Chapter 41: The Golden Pig Has No Fear of Boiling Water
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“Not someone from the industry? How could I possibly be someone from the industry?”
Yoo Jimin looked at the straw he had nearly chewed to pieces. Her tone was faintly helpless at first, but soon grew spirited.
“You really are terrible at keeping things to yourself sometimes.”
“But no gloomy talk! Let’s work hard together!”
“I’ll help you expose the mole in your family. In return, you can share a few resources with me later, so I can gradually take control of my own fate.”
“This isn’t two desperate people huddling together for warmth. It’s a desperate counterattack by the two of us.”
Xia Xing had meant to extend his hand, but in the end, he simply tapped his milk-tea cup lightly against Jimin’s, counting it as a handshake.
“That sounds a little childish, but I’m looking forward to working with you.”
Jimin put on an exaggeratedly disdainful expression and imitated the earnest tone Xia Xing had used the previous night.
“How is that childish? Is it more childish than what you said beneath the streetlamp yesterday? ‘A rose growing among thorns.’ Ugh…”
“But those were my sincere feelings. You said it yourself—I’m not very good at hiding things.”
“I… of course I know that.”
Jimin turned her head away, apparently habitually surveying the movement in the streets and alleys.
“Come to think of it, it’s rather strange. Once I knew Dispatch was definitely going to follow me around for a story, I somehow became much more willing to walk around openly.”
“Are you saying you’ve become the sort of person who doesn’t fear boiling water once you’re already a dead pig?”
“You’re the dead pig… A fortune-teller said I’m a golden pig, destined for great success and wealth. I have quite an appetite in that regard.”
“Got it. The golden pig isn’t afraid of boiling water.”
Beneath the streetlamp, Jimin lightly kicked Xia Xing in the shin. When he merely rolled his eyes at her, she shook a fist at him in triumph.
When they reached the intersection where they had parted the previous night, the two of them stopped in unspoken understanding, gazing at their long, narrow shadows drawn out by the dim yellow light.
“We still haven’t exchanged contact information.” Jimin called out to Xia Xing as he prepared to leave and held out her QR code. “Scan it now.”
“Isn’t a phone number just as good?”
As Xia Xing spoke, he took out his phone. In the brief moment when he unlocked it with his fingerprint, Jimin caught sight of his lock-screen wallpaper.
The image flashed by, showing a fellow celebrity she knew quite well.
“There are times when you can’t conveniently make a call. Besides… on KakaoTalk, I can see whether you’ve read my messages.”
Xia Xing knew she was referring to how he had failed to answer her call that afternoon. He awkwardly rubbed his nose.
“I’m not the sort of person who sees a message and doesn’t reply. If I really haven’t answered, there’s a good chance I genuinely couldn’t.”
“I saw your friend request.”
Jimin’s eyebrows lifted slightly. After tapping to accept it, she waved her phone at him, displaying the empty chatroom.
“Is your ID just your name? How boring.”
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“Rebellious Milk Tea. Now that’s an interesting name. It hints at the account owner’s resentment toward his work and his insistence on remaining true to himself.”
“Who asked you to turn this into a reading-comprehension exercise?”
Jimin frowned prettily and bared her teeth at him.
“And… I’m only realizing now that you can be pretty sharp-tongued too.”
“I like treating people according to how they treat me.”
Xia Xing pursed his lips, recalling the faint ache in his shin.
“Are you still taking a taxi home? Be careful.”
“You too… Oh, how are you getting back?”
“I’ll walk. I don’t live far from here.”
Watching the figure that turned away the moment his words ended, Jimin lightly bit her lip.
“You’re really just leaving like this? How could someone like you possibly have a girlfriend?”
“You’re leaving me here alone to wait for a taxi. Aren’t you worried?”
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“Maybe I’ll regret it. I’m not sure.”
“But I believe people ought to live a little selfishly. After all, it isn’t easy to make it through this world even once.”
Senior Mina’s words continued to echo through Seol Yoon’s mind.
She harvested crops from Minecraft with a dazed, mechanical rhythm. It was only when a low-controller-battery warning appeared on the screen that she suddenly realized she had been playing all night.
Jang Gyu-jin, in the bed beside hers, had gone to sleep later than she had, yet was already snoring soundly.
Seol Yoon felt around in the darkness and carefully sat up, searching for the controller charger.
But after sitting on the bed and playing for so long, the sudden movement left her light-headed. She nearly lost her balance and fell from the bed.
Fortunately, she was nimble enough not to make a sound.
She had put the controller charger in the bag she carried everywhere, originally so she could conveniently recharge it whenever she played outside. Now, however, she had to move cautiously from the bedroom to the living room, doing her best not to disturb the other members.
Shuffling along in her slippers, Seol Yoon finally reached the living room and plugged in the controller. She let out a long breath of relief.
She was not sleepy at all, but playing while the controller charged was inconvenient, so she had no choice but to temporarily give up gaming.
She picked up her phone, wanting to hear someone’s voice, yet because it was nearly dawn, she tried once more to suppress the impulse.
But for some inexplicable reason… her conversation with Senior Mina that night once again surfaced before her eyes.
People ought to live a little selfishly.
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I want to hear your voice. Right now. Immediately.
She placed the call. Unexpectedly, it was answered after only two or three seconds.
“Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”
Hearing the faint irritation in his voice did not make Seol Yoon unhappy. On the contrary, she was quite pleased.
“I should be asking you that. Why aren’t you asleep in the middle of the night? Don’t tell me you’re out on a date with some beautiful woman.”
“I just got back to the apartment and finished showering. I was about to go to bed.”
Through the phone came the soft rustle of a towel rubbing against his hair. It sounded almost like ASMR, soothing her into relaxation.
As for why… perhaps it was because Xia Xing finally felt like a living person again.
It sounded strange, but that was exactly how it felt. When someone you were thinking about remained beyond your reach, they gradually became hazy and unreal.
“Sorry for disturbing your sleep…”
She deliberately spoke in a slow, drawn-out tone, teasing him.
“I had a cup of milk tea tonight. Maybe it contained too much caffeine, because I’m actually wide awake now.”
“So you’re not disturbing me.”
Milk tea…
Since meeting Xia Xing, Seol Yoon had never seen him suddenly crave it for no reason.
It was pure instinct that stirred her curiosity—or perhaps her concern. After hesitating for several seconds, she finally asked:
“What made you think of drinking milk tea? Did someone else want some?”
“Yeah. I bought it for someone else.”
At last, Xia Xing had dried his hair and put his earphones back on, allowing him to check the messages on his phone while continuing the call.
That Jimin… she really was something.
“Rebellious Milk Tea: Mr. Heir, please reimburse me for the taxi fare.”
Xia Xing gave a helpless chuckle, then said into the phone, “I bought it for someone with a particularly healthy appetite.”
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