He Mei blinked and looked at Chaithanya in confusion. Chaithanya met her gaze and said, "Come on, eat them. I thought you might be hungry, so I ordered these snacks for you to try. Don't worry—this is my treat."
He Mei shook her head and, pointing at each snack, asked, "I've never seen these before in my life. In which part of China do people eat these?"
Chaithanya laughed softly. "No—these snacks are eaten in India, not China."
He Mei didn't think much of it. She reached for the chopsticks, split them between her fingers, and held one in each hand.
Click, click…
Chaithanya clicked his tongue in displeasure. "No—don't eat these with chopsticks. Use your fingers like this."
He reached out, took a Mirchi Bujji, bit into it slowly, and started munching with a blissful look on his face. He lightly licked the masala from his fingers and wiped them with a tissue. "First, wash your fingers in this lemon water. Then touch the snacks with your fingers—feel the texture and softness of the exterior. Bite gently and let your tongue explore the interior flavors."
He Mei hesitated for a moment, swallowed, and nodded eagerly. She put down the chopsticks, soaked her fingers in the lemon water, cleaned them, and reached for the snacks. She felt the heat and soft texture of the Mirchi Bujji and the firm give of the samosa. Her eyes widened in surprise as a new world opened to her. She bit the Mirchi Bujji gently; the heat and spice exploded in her mouth.
She liked the Bujji from the first bite. After a few minutes she had wiped the Mirchi Bujji plate clean. Then she reached for the samosa, bit into it, and the heat mingled with the potato and masala flavors. She chewed with a satisfied smile.
Seeing her enjoy the Indian snacks and eat with her fingers, Chaithanya's lips curled into a smile. "Do you like these snacks?"
"Yeah. I like these Indian snacks," He Mei replied, beaming.
"Good. Then whenever you want them, call me—I'll treat you," Chaithanya said.
He Mei nodded. "Hmm."
Soon, she finished the snacks and reached for the chai. She took a sip—it gave her an exciting feeling unlike any Chinese tea she'd ever had. One sip after another, she finished the chai in just two minutes, savoring every drop.
Seeing that she was done eating and drinking, Chaithanya slowly took out his phone and opened the designs he had created on his personal computer.
"I want the costume with these designs," Chaithanya said, showing a roughly drawn sketch that displayed all his ideas.
He Mei looked at the odd designs and nodded.
Seeing her subdued reaction, Chaithanya nodded in satisfaction. "Use very durable fiber to stitch the costume. These are my measurements." He handed her a slip with his measurements and added, "Also make sure the costume is elastic so it can be worn even if there are slight measurement differences."
He Mei said nothing, merely listening and nodding now and then.
"Okay, sir. I will follow your instructions and make the costume as per your requirements," He Mei said with a forced smile, though she knew some requests would be difficult to meet. She accepted them because Chaithanya was paying a whopping 100k RMB.
"There's no need to be so formal—just call me Junhao," Chaithanya said, looking at her.
"Okay, Junhao," He Mei replied.
Chaithanya returned to his mansion to freshen up before the night's recording. He Mei went straight to shop for or book the materials she needed to make the new costume. To her surprise, a notification popped up: "50k RMB has been deposited into your account."
She used the advance he'd given her to repay her parents' debts, and she had been struggling to ask him for the remaining payment he promised after the costume was finished. She had even considered taking a loan. Now she relaxed, a gentle smile on her face.
Meanwhile…
Inside the huge office room, Li Xinyi picked up a file and began reading a report about a recent human trafficking incident in Xuhui District.
"He beat twenty trained, well-built thugs all by himself without taking a single hit? I doubt he's just a celebrity—he must be a spiritual energy user. He's an orphan with no family background. How did he become a spiritual energy user?" Li Xinyi murmured, a thoughtful look on her face.
As she pondered, she suddenly sensed fluctuations in spiritual energy and became alert. Sharp pain shot through her hand. She turned to look: a needle was stuck in her skin. Her eyes widened in shock. She panicked and tried to call for her bodyguards waiting outside, but no sound came from her mouth. A quick thinker, she reached for the paperweight to smash the door, but numbness spread through her body—she had lost feeling and was paralyzed.
A few men emerged from the shadows. One stepped forward and said, "Miss Li Xinyi—you know who we are, right? No need for introductions. Sorry to say this, but you have to die now."
They wore ninja garb and oni (demon) masks. They were not traditional ninjas from movies; they were spiritual energy users trained in shadow jutsu. With spiritual energy, they could blend with shadows and even stop breathing for ten minutes to mask their presence.
Such attackers were hard to counter unless faced with someone stronger than them. Li Xinyi was clearly outmatched.
Except for her eyes, she couldn't move any part of her body. Calmly, she used the spiritual energy in her body to activate her family's secret technique. It temporarily raised her strength but heavily damaged her body due to extreme pressure.
Blood vessels swelled and burst as spiritual energy surged through her veins. She grimaced in pain.
"Not good—kill her before she completes the technique!" the lead man exclaimed, shocked and angry.
But it was too late. The technique completed. She dodged an incoming attack and killed one of the assailants in an instant. The others staggered back in fear.
"Idiot—stop fearing her. That was her last struggle. I'm sure she used her family's secret technique to suppress the paralysis poison and temporarily strengthen herself. With her current mastery of spiritual energy, she can't hold the technique for long. Don't confront her directly; harass her until the technique loses effect," the lead man snarled, frowning with frustration.
"You two set up a barrier and isolate this room from the rest of the building. The three of you engage her in the fight. Remember—just tire her out. Don't go head-on." He gave the orders at lightning speed.