Chapter 1640
Chapter 1640 - 1636: Small Gift
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9 min read
Lu Ping’an’s return served as a signal.
With his return to Earth, many events began to revolve around him.
Alternatively, one might view him as just one among many, who specifically returned to the planet at this time to prepare for participation in this grand banquet.
".....The timing is roughly what we expected, after two and a half to three years of strategic defense, we’ve finally arrived at the phase of strategic counter-offensive."
The grueling years seemed to fly by in an instant, but there’s always someone who must trudge through the hardship bearing the weight.
Lu Ping’an seemed to have used a time-jumping technique, bypassing the dull and torturous defensive phase, and arriving directly at the predestined turning point for counter-offense.
Most of the time, he busied himself between different Star-zones and forces for his own benefit, but it was also in preparation for the clean-up after the war’s counter-offensive.
Yet, he still held in high regard and respected those who remained in the homeland, serving as guards through an era destined to be without sight of either its course or end.....
"You’ve worked hard, charming city guardian."
Lu Ping’an clinked glasses lightly, smiling at the long-legged beauty in the blue evening gown.
Xia Qin had matured so much more than before, and now at the banquet, with her long hair, she was an alluring and radiant beauty if judged merely by her appearance.
"You’ve worked hard, Ancient city..... no, the biggest arms dealer and war broker in Eastern Country."
The clink of their glasses set off ripples, and the two exchanged glances, covering their mouths to stifle their laughter.
This was a charity banquet organized by a development company under the Ancient City municipal government.... To be precise, it was led by Official efforts, pressuring businesses to bleed a little and support the nation, war damages, orphans, and other public expenses—it was a banquet with ulterior motives.
But in reality, since the various factions in Ancient City maintained relatively harmonious relations and the city’s security was always above standard, the powers that be were actually willing to chip in some money.
Taking this opportunity, Lu Ping’an anonymously donated over four hundred war machines he had promised... At his level, he didn’t need any fame; the lower the profile, the better.
And as a bearer of public responsibility, beneficiary of the generous donation, Xia Qin naturally also attended the banquet.
It’s just that compared to before, she was much more proficient and mature.
Now, as the two of them conversed in a corner of the banquet hall, this pair, young yet heavily entrusted, barely attracted any incautious interruptions from others.
"Tsk... boss, don’t be romanticizing here, go home if you want to DO anything. There are two big bosses who want to see you."
And suddenly, Catherine emerged, somewhat spoiling the mood.
"No sense of romance."
"Fine, I’ll just tell that to the eighth-tier Saphire Elder like that. They’ve come to discuss the sail engine, it seems they’ve finally loosened up and are willing to sell the technology."
"...Hold on a moment."
Lu Ping’an sighed, put down his empty glass, and prepared to go over.
Suddenly, Xia Qin leaned in, reached out her delicate hand, and adjusted his collar and tie for him.
"You’ve worked hard, how about I comfort you afterwards at our usual place?"
Lu Ping’an beamed with joy, although they had already confirmed their relationship...... such consecutive days spent together were rare.
The main reason wasn’t that Lu Ping’an was too busy; he had become accustomed to squeezing time out of busyness, but rather that sister Xia Qin was overly career-driven, and often times after brief satisfaction, she would return to overtime work.
It appeared she considered indulging in togetherness somewhat wasteful; meeting up once in a while was enough for her.....In a sense, this tomboy had not changed at all, only her ways of navigating life and her external demeanor had become more polished and mature.
Indeed, Lu Ping’an and Xia Qin were in a romantic relationship, and it had been almost two years.
Their coming together was natural.... The previous life’s Lu Ping’an was a carnivore; once he had tasted flesh, some things never change, and this time, it was only because he had not matured enough and life was temporarily unstable that he became conservative.
After he became eighth-tier with a stable identity and status, and his Life Points were plentiful enough to extend his life by at least a century, it wasn’t only his parents’ pressuring for marriage that motivated him; he also took initiative to consider these physiological needs.
