I changed the world.

Page 198

This is a restaurant with a distinct Western Regions feel. On one side of the restaurant, a woman with braided hair and wearing a fur robe is playing the traditional horse-head fiddle from the grasslands.

The walls around the restaurant are decorated with tapestries, mandalas, and other ornaments. Unlike the lively atmosphere of typical restaurants of this type, the atmosphere here is quite quiet. The tables are spaced far apart, and some green plants and screens have been deliberately added during the decoration, which makes the dining private. Diners will not disturb each other, and apart from the sound of music, there is basically no loud conversation.

"Big brother chose a really nice environment." Wei Hanxin, wearing a black mask, looked around and smiled.

The two were sitting in a corner on the west side of the restaurant, by the window, where they could see the lush green bamboo outside.

"It's quiet here, with fewer people to bother you. The Anxi cuisine is especially good, very authentic. I only recently discovered this place, and I'm bringing you here to try it today," Zhang Jing introduced with a smile.

In terms of diet, Zhang Jing is a typical "carnivore". Especially after cultivating, his appetite has become even better. Although he no longer needs to rely on food for energy after entering the second stage, Zhang Jing has no intention of giving up the pleasure of food.

Ever since he visited Anxi, he has been longing for the roasted whole lamb there. The roasted whole lamb there is made with local small sheep and is roasted fresh. After being sprinkled with spices, the skin is golden and crispy, and it is not greasy. It is indeed much better than the lamb in Linzhou.

Until recently, he stumbled upon reviews of this shop online and decided to give it a try. He found it quite good. Although the owner was a local from Linzhou, the chef was hired from Anxi, and the ingredients were also transported from Anxi. Zhang Jing tried it and liked it very much. This time, he simply brought Wei Hanxin to try it.

The two didn't have to wait long. The waiter quickly brought over half a roasted lamb on a cart. This kind of roasted lamb comes with its own charcoal fire. After arranging the lamb, the waiter sprinkled some scallions on it while it was still hot. He was quite skilled at sprinkling the scallions, flicking his wrist to evenly sprinkle them all over the whole lamb.

After setting out some side dishes, the waiter respectfully said, "Please enjoy your meal," and then withdrew.

Since it was a whole roasted lamb, it was natural to cut the meat yourself. Zhang Jing gestured for Wei Hanxin to cut first, so Wei Hanxin picked up the small silver knife in front of her without hesitation, held it with chopsticks in one hand, and used the other hand to cut off a piece, which she then picked up with the chopsticks and put into her mouth.

"Mmm! Very good!" After taking a small bite, Wei Hanxin nodded with a smile and said, "This sheepskin is especially good, very flavorful."

Because of the slow roasting, the lamb skin became paper-thin and very crispy. The two then ate the lamb while chatting, and the conversation eventually turned to the interview with Yu Qianshuo that day.

"...So you've already decided to become a freelance musician and give up all the offers from music companies?" Zhang Jing took a sip of plum juice and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Yes, I've decided. This way I'll have more freedom." Wei Hanxin nodded.

“You’re quite decisive. I thought you would think about it for a while longer. I didn’t expect you to announce it publicly in the interview.” Zhang Jing smiled and glanced at her. “But by doing this, you’ve left yourself no way out. If you want to switch to another music company in the future, a lot of people will gossip.”

"Let them talk..." Wei Hanxin snorted, wrinkled her nose playfully, and then turned to look at Zhang Jing: "Don't you think so too, Big Brother?"

Reaching out to brush aside a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes, Wei Hanxin continued, "To be honest, I was a bit hesitant before, but after my brother helped me analyze the situation that day, I made up my mind."

Wei Hanxin's eyes were the kind that, as the saying goes, "could speak volumes," watery and very captivating. Seeing her slightly serious expression, Zhang Jing couldn't help but feel a mischievous urge and teased, "You trust me that much? A girl shouldn't act like that, aren't you afraid I'll sell you off..."

Wei Hanxin was taken aback by these words, then two faint blushes rose on her cheeks, and she lowered her head without saying a word...

Chapter 346 I Believe

Just as Zhang Jing realized he might have spoken too rashly and was about to say something to smooth things over, he suddenly heard Wei Hanxin whisper, "I believe you..."

"Hmm?" With Zhang Jing's hearing, even though Wei Hanxin spoke softly, he still heard her clearly.

"I believe you!" Wei Hanxin emphasized again, though her voice was still not very loud due to the occasion, but her determination was evident: "I believe my brother."

