Chapter 164: A Very Good Opponent
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
He Jing unconsciously clenched her fist. A slasherâs smile crossed her lips, âNow, wouldnât you like to know?â
Yan Hanxi was speechless.
Ah! It was such a shame. It seemed he had no intention of pursuing the matter.
He Jing lost interest. She could not be bothered to deal with Yan Hanxi at the moment. Instead, she contacted He Zhou. She had already uncovered the answer.
Soon, the call went through. He Zhouâs frigid voice sounded from the other end of the line.
âThird Brother, itâs me.â He Jing took a deep breath and got straight to the point.
He Zhou did not expect He Jing to be the one to exchange clues with him. He fell into a short silence. âYou only have one chance to contact other team members. Are you confident Iâll tell you what I know?â He Zhou was as blunt as usual.
The response did not annoy He Jing at all. âIs Xiaoguo alright?â she asked.
âHe is.â
âIâm glad.â
He Jing did not seem to be in any hurry to learn the clues he had found. Instead, she was beating about the bush, asking
âThird Brother, the dishes you prepare are delicious! I like them very much.â
Each team had only two minutes to contact each other, but He Jing was still in the mood to dither and discuss unimportant matters. He Zhou could not help but mock her in his heart. Perhaps she had encountered some trouble and, in panic, had been reduced to a blithering mess. He Jing was probably flattering him as part of a scheme to get the clues he had gleaned.
Unfortunately, she did not understand him. Actions like these only filled him with disgust.
âHe Jing, you shouldnât have called me; your methods are useless against me.
You should have called someone else.â
Contrary to his expectations, He Jing did not panic. âEven if Third Brother hates me, heâll still tell me what he knows. I did not make a mistake calling you.â Her Jingâs words were light but filled with her conviction.
âWhat?â He Zhou was momentarily stunned by He Jingâs declaration, but it soon became a sneer. âWhat makes you think so?â
âBecause Third Brother is not a despicable person, â He Jing responded firmly. âIf you were such a person, Xiaoguo wouldnât be so dependent on you. Xiaoguo is a good judge of character, and I trust him.â
He Zhou was unmoved. He continued to sneer. âYes, youâre right. Since youâve called, Iâll share what I know.â
However, deciding to be petty, He Zhou mixed many misleading hints among the actual clues. It was up to He Jing to decipher truth from falsehood.
It was not on him if she could not sift the correct clues from the clutter of wrong ones he provided.
It was the same thing He Jing could do to him. After all, no one could complete this challenge without a concerted team effort.
Shortly after, he passed on the clues he had discovered. It was a mixed bag of truths and falsehoods. Still, he threw her a bone by warning her about them. âI have four clues. Two will lead you on, while the rest will not. Itâs up to you to judge for yourself which is which.â
He Jing did not need to make a judgment call. When He Zhou revealed what he knew, it was more than enough to confirm her initial thoughts. She was sure she knew the right way to escape.
Unlike He Zhou. however. He Ting shared what she knew without hidden tricks. saying, âThank you, Third Brother.â
Her words sounded calmly in He Zhouâs ears.
He Zhou grew exceedingly dissatisfied with He Jing. Why did she always act like she was in complete control of the situation? She must have called him to gloat, praising his cooking like that. It was simply humiliatingâ¦
âHe Jing, I will always treat Xiao Yi as my sister. No matter what you do, I will never accept you. I hope you wonât do such a stupid thing again. Donât say I didnât warn you. Just because Iâve helped you this once doesnât mean Iâll do it again in the future.
He Jing did not know what to say; He Zhouâs words had caught her flat-footed.
Barely able to conceal the hint of joy, she cried, âReally? I canât wait for Third Brother to treat me as his younger sister.â
âYouâ¦â
He Zhou was so angry he nearly screamed in rage. He was about to hang up on her when her voice drifted into his ears.
âThird Brother, I have many things, but a worthwhile opponent isnât among them. Itâs been a long time since Iâve had the pleasure to trounce someone so completely. Thank you, Third Brother, for reigniting my passion..â