"Ding-dong~"
"Fifth floor. We have arrived."
Black marble tiles laid a heavy foundational color, and a classical Sonatina in F Major flowed into their hearts like water.
On the walls of the restaurant nad Baiyu, diffused light spread out from the ceiling like an open fan.
Inside the glass display cases below, collectibles of a value unknown to Yan Huan were placed, appearing as ethereal as flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon on the water.
Tong Yingying and Yan Huan were guided into the restaurant by a waiter, arriving at a table near the window.
Looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows beside them to the very edge of the horizon, Yan Huan could just make out the Golden Lion Mansion piercing the clouds, surrounded by a cluster of buildings that looked tiny in comparison.
This was an exceptionally good spot.
Facing west, it bathed in the evening sunset, making the view particularly magnificent.
This level of elegance was a far cry from the Tong Yingying who usually lounged around scratching her belly in her ssy room in the South Ward, causing Yan Huan to turn his head and appraise how beautifully she had dressed up today.
Her features were familiar, accented by a touch of red lipstick.
Yet, it drew out a hint of unfamiliarity, making her look entirely different from her usual self.
"Tsk, my phone is dead."
Averting his gaze, Yan Huan subconsciously picked up his mobile phone, only to be greeted by the empty battery icon on the screen.
Truth be told, a mobile phone was practically a modern person's second life. Anyone who could look at their dead phone without panicking was truly a divine person.
If one had a Hypnosis APP on their phone like Ye Shiyu, that panic would likely be even more intense.
"Sister Tong, even though I feel like a bumpkin asking this, does this place have a power bank or a charger I could borrow?"
Turning his head to glance at their surroundings, Yan Huan asked this question.
Sitting across from him, Tong Yingying accepted the hot towel handed to her by the waiter, shooting him a deadpan glance in the process.
The waiter provided a hot towel for Yan Huan and smiled,
"We do not have power banks, sir. However, I can look for a charger for you. Please wait a mont."
"Alright, thank you."
The waiter turned and left. Tong Yingying looked at Yan Huan, who was wiping his hands and seemingly nursing a headache, and could not help but ask,
"What is it? Are you in a rush to reply to so girl's ssages on Plane?"
"Do not even ntion it, Sister Tong. I actually am."
"..."
Hearing this, Tong Yingying's motions of wiping her hands with the towel gradually slowed.
Her deadpan eyes slowly regained their sharpness, like a wolf catching the scent of blood, though her tone remained deceptively casual,
"...Is it that peeping tom of a Vice President, Sakuramiya Hitomi, from earlier?"
"Huh?"
Yan Huan looked up at Tong Yingying, and only then did he notice how incredibly practiced her hand-wiping motions were.
It looked a bit like the pre-operative ritual shared by executioners or surgeons.
Seeing Yan Huan's gaze, which seed to ask 'How did you know?', Tong Yingying felt compelled to explain,
"Did you not ntion the other day that soone planted a cara to spy on you? I had soone look into it, originally intending to see if I could take care of it for you, and ended up learning a bit about that Eldest Miss in the process."
Yan Huan stared at Tong Yingying, who spoke so casually about 'taking care of' things, and could not help but break a sweat,
"No, Sister Tong, are we not in a slice-of-life genre? Can we avoid using scary words like 'take care of'?"
Another waiter ca over to set the tableware. Tong Yingying propped her chin on her hand, curled her lips, and retorted,
"What is so scary about it? I am helping you, okay? I told you to call the police, but you refused..."
"But honestly, with her background, calling the police probably would not work anyway. It would escalate into a diplomatic incident, making things even more troubleso."
Yan Huan smiled helplessly but gave no reply. He had grown completely accustod to this by now.
When fighting against Modifiers, you not only had to consider the specific effects and traits of the Modifier itself but also weigh nurous practical, real-world factors.
These real-world factors had their pros and cons.
Just as he could borrow the authority of the Heavenly Emperor Ye Lan to suppress Ye Shiyu, on the flip side, he also had to account for the massive influence of the Sakuramiya Family and the Jinshi Group.
What made it harder for Yan Huan to handle was that the several powerful modifier users also possessed the most formidable backgrounds.
It was one thing for these Modifiers to have Trisolaran-level stats and chanics, but why did their real-world factions have to be Trisolaran-level too?
