Chapter Ninety-Five: Too Afraid to Drink? Afraid It’s Poisoned!

“Nothing I’m afraid to eat—it’s just a parting meal,” I replied with calm.

Sister Hong gave a cold smile. “Aren’t you afraid I’ve poisoned it?”

I smiled back. “A book that costs ten thousand a day to rent, and with Su Li still planning to come after me later on, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of chances for me to create value for you in the future. You won’t kill me.”

Sister Hong nodded in satisfaction, a trace of smugness flashing in her eyes.

“Good. Tiger Wang, you’re a smart man. You know when to bow your head. In that case, let’s eat in peace.”

Dish after dish was brought to the table, the aroma filling the room. What surprised me was that the way this housekeeper cooked was exactly the same as I had done before.

Clearly, Sister Hong had trained her well.

Her gaze never left me, as if she were waiting for my next move.

I picked up my chopsticks, took a bite, and chewed carefully.

Yes. The taste was exactly the homestyle flavor I used to make.

“Tiger Wang, familiar, isn’t it?” Sister Hong asked with a smile, her tone laced with mockery.

“Pretty good,” I said briefly, and kept eating.

Meanwhile, Su Li was about to sit down.

Sister Hong snorted coldly. “Su Li, who told you to sit? Do you think you’re entitled to eat this parting meal?”

Su Li’s face went pale in an instant. She stood there, flustered, not knowing what to do.

Sister Hong’s gaze was as sharp as a blade, cutting over her without mercy.

Su Li lowered her head and silently stepped aside, a flicker of unwillingness flashing in her eyes.

Sister Hong did not care in the slightest. She looked at me and said, “Tiger Wang, back when you lived here with me, you said the person you hated most in your whole life was Su Li. Ha, interesting. Hatred makes people grow.”

“That’s precisely why Sister Hong took Su Li in!”

“Since you, Tiger Wang, dared to leave, then I can take your enemy in as my subordinate... Nothing more. This is what they call love turning into hate!”

I ate my home-style dish, looked up at Sister Hong, and smiled. “What didn’t kill me before will only make me live better now. Sister Hong, do whatever you want. It’s none of my concern.”

Sister Hong smiled faintly, a complicated emotion flashing through her eyes. “Tiger Wang, do you know? I should actually thank you. At least there is one thing you taught me.”

I raised my eyebrows, motioning for her to go on.

“This book, Blood-Eyed Jade Appraisal, has been kept with me for about ten or so years. You are the first person to see through part of it, and the second is Su Li. Su Li may be your enemy, but she also carries the same bloodline as you. That is what determines that each of you has a role to play in this game.”

I put down my chopsticks and looked at her coldly. “Then how do you plan to use Su Li?”

I asked Sister Hong directly, right in front of Su Li.

Sister Hong had not expected me to say it so bluntly. She answered indifferently, “You... you’re becoming more and more bold. Don’t you think talking like that will make things awkward for us?”

Standing to the side, Su Li looked at me eating with a cold expression.

She said, “Tiger Wang, don’t think that just because you say a few things, I’ll end up creating a rift between Sister Hong and me.”

I gave a faint smile and took another bite, chewing slowly. “Su Li, I never expected you to betray Sister Hong. I just want to know—do you really think your understanding of Blood-Eyed Jade Appraisal is that good?”

Su Li snorted coldly, a vicious glint flashing in her eyes. “Tiger Wang, I know I performed poorly at this stone gambling event, but that was only an accident!”

I set down my chopsticks and fixed Su Li with a sharp stare. “An accident? Then go ahead and see whether you’ll still be that lucky at the next stone gambling event.”

My stare made Su Li’s heart tighten, but she quickly regained her composure and sneered, “Tiger Wang, don’t get too proud. Do you think you’re the only one who can understand Blood-Eyed Jade Appraisal? I’ve already grasped its essence. Next time, I’ll prove it to you for sure!”

Sister Hong watched us with interest from the side, saying nothing.

When Su Li fell silent, Sister Hong looked at her. “Finished?”

Su Li nodded.

Sister Hong clapped her hands and had the housekeeper bring out the wine.

I raised a hand at once, signaling that I wouldn’t drink.

Seeing me refuse, Sister Hong gave a soft laugh. “Tiger Wang, because it’s a parting meal, you won’t even drink? Afraid you won’t be able to walk out of this door?”

I ignored her mockery and said lightly, “Sister Hong, it’s not that I’m afraid to drink. I just don’t want to lose my reason at this parting meal. You know that once I’m drunk, no one can predict what will happen.”

After hearing that, a trace of surprise flashed in Sister Hong’s eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

“With that said, I’m even more interested,” she said. “Come, let’s have some wine. We’ll set aside our identities, just like when you first came here.”

I looked at Sister Hong but said nothing.

She smiled faintly, poured herself a drink, and then filled my glass as well.

Lifting her cup, she said, “Tiger Wang, in this glass we drink to the grievances and entanglements of the past. No matter what, today we put them down.”

“As for tomorrow... tomorrow, we each fend for ourselves. After all, in this world, if a person does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him!”

I took the glass, gently swirled it, and smelled the wine. It was still that familiar scent.

The liquor went down my throat with a trace of heat.

Su Li watched me coldly from the side, as if waiting for my next reaction. There was a provocative glint in her eyes, as though she were saying, Tiger Wang, this time you won’t get away.

I set down the glass and said calmly, “Sister Hong, what comes next—is it your last attempt to persuade me to stay with you?”

Sister Hong suddenly smiled beautifully. “You guessed the process right. Unfortunately, from what you just said to me, I’ve already seen that this thing is impossible. The most I can do is chat with you a little longer. As for the future, we’ll each be well on our own.”

Sister Hong nodded and motioned for the housekeeper to keep serving the dishes.

Then she took a document from her bag and said to me, “The karaoke club is still there... I’m guessing you won’t be going back. This is your final salary. Not much.”

“But I’ve always been a woman who keeps the rules. I was like that before, and I still am now...”

“I only hope that when you go out and make your own way in the future, you’ll still keep the rules!”

I looked at the salary on the table—nearly ten thousand—and smiled. I picked it up and handed it to Su Li beside me.

“Su Li, didn’t you say your uncle was sick? Take it to him... From this day on, tell him that I, Tiger Wang, am done with him forever.”

Su Li froze, her resentful eyes turning toward me.

Seeing that she had no intention of taking the money, I snatched it up and slapped it against her face.

Then... with drunkenness weighing heavily on me, I let my head fall and slipped straight into sleep.