Although she enjoyed Hua Shu's company, Liu Fengying had not forgotten that she still had things to do that evening; in fact, it could even be said that she was already running late. Had she not come to the restaurant with Hua Shu, she would probably have finished her training by that hour and begun cultivating.
So now that they had finished eating and no longer had anything urgent to discuss, she suggested ending the dinner and heading back to their respective homes.
"Or before we leave, would you like to go to the restroom?" Liu Fengying asked; she didn't want Hua Shu to rush because of her and leave feeling uncomfortable.
Hearing Liu Fengying mention going to the restroom, a thought flashed through Hua Shu's mind—she had forgotten something. More precisely, what had become of her plan to get back at Liu Fengying for the teasing she had put her through?
Well, it wasn't too late yet; one could even say the perfect opportunity had been served to her on a silver platter. But was she still capable of doing it? Unfortunately, she no longer had the same nerve she'd once possessed when she was annoyed.
Moreover, because throughout the meal Liu Fengying had made her heart race time and again, Hua Shu was extremely confused about her feelings toward her—feelings that seemed stronger than those she would have for a mere friend.
Was it dependence? Admiration? Lust? Honestly, Hua Shu couldn't tell. The way she felt when she looked at Liu Fengying was something completely new to her. The only thing she was sure of was that merely imagining herself grabbing Liu Fengying's breasts was enough to make her want to run away in embarrassment.
"No, that's not necessary…" Hua Shu said, gathering her things to hide her agitation. Truth be told, having drunk two glasses of fresh fruit juice, it wouldn't have hurt to visit the restroom, but because of the scenes she had imagined taking place there, it had acquired a sort of taboo aura.
However, setting aside the fact that such tricks didn't work in front of an "old fox," Hua Shu's blush alone was enough to make Liu Fengying look at her with suspicion; she began to wonder whether she had teased Hua Shu without realizing it.
"All right…" she said in the end, finding no indication that she herself had triggered Hua Shu's reaction. She thought it was possible that Hua Shu had become embarrassed due to a phobia related to restaurant restrooms, frequented by all kinds of people.
Once the topic was dropped, it took the two of them less than a minute to get up from the table and head toward the restaurant exit. Of course, this once again stirred reactions of astonishment from the other patrons, especially those who had arrived recently and hadn't had a clear view of the table where Liu Fengying and Hua Shu had dined.
Still, unlike when they arrived, now not only did Liu Fengying pay no attention to them, but neither did Hua Shu, as she had expected such a scene; she had already concluded that there was no difference between accompanying Liu Fengying and going for a walk with a leopard.
Although their homes were in different directions, Liu Fengying suggested that they take the same taxi, expressing her desire to see Hua Shu safely home.
"...", Hua Shu didn't know what opinion to have about Liu Fengying's idea; from her tone, it didn't seem like Liu Fengying was trying to show how much she valued her, but rather that she was worried about her safety.
'She's not afraid I might fall victim to child trafficking, is she?' Hua Shu protested inwardly; after all, she was almost an adult.
What she chose to ignore, however, was the fact that if Liu Fengying hadn't offered to go with her, she would most likely have returned home using public transportation. Of course, in that case she would have justified it as wanting to save money, not because she felt safer that way than taking a taxi alone.
In any case, Hua Shu decided to put the matter aside; after all, whatever Liu Fengying's intentions were, they were good ones. Besides, she understood her concern. Thinking of how many looks Liu Fengying attracted wherever she went, Hua Shu herself worried that some of the people they encountered might harbor ill intentions toward her.
Since they had exited a luxury restaurant whose clientele was more discerning, it didn't take long to find a decent-looking taxi with a driver who seemed like a serious person. Thus, in less than twenty minutes, the two of them arrived in front of the villa where Hua Shu lived.
"Thank you once again for this evening; despite everyone who tried to sabotage us, it was truly a pleasant experience… Anyway, I promise I'll try to make it up to you as soon as possible," Hua Shu said after getting out of the car.
Even though Liu Fengying had promised to take her out again, she hadn't specified when, so it could just as well be a month from now. But since she enjoyed going out and relaxing together with Liu Fengying, she didn't really want to wait that long, so she thought it wouldn't hurt to take the initiative herself.
