Volume 2: Chapter 23 of Horizontal County Government - The Depressed Secretary (Part 2)

  Tang Yi couldn't help but spit the vegetables into his bowl, thinking that the rice was probably as hard as sand too. It's really amazing how this girl can swallow it down!

  But Ning Xiaomei said lightly, "Wasting is not a good habit either." Tang Yi ignored her and stood up saying, "I'm full, you eat slowly." He went back to the living room to watch TV. As he left the dining room, he heard Ning Xiaomei say, "Next time I'll learn how to cook, your dishes aren't very tasty."

  Tang Yi didn't know if she was mocking herself, but if not, this little girl was really impressive. This terrible-tasting food was only rated as "not very good", it seemed that she had reached a certain level of pride and didn't even bother to say critical words.

  Tang Yi turned on the TV, just in time for the midday news at 12:30. The hot topic was next year's US presidential election, and the Democratic Party had already nominated Clinton to run for the presidency. Tang Yi looked at the TV screen, where this first president to be impeached due to a scandal was now speaking confidently in Congress, and couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic, thinking that indeed, things in life are unpredictable.

  "Clang, clang", the sound of dishes shattering came from the kitchen. Tang Yi was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then got up to walk over. He saw that in the kitchen, Ning Xiaomei was calmly cleaning up the broken plates. Tang Yi frowned and said: "What are you doing? Are you demolishing the house?"

  Ning Xiaomei said calmly: "You cook, I'll wash the dishes." Her face didn't show any sign of guilt or unease about breaking the bowls.

  Tang Yi truly had a headache and helplessly said: "Alright alright, you go out, I'll clean up."

  Ning Xiaomei nodded slightly and walked out of the kitchen, but didn't forget to say "thank you".

  After finishing the kitchen chores, Tang Yi was covered in sweat. Kitchen work wasn't physically exhausting but mentally draining. Tang Yi had wanted to take a bath, but thinking of that kid being there made it inconvenient, so he just washed his face quickly in the bathroom. Coming out, he said to Ning Xiaomei: "Aren't you leaving? Isn't the county town far from the military district?"

  Ning Xiaomei held a small white jade carved flower tea cup with both hands, quietly savoring the tea. She replied to Tang Yi's question: "I'm staying at the guest house."

  Tang Yi saw that the cup in Ning Xiaomei's hand was not from their own home, and thought to herself that she was quite particular. Upon smelling the tea fragrance, however, she was taken aback - it wasn't her own top-grade Da Hong Pao. The tea fragrance was delicate and elegant, like orchids and musk. She couldn't help but ask: "This tea of yours is quite special, isn't it?"

  Ning Xiaomei nodded: "Master sent it, are you going to drink it?"

  Tang Yi shook his head and said, "I have something to attend to outside, you can leave too."

  Ning Xiaomei nodded and stretched out her hand towards Tang Yi, saying: "Give me the key."

  "What key?"

  "Your house key."

  Tang Yi was already used to her style, and this time she didn't show much surprise, only smiling and saying: "What do you want my house key for?"

  Ning Xiaomei's tone was as calm as an ancient well, always so elegant and quiet: "I heard that boyfriends and girlfriends usually have keys to each other's homes. Since I don't have a home in Yanshan, there are some things that can be left here with you."

  Tang Yi was silent for a long time, staring at Ning Xiaomei with one eye, nodding his head and saying: "Makes sense, makes a lot of sense." He turned around to rummage through the drawer of the combination cabinet, pulled out a spare set of keys and tossed them to her. Tang Yi was really too lazy to waste words on her, feeling like there's no greater sorrow than death in one's heart, just wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible.

  Tang Yi put on his leather jacket and changed into leather shoes, ignoring Ning Xiaomei. He walked out the door by himself, and as he was going down the stairs, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Ning Xiaomei quietly following him, wearing a pair of white jade-like delicate leather shoes.

  Tang Yi frowned and asked: "What are you following me for?"

  Ning Xiaomei said: "To understand you, I have to know some things about you, Grandpa will ask me."

  Tang Yi nodded and said, "Alright, Cheng, you follow him."

