The Gas Stove Went Too Far, Lin Yu Who Won't Obey Orders

Don't you dare say it, but honestly—Mo Shangying would absolutely say something like that.

A total keyboard warrior with zero real-world experience, only good at spouting "knowledge." She loves using bizarre trivia to roast people around her.

A gas stove...

Damn, she's really mixing up her knowledge sources!

...

Meanwhile.

In a room on the second floor of a budget hotel across from the café.

Mo Shangying, holding a high-performance telescope, scratched her head awkwardly.

Beside her, Ye Mengfu, wearing a hoodie, blushed at the question transmitted through the earpiece from the "Cat Girl" at the cash register.

Yep.

That's Shangying's style.

Privately, she does love dropping some... less-than-proper remarks.

Who knew she'd be this "blunt" with her rival too?

Mo Shangying pressed the call button and spoke timidly:

"Heh heh, Master, sorry for the embarrassment."

"We’d been at it for so long, and when I finally caught her, it was like—"

"'Run all you want! Keep running! See where that gets you!'"

"You get it, right? Thanks for taking one for the team!"

After finishing, she released the button.

Ye Mengfu tugged her hood lower and whispered furtively:

"W-will it work?"

Mo Shangying knew what she meant.

She was asking:

Faced with such a messy situation, can Lin Yu really handle it?

Mo Shangying kept the telescope steady with one hand and flashed an "OK" sign with the other:

"Relax, Master’s no ordinary guy."

"This is small potatoes for him. But Mengfu, you..."

"We’re not even watching them chat in person. It’s just the two of us here."

"Why are you dressed like you’re about to be caught red-handed?"

Ye Mengfu’s behavior was the physical embodiment of guilt.

If she weren’t so introverted, Mo Shangying might’ve recruited her to play "ZerO."

Only after Mo Shangying pointed it out did Ye Mengfu finally pull down her hood and remove her face mask.

Once stripped of her "camouflage," she instinctively inched closer to Mo Shangying.

...

Back in the café.

Lin Yu finally swallowed his coffee.

Summoning the greatest composure of his life, he kept his expression neutral and spoke as calmly as possible:

"Back then... I was just too competitive. Don’t take it to heart."

"Once you get to know me, you’ll see I’m actually pretty easygoing."

That’s it.

Lin Yu had done his best.

How the hell do you smooth over a threat to "heh heh" someone on a gas stove?!

He couldn’t exactly regurgitate Mo Shangying’s "skip the steps, go straight for the answer" theory to the wig-wearing Cat Girl, could he?

After speaking, he held his breath, scrutinizing every tiny movement from "Cat Girl."

If she suddenly hurled a coffee cup at him,

he’d at least have time to dodge—or flash away.

"Zzzzt... zzzzt..."

Once Lin Yu focused,

a faint sound—waves? electricity?—

reached his ears with unnatural clarity.

Was it coming from his earpiece?

Didn’t seem like it.

Before he could dwell on it,

"Cat Girl" spoke again:

"It’s hard to believe you don’t have some ulterior motive. Further interaction isn’t necessary."

"Our collaboration with 860 is the battlefield to settle our rivalry. You haven’t forgotten, have you?"

Lin Yu: "..."

Ulterior motive...

Such an elegant way to call him a creep.

Seems his image was beyond salvaging for now.

Following Mo Shangying’s script from the earpiece,

Lin Yu played along:

"Of course not. This time, we settle it once and for all."

"Unless I beat you until you see stars, you’ll never learn why flowers bloom so red."

Lin Yu’s inner monologue:

Holy hell, that’s some cringey, villain-tier dialogue!

Mo Shangying’s original line wasn’t "stars"—it was damn "chrysanthemums."

She really doesn’t care as long as she’s not the one saying it to the wig girl’s face, huh?

Who even says that?!

Not cool!

If Cat Girl reported him for harassment, he’d be locked up before he could blink.

Even his sanitized version tested his acting skills to the limit.

One slip, and the jig was up.

"Zzzzzt... zzzzzt..."

The strange sound returned.

Again, right after Lin Yu spoke.

This time,

he pinpointed the source.

It was coming from "Cat Girl" across the table!

Was his enhanced hearing—sharpened to an extreme—picking up something others couldn’t?

Back in his quiet bedroom,

he’d clearly overheard Mo Shangying and Ye Mengfu talking outside his door.

But this ultra-faint signal... what was it?

"Cat Girl" braced her hands on the bench, expression calm:

"Don’t boast too soon. The outcome isn’t decided yet."

Lin Yu leaned forward, elbows on the table, staring intently.

"Cat Girl" seemed flustered, averting her gaze.

Then—

"Zzzzzzt!"

Lin Yu counted the pulses.

Five.

Immediately after,

"Cat Girl" glanced at the bouquet beside him and asked:

"Why did you buy flowers?"

Exactly five words.

A bold theory sprouted in Lin Yu’s mind.

...

In the hotel room.

"Heh, the flowers are an apology for the doxxing incident."

"..."

"Master? Why aren’t you responding?"

"The signal’s fine—you should hear me, right?"

"Let me repeat:"

"The flowers are to apologize for what happened before."

"..."

"Hey! Master! What’s wrong?!"

Mo Shangying frantically relayed instructions.

Not only was Lin Yu’s voice absent from the earpiece,

but the telescope also showed him frozen, expression grim.

Beside her, Ye Mengfu clenched her fists,

heart pounding as if she were the one in trouble.

"Lin Yu, wh-what’s happening?"

she stammered.

Mo Shangying bit her lip, shaking her head as she strained to observe.

She couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.

...

At the café table.

After half a minute of silence,

Lin Yu rubbed the bridge of his nose and slumped back.

The friendly smile vanished, replaced by a stern look:

"Why I bought flowers? Do I need to explain?"

"Cat Girl" blinked, a flicker of irritation crossing her face.

Then, voice tinged with surprise:

"ZerO, what do you mean by that?"

Lin Yu pointed at her ear:

"Was that ‘her’ asking, or you?"

"Do you even have your own thoughts?"

"Listening, talking, keeping a straight face—must be exhausting..."

"Stand-in."