Chapter 153: A Little Addictive

Lin Qiu gave her an approving look. “You did very well.”

Then his eyes locked onto the apple in her hand, a hungry gleam flashing in his gaze. “That apple of yours—”

Before he could finish, Hong Mei casually took a step back, twirling a lock of her wavy hair around her finger, her red lips curving into a teasing, coquettish smile as she glanced at him. “I only bought ten apples. I’ll finish them in a day, so I’m not sharing with you, Qiu-ge.”

Lin Qiu’s smile froze on his lips. He took a deep breath and, as if out of concern, reminded her, “No matter how delicious these apples are, you can’t eat ten of them in a day as your meals. That’s not a balanced diet.”

Hong Mei’s beautiful eyes sparkled with amusement. “Oh, Qiu-ge really knows his stuff. Thanks for your concern. Then I’ll just save five for breakfast tomorrow.”

That completely crushed Lin Qiu’s hopes of getting an apple. The polite, cultured smile he’d been maintaining almost slipped off his face.

But Hong Mei hadn’t risen to a high position in Xueshi—a cutthroat, male-dominated organization—without a sharp mind. Naturally, she could see the violence and displeasure Lin Qiu kept buried deep inside.

She took the last bite of her apple, then, smiling unhurriedly, pulled out a fist-sized, translucent green stone. “I can’t share my apples with you, Qiu-ge, but I did buy this as a gift for you.”

“Oh?” Lin Qiu narrowed his eyes at the item in her hand, his irritation easing a little. “What is it?”

Hong Mei thought for a moment. “It’s a kind of jelly with a random flavor. According to Miss Yun, the flavor you get is all up to luck—some taste like apples, others like orange, melon, watermelon, and so on.”

Before she could finish explaining, Lin Qiu had already taken the green jelly stone, turning it over in his hands. With a couple of cracks, he broke it open.

Instantly, a stench like stinky tofu spread out three feet around him. Lin Qiu’s face turned green on the spot.

He lost his grip and dropped the jelly, the stinky tofu–flavored lump landing on the ground with a splat.

Hong Mei’s smile froze. “Aside from sweet flavors, there are some weird ones—like the one you just got, Qiu-ge.”

As she spoke, she took a big step back in disgust, nearly twisting her ankle in her sharp high heels.

The others nearby looked horrified, covering their mouths and noses as they hurriedly retreated.

Damn, who the hell could stand that smell?!

Kui Hu, whose whole body ached and was numb from blood loss, suddenly felt a powerful stench shoot straight up his nose, jolting his numb brain back to life and restoring his bodily functions in an instant.

A dull pain radiated from his head to his whole body.

His face turned an ugly shade of green. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or miserable. Limping, he quickly moved away from the green lump on the ground, eyeing it as if it were a biohazard.

This thing was seriously dangerous—it needed to go on the threat list.

Thanks to this “stink attack,” Lin Qiu lost all interest in chatting or discussing dreams. Face dark, he waved Ma Kang and Fei Jie away and dismissed the crowd in the courtyard.

Finally, he left the green lump on the ground for Hong Mei to deal with, then swept off to rest in another room.

Tasked with cleanup, Hong Mei just raised an eyebrow and smiled. She had no intention of playing janitor herself, so she grabbed a random subordinate to do it.

The unlucky guy held his breath, put on a tragic face, and went in with two little sticks.

“Tsk.” Hong Mei narrowed her beautiful eyes, clearly displeased.

Did he really need to act like he was going to his death? Honestly, the smell wasn’t that bad after a while—there was even a faint sweetness to it. It was kind of… addictive.

Thinking this, she pulled out another green jelly stone from her spatial pouch.

Kui Hu, who had originally wanted to come over and ask about those five people, saw this and his already bloodied face changed instantly. He quickly changed direction and walked away.

The other subordinates also quietly shuffled away from her.

Hong Mei snorted inwardly—cowards. She pinched open the green jelly stone in her hand.

This time, a light, fresh scent wafted out. It wasn’t sweet, but it reminded her of the green cucumbers she’d bought from Miss Yun’s stall.

Hong Mei sighed at her bad luck, then, under the awed and respectful gazes of Kui Hu and the others, popped the whole thing into her mouth and chewed. She actually liked the bouncy texture.

Eyes crinkling with a smile, she pulled out another jelly stone, glanced around, and finally settled her gaze on Kui Hu, striding over to him.

“Huzi, I didn’t expect you to try and send me a man. I really appreciate it. Even though it didn’t work out this time, I’m still grateful. I’ll be busy the next few days and won’t have time to visit you, so take this green jelly stone as my apology.”

Kui Hu’s swollen eyes stared at the jelly stone in her hand as if facing a mortal enemy. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Forcing a stiff smile, he said, “No, no need. My injuries look bad, but I’ll be fine soon. No need for you to worry, Sister Hong. This gift is just too much—I really can’t accept it.”

That stench had even made a rough, reckless man like Kui Hu develop some tact. His tone in refusing Hong Mei was much more “polite” than before.

But Hong Mei just smiled, grabbed his hand, and pressed the jelly stone into his palm. “No need to feel guilty, Huzi. We’re all Qiu-ge’s people—we should look out for each other. And don’t let Qiu-ge’s bad luck just now scare you. The odds of getting a weird flavor are really low. I saw Miss Yun open several at her stall, and they were all sweet—apple, mango, you name it. Even better than real fruit! So have a little faith. I’m sure yours will be sweet.”

Tempted by her words, Kui Hu thought, That’s true. Qiu-ge’s luck must be a rare case. I’ve had good luck most of my life—maybe I’ll get a sweet one.

He stared at the jelly stone in his hand, as if hypnotized, and mustered his courage to crack it open.

A wave of stinky sock odor—so foul it could break a man’s spirit—instantly filled the air.

Hong Mei’s face turned even greener than before; she staggered back, not even bothering to pick up her fallen high heel.

The rest of the subordinates scattered in panic.

The smell was like socks that hadn’t been washed in over a decade—absolutely, fucking lethal!!!

Even worse than that biohazardous stinky tofu from before—more terrifying, more suffocating, more soul-crushing!"