As she spoke, she looked at Zhang Jing again, her eyes filled with a hint of shyness, yet also concealing a deeper emotion: "If my brother really wants to sell me, I won't regret it..."

Looking into her pure and innocent eyes, Zhang Jing suddenly felt a pang of regret. What kind of joke was that...?

To say that Zhang Jing felt nothing at all after being told such a confession by a beautiful woman would be impossible. Humans are not plants or trees; attraction between opposite sexes is innate. Zhang Jing did not practice any evil techniques like the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, so it was impossible for him to sever all emotions and desires.

In addition, Zhang Jing is not a blockhead with low emotional intelligence. It would be even more impossible for him not to see through Wei Hanxin's little schemes by now. However, it is precisely because he can see through them that he feels a bit of a headache.

Zhang Jing knew that he was special in this world. Because of this specialness, he was destined to never make certain promises to any woman. After all, what he truly pursued was not the happy family, good health, and successful career that ordinary people had... but immortality, longevity, and boundless power within himself.

If Zhang Jing were the type to turn his back on someone ruthlessly and abandon them without a second thought, things would be simpler. However, Zhang Jing knew he wasn't; overall, he was a rather sentimental person. Correspondingly, he could also see that Wei Hanxin didn't just want a one-night stand with him, nothing more…

That makes things a bit awkward... The best solution for emotional ties is to avoid having them in the first place, otherwise it can lead to heartbreak or even death...

For cultivators, emotions are too much of a luxury. Therefore, since Zhang Jing came into this world, he has always maintained a platonic relationship with everyone, never being overly intimate. This is the reason why.

Because he knows that they are destined to be passersby in his life, and if he invests too much emotion, he will ultimately be the one who gets hurt.

However, achieving a state of complete detachment from worldly desires is easier said than done, as evidenced by the case before us...

Of course, in Zhang Jing's previous life, there was a legend about Liu An, the King of Huainan, and his entire family ascending to heaven. However, that was just a legend... With Zhang Jing's current cultivation level of only the second stage, the difficulty of "his entire family ascending to heaven" was far greater than just dealing with himself...

In short, it's a complete mess, and even Zhang Jing himself hasn't figured out how to handle it...

So he could only play dumb. Zhang Jingqiang pretended to be oblivious to her charm and laughed, "Just kidding, how could I really sell you? I'm planning to wait until you become famous, Hanxin, so I can sit back and collect royalties..."

Then he pointed to the mutton in front of him: "Eat quickly, don't stop, it won't taste good when it gets cold..."

A hint of disappointment flashed in the depths of her eyes, but Wei Hanxin controlled her emotions well and changed the subject, smiling gently, "Speaking of which, the previous live version was released for free on Beike, without any charge. However, Beike still gave me some traffic revenue sharing. They've already talked to me, hoping I'll use them as the premiere platform for future songs, saying they can guarantee a minimum fee for the premiere..."

These terms are already much better than what Zhang Jing signed when he first signed the contract, since Zhang Jing signed a template contract for newcomers.

Because the copyright of the song's lyrics and music belongs to Zhang Jing, Zhang Jing can also obtain some benefits from this contract. Of course, for now, it's only a few tens of thousands of yuan.

However, although this amount of money is not a lot for Zhang Jing's current net worth, and Wei Hanxin knows that Zhang Jing may not care about this money, she still carefully explained it to Zhang Jing. The money will be transferred to Zhang Jing's bank card at the end of the month according to the contract.

Zhang Jing knew that these were Wei Hanxin's attitudes toward serious matters, so he listened attentively.

As for handling these contract details, Wei Hanxin, who has been working independently in the entertainment industry for many years, doesn't actually need Zhang Jing to say much; she can handle them very well.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Jing noticed that Wei Hanxin was only drinking plum juice and not cutting anything, so he asked with some confusion, "Is it not to your liking? I see you haven't eaten much. Would you like to order something else?"

Wei Hanxin sat up straight, pressed her hand to her lower abdomen, and shook her head, saying, "I'm already full. My figure has been a bit bloated lately, so I need to be careful about my diet..."

As she spoke, seemingly realizing she had made a slip of the tongue and embarrassed herself, Wei Hanxin reached out and covered her mouth.

Zhang Jing chuckled upon hearing this. Sure enough, no matter the world, women's concern about weight is something men can't understand. He subconsciously glanced at Wei Hanxin's figure. Wei Hanxin had a slightly plump figure, partly due to her natural physique, and partly because she had always been a singer and dancer. Years of high-intensity exercise and physical training had given her a curvaceous figure, rather than a slender one.