I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 157

Chapter 157: Knee Pillow, Marshmallows, and Xiamo

 

When the taxi was heading towards the Central Park in the central district, I noticed that Yin Xiamo had truly entered a state of sleep on my lap. With nothing else to do at the moment, I used my phone to contact Su Yunjin from the gaming group, also known as “Jituto”.

 

?Jituto, do you have time now? I have something serious to talk to you about.?

 

Usually, in the group, Pipi and Jiang Wei are used to calling Su Yunjin “Brother Ji” or “Jituto.” Following their lead, I started calling him that too. But now, as a girl, it felt a bit awkward to call him “Brother Ji,” and calling him “Yunjin” or “Brother Su” seemed too ambiguous. So, I chose to use “Jituto.”

 

Although I knew he wasn’t particularly interested in girls—he had mentioned his orientation issues in the group more than once—I wasn’t sure if it was genuine.

 

?Yes, I’m at the Coconut Tree Sales Office in the Nanqi District, discussing with sales. What happened??

 

As I expected, Su Yunjin quickly replied to my message, also sending a “you silly loli” emoticon.

 

?Do you remember those guys who invited me to work at their company at the café before? The ones with the sports car??

 

Utilizing my typing skills, I quickly input in the chat box: ?Today, Xiamo and I took a break and came to the Medicinal Plant Garden. We happened to run into them. Can you give me a brief overview of who these people are??

 

?You ran into them?? Su Yunjin replied swiftly. ?The Medicinal Plant Garden in Honor District, right??

 

?Yes.?

 

?Why did you two end up in such a remote place? Did they cause any trouble for you??

 

?A little bit, but Xiamo and I scared them off with a few words, and there were people around at that time, so they didn’t dare to mess around.?

 

I cautiously typed in the chat window: ?Why are they so persistent in digging people??

 

?Because there are certain interests involved with the café, and it’s related to them. Also, in the past few days, both of you have performed exceptionally well, and Tongmeng Net has given the café significant publicity. They might be feeling a bit anxious.? Su Yunjin explained.

 

He sent a document with numerous peculiar annotations: ?Let me briefly explain, as I mentioned before, these people do have some background, primarily stemming from their parents. The parents or relatives of those individuals have had some shady dealings with leaders in the Nanqi District and Honor District. For example, there was a piece of land originally designated for industrial use, and they bought the entire plot for just a few million. However, through bribery and other means, they struck deals with the relevant authorities. They initially bought it as industrial land, and then those in power converted it into commercial land. This way, the value of the land they purchased skyrocketed by several hundred million instantly.?

 

?Most of these people have similar backgrounds, not very clean. Currently, the main issues in Shenzhen City are concentrated in the Honor District and Nanqi District. Recently, the higher-ups are planning development in the Nanqi District and sending people down to manage. Do you think their past dealings might be discovered??

 

Oh… It seems my suspicions were correct.

 

?The poverty in the Nanqi District is not without reason. Many infrastructures here are outdated, but the Shenzhen City government cannot afford to treat these areas differently, creating a clear divide between poor and rich regions. The Nanqi District is very impoverished, while the Honor District is wealthy. It’s too exaggerated, and anyone can see the problem. So, recently, the higher-ups are planning to send people down to the Nanqi District for development, not just building houses and commercial streets but also under the guise of development… sending many people down to manage. ?

 

?But the premise is that the commercial street in the Nanqi District and some nearby residential areas can be established. If they can’t be built, there’s no reason for the higher-ups to send people down. So, they don’t want the café and the upcoming commercial street to succeed. They want to lure you away… You didn’t agree to those people, right??

 

?No?

I replied: ?I could see there was a problem at a glance.?

 

So, the café has become the center of struggle for these covert forces?

 

No wonder so many people added me on QQ with insulting and abusive messages in the first few days, and there were so many troublemakers in the group.