It was a classic case of pay-to-win players absolutely dominating free-to-play players on all fronts.
In comparison, even a celebrity idol like Bai Yi—who was already a dragon and phoenix among n—felt insignificant, like a small sorcerer eting a great sorcerer.
Oh wait, no. Her current Modifier could stop ti!
She herself was already rocketing straight toward Alpha Centauri...
This was true for both her Modifier's stats and her own personal qualities.
Only An Le was on the verge of fading into obscurity, becoming a 'no such person found'.
The kind who could not even hold her own in the sa lane...
But An Le's 'no such person found' status could not entirely be blad on Yan Huan, because of one cruel truth:
The crying child gets the milk.
Often, the one who was the most well-behaved and silent was the one who received the least.
Now, with the several formidable Modifier Hosts taking turns stealing the spotlight, a normal host like An Le seed entirely out of place.
Yan Huan had no choice but to pour his limited energy into the struggles against the most dangerous hosts first.
As he pondered, Tong Yingying suddenly asked a question, as if trying to confirm sothing,
"You must be keeping up appearances with her because you have no other choice, given her background, right?"
Lost in thought, Tong Yingying's soft voice echoed in front of him, snapping Yan Huan back to reality.
Yan Huan blinked, suddenly unsure of how to answer.
Perhaps a part of it was due to Sakuramiya's identity. However, it was not her identity as the Eldest Miss of the Sakuramiya Family, but rather her identity as a Modifier Host.
There might also be another part—a lingering affection, like an extinguished fire that still held warmth within its embers.
Realizing this, Yan Huan, who had no idea how to respond, decided to dodge the question and dishonestly said,
"I took out my phone to warn Yurianna in the group chat. If I do not say anything, with the attitude you just had, Sister Tong, sothing is bound to go wrong."
"What could possibly go wrong? And who is Yurianna? Is she from the Student Council too?"
"Yurianna..."
Thinking of that idiot Yurianna gave Yan Huan a headache. He tried to explain it in terms Tong Yingying would understand,
"Sister Tong, you know your nickna is the 'Idea King After Drinking', right?"
"...Since when was that my nickna? Why did I not know this?"
"Everyone at the bar universally agrees on it... But that is not the point. The point is that Yurianna is an 'Idea King Virus Carrier'!"
"...What the hell is that? Is it worse than mine?"
"Far worse! Yurianna is not just an Idea King, she even has a 'Foolish Domain Expansion'! She can subtly infect everyone around her, turning them into idiots who join in on her stupid plans."
Yan Huan seed to know the Student Council's Secretary inside and out, speaking with lingering dread,
"Anyway, if we leave that highly proactive idiot Yurianna unchecked, do you believe
when I say that not only will you beco a demon in their eyes, Sister Tong, but this place will also beco very lively very soon?"
"They are just a bunch of kids who have not even grown all their hair yet. What kind of waves could they possibly make?"
Right at that mont, the waiter ca over to set the tableware. Tong Yingying smiled disdainfully, leaving Yan Huan speechless as he retorted,
"...They are the sa age as . Sister Tong, can you not use an area-of-effect insult?"
"Hmm."
Tong Yingying rested her cheek on her hand, looking Yan Huan up and down before saying aningfully,
"You certainly are not."
The sentence was left unfinished. The full phrase should have been, "You certainly are not lacking hair."
"..."
Yan Huan caught the implication, and his expression inevitably darkened.
He was growing increasingly curious about what exactly she had done that night they were drunk and shared a bed, for her to so readily co to such a conclusion.
Yan Huan did not take the bait. Just then, the waiter approached.
He had not brought back a charger. Instead, he carried two tablets and a bottle of white wine,
"Here are your drinks, you two. And these are today's nus; please select your appetizers."
Yan Huan took the tablet. Tapping on the dish nas revealed photos of the finished als.
He casually tapped on two items, and what popped up were entirely those delicate Michelin-style dishes—massive food plating with minuscule portions.
Consequently, Yan Huan moved the tablet aside slightly and looked at Tong Yingying,
"Sister Tong, with your appetite, eating this little... I am afraid it will not even be enough to get stuck in your teeth, will it?"
In Yan Huan's eyes, aside from the nickna 'Yu Qian of the South District', Tong Yingying also enjoyed the esteed title of 'Agent of the Seven Deadly Sins'.
