Does the taste of the food matter when dining in a shopping mall?
Not at all.
If you really want to try local specialties, who would choose to come to a place like this?
For a mall to boost revenue, what matters is table turnover.
Simple, fast, and decent enough in taste—that’s all it takes to qualify as a decent mall eatery.
Du Ruxue asked Chen Qimeng for a recommendation, putting her in a tough spot.
Chen Qimeng rarely ever dined here.
Which place was good, which had a nice ambiance, which was suitable for chatting…
Chen Qimeng had no clue about any of it!
She could only look at Lin Yu with pleading eyes.
Lin Yu immediately stepped in and said,
"Aunt Ruxue, we hardly ever come to Wanda Plaza."
"But I know a chain hotpot place with great service."
"How about we go there?"
"It’s straight ahead, the one at the end."
"Hotpot… what does everyone think?"
What to eat didn’t matter much to Lin Yu.
He only needed to consider where they could chat quietly.
The hotpot place he mentioned was a bit pricey for students.
But at least it guaranteed they wouldn’t run into any acquaintances.
Otherwise, they might bump into someone like Xiang Tiange right after sitting down.
Good grief, no wonder he’s not paying attention to Xiao Chi—he’s got someone else by his side~
How awkward would that be?
Chen Qimeng: "Xiao Yu’s suggestion is great. It’s been a while since I’ve had hotpot."
Du Ruxue: "Fine by me, no objections."
Maomao: "Mm, I’ll go with everyone."
...
Before long.
At a four-seater in [a certain hotpot chain].
"Say goodbye to all your troubles~ Say hello to all your happiness~"
"Dear~ dear~ Hap-py Birth-day to you!"
"Make every day wonderful~"
Chen Qimeng and Du Ruxue were busy ordering.
Lin Yu hummed the tune under his breath.
Every time he came to this hotpot place, if he didn’t hear this song, it felt like a wasted trip.
Too bad it was still 2014.
This chain hadn’t rolled out its birthday singing program yet.
Even The Birthday Song hadn’t been written!
The hummer had no ulterior motives, but the listener read too much into it.
Maomao, sitting beside Lin Yu, stared at him intently, her eyes brimming with unspoken words.
Lin Yu: "What’s up?"
Maomao: "I’ve never heard that song before. What’s it called?"
Lin Yu: "..."
From Maomao’s expression, Lin Yu could guess—
She wasn’t actually curious about the song!
She was worried it might turn into a "test question" someday, leaving her clueless!
She’d even take an interest in a random tune someone hummed.
Yet she couldn’t recognize such an easy route?
Lin Yu studied her for a moment before whispering:
"Ohhh~"
"So Maomao hasn’t heard this song? That makes things easier next time!"
"Such a secret—why would I tell you?"
His teasing tone dredged up Maomao’s memories of their last defeat…
Maomao glanced at the two aunts across the table.
Making sure they were engrossed in ordering with the server,
she mustered the courage to lean closer to Lin Yu and say:
"Ah Bin, I watched…"
Lin Yu: "!!!"
She actually went and watched it?
Fine, she watched it—but why bring it up here?
Did she want a medal or something?
If the aunts asked what they were talking about, could her terrible lying skills even cover it?
Even so.
Lin Yu couldn’t suppress his curiosity…
"And then?"
Maomao murmured faintly:
"Yu, I suggest… you watch less of that stuff."
Lin Yu: "..."
He asked for her thoughts.
She advised him to reform.
It wasn’t like he watched much anyway!
Wasn’t this just…
teenage hearsay among peers?
Back then, a single thick novel could be torn into a dozen parts for alternating reading.
He definitely wasn’t the originator, just one of the relayers.
Lin Yu knew this wasn’t the time or place for a deep discussion.
He’d have to wait until after dinner to properly explain things to Maomao.
Before the hotpot arrived, the four chatted about light topics—
mostly the two aunts’ shopping experiences that day.
The real conversation only began once they started eating…
"Maomao, is there anything you’d like to say to me?"
Du Ruxue’s question came out of nowhere.
Maomao, who was scooping a fish ball, nearly dropped her spoon into the pot.
She stiffened as if facing a crisis, about to stand up and speak—
but Du Ruxue’s gaze pinned her back down before she could rise.
Lin Yu, sitting beside her, could clearly sense her tension.
Yikes!
Was the interrogation starting now?
He thought they’d gotten through the day without this.
Turns out…
what’s coming will come.
Too brutal!
Lin Yu wanted to mediate, but there was no opening.
Aunt Ruxue had singled out her "younger daughter."
What right did he have to interrupt?
He could only shoot Maomao a good luck look and wait for her response.
After a long pause, Maomao finally spoke:
"I’m sorry, Aunt Ruxue."
"I should’ve discussed moving into Aunt Qimeng’s apartment with you first."
"It was wrong of me, and I deserve to be punished… I’ll accept any punishment willingly."
Her head was bowed, hiding her expression.
But the way she said "willingly" made it clear she was anything but.
Silence followed.
Du Ruxue acted as if she hadn’t heard, continuing to eat unhurriedly.
Chen Qimeng nudged her lightly with an elbow.
In Lin Yu’s [Aunt Database], this kind of interruption was strictly forbidden!
It wouldn’t serve as a reminder—it might even provoke Du Ruxue’s irritation.
Maomao’s half-hearted apology clearly hadn’t hit the mark.
At the very least,
it didn’t satisfy Du Ruxue.
Her silence meant she expected Maomao to keep talking.
Qimeng shouldn’t have touched her!
But then again…
when it was Qimeng doing the nudging, all rules seemed to vanish.
Du Ruxue finished chewing, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and finally addressed Maomao:
"The mistake’s already made. Punishing you won’t turn back time."
"Tell me what you really think, Maomao…"
"How do you like Qimeng’s apartment?"
"Are you planning to stay for a few days, or settle in long-term?"
Maomao looked up at her, startled.
When Aunt Ruxue first questioned her, she’d felt like she was back under her strict household rules.
But now…
Aunt Ruxue was actually asking for her opinion?
Was this a dream?
...
(Second update for today. More coming soon!)
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)
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!
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
