A Manual for Surviving a Weird World

Chapter 358 Eating Grass
After thinking it over and over but still not coming to a conclusion, Xia Yubing simply gave up on thinking about it. Spending too much time with Ning Zhe made her feel like her brain wasn't working properly.

Looking at Ning Zhe, who was sprawled on the sofa like Ge You with his eyes closed, Xia Yubing inexplicably recalled Plumeria's exquisite, doll-like face.

Xia Yubing wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the girl's eyes were full of hostility when she looked at her.

"correct."

Xia Yubing pressed her body against Ning Zhe, leaning on his shoulder, and asked, "That girl named Plumeria looks so young, yet she's already involved in such dangerous and bizarre events. Is her family really that comfortable with this? They even let her represent her family to meet with representatives from other families in Vivian Harbor... Isn't she still just a child?"

"Is she alright?" Ning Zhe pondered for a moment and said, "Plumeria will be turning 15 this month, which means she's only 3 years younger than me, so she's not really a child anymore."

Giorno became a mafia boss at 15, this is nothing.

"Huh?" Xia Yubing was stunned.

"Hmm?" Ning Zhe looked at her.

Xia Yubing stared blankly at Ning Zhe's face, completely bewildered.

Given that Plumeria hasn't turned 15 yet, and Ning Zhe says he's only 3 years older than her, that means...

"Ning Zhe, you, you're not an adult yet?" Xia Yubing's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.

"What's with this big reaction?" Ning Zhe shrugged, unconcerned. "The legal age of adulthood in our country has been lowered before. Now it's 16, just like in Europe."

Xia Yubing opened her mouth, then hesitated, "But, but..."

Ning Zhe knew what she was thinking, so he didn't give her a chance to say it and said directly, "I don't mind, so why are you being so dramatic?"

After saying that, Ning Zhe stood up from the sofa and took off his coat.

Today he was wearing Van Dyke's clothes, with a pure black hunting coat over a black pinstripe suit with gold stitching.

Ning Zhe casually draped two jackets over the sofa armrest, leaving him in only a pure white shirt, a fitted khaki vest, and tactical slings with concealed gun holsters under each arm, making him look like 007.

Van Dyke spent his youth suppressing workers in African colonies, constantly clashing with guerrillas, and was assassinated more than once. As a result, he developed the habit of carrying a pistol under each armpit for emergencies.

Ning Zhe reached into his left holster; there was no gun, only a worn, ancient almanac, as weathered as a withered leaf. A striking, crimson figure immediately appeared before him, her skin as pale as paper, devoid of any features.

"Here you go." Ning Zhe took He Nianjun's slender wrist and placed the almanac in her pale palm: "Don't lose it next time."

"Who are you talking to?" Xia Yubing asked.

"It's a ghost." Ning Zhe glanced at her and said, "This ghost has a relatively gentle personality and doesn't easily hurt people, so you can relax."

"I understand." Xia Yubing nodded without asking any further questions. She knew that the most taboo thing for an ascendant was being asked about the ghosts he controlled.

Xia Yubing sat on the sofa, silently watching Ning Zhe bend down to pick up the notebook on the table, close it, and put it in his right pocket. His well-defined upper body stretched the shirt to show off his full torso, and the pure white semi-transparent fabric vaguely revealed the color of his skin underneath. Black leather shoulder straps were wrapped around his shoulder blades, and the way he was tied up looked inexplicably... sexy.

The thought that this seemingly rational and aloof man was actually a younger brother so much younger than her, and also her fiancé with whom she had consummated their marriage, stirred a strange feeling within Xia Yubing; her heart was itching.

"That...Ning Zhe?" "What?"

Xia Yubing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her voice: "Does this count as an old cow eating young grass?"

"Logically speaking, it shouldn't count. After all, there's a generation gap of ten years. You're only six years older than me, so it's nothing."

Ning Zhe shrugged, somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong with you today? Why are you being so hesitant?"

The grass being eaten hasn't even said anything yet, so why is the cow eating the grass acting all pretentious?

Xia Yubing didn't reply. She suddenly stood up, ran to the door, locked it with a click, turned around and walked back quickly, tying her hair back with a hair tie on her wrist.

Ning Zhe was taken aback: "What are you doing?"

"Eat grass."

Xia Yubing tied her hair up and walked up to Ning Zhe. The two faced each other, so close that he could hear her rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing. Xia Yubing swallowed and slowly squatted down.

In the quiet room, a figure in crimson stood silently beside the sofa, her pale face expressionless.

While Xia Yubing was busy looking up and eating grass, Plumeria and Meilin, who had left the St. Abyss airship, drove down to the first floor of the building, where a black luxury car had been waiting for a long time.

After getting into the passenger seat and fastening her seatbelt, Plumeria turned to look at Mary in the driver's seat and asked, "Did you and Master... Ning Zhe have any agreement?"

"Yes, ma'am."

While fastening her seatbelt, Mary said:
"You were ambushed in the opera house and lost your mind, falling into a dazed state. The Ascended One from Kyushu just now said he could restore you from that state. In exchange, we cannot reveal his identity and must help him investigate the disappearance of the representative of the Golden Clan."

"I see." Plumeria nodded, feeling reassured. "Does Master want me to investigate the representatives of the Golden Clan?"

Yesterday, representatives from the four major families gathered in Vivian Harbor to conspire against Lan Shiwen, but the meeting was disrupted before it even began.

The representative of the Deckard family was assassinated. The ascendant from Kyushu possessed some kind of rule or empowerment tool that allowed him to impersonate others and infiltrate the meeting by posing as Van Dyke.

Pétain, the representative of the Astalti family, had a piece of his memory erased after entering the opera house, and was just forcibly abducted by Lan Shiwen, his fate unknown.

The representative of the Golden Clan disappeared before the meeting and has not been heard from since. Only the out-of-control gambler can attest to his misfortune.

"Van Dyke's death was the work of his master, and the one who kidnapped Pétain was Lan Shiwen, the target of this meeting. As for the disappearance of the representative of the Golden Family... it was most likely done by Fenwu."

A look of disgust flashed in Plumeria's eyes: "Filthy blasphemer."

The girl silently listed the ascendant known as 'Fenwu' as her enemy.

As the vehicle drove off the main road, Plumeria rolled down the window, glanced back at the buildings receding into the distance, and silently resolved: "Plumeria will not let you down, my master."

(End of this chapter)