Zongman: Kulaixiku, resurrection!

"Oh, it's really not easy."

"Is the work difficult? Of course, being a doctor must be very tiring."

"No, it's just that it's not easy to get along with the students."

Inside Rising, a table for four was cleared of its tea sets and decorations, replaced by a large copper stove. A thin layer of cast copper separated the half-extinguished charcoal fire from the barely simmering broth. Half-cooked chicken, black fish fillets, and a variety of vegetables were served on plates or in plastic baskets. Li Xiao and Ke Sanhui each occupied a chair, with a chair left for Xiangzi, who hadn't finished get off work yet. Ke Sanhui gulped down a large gulp of beer, the saturated carbonation pressing against his stomach. After a long burp, Ke Sanhui let out a long sigh of relief and uttered this sentiment.

"Why are girls nowadays so weird?"

"Go call Feng, have you ever touched a girl's hand five times in your life? To use that professional term, um..."

"Insufficient samples!" "Yes, insufficient samples. How dare you say that?"

Li Xiao was not wearing any makeup at this time. Her pair of almond-shaped eyes curved charmingly under the stimulation of alcohol, and her oval face had a slight blush from being drunk. She had a beautiful face, but the words she said were quite impactful.

"This is the first time I confessed my feelings to you...hiccup, and you f*cking rejected me. Forget it, you just don't like me!"

"You're older, sister, you're definitely older."

"Big bastard, listen to me!" Li Xiao pointed with her little finger, and Ke Sanhui immediately became obedient. He just sat in his chair and listened to the lecture, and by the way, he used his eyes to signal the store cleaning staff to leave quickly. The clerk Sang originally wanted to wait for the two to finish eating and clean up the beer bottles on Li Xiao's floor before leaving get off work, but now he decisively picked up his bag and started running. When he passed by Ke Sanhui, he reminded him considerately: "Brother Baihe, take good care of the boss. Call me if you need anything."

"Hurr." Now there were no outsiders in the shop. They started guessing numbers right there, and no one complained about disturbing the public. "You, you've rejected me for the second time. I'm dressed like a Xi Shi, and everyone... the whole world knows that Chiyo Akatsuki is looking for you, Kashiwa Miki, to date!"

"Sister, sister, let's calm down, you're really big..."

"What about you? Coward...coward!" Li Xiao fell under the table with a thud, beer bottles rolling everywhere. Li Xiao soon fell into a snort, occasionally saying a few nonsense words, "I am a coward, you are also a coward...both..."

Shoko Toyokawa, who had been off work for a long time, leaned quietly against the counter, watching all this in silence. She suddenly discovered that people really do laugh when they are speechless.

Although Xiangzi didn't understand what the two were saying, he could tell from the boss's expression that these two people were definitely not pure in the past.

"Xiangzi, stop looking! Come and help carry Boss Chiyo up to rest." Kashiwa Sanhui was quite frustrated. He had only come to eat and see Xiangzi, but he unexpectedly ran into Li Xiao, who was drinking alone. He had just decided to have a couple of drinks and stay the night, so he started a hot pot, but the older Li Xiao brought up some past events, and his mood was completely sour.

By the time Toyokawa Shoko and Kashiwa Sanhui had settled Li Xiao and cleaned up the shop, it was already completely dark. Shoko opened the shop door, and a gentle breeze, carrying a drizzle of rain, dispelled the stench of alcohol. Kashiwa Sanhui made him a plate of fried rice with unscalded snakehead fillet. It was steaming hot and fragrant.

"I'm starting." Toyokawa Shoko buried his head in his meal, and didn't say a word except for the exclamation of "Delicious" after the first bite. Kashiwa Sanhui leaned against the door frame and smoked his pipe silently. The aroma of high-quality tobacco replaced the smell of alcohol, which made Shoko, who was originally a little tired, feel a little more energetic.

After washing down the last mouthful of fried rice with the broth, Xiangzi noticed that the atmosphere was a little quiet and that Kashiwa Sanhui seemed a little down, so he took the initiative to speak: "Doctor Ke, were you and Chiyo in a relationship before?"

Xiangzi regretted it as soon as he opened his mouth, as if he had said something he shouldn't have said.

"Well...it's a long story, I'll try to be brief." Baihe Sanhui put away his pipe, exhaled all the smoke in his lungs, and sat down opposite Xiangzi, his eyes filled with memories of the past.

"Boss Chiyo is a year older than me and shares the same advisor. You could say we're both his favorite students. Boss Chiyo confessed his feelings to me, and I've always wanted to refuse, but I'm worried that if we become distant, my academic project won't work out... Hey, you know the details, so I won't go into detail. It's frustrating."

Xiangzi was silent for a while. At first, she felt that Kashiwa Sanhui was very sorry for boss Chiyo.

But how could she be in a position to condemn? Hadn't she done the same thing herself, betraying everyone's dreams for her own selfish affairs and so-called dignity?

Especially, the kid named Deng...

Somehow, an impulse suddenly arose in Shoko Toyokawa and she quickly put it into action.

"Don't be sad, Dr. Ke." Xiangzi stood up and gently hugged Baihe Sanhui. There was no particularly intimate contact, just his arms gently hugging him, but Xiangzi felt a little strange, as if he was shy and sympathetic. Later, when Xiangzi thought of this moment, he would call it "empathy between fellow sinners."

"I understand how you feel. It's okay."

Feeling the vague warmth, Kashiwa Sanhui hesitated for a moment and returned the hug politely. His heartfelt gratitude eventually turned into a simple "Thank you."

Releasing her hand, Toyokawa Shoko pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket and placed about half of it on the table. It was about 6,000 yen. "This is what I earned from working part-time today. Please give it to Mr. Chiyo as my accommodation for the next few days."

Then he took the plate and walked into the kitchen. Xiangzi smiled and said to Baihe Sanhui: "It's getting late, remember to get some rest."

The wall clock rang at the right time, ten o'clock sharp.

"Well, you should also go to bed early."

"By the way, Dr. Ke."

"What's wrong?

"Do you still like Boss Chiyo?"

Baihe Sanhui hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head slightly: "She is my good friend. Why do you ask?" Baihe Sanhui, who had been drinking, had his brain somewhat controlled by ethanol, and he did not realize the danger hidden in this sentence.

Somehow, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly felt a little happy, and the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously. "Nothing, good night, Doctor Ke."

"Good night, Xiangzi."