".....Hmph, men are disgusting." The little lady whose cheeks turned red from Lu Ping’an’s joyful smile gave him a hard stare in an attempt to act tough, but was actually somewhat flattered by his infatuation with her.
After all, if Lu Ping’an now wanted a woman, he could have whatever he wanted. All he had to do was ask, and plenty of younger and prettier women would throw themselves at him.
Watching Lu, smiling as he walked over to quietly discuss important matters with the two elders, Xia Qin fiddled with her wine glass, feeling a mix of delight and confusion.
She couldn’t help but remember the confession from two years ago... or rather, the comical misunderstanding that was mistaken for a confession.
The relationship between the two had always been quite ambiguous, and Xia Qin knew that Lu wasn’t as honest as he appeared to be. Naturally, some things were just bound to happen.
One rainy night at a bar, a woman pretending to be drunk clung to a man who had always acted innocent, complaining, "I’m already in my thirties and have never been in love," then with her heart thumping wildly, she got the anticipated response from the man.
"Then, consider me," he had said. And then, the "drunk" woman pounced on him and took him away.
And, as expected, things happened.
The reason it was a comical misunderstanding was that Big Cat, who made a quicker move, had been squatting there the whole time, watching. Munching on sunflower seeds and cracking walnuts, Big Cat observed the couple’s performance and even secretly recorded it... The next day, as if nothing had happened, everyone went about their business, except for Big Cat, who was expecting them in the living room, watching the recording and waiting for the pair to come downstairs.
Cough, back to the point, Xia Qin’s career was her priority. Her life was filled with nothing but cultivation and work, while Lu Ping’an, when not working, wasn’t quite so innocent either.
However, in this life, he had become much more focused, chasing affection rather than carnal desires. Although he still flirted on occasion, he refused to let those chaotic messes enter his life, let alone his heart.
"Clap clap."
The woman slapped her cheeks to regain her senses, asking herself why she always let this seemingly honest but bad man lead her around.
In a sense, Lu Ping’an was really the one dating someone younger, although only those who truly understood them knew that Lu Ping’an had always been a harmless wolf in sheep’s clothing.
"That’s right, I should also take this opportunity to talk to the government office about updating equipment and purchasing, as well as the maintenance of surveillance cameras..." She quickly redirected her attention back to business and remembered she might be habitually late for her date again.
Suddenly, she saw her man apologize to the big bosses and hurry over.
"What’s up?"
"I almost forgot to give you a little gift...." he said.
As he spoke, the man bent down and placed a short dagger with a bronze pattern around the woman’s neck.
"...This time, I came across a so-called Evil God of Rule-level. Not very strong, but his bones made into Sword Bone Armor turn out to be quite useful."
"Can’t you give something more romantic?"
The woman glared at him again, the bone ring now awkwardly sitting around her neck at what was supposed to be a formal dinner.
Something romantic? Lu Ping’an opened his mouth wide, not knowing how to respond... He truly hadn’t anticipated this phrase coming from Captain Xia.
With a snap of his fingers, the bronze-colored bone ring transformed into a colorful flower ring, roses inlaid all around it, making the woman’s looks even more radiant.
Colorful hues from the flowers began to trail down from her hair, changing its shade to multicolored as well.
Her dress also gained floral patterns, with rose decorations appearing on the shoulders and chest, as if the entire person became a Flower Elf.
𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
The woman smelled the fragrance of flowers, aware of the surrounding gazes of surprise and envy, inhaled the scent of roses, and began to smile.
Lu Ping’an also smiled, thankfully he had practiced; this "Flower Ring Enchantment" was indeed a clever trick.
"...Where did you learn that? You seem quite skilled, do you use it often?" Just as the woman’s smile turned sunny, there was a hint of danger in her voice.
"Err...you guess." Lu Ping’an, who would not lie...
"I don’t need to guess, you big-headed ghost!" Fully aware of Lu’s typical schemes, Xia Qin instantly flew into a rage and kicked him.
And so, Lu Ping’an hobbled his way to talk business with the bosses.
— End of Chapter 1640 —