"It’s getting late, I should head back; otherwise, my friends might worry. Dinner was delicious, thank you for the hospitality," Xu Ke politely said to the woman.
Although they had only spent a brief afternoon together, the woman had genuinely taken a liking to Xu Ke. She even thought to herself that if she had a child, they would definitely grow up to be like Xu Ke—fair-skinned, tall, handso, well-mannered, obedient, and full of a sense of justice.
"Ti flies, doesn’t it? Is where you’re staying far from here? You won’t encounter any danger going back alone, will you? How about I have my husband give you a ride?" In just a single afternoon, the woman had forgotten the fact that Xu Ke could single-handedly kick a 200-pound man into the air, subconsciously viewing him as a poor soul needing protection.
"No need, I can manage on my own," Xu Ke declined. However, the old drunkard wasn’t planning on giving Xu Ke the chance to refuse; Xu Ke’s earlier provocative smile was still on his mind.
So, the man imdiately stood up from his seat, saying enthusiastically, "Let walk you; it’s so late, and you look as if you can’t carry or shoulder anything heavy. It’s safer to have soone with you."
"Your uncle’s right. What if soone bullied you because you look so well-behaved?" The woman said, giving her husband an appreciative look, as if praising his sensibility.
Despite being of considerable age, the old drunk straightened his back proudly from his wife’s glance, an expression of honor spreading across his face, making Xu Ke feel a bit uncomfortable to witness.
The woman, smiling, saw both of them out the door. From a distance, Xu Ke could still see her figure as he turned around.
"You both seem to be very happy," Xu Ke remarked sowhat enviously as he and the old drunkard walked side by side down the alley, though he wasn’t sure where this envy stemd from.
The old drunkard had many things to say to Xu Ke, but he didn’t know where to start. So the initiative was taken over by Xu Ke. Hearing Xu Ke’s question, it took him a couple of seconds to realize what Xu Ke was referring to before responding with a low hum.
The old drunkard thought Xu Ke had more to say to him, but by the ti they were nearly out of the alley with Xu Ke still silent, his composure was nearly cracking. He stopped in place.
"Aren’t you supposed to walk back? Why have you stopped?" Xu Ke realized that the person following him had halted, so he stopped as well, turning to look at the old drunkard two steps behind him and asked.
"None of us are fools, let’s stop dancing around the issue. My wife is naive enough to believe your nonsense, but I don’t believe a word you say. I never believe in coincidences, only human agency. I don’t know why you approached my wife, but you better not have thoughts of harming her, or I won’t let you off," the old drunkard shed his good-natured facade, revealing his sharp side.
"Everyone has their own ’reverse scale,’ it seems yours is your wife," Xu Ke comnted nonchalantly, as if oblivious to the fierceness in the other’s eyes, as he quirked an eyebrow.
"If there’s anything, co at . My wife is innocent; don’t drag her into this," the old drunkard said with a low voice, but his brows couldn’t help but twitch. He felt an unprecedented danger from Xu Ke, a sense of crisis that made his hair stand on end.
"No need to be so tense; I quite like your wife, and she cooks well. I’d love an opportunity to co over for a al again. However, you were right about one thing: today’s incident in the alley wasn’t just a chance encounter for ,"
Before Xu Ke could finish his words, the old drunkard was already filled with rage; he even disregarded everything and rushed forward to grab Xu Ke by the collar, "I knew it wasn’t that simple. You’re an animal, using such disgusting, vile tricks against a woman! You’re not even fit to be human!"
Xu Ke found it a bit uncomfortable with the other’s grip on his neck, but he offered no resistance. Instead, a subtle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Don’t just listen to half the story. Although the alley incident wasn’t a chance encounter, I didn’t direct them to commit the robbery. I just overheard their plan and laid in wait ahead of ti," Xu Ke said with a smile.
"Do you think I would believe anything you say?" The old drunkard didn’t relax his grip upon hearing Xu Ke’s words; instead, he held even tighter.
"Why would I need to lie to you about this? If I were to lie, wouldn’t it have been better to deny everything from the start? Why admit to half of it?" Xu Ke asked.
"Because admitting to only half makes your story seem more credible," the man said through gritted teeth.
"You make a good point, but your logic doesn’t apply to . If I did sothing, I won’t deny it; if not, don’t think about pinning it on . You say admitting half makes it credible, but look, you still don’t believe it, do you? No one’s a fool; using such tricks to deceive is an insult to my intelligence."
While Xu Ke said these words, the old drunkard stared blankly into Xu Ke’s eyes, which t his gaze openly, without a hint of guilt, shaking his steadfast belief in the truth. Eyes like these didn’t seem to belong to a liar unless Xu Ke’s deceit was already masterful. But could Xu Ke really be that kind of person?
"Even if you didn’t do it, the fact that you intentionally approached my wife is undeniable. Why did you approach her?" the old drunkard asked loudly, staring directly into Xu Ke’s eyes.
"You ask why I approached your wife; I’d like to know why you’ve been trying so hard to get close to ?" Xu Ke’s gaze seed to hold a brewing storm as he looked at the other.
"When did I get close to you?" The old drunkard found Xu Ke’s words laughable, but seeing Xu Ke’s eyes, his heart couldn’t help but shudder, as if realizing sothing, with a look of fear on his face.
"What, did you rember sothing? Seems I don’t need to explain it to you, right?" Xu Ke remarked mockingly.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway, from today on, you better stay away from my wife, or be careful I won’t be polite to you," the old drunkard hurriedly released Xu Ke’s collar, his expression showing a hint of panic.
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