My Gorgeous Neighbor Is Cooking Every Day - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

They were determined to leave Xia Xingye here to be buried with her.

After discussing briefly, they left Xia Xingye and Jiang Yingyue and went off to do something unknown.

While they were gone, Jiang Yingyue said seriously, “You shouldn’t get involved in this.”

Xia Xingye pouted and said, “What do you mean ‘shouldn’t get involved’? Should I just stand by and watch them kill you?”

“That’s not what I mean. I’ll figure out a way to leave.”

“Figure out a way to leave? When? You’ve been captured for a long time.”

Jiang Yingyue was startled and asked, “I’ve been captured for a long time?”

Xia Xingye nodded, “Yes, for a long time.”

Xia Xingye told her everything that had happened since Jiang Yingyue was captured.

Jiang Yingyue pondered, “The Taoist priest you mentioned, does she know you’ve been captured?”

Xia Xingye hesitated, saying, “She should know, right?”

Although she said ‘should know,’ Xia Xingye wasn’t confident at all. If the priest knew she would be captured, why would she leave her alone in the room and depart?

But in front of Jiang Yingyue, she still said the priest knew, hoping it would reassure them both and that the priest would come to save them.

“Why did they capture you?” Xia Xingye asked.

Jiang Yingyue’s eyes darted away. “Nothing much, maybe I offended them during a job.”

“Really?” Xia Xingye looked at her.

Jiang Yingyue’s nervousness was very obvious. Xia Xingye didn’t even need to guess to know that Jiang Yingyue was lying to her.

She didn’t rush to ask for the reason, instead looking around and finally saying, “It’s the same group that tried to secretly swap people’s destinies before.”

Jiang Yingyue looked sharply at Xia Xingye, and Xia Xingye knew she had guessed correctly.

If it were truly a grudge from a previous job, she wouldn’t be so nervous.

“Is it obvious?” Jiang Yingyue asked.

Xia Xingye nodded seriously. “Yes, very obvious.”

It was practically written on her face that she was nervous.

It must be related to her, which is why she tried to avoid answering.

Xia Xingye hadn’t been involved in many incidents, so she immediately guessed the reason.

Xia Xingye asked, puzzled, “Didn’t they suffer a backlash?”

Having been confined here for several days, Jiang Yingyue had roughly guessed who they were.

Since Xia Xingye had already guessed, she didn’t continue to hide it, honestly saying, “They are more or less the same kind of people. Business has probably been poor lately, and they feel I harmed their leader, so they are dissatisfied and captured me.”

She stopped speaking at this point.

Xia Xingye finished for her: “They want to use you to appease their leader’s anger.”

“Something like that,” Jiang Yingyue said.

“What do you mean ‘something like that’?” Xia Xingye was displeased. “What they want to do to you isn’t just about capturing you, is it?”

They even captured her just for noticing Jiang Yingyue’s presence. This was clearly a plan to kill them both to silence them.

Jiang Yingyue gave a bitter smile. “You already know, why are you asking me?”

Xia Xingye pursed her lips and said, “They want to harm you, yet you told me to leave. Do you think I’m useless, or do you think I don’t deserve to be with you or to know these things?”

She questioned her one after another, her tone urgent and fast, and her eyes, staring at Jiang Yingyue, turned red.

Jiang Yingyue lowered her eyes and said softly, “Later, pretend that our relationship is not good.”

“And then? Then I leave, and you stay here alone?” Xia Xingye asked.

Jiang Yingyue sighed. “It would be better if you had forgotten me, just as they intended.”

At least that way, she wouldn’t have to face death here with her.

She had overestimated herself, thinking she could escape. This delay meant she hadn’t gotten out, and instead, Xia Xingye was the first to realize something was wrong.

If only she had been faster, Xia Xingye wouldn’t have been captured. If only she had been faster, Xia Xingye wouldn’t have to face danger.

After a moment of silence, Xia Xingye asked, “Do you still remember what we said before?”

Without waiting for Jiang Yingyue to answer, Xia Xingye continued on her own, “You said you would rather die than be separated. Are you planning to go back on your word now?”

A casual remark made that day had now become an unavoidable reality standing between them.

Jiang Yingyue said softly, “I can’t be that carefree.”

She couldn’t genuinely let Xia Xingye die with her.

She wanted Xia Xingye to be safe. Regardless of whether she was in her future life or not, she didn’t want Xia Xingye to have a bad life because of her.

Xia Xingye suddenly tilted her head, resting it on Jiang Yingyue’s shoulder. She whispered, “If I leave, do you really think I’ll be happy for the rest of my life? Do you think their little trick can really make me completely forget you?”

If it could have made her forget, she wouldn’t be here now.

Jiang Yingyue knew this.

Jiang Yingyue didn’t speak, and Xia Xingye didn’t press her, just quietly staying by her side.

A drop of water fell from above, landing in front of them.

Xia Xingye looked at the single drop of water falling, then looked up, vaguely seeing water gathering on the dimly lit ceiling of the cave, dripping down one drop at a time.

Her gaze followed the movement of the water drop.

After the drip-drip sound had lasted for an unknown duration, she finally heard Jiang Yingyue’s voice. She said, “Okay, stay with me.”

The corners of Xia Xingye’s mouth curled up.

This was what she wanted to hear. She didn’t want to hear anything else from Jiang Yingyue.

A future without her—could it still be called a future? It would just be the life of a walking corpse.