  After leaving the neighborhood, Tang Yi suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to call Lao Gao to pick him up. Just as he was about to go to the public phone booth to make a call, his gaze inadvertently fell on a game room at the entrance of the neighborhood. The game room was filled with smoke and noise, with young punks swearing and shouting, and the machines being pounded loudly.

  Tang Yi glanced at Ning Xiaomei beside him, smiled slightly, and turned to walk towards the game room. As expected, Ning Xiaomei followed him too, although she frowned slightly at the door of the game room, still following Tang Yi inside.

  Tang Yi smiled at Ning Xiaomei and said: "I like playing video games the most." He bought a 1-yuan game coin from the boss, which can be played for more than an hour.

  Tang Yi threw a few game coins to Ning Xiaomei and said, "Have some fun!"

  Ning Xiaomei didn't say a word, standing beside Tang Yi as he inserted game coins into the machine, watching him hold the game controller and press the buttons. After a while, Ning Xiaomei walked over to another gaming console. The two delinquents who were originally playing with great enthusiasm suddenly felt uncomfortable all over when Ning Xiaomei stood quietly beside them, staring at them as they played. They made several mistakes, and their in-game characters died instantly. Strangely, the two delinquents didn't curse when their characters died; instead, they hastily retreated, a first in the history of gaming.

  Tang Yi lazily pressed the game buttons, turning his head to look for Ning Xiaomei, wondering if she had left, but was shocked to find that Ning Xiaomei was standing in front of the "Ninja Turtle" game machine. Her two snow-white small hands were moving quickly. Tang Yi was stunned for a moment, feeling that her hands were not quite right. Only after careful observation did he realize that she had wrapped her hands with two white handkerchiefs. Tang Yi couldn't help but secretly laugh. Playing arcade games was so particular, it was already difficult to operate with fingers, and yet she still wrapped her fingers up. Wouldn't she get KO'd in just a few seconds?

  Tang Yi's distraction resulted in Zhao Yun being beaten to death by Xiahou Dun in the game. Watching as he slowly fell to the ground, the general covered in blood, Tang Yi let out a sigh, his in-game currency was all used up.

  He had originally wanted to turn around and leave, but seeing Ning Xiaomei's hands flying by, he was somewhat curious, and couldn't help but walk over. Upon taking a closer look, Tang Yi was speechless again. He had also cleared "Ninja Turtles" several times, with his best record being five game coins, but looking at Ning Xiaomei, there were still four game coins next to the controller, indicating that she was using her first coin. However, in the game, the ninja turtle still had two lives and a bit of health left, having not lost any, already on the seventh level. Moreover, this was someone who didn't even know which tactics to use for each level in the game. Tang Yi looked at Ning Xiaomei's nimble hands and nodded slightly, thinking that this little girl relied solely on her quick reflexes and agile fingers.

  More and more people gathered in the game room to watch Ning Xiaomei play, and when they saw Ning Xiaomei defeat the final BOSS without losing a single drop of blood, the crowd erupted into cheers.

  Then Ning Xiao Mei started to enter the "Raiden World", and the airplane game only required quick reflexes. Ning Xiao Mei's plane navigated through the screen full of bullets and missiles with ease, clearing the level with just one coin.

  Then Ning Xiaomei set her sights on the shooting simulation game, and as expected, Tang Yi knew the outcome when he saw her holding the screen with a fierce posture. One coin to clear the level was a certainty, but what's even more incredible is that she didn't mistakenly kill a single hostage, nor did she let go of a single box of parachuted supplies. When clearing the level, she even had ten extra lives left over.

  When Ning Xiao Mei used the remaining two game coins to clear the other two games, everyone in the game room stared at each other with wide eyes, and no one shouted "good" anymore. They looked at Ning Xiao Mei's eyes, which had become somewhat strange, and wondered if anyone had thought that she was an alien who should be sent to a research institute.

  He and Tang Yi left the game room, Ning Xiao Mei nodded and said: "It's quite interesting."

  Tang Yi smiled and said: "Then you come often in the future!" Feeling a bit depressed, he looked at his watch and said: "I have to go to work."

  Ning Xiaomei nodded slightly: "I'm leaving." She turned around and walked away calmly.

  Looking at her lovely figure, Tang Yi didn't know whether to cry or laugh. He let out a long sigh and felt that life was really a mess. For the first time, he had the feeling that things were not under his control.