 

?Don’t go out and talk to others about these things. Consider it a legacy issue for Shenzhen City. It will be resolved from above. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.?

 

Even though I couldn’t see the expression on the other side, I could feel Su Yunjin’s helplessness in the taxi: ?My family and I are aware of this situation, but we are powerless. We can only take it step by step, slowly.?

 

?Wait a moment, let me make a call to those people and see what exactly is going on. The Medicinal Plant Garden is in the Honor District, precisely their territory. It’s a bit coincidental.?

 

After sending this message, Su Yunjin’s profile picture turned gray.

 

Five minutes passed, and Su Yunjin’s profile picture lit up again—

 

?What did you do to them? Why did those people beg for mercy as soon as I asked about your situation? Did you two girls beat them up??

?It’s the first time I’ve seen those young masters so afraid. It felt like they were about to lose their lives.?

 

This…

 

I hesitated for a moment and replied: ?We did have some physical conflict. Xiamo has practiced a bit of martial arts and managed to chase them away.?

?Really? Xiamo is that strong? Then I must commend both of you. Well done! Now your names feel like ghosts to those people. Every time I mention Nuo’er or Xiamo, they immediately beg me not to talk about it and admit they were wrong.?

?Are you sure they’re not pretending or… intentionally saying that to make us lower our guard??

I continued to ask: ?They’ve approached us twice already.?

 

As the saying goes, not afraid of thieves stealing, just afraid of thieves harboring thoughts.

 

Those people had already visited the café once before, and today, Yin Xia Mo and I were “harassed” by them again at the botanical garden. This made me very uneasy. What I needed to know now was whether there would be a third or fourth time. Although, according to Yin Xia Mo, that slash had already robbed them of twenty years of life and added a “fear” effect, I wasn’t sure how they would react when they got back. That’s why I sought help from Su Yunjin, who seemed to be the only one capable of resolving this situation.

 

?It couldn’t be an act. I know those people well. They are proud and arrogant. I’ve never seen them beg me so humbly. I guess they are genuinely scared.?

Under my somewhat anxious gaze, Su Yunjin sent a message that relieved me: ?This is actually related to issues between my family and me. I haven’t handled the relationships well. I never expected these people to have the audacity to harass you.?

?Do you need help??

 

?No need, give me some time. I’ll finish my tasks in the next couple of days and report this situation. At this time, the South Nai District is undergoing development. Jumping like this, someone will deal with them.?

?Thank you.?

?It’s okay. I’m sorry for letting you encounter such a situation… Is Xia Mo okay??

?She’s fine. We’re on our way to the city center in a taxi.?

?That’s good. Don’t go to the Honor District for the next period. If you want crowds, go to the Central District. If you want to experience tourism and get close to nature, go to the Dong District. There are many places to have fun in Shenzhen. Haha, do you want some discount coupons? I have a bunch of them for various places.?

?No, thanks. We’ll just wander around.?

?Okay, contact me if you need anything. By the way… Nuo’er, is it true between you and Xiamo??

?…?

In the taxi, I lowered my head and looked at the girl in my arms.

?Yes.?

?Wish you both happiness. On the day of your wedding, I’ll prepare a super big gift.?

?No need, it’s already good enough that you’re there, no need for a super big gift.?

?…?

 

After ending the conversation with Su Yunjin, I had planned to put down my phone and take a short rest. However, I noticed that Li Denghua had joined my readers’ group without me realizing it, and she had used the “temporary message” function to send me many messages—

 

?Little sister, are you there??

?Yin Nuo’er, maid little sister, reply when you see the message.?

?What were you talking about with that Zhou Xiaofei? Now someone is bothering me, what should I do??

?When are you going to teach me English??

 

The reason I knew it was Li Denghua was mainly because her QQ profile picture was a selfie. That classic Lolita dress and parasol – among the people I knew, only Li Denghua dressed like that. How clever this elementary school student was, and she spoke with such a mix of maturity and immaturity.

