Tang Jinze and his parents stood behind Shen Ge and Cheng Shengnan, all three wearing knowing smiles—especially the elderly couple, whose eyes gleamed with the unmistakable “approving in-laws” look.
“…” Shen Ge resisted the urge to facepalm. Are you three filming a sitcom?
Tang Jinze, delighted to see his usually unflappable friend momentarily speechless, teased, “We’ve been brothers since diapers—different parents, same bond. And you’re hiding a girlfriend from us?”
After introducing Cheng Shengnan as his colleague to the Tang family, Shen Ge added firmly, “Uncle, Auntie, this is my coworker, Cheng Shengnan.”
“We understand,” Uncle Tang said cheerfully.
“Understand,” Auntie Tang echoed with a nod.
“Xiao Cheng, hello!” Uncle Tang beamed, extending a hand.
“Hello,” Auntie Tang chimed in.
Their synchronized responses—Uncle leading, Auntie finishing—suggested a “understanding” that had nothing to do with Shen Ge’s explanation.
“Perfect! We haven’t eaten either, and it’s been ages since I treated my parents. Joining you isn’t too much to ask, right?” Tang Jinze waggled his eyebrows.
Shen Ge barely stopped himself from pointing out he’d just visited the Tangs last week. But given how much their parents had doted on him since childhood—and the fact that he and Cheng Shengnan weren’t dating—he relented.
He glanced at Cheng Shengnan, who was already chatting amiately with Auntie Tang, and sighed. “Fine. Uncle, Auntie, what would you like?”
“Whatever Xiao Cheng prefers! Don’t mind us,” Auntie Tang said breezily. “As long as you don’t blame us for crashing your date!”
“Not at all,” Cheng Shengnan replied smoothly. “The more the merrier. I’d love to dine with you.”
“Xiao Cheng! Come, let’s go. Auntie knows all the best spots around here—just name your craving!” Clasping Cheng Shengnan’s hand, Auntie Tang radiated such warmth one might mistake her for the prospective daughter-in-law.
Deadpan, Shen Ge muttered, “I want dragon meat.”
The Tang parents ignored him entirely, fussing over Cheng Shengnan as the trio headed across the street.
Tang Jinze elbowed Shen Ge. “Quit dawdling. After this, you’re washing dishes and paying.”
The five settled into a nearby Chinese restaurant. Cheng Shengnan and Auntie Tang hit it off instantly, with the latter already inviting them for her “famous soup” the following week.
While Cheng Shengnan chatted with the Tangs, Shen Ge pulled Tang Jinze outside.
“What’s the secrecy? Got a scandal? Two-timing? Relax, I won’t snitch to your ‘wifey’,” Tang Jinze said solemnly.
“With that imagination, you’re wasting talent not writing fiction.” Shen Ge fished out a small vial labeled Internal Injury Recovery Pill, shook one into his palm, and handed the bottle over.
“What’s this?” Tang Jinze sniffed it curiously.
“Ten-second rapid healing for non-fatal internal injuries. Effective against most moderate trauma.”
“You serious? If this works, 99% of pharma companies would bankrupt by tomorrow.” Skeptical, Tang Jinze examined a pill.
“Two in there. Since you’re still in drug R&D, see if you can reverse-engineer the formula.”
“No joke—where’d you get this?”
“Same source as those things.”
“Tch. World’s really going to hell.”
Shen Ge had yet to use these pills, but system-certified items rarely failed. If Tang Jinze could crack their composition, he’d consider sharing other recovery items—like the Mental Apple, once he had spares. Maybe Li Xiang could trace its link to supernatural energy and replicate it, solving his stamina issues.
Their conversation halted as the others exited the restaurant. Learning Shen Ge and Cheng Shengnan had prior plans, the Tangs bid them farewell—but not without reiterating the soup invitation.
Arriving at Xiao He’s apartment complex, Shen Ge scouted the area first.
“Find anything?” Cheng Shengnan asked.
No anomalies—not even a system alert. Given how promptly it had flagged the restaurant’s tainted pork, the issue likely wasn’t the system.
Recalling Xiao He’s claim that the dog only appeared at night, Shen Ge decided to visit her first and resume the search after dark.
Xiao He answered the door with raccoon-like dark circles, forcing a tired smile. “Brother Shen, Manager Cheng. Come in.”
“Wasn’t sure what fruit you liked, so we got a variety.” They placed two hefty bags on the coffee table.
“You shouldn’t have! Just visiting would’ve been enough,” Xiao He protested while pouring tea.
“Relax. Manager Cheng’s loaded,” Shen Ge said.
Sipping his tea, Shen Ge studied her. “You look exhausted.”
“Tell me about it. That incident traumatized me—I removed my bathroom mirror and squat to avoid sink drains now…” Xiao He launched into a cathartic rant, relieved to finally have listeners who didn’t dismiss her as delusional.
After thirty minutes of venting, Shen Ge summarized: “So post-incident insomnia led to your first black dog sighting days later. And no one else in the complex has seen it?”
“Right! Once, my best friend stayed over because she was worried. We went for late-night snacks, and I saw it—hunched by the trash, red eyes staring at me. I pointed, but she saw nothing.”
“Could it be sleep-deprivation hallucinations?” Cheng Shengnan ventured.
“But how could I hallucinate the same dog in the same spot multiple nights?” Xiao He whimpered.
Shen Ge set down his cup. “Take us there after dark.”