1

It was an ordinary day with no schedule. The Rover was laying in his bed, doing nothing except for hearing sounds of the wind blowing outside. His payment from Jinzhou was huge enough to customize his house as he wanted, so he ordered a set of body washes privately. As promised, Lollo Logistics delivered his products without any damages.

“Alright, where’s the lemongrass-flavored one?” Making surrender to the temperature, he opened the box and began to seek for his favorite. Joy from peaceful air slowly embraced him. Everything seemed alright after he helped the magistrate overcome the accident on Mt. Firmament; it was the time to do some usual things. On this occasion, he meant bathing.

There were four bottles in the box. They are designed to resemble local herbs around Jinzhou; Dewvetch, Noctemint, Plum and Lemongrass. He, at the first time, had to persuade Abby that none of these were edible. He eventually succeeded on that, but it was not easy to tell him what the real difference was.

During the opening, he noticed something unexpected inside the box. It was a postcard with gold borders; messages written with pen as well. “Oh,” He smiled gently. “This is a free coupon. How lucky am I today.”

He started to read the instructions. It was easy to follow. Just three steps: call the customer satisfactory center, tell the four digit coupon code to the agent and wait for the new product. He couldn’t miss the chance like that. He was going to enjoy the vacation as much as he could.

“Good morning, Napspring Chemicals. How may I help you?” He heard a posh voice through his terminal. He thought it was a little familiar, but was unable to remember who he was talking to immediately. So he decided only to take a free product, and not to ask anything different.

“Hello, I found a free coupon inside the body wash box. Would you like to help me use it?” It was the first time for him to do things like this. He tried to pull tension outside of his body, but it was not easy. He had to admit that he was nervous. To defeat enemies in combat was much easier, and much more comfortable.

He was not sure if he succeeded in hiding his stiffness. “Sure, please let me know the four digit code. It’s right below the Napspring logo,” The tone remained the same, not showing anything negative. He relieved.

“I found it. It’s 0-9-1-7,” answered the Rover. He was satisfied with himself doing this smoothly. If Chixia was sitting next to him, he couldn't help but tell her about this small achievement.

“Thank you for telling me,” the agent responded. “Your code is valid, so I will prepare for the delivery of the new item. There are two options for it. You can come to our office to pick it up whenever you want, or we can deliver it to you as soon as we are ready. Which one do you prefer?”

“Would you mind if I visit your office this afternoon?” He chose his words carefully. He didn’t want to be rude; it seemed the person on the phone was aware of it as well.

“Of course. I’ll prepare your package, so please call me again with this number after you arrive at our office. It will be ready after lunchtime.” That was the answer he had been waiting for. It was ten to twelve; he began to consider what to eat for his second meal.

“I’ll be there around three. Thank you for your help,” the Rover replied.

“It’s my pleasure. I’ll wait for your next call, Rover.” He never told the agent who he was. However, since he was satisfied with finishing the call without problems, he didn’t become suspicious of it.

2

“A plum tea, please.” spoke the Rover. Although his favorite scent was definitely lemongrass, he preferred lemonade over lemon tea. He couldn’t find it on the menu, so it was a good chance to try out something new.

There were no empty seats around the store. He, with no remaining options, began to watch swimming fishes under the lake. While it was true that he truly enjoyed this vacation, he suddenly found out his frustration. No schedules, no appointments; He has nothing to do. He began to wonder how Chixia planned her holidays.

So he spent a little time with his imaginations. Still, not much time has passed. Last few weeks were too dynamic to make him comfortable in leisures. “Are you waiting for someone?” That voice saved him. He smiled. He couldn’t pretend not to know the familiar voice.

“Yinlin?” The shadow patroller, holding a plastic bottle with a sports drink, was sitting at the table right next to him. She didn’t respond to his question. It seemed she considered that worthless; she was right. That tone, that gesture and that attitude. Who else could it be?

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” the Rover smiled.

“I did, however,” her answer surprised him. He couldn’t understand what she’s talking about. Yinlin, smiling quietly, motioned for him to sit down. “You didn’t discover anything unusual about your previous phone call, did you? You must be satisfied with Napspring Chemicals.” She put something on her table; it was the product box he asked.

There was a doll floating around Yinlin. The Rover had seen it before; She demonstrated how much it could be useful when he worked with Yinlin. “Zapstring greets you. It seems he likes you as well,” He couldn't hide his confusion. The names were so similar.

“It was not your voice when I called there.”

“Of course, I wanted to surprise you. It is funny to see you rolling eyes like that. That will be the cutest action you can make,” Yinlin began to tease him without a notice. Although he didn’t consider it bad, he knew he had a few questions to ask.

“Did You make a paper company just for this?”

“Sadly no. I have a connection in the manufacturing facility for your body wash. So I made my own coupon for you. That was all.”

That could be true. The shadow patroller can disguise her as an entirely different person. It would not be strange even if she has her connection beyond Huanglong. Yinlin may lie with no agitation inside, but he had a baseless belief that she wouldn’t lie today. “So, did you put the coupon inside my box?” 

“That’s correct,” Yinlin smiled. She was waiting for something more. It seemed she wanted him to ask a specific question. He needed to find it out; it was a game between them. Winner will get a prize.

“Why?”

“You tell me.”

So many questions remained. It was hard to organize thoughts. Fortunately, he had a short break in conversation; it was time to pick up his plum tea. Yinlin kindly let him go and take his own drink. He had no idea if he should thank her about it.

“Alright. What does that four digit code mean, then?”

“It’s my birthday,” Yinlin responded with no hesitation. “It’s elementary. You really have no idea how a woman approaches. How about having a teacher?”

Feeling powerless, he rolled his eyes again. He felt he had no options to make a counterblow. However, despite the situation, he wanted to remain confident. He decided to go straight. “Like you?” asked the Rover.

She didn’t answer immediately. “Sure, I’m a skillful teacher,” They were confronting each other with different weapons. Yinlin with elegance and allurement, and the Rover with calmness and generosity. All of them are effective; it was a deadlock. No advance, no retreat. They both longed to win the game.

“What about a suggestion, Yinlin?” He made a different move to break the situation. He applied a new strategy. His opponent welcomed it.

“Tell me,” said her. “I’m expecting something interesting.”

Her smile resembled a spider. Yinlin always had a plan; even now, she was seeking the right moment to expend her web upon him. As a person who truly understands her motivation, the Rover wasn’t afraid of that. He also had his own plan. “I have a recommendation on the body wash. Want to hear that?”

Yinlin blinked her eyes fast. She slowly leaned forward to him, with no consideration of people around. “I don’t want to hear that,” she smiled gorgeously. “I’ll try it. Together.”

The Rover knew it was a win for this battle. Still, one expression made him worried. “What do you mean by ‘together’?” All of his senses began ringing for danger. He realized two things at once; his victory for the battle, but defeat for the war.

“Let me use it. In the bathtub. Your house.” He sighed heavily. It seemed he was going to have a teacher for a while.