"Thank you for the trouble!" Su Mo clasped his fists to express gratitude, then returned to the private room after ordering the dishes.

He thought to himself: I really don’t know how to make it more exciting. I’ve seen such a plot in TV dramas before, so I’ll try it out.

Private room number 3 was a VIP room located next to the Yadong Main River, with floor-to-ceiling transparent windows providing a panoramic view of the dazzling lights along the river, which was quite aesthetic.

Su Mo and Qi Ling ate and chatted, laughing and joking, creating a very relaxed atmosphere.

Half an hour later, the cashier boy personally brought in two servings of dessert and set them down for the two: "Hello, two servings of crème brûlée, all the dishes are served, please enjoy."

After placing the desserts, the cashier boy sneaked a glance at Su Mo, winking furtively.

Su Mo winked back at him.

After exchanging signals, the cashier boy left the private room.

Su Mo took a few bites of his pudding, pretending to be satisfied, patted his stomach, and stood up, saying, "Xiaoqi, wait here for a bit, I’m going to the restroom."

Just as Su Mo was about to leave, Qi Ling suddenly stopped him, "Wait."

Qi Ling pointed at the bill by the table with her mouth, "Pay the bill first, okay?"

Su Mo was stunned on the spot, "I, I’m just going to the restroom."

Qi Ling: "It’s the same if you pay first before going, right?"

Su Mo pretended to smile calmly, "No need to rush to pay the bill, it’s just the same if I pay when I come back."

Qi Ling propped her chin in doubt, looking at him, "Though I don’t think you’re the kind of boring person, what if you’re just tricking me? Pretending to go to the restroom and then running away without paying the bill, leaving me here? That’d be a problem."

Su Mo mentally exclaimed: Holy crap, can you read minds or something?!

Feeling a bit flustered at having his thoughts exposed, Su Mo nonetheless acted calm and said, "No way, how could I be so boring?"

Qi Ling: "Then just pay first, it’s the same after that."

Su Mo stood silently on the spot.

Moments later...

He grabbed Qi Ling’s phone that was placed on the table and bolted out of the room.

Qi Ling was instantly startled, "Hey! No way! You’re really doing this trick???"

The "partners" led by the cashier boy had been prepared, and outside, their organized shouting and yelling could be heard.

"Oh my god! Mo Mo, you jerk! Are you serious!!!" Qi Ling quickly got up, ready to make a run for it.

The cashier boy soon rushed in with some others, his face fiercely stern, "How could you do this! You seem like decent folks, yet you’re dining and dashing, don’t you have any shame?!"

Qi Ling was cornered in the room, awkwardly scratching her head repeatedly, "No, no, I didn’t mean to dine and dash... it was him who ran off!"

The cashier boy glared at her, "Then pay up!"

Qi Ling quickly held out her wrist, "He took my phone... can I pay with a microchip?"

The cashier boy reacted swiftly, making up an excuse, "The chip scanner broke down, can’t pay that way, it’s either cash or scan payment."

Qi Ling awkwardly said, "But I didn’t bring cash, and my phone got snatched... what should I do?"

The cashier boy, showing no relent, chuckled, "Then you’ll have to stay and wash dishes, you’ll be let go when you’ve washed enough."

Qi Ling stood there, feeling self-conscious.

Suddenly, she pointed behind the cashier boy with delight, "Hey! He’s back!"

Everyone turned to look back.

The corridor was empty.

Taking advantage, Qi Ling squeezed through the gaps among them and ran away in a panic.

The cashier boy frowned, "Dare to mess with me? Stop her! Don’t let her get away!"

This restaurant was truly top-notch, the service was indeed diligent, and even when Qi Ling ran outside the store, their staff was still chasing her.

Amid the shouts and chasing behind her, passersby threw curious glances, making Qi Ling’s face flush with embarrassment.

She ran onto the escalator, peering outside, and discovered Su Mo had already run to the next level.

Qi Ling clenched her small fist in anger, "Don’t run! If you are, at least take me with you ahhh!!!"

The cashier boy was already at the escalator’s entrance, and Qi Ling, while escaping halfway down, had her high heel caught in the escalator gap, impeding her movement.

