Xia Lin really did look happy. Seeing that, Qi Shang found himself oddly content too—what the hell, he thought. They weren't out like this every day, and it was late; the riverbank wasn't as crowded or noisy as he'd imagined.
Xia Lin turned to him. "See? Not bad, right? I'm going to grab an ice cream. Want one?"
Qi Shang nodded. "Vanilla."
"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes. Wait here for me—"
"Don't nag me. I'm not a kid. Go."
She laughed at his grumble and shook her head before stepping toward the convenience store. The riverside usually teemed with people, but most had already gone home. The little shop was only a short walk away.
Qi Shang settled on the sand and didn't bother about getting it dirty—clothes could be thrown straight into the washer later. He was still perched there when a young couple came by, laughing and chatting. The guy was animated, telling his girlfriend some wild story, and in his excitement he kicked someone by accident. Barely glancing back, he tried to keep walking.
Qi Shang stood up and stepped in front of them. "Apologize."
"Huh?" The couple froze. The guy's expression hardened. "Who the hell are you? Since when do you get to tell us what to do?"
Qi Shang wasn't polite with strangers the way he was with Xia Lin. "You kicked me. Apologize." He kept his face impassive, but the words were quiet and steady. Without meaning to, his voice carried that other thing—the power wrapped in speech. The boy's anger faltered before he even realized why, and he ended up muttering, "Sorry."
The instant the apology left his mouth, his face fell. He had to apologize like that—so sheepish, in front of the girlfriend he'd been chasing for who-knows-how-long. She stared at him now with a new, unsatisfied look. Humiliation spread across his features like a bruise.
Qi Shang turned to leave, having gotten what he wanted, when a sudden gust of air hit the back of his neck—the trajectory of a punch. "You son of a—!" The boy, furious and ashamed, lunged.
Qi Shang had been training indoors constantly; lean muscle wrapped his frame, and at 6'1" he towered over the other guy by a good seven or eight centimeters. He spun and delivered a single precise kick that sent the man sprawling to the ground.
"Ahhhh!" the girl screamed. She scrambled toward her boyfriend to help him up, while he cursed and clutched his ribs.
Qi Shang's temper was short. When he heard those filthy words coming from the guy's mouth, he tightened his fist and prepared to use the verbal power again—to really teach him a lesson. His hands already moved in the little ritual he used to trigger it.
At that moment Xia Lin came back into view.
She had seen Qi Shang standing over the couple, and the boy mouthing angry curses. Closing the distance, she realized the motion Qi Shang was making—he was about to invoke his speech-power.
She didn't think. She lunged forward, grabbed his wrist. "Qi Shang—stop!"
The shouted protest pulled the attention of a few people nearby, but no one wanted trouble; it was just a spat between young men, and the curious ones were quickly shepherded away by friends.
Xia Lin held his wrist hard. "Don't! Qi Shang, don't be impulsive."
Qi Shang looked at her. "I'm perfectly calm. I'm furious. He needs to be taught a lesson."
A soft chime echoed in his mind—like a notification only he could hear.
[Ding—New task: Prevent Qi Shang from using his verbal power to punish Fu Jian. Reward: Qi Shang's corruption level decreases by 5. Penalty for failure: Qi Shang's misconduct goes viral on Weibo.]
Xia Lin's eyes were pleading. "Fine. If you're that mad, then punish him if you must—but don't use that ability. I know you can beat him fair and square with your bare hands."
She wasn't asking him to be weak. She was asking him not to cross that line. Qi Shang stared at her, the muscles in his jaw tightening as the aftershock of the chime faded and the scent of the river hung in the air.