Lunch was ready.
Lunch was set out on the boardwalk outside.
Someone had moved all the tables and chairs outside, lining them up in a long row along the boardwalk.
Adrian and Molly Yun were in great spirits today, so they called everyone together for a meal.
Except for a few necessary guards, everyone was there.
Everyone was cheerful, wearing their favorite clothes and eating their favorite food.
Ever since Molly Yun arrived, it seemed like no one had felt this relaxed and happy.
Molly Yun smiled the whole time, sitting next to Adrian, chatting and laughing.
That helped everyone else gradually unwind, too.
Adrian looked at Molly Yun with a playful smile. "Why are you in such a good mood today?"
"That's right." Molly Yun placed a plate of shrimp in front of herself, ready to start peeling them. "You're finally fully recovered today, so of course I'm happy. After all, anyone would feel uneasy sleeping next to someone who could die at any moment."
Adrian took the plate in front of Molly Yun, washed his hands, and personally began peeling shrimp for her, saying, "That calls for a proper celebration! In fact, I should really thank you."
"You're thanking me with just this plate of shrimp?" Molly Yun joked, showing rare humor.
Adrian gazed intently at Molly Yun, as if trying to see right through her.
It wasn't until Molly Yun began to feel uncomfortable under his gaze that Adrian continued, "How about a lifetime supply of shrimp?"
Molly Yun didn't reply. Instead, she picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a piece of green vegetable on Adrian's plate. "You're just recovering, so you shouldn't eat too much shrimp. You need a balanced diet."
Adrian laughed and lowered his head, continuing to peel shrimp for Molly Yun.
His fingers were deft, and in no time, he had peeled an entire plate of shrimp, piling up perfect shrimp meat.
He placed the plate in front of Molly Yun, looking at her with anticipation.
Molly Yun smiled at Adrian. "Thank you."
Then, right in front of Adrian, she ate the shrimp he had prepared.
Adrian's eyes were filled with joy.
Molly Yun lowered her head to drink her soup, a lock of hair falling over her temple.
Adrian quickly reached out to steady her shoulder. "Don't move."
Molly Yun froze. Adrian lifted his hand and tucked the stray hair behind her ear, then took a diamond hairpin from his pocket and carefully clipped it in place. "It looks beautiful."
Molly Yun raised her hand and touched the hairpin at her temple. "Thank you."
"You don't need to be so polite with me." Adrian's eyes were full of warmth. "This is the first time in my life I've given jewelry to a woman. I hope that in the days to come, I'll have many more chances to give you gifts."
Molly Yun didn't reply, just smiled softly. "Let's eat."
"Okay." Adrian cheerfully picked up his chopsticks and joined Molly Yun in enjoying the meal.
They had almost finished eating.
Molly Yun stood up and said, "I'll go check the kitchen. The medicine I've been brewing for you should be almost ready. After you drink this, you won't need any more medicine!"
Suddenly, Adrian grabbed Molly Yun's wrist, not saying a word, just looking at her with deep longing. "Nora, you won't leave me, will you?"
Molly Yun smiled. "Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"
"I just want to hear your answer." Adrian stared at Molly Yun. "Answer me."
"Adrian, I..." Molly Yun hesitated, then said, "As long as you're alive, I'll always remember you."
Hearing Molly Yun's answer, Adrian broke into a smile and let go of her hand. "Good, you said it yourself. Remember what you said today."
Molly Yun quickly turned and went to the kitchen.
She glanced at Adrian sitting at the dining table in the distance, saw the smile he couldn't hide, and paused for a moment before opening the medicine pot.
Someone entered the kitchen, saw Molly Yun filtering the medicinal dregs, and immediately came over to help. "Miss Yun, you've worked hard these days. It's thanks to you that Mr. Adrian recovered so quickly."
Molly Yun smiled. "It's nothing. Once the dregs are filtered out, the medicine can be brought out."
"Yes." The person quickly placed the medicine on the tray.
Before he could leave, Molly Yun stopped him. "Wait a minute. Everyone's happy today and there's nothing urgent, so I brewed some fruit wine a while ago. It's not very strong, just something fun to enjoy. Don't mind my rough skills."
With that, Molly Yun placed several bottles on the table, her smile bright. "There's not much, so each person only gets a small cup. If you like it, I can make more next time."
"Wow, Miss Yun, you're amazing!" The person looked at Molly Yun with growing admiration. "You really can do anything!"
"Not at all," Molly Yun replied with a smile. "There are a lot of books in the Yun family, so I wanted to try it after reading about it. This time, I happened to pick a lot of wild fruit in the mountains and tried brewing some wine. I didn't expect it to actually work!"
