The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 508 The Big Winner (Part 4) Xinling Makes Her Move, Ziqiao's New Wingman

Lonely Corner Bar, April 22nd, afternoon.

Beside the bar, Lu Ziqiao, sporting a large bald head, was looking around for a target.

He originally intended to wear a wig, but after a girl accidentally pulled his hair out while they were kissing, he stopped wearing it.

Moreover, he felt that being bald wasn't entirely a bad thing.

After all, his physical attributes are still there; shaving his head only changes his style and doesn't necessarily make him look ugly in the eyes of girls.

Moreover, their previous sarcastic remarks about him being a monk had, to some extent, inspired him.

These days, it's not that we're afraid of handsome men without hair, it's that we're afraid of monks who are handsome.

Lu Ziqiao recently discovered a strange phenomenon: when he actively approached girls with his bald head, it was easy to scare them away, but if he put on a serious expression with a bitter and resentful look... well, or rather, a compassionate expression, girls would actually come to him.

Hmm... Lu Ziqiao didn't expect that pretending to be a monk would have this effect.

The young girl seemed very enthusiastic about flirting with the handsome monk...

After discussing it with Wensheng, the two agreed that the girl's mentality was quite similar to that of a man who might try to drag a respectable woman down with him.

This psychological tendency that makes serious people act unseriously exists in both men and women.

Having tasted the benefits, Lu Ziqiao no longer objects to having a shaved head. Whenever a girl comes over, he puts his hands together and says "Amitabha".

However, he hasn't found a suitable target yet today.

But before long, Lu Ziqiao's "compassionate" eyes fixed on a girl drinking silently in a corner.

Just by looking at her profile, he felt that she was worth breaking his vow as a master of abstinence.

Master Lü picked up a glass of wine and walked over unhurriedly, standing behind the girl.

“Amitabha Buddha, benefactor, forgive my poor eyesight, but does this cup of wine called ‘Relief’ mean to persuade people to let go of their attachments?”

Xinling, who was staring out the window in a daze, heard a sound behind her. She turned around and looked at it, then paused for only a second before her eyes turned strange.

Lu Ziqiao?
She had seen the photos from Jian Ning before and recognized the bald man as the pervert who had harassed Jian Ning's mother.

However, Cyndi recognized Lu Ziqiao, but Lu Ziqiao did not recognize Cyndi.

Or rather, he had only heard of Cyndi Wang, but had never met her.

Upon seeing the girl's appearance after she turned around, Lü Ziqiao was already chanting "Good, good" in his mind.

"Esteemed benefactor, could you please interpret the 'Zen meaning' contained in this cup for this humble monk?"

Lu Ziqiao clasped his hands together and looked at Xinling with kind and upright eyes.

In this respect, as Zhang Wei's teacher, he did perform well. After all, he was a seasoned player in the game of flirting and knew that when starting to strike up a conversation, one should not only control one's mood and words, but also control one's eyes.

Unlike Zhang Wei, whose eyes would often wander when he tried to chat up a girl.

These are also the basic qualities for picking up girls in "The Girl-Picking Handbook".

Upon hearing Lu Ziqiao's words, Xinling raised an eyebrow, looked him up and down, and quickly understood.

So she suppressed a laugh and said, "Master, this drink isn't called 'Relief,' it's called Negroni."

"Really?" Lu Ziqiao looked surprised but remained calm. Recalling what Wen Sheng had told him earlier, he continued, "That was my mistake. However, this Negroni has the sweetness of Campari, the bitterness of gin, and the intensity of vermouth. These three flavors are quite similar to the 'Three Truths of Life' in Buddhism: sweetness is greed, bitterness is anger, and intensity is delusion. Which flavor are you here tonight to contemplate?"

As soon as Lu Ziqiao finished speaking, Xinling's eyes widened in surprise.

Is this something the other person would actually say?

Xinling felt a little ashamed. She had judged him by his appearance and thought he was shallow just because he was a pervert. She didn't expect that she had misjudged him.

"I never expected that the master, who is a monk, would know so much about wine."

“It’s not an insight, it’s a Zen-like understanding.” Lu Ziqiao smiled faintly. “As the saying goes, ‘Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart.’ This humble monk cultivates the Dharma of the mortal world and believes that everything has a Zen-like understanding, including wine.”

“Master, what you said is truly wise. I’ll toast you.” Xinling smiled, raised her glass, took a sip, and then asked, “Master, who said that line you just mentioned, ‘Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart’?”

"..."

Lu Ziqiao, who was sitting opposite Xinling with a smile, suddenly felt a pang of unease. Looking at the other woman's smiling face, he continued to recall what Wen Sheng had said earlier.

As a good wingman, after Lu Ziqiao's persistent requests for help, Wen Sheng also helped him improve some of his character traits.

However, girls usually don't continue to ask these kinds of questions, which made him almost forget what Wen Sheng had said back then.

