2 - The Second Flavor

Translator: tarararawr

Half an hour later, Xian Bei slowly returned home.

She was curled up for a long time at the corner of the stairs, making sure there was no one within a five-meter radius. She took out a key and she opened the door to enter the room.

After closing the door, Xian Bei let out a heavy sigh of relief and half her life returned.

The room was very dark and had thick window curtains covering every gap. It was like she was raising a small vampire who could not see the lights outside.

Xian Bei didn’t turn on the lights and her eyes quickly adapted to her surroundings.

She stopped at the table and she took out a small shopping list from her pocket that had been folded several times. She took out the things from the shopping bag, one by one, while she softly read the list to check them against each other.

……Ah, Xian Bei hit her head. She forgot to buy toothpaste……

For the second time……

Xian Bei shuffled her slippers and very slowly walked to the bathroom.

Stopping in front of the sink, Xian Bei took out the toothpaste from the cup. She unscrewed the cap and she squeezed it. Toothpaste didn’t come out.

She squeezed harder and her face turned red. She still didn’t see anything come out of the nozzle.

She squeezed the remaining bit towards the end and used scissors to cut it open. She used the toothbrush to scrape the toothpaste in a circle and then lifted it up to take a look.

With the remaining amount, it’s worrisome to brush her teeth first……

It seemed that today she needed to go back to the supermarket again……

It was so sunny outside. It’s better to go out at night……

Thinking like this, Xian Bei went back to the bedroom and sat down in front of the computer.

As soon as she touched the stylus pen, someone on QQ sent her a message.

Clicking on it, it was Yuan Yuan, the editor of Yuan Guang She 1 .

Yuan Yuan: Today the editor-in-chief came to see me to discuss something strange.

Yuan Yuan: Did you read the comments? This month it was full of criticisms.

Yuan Yuan: What’s going on with the plot?

Yuan Yuan: What happened to you lately?

Xian Bei typing: I also……

Delete.

Xian Bei: ……Sorry.

Yuan Yuan: It’s not a question of whether the criticisms are right or wrong. Today in the manuscript you gave me, why did you draw Zhou Yuanshan’s death?

Xian Bei: It’s almost over……

Yuan Yuan: So fast!

Xian Bei: I am moving out at the beginning of next month. I can’t find a place to temporarily live in. I do not want to stop and delay the draft.

Yuan Yuan: If you don’t want to stop, then will you leave it unfinished?

Xian Bei: Zhou Yuanshan was originally going to die. I showed it to you before…the outline…

Yuan Yuan: But as soon as he appeared, he became very popular. You need to give him more scenes. You know it’s hard to pay rent, so can’t you write according to preferences of readers who are willing to pay? Earning more rewards is earning more money 2 .

Xian Bei: It was originally set up this way……he’s too strong and will backfire.

Yuan Yuan: But everyone likes this kind of character. He is strong and self-confident. He strikes water left and right 3 and rises straight up in to a clear sky 4 . Since you are drawing male characters for shounen 5 , you know that young boys will think it’s cool . If a character in a high position suddenly falls so hard, can the readers accept it?

Xian Bei: ……Sorry.

"

"

Yuan Yuan: It’s been serialized for a year. It was once at the top of the ranking list and should not have a sad ending.

Xian Bei: I can’t draw anymore. Sorry……

Yuan Yuan: You can’t create things based on your mood. This is how you make a living to eat. With your personality, you can’t hold any other job except drawing at home.

Xian Bei: I have nothing left in my head.

Yuan Yuan: How did this happen? Have you forgotten how people were impressed by your imagination’s heavenly horse soaring across the sky 6 ?

Xian Bei: I don’t know.

Yuan Yuan: No milk tea?

Xian Bei: I can’t afford it. 【Cry】

Yuan Yuan: The one you always want to drink is too expensive. 22 yuan a day and 660 yuan a month. When《 Sangshi Zhi Cheng 7 》finishes, your monthly payment is 45,000 yuan. Two take out meals a day is 340 yuan. You live in a one room apartment downtown. You also play games and make in-app purchases……You work hard enough.