She had no choice but to remove her high heel, holding it in her hand, running barefoot, "Mo Mo, you jerk! If you have no life, you might as well bite a lighter, this is such a mess! I’m getting angry!!!"

Su Mo and Qi Ling darted out of the shopping mall one after the other, engaging in a chase along the riverside path.

Qi Ling’s physical fitness couldn’t compare to Su Mo’s; she couldn’t catch up no matter how she tried, panting heavily between breaths, "Huff... Mo Mo, don’t run... I can’t keep up... huff..."

Su Mo, still wanting to tease Qi Ling a bit more, deliberately slowed down to let her catch up, only to speed up again once her distance got closer, toying her within his grasp.

"Mo Mo... I really can’t run anymore... huff huff... ah!!!" Running along, Qi Ling’s legs gave way, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

Su Mo was shocked, quickly stopped, "Oh no, we went too far..."

He rushed over to help Qi Ling up, "Are you okay, are you hurt?"

Suddenly, Qi Ling threw herself at Su Mo, wrapping her arms around his neck, her faint fragrance enveloping him.

Looking into Su Mo’s surprised eyes, she flashed a mischievous smile, "Heehee, gotcha~"

Su Mo sighed deeply, "Alright, I lost again..."

Qi Ling poked his forehead, "Can you be any more boring? Those staff members really were dedicated, their acting was quite convincing."

Su Mo was taken aback, "You knew it was an act?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Qi Ling shook her tiny head from side to side, laughing, "I didn’t know at first, I really got a bit scared. But later I realized, once they reached the entrance of the mall, they suddenly stopped chasing, then I knew it had to be an act."

Su Mo looked up, letting out a sob-like cry, "Ah—I messed up again; I honestly couldn’t think of any other way..."

Qi Ling, wrapping her arms around Su Mo’s neck, rested her face against his chest. She gazed at the reflection of lights on the river, her eyes somewhat lost in thought, "Though you’re a bit clumsy, I was really happy today."

"Throughout my whole life, you’re the second person who’s tried so hard to make me laugh."

Su Mo curiously asked, "Who’s the first one?"

Qi Ling fell silent, not saying a word.

A profound silence enveloped the surroundings, with only the sound of the river breeze blowing past.

Su Mo suddenly felt the two hands on his back tighten their grip, becoming very strong, as if fingernails were about to dig into his flesh.

Just as Su Mo winced in pain, Qi Ling released his neck, taking his hand to walk forward, deliberately bypassing that question, "Let’s go, let’s just stroll along the river."

Su Mo watched Qi Ling’s silhouette, unable to see her expression, only catching glimpses of her silver hair fluttering uncontrollably in the river breeze.

Su Mo held back words that wanted to come out, eventually saying nothing, just quietly accompanying her as they walked.

After some time, Su Mo seemed to notice something.

He directed his gaze towards the lawn beside them, sighing, "Look over there... it’s really pitiful..."

On the lawn lay a small stray cat, covered in blood and barely breathing, with gruesome bite marks on its belly, exposing bits of its internal organs.

Qi Ling squatted down beside the small cat, sadly saying, "This wound, it must have been bitten by a large dog... it’s really pitiable."

Su Mo reached out, gently stroking the little cat’s head, but its injuries were too severe, rendering it unresponsive, only the rise and fall of its breathing suggested it was still alive.

Su Mo shook his head, sighing, "It’s injured so badly, it can’t be saved anymore..."

"Yeah, let’s hope it finds happiness in Meow Star," Qi Ling said, picking up a nearby stone, smashing it onto the small cat’s head.

"Thud!"

The small cat’s head got smashed in, it twitched briefly before becoming motionless.

The splattering blood before his eyes left Su Mo completely stunned, momentarily unable to react.

Qi Ling picked up the small cat’s body, slowly walked over to a nearby trash bin, and tossed it into the organic waste compartment.

Su Mo stared blankly at Qi Ling’s silhouette, "Xiaoqi, you..."

"Hmm?" Qi Ling turned around, her back against the streetlamp, shadowing her face in the light, making her features indistinct, only the deep, serene amber eyes visible, filled with calmness.

"What happened?"