"Teacher, can you watch a movie with me again?"

Xu Yunzhou was puzzled:

"Didn't you used to dislike watching movies?"

He remembered that during the "game," whenever he occasionally suggested watching a movie to help her relax, she always seemed uninterested, preferring to practice shooting or write code.

Xu Nuo shook her head and said very seriously:

"I want to experience... what it's like... to be an ordinary person."

It seemed she originally wanted to say "ordinary couple," but the words came out as the more reserved "ordinary person."

However, that momentary pause and the subtle flicker of emotion in her eyes did not escape Xu Yunzhou's notice.

He understood the words she hadn't spoken. Smiling, he naturally reached out and took her slightly cool hand.

"Alright," he said.

Xu Nuo's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.

Then, she held his hand tightly in return.

This time, she didn't dodge like she had at the doorway.

Sure enough, when a woman is full, her mood improves, and her defenses loosen—

Teacher Xu's unreliable flirting experience +1.