Chapter 201: The Drinking Party

For Yuan's unprompted behavior of showing up uninvited, Lin Yun had almost grown accustomed to it.

Not to mention her previous act of taking it upon herself to run to the Hetero-Strategy Bureau to beg, even when she usually challenged Senior Cuique to a duel, she often appeared suddenly while Cuique was dealing with residual beasts.

In Yuan's own words, since she had neither a mobile phone nor any corresponding means of contact, the best way to find Cuique was to lie in wait for residual beasts; although this sounded reasonable, it still made people feel somewhat strange.

No one would find it interesting for an enemy to appear before them constantly.

"May I ask what your business is?"

So Lin Yun found it hard to put on a good face for her, and could only, out of fundamental respect, maintain the bare minimum of politeness: "I don't think we are close enough to exchange holiday greetings."

Fortunately, Lin Xiaolu had just left the Director's office, so he currently had the mental capacity to put on an act here with her, but obviously, the time left for him was not much; the Daughter would not take long to return from the restroom.

He couldn't figure out her intentions, but his mind was already racing at full speed, thinking about how to get rid of this person; not to mention anything else, it was best if she didn't get to touch Lin Xiaolu.

"It's a rare New Year's Eve; don't wear such a long face."

However, Yuan clearly didn't care what attitude Lin Yun held; she simply walked straight into the room, carelessly sat in the chair before the desk, and then placed the thing she had been holding in her hand onto the table: "Here, I brought you a little gift, consider it my New Year's greeting to your esteemed bureau."

"A gift?"

Regarding her words, Lin Yun naturally didn't believe a single word, but out of safety needs, he still glanced at the thing Yuan had placed on the table.

—It was a bottle of white liquor, labeled with "Qingting River," "20 Years," and a series of other characters. Beside the white liquor was a bag of earth-black things, with the logo on the bag printing the four characters "Weimei Duck Neck," seemingly some kind of braised food.

Lin Yun naturally recognized these two things.

The former was the best-selling white liquor in Fang Ting City, a regular at dinner tables and drinking parties, and Lin Yun himself had drunk plenty of it during social engagements; the latter was the name of a very successful braised snack shop near the Hetero-Strategy Bureau; when going to work in the morning, Lin Yun had seen that shop on the street, and even though it was close to the New Year, it was still open and doing booming business.

Although he recognized these two things, when they appeared in the hands of a "Claw Mark" Magical Girl and were called a "gift" by her, it made people feel somewhat confused.

"What does this mean?" So he asked directly.

"Literally; since it's a rare New Year's Eve, I brought a bottle of wine and some food to go with it."

Yuan squinted and smiled: "Have a drink with me, Director Lin; this table of wine and food cost me all my worldly possessions."

"... Why?" Lin Yun was puzzled.

"Is there any other reason? It's a New Year festival, I'm alone in a foreign land, I have to find someone I know to talk to, right?"

While speaking, Yuan reached for the mouth of the white liquor bottle; with just a swipe of the side of her palm, she easily broke the seal: "Do you have cups?"

"Why find me?" Lin Yun remained unmoved.

"Because I don't know anyone else... the construction workers at the site have all gone home, and I still haven't gotten the contact information for Cornflower."

Yuan tilted her head as if somewhat troubled: "After thinking it over, the only person I know and know where to generally find is you, and Director Lin, you have taken good care of me before; consider this bottle of wine as a return gift..."

"Where are your companions?" Lin Yun completely didn't buy her act.

"Companions? Ah, you mean Sammy... that guy is a fairy."

Yuan looked at Lin Yun as if he were an idiot: "Would anyone go drink with a fairy? There's no atmosphere at all."

"I think under normal circumstances, a wanted criminal wouldn't come to the Hetero-Strategy Bureau to find someone to drink with."

Lin Yun sighed: "Aren't you afraid I'll call someone to arrest you right now?"

"Before you call someone, I can take you hostage first, Director."

Yuan smiled brightly: "I think a smart person like you wouldn't do useless work."

Lin Yun had no rebuttal.

No one in the entire Fang Ting City knew Yuan's strength better than him; in their first clash and the several spars afterward, the combat proficiency the opponent displayed was simply terrifying.

Putting aside the fact that his current identity is an ordinary person, even if he turned into Senior Cuique right now, he probably wouldn't be able to win against this carefree guy in a one-on-one fight.