Meeting Xinling's gaze, Lü Ziqiao forced a smile and asked, "Ji Gong?"

"Wow, Master, you even know that? Impressive!"

"Hehe, we're all monks, how could I not know?" Lu Ziqiao wiped the sweat from his brow and chuckled dryly. Then, to ease the tension, he sang a couple more lines: "My shoes are torn, my hat is torn, and my robe is torn~"

"Master, you're really interesting." Xinling smiled, her eyes narrowed, but she quickly changed the subject, seeing Lu Ziqiao's smile, "Master, do you know why Ji Gong said that?"

"..."

Lu Ziqiao's smile froze; he felt like cursing.

Dude, are you a walking encyclopedia of questions?

People come to bars not to drink and make friends, but to start a Q&A session. They're not even participating in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"!

Lu Ziqiao wanted to leave, but Xinling kept watching him with a smile, and although he felt a chill run down his spine, he was also a little reluctant to leave.

This girl is beautiful and innocent. I missed out on her. I'll probably keep saying "I'm so sorry" when I get back.

After pondering for a while, Lü Ziqiao's face showed discomfort: "Excuse me, benefactor, this humble monk is feeling a little unwell and would like to go to the restroom first."

Hearing this, Xinling felt a little strange, but she still smiled and nodded.

So Lu Ziqiao quickly got up and went to the bar's restroom. After glancing back at Xinling in the corner one last time, he turned into the sink and called Wen Sheng.

"You absolutely must answer! You absolutely must answer..."

Lu Ziqiao nervously prayed while holding his knock-off Phelps waterproof phone.

"Hey, Ziqiao, what's up?"

Lu Ziqiao breathed a sigh of relief when Wen Sheng's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Brother Sheng, I need your help urgently. I have a question for you."

"..."

On the other side, Xinling sat in her seat and carefully recalled what happened when she first went to 3601, and then thought of what Jian Ning had told her before.

Actually, after moving to Love Apartment, she rarely came to the bar here because she hadn't figured out how to appear in front of everyone again.

Or perhaps they haven't figured out how to get closer to Wen Sheng yet.

Even when she did come, she mostly drank quietly in a corner, worried that if she ran into Wen Sheng or the people in the apartment, things would get out of control.

Fortunately, in her few visits to bars, she never saw Wen Sheng... She didn't know whether this was lucky or unlucky.

But if things continue like this, am I really content to only get this close?
Xinling looked at the wine in her glass, and as she thought about it, she started thinking about Wen Sheng.

"Benefactor, this humble monk has returned." Just as Xinling was lost in thought, Lü Ziqiao calmly returned to his seat.

"Regarding the question you just asked, I've been thinking about it. Zen Master Daoji said, 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart,' because he could eat the dead and spit out the living. He could gild Buddha after drinking wine."

After a pause, Lü Ziqiao laughed again: "This was said by Master Yinguang, one of the four great monks of the Republic of China. Zen Master Daoji had great cultivation, while my cultivation is far inferior. Wine and meat are like tigers to me, but Buddha once cut off his own flesh to feed an eagle. In order to see through the mortal world and guide the lost mortals, I am also willing to feed the tiger with my own body."

"..."

Xinling stared blankly at the "high monk" in front of her, a man of worldly pleasures and a heart full of strange feelings.

She wasn't blind; she could tell the other person didn't know how to answer. But she didn't expect that the other person would be able to answer in the short time it took to go to the bathroom, and even shut down the question she was planning to ask later.

Composing herself, Xinling raised her wine glass and exclaimed, "Master, you are indeed very knowledgeable."

"Amitabha." Lu Ziqiao put his hands together, suppressing the smugness on his lips, and began to plan. "It is clear that you have great wisdom and are destined to be with the Buddha. I wonder if you would be willing to change to a quiet place with me to properly study the Dharma? I am willing to spend my whole life to guide you."

"..."

Xinling, who had just thought Lu Ziqiao was somewhat capable, was suddenly speechless. In the end, he had turned out to be a frivolous monk.

However, Xinling didn't refuse outright, because she suddenly thought of an opportunity, an opportunity to resolve the problem that had been bothering her.

So she smiled and looked at Lu Ziqiao and said, "Master, I suddenly remembered that you may have misspoke earlier."

"Wrong? How could that be? I just..."

Lu Ziqiao was surprised and almost let slip what he had said. After adjusting his gaze towards Xinling, he smiled and said, "Oh? What is wrong with what this humble monk said? Please speak freely, benefactor."

"The saying 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart' should not have been said by Ji Gong. It is a line from the movie 'Shaolin Temple'. In the TV series 'Ji Gong', Ji Gong said 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha sits in my heart.' Previously, the common saying was 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha sits in my heart.'"

"..."

Lu Ziqiao felt a chill run down his spine.

"This...uh..."

"Since you are a monk, I wonder if the master knows the historical origin of this saying?"