Setting the others aside for a mont, her 'Gluttony' alone was beyond compare for an ordinary person.
Judging from how she secretly made Yan Huan prepare caral pudding for her extra als every day, it was clear she had absolutely no sense of calorie managent.
"..."
Glancing at the waiter snickering nearby, Tong Yingying's face turned slightly red.
She had originally planned to act like a refined lady for today's date, but this kid knew her far too well. He knew all her secrets, making the whole situation a bit embarrassing.
"I caught a slight cold recently and my throat is itchy, so my appetite is poor. Happy now? I will have the caviar salad for my appetizer."
"...Itchy throat, huh? Sister Tong, why do you not eat so chicken feet so they can scratch it on the way down? Do not starve yourself."
"Scratch my foot!"
Tong Yingying's face darkened. Unable to keep up the lady-like act any longer, she instinctively reached to pull out her taser, only to rember that her outfit today had no place to conceal it,
"I am treating you to a nice al for once, and you are being picky about it, huh? When we get back, I will treat you to a taser, and then you will behave."
Yan Huan looked completely innocent as he spread his hands and said,
"I am just thinking of you, Sister Tong. It is expensive and does not even fill you up. What is wrong with
helping you save money?"
Tong Yingying instinctively wanted to retort, 'Why do you need to save my money for ?' But upon second thought, she seed to pick up on a subtle implication hidden in his simple words.
Logically speaking, what did soone else's money have to do with him? Why would he need to worry so much about it?
Thinking about it carefully, ever since she opened the bar in the South Ward, this kid had always been looking out for her finances, finding ways to both increase revenue and cut expenses.
He was just a brat working for her, so where did this owner's ntality co from?
Unless... this kid viewed the two of them as a family, seeing himself as the 'boss's husband'.
Not only did he consider her bar his, but he considered her his as well?
In other words, this kid really liked her?!
"..."
Thinking this, Tong Yingying imdiately swept away the guilty conscience she felt after being provoked by Sakuramiya Hitomi earlier, suddenly brimming with confidence.
But once the wave of confidence passed, a coy shyness surged into her heart. With these thoughts in mind, Tong Yingying's face flushed slightly. She gave a light cough and said,
"Just eat. One al is not going to bankrupt , and your older sister is much richer than you think. You are smarter than I am. If you are willing, I can let you manage my money from now on~"
'Sister Tong, do you have any idea that right now, you perfectly resemble one of those older idiots who has never been in a relationship and gets swindled for both money and sex by a bad guy?'
'The kind who has quite a bit of wealth but zero romantic experience—the naive type who easily blooms with a bit of sunshine and eagerly offers up voluntary gifts.'
"..."
However, Yan Huan was indeed not an emotional idiot, nor did he want to be a bad man who swindled both money and sex.
He had realized Tong Yingying's intentions a long ti ago. It was just that back then, the one he liked was Sakuramiya. He had basically kept his guard up against everything else and never crossed the line.
That was why there had been so many tis when he acted like an 'iron straight man' lacking an understanding of romance in front of Tong Yingying.
Besides, no matter how much of an idiot one was, after finding out from Myau-chan that Tong Yingying had secretly kissed him that night, anyone would understand what her intentions were.
But now, Sakuramiya had already crashed and burned.
With his biggest shield and excuse having vanished like smoke and clouds, Yan Huan's heart was forced to directly confront this mysterious yet close red-haired older sister.
'What exactly do I feel for Tong Yingying?'
Yan Huan could not help but ask himself.
After pondering for a mont, he raised his eyes to look at the incredibly beautiful Tong Yingying in front of him, eting her shy yet seemingly profound words.
Just as he was about to speak, a sudden noise from the side interrupted him,
"Who cares about your lousy money!?"
The crisp voice was like a massive boulder thrown into the tranquil waters of the Sonatina in F Major, instantly shattering the elegant, quiet atmosphere like startling thunder from level ground.
Yan Huan and Tong Yingying both froze slightly. Turning their heads, they saw a girl standing outside the entrance, panting.
She had cherry-blossom hair that faded from black to pink, a delicate face, and a petite figure, yet her aura was incredibly intimidating.
Clearly, she had just overheard the last sentence Tong Yingying said to Yan Huan.
"Sakuramiya?"
Looking at the familiar face that had suddenly appeared in this place, Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and could not help but glance at his dead phone.