“But I have one condition.”

Xia Xingye immediately looked up at Jiang Yingyue.

Jiang Yingyue whispered, “I’m not asking you to leave alone, but you have to cooperate with me, or neither of us will be able to get out.”

Xia Xingye asked suspiciously, “You aren’t trying to get me to cooperate with you by pretending to argue with you, are you?”

The two looked at each other, and Jiang Yingyue didn’t speak.

Xia Xingye widened her eyes. “You really are thinking that.”

“Yes, I am,” Jiang Yingyue admitted. “I’m thinking this way because I want both of us to escape.”

Xia Xingye opened her mouth, and Jiang Yingyue gently bumped her, saying, “I promised I won’t let you leave alone. Don’t you believe what I say?”

“I believe you, but…”

“Since you believe me, there are no more ‘buts’,” Jiang Yingyue said softly, yet her words were clear and powerful, settling firmly into Xia Xingye’s heart. “We will leave. Both of us will leave. I won’t let you leave alone, just as you won’t leave me behind alone.”

Meeting Jiang Yingyue’s gaze, Xia Xingye slowly nodded. “Okay, we’ll leave together.”

As long as Jiang Yingyue stopped suggesting she leave alone, Xia Xingye would cooperate with whatever Jiang Yingyue wanted to do.

They would leave this place safely.

There was no time for the two of them to discuss. Footsteps approached again.

Long Dao glanced at them and said, “We’ll send you on your way tonight. If there’s anything you want to eat, just say it.”

“Such good treatment?” Xia Xingye was surprised.

Long Dao said indifferently, “It’s your last meal anyway.”

“What if what I want to eat is very expensive?” Xia Xingye asked deliberately.

The companion next to Long Dao said, “Expensive is fine. Once both of you are offered to the leader, our business will definitely get better and better. A single job will be enough to make us rich then.”

Xia Xingye asked suspiciously, “How can there be such a powerful thing? If there were, there would be no poor people in the world.”

Long Dao scoffed. “Do you think everyone is capable of learning these things like us? We are the people chosen by the leader.”

“Is your leader very powerful?” Jiang Yingyue tried to coax information out of him.

Long Dao walked up to the iron bars, looking down at Jiang Yingyue and saying, “How can our leader be called by you so casually? Why are you pretending to be profound!”

Xia Xingye said dismissively, “If your leader were really so powerful, there would be no need for you to sacrifice anything. Why wouldn’t they just give you gold, silver, treasures, and skills directly?”

Long Dao was stunned, seemingly not expecting Xia Xingye to say such a thing. He quickly reacted, saying, “Don’t try to sow discord. Our leader is powerful, but we are not ungrateful people. The leader helps us, and we also give the leader what they need.”

Xia Xingye looked at Jiang Yingyue, suggesting they were beyond saving.

Yes, at this point, believing that some so-called leader can fulfill their wishes is a sign of a fundamental problem.

“Brother, stop wasting time with them.”

His companion’s words made Long Dao snap back to attention. He aggressively asked, “Speak! Do you want anything? If not, forget it.”

“Yes, yes, yes, why wouldn’t we?” Xia Xingye quickly said. “Since you said anything is fine, I want something expensive. I want to eat fresh king crab.”

“King crab?”

Long Dao looked aside, and his companion helplessly said, “Brother, we are very far from the seaside. How easy is it to buy king crab here? And fresh king crab at that? Isn’t she just messing with us?”

“What do you mean I’m messing with you? You clearly said we could have anything we wanted. What’s wrong? Going back on your word?” Xia Xingye scoffed. “Don’t brag if you can’t deliver. I thought you were so capable, but you can’t even do this small thing. Even if your leader helps you get a big job, you probably won’t have the ability to complete it.”

This provocation angered Long Dao. He picked up the knife in his hand, pointed it at Xia Xingye, and said, “Do you believe I’ll chop you up right now!”

Xia Xingye hmphed and muttered softly, “Can’t do it, but still want to kill to silence.”

Long Dao got a headache from her words. He turned his head and said to his subordinate, “Go! It’s just a king crab!”

The subordinate tried to say something, but Long Dao glared at him. He could only glare angrily at Xia Xingye and run off to buy the fresh king crab Xia Xingye requested.

Long Dao sat down on a small stool nearby, watching the two people locked inside.

Xia Xingye started a conversation with him, saying, “Are you not busy? Do you have to keep staring at us?”

Long Dao said, “Don’t try to plot anything bad in front of me. Eat and go on your way peacefully.”

“It’s a misunderstanding! I just think it’s a waste of time for you to stare at us here,” Xia Xingye said without batting an eyelid. “You know we can’t escape, yet you’re still watching us here.”

She paused slightly, then said disdainfully, “Could it be that you really can’t get any business right now, so you have to personally watch us here?”

It must be said that Xia Xingye had a knack for provoking people. Long Dao had already been angered by her several times in a short period. He suddenly felt short of breath, took a few heavy breaths, and said, “Shut up! Say one more word, and I’ll cut out your tongue first.”

“Would that be inappropriate?” Xia Xingye questioned. “Does your leader accept anything, even a mute? Wouldn’t that make it seem like you’re not putting in enough effort, just casually finding a mute to fool him?”

Long Dao frowned.

Xia Xingye thought she had a chance and continued, “Anyway, we can’t escape. Just go to the side and give us some private space.”