The lights of the late-night snack stall were dim and warm.
Four people sat around a greasy folding table covered with skewers, beer, and a pot of bubbling Malatang.
"Boss! Another twenty lamb skewers! The kind with alternating fat and lean meat!"
Kevin shouted toward the smoke-filled area, then turned his head. Looking at Kiana, who was burying her head in food, his face—usually devoid of expression—showed a rare hint of surprise.
"This girl... looks small and skinny, but her combat power is pretty strong."
Su Yu picked up a skewer of roasted eggplant, looking at Kiana whose mouth was oily, and smiled helplessly.
"She hasn't eaten well these past few days; tonight she's really letting loose."
Kiana turned a deaf ear, devoting herself to destroying the chicken wings in front of her.
The golden grease glistened under the light, and her cheeks were puffed out, looking just like a hamster eating seriously.
Mei watched this scene and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Truly... a very energetic child."
Toward the end of the meal, Mei put down her chopsticks, a softness flashing through those eyes that always held rigor and wisdom. She took her phone out of her bag.
"Kiana."
Kiana, who was struggling with the last fish ball, looked up. There was still conspicuous chili oil on the corner of her mouth, making her look a bit dazed.
"Give me your phone for a second."
Kiana paused, then took out the new phone Su Yu had bought her, somewhat confused.
Mei took it, operated it for a moment with her head down, and then handed it back.
"This is my contact information."
Mei's tone was very serious.
"If that guy Su Yu bullies you, or if you have any... for example, physical or lifestyle difficulties that are inconvenient to talk about, you can contact me anytime. No matter what it is, it's fine."
Kiana looked at the new name appearing on the phone screen—"Mei".
A simple single character, yet it made her heart tighten slightly.
"I'll add one too."
Kevin also took out his phone, skillfully pulled up his QR code, and waved it at Kiana. "Here, scan it. Although I might not be as attentive as Mei, if it's manual labor, just come to me."
QR code scan complete.
Another name was added to the contacts—"Kevin".
Kiana stared at the phone screen for a long time.
Mei.
Kevin.
These were the contact details of the first friends she had made in this strange world, aside from Su Yu, her "feeder."
So... is this what it feels like to be cared for, to be accepted?
She nodded gently.
"...Thank you."
Her voice was very light, light enough to be almost drowned out by the sound of the finger-guessing game at the next table.
But Mei heard it.
She smiled slightly, her eyes holding that unique tolerance an elder has for a junior.
After paying the bill, the four walked out of the snack stall filled with the smoke and bustle of life.
The night wind was slightly cool, blowing away the smell of barbecue, but it couldn't blow away that warmth.
Kevin glanced at Su Yu's injured leg, which made walking difficult, and frowned slightly.
"With you like that, can you climb the stairs? How about I drive you back?"
"Th..." Su Yu was just about to say "Sorry to trouble you"—
"No need."
Kiana spoke first, her tone decisive.
"I will take responsibility."
As soon as the words came out, the air went quiet for two seconds.
Kevin and Mei looked at her in unison, their expressions shifting rapidly from confusion to a certain... subtle look filled with gossip.
Take responsibility?
What responsibility?
Kiana's face flushed red instantly, as if the spiciness of the chili she just ate had surged up.
"I-I mean—I can take him back." Kiana said.
Kevin raised an eyebrow, looking Kiana up and down.
This girl looked to be only about 1.6-something meters tall, her arms so thin they looked like they would snap with a little force.
Su Yu, although looking like an otaku, was still a grown man over 1.8 meters tall.
"Are you sure?" Kevin's tone was full of disbelief. "Su Yu, this guy, looks weak, but he's actually dead heavy."
"You're the one who's weak." Su Yu rolled his eyes at him grumpily.
Kiana didn't speak.
She just walked to Su Yu's side, and then—
Bent her waist, passed one hand through the crook of Su Yu's knees, supported his back with the other, and exerted force.
"Hey, wait—"
Before Su Yu could finish speaking, his whole person had been steadily lifted up.
A princess carry.
A standard, textbook-style, even slightly domineering CEO-style princess carry.
Su Yu hung in mid-air, his posture as elegant as a delicate princess saved by a prince in a fairy tale.
It was just that this knight was a minor girl, and the princess was a stubbly adult man.
Kiana didn't even sway.
Her arms were as steady as a rock, her breathing steady, as if what she was holding wasn't an adult male weighing over seventy kilograms, but a bag of marshmallows.
Kevin's mouth opened wide, wide enough to fit an egg.
His expression changed from confusion to surprise, then from surprise to shock, and finally froze on the philosophical contemplation of "Who am I, where am I, what am I looking at."
That look suggested he was about to ask "Why do birds fly" any second now.
The stall owner passed by with a plate of grilled wings, saw this scene, his hand shook, and he almost dropped the plate on the ground.
"The... the young girls these days..."
"No," Kevin finally found his tongue, his voice a bit floaty. "This, this isn't scientific..."
"Oh."
Mei's reaction was completely different from Kevin's.
Her eyes lit up instantly, like she had seen a set of perfect data, or a rare sample she had never seen before.
"Interesting..."
She began to circle Kiana, her gaze scanning back and forth over Kiana's arms, shoulders, and waist.
"Judging by the body type, the red muscle fibers aren't developed, yet the explosive power and core stability far exceed the threshold of ordinary people. This power output ratio... completely violates common knowledge of biomechanics."
"Mei..." Kevin pulled back his girlfriend speechlessly. "Can you not look at people with the eyes used for lab rats?"
"Occupational disease, sorry." Mei smiled without a shred of apology, then looked at Kiana.
"Have you practiced anything? Gymnastics? Weightlifting? Or perhaps—"
"She... she practices martial arts."
Su Yu spoke with difficulty from within Kiana's embrace, trying to salvage the situation with his only remaining dignity.
"The family-inherited kind of ancient martial arts. Like Gun Kata, Greatswords... very powerful."
"Family-inherited? What school?" Mei's eyes grew even brighter, and she even took out a small notebook.
"Uh..." Su Yu choked.
"Alright Mei, don't make things difficult for her." Kevin finally snapped out of it and held back his girlfriend, whose thirst for knowledge was bursting.
"So the little girl has great strength, what about it? There are plenty of girls hitting the gym to pump iron these days."
Although being talented enough to lift an adult man like a dumbbell is too ridiculous...
Kiana held Su Yu, her face flushing bright red.
She was now regretting her impulse just now.
She originally just wanted to prove she had that strength, but it ended up turning into this situation.
____
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