CHAPTER 808: CHAPTER 550: RANK HAS ITS PRIVILEGES

"Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re sincerely flattering or jokingly sarcastic."

Si Xue tilted her head and looked at him.

"At least for you, boss, I’m definitely doing the former."

He replied.

"You better be. Anything else?"

Si Xue asked.

"Probably not."

"Then once you’re done husking the corn, you can get lost."

Si Xue said.

"How about I roast one for you? I’m really good at roasting corn."

Liu Zheng looked eagerly at the untouched corn cobs.

"How good?"

"It may not be up to top standards, but in our village, my roasted corn is highly praised."

He said confidently.

Liu Zheng’s hometown is an agricultural county. When he got hungry, he’d sneak into others’ fields to steal food.

Most often, he’d steal watermelons and corn—the former to quench thirst, the latter to fill the stomach.

He even mastered the skill of using stones to knock down beehives. Once the corn was roasted, he’d coat it with honey, and it was simply delightful.

"I guess country folk are indeed feebler than city folk if someone like you hasn’t been beaten to death yet."

Si Xue commented.

"That’s mainly because I run fast and have never been caught red-handed. Hehe."

Liu Zheng chuckled proudly.

That’s when he realized he had unconsciously shared his childhood adventures.

"Then go ahead and roast. If it’s not good, I’ll roast octopus tentacles later."

Si Xue glanced at his tentacle and said.

"Uh, actually, it’s... well, never mind, tentacles it is then."

Liu Zheng couldn’t figure out what to call it, as calling it sheepfish tentacles sounded odd.

"Pop!"

Si Xue snapped her fingers, and a tiny spark ignited the pile of husked corn cobs, erupting into a blaze.

"Go on and roast."

She said.

"The fire’s too big, boss. Do you have an iron skewer?"

Liu Zheng looked at the flames and said.

"So demanding."

Si Xue pulled a chopstick from her hair, and with a tug, it transformed into an ebony arrow.

"This is all I have."

She tossed the wooden arrow to Liu Zheng.

"It’ll work, it’ll work."

Liu Zheng pierced the corn with the arrowhead and placed it into the middle of the flames.

The outer flame was too hot, the inner flame was too cold, but the middle flame was just right.

He focused intently on roasting the corn, while Si Xue concentrated on fixing her hair.

By the time Liu Zheng finished roasting, Si Xue had braided her hair into a single low ponytail on one side.

However, since her hair was so thick, the ponytail almost puffed up into a ball.

"Boss, the corn’s ready."

Liu Zheng shook off the ash from the roasted corn and handed it to Si Xue.

Si Xue gave the still-blackened roasted corn a disdainful look and blew gently, the remaining ash vanishing instantly.

"Boss, I just had an idea."

He said, inspired.

"Let’s hear it."

"I used to coat roasted corn with honey, and now though there’s no honey, we do have honey yogurt. Want to give it a try?"

Liu Zheng took out the Hell Honey Yogurt.

"The Tomb Guardian gave you that?"

Si Xue sensed the intense Netherworld aura inside.

"Ugh, he insisted on selling it to me, ten grand a bottle."

He sighed and said.

"Even more extortionate than a restaurant."

Si Xue remarked ruthlessly.

"Who could argue... ahem, nothing I can do, it’s hard to beat the system."

Liu Zheng prepared to agree but thought better and stopped himself.

"Who knows why big shots need to make off with my measly earnings?"

He complained.

"Then what do you think living is for?"

Si Xue asked in return.

"I don’t know, I guess it’s just to live."

He shrugged and said.

"That might be the case for you. But for us, living is to fulfill our will and make it a reality."

Si Xue said.

"Basically, it’s about doing what you want, right."

"If you want to put it that way, sure."

Si Xue took a bite of the corn coated with Hell Honey Yogurt, a satisfied expression appearing on her face.

Except thick yogurt dripped from the corner of her mouth, looking somewhat suggestive.

Of course, that’s mere fantasy of vulgar minds; a gentleman like Liu Zheng wouldn’t ogle it.

"It’s indeed good, your tentacles are safe."

Si Xue said.

"As long as you like it, boss."

He said respectfully.

If he were a smooth talker, he would have said, "If you like it, I’ll roast it for you every time" by now.