Xian Bei: Yeah.

Yuan Yuan: Did you change your milk tea chain?

Xian Bei: I did. It still didn’t taste good.

Yuan Yuan: How about this, I will help you order for one week. This week don’t stop and make the revisions to the plot where Zhou Yuanshan is killed.

Xian Bei: ……No need……

Yuan Yuan: Don’t be polite to me. I’ll help you order now. Next week, give me a good manuscript.

——

In the afternoon, [Zhong Yi] received an order from “Miss Xian” after half a month.

Behind the counter, the employees who heard the news excitedly clapped.

It attracted the attention of the store’s afternoon tea customers, who casted sidelong glances.

Zhou Qingshu smiled and guessed that the fairy must have been traveling!

Chen Zhuo also smiled, but didn’t say a word. Everything was as he expected.

Even if his shop was lacking in raw materials and manpower, it constantly had repeat customers.

But what he did not expect was that on this same night, he accidentally ran into the little “Miss Xian” again.

It was at Wal-mart across the City Plaza.

"

"

Because her attire was so unusual, she felt a bit insecure. She wanted to wrap herself up completely and even cover her eyes.

She wasn’t very tall and her slight slouch made her look even more petite.

She lowered her head and the brim of her hat practically covered her entire face.

A small girl stood in front of a shelf with a piece of paper. While mumbling to herself, she glanced at the shelf from time to time.

She resembled a small witch secretly chanting a magic spell. It was like at any time the spell would make those lifeless goods jump up and dance from side to side.

Chen Zhuo looked at her without a word and remained calm for a moment. He randomly took a toothpaste from the shelf and threw it into the shopping cart.

He pushed the cart and walked over to her.

“So we meet again.” Chen Zhuo stopped beside her. He used the most common pickup line to strike up a conversation.

The girl blinked for a while. She glanced to her left and right to make sure there wasn’t anyone else around her. She quickly clenched the paper in her hand and warily raised her eyes.

——

Just as they made contact, Xian Bei hurried to look away from his eyes. She felt confused.

Her brain crashed for two seconds.

And restarted.

System update……

Half-up top knot……

From that afternoon?

Why is he showing up again?

Xian Bei lowered her head even more and her chin was almost stuck to her collarbone.

She picked up the shopping basket next to her foot like she was picking up supplies and equipment in preparation to make a big escape.

His towering gaze didn’t move an inch. “Did you come to buy daily necessities?”

The knuckles clenching the shopping basket handles started to turn white. Xian Bei subconsciously shrank her shoulders.

Why is he talking to me?

Don’t talk to me. I don’t know how to answer it.

Please, please, quickly go away.

She didn’t make a sound. The other person should feel snubbed and leave.

But one second, two seconds…… After a minute, the man still did not move and remained calm.

She couldn’t see whether he was patient or interested enough to do it on purpose in order to force her to react.

Any prolonged gaze on her was the same as being choked, and the feeling of breathlessness was surging.

Xian Bei couldn’t stand it any longer. She grabbed a toothpaste and threw it into the basket. She turned around and ran.

This way. Right. Yes. I should go this way. But what else do I need to buy? Did I get toothpaste? I got it.

Oh, but I didn’t calculate the price. As long as I buy toothpaste right….

Should I buy more yogurt? Where is the cashier?

……Aiya 8 , don’t follow me.

Why is it that man!

Why is he pushing the cart and walking one meter away from me?

It’s scary. Why are you following me?

Don’t chase me. It’s terrible. Please. Aaaahhhhh.

What do I do? Ask for security? Or a salesperson?

But how do I talk to them……

……

He looked at the girl that was like a headless fly 9 . She was taking very fast small steps and was going around several aisles one after another.

Chen Zhuo didn’t know where he got bad taste 10 that made him want to tail the “mute” little one.

