Chapter 82: The Thorny Rose

The man's powerful hand opened, his five fingers closing around a slender, snow-white palm.

The feeling of that hand in his palm was strange; softness was expected, yet the texture felt subtly familiar, as if...

Seeing the faint look of confusion on Selina's face before him, Bruce gently shook his head, clearing the chaotic thoughts from his mind.

"I came here as fast as I could."

Hearing this, Selina flashed Bruce a cunning smile: "So did I."

Selina Kyle, Bruce Wayne.

One was the social butterfly active in Gotham City's high-society banquets; the other was the playboy known to all of Gotham City, heir to a vast fortune. This pair, who seemed unlikely to develop true feelings to outsiders, began their date again on this Valentine's Day evening.

At this moment, the two were dancing hand-in-hand near the fountain in the center of the square.

The lady, carrying an air of composure and mystery, looked at Bruce's face, raised an eyebrow, and suddenly asked playfully: "Did you cut your lip while shaving, Bruce?"

"Hmm?"

Bruce instinctively responded, then belatedly remembered the small wound he had left earlier; because the injury was trivial, he hadn't planned to conceal it much.

"Your lip—you should find someone to do this for you."

Selina's suggestion was effective, but Bruce did not intend to adopt it; he habitually deflected, saying: "Alfred has already helped me more than once."

Bruce's absent-mindedness did not seem to displease Selina; a gust of fragrance swept over, her face very close, her deep and beautiful black eyes looking into Bruce's as she said with implication: "I mean, find someone with more femininity to do it."

An invitation? A hint? A proposal? In just a few seconds, thoughts flashed rapidly through Bruce's mind; looking at Selina's beautiful long black hair, he suddenly didn't know what to say.

Don't misunderstand; playboy Bruce was absolutely not an innocent child untouched by the world. In fact, his playboy image stemmed from the roses that rotated endlessly around him. However, Selina, this black rose, was the most special one in the rose bush, and Bruce was truly seriously considering his relationship with her.

The matter of "who will be the future mistress of Wayne Enterprises" was fundamentally different in nature from "Bruce having one or several pretty girls around him." Moreover, regarding his choice of partner, Bruce had other concerns—therefore, young Master Wayne hesitated, a rare occurrence.

Fortunately, his luck was good. At this moment, a flower girl in a green cloak walked over, carrying a basket of roses in her hand, and spoke up to interrupt the two's conversation.

"Sir, would you like to buy a rose for this lady?"

Before Bruce could respond, Selina took out a bill first; she looked at Bruce with a smile, seeming to enjoy the feeling of taking the initiative in their relationship: "My treat."

"Selina," Bruce murmured her name instinctively, taking the bright red rose from the girl's hand.

"Ah—"

The instant he took the rose, a sudden pain shot through Bruce's hand; the rose stem, covered in green thorns, left a small wound on his hand. He held the flower carefully but still couldn't help letting out a soft cry of pain.

"Tonight, you are indeed not very welcome to sharp objects," Selina couldn't help but tease.

The flower girl hurriedly apologized, appearing flustered and humble: "I, I'm sorry, these thorns—"

"It's fine, I'm okay."

Bruce put the rose away and waved his hand at the girl: "Don't worry, go ahead, child."

"Yes, Mr."

The girl under the green cloak struggled to hold back the smile at the corner of her mouth.

Vernon had already left the kitchen to eat his veal, leaving only Maroni leisurely flipping through a newspaper. Ma Ma Zhaodi no longer had to wash dishes; instead, he continued working as a waiter, shuttling constantly between the kitchen and the front hall. His clean and efficient manner made him look anything but a newcomer who had only arrived today.

But his heart was still murmuring doubts. The system-assigned task time was Valentine's Day; it was already late, yet the task prompt remained motionless—neither success nor failure. Could the task target have arrived, requiring him to identify them? But this didn't seem like the system's usual prompting style.

"Could the task target be Maroni? But that bird is spending Valentine's Day completely alone."

Ma Ma Zhaodi looked at the contented Maroni with a heart full of confusion. He didn't know why the other man liked spending Valentine's Day alone, but he was fairly certain the other man had no one to give chocolate to.

"Maybe... try?"

Just as he began thinking about how to sell chocolate to Maroni, two people pushed open the door and entered, immediately attracting the gaze of all the upper-class diners in the restaurant.

"Bruce, are you really in such a hurry to go home?"

"No, Selina," Bruce hesitated for a moment, looking somewhat distracted, but quickly returned to normal: "Not exactly in a hurry to go home."

At this moment, his feeling was strange; it was as if he were speaking, yet not as if he were speaking, as if his soul had left his body, watching his body automatically respond to Selina's question.

The entire world seemed to be green...

"Then stay here and finish this dinner with me?" Selina coquettishly laughed, pulling him onto a chair, though inwardly she felt slightly angry. Since buying that bouquet of roses, Bruce seemed to be thinking only of going home, which made her grit her teeth at this piece of wood that didn't understand romance.

Earlier, I should have scratched you a few more times, she thought, but seeing his handsome face, she couldn't bear to.

Fortunately, this restaurant still had an empty seat; if she hadn't quickly reserved a spot, this block of wood would really have run back home on Valentine's Day evening.

The moment the two stepped into the restaurant, the system prompt immediately appeared before Ma Ma Zhaodi's eyes.

【Task target has appeared】

【Method unrestricted; please make 'Bruce Wayne' eat Valentine's chocolate before the two leave the restaurant】

Concise and clear, crisp and decisive.

Looking at the two before him, Ma Ma Zhaodi couldn't help but sigh. He knew that when the system directly gave a high-level skill, the situation was usually troublesome or important—but this task, getting formally involved with these two heavyweight figures, would be very bad news.

At this moment, Selina happened to look around and spotted Ma Ma Zhaodi on the side; her eyes immediately lit up—of course, to liven up the dull atmosphere, one must find an interesting person.

Coincidentally, she knew Ma Ma Zhaodi was an interesting person.

"That waiter, we would like to order."

(End of Chapter)