 

?Do you really need English lessons? It doesn’t seem like it.?

Helplessly, I replied to Li Denghua’s message in the taxi: ?And Chinese too, are you just not serious about writing??

 

After the brief interaction earlier, I found that not only Li Denghua but also her family had some issues. Moreover, Li Denghua couldn’t really be considered an elementary school student anymore.

 

Last year… I don’t know exactly when, but it was probably in the summer of last year. Her eyes had problems, gradually losing vision around May or June. At that time, it was the graduation season, so she went to a stationery store to buy that doll. In other words, Li Denghua from last year could already be considered “graduated from elementary school,” with only one summer vacation’s difference from a junior high school student.

 

Looking back a year, even if Li Denghua had undergone eye surgery and her eyes had recovered, she returned to Starlight Elementary School after leaving the hospital and attended classes with the sixth graders there. However, her time remaining in elementary school was limited.

 

It’s now mid-May, and elementary school students typically start their summer vacation in July. Assuming Li Denghua’s eyes were fine back then, she would have completed her first year of junior high school by now and would soon be entering the summer vacation, halfway through her second year of junior high. In simpler terms—Li Denghua is currently going through adolescence.

 

This somewhat comforted me because I had initially thought my height couldn’t even compete with an elementary school student.

 

?My lovely Sister Nuo’er finally replied.?

Under my gaze, Li Denghua’s profile picture on the phone screen blinked a few times: ?There’s no one at my house today. Can you come over to help with tutoring??

 

What does “no one at my house” mean? This sounds like a girlfriend saying, “My parent isn’t at home, come quickly.”

 

?Didn’t we agree that the tutoring time would be decided by your mom??

I glanced at the time: ?Right now, you should be taking a proper nap. You’ll be tired during afternoon classes if you don’t rest.?

?It’s okay, I’m used to not taking a nap. This way, I can sleep well at night.?

?Actually, I’m reaching out because our teacher wants to see you.?

?Do you have time to come to the school again tonight??

 

This series of replies from Li Denghua left me a bit overwhelmed.

 

?What are you doing at your school??

 

Although the uniform of Starlight Elementary School is indeed still lying in my wardrobe in the rental house… I have no reason to go to an elementary school every day. I’m not some strange person who is obsessed with cute little girls, young boys, or uncles!

 

?Our homeroom teacher wants to talk to you.?

?What does he want to talk about??

?I don’t know. The teacher said if you have time tonight, please come over.?

?What time??

?Around seven. Our teacher will be waiting for you at the school gate.?

“……”

 

Wasn’t the doll incident with Li Denghua already resolved at school? Why does their homeroom teacher still have something to discuss?

 

?Okay, I got it.?

 

Although I don’t know if Li Denghua is making an excuse to meet me or if their homeroom teacher really has something to discuss, considering Starlight Elementary School is not far from the Ai Luodi rental house, a round trip won’t take much time. Since I don’t have work today, I agreed: ?I’ll be at your school gate at seven tonight.?

?You must come, little sister with a small chest.?

 

What kind of language is this child using!

 

Wait, hold on, she’s complaining about my small chest, and why does it bother me, an adult?

 

Calm down, Yin Nor, stay calm.

First of all, you don’t need to care about this kind of thing at all. Even if you really care… right, you’re just a late bloomer, not someone who won’t grow at all.

 

“Phew…”

I took a deep breath while holding my phone.

By the way, since Li Denghua is so mischievous, I want to see what’s really going on with her. I opened the mobile browser and tried searching for keywords like “Li Denghua,” “Shenzhen City,” “child prodigy in physics,” “Li Denghua thesis.”

 

The first time we met at the café, my understanding of Li Denghua was mostly from Lu Xinjian and her mother. Although I was curious at the time about how such a young child could study advanced physics and write papers, I couldn’t directly question her in front of so many adults and other parents—that would be too rude.

