Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 870 - 697: You Broke Her Heart

If he could, Huai Shi really wanted to reply, this is the price of being good-looking.

But he didn’t quite dare...

"...let’s just say, it’s a long story."

Huai Shi awkwardly waved his hand and curiously asked, "Did this thing blow up?"

"What do you think? Don’t take others for fools, Huai Shi. It’s been half a month since such a big incident happened. Even if Matsumoto doesn’t speak up, can the Jurisdiction Bureau not find out? Before coming here, I just got out of Matsumoto’s laboratory, completely sealing off all the research data. Because he was the one who concealed it, so many people have been working overtime non-stop these days. If you ask me, this has already deliberately endangered the safety of Current Circumstances."

"How will it be handled? Is there a result yet?"

"What else can be done?" Ai Qing waved irritably, "The Ivory Tower made an all-out effort to protect him. Your principal directly hijacked the line to intervene, acting like an old rogue pleading on his behalf. Probably, in the end, it will just be a stern warning to closely monitor and eliminate hidden dangers, and a lifetime ban on leaving Current Circumstances and participating in political matters... nothing significant. Then, leaving a mess for me to deal with."

"Is it very serious?"

"Nonsense." Ai Qing glared at him, "This is already a major threat involving all Beastified Characteristic Beings. It can even shake the stability of Current Circumstances. The Jurisdiction Bureau has classified it as a priority observation and review matter. If handled well, it’s taken for granted; if not, there will be huge repercussions. If no solution is found, I’m afraid I’ll be the one who ends up bearing the blame."

Huai Shi was stunned for a while and sincerely lamented, "It’s not easy for you either."

"Who says it’s not?" Ai Qing replied coldly.

In the sudden awkward silence, Huai Shi scratched his head and couldn’t help but ask, "Have you eaten?"

"I have, station bento, not great but at least filling."

"What a coincidence, me too."

Huai Shi thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Then... shall we go for a drink?"

Saying this, he looked up at the bustling, neon-lit city outside the corridor.

.

.

Half an hour later.

Outside, on the open-air chairs of the Tiger King Chain Milk Tea Shop.

Huai Shi returned from the queue, delightedly presenting two cups of milk tea, "Sorry, the line was too long, kept you waiting~ Quickly try, internet-famous milk tea, worth the wait."

Ai Qing looked coldly down at the cup of milk tea with double pearls before her, then looked up at Huai Shi, expressionless, "You brought me here just to drink this?"

"What else?" Huai Shi replied, puzzled, "Alcohol is so bad for the stomach. Look, milk tea is great. Even the underground sells it."

"..."

Ai Qing rolled her eyes, ignoring him. Assuming this guy had the courage to take her to a bar, she felt her brain must’ve had issues.

"Alright, my mistake, but drinking less alcohol is always good, right?"

Huai Shi sighed, shrugged, and softly asked, "Long time no see, how have you been lately?"

"Alright, eating well, sleeping soundly, promoted with a raise, heading towards the pinnacle of life."

Ai Qing took a sip of milk tea, furrowing her brows at the sweetness, "Can’t compare to you, young and beautiful, in your prime, not only a role model but soon to have kids..."

Putting down the milk tea, she asked, "Have you decided on a name yet?"

What’s with this guilty feeling of a heartbreaker facing his ex-lover?

Huai Shi’s expression twitched, feeling his back hair rise from those casual eyes, he clasped his hands and bowed his head in plea, "I’m sorry. Can we not bring this up?"

"This is what happens when you offend people from the Abyss Development Bureau. That group has a wide reach, any gossip or embarrassing matter will surely spread everywhere. You better take good care of yourself."

Ai Qing shifted her gaze away, looking elsewhere, and stopped talking.

The awkward silence crept back again.

In the quiet, there was only the strange sound of slurping the finished milk tea with a straw next to them.

Glug glug... Glug glug... Glug glug...

Huai Shi tried several times to speak, searching for topics, but was disturbed by the messy sound, unable to hide his annoyance, turned to glare.

But realized there was nobody next to him.

Only the shop window, filled with a phantom image in the glass Reflection.

A long-lost black Flying Bird leaned on the frame, eagerly enjoying the drama in front, wings wrapped around a can of milk tea as tall as itself.

Holding a straw in its beak.

Slurp, slurp, slurp.

Then, glug glug... Glug glug... Glug glug...

Noticing him looking over, it seemed rather dissatisfied, waving a wing to gesture — don’t get distracted, go on. The reunion drama is rare, Crow Group Elder Sister just loves watching this!

Suddenly, all feelings vanished.

Huai Shi couldn’t help but roll his eyes, sighed dramatically, "I’m having such a hard time."

Immediately, a curious gaze fell on Huai Shi’s face.

Ai Qing tilted her head, seriously asked, "Mr. Huai Shi, I understand having tea with someone who doesn’t quite get modern nuances might be dull, but isn’t it that painful?"

"I didn’t, I’m not, don’t say that!"

Huai Shi widened his eyes, quickly grabbed the milk tea before him, and took two hearty slurps, "Who said that? I love milk tea the most, three cups a day!"