But Liu Zheng is not that kind of person; he knows very well that to Si Xue, he is just a handy tool.

If he mistook care for a tool as affection for a romantic partner, he’d be close to meeting his end.

Especially in this Metropolis, where emotions are worth less than crap.

"Mm, you can leave now."

Si Xue waved her hand.

"Alright, boss. By the way, a friend of mine gave me a pack of tea leaves. I’m just a rough guy, can’t really appreciate it, so boss, please try it for me."

Liu Zheng took out the Phoenix Blood Pu’er Dragon Ball and bent down to hand it over.

"Oh? It’s Phoenix Blood Tea, and a Dragon Ball at that. Your friend really knows tea."

Si Xue raised an eyebrow as she accepted the tea cake.

"As long as it catches your eye, boss, that’s good."

He made a relieved expression.

Actually, he had thought about drinking a cup with added attributes before giving it to Si Xue, but knowing her sharp eyes, she’d definitely notice if the tea cake was tampered with, thus making things backfire, so he painfully gave up.

"Then I’m leaving, boss."

Seeing that Si Xue had no intention of speaking, Liu Zheng turned and walked away.

"Wait a minute."

He turned back.

"Take some corn with you."

Si Xue said.

"Alrighty."

He grabbed a pile of corn and headed back to the break room.

"Where’d you get the corn from?"

Niu Ma asked curiously.

Could it be this kid went to the kitchen on the way and took some while eating?

"The boss gave it to me."

Liu Zheng put down the corn and said.

"Why would the boss give you such a thing?"

Niu Ma was even more puzzled.

"Because the boss was very satisfied with my grilled corn?"

He said uncertainly.

"So, you’re good at grilling?"

"Joking aside, I’m super good at grilling."

Liu Zheng said proudly.

"Really?"

Niu Ma got up, rummaging through cupboards, and found a barbecue set, expertly lighting the charcoal.

"Everything’s ready for you; grill me all these corn then."

"Big guy, let’s not talk about why you have barbecue equipment, but is it really okay to grill corn in the break room? What if a fire breaks out later?"

He squinted and said.

"No damn fire will break out. In this break room, the only thing flammable is your stool, and the fire isn’t even enough to grill one corn. Stop yabbering and grill for me quickly, I’m waiting to eat."

Niu Ma rolled his eyes and said.

"You, from a farm, haven’t had enough corn? Are you reminiscing about the hard times here?"

Liu Zheng said speechlessly.

"Corn, I’ve certainly had enough, but I’ve never eaten grilled corn."

Of course, they wouldn’t have the leisure to grill corn at the farm, and after Niu Ma left the farm, he was busy eating meat.

"Alright then."

He sighed and started grilling corn for Niu Ma.

Luckily, the equipment was complete, making it simpler than grilling for Si Xue.

"Just okay, but not to the extent that the boss would be very satisfied?"

After eating three grilled corns, Niu Ma said.

"That’s because it doesn’t have my unique seasoning."

Liu Zheng shook a bottle of Hell Honey Yogurt.

"Then why don’t you add it for me, kid?"

Niu Ma urged.

"Big guy, do you want a beat down again?"

He said.

"I guess it’s you, kid, who wants a beat down again, daring to talk to me like this."

Niu Ma froze for a moment, then replied sternly.

"Are you sure you want the same treatment as the boss?"

Liu Zheng reminded.

"Uh..."

Niu Ma’s expression changed.

"Forget it, plain is good too, filling and satisfying."

He patted Niu Ma’s back and said.

"Hmph, stop talking and quickly grill for me, you can’t rest today until you’ve grilled them all."

Niu Ma pouted and said.

"Sigh, one rank higher as an officer can really crush a person~"

Liu Zheng said in a dragged-out tone.

Halfway through grilling, Wang Manni’s call came.

He spared a tentacle to answer the phone.

"Mr. Deliveryman, the company has prepared what you asked for."

Wang Manni said.

"Oh, your efficiency is really high. Alright, meet me at the usual spot."

Liu Zheng said.

"Okay, Mr. Deliveryman."

After hanging up, he fell into thought.

The thought was simple: how exactly would he assassinate that lottery store owner?