 

Later, when I went to Starlight Elementary School and learned more about Li Denghua through her notebooks and assignments, as well as talking to her teachers and classmates, I realized that she and her family seemed to have a bit of an issue…

 

?Extraordinary! This elementary school student has completed middle school-level math, physics, and chemistry in the sixth grade, scoring 180 points in the high school mock exam!?

?Famous physicist and renowned scholar in the field of quantum mechanics, Li Jian’s daughter, Li Denghua, published a paper in a local magazine at the age of 11!?

?Once-in-a-century child prodigy in Shenzhen City, researching particle collisions since the fourth grade! And her parents are unexpectedly…?

?10 study principles of child prodigy Li Denghua, the last one leaves everyone silent.?

 

From the search results, it can be seen that all these news articles related to Li Denghua in Shenzhen City… seem to be written by non-mainstream media outlets. Both the headlines and the content give me a strong sense of sensationalism.

 

In addition to these, I also found some news from last year about Li Denghua’s eye problems.

?Shenzhen City’s genius science girl suffers from eye disease, may need corneal transplant??

?Genius science girl’s eye condition worsens, unique illness, doctor says permanent blindness is possible.?

?Regarding the daughter’s hospitalization, Mr. Li Jian says he will not stop his research work.?

 

To explore the authenticity of these news reports, I specifically checked a few websites with comment sections and scrolled to the bottom to see what netizens were saying:

?Hype, just continue the hype.?

?Why is it always Li Denghua every day? The so-called genius girl is clearly their family’s way of generating publicity, probably to attract research funds. Those who understand, understand.?

?I know a bit of inside information. The financial situation in the Craftsman District is a bit problematic, and the current state of high-end physics is struggling. Her dad is probably being driven crazy.?

?Can this even be considered a thesis? Isn’t it just her dad writing it and adding the daughter’s name to publish it in some garbage magazine to gain attention? I could do that too.?

?I think their daughter is a bit pitiful, such a small child. Sigh.?

?Actually, it can’t be considered hype. Li Denghua indeed has talent in this field. I’ve seen videos; she really understands a lot of relevant knowledge, at least she’s studied with dedication.?

?Even if she studies with dedication, so what? A child so young, without any friends in her childhood, no beautiful memories. Spending every day buried in books studying particle collisions. Do you think she’ll be happy when she grows up??

 

Oh… I think I have a rough understanding of what’s going on.

 

After scanning online reports about Li Denghua and reading through the comments from netizens, I have a general understanding of Li Denghua and her family. With this, everything now makes sense.

 

Why Li Denghua has such an isolated personality, why her dad never appears, and the negative evaluations from others at school about Li Denghua—all of this becomes reasonable. Most of the news found online is from one or two years ago, and there isn’t a single article from this year. Typically, there would be follow-up reports on a “genius girl” like her, such as updates on her health, details about treatment, whether she underwent corneal transplant surgery, when she was discharged, and if she still exhibited “genius” qualities post-discharge. All of these should have been covered by the media. However, in the past year, there has been no news about Li Denghua. Even her discharge from the hospital has not been covered by any promotional accounts. Combining this with the comments from netizens, I can roughly understand Li Denghua’s current situation.

 

After checking the news, I closed the browser, reopened QQ, and found Li Denghua’s “temporary messages.” I proactively added her as a friend. Generally, girls with such personalities wouldn’t take the initiative to add others—I know that. Then, I saw Li Denghua’s QQ signature: ?I will never again seek anyone’s recognition!?

 

Alright, teenage pain literature—I did similar things when I was younger.

 

?After I finish discussing things with your class teacher tonight, I’ll attend evening self-study with you. I want to check your homework.?

After organizing my thoughts a bit, I wrote in Li Denghua’s chat box: ?As a return favor, you have to treat me to the popular snacks at your school.?

