A Romantic Dinner, Interrupted by Madness

“What are you looking at?” Bai Chen asked, placing his palm on Bai Qiao’s head. He glanced behind them but saw nothing out of the ordinary—just a tranquil street bustling with people, a lively yet harmonious scene.

“N-nothing, I must have seen wrong…” Bai Qiao dismissed, gently removing Bai Chen’s hand. ‘Impossible,’ she thought. ‘How could I possibly run into an acquaintance here? Aside from Bai Chen and his companions, I know no one else in this unfamiliar world.’

Turning, she continued walking forward. Having been cooped up for so long, the joy of finally being out, coupled with it being her birthday, quickly pushed her earlier doubts from her mind.

Unburdened and carefree, she reveled in the moment, finding it truly wonderful.

“Just the two of you? Please, come in.” An eager waiter greeted them.

This was Bai Qiao’s first time dining in a restaurant in this otherworld, and she was filled with an indescribable sense of wonder. Everything around them was transparent.

“Are the two of you a couple? We recommend our couple’s set meal, you know.”

“Huh? What? No, we’re not…”

“Alright, we’ll take one, please.”

‘It’s the same everywhere,’ Bai Qiao thought. ‘People always gossip when a man and a woman eat together, and they’ll seize the chance to upsell you.’

Indeed, no sooner had their food arrived than the waiter eagerly presented a bouquet of fresh flowers and candles.

“Doesn’t it look even more romantic with flowers and candles?” the waiter chimed.

“So, where exactly should all these things go?” Bai Chen asked, propping his chin up, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

“Between the two of you, of course,” the waiter replied without a second thought.

“But if you’re a couple, why would you put these things in front of you, blocking your view? You wouldn’t be able to see each other at all,” Bai Chen mused, tilting his head and fixing a playful gaze on the waiter.

“……” The waiter was speechless. Not only did he have no retort, but being looked at with such an expression by such a handsome and distinguished person would leave any girl flustered and unable to speak.

Only someone like Bai Qiao, with her distinctly male mindset, could remain unaffected.

With an awkward chuckle, the waiter backed away. Bai Chen seized the opportunity to turn his head, his mischievous gaze now fixed on Bai Qiao.

Being stared at while eating was incredibly unpleasant. Bai Qiao found it almost impossible to swallow her food, and she couldn’t help but complain, “What are you looking at me for? People are trying to eat! Don’t you have any manners?”

‘Honestly… if it were a beautiful woman across from me, I might even have a huge appetite from being watched. But it’s not a beauty; it’s a man, and one exactly like myself! It’s just… it’s like eating in front of a mirror!’

‘Indeed… yuri is best. Yuri is supreme. Yuri for the win!’

She no longer looked up, instead lowering her head and devouring her meal. The food here was no different from what she was used to, after all.

“Crack!”

Yingluo crushed the seventh cup in her hand. ‘What is this… my A-Chen is looking at a girl with such an expression… This has never happened before.’

The woman opposite her gave Yingluo a strange feeling. ‘Forget it,’ she thought. ‘It’s just a deeply unpleasant feeling.’

The eighth cup shattered when Yingluo saw Bai Chen reach out to gently pick a grain of rice from Bai Qiao’s chin. Yingluo trembled, consumed by fury.

‘No, my A-Chen cannot touch another woman’s face, especially when that woman seems so unwilling! This is… utterly unreasonable!’

As the ninth cup splintered, Yingluo finally could no longer contain herself and abruptly stood up.

“Clang!”

Bai Qiao stared in astonishment at the blade that had suddenly appeared before her. She quickly dodged, narrowly evading the strike. Bai Chen reacted instantly, pulling Bai Qiao by the waist and perfectly shielding her behind him.

Only after calming down slightly did Bai Qiao finally look at the person who had launched the sneak attack.

‘Yingluo?! Am I seeing things?! How can Yingluo be here? Is it really her? But she looks so similar, and that katana… it’s the one Yingluo always carries with her… It really is her! That means the person I bumped into on the street earlier was her, too.’

Encountering her again, even Bai Qiao felt a pang of fear.

“A-Chen, don’t protect that woman… We promised to be together forever, didn’t we?”

‘Pah! When did I ever say that?’ Bai Qiao thought. However, she suddenly realized that *she* was the “woman” Yingluo was referring to. ‘What an inexplicable twist!’

A crowd of curious onlookers had already gathered. Such a dramatic spectacle, they clearly wouldn’t miss it. ‘Abandonment and betrayal,’ they seemed to think, ‘how wonderful, how entertaining!’

“Who are you?”

Just as everyone was fully immersed in the drama, Bai Chen’s sudden question instantly made the atmosphere turn… ‘peculiar,’ to say the least.

“Who am I? Who am I? Heh heh ha ha ha! Who am I! My A-Chen… actually asks who I am…” Yingluo erupted into a fit of laughter, muttering the words incessantly. She clutched her face tightly with both hands, her sharp nails leaving streaks of blood on her fair, smooth skin.

“Then I’ll just have to imprison you by my side… until you remember me… Don’t worry, A-Chen, I’ll treat you very well~ Oh, and that obnoxious woman must be dealt with first…”

Yingluo released her hands, her face covered in blood, appearing somewhat grotesque. She bent down in what almost seemed like slow motion to pick up her katana.

A subtle, fierce glint, barely perceptible, flashed in her eyes.

****