81. The Lion That Kissed the Deer

Chen Sheng was washing the dishes, and he had deliberately shooed away a certain young girl who wanted to help—after all, there really weren’t many dishes left at home…

Letting Yu Youxin into the kitchen was like letting Pigsy invade the enemy jungle—especially when the opposing jungler was Master Li.

After tidying up the kitchen, Chen Sheng decided to go out and buy some new kitchenware.

“Chen, are you heading out?”

“Yeah, I need to buy a few things. Do you want to come with me?” he replied, asking casually.

“Sure!” The girl answered cheerfully, running to the door, grabbing the handle with one hand, and extending the other toward him with a slight bow. “After you, Princess!”

Chen Sheng’s face darkened. He ignored her, opened the door, and walked out. By now, he was almost used to her daily antics.

The girl was unfazed, hopping along behind him. After closing the door, she bounced at his side.

“Chen, where are we going to shop?” Her gentle, sweet voice was pleasant to the ear.

“The home appliance mall, I guess…” Chen Sheng wasn’t entirely sure. He’d never cared much about brands—if the price was right, that was good enough for him.

“Things there seem expensive. Why not shop online?”

“No,” Chen Sheng shook his head.

“Do you still have enough money?”

“I’m just an ordinary person,” he raised his brows.

“Huh? Why say that? Are you out of money? I can buy them for you!” she offered generously.

Ever since she’d come here, she’d exchanged quite a bit of her old gold for cash.

“Being ordinary means you won’t get rich, but you won’t starve either. My choice to shop there means I can afford it and won’t go hungry,” Chen Sheng explained with a smile.

“When did you start talking in riddles?” The girl tilted her head, her face full of confusion.

“Is that a riddle?” Chen Sheng retorted instinctively, just as he heard the voices of a man and woman nearby. Looking over, he saw a young couple pressed together in a corner, whispering sweet nothings.

He stopped to listen.

“Baby, what do you want for your birthday?”

“I’ll like anything you give me.”

“I’m not romantic, and I’m pretty straightforward. I’m afraid you won’t like what I choose. Why don’t you give me a general idea? That way, I won’t make a mistake, and I can still surprise you!”

“I want something with a bit of weight to it, and something lasting—just like us!”

“Baby, I love you!”

“I love you too!”

Watching as the couple leaned in for a kiss, Chen Sheng, who was already covered in goosebumps, couldn’t help but butt in, “Why not give her a scale weight? It’s got heft, lasts a long time, and as long as you don’t melt it down, it’ll outlast either of you—even after you’re gone, the weight will still be there.”

With that, he hurried off.

The girl caught up, covering her mouth to stifle her laughter. “Chen, that wasn’t very nice! Eavesdropping and then killing the mood?”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping—I was just passing by and listening openly! And besides, what I said fits their requirements better! Isn’t a weight heavy enough? Doesn’t it last long enough? Unless you melt it, the weight will remain even after you’re gone.” Chen Sheng looked earnest. For a scholar, could it really be called eavesdropping?

“Chen, you’re going to get yourself beaten up,” the girl said bluntly.

He pointed at her, then at himself. “The kettle shouldn’t call the pot black.”

“I’m not a man!”

“Then the pot shouldn’t laugh at the kettle,” he said, adapting without missing a beat. After all, it was the same idea. Just look at the questions she’d asked on those live broadcasts—what were those?

The girl rolled her eyes at him.

Not far away, the couple, leaning against the wall, shot them both a furious middle finger and spat in unison, “Shameless pair!”

Since Chen Sheng and Yu Youxin hadn’t gone far, the couple caught every word.

…

They walked to the appliance mall, but on the way back they had to hail a cab, since they’d bought quite a lot. Chen Sheng carried boxes on his shoulders and head, with Yu Youxin helping by hugging two big boxes as they made their way up the stairs.

“Take a break,” Chen Sheng said, handing Yu Youxin a cup of warm water, then poured one for himself. He sipped as he walked to the window, opened it, and let the air flow in.

For him, it wasn’t tiring at all—his physique had long since surpassed that of ordinary people.

After all, with a single step, he could leave a blurred afterimage behind. Such terrifying speed would tear a normal body apart in an instant.

So he figured Yu Youxin must be quite exhausted. She was still young, looking only a year or two older than his little sister, Chen Youyou.

Thinking this, his gaze drifted to the moon outside.

Tonight, the moon was especially bright.

It almost made him think it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the season was clearly wrong. Although it wasn’t cold yet, winter was near.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen such pure, radiant moonlight…” Chen Sheng murmured to himself. Perhaps it was the result of living too long in a busy, fast-paced world—he’d grown fond of these glimpses of nature, especially the kind of immortal life described in Daoist legends.

Secluded in the mountains, befriending the moon and the trees, painting, writing poetry, wandering and sightseeing—such days were truly enviable.

Chen Sheng sighed to himself, not noticing the moonlight falling on him.

That beam of moonlight vanished in an instant.

He didn’t notice, but the girl did. Cradling her cup of warm water, Yu Youxin’s delicate face broke into a smile, her clear eyes full of joy.

She gazed at Chen Sheng, thinking that tonight he was especially captivating. If she were to put it romantically: he leaned on the windowsill and kissed the moonlight.

“Chen, I think I’m starting to like you,” she said suddenly.

He turned, smiling, “So you didn’t like me before?”

“Would a madwoman ever fall for her psychiatrist?”

“Not likely,” he replied, secretly relieved. A young girl could freely express her budding affection, but he could not accept it.

A lion kissing a deer—that’s romantic, and philosophical too, but only if there’s no predator and prey.

If identity and status didn’t matter, he might have considered it.

But in this real world, those invisible lines are everywhere. They may not be written, but they’re omnipresent.

So he could not be the lion that kisses the deer.