'I knew this was going to go south,' he thought to himself.
Tong Yingying, who had been sowhat shyly waiting for Yan Huan's response, instantly turned cold. Looking at the young girl at the entrance, she sneered,
"Oh, what big talk..."
Hearing Tong Yingying's mockery, Sakuramiya Hitomi stared back at her without backing down.
Because she had a strong premonition that if she waited any longer for the President to give his so-called 'response', she would truly be left singing 'Snowflakes drift, the north wind blows' in utter defeat.
"Everyone, everyone! Please hold on! We operate on a reservation-only basis here. Unless invited by a mber, you must book in advance to be seated for a al, I am very sorry!"
At this mont, several seconds late, several waiters hurried over, trailing behind the remaining mbers of the Student Council and Jiang Nuannuan.
Clearly, their division of labor just now had been very straightforward.
The rest of the group had stalled the waiters, giving Sakuramiya the opening she needed to break through the defensive line and charge straight into the inner area.
And without even guessing, one could tell this bright idea was definitely cooked up by that idiot, Yurianna.
Yan Huan glared at Yurianna, who was surrounded by the waiters, while she simply rubbed the back of her head foolishly.
The others were all students from the Outer Campus; they had never seen a scene like this in their daily lives.
But Sakuramiya Hitomi had been imrsed in this kind of environnt since childhood, so she was not intimidated in the slightest by the aura of the place.
She simply stared straight at Tong Yingying, returning the sneer,
"Whether I am bluffing or not, you will find out right now."
With that said, Sakuramiya Hitomi smiled nonchalantly. She finally stopped concealing her presence, letting her aura fully erupt!
Money Power, Ninth Stage!!
She glanced back at the waiter beside her and said evenly,
"Go notify the largest shareholder of this establishnt. Tell him that I am buying out all his shares today. From now on, this restaurant will take my surna, Sakuramiya.
"That way, my friends and I will finally be able to dine here, right?"
As soon as this domineering statent was uttered, the entire venue fell completely silent.
The surrounding waiters were utterly dumbfounded, all seeming to think inwardly:
'Just what kind of background does this girl have?'
Hearing this, Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, and Tong Yingying's expression seed to beco deeply aningful.
Jiang Nuannuan was filled with astonishnt, while Yabashi Ki and Ashley both stared blankly, seemingly unable to believe that she would actually buy an entire restaurant over such a trivial matter.
Was this the world of a Money Power User?
Yurianna, however, did not overthink it at all. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi Wayne and praised,
"Waku waku! Sakuramiya, you are way too cool! This is just like shooting a movie!! For taking back our President who was lured away by money, and for protecting the purity of the Student Council, Sakuramiya, you are the absolute MVP!"
The expressions of the waiters beside them shifted slightly. They exchanged glances before saying,
"Understood. Please wait a mont."
With that, they left to seek instructions from their superiors.
"Hmph."
Sakuramiya Hitomi crossed her arms, looking provocatively at Tong Yingying in her seat, as if asking:
'What are you going to do about it?'
Tong Yingying sat motionless, seemingly awed by Sakuramiya Hitomi's sheer audacity.
Sakuramiya Hitomi could even imagine it—how she appeared calm on the surface, but was actually gnashing her teeth in anger, wishing she could chop her up, slice her apart, and mince her to pieces.
'I am so sorry, old woman.'
'Not just in age and appearance, but also in fig—'
'In short, no matter how you look at it, I am winning by a mile against you, old woman!'
These proud thoughts naturally bubbled up within her, lasting right up until the very next second, when the managent summoned by the waiters called out to her from behind,
"Um, hello there, guest. Could you please step aside for a mont?"
"Hmm? No problem."
Sakuramiya Hitomi paused slightly, unsure of what the managent needed to go inside the room for at a ti like this, but she instinctively stepped out of the way.
"Thank you."
After thanking Sakuramiya Hitomi, the manager walked straight into the room, approached Tong Yingying, and respectfully requested her instructions,
"President Tong, since you are already here, what do you think..."
Hmm?
What President Tong?
Sakuramiya Hitomi blinked, her brain failing to process the situation.
Tong Yingying did not even glance at the manager beside her. She just stared directly at Sakuramiya Hitomi with a disdainful smile,
"Sure. Did she not want to buy out my shares and change the restaurant's surna to Sakuramiya? Go on, invite soone over to negotiate a price."
