Chapter 3407: You Really Did Come Back

“Lead the way,” Ning Shu said to the waiter, before following him upstairs.

The waiter opened a door. “The guest is inside.”

Ning Shu gave a grunt of acknowledgment and walked in, only to see Hong Yu dressed entirely in red.

When Hong Yu saw Ning Shu, she smiled faintly. “You really did come back. I was just telling myself I’d wait a little longer before leaving.”

Ning Shu sat down opposite Hong Yu. “Actually, you should have anticipated that I’d be able to return. To think you were waiting for me right here in the City of Water.”

That was really pushing it.

Hong Yu picked up the teapot, poured a shallow cup for herself, and then poured one for Ning Shu. “Aside from the imprint of the water ordinance, there really isn’t any bad blood between us.”

Ning Shu lifted the teacup, took a sip, put it down, and said flatly, “So?

“I’m genuinely puzzled here. Do I really look like such a pushover?” Ning Shu asked Hong Yu with sincere curiosity.

After harming her like that before, Hong Yu was now appearing nonchalantly in front of her. That breezy, unbothered attitude really rubbed Ning Shu the wrong way. It was extremely annoying.

Hong Yu looked at Ning Shu. Her gaze was indifferent, yet carried a unique charm.

“It’s not that you’re a pushover, it’s just…”

“It’s just that I’m an ant, and there’s no need to care about an ant’s thoughts or emotions.”

If Hong Yu were facing Ah Wan, she would absolutely never be this nonchalant.

Only when facing an equal—someone of matching strength—would one be vigilant and caring.

“So, what is your point in coming to find me this time? Do you expect me to hand over the ordinance imprint here in the City of Water?” Ning Shu truly couldn’t understand Hong Yu’s intention.

Hong Yu seemed a bit puzzled herself. “Actually, I don’t know why I came here either. I just wanted to know if you could make it back.”

“Thanks for the concern,” Ning Shu said with a slight smile. Since the other party was acting breezy, she wouldn’t get red-faced and angry.

That would just show she was losing.

The two drank tea in silence. Ning Shu put down her cup. “You’re too stingy. You just keep making me drink tea. It’s boring.”

“That was an oversight on my part. Order whatever you want to eat. My treat.” Hong Yu pushed the exquisite menu towards Ning Shu.

Ning Shu flipped through the menu casually. Hong Yu watched her flip through the pages without ordering anything.

“There’s nothing you like?” Hong Yu asked. She rested her chin on her hand as she stared at the imprint on Ning Shu’s forehead.

Ning Shu closed the menu and pushed it aside. “There’s nothing I like.”

Ning Shu mirrored her posture, resting her chin on her hand as she locked eyes with Hong Yu. “I just became the city lord. I want to know… do I have the authority to banish you from the City of Water?”

Hong Yu’s expression stiffened. “As the city lord, you naturally have that authority. However, most city lords wouldn’t do that.”

Ning Shu looked suddenly enlightened. “Is that so? In that case, please vanish from my sight. There is a limit to how much of an eyesore a person can be.”

Ning Shu snapped her fingers. Hong Yu immediately felt a massive repulsive force from the city.

If she were thrown out of the City of Water, the roaring ordinances outside would instantly annihilate her.

Hong Yu looked at Ning Shu, who was smiling at her from across the table. She furrowed her beautiful eyebrows tightly, looking a bit angry.

Hong Yu stood up. “You… I see great potential in you.”

“Thanks.”

Hong Yu vanished from before Ning Shu’s eyes.

Ning Shu put down her teacup, opened the menu again, and ordered some pastries and drinks.

The waiter returned with Ning Shu’s order, followed by a woman.

The woman walked in and greeted Ning Shu first. “I am deeply honored that the city lord has visited my restaurant.”

She was dignified and elegant, dressed in a qipao, and looked like a lady from a prestigious family in old Shanghai.

The qipao was the garment that best accentuated a woman’s curves and gentleness.

Ning Shu stood up. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“This is the city lord’s first time at my restaurant, isn’t it? I am Shu Bai.”

“I am Ning Shu.”

Shu Bai sat opposite Ning Shu. She looked at the pastries and drinks on the table, then said, “These are on me.”

Ning Shu smiled. “Then I thank you.”

Shu Bai was no simple woman. To be able to open a restaurant here, she was likely wealthy.

“How is the taste?” Shu Bai asked.

“Very good.” Ning Shu nodded.

Shu Bai stared at the ordinance imprint on Ning Shu’s forehead. “The City of Water has been without a master for a long time. It has always been scavenged by various factions. I was hoping the City of Water would get a true master.”

“Welcome,” Shu Bai said.

Ning Shu smiled. “Thank you. You are the second person to wish me well.”

With everyone eyeing her like tigers stalking prey, Shu Bai’s blessing surprised Ning Shu.

“I was also afraid of being exploited by those people, wave after wave.” Shu Bai smiled without showing her teeth. “Doing a little business isn’t easy.”

“You don’t do tasks anymore?” Ning Shu took a sip of her drink and asked.

Shu Bai spoke indifferently. “I got a bit tired. I can’t even remember how long it’s been since I did a task. In reality, doing tasks is extremely arduous work.

“Not everyone can endure it.”

Ning Shu nodded. “It is quite hard.”

“After I became an ultra task-taker, I felt particularly strained.” Shu Bai pushed an exquisite plate toward Ning Shu. “This is our restaurant’s signature pastry. Try it.”

Ning Shu used a fork to pick up a piece, tasted it carefully, and nodded. “It’s delicious, but very expensive. I never dared to order it before.”

Shu Bai gave a reserved smile. “You are the city lord, yet you still have to budget so carefully for food?”

Ning Shu shrugged. “I’m actually a poor kid.”

“Did you open this restaurant after you stopped doing tasks?” Ning Shu changed the subject. The person in front of her counted as a senior, after all.

Shu Bai said, “I don’t know if it’s a flaw specific to me, or if all women have this flaw.”

“What flaw?” Ning Shu asked while eating the pastry.

“Sensitive, soft-hearted, fragile… experiencing too much leads to mental exhaustion,” Shu Bai said. Her entire being was imbued with feminine gentleness.

“That should be a psychological characteristic of most women,” Ning Shu said.

“Of the female task-takers I knew… some disappeared, some couldn’t stand this life and got together with someone they loved, and eventually, we lost contact. I don’t know how they are doing now.”

Shu Bai stirred her coffee. “I don’t even dare to think too deeply about their situations, or whether they even exist anymore.”

Ning Shu suddenly understood why there were so few women standing at the very top.

Because women were emotional, lovely, sympathetic, and kind.

In an ordinary woman, these were all adorable qualities. But given the endless challenges a task-taker faced, some women simply couldn’t withstand it.

Especially considering the way women were educated. They were often raised in captivity. Women often fundamentally believed they couldn’t compare to men.

Weakness required reliance.

Rather than doing tasks endlessly—what was the point of becoming strong, anyway?—it seemed better to be with the person one loved.

Love was eternal.

Women were kind and soft. To a certain extent, they lacked the decisive killing intent of men.

Women magnified their own weaknesses and were more afraid of loneliness and isolation than men.

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