An Unusual Life Beginning with Evil Spirits-Chapter 137 : Am I the Kind of Person Who Lacks Self-Respect?

Volume 4: High School Arc - “I” Come to Find You~
The dishes were taken away, and tea was served.
This restaurant was fairly well-equipped.
Next to the dining table was a folding tea table.
They simply lowered the tea table and placed it right above the dining table.
The waiter brought over a few individually packaged tea bags and then left.
Once again, only the two of us were left in the room.
‘Wooo～～～’
The electric ceramic stove beside us was boiling water, and the purified water kettle on it was sparkling clean.
Since ancient times, our country had a tradition of using silverware for tableware and tea sets.
Of course, if the silver was impure, it could cause metal poisoning.
But if it was pure silver, there would be no negative effects.
On the contrary, silver ions could sterilize and soften water, making it one of the best tools for boiling water and making tea.
The room was quiet.
Lu Haochen was very good at keeping composed.
He showed no odd reactions even in such silence.
In fact, many people had this issue.
When they stayed in an especially quiet environment, they would suddenly feel extremely uncomfortable.
It was a kind of tension and unease.
Because they were used to their five senses constantly receiving chaotic information, once the environment changed, it would make them restless and anxious.
But Lu Haochen didn’t.
From this, I could tell that his mindset was quite steady.
He sat there calmly, without showing a hint of restlessness or unease, his expression naturally composed.
After a while, the water boiled.
Before Lu Haochen could reach out, I had already picked up the kettle.
Then I performed a Phoenix Three Nods, waited quietly for one minute, separated the tea, and pushed it toward Lu Haochen.
Lu Haochen nodded slightly and accepted it politely.
Tea rituals in our country have a long history.
If you really went digging into the rules, they could drive you mad, so I didn’t make things too complicated.
The Phoenix Three Nods meant pouring water three times into a bowl of tea.
On one hand, it could release the aroma of the tea leaves.
On the other, it was a kind of bow to the guest.
Similar to the clasped-hands salute.
Each of us took a sip of Longjing, tasting it slowly in our mouths, then set down the teacups.
“Very good.”
For some reason, these two words sounded heavier coming from Lu Haochen’s mouth than from the average person.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Lu Haochen smiled faintly, set down the teacup, and took a deep breath with his eyes closed, as if savoring the lingering fragrance of the tea.
Then he opened his eyes and looked at me.
“What are your plans next?”
“What plans can I have? Just taking it one step at a time. So far, I haven’t found any useful clues. This mission is a bit strange, so I’m planning to ask Xu Han and Jiang Yulong later.”
As I spoke, I pushed the second cup of tea in front of Lu Haochen.
Then I picked up my own second cup, took a sip, and after setting the cup down, I looked at the clear tea and said softly:
“Those two have been through a few games already. They have more experience than me. Maybe they can offer some useful advice.”
Lu Haochen paused briefly, then nodded.
“That’s a way, but I still think it’s not enough.”
“Oh? Then… what good idea do you have?”
Hearing him say that, I couldn’t help but lift my eyes to look at him.
Damn… this guy really was way more handsome than me back in the Zhang Yiwei era.
Annoying!
“You said the task started after you received a phone call, right? That means the monster this time might be following you. So tonight, why not try keeping the phone away from yourself and see whether it still manages to notify you?”
“You mean, the monster this time could be the phone?”
“I don’t deny that guess, but we can’t be certain of anything right now. All we can do is probe a little at a time—it’s better than doing nothing.”
I nodded.
He was right.
There were too few clues at this stage.
Other than testing things step by step, there really wasn’t a better solution.
“Okay, I’ll try that tonight.”
“Right, here’s my phone number. You didn’t get a chance to note it down last time. If you need anything from me, just call.”
As Lu Haochen spoke, he casually pulled a sticky note from the table and was about to write on it.
I immediately reached out and handed him my phone.
“Just save it directly into the phone.”
Lu Haochen was slightly surprised, then nodded and reached out to take the phone.
He saved his number into it, then handed it back to me.
“If it really doesn’t work out tonight…”
When he got to this point, Lu Haochen seemed to hesitate and didn’t continue speaking.
“What if it really doesn’t work out?”
I asked curiously.
“It’s nothing.”
Lu Haochen smiled faintly and didn’t say anything more.
“Oh…”
I nodded doubtfully.
Seeing that he didn’t want to explain, I didn’t push it either.
But it looked like he had some other solution?
“If it really doesn’t work out…?”
“Well, let’s leave it at that for today. It’s getting late—shall we go?”
Three cups of tea had settled our meal, and I asked Lu Haochen if he had any objections.
He didn’t, so we tidied up and left the restaurant.
The waiter cheerfully saw us off, though her gaze held a hint of curiosity.
Actually, I understood.
After all, we ordered a whole table of food, and the two of us didn’t leave a single bite.
That alone was enough to make her wonder.
But I didn’t need to explain anything to her.
We walked away from the restaurant.
I had to admit that whenever I walked with Lu Haochen, people would always look at us with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Men and women alike.
I didn’t really care, and Lu Haochen also seemed indifferent.
When we reached the first floor, it was just as I suspected—Shao He hadn’t left at all and had been waiting downstairs the entire time.
Seeing her in the car with a guarded expression, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly and walk over.
“Miss.”
Seeing me approach, Shao He didn’t hesitate and got out of the car immediately.
I glanced at the golden breadcrumbs at the corner of her mouth, then looked at the KFC not far away.
It was obvious she had settled for something to eat tonight.
Shao He didn’t like Western food very much and wasn’t fond of fast food like KFC either.
I’d heard her complain about it before.
“Sorry for making you eat that stuff.”
As soon as I said that, Shao He was slightly stunned.
Then, as if realizing something, she lifted her hand and wiped the corner of her mouth—sure enough, she felt the breadcrumb.
“This is my duty. Miss, are you finished talking?”
Shao He’s gaze at this moment was like a flash of electricity, sweeping over me again and again.
Especially… around my chest and lower area…
Ahem, Shao He, what are you imagining?
She focused mainly on the details of my clothes.
Then she looked at my facial expression again.
Perhaps she decided I seemed safe enough, because she let out a long, exaggerated sigh of relief.
“Whew…”
Seeing her like that made my teeth itch with frustration.
I leaned close to her ear and gritted my teeth:
“What are you thinking? Do I look like someone who lacks self-respect!?”