Chapter 69: Avoid it!
Guang Yu finally understood that in the Mortal Realm, there was a power even stronger than divine abilities—it was called the power of money.
This power of money* was truly incredible. It didn’t even require a perception-blocking barrier; all one had to say was, “I’ll cover the bill for everyone,” and instantly, all the diners in the restaurant had “amnesia” and began singing praises of Ye Qinghe!
[*” The power of money (钞能力 chāo néng lì)”: A play on words in Chinese internet slang, where “钞” (chāo) means “money” and is phonetically similar to “超” (chāo), meaning “super.” It’s used to humorously describe how wealth can seemingly solve any problem as if it were a superpower.]
Amazing, simply amazing.
She had learned something valuable.
But alas, without money, this power was not for her to wield.
With all this commotion, Ye Qinghe had no choice but to leave the restaurant early.
Now that his identity had been exposed, if he stayed any longer, he’d be surrounded by a crowd as if holding an impromptu “press conference.”
Not long after he walked out, Ye Zhijun received a message from her father on her phone.
“Yun’er, you and Zhibai can keep eating, no need to rush. No one recognized you two. After you’re done, head to the parking lot, and I’ve arranged for the maid’s car to take you home. Also, please greet the Lin family’s girl for me; it’s rude if we don’t acknowledge her since she works at our restaurant. And, make sure to thank her properly for being friends with Zhibai—it’s very important.”
Ye Zhibai had already taken off her sunglasses.
She blinked her big eyes and, seeing Zhijun holding her phone with a slight frown, curiously asked,
“Zhijun?”
“Hmm? It’s nothing, Sis. Dad just said we should finish our meal and head home. He’s probably busy heading to the company by now.”
Sneaky Yun’er ignored the second half of Dad’s message.
Ah, right, greeting Lin Zihan is proper etiquette after all, but you’ve got to consider the actual situation!
The reality is that Ye Zhijun is out enjoying a meal with her sister—what a perfect opportunity for some one-on-one time!
Why would she willingly call Lin Zihan over and ruin it? That would be incredibly foolish!
Zhijun weighed the pros and cons in her mind, nodding to herself, satisfied with her logic.
But she still heard a calm reminder from Ye Zhibai.
“Zhijun, it looks like Lin Zihan is heading our way. She’s probably coming to see us.”
Pfft—cough…!
Careless!
She hadn’t moved, but the enemy launched a surprise attack!
Well, what did you expect? Ye Qinghe had just declared that the entire restaurant’s bill was on him, which meant Lin Zihan, the cashier, suddenly found herself without work!
After all, processing one bill for a hundred tables is much easier than handling a hundred separate payments.
With nothing to do, of course, she’d come to see her little angel right away!
Zhijun looked up and saw Lin Zihan, dressed in simple khaki casual attire, smiling brightly and waving as she strode over.
Seeing her friend arrive, Ye Zhibai instinctively wanted to raise her arm and wave back.
But just as she was about to lift it, Zhijun abruptly hugged her arm, keeping it firmly in place! It didn’t go up!
Zhijun’s reaction was completely natural, like a cat guarding its food. When faced with a threat, asserting her claim was a must!
There was nothing wrong with Zhijun asserting her claim—it was her right.
But poor Guang Yu suffered for it!
This had nothing to do with the little fox, but when Ye Zhibai’s arm was suddenly hugged, her body tilted sideways.
—And she bumped right into Guang Yu’s shoulder!
“!”
Guang Yu’s freshly completed fishbone tower, painstakingly built over half an hour from fish bones, collapsed in an instant!
Tears welled up in the little fox’s eyes as she watched her labor of love crumble to dust.
She just wanted to shout in protest.
Could you at least have some? Decency!
Could you pay a little attention to your surroundings? Oundings!
Could you…!
Oh, wait, Zhijun can’t see me.
Never mind, then.