Ai Qing said nothing, silently watched his face, seemingly discerning lies, after a long while, slightly nodded, "Is that so?"

"Yes, yes, that’s right!" Huai Shi nodded firmly.

"Then why did you roll your eyes?" Ai Qing asked ambiguously.

"It’s because I haven’t drunk enough!" Huai Shi slapped his thigh, then directly picked up his milk tea and gulped it down, angrily denouncing the unscrupulous store: "The extra-large size is just this much? So stingy!"

"Still want more?" Ai Qing asked.

Huai Shi nodded frantically.

So, Ai Qing lifted her hand, pushed her cup in front of Huai Shi, and said considerately: "Then you drink more."

"Uh, this..."

Huai Shi froze in place, dumbfounded, as he stared at the milk tea with extra pearls still steaming in front of him and the straw on top.

A faint red mark.

"You, you... you’re not drinking?"

"It’s okay, I’m on a diet recently, just tasting the flavor is enough." Ai Qing showed a gentle ’smile’, "No need to be polite, please go ahead."

In the silence, Huai Shi lowered his head, looking at the milk tea before him, gulped.

Feeling a chill.

Death Perception.

It’s just a cup of milk tea, why does he feel like he’ll die if he doesn’t drink it? Hard to understand, but his intuition was sending a crazy warning—choosing the wrong path here meant disaster!

Finally, under the ’expectant’ and ’gentle’ gaze, Huai Shi forced out a smile:

"Then, I won’t be polite..."

With trembling fingers, he picked up the milk tea Ai Qing handed over and then... took the straw from his own cup, inserted another hole, and took a deep sip.

In one breath, he gulped down everything in the cup and set it down.

Feeling the sense of crisis gradually receding, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Then, the rich sweet taste remaining in his throat spread, finally bringing a wave of bitterness.

So cloying!

"You’ve sweated a lot," Ai Qing said.

"It’s hot, hot!" Huai Shi coughed dryly, his gaze shifting: "The calorie content of this milk tea is insanely high, you were right not to drink it, it’s too ruinous to the figure."

Ai Qing shook her head, too lazy to make things difficult for him, placing a cup of lemon water with still some ice before him.

"Go ahead and drink, I haven’t touched this one," she said, "Try learning some lessons, if you’re going to talk business with someone, don’t come to a milk tea shop like those that con high school girls."

"My fault, my fault."

Huai Shi raised his hands in surrender, shrugged, "I just thought that way you’d feel more relaxed."

In the silence, Ai Qing looked up, glancing around.

Under the final fading light of the evening sunset, the display windows lit up with a soft glow, illuminating the hurried passersby around, along with their cheerful smiles.

Not far away, behind the tables, girls who found a place after school to hold additional study sessions chatted and laughed lightly, holding milk tea, gossiping about campus heartthrobs and boyfriends between physics and algebra.

Music sounded in the distance.

Unlike the hilarity soaked in alcohol from nightclubs and bars, this showcased a lively scene that was absent in the eternally solemn and silent decision room, and the steady and expressionless faces there never had so many genuine smiles.

After a long silence, Ai Qing slowly retracted her gaze and shook her head slightly.

"No need, Huai Shi."

She examined that bewildered face, telling him: "I’m already quite relaxed."

Then, she took out a piece of paper from her pocket and placed it in front of Huai Shi.

"Since the tea is finished, I should go back to work overtime—however, if you still have that itching desire and are determined to get involved in this matter, report here tomorrow morning, don’t be late."

"Uh? Leaving just like that?" Huai Shi tried to keep her, "No dinner? I just found a well-rated restaurant nearby..."

"To avoid stomach aches and getting overheated, let’s skip it."

Ai Qing cast Huai Shi a meaningful glance, turned, and left.

Leaving only Huai Shi standing there, not understanding what she meant.

"Tsk, trash man!"

A voice filled with righteous indignation came from beside him: "You broke her heart!"

Huai Shi grew furious, glared over: "What heinous act did I commit this time?"

"The heinous act is exactly because you did nothing! And you even rolled your eyes at her just now!"

Tong Ji scolded as one would an iron that just wouldn’t heat up: "At that moment, you should have lunged forward, hugged her, tilted her chin, looked into her eyes, told her I miss you so much, I don’t want you to leave, and then kissed her deeply..."

"And then have my balls crushed by her? What is this, some overbearing CEO script?"

Huai Shi rolled his eyes again, sideways glancing at her skipping around, "And why do you always pop up from strange places?"

"Listen to you talk, isn’t this the care from your big sister?"

Tong Ji hopped onto his shoulder, raised her wings to pat his head: "I think as your Contractor, my presence lately has been a bit weak, to alleviate your homesickness, I’ve decided to appear from time to time, to soothe your soul hurt by this cruel world.

Come now, want some milk tea? It’s for you—"

Before Huai Shi could react, she stuck the straw right into his mouth.

But the cup was already drained by a certain black-hearted woman, not a single pearl left, much like his balance thoroughly emptied.

Huai Shi felt his heart was once again wounded.

Tears involuntarily welled up and flowed.