Okay…….so he thought about it and he can’t say he was tailing her. Tailing was what an idiot uncle would do. He’s just on his way. Just on his way and nothing more.

About to collapse, Xian Bei decided she needed to rely on herself.

She suddenly stopped, and sure enough, the man also stopped.

Xian Bei buried her head and clenched her teeth. She crossed her heart 11 and said, “Y-you cannot…….don’t follow me…….”

An extremely weak, almost breathless voice stammered.

Chen Zhuo did not hear her clearly. He frowned slightly and asked, “What did you say?”

“Don’t follow……” Her voice was still very weak and struggling. Xian Bei stopped talking and took out her cell phone. She frantically opened SMS and she typed:

Don’t follow me.

Delete.

Please let me go.

Delete.

……

Chen Zhuo was taller than her by a lot. His eyesight was good too. He saw her small hands hold the cell phone typing and deleting, again and again.

After a long time, she held her cell phone up. She was trembling and stood up straighter to show him the message. Her head was still sideways and she did not dare look at him face to face.

On the screen, in front of the cursor:

“Please don’t follow me……【Kneels down】”

It was as if he could hear the desperate and sincere sounds of her knees falling to the ground.

Unable to help himself, Chen Zhuo laughed. Then, he restrained himself and solemnly replied, “Miss Xian, I’m sorry. I work at [Zhong Yi] and I know you. You’re the customer who orders our milk tea every day, but you haven’t ordered any lately. Everyone was worried you had an accident, so I went over to take a look. Tonight was just a coincidence.”

"

"

Hearing the two words [Zhong Yi], the little girl was obviously stunned for a moment.

Then, the head under the hat shook a little wildly, nodding again.

“Is your last name really Xian?” Chen Zhuo could not help but ask. The surname Xian is very rare.

She kept nodding.

“What’s your name?”

The sound of her breath returned. “Xian Bei…….”

“Huh?”

“Xian Bei…….” It was still unclear.

There were promotions being broadcasted over their heads. Chen Zhuo leaned forward and he tried very hard to decipher her answer.

The second time he roughly heard it, “Like Bei 12 from Beike 13 ?”

She nodded in response to everything. The little girl did not speak or look at him.

She took advantage of the moment when the man didn’t change to the next subject. Xian Bei put her cell phone back in her pocket and didn’t look back as she walked away.

Chen Zhuo did not chase her again. His fingers on the cart handles unconsciously tapped. He stood alone for a long time. Then he tilted his head and without understanding, his lips rose into a smile.

Additionally, his line of sight paused for a moment. He stopped the cart at the shelf on the left. The row had neatly displayed rice cracker gift bags.

His arm easily reached out to two bags and he threw them into the cart.

Some emotions come for no reason. For example, today he suddenly wanted to eat rice crackers 14 .

Footnotes

原光社 (yuán guāng shè) – Original Light Agency. Readers can buy tokens or tickets and then reward it to the author/artist to support them. 左右逢源 (zuǒyòuféngyuán) – idiom for being able to achieve success one way or another and to have everything go their way. 青云直上 (qīngyúnzhíshàng) – idiom for rapid promotion to a higher position. 少年漫 (shàonián màn) – Japanese term for manga targeted at young male teens. 天马行空 (tiānmǎxíngkōng) – idiom for bold and imaginative style. 丧失之城 (sàngshīzhīchéng) – The Lost City. One of Xian Bei’s manga. Zhou Yuanshen is not a character from this manga. 哎呀(āiyā) – used to express shock. 无头苍蝇 (wú tóu cāngyíng) – Metaphor for someone who is rushing around frantically. 恶趣味 (wù qù wèi) – phrase for someone that likes to watch others make a fool of themselves. It’s a phrase that doesn’t have a negative connotation. 心一横 (xīn yī héng) – means to have no choice but to try to do something regardless of whether one lives or dies. 贝 (bèi) – seashell 贝壳 (bèiké) – shell Xian Bei’s name together means rice crackers and usually refers to the Japanese rice crackers, senbei.