 

“Uh…”

 

Between the strokes, Yin Xiamo on my thigh seems to be waking up. Originally facing outward, she slightly turned her head, facing her face towards the middle of my thighs. Later, whether intentionally or unintentionally, this person placed one hand under my skirt…

 

“Oops!”

 

Being repeatedly teased by Yin Xiamo on the other side of the flower field, my body, already extremely sensitive, instantly felt a strange sensation spreading throughout my body as she lifted my skirt like that. In my mind, the delicate hands of Yin Xiamo on the lawn not long ago reappeared. Agile, soft, snow-white, tender… fingers. Like an octopus, Yin Xiamo’s hands were flexible, seemingly able to go anywhere and perform any action, knowing well all my weak points.

 

You wouldn’t still want to do it in the taxi…

 

“Are we just stopping at the entrance?”

 

Fortunately, at this moment, the driver ahead, a big sister, turned around. She pointed to a sign not far outside the car that said ‘Central Park’, “Should I drop you off under the shade of the trees over there?”

 

“Uh…”

 

The driver’s voice woke up the girl on my thigh. I saw Yin Xiamo staggering to her feet, yawning widely, “Are we there?”

 

“We’ve arrived.”

 

I moved my numb legs a bit and said to the driver, “Just drop us here.”

 

“Sure, remember to give a good review.”

 

The driver took a bottle of mineral water from the side and took a big gulp. “If you need me next time, just call. I’m familiar with the road conditions in Shenzhen.”

 

“Okay… got it.”

 

After checking the necessary things, I got off the car with a rabbit-shaped backpack on my back.

 

“It’s so numb.”

 

Wrapped in soft lace socks and wearing small shoes with a round toe and thick heels, as soon as my feet touched the ground, I staggered and almost didn’t steady myself.

 

“Be careful.”

 

Yin Xiamo behind me quickly grabbed me, saying, “It seems that Nuo’er will have to exercise regularly in the future. Being so soft and weak won’t do.”

 

“I do exercise!”

 

I immediately retorted, “Every morning and night, I work so hard to train my abdomen, and during work, I run up and down…”

 

“I’m talking about that kind of ?exercise?.”

 

Yin Xiamo mysteriously interrupted me. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Do you remember how many times you fainted just now?”

 

“Huh?”

 

It took me a while to understand what she meant by ?exercise?.

 

“You… why are you so shameless!”

 

“I’ve been a member of the demon clan for thousands of years.”

 

Yin Xiamo neither confirmed nor denied. She reached out and raised her tender little hand, moving it as if showing off something: “Thousands of years of skills, you know? If needed, I can help you exercise every night.”

 

“Go away!”

 

I felt my face heating up again. “This is Central Park in the central district. There are people everywhere. Don’t be so shameless!”

 

“Nuo’er is my wife, and others have no right to interfere with our affairs. If anyone dares to interfere, I’ll reap fifty years of their lifespan.”

 

Despite saying this, Yin Xiamo followed my advice and didn’t continue. She looked at the entrance of the super-large park ahead and asked, “So big, is this the amusement park?”

 

“Central District Park, abbreviated as Central Park,” I opened the rabbit-shaped backpack, took out an umbrella, and handed it to Yin Xiamo.

 

“It’s the largest park in Shenzhen City, including an amusement park, various entertainment facilities, and the largest barbecue park in Shenzhen City.”

 

“Barbecue park?”

 

“Simply put, it’s a barbecue buffet.”

 

With a “click,” I opened the umbrella. Seeing Yin Xiamo not moving, I raised the umbrella over her head. “I want to have barbecue for lunch.”

 

“Oh?”

 

The girl beside me was curious. “Why barbecue?”

 

“Because you, my dear, are rich. Barbecue is expensive. The venue fee here is a hundred yuan, and renting some barbecue racks and other miscellaneous items costs seventy or eighty yuan. For the two of us, the food might cost two to three hundred yuan.”

 

I explained briefly, “You’re rich, so I plan to bring you here and have a big meal.”