"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Miss Yun." The person opened a bottle and, after just a sniff, could tell the fruit wine was no stronger than beer.
With just one cup per person, it was really only a taste.
No one would get drunk—not even if they drank a whole bottle.
So he confidently distributed the bottles, giving one to each table.
Everyone raised their cups to thank Molly Yun.
Molly Yun returned to the table with a smile, carrying the last serving. She poured Adrian a cup and said, "You're just recovering, so you can't drink too much. This little cup is all you get."
"Don't you want to have a drink with me?" Adrian rubbed his wine glass, looking at Molly Yun with a faint, ambiguous smile.
"Sure." Molly Yun smiled and nodded. "It's just fruit wine, so it won't harm the body."
After speaking, Molly Yun gently stroked her belly under the table, then poured herself a cup as well.
She raised her glass and clinked it lightly with Adrian's. "Adrian, I hope we never argue again. Okay?"
"I feel the same way." Adrian raised his glass and clinked it gently with Molly Yun's. "As long as you don't leave me, I'll forgive you no matter what you do."
Molly Yun paused, then drank all the fruit wine in her glass in one go.
Seeing Molly Yun drink her wine, Adrian finally picked up his own glass and slowly drank it.
"Delicious." Adrian squinted his eyes, savoring the taste before saying, "It's better than any fine wine I've ever had."
Molly Yun just smiled, saying nothing.
At this moment, people at the other tables also tasted the fruit wine and all expressed their praise.
Even those who didn't like the taste felt obliged to compliment it.
After all, she was the woman the boss liked.
Molly Yun urged Adrian to drink his medicine. "Time for your medicine! It's the last dose, don't let all our efforts go to waste."
Adrian's eyes twinkled with mischief as he looked at Molly Yun. "The way you're urging me to drink medicine reminds me of Pan Jinlian urging Dalang in 'Water Margin.'"
This time, Molly Yun couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. "Then you must be the most handsome, tallest, and most charming Dalang in history!"
Seeing Molly Yun laugh, Adrian's mood improved a lot. Without making her urge him further, he picked up the bowl of medicine and drank it all in one go.
Molly Yun handed him a piece of candy.
Adrian playfully took advantage of Molly Yun's hand and ate the candy.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Molly Yun's face as she quickly withdrew her fingers.
"So sweet," Adrian said, staring at Molly Yun. "Not bitter at all."
Molly Yun uneasily glanced at the lake, her mind starting a countdown.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!
Fall!
Thud, thud, thud—
At the neighboring tables, several people suddenly collapsed onto the table, motionless.
Adrian's expression changed slightly. He immediately looked up at Molly Yun. "You..."
The next second, Adrian felt the world spinning and his strength draining away. He could only look at Molly Yun weakly.
There was no anger in his eyes, only pleading.
Nora, don't leave me.
I'm begging you.
Molly Yun lowered her eyes and spoke softly. "I'm sorry, Adrian. I have to go back in the end. I can't stay here with you forever!"
Molly Yun turned and took a crude, homemade firework from the pocket under her dress. Without hesitation, she pulled the fuse and aimed it at the sky.
The next second, a burst of brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky!
"You..." Adrian reached out to Molly Yun, trying to grab her. "Nora, don't go..."
"I'm sorry. I used your trust to buy a lot of extra medicine. You don't understand traditional medicine, so you didn't know that mixing different drugs in certain proportions could create a sedative." Molly Yun didn't hide anything. "From the day I started treating you, I was already planning for this moment."
Adrian's eyes turned red as he looked at Molly Yun with sorrow.
"This was a plan I made with Xixi. That night, when I transferred with you, I gave Xixi a secret signal. Only she and I could understand it. Luckily, my sister didn't let me down—she understood the code. Charles Yin and Mo Zixin pretended to leave R City and go back to their own cities. That was a smokescreen. In fact, their people were always nearby, never giving up."
Although the signal is blocked here and most people can't find it, the scenery hasn't changed in dozens of days, so it's easy to notice something is off. When I prescribed medicine for you, I deliberately asked for one extra ingredient—angelica. Angelica is my code with Xixi. So, Xixi found the area through angelica.
I used saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal to make gunpowder and created fireworks." Molly Yun said quietly. "This is the signal I agreed on with Xixi. In about ten minutes, Xixi will come to pick me up!"
Tears streamed from Adrian's eyes as he stared at Nora.
"I'm leaving." Molly Yun took a step back. "Thank you for taking care of me these days, but let's never see each other again."