She shoved a candy bean into Zhu Lingxi’s mouth with lightning speed. The other was accurately stuffed into Pei Tinglan’s mouth.
“Mmph!” Pei Tinglan was caught off guard and forced to keep the candy in his mouth.
The next second, his expression changed abruptly. That was not candy at all.
As the candy bean dissolved on the tip of his tongue, a slimy, salty, and incredibly fishy flavor instantly exploded.
It was like a mixture of rusty iron, soaked seaweed, and salted fish that had been left out for who knows how long, all kneaded together and shoved into his mouth without warning.
Pei Tinglan’s pupils constricted. He instinctively tried to swallow.
But the taste was so horrific that it shot straight to his throat as a physical reaction. “Gah—”
He turned his head and spat the partially dissolved candy onto the grass nearby.
Cen Yao: “...” Zhu Lingxi: “...”
Pei Tinglan leaned one hand on the armrest of his wheelchair and covered his mouth with the other, the corners of his eyes instantly reddening. A few involuntary tears clung to the corners of his eyes.
He was already strikingly handsome, and now, with his face pale, his eyes red, and his breathing slightly ragged, he actually looked a bit pitiful.
Unfortunately, Cen Yao only felt guilty for a second. The next moment, she almost couldn't hold back her laughter.
Because Zhu Lingxi’s reaction was the exact opposite of Pei Tinglan’s.
Zhu Lingxi had also been startled by the candy bean suddenly stuffed into her mouth. But she had an almost instinctive trust in Cen Yao.
Since Cen Yao wanted her to eat it, she obediently kept the candy in her mouth. The candy bean dissolved.
It was soft and bouncy, like a type of jelly she had never tasted before. A sweet flavor emerged first, followed by a perfect hint of tartness.
It wasn't cloying; instead, it carried a refreshing fruity aroma. When she bit down, a fine juice burst in her mouth.
Zhu Lingxi’s eyes widened, and she chewed thoughtfully twice. Then, she froze.
The sweetness spread from the tip of her tongue, making her feel as if her breath had become much fresher and her body felt light.
“Delicious,” Zhu Lingxi said instinctively. She turned to Cen Yao, her round black eyes full of surprise. “It’s so delicious!”
Almost as soon as her voice fell, Pei Tinglan’s exasperated voice drifted over. “What on earth is this? It’s disgusting!”
Cen Yao looked at their vastly different reactions, her expression turning a bit strange.
Candy-shrub. As the name suggested, the fruit it bore looked like candy.
However, the flavor was never fixed. Sometimes it produced divine flavors that made one want a second piece.
Other times, it produced bizarre flavors that could make one question their very existence.
But she truly hadn't expected that by picking two at random, she would give Zhu Lingxi a stunning flavor while Pei Tinglan accurately stepped into a hellish one.
This luck... there was really no way to describe it.
Cen Yao would absolutely never admit that she was feeling a little bit of schadenfreude. Truly, just a little bit.
Zhu Lingxi was still immersed in the surprise of the candy bean. She looked up at the candy-shrub and asked eagerly, “Xiao Yao, are there more?”
Cen Yao spread her hands. “No more.”
Zhu Lingxi was stunned. Cen Yao explained, “These are the fruits of the candy-shrub; the flavors are all random.”
“No one knows what the next one will taste like. It could be exceptionally delicious, or...”
She glanced at Pei Tinglan, who was still trying to soothe the fishy, bitter taste, and added tactfully, “Or it might not be suitable for humans.”
Zhu Lingxi slowly looked away. She was a bit disappointed, her toes tapping lightly on the pebble path. “Oh.”
Pei Tinglan finally recovered a bit. Since he had no water, he could only force down the nausea. Hearing this, he looked coldly at Zhu Lingxi.
“Is what you ate and what I ate even the same species? How could you actually like something so disgusting?”
Zhu Lingxi looked up at him. She was already feeling a bit down because she couldn't have a second candy, so she didn't explain much.
She only said softly, “Mine was clearly delicious.” After saying that, she lowered her head again.
Clearly, she had no desire to discuss the flavor issue with Pei Tinglan further.
Pei Tinglan: “?” He stared at Zhu Lingxi.
Then he looked at the innocently swaying candy-shrub. An extremely absurd guess surfaced in his mind.
Could it be that his luck was just that bad? Were Cen Yao and Zhu Lingxi teaming up to prank him?
But the way Zhu Lingxi looked—wanting to eat more but unable to, with even her hair seeming to radiate disappointment—didn't look like an act at all.
Pei Tinglan refused to believe it. He moved his wheelchair closer to the candy-shrub.
Seeing his movement, Cen Yao suddenly had a bad feeling. “You want to eat more?”
Pei Tinglan sneered. “I want to see just how random it can be.”
As he spoke, he reached out and plucked a candy bean from a branch.
The appearance of this candy bean was no different from the previous two. It was still pea-sized and crystal-clear, with its light pink shell shimmering in the sunlight.
Pei Tinglan stared at it for two seconds. Then, as if making a decision, he stuffed it directly into his mouth.
Cen Yao and Zhu Lingxi both fell silent.
Three seconds later, Pei Tinglan’s face changed again. This time, it wasn't disgust.
It was a nearly explosive spiciness. As soon as the candy bean dissolved, it felt as if a ball of fire burned from the tip of his tongue all the way down his throat, instantly rushing to the top of his head.
“Hiss—” Pei Tinglan sucked in a breath of cold air.
His fair face quickly turned red from the heat, and even the tips of his ears were flushed.
“Water. Give me water.”
The corners of Cen Yao’s mouth twitched slightly. She quickly summoned a glass of ice water from the house and handed it over. “Here, here.”
Pei Tinglan grabbed it and downed several gulps. Only after the ice water hit his throat did the lethal spiciness slightly subside.
He leaned back in his wheelchair and let out a long breath. There was still moisture in his beautiful eyes from the spiciness.
Cen Yao looked at him, wanting to laugh but afraid of truly upsetting him, so she tried her best to keep a straight face. “Do you... want more?”
Pei Tinglan put the glass back into her hand. Then, he operated his wheelchair and silently retreated away from the candy-shrub.
He retreated very decisively. It was as if that shrub was some kind of pollution source that must not be approached.
“No more,” he said with a cold face. “Anyone who wants to eat it can eat it.”
Zhu Lingxi looked at the candy-shrub, then at Pei Tinglan. Thinking of her sweet and juicy candy bean, she whispered, “But it really was delicious.”
Pei Tinglan closed his eyes. “Zhu Lingxi. You better stop talking.”
Zhu Lingxi immediately shut her mouth. However, her eyes still couldn't help but glance toward the candy-shrub.
Cen Yao finally couldn't hold it back and let out a soft laugh. How could Pei Tinglan be so amusing? He was completely different from when they first met!
Rate on N.U.