 

Actually, the real reason is… I know that the word “barbecue” holds a beautiful memory for Yin Xiamo. In the dreams I had these days, a few scenes I remembered involved the “hero” grilling meat for the “little demon” by the fire. In the different world, aside from the clear differences in technology and culture compared to Earth, the area of “food” is probably quite special. But regardless of the cuisine, “barbecue” should have a common origin.

 

I’ve dreamt of scenes where the hero, after painstakingly hunting and roasting his prey, offers the freshest and most tender parts for the little demon to eat first. If my guess is correct, Yin Xiamo probably has a special feeling towards barbecue. She’s not good at cooking, and it might be related to her lack of skills in barbecue. So today, in the largest park in the central district of Shenzhen City, I plan to rent a barbecue spot and teach this girl how to barbecue firsthand.

 

The first stop of our first date was the medicinal plant garden, which was my “beginning.” The second stop was the park for barbecue, bonfires, food, smoke… these were Yin Xiamo’s “beginning.” Of course, it’s not that I want to win her favor, but rather… to express gratitude for her just now, when she stood up to protect me from those weird young men, allowing us to find a way to counterattack.

 

Yes, that’s right.

 

“Eating barbecue? Rare. I thought Nuo’er was the kind of girl who cares a lot about weight and figure,” she said intentionally or unintentionally, emphasizing the pronunciation of the word “girl.”

 

“Afraid of getting fat?” I retorted.

 

“What’s there to fear about getting fat? I’m currently suffering from severe malnutrition, you know!” I unhappily put the umbrella in Yin Xiamo’s hand. “Hurry up, hold your own umbrella, let’s go.”

 

“Since you’re not afraid of getting fat…”

 

The girl agilely jumped to the side. “Wait for me for a moment.”

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“Rewarding our little pet at home.”

 

Saying that, Yin Xiamo ran towards a few small vendors under the nearby shade, under my gaze. Out of curiosity, I followed, and then I discovered quite a few small vendors with carts set up near Central Park. There were sellers of hotdogs, hand-held pancakes, green bean porridge with tofu pudding, and bubble tea.

 

Yin Xiamo stood in front of a small cart that seemed to sell cotton candy. I didn’t know what she said to the vendor, but the vendor immediately started the machine with a buzzing sound to begin the production.

 

“I didn’t expect you to like this.”

I approached and asked the vendor, “How much?”

“Small one is 5 yuan, large one is 8 yuan, and if you want a special shape, it’s 10 yuan.”

 

So expensive?

 

I guess it’s worthy of being in the central district of the city. Even cotton candy is twice as expensive as in the urban villages.

 

“Alright!”

 

In no time, under the gaze of both Yin Xiamo and me, the guy making the cotton candy produced something – a cotton candy shaped like a lily with three colors.

 

“Here, this is a reward for our dear wife.”

 

After paying, Yin Xiamo directly handed me the cotton candy. “Thanks for the thigh pillow on the way here!”

 

“Let’s eat it together.”

 

I looked somewhat distressed at this super-sized lily-shaped cotton candy. “Why did you order such a big one…”

 

“Then let’s eat it together.”

The girl grabbed my hand. “I’ll eat half, and Nuo’er, you eat the other half.”

 

“Okay… sure.”

 

In the midst of a crowd, under Yin Xiamo’s gaze, I felt a bit embarrassed as I brought the petals of this side to my mouth and took a bite.

 

So sweet.

 

“Wow, it’s sweet…”

 

What surprised me was that the girl in front of me quickly approached, extended her little tongue, and licked away the remaining cotton candy from the corner of my mouth.

 

“You, you, you…”

 

My brain momentarily froze. “What are you doing!”

 

“Nuo’er ate my half, this is revenge.”

 

Yin Xiamo had a mischievous smile on her face, then she satisfactorily let go of my hand.

 

“I’ve eaten what I wanted. The rest can be given to the little kitty.”

 

“……”

 

……