Hu Lei found herself in a VIP private room two floors above the open Maven Restaurant a short while after Chen Li showed up. She settled in the room after instructing the hostess to bring in Carefree Dreams as soon as she showed up.

She looked at the drinks menu casually, though she intended to order a cup of ginger tea. However, her mind changed when she saw a familiar strawberry cocktail on the list. A wave of nostalgia encompassed her as she thought of the first time she had had dinner with Zhong Feng.

It was a long time ago, but the memory was clear. The happiness and freedom that she had felt on that night was one of the things that kept her sane for longer in that lab. She had tried to hold on to the feeling of laughing with him and to the image of his face looking at her with amusement.

She did not have a lot of happy memories. Everything was tainted by a life of darkness. The short period over which she had been with him had been the only source of comfort and hope in that bleak place. Though at the end she had begun to lose her grasp on her memories, she had never forgotten the feeling he gave her.

When she could not remember anything, she had felt his soul resonate with hers, comforting her. She had known that he would not harm her even though she could not clearly remember his identity.

A red cocktail with a little umbrella was placed in front of her. She nodded at the young lady and sipped on the drink. She felt a smile form on her face. Granted, it had nothing on Zhong Feng's homemade juice, but there was a certain satisfaction in a taste that was steeped with memories.

She happily kept drinking, choosing to immerse herself in the joy of her new life. There was no need to dwell on the unpleasant events of the past.

When Carefree Dreams showed up, Hu Lei had already downed quite a few. Her face had become a little flushed, and she was smiling without a care in the world.

"It seems that I am late for the party." The gorgeous woman spoke in an amused tone.

"What are you talking about? We are just getting started." Hu Lei responded.

Even though she looked drunk, she was actually still clear-minded. It seemed that her constant exposure to drugs had at least improved her tolerance.

"Are you sure?" There was doubt on the other woman's face.

"Of course, I am sure. Today, I am meeting my lifelong idol. We must make it a legendary night."

Their server showed up at this point and Hu Lei made her order. Her appetite had improved a little, but she still ate small portions. However, she made an order of a range of dishes. She wanted her idol to feel comfortable with her.

The other woman made her order. She seemed to know her food, based on how she spoke confidently. Hu Lei only chose food from the menu arbitrarily while she put some thought into her choices. Finally, she ordered a bottle of wine.

"You seem to know a lot about food. Is Carefree Dreams a secret foodie?" Hu Lei asked with twinkling eyes.

The beautiful woman blushed at the question.

"You can call me Song Yin." She responded.

"So, is Song Yin a secret foodie?" Hu Lei did not let it go.

Song Yin sighed.

"One of the main characters in my first book was a gourmet chef. I did some research and I ended up becoming interested in food." She explained.

"How could I forget Love Cooking Strategy? I read it after seeing the second book." She nodded to herself.

At that time, she had not thought that she would have an interest in cliché romance. In fact, when she had read Carefree Dreams books for the first time, she had laughed at how stupid and unrealistic the story was. She felt that the entire thing was too absurd.

However, she realised that when she read the books, she would feel lightness in her mind. There was no thinking or analysing. It was simply fun entertainment that helped her de-stress. Over the years, she had read countless other romance books. But none was so well-written that it made her feel like her brain was filled with fluffy cotton candy like Song Yin's novels.

Of course, she would not say these exact words directly because the woman might not take it as the compliment she meant it to be.

"Let's not talk about me. I know that you are Little Ninja Cat." Song Yin said with interest.

"Don't mention that name before me. The dark past of my youth has come to haunt me." She lamented while sipping on her drink.

"What youth? Young people these days have no understanding of what it means to be old." Song Yin scoffed.

"You are, at most, four years older than me. And with a face and body like that, you will look twenty one forever." Hu Lei sighed.

"You have a shamelessly sweet tongue." She laughed at the ogling look in the eerily yellow eyes that unapologetically looked at her up and down.

"You know it is true. It must be the effect of your Pure Yin constitution." Hu Lei moved closer to Song Yin, with a flirtatious smile. "If I did not have my breath-taking emperor, I might just come after you. We would be very compatible."

At this point, Song Yin realised that her dinner companion was already quite drunk. It seemed that she was the type to become flirtatious and shameless when tipsy. It was quite hilarious seeing the small cute face flirting like a lecherous man. She looked too adorable.

"Are you saying that I can't measure up to this emperor?" She said with sadness, deciding to play along.

"There is no need to feel bad about it. No one can measure up." Hu Lei comforted, patting her hand lightly.

Song Yin wanted to inquire more about this so-called emperor, but the conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their food.

In the neighbouring room, Assistant Chen looked conflicted for a moment about something. Then, he seemed to reach to a decision. He took out his phone and sent a short message to the big boss. Knowing his temper, it was better to report than regret later.