"You specifically chose this time on New Year's Eve, ran to the Hetero-Strategy Bureau, and even infiltrated the Director's office without anyone noticing, just to find me for a drink?"

But even so, he still couldn't understand the other person's behavioral logic: "Can I take it that you are really so bored you have nothing to do?"

"Probably?"

With a wave of her hand, ink-black fluid metal turned into two grappling hooks; she reached into the nearby tea cabinet to fetch two teacups, slapped the two cups onto the desk, and pushed one of them in front of Lin Yun: "Of course, if you are willing to chat a bit more with me, perhaps I have other things I can tell you."

Lin Yun glanced at the teacup before him, his hand still motionless, and simply continued to ask: "Other things?"

"Drink first, talk after drinking."

Yuan stood up, leaned closer toward Lin Yun, poured the white liquor from the bottle into the teacup, and leaned forward amidst the strong scent of alcohol: "If you are not at ease, you can use whatever method you can to test this bottle of wine; nothing has been added inside, it's just wine."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, although separated by a table, she had almost half her body leaning over the table, so her face was very close to Lin Yun; from her slightly open collar, something that probably shouldn't be seen seemed to be exposed; out of politeness, Lin Yun immediately turned his face away.

However, with just a fleeting glance, he noticed that today's Yuan seemed somewhat different from her ragged appearance in the previous few times; not only was her hair combed quite neatly, but her clothes also seemed to have been washed, changed, and mended, looking quite fresh and clean.

Was she preparing for something?

Similar thoughts flashed through his mind; Lin Yun took the teacup without showing any emotion, briefly probed inside the cup with magic, and only after confirming that nothing else had been added did he bring it close to his lips.

He knew that no matter what medicine Yuan was selling from her gourd, it seemed he only had to drink this mouthful of wine to uncover the truth.

Then let's drink, he thought.

The wine entered his mouth, a faint burning sensation spreading in his mouth; after confirming once again that there was no strange smell, Lin Yun swallowed it, then lifted the cup and gestured toward Yuan.

Yuan smiled somewhat satisfied.

Only then did she prop herself up again, sit back in her previous seat, and pick up the teacup that belonged to her: "That's more like it; you're a grown man, just having a drink, where do all these twists and turns come from?"

Saying this, she also brought the teacup to her lips, tilted her head back, and gulped two mouthfuls as if drinking plain water; after her throat heaved a few times, she let out a "Ha!" and slammed the teacup heavily onto the table.

"Refreshing! Fine wine on a festival, truly a beautiful thing!"

After saying this, she opened the bag of duck necks beside her and pushed the bag to the middle of the desk: "Come on, come on, don't forget the food to go with the wine!"

Only at this moment did Lin Yun slightly believe that this person in front of him really came just to find someone to drink with.

However, after realizing this, his doubts in his heart grew even heavier—among Magical Girls, and even among experienced veteran Magical Girls, could there really be someone this shameless?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question was destined to be impossible to derive from the current scene; he could only pretend to blend into this drinking party with only two people.

Yuan, just like when she first came to the Hetero-Strategy Bureau, seemed to completely disregard whether there would be any effects after getting drunk; she kept pouring wine for herself on her own, while constantly urging Lin Yun to drink.

Lin Yun didn't take up her words; he simply used the experience he had honed over years of drinking scenes, drinking a sip here and a sip there behind Yuan; although he seemed to frequently move his cup, in reality, not a few drops actually entered his stomach, and quite a bit was quietly spilled on the floor.

Drinking was drinking, but he dared not get drunk; although even if he got completely drunk, he could immediately return to sobriety by turning into a Magical Girl, the impact of being drunk on thinking and judgment was already worth his utmost vigilance.

Besides that, he secretly sent a message to Lin Xiaolu via his phone, telling his daughter that someone was discussing official business with him in the Director's office, and asked her to wander around the vicinity first before returning.

Thus, after three rounds of drinking, when the white liquor brought by Yuan was nearly empty and the bag of braised delicacies contained only a pile of broken bones, she leaned back slightly with a hint of satisfaction, resting against the chair back.

— "Ah, bliss, bliss."

Although she had been grabbing the braised food with her bare hands just before, Yuan's hands remained clean; she patted her belly, let out a burp, and said leisurely: "Indeed, celebrating the New Year like this is the only way to have flavor."

