"My training what?" Li Yang stifled a snort and then eventually leapt off with Bo Lifen hand in hand with him. It was easy enough to land without no longer sustaining and impervious injuries at his level—but the man concentrated and allowed a high concentration of qi expel around him.

Whether it was just the atmosphere around him that seemed to be filled with energy or just his skill coming to life, he made a way to help the two of them reach the ground floor safely.historical

Similar to what others had done in Telriah—energy coalesced and formed into a stronger platform. The two of them landed on the qi platform without any troubles at all and Bo Lifen not looking shaken up at all.

"What the... this is a high concentration of qi—you can use qi besides cultivating your body now? Don't you think it's a little wasteful?" Bo Lifen pursed her lips. "Could have used this to strengthen up your foundation and meridians."

"It's not a waste if I have more than enough energy for it.." Li Yang said. People in Telriah were more willing to throw large-scale attacks due to the natural energy being higher than that of earth.. but that didn't mean he couldn't do the same here.

"...If you say so. I've seen sword qi before, but trying to use it to make platforms and other objects? This is a new technique of yours?"

"You can say that—but about that boba?"

Bo Lifen blinked and then smiled. "Oh right, it's not that far from here. My brother operates it—I don't know if you remember it, but my brother would be glad if you mention that."

It was a tiny favor that she hoped that Li Yang wouldn't mind doing.

"I can actually recall that conversation." Li Yang replied. He didn't need to mention that it crossed his mind a couple of times as the two of them made their way out. "We had dinner that night with my brother and his girlfriend."

"Yeah, that's right and you took me home because it was raining hard—"

Bo Lifen's voice trailed off and Li Yang was also aware of why she stopped. It felt like the two of them were still caught up in the heavy drumming of the rain. The memory of the two of them in the backseat of his car was distinctive, memorable—and they never really managed to talk about it at all.

When the two of them met at Bai Minghua's concert, Bo Lifen was with other people. So it never actually happened that they were able to discuss what exactly it meant for them to sleep together.

Now that a year had passed, it felt better to just let it go.

Or not mention it at all.

Unless one of them were to actually bring it up properly.

"Your parents seem to be like nice people." Li Yang commented as they stepped out of the building. The two of them didn't pay much mind to the two guards or bouncers outside of the bar that shouted them a goodnight.

"I guess they are, I mean—most parents are decent." Bo Lifen said. "Although, I swear they favor Bo Lei way too much and they're too easy on Bo Ling. Their naming scheme isn't too great either. It's like a father named Davidson, naming their child Davie?"

"A father's legacy, I suppose."

"I mean yeah—maybe. But a kid's different from their parents."

The two of them didn't run or even catch a ride in one of the taxis or vehicles available in the streets. Li Yang and Bo Lifen just walked together and continued to chat.

Nobody mentioned or brought up the fact that they were still hand in hand—did anybody notice it in the first place? The two of them didn't seem to take notice at all, still stuck in conversation and doing everything in their ability to not bring that night up.

The small shop in the business district of the city was almost unnoticeable with all the skyscrapers available—but somehow, there was something about it that caught the eye.

Bo Lifen opened the door into the shop.

"Oh sorry we're closing—wait, it's you." Bo Ling stopped trying to turn down the customer when he realized it was his older sister. He then noticed that she was with company and quickly cleared his throat and smiled. "Ah, welcome to the shop. Is there anything I can get the two of you?"

Bo Lifen sighed and gave Li Yang a look.

Can you see what she was dealing with as a younger brother? That small message was clear in her face and it amused Li Yang like no other. Compared to his older brother, this guy seemed like a saint.

"I was told that this place had good boba tea?"

"Only the best!" Bo Ling replied immediately and then turned towards the preparation table. "I'll whip you up a drink, sir. On the house—large with all the extra bobas? You got it all. Sugar level? Let's make it 125%."

Bo Lifen rolled her eyes. "Try not to sound too enthusiastic, Ling."

"Don't embarrass me in front of the customer!"

"Okay, okay. Just get me whatever."

"You'll pay up, right?"

"Fine." Their small conversation quickly settled down as Bo Lifen finally realized she was still holding on to Li Yang. She tugged her hand away and motioned to the chairs. "Let's have a seat while we wait."

"Thank you."

The two of them sat down and somehow found it a little less easier to start a conversation with it just being the three of them.

Narissa's words earlier about his plans.. Whether it was just hanging out with Bo Lifen as a friend or trying to get into her pants again—it was a little terrible thing to think about now.

Did he really like any of this? On some level—it was a yes, but this was going against everything that he used to see himself. His life was supposed to be figured out by now.

It was easy to make a 10 year to 20 year business plan for a company's projection. Alright, it wasn't actually easy—but now it seemed more easier to imagine than what he had in store for now.

Li Yang made a life plan for himself as well. He made some notes and calendars of what he'd like to accomplish for his lifetime. He was already nearly 30 years old and if that felt like just the beginning for some then they weren't wrong.

Because everything was new.

The woman sitting beside him, resting her elbow on the table and talking—he could never imagine meeting her, or just spending time with them. It was a change, not entirely welcome at first.. but it wasn't terrible.

He'd reluctantly admit that it was good.

He kind of needed this.. and that seemed like something he should have acknowledged before.

"My brother isn't actually doing so bad. I've checked the books and there's some revenue." Bo Lifen folded her hands together and looked at him. "What do you think? Can I get an impromptu consultation with you?"

"Well, we came here when it's quite quiet and there's no other customer than us. So I can't say anything—but it seems like your family shelled out quite a bit for this shop so it might take a while for revenue to return.. but at the same time, the location is good."

Bo Lifen nodded. "Location is important—"

"It's not, people get things delivered nowadays." Bo Ling interrupted.

"Hey, you're not in this conversation."

"Right, sorry!"