"Oh, and call me as soon as you get into your house so I know you arrived safely…" she added before closing the car door completely, not worrying at all about being overheard by the driver. She figured that if he was honest, he had no reason to be upset, and if he had impure thoughts, her words would scare him.
"All right, I'll do that…" Liu Fengying humored Hua Shu, easily understanding her intention.
Of course, this was only to reassure Hua Shu; even though her cultivation currently allowed her only the physical abilities of a top athlete—nothing truly unimaginable—the combat experience she possessed would have allowed her to handle even ten people. So how could she fear being alone with another person?
However, aside from the fact that she had no way of explaining this to Hua Shu, Liu Fengying was fairly sure she wouldn't be believed anyway; most likely she would have to smash bricks with her fist in front of Hua Shu to convince her that she was capable of fighting anyone.
The ride to the apartment building where she lived passed without incident; after all, most people obey the law, so it's extremely rare to encounter a taxi driver bent on doing something bad.
But suddenly left alone in the back seat, Liu Fengying was overcome by a strange feeling. More precisely, the silence that had settled gave her the impression that she had been separated from the rest of the world. Even the city lights reflected in the car windows no longer seemed as colorful and bright as before; it was as if she could see them, but not be touched by them—as though she weren't in the middle of the city, but watching it from afar, separated by a vast expanse of water.
Honestly, at that moment, she wouldn't have been surprised if the taxi had taken flight and carried her off to another world, a place similar to that inhabited by ghosts who can only descend to the mortal realm one night a year.
'Perhaps, in order to return to the world of the living, one must have an intensified appetite for life…' Liu Fengying thought to herself, trying to explain her longing to have someone beside her. After all, in both of her lives, she had grown accustomed to spending long periods of time in solitude, so it was strange that just a few minutes alone could make her feel so empty inside.
Even after she entered her apartment, a familiar environment, she still couldn't completely shake off the melancholy; it was as if, after experiencing once again what it felt like to be close to someone, she had developed an addiction to it and was now suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
This became even more evident during the brief phone call she had with Hua Shu to confirm that she had arrived home safely, because she almost instantly began to feel better the moment she heard her voice.
'Maybe I should have kidnapped Hua Shu…' she joked to herself; after all, Hua Shu seemed more than willing to spend time with her, so there was no need to resort to such drastic measures to bring her over. For instance, she could simply suggest a pajama party.
Still, she was aware that, for now, it wasn't the right time for something like that; perhaps she could watch a movie while holding Hua Shu in her arms, but not cultivate. Well, theoretically, she could, but without telling Hua Shu about cultivation, it would most certainly turn into an awkward situation.
Since she was already running late according to the schedule she had set for herself, Liu Fengying had no intention of letting these emotions dictate her actions. Thus, immediately after changing into something comfortable, she began preparing for her physical training session.
Initially, she had planned to halve the time dedicated to exercise that evening, but wanting to clear her mind before starting to cultivate, she reconsidered; she even thought it wouldn't hurt to train for an extra half hour.
..............
Although Liu Fengying's situation could be considered special, in a city with over five million inhabitants, there were probably many people that evening experiencing similar feelings of loneliness. After all, you don't need to come from another world to feel like you don't belong here.
For example, on one of the balconies of a large villa in a neighborhood populated by wealthy families on the outskirts of the city, a girl Liu Fengying knew very well found herself in such a situation; she stood there gazing into the distance toward the city while the phone abandoned on a nearby table vibrated continuously with incoming notifications.
"Zizi, are you in your room?" came the voice of a teenage boy from her bedroom door, followed by loud knocking.
Liu Zihan flinched, pulled out of her thoughts, but it wasn't as though the visit had surprised her; she knew very well that after the news about Liu Fengying had come out, her family would want to learn everything she knew about her.
The reason the discussion had been postponed was simple: as soon as she had returned from school, she had barricaded herself in her room without telling anyone, continuing to read the posts about Liu Fengying that had appeared on social media. Still, she hadn't deluded herself into thinking she could escape forever.
"Sis!… Knock, knock, knock!… Sis!" Liu Zihao continued pounding on the door more and more insistently; it was clear he had no intention of leaving until he spoke with her.
"Ugh…" Liu Zihan sighed, turning her back to the city lights; it seemed she could no longer postpone the discussion she expected to be very unpleasant for her.