After leaving the LV store, Su Yang took Lu Yun to a spicy Chongqing-style hotpot restaurant in the nearby commercial district.
Su Yang himself was quite fond of hotpot—it was economical, satisfying, and delicious.
Even though he had money now, he wasn’t interested in indulging in extravagant feasts every day.
Those fancy dishes were enjoyable once in a while, but eating them daily didn’t suit his taste, nor did he see the point.
No matter how rich you were, you should still eat what you liked. He thought it was downright stupid to frequent high-end restaurants just to show off.
It was peak dining hours, and the restaurant was nearly full. Busy waiters hurried back and forth with trays, creating a lively atmosphere.
Su Yang and Lu Yun waited in line for twenty minutes before finally getting a table and placing their order.
They ordered a feast: fatty beef rolls, duck blood, tripe, chicken gizzards, chicken feet, and more.
"Did we order too much?" Lu Yun glanced at the spread and immediately corrected herself.
"I’m not being stingy—I just don’t want to waste food if we can’t finish it."
Su Yang smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, we’re all about not wasting food. I have a big appetite—I’ll definitely finish it."
"As long as you can eat it all, order as much as you want," Lu Yun replied.
Soon, the red oil in the pot began to bubble, and Su Yang started adding ingredients.
"Do you usually eat Chongqing hotpot?" he asked.
"Yeah, I like it too," Lu Yun said.
"Good. I’d feel bad if you were just forcing yourself to eat it for my sake."
"I really do like it," Lu Yun said with a cute smile.
As they chatted and ate, Lu Yun’s face turned red from the spice. Su Yang had already ordered the mildest level of spiciness, knowing she couldn’t handle too much heat.
Watching her pant and stick out her tongue, Su Yang teased, "Is it really that spicy? This is just mild."
"I don’t know why I can’t handle it today. Normally, I’m fine with spicy food."
"Maybe it’s been too long since you last had it. Let me grab you a drink."
Su Yang stood up and headed toward the beverage fridge near the entrance.
But after just a few steps, he froze—someone he never expected to see was walking into the restaurant.
Their eyes met, but Su Yang pretended not to notice and continued toward the fridge.
The newcomer, however, brightened up and called out, "Su Yang? Is that you?"
Su Yang rolled his eyes. ‘Damn it, I pretended not to see you. Couldn’t you just walk away instead of greeting me?’
It was Lin Xiaomo, his ex-girlfriend from college—the one who had once mocked him for being "not good enough." She was the only girl he had ever officially dated.
Beside her stood a tall, muscular man, about 6'1" (185 cm), slightly taller than Su Yang.
The man had a strong build, looked around 25, with a slicked-back undercut, a square jaw, and a bit of stubble. His face was oddly pale, as if he wore makeup.
He wore a rolled-up black T-shirt, knee-length casual shorts, and white sneakers.
His overall vibe was polished but slightly effeminate.
Lin Xiaomo, on the other hand, was dressed provocatively—a tight gray dress that hugged her curves, a white handbag, and small white sandals.
She was undeniably attractive: long hair, a delicate face, big eyes, and glossy lips. Her chest strained against the tight fabric of her dress.
Su Yang turned his back to grab a drink, but Lin Xiaomo walked up and tapped his shoulder.
"Still pretending not to know me? I’d recognize you even if you turned to ashes."
Su Yang sighed and turned around. "What do you want?"
"Can’t I just say hi? We did have a history, you know." She smirked, completely unfazed, her eyes scanning him up and down.
"When did you get so fit? And you’ve gotten handsomer too—did you get plastic surgery?"
"None of your business."
"Who’s this?" the man behind Lin Xiaomo asked, stepping forward.
"Oh, my ex-boyfriend," she said bluntly.
"Ex? The ‘not good enough’ guy?" The man crossed his arms and smirked mockingly.
"Yeah, that’s him. But he’s gotten way hotter since college."
"Doesn’t matter how hot he is. If he’s bad in bed, that’s just how it is. Can’t change genetics unless he gets surgery."
Su Yang glanced at the man, then back at Lin Xiaomo. "This your new boyfriend?"
"Still under evaluation. Not official yet."
The man didn’t react, so Su Yang grinned. "You sure he’s not gay?"
"What the hell? You’re the gay one!"
"You give off major ‘three-second man’ vibes. You’re calling me bad in bed? I bet you don’t last any longer."
Lin Xiaomo burst out laughing.
"What’s so funny? Did I hit the mark? You must’ve tested him already."
"Not yet. But if he really only lasts three seconds, I might as well get back with you."
"Dream on. I don’t have time for this. Bye." Su Yang grabbed his drink and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Lin Xiaomo called after him.
"What now?"
"Add me on WeChat. You deleted me before, so we don’t have each other’s contacts anymore."
"No way. I’m over you. Bye." Su Yang walked off without another word.
"What a pretentious ass," the man muttered.
"So… is it really three seconds?"
"Of course not! You’re really gonna believe that crap?"
Lin Xiaomo covered her mouth, giggling. "Just kidding. Let’s go—I’m starving."
......
Lin Xiaomo and the man were seated by a waiter—coincidentally, right next to Su Yang and Lu Yun’s table.
Su Yang was beyond annoyed. ‘Are you kidding me? Why the hell are they sitting here?’
Lin Xiaomo noticed Su Yang and the pretty girl across from him. ‘Oh, so he’s on a date with a cutie.’
"Hello again! What a coincidence, huh?" she said, grinning at Su Yang.
Su Yang rolled his eyes. Lu Yun, confused, asked, "Su Yang, who is this?"
"Oh, uh… my ex-girlfriend."
Lu Yun gave an awkward smile. "Oh… okay."
"Is this your girlfriend?" Lin Xiaomo asked after ordering, leaning over.
"No, just a classmate."
"Just a classmate? She’s really pretty. What a shame."
"What’s the shame?" Su Yang snapped.
"That she met you—ruining her future happiness."
"Can you just shut up?" Su Yang glared at Lin Xiaomo’s smug face.
He wanted nothing more than to prove his current "capabilities," but he couldn’t say that with Lu Yun sitting right there.
Still, he had no interest in Lin Xiaomo anymore—even if she was skilled in certain areas.
But now, many of his thoughts had undergone a tremendous shift—he wasn’t as keen on competing or proving himself as before.
However, if Lin Xiaomo still insisted on pushing him relentlessly on this topic, he wouldn’t mind making sure she couldn’t get out of bed.

ress Kneels to Admit Wrong] [Dealing with Love-Struck Fools] [Forced to the Throne] Ren Tianye transmigrated into a female-oriented novel world, only to find everyone in it was utterly insane. He risked his life to save a young girl from barbarians, but was accused of arriving too late and branded the real murderer. He held a knife to a military officer's neck, demanding the troop tally, but the officer only cared about questioning his wife: "Do you not love me anymore? All these years of affection and time together, they were all a mistake, a mistake!" After seizing Yunji City, the original defending general, to save face with the Empress, knelt on the ground: "You must give Yunji City back to me, or I'll hang myself at the city gate and let everyone know you're a villain!" The young lord of the Duke's mansion, to please a woman, directly ordered a merchant: "The menstrual pads you buy for her must be studded with diamonds. Loving her means giving her the best." Having become a great general, he was about to marry a merchant's daughter, who set a pre-nuptial rule: "I can divorce you anytime. When that happens, you must give me half of your troops and soldiers!" Even the Empress was a severe love-struck fool, who ordered the execution of 70,000 elite troops simply because they stood in the way of her romance. Ren Tianye was speechless. He was done. Let it all burn! This deranged female-oriented novel world! ...

nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...

ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)