"Uh... of course..."

Lu Ziqiao forced a smile, and sweat began to drip from his bald head again. Then he made a pained expression on his face.

"My stomach is upset again, and I need to go to the restroom again. Please wait a moment, benefactor."

This time, Cyndi did not stop her again, and nodded in agreement.

However, after Lu Ziqiao went to the sink, she also got up and walked towards the bathroom. As soon as she got close to the sink, she heard the master's anxious voice coming from inside.

"Brother Sheng, it's still extremely urgent. That young lady asked me another question..."

Xinling raised an eyebrow, her eyes revealing an "I knew it" look.

After listening quietly for a while, Xinling quietly returned to her seat.

"Brother Wensheng, I'm about to make my move."

With the help of his wingman, Lü Ziqiao walked back while muttering to himself, reinforcing the knowledge Wen Sheng had just taught him. After sitting down again, he immediately said to Xinling:

“Esteemed benefactor, I just recalled that the question you asked first appeared in history in the Yuan Dynasty’s ‘Among the Flowers… uh…’”

"The Four Friends Among Flowers: Su Dongpo's Dream, right?" Xinling said with a light laugh first.

"Oh, right, right, right." Lu Ziqiao nodded quickly, "It comes from..."

“The original line in Wu Changling’s play should be ‘Willow shadows on the stream and river do not hinder the small boat’s journey. Buddha sits in my heart, while wine and meat pass through my intestines.’” Xinling smiled and helped Lü Ziqiao answer. “This is what Su Dongpo said when he persuaded Foyin to drink wine and eat meat. It’s just that the order of the words was changed in the transmission of the story, but it is very likely the earliest source of that line.”

"Yes, yes, hehe... You are indeed very knowledgeable, benefactor!"

Towards the end, Lu Ziqiao was almost gritting his teeth, but then he brought up the topic he cared about most.

“Esteemed benefactor, since we seem to have such a pleasant and auspicious connection, why don’t we change the venue and discuss the Dharma in a more appropriate manner?”

"Okay, but I have one more question..."

"Stop!"

Lu Ziqiao couldn't take it anymore. He didn't expect that Zeng Xiaoxian hadn't even appeared on the show yet, but he had already taken the quiz before him.

He finally understood that the girl in front of him was completely beyond his capabilities.

Indeed, the most suitable type for me is a girl who is good-looking, has a great figure, but is not very intelligent, especially the part about not being very intelligent.

“Benefactor, this humble monk suddenly remembered that I forgot to burn incense for Buddha today. I must go back and burn incense first.”

Even though the girl in front of him was very beautiful, Lu Ziqiao couldn't resist anymore.

After saying that, he got up and was about to slip away, but Xinling called out to him, "Master, please wait. Let me finish. Only you can answer my question."

"W-what problem?" Master Lü asked hesitantly.

Xinling smiled faintly: "When Master saw me drinking this cup of wine just now, he asked me which flavor I came to comprehend. To be honest, Master, what I am comprehending is both obsession and greed, and the cause of these two flavors is related to a friend of yours."

"Friends?" Lu Ziqiao was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What friends?"

Xinling smiled, lightly touched the wine in her glass with the tip of her right index finger, and then slowly wrote the two characters "Wensheng" on the table.

Lu Ziqiao's gaze sharpened, and then he saw Xinling raise her head and smile at him, saying, "If Master can help me comprehend the two flavors of greed and delusion, perhaps I can also help Master better see through the illusions of the mortal world."

After a pause, Xinling continued, "For example, the Zen discussion between the Master and other female benefactors."

……

Sheshan, at dusk.

"Wen Sheng, I didn't expect you to understand Zen principles?"

In front of two adjacent tents, Zhuge Dasheng, who was preparing dinner ingredients, looked at Wen Sheng, who was starting a fire, and asked curiously.

Wen Sheng, who was squatting on the ground, patted the dust off his hands and laughed, "You're never too old to learn. I used to have a friend who liked these things, and I learned a little bit from him too."

"That's it."

Zhuge Dasheng nodded, then said thoughtfully, "Is she your ex-wife?"

"..."

As soon as the question was asked, Attorney Zhuge realized the problem and quickly looked away to continue processing the ingredients in her hands.

Wen Sheng's smile froze for a second, then he smiled again and leaned closer, looking up at Lawyer Zhuge's eyes at close range.

"Sister Sheng, you seem to care a lot about my ex-wife? Including when I taught you flower arranging last time, this is the third, fourth, or even more times you've asked about this?"

"..."

Unfortunately, his ex-wife was not the same as his previous wife.

Just as the atmosphere between the two gradually froze, and they even felt that their breaths were about to hit each other's faces, Zhuge Dali, who had been fishing by the stream not far away, returned with her spoils.

"Hey? Uncle, why are you standing so close to my mom?"

(End of this chapter)