Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Gulp—!!!
Jiang Li dipped his head and sucked hard; the straw squealed in protest.
Only after tasting it did he realize why the drink was both larger and cheaper than everything else on the menu—
It was cut with cola.
Sweet and sour, like alcoholic sparkling water. One long pull left him half full. Jiang Li was stuffed.
...
Still, nobody was taking advantage of anyone now.
"..."
Kakayan froze where she stood, lips parted, violet pupils trembling.
She'd already sipped from this glass—why was Jiang Li stealing it?
"So mean..."
Beside her, the accused lifted an eyebrow.
"You started it, and I paid for the drink."
"But you said we were celebrating together." Kakayan frowned. "Don't I get credit too?"
"Right."
Jiang Li nodded, then swept an open palm toward the glass in invitation. "Then let's share."
A boundary-less invitation.
Kakayan's eyes went wide as earthquakes.
She stood rooted, cheeks flushed—whether from drink or embarrassment, who could say?
When she didn't move, Jiang Li took another long swig, glancing at the straw she'd already bitten flat.
They say a girl's drink tastes sweet.
He'd already had two mouthfuls. Not especially sugary.
He hadn't meant to steal her sip; her moral standards were just that low.
Ambushing him, trying to claim the glass while his guard was down.
She could've asked—he'd have swallowed his pride and begged the proprietress for another cup.
At worst, some stranger would silently label him unromantic.
The mix-up with the couple's set had been his fault in the first place; he'd accept the silent jabs.
Bottom line—he'd been greedy, and the Witch Miss had been bitten by her own avarice.
"Gulp..."
Kakayan hiccupped behind a small fist, the scent of alcohol rising with the haze in her head.
In two centuries, the witch had never dealt with lovers or men.
Her days had been spent among her own kind.
As for those noble scions bearing jewels and pleading audiences—she stood them up whenever possible, postponed till death if not.
Human males were mayflies; once they died, the gifts needn't be returned.
Their promises of eternal love sounded like jokes.
Mortals discussing forever with the long-lived?
So she had never understood romance.
Though over two hundred years old, some corner of her heart had never grown up.
Confronted with this modern "shared drink" ritual, she was as green as a newly sprouted bean.
Love games were beyond her; she blamed her slow reaction on the alcohol.
"Jiang Li, why did you order only one glass?"
The question slipped out as crimson stained her cool, clear cheeks.
"..."
The question made Jiang Li falter.
How to explain modern marketing gimmicks?
Did this woman even know what a "gimmick" was?
"Because... we're here as two people." Jiang Li scratched his cheek; the cola-spiked drink had loosened his tongue. "The owner said this one's for couples."
"Aren't we on the same side, then?"
Kakayan cut in with sudden childlike earnestness.
It was the first time he'd heard her speak so adorably—must be the drink.
Before arriving, she'd bragged about her tolerance.
Understandable; the brews of Aze couldn't rival modern industrial liquor.
"Yeah, I already said so—we're on the same side."
She bobbed her head like a woodpecker.
The notion of "same side," tied to friendship, was easier to grasp than the murky idea of "couple."
She'd shared tea once with another witch at a gathering; that qualified as "same side."
Did that mean they could share this drink too?
Her instinctive aversion to the opposite sex had dulled around Jiang Li; perhaps familiarity bred tolerance.
After all, she'd already sipped his bubble tea once—then dashed off to rinse her mouth, calling him disgusting.
Yet the tea had been sweet and tasty, and she hadn't truly found it revolting, though she'd never admit it aloud.
Now, alcohol easing her inhibitions, Jiang Li seemed far more agreeable.
"We're on the same side?"
She pressed her lips, repeating the phrase.
Jiang Li merely nodded and went back to sipping.
Effervescent wine went to the head; he felt light.
"...Mm."
His nod lifted a stone from her heart. Relaxation flooded through her.
Arms on the bar, chin in her palms, she hesitated all of 0.05 seconds before leaning in and closing her lips around the straw.
Jiang Li's eyelids drooped as he watched the cherry pout formed by her suction.
Must be the drink.
Before, she'd run to the restroom after sipping his milk tea; now she was sharing a glass.
Definitely the alcohol.
Besides, cola cocktails were dangerously delicious—he couldn't stop, and the alcohol seemed to hit the bloodstream faster.
Maybe that was the whole point of the couple's set.
"Jiang Li..." Kakayan murmured.
Half-lidded, violet eyes catching neon light, her bangs gleamed like a big cat's silken fur.
He studied the delicate bridge of her nose, wondering how such a perfect curve could look so temptingly pinchable.
He dismissed the absurd impulse.
He was drunk too.
"Jiang Li..."
"What?"
Clamping the straw between her teeth, she mumbled, "Slow down..."