Sigh… Rather than complain, it’s better to start rebuilding from scratch and stay motivated.
This time, it’s going to be taller than before!
Fueled by determination, she turned to Zhibai and said,
“Xiaobai, eat more fish. I need more bones for my grand endeavor.”
“Go away.”
Lin Zihan came over and sat properly across from the two sisters, straight-backed and serious.
Despite Zhiyun’s territorial glare, she wasn’t intimidated at all. Instead, she responded with her usual mischievous and sarcastic tone.
“Haha… Zhijun? Look at you, being all fierce like this isn’t good. I’ve heard that if a woman gets angry too often, her temper will grow as narrow as her heart. As your friend, I’m genuinely concerned.”
“Even the narrowest heart can’t compare to your rotten personality.”
“Oh my, thanks for the compliment! For me, that’s high praise.”
“People who are shameless truly have no weaknesses.”
“And yet, trees that shed their bark don’t live long. I’m still alive and well, which proves I’m quite respectable~”
“You…!”
Wonderful, truly wonderful.
Guang Yu watched this bickering match while rebuilding her tower, wanting to applaud in delight.
But unfortunately, Ye Zhibai could no longer ignore the scene really have to argue every time they meet? At least they aren’t physically fighting anymore, but the intensity of their verbal sparring hasn’t dropped at all!
“Ahem.”
Ye Zhibai cleared her throat twice, and the effect was immediate.
The moment Zhijun and Lin Zihan noticed her movement, they both fell silent and turned their gazes toward her.
Uh…
Don’t stop arguing so suddenly! At least give me a buffer don’t know what to say!
She didn’t speak, but her thoughtful intentions were clear to both Zhijun and Lin Zihan.
Lin Zihan understood. Arguing with Zhijun only made things harder for Xiaobai.
So, both of them voluntarily stopped their confrontation.
Lin Zihan even placed her hands on her lap, asking Xiaobai seriously,
“Xiaobai, let’s not talk about anything else for now, but can I ask what just happened? I heard Uncle Ye mention something about a public service performance… but I’ve been working here since yesterday and haven’t heard of anything like that. So… what just happened wasn’t a performance, right? It was something real, wasn’t it?”
“Mm, Lin Zihan, let me explain…”
“Ah! We agreed last time, you have to call me Zihan, not Lin Zihan!”
“…”
Ye Zhibai felt a bit awkward explaining the situation. After all, she had stood up for her friend, and it felt strange to tell the story of her heroism.
Naturally, the task of story telling fell to Zhijun.
Zhijun had the talent to give an off-the-cuff, two-hour motivational speech at the college entrance exam ceremony!
When she recounted her sister’s heroic deeds, it was with pride overflowing, her voice full of vivid animation!
“…And that’s how it went. Ah… my sister’s heroic stance— I’m sure I’ll relive it in my dreams tonight. Her courage to stand up for a friend is something I deeply admire!”
One moment she was recounting the story with pride, and the next, Zhijun cast a sidelong glance at Lin Zihan.
“Let’s be clear, Lin Zihan. Although my sister did stand up to argue on your behalf, don’t get any ideas or misunderstand. It’s just part of her excellent character, not because you hold some special place in her heart! You have to understand that clearly.”
For once, Lin Zihan didn’t have a snappy retort for Zhijun’s words.
Because… she was utterly stunned.
She had imagined countless possibilities for why this happened, but never would she have guessed that it was because of her!
And… and Xiaobai stood up for me?
Ah… what do I do?
Her heart was beating wildly out of control.
After a moment of silence, Lin Zihan stood up.
She turned around and patted the immaculately clean sofa behind her.
“Wait a second, there’s some dust on the sofa.”
There was no dust. The sofa was spotless, as the restaurant was newly opened, and the furniture was brand new.
But she needed to turn around.
Because…
Ugh, her face was turning red, and she had to hide it!
It was all Xiaobai’s fault!
