Had enough

"Tch, at least you've got some consideration." Lin Xi rolled her eyes at Li Ming and took the food from his hands, placing it on the table behind her.

Li Ming followed her into the office, watching her movements from behind.

Lin Xi's spaghetti-strap nightgown was long, reaching down to her knees, revealing only a stretch of snow-white calves. She wore a pair of adorable slippers on her feet.

She looked like the girl next door, a stark contrast to her usual stern, cold-faced persona as the deputy warden.

"Huh, it's still warm. Did you fly back here or something?"

Lin Xi touched the takeout container, surprised.

"Haha, I kept the AC on the whole way. Glad it's still warm—dig in!" Li Ming laughed, thinking to himself, If you knew I sped back here, you’d probably freak out.

"Wow, didn’t expect you to be so thoughtful. Sit down! Let’s eat together!" For once, Lin Xi actually praised Li Ming. She then rummaged under her desk and pulled out a few bottles of beer.

"These are my treasures. I don’t share them with just anyone, but since you brought good food, I’ll make an exception!" She fished out a bottle opener from the drawer, popped open two bottles, handed one to Li Ming, and took the other for herself, chugging a big gulp straight from the bottle.

Li Ming was stunned by her demeanor. He never expected her to be a drinker. She seemed so prim and proper, yet here she was, downing beer like a seasoned drinker—bold and unrestrained.

Amused, Li Ming took a sip as well. He was no stranger to alcohol; last time at Qingcheng Prison, he’d drunk Huang Feihu under the table and only got halfway drunk. Confident in his tolerance, he didn’t hold back.

After a swig of beer, Lin Xi opened the snacks Li Ming had brought and started eating eagerly.

At her request, Li Ming had made sure every dish was spicy. The food looked fiery red, but Lin Xi didn’t seem to mind, eating with gusto. Every now and then, she’d pause to hiss from the heat, take another gulp of beer, and then dive right back in.

Seeing her enjoy it so much, Li Ming decided to try some himself. He picked up a piece of spicy duck head, and the moment it touched his tongue, the searing pain made tears well up in his eyes. He was literally crying from the spice. Frantically, he grabbed his beer and chugged to soothe the burn.

"Pfft—hahaha! Pathetic! It’s not that spicy! It’s delicious! And here you are, crying like an actor!"

Lin Xi burst out laughing at his reaction, her body shaking with mirth. In her carefree state, she didn’t even notice how her nightgown shifted, her chest bouncing with every laugh as if threatening to spill out.

Naturally, Li Ming’s gaze was drawn to the sight, the burning spice in his mouth completely forgotten as he stared shamelessly.

When Lin Xi realized he wasn’t responding, she looked up—only to catch him ogling her chest!

She immediately straightened up, glaring. "What the hell are you looking at, you pervert? Seen enough?!"

Li Ming snapped out of it, forcing an awkward chuckle.

"Y-yeah! I mean—no! I wasn’t looking, honest!"

Lin Xi shot him another death glare and growled, "If you dare peek again, I’ll pluck your eyeballs out and serve them as a snack, you creep!"

Caught red-handed, Li Ming could only laugh it off and quickly changed the subject.

"Ahem, so… while I was out, I noticed something. You know Tan Qingqing, right? The one who said someone would get her out? Well, when I went to Jade Pavilion to get your food, I happened to see someone who looked like her sister—Tan Chengcheng. She was having dinner with some guy called ‘Director Zhang.’ I overheard bits of their conversation, and this Zhang guy doesn’t seem clean. Tan Chengcheng wanted his help, but they didn’t reach a deal. From what I gathered, this Zhang guy acts like he’s untouchable. Do we have anyone with that surname in our system?"

Lin Xi let the topic slide, though she did give him another eye-roll. After a moment of thought, she hesitantly suggested a name.

"Could it be… Zhang Wenhai?"

"Zhang Wenhai? Which department?" Li Ming frowned.

"The one above us—the head of the Prison Management Bureau. I’ve met him twice. He’s in his fifties, slick as oil, never says a word out of place. The kind who looks shady." If anyone in their system had the pull to interfere, it had to be him.

Li Ming nodded. That matched the bragging he’d overheard at the restaurant—the guy acted like he was second only to the heavens. If he was the bureau chief, it made sense.

"Want me to ask my dad to look into him?" Lin Xi took another swig of beer, sounding indifferent.

"Nah, not yet. Let’s wait till he slips up. No need to bother Uncle Lin—I’ll handle it." Li Ming politely declined.

Clearly, neither of them saw Zhang Wenhai as a real threat. If he left them alone, fine. If not? His cushy position wouldn’t last long.

Who’d have thought that in some small prison, two well-connected heirs were casually drinking beer, tears streaming from spicy duck heads?

After two bottles each, they called it a night. Lin Xi, citing an early morning, kicked Li Ming out.

Back in his room, Li Ming collapsed onto his bed, his mind foggy. Something nagged at him—something important he’d forgotten. But he couldn’t recall what, so he shrugged it off and got ready for bed.

As he pulled his phone from his pocket, something cold brushed his fingers. Puzzled, he fished it out—

His eyes widened in horror.

He’d forgotten the most crucial thing!

In his hand was the "Kid’s Leg-Stretching, Eye-Popping Pill" he’d gone out of his way to buy earlier.

Drinking with Lin Xi had made him completely blank on this! Alcohol ruins everything!

Li Ming bolted up, splashed water on his face to clear his head, and rushed out, heading for the cell block.

But the moment he stepped out, he hesitated. At this hour, wandering around the cells would raise eyebrows. And since Wang Xin was in a shared cell, if he went straight to her, rumors would spread like wildfire by morning.

What to do?

He’d read the instructions—the sooner she took the pill, the better. Every minute delayed added risk.

From their… exchange that morning till now, over twelve hours had passed. The optimal window was long gone. He couldn’t afford to wait.

As he hurried downstairs, he racked his brain for a way to get the pill to Wang Xin without drawing attention.

Li Ming scratched his head in frustration…

…