Manipulative Harem God

512  "Don't worry, 'your kind' I am used to being... uh, less than clever,"

If people raise wild animals and later get eaten by them, they have only themselves to blame... Nôv(el)B\\jnn

...When women come into the picture, no one remains a brother, and trust becomes a rare commodity.

Nevertheless, committing so many crimes — Zhang Wei didn't want to risk everything, especially since what started as a means for revenge had turned into something more serious.

His relationship with Yu Lei was flourishing; she respected his freedom, followed his guidance, and trusted him implicitly.

Consequently, he saw no reason to jeopardize his stable life for a hazardous scheme.

After a few years of marriage, he was already comfortably living off eating soft rice, and his feelings and desires for Murong Jinxiang had eventually faded.

Until today...

When he saw her again, and inhaled that familiar fragrance emanating from her.

It was the same scent he remembered, yet now it seemed richer, more mature.

In fact, the Zhang Wei of today was no longer shackled by the limitations of his past.

"Huh?"

Murong Jinxiang froze, her fingers hesitating inches from the chopsticks as Zhang Wei smoothly slid the plate toward her.

In that moment, he gently grasped her left hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

"They are still soft," he remarked, his voice low, accompanied by a small, knowing smile that sent a chill through Murong Jinxiang.

The look in his eyes, intense and unsettling, made her shiver involuntarily.

"You—what are you doing? Don't mess around in public!" Murong Jinxiang hissed, her tone a mix of admonishment and embarrassment.

Yet, her reprimand fell on deaf ears; Zhang Wei had already noticed the two waitresses watching them from a distance.

"Both of you, come here," Zhang Wei called out, his touch lingering on her hand, firmly but gently ensuring she couldn't withdraw.

"Yes, sir? How can we help you?" The first waitress approached, her expression composed but her eyes betraying a flicker of curiosity about the ambiguous scene.

The second waitress, meanwhile, adopted a more muted posture, her gaze lowered as if to respect their privacy, waiting for his instructions and signaling that they hadn't seen anything.

Zhang Wei flashed them a charming smile. "Good girls, don't overexert yourselves. Life's burdens are heavy enough without adding undue stress. Why don't you two take these and enjoy a little celebration after your shift?" He smoothly extracted his wallet from his pocket, peeled off several hundred-dollar notes, and handed them over with a flourish.

"!!"

The waitresses' eyes sparkled with delight as the first one eagerly accepted the money

"Thank you, handsome guy! Could I have your WeChat?" she asked hopefully, her eyes lighting up as she took in Zhang Wei's appearance.

Her heart thumped audibly with excitement.

Zhang Wei offered a wry smile and pulled out his phone, allowing them to scan his QR code and share contacts.

As he did so, he noticed the second waitress's lips quiver with hesitation.

"You can add it too," he encouraged, prompting a shy blush to spread across her face as she nodded and timidly took out her phone to scan the code, her heart fluttering nervously.

Both waitresses were aware that their miss might be involved in some kind of affair, but what really caught their attention was the extraordinary handsomeness of the man she was with.

In fact, they would have approached to serve him sooner had Murong Jinxiang not taken the initiative.

Once the two "little birds" had fluttered away, Murong Jinxiang's lips pressed tightly together.

She had set aside her drink, the glass now empty, and grabbed the chopsticks with her right hand to eat quietly.

"Don't be jealous, it's not your age to be eating vinegar," Zhang Wei teased, barely suppressing a chuckle.

He was fully aware of Murong Jinxiang's sulking as he added the two girls on his WeChat.

Murong Jinxiang shot back, "I am not, and don't talk nonsense—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Zhang Wei picked up a quarter-cut lemon from the edge of his plate and pressed it against her lips, startling her.

"Eat lemons instead," he chuckled, seizing her moment of surprise to squeeze the lemon juice directly into her mouth.

"!!"

As the tart lemon juice hit her tongue, Murong Jinxiang's eyes widened in shock.

She choked on the unexpected sharpness, coughing vigorously as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Zhang Wei! What are you—cough—doing?" she sputtered, her voice raspy and strained as she tried to regain her composure.

The sourness overwhelmed her senses, and her face twisted slightly from the intensity.

Zhang Wei chuckled, his tone mixing amusement with a hint of satisfaction.

He reached over, patting her gently on the back to help ease her coughing. "I thought you might want a taste of something other than vinegar," he joked, still grinning despite her discomfort.

??

Murong Jinxiang finally managed to swallow the lemon juice, still coughing a little as she glared at him, her expression a mix of annoyance and exasperation. "You think this is funny?" she gasped, still trying to soothe her throat.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood," Zhang Wei replied, his smile fading into a more apologetic expression.

"Here, drink some water," Zhang Wei whispered, pushing his glass towards her as a gesture of peace.

Murong Jinxiang, still recovering from her coughing fit, took the glass without a second glance and gulped down the contents.

Her coughs subsided as she calmed down, and she set the glass down with a decisive clack, still fixing Zhang Wei with a wary stare. "Next time, just stick to the verbal jokes," she muttered, taking a deep breath to fully recover from the sharp lemon.

However, a strange bitterness lingered on her tongue. "Why does this water taste so weird?" she asked, confusion lining her voice.

Turning abruptly towards Zhang Wei, suspicion etched across her face, she noticed that his glass of whiskey was missing.

"—"

Her expression crumbled into one of realization.

She had been tricked!

Her teeth gritted in anger, she fought the urge to lash out at him as he continued to smile mockingly.

"Don't worry, 'your kind' I am used to being... uh, less than clever," he reassured her, his words only adding to her confusion.

Realizing his slip, he quickly changed the subject, "Ahem, leave that. Tell me about the monks that came earlier."

Murong Jinxiang, still processing the realization that she had just unwittingly consumed his whiskey, was briefly speechless.

She shook her head, trying to clear the lingering taste and confusion, her focus shifting as she considered his request.

With a sigh, she began to recount the earlier visit from the monks, her mind still filled with the dual frustration of being outwitted and the unexpected turn in their conversation.

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Murong Jinxiang [Click on the text to check her illustrations, if it doesn't work, check discord, might be censorsed]

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