"Are you satisfied now?"

Lin Yun appeared flushed, as if slightly drunk, but in reality, he was not relaxing his guard at all: "Then, I wonder what the 'other matter' you mentioned earlier was?"

"Hey, Director Lin, don't be so impatient."

She seemed truly overcome by alcohol, so Yuan's voice rose several decibels: "Men who are too eager are not welcomed by ladies, you know."

"I think I have been patient enough."

Pointing at the nearly empty wine bottle before him, Lin Yun remained expressionless: "It has been more than half an hour since you rushed in and proposed drinking; I think it is now your turn to fulfill your promise, Miss Tang Changpu."

Just as he said, half an hour had passed; even though he had already sent a text message to temporarily delay Lin Xiaolu, this situation could probably not be maintained much longer. If he let Yuan linger here any longer, she might truly stay until Lin Xiaolu returned.

As for the title "Tang Changpu," there was naturally calculation involved; he deliberately used the alias the other party held while serving in the Kingdom to emphasize that he still did not accept her identity as a Claw Mark. After all, the Director of the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau drinking with a magical girl from the Claw Mark was something that could not be explained if spoken of.

Moreover, this alias was the one Yuan herself brought up during their first meeting; at that time, she had tried to conceal her identity as a Claw Mark member to bluff her way through.

However, he did not expect that after he said this, the Yuan before him fell into an inexplicable silence.

"Tang Changpu, huh..."

After a long while, she murmured to herself: "It has truly been a long time since I heard this title from someone else's mouth, but for some reason, it feels as if it were just yesterday."

"This is an alias you told me yourself."

Lin Yun spoke with a slight implication: "Although I later verified that it was indeed a real existing alias, it was merely a former name."

"... Yes, it is already a former name."

Leaning against the chair back, Yuan nodded quite boldly: "The me of now is not Tang Changpu, the Arbiter of the Magical Kingdom, but a high-ranking member of the Claw Mark—Yuan."

"You do not seem ashamed to mention your betrayal of the Kingdom."

Lin Yun looked straight at her: "However, from your behavior, I also see no resolve of an evil person; your actions completely do not match my understanding of the organization 'Claw Mark'."

"Hmm, you are very right; I am just a half-baked villain."

Yuan smiled: "But, regarding your understanding of the 'Claw Mark'... in your eyes, what exactly are we 'Claw Mark' like?"

"... Traitors who covet the power of magical girls but shirk the responsibilities belonging to magical girls, who have betrayed the bonds with their colleagues and chosen to side with the enemy."

After a brief pause, Lin Yun spoke bluntly: "From any angle, you should not be a group of good people."

"Haha, so ruthless."

Yuan laughed it off, looking nothing like someone facing accusations: "I do not deny it; a half-baked villain is still a villain. You say I do not look like an evil person, but do you know? Whether intentionally or unintentionally, my hands are still stained with the blood of the innocent."

"I have no intention of pursuing the truth or falsehood in your words, but I will tentatively maintain the prejudice that 'all Claw Mark members are evil people'; therefore, I am puzzled by your behavior."

Lin Yun remained expressionless: "Why do this? You have stayed in Fang Ting for nearly two months; during this time, there were plenty of opportunities to do evil. Since you are not a good person, why do you act like an ordinary tourist?"

"If I say I really just wanted to come for a vacation... would you believe me?"

Yuan blinked innocently; seeing that Lin Yun had no reaction, she immediately deflated: "Well, that indeed makes no sense at all; I give up."

"Since you want to know the truth so badly, I will tell you."

She placed one hand on the table, her body reeking of alcohol swaying unsteadily as she stood up, then left her seat and stumbled across the desk before her.

Before Lin Yun could react, she had already walked behind him.

Then, placing both hands on the back of the chair, she slowly lowered her head, bringing her mouth close to Lin Yun's ear.

"Let me tell you, the real reason I came tonight is actually..."

— "Who are you?"

Before Yuan could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a voice from the doorway.

Lin Yun and Yuan looked up together; they saw that the door to the Director's office had been pulled open, and Lin Xiaolu was standing there, gazing at the two figures with a dazed expression.

She hesitated, not knowing what she was thinking; after a long while, she finally raised her hand, pointed at Lin Yun, and said:

"Are you having an affair?"

(End of this chapter)