"..."
Hearing this, no matter how oblivious Sakuramiya Hitomi was, she finally realized:
The largest shareholder of this restaurant was the damn Tong Yingying sitting right in front of her!!
This did not necessarily prove the other party was richer than her, but...
Showing off in front of her rival, making wild claims about buying out her shares, while she just sat motionless, watching her perform!
You could figure it out with your ass that this woman was definitely not going to sell; she was only saying this to humiliate her.
Seriously, what did it an to be embarrassed?
She was dying of cringe.
Sakuramiya Hitomi's expression, along with her entire body, instantly stiffened. She looked fine on the outside, but inside, her soul seed to have left her body quite a while ago.
Her toes curled so hard they could not just dig out a three-bedroom apartnt; they nearly dug straight through the soles of her shoes.
Unable to handle the crushing embarrassnt, she instinctively turned around to look for her teammates.
But how could any of the Outer Campus students behind her possibly help?
Instead, she saw the group behind her collectively covering their faces. Yurianna had outright hugged Jiang Nuannuan, completely unable to lift her head in sha.
"Ugh..."
Now isolated and helpless, Sakuramiya Hitomi took a critical hit. Her face flushed bright red, and her body trembled so violently she nearly burst into tears on the spot.
"..."
Seeing this, Yan Huan helplessly retracted his gaze.
He glanced at Tong Yingying, his eyes full of confusion, as if to ask:
'Since when did you beco President Tong here?'
Tong Yingying did not answer. She rely gave Yan Huan a wink, carrying an air of 'my coolness speaks for itself.'
"..."
Too lazy to deal with Tong Yingying's thoroughly secretly thrilled expression, Yan Huan thought for a mont before pulling out the credit card Ye Lan had given him from his wallet. He said to Tong Yingying,
"Sister Tong, I will pay for their portions. Do you think you can arrange a table for them as well?"
Hearing this, Tong Yingying did not imdiately agree. She first glanced at the card Yan Huan handed over, instantly recognizing that it was no ordinary card.
This kind of card...
Did that elder surnad Ye give it to him?
Naturally, she was sowhat reluctant. After all, this was originally supposed to be a dinner for just the two of them. What was the point if outsiders were joining?
But thinking it over carefully, other than Sakuramiya Hitomi—whom she personally found annoying—the rest of them were just Yan Huan's regular friends...
"Oh~"
With that thought, Tong Yingying suddenly seed to realize sothing that would not only tornt Sakuramiya Hitomi even more but also bring herself more excitent.
Thus, pretending to be nonchalant, she pushed back the card Yan Huan offered and granted permission,
"It is fine. I can still afford to treat them to a al."
Saying this, she looked at the manager beside her and instructed,
"Set up a seat for each of them. Including the one who said she was going to buy out my shares."
"!!"
Her voice was neither too loud nor too quiet, pitched perfectly for Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was standing at the entrance, to hear.
She was furious on the inside, but she knew that if she kept making a scene, she would lose whatever face she had left.
If her mont of showing off earlier had succeeded, there was no doubt it would have been an absolute nuclear explosion against Tong Yingying.
But since it had failed, she had lost the initiative and had no choice but to swallow this defeat, biding her ti to strike back later.
However, she had to admit, previously she had been completely dismissive of the so-called 'Red-Haired Demon' that Nara had ntioned.
It was not until that day that she truly realized Tong Yingying was a remarkably troubleso opponent.
Especially on that day, when she reached out to press down on her phone, hanging up the call she was making to the President...
Sakuramiya Hitomi did not feel grateful in the slightest, because all she sensed from the other woman was pure 'disdain', and a 'pity' toward her that sprouted from that disdain.
The re thought that even her qualification to sit at the table right now was 'charity' from Tong Yingying made Sakuramiya Hitomi feel sick!
"Understood, President Tong. I will go arrange it right away."
The manager left to arrange the seating, and Sakuramiya Hitomi took a deep breath to calm herself down.
So what if it was sickening? It was just a pot of half-cooked rice.
She still had cards to play, and no matter what, she could not retreat.
Otherwise, just as her earlier premonition warned, she would truly end up dead and buried, forced to watch this old woman dance on her grave.
She would definitely win this revival match!
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