Chapter 574: The Chosen One Fails to Show Off Again!
Zhang Zhiyun was annoyed, and the pleasure of showing off was mostly gone, but since he had already spoken, it was hard to retract. Anyway, this amount of money was nothing to a man like him with a Supreme Black Card. He looked at the waiter:
"Why aren't you taking it yet?"
Could it be that this waiter doesn't recognize the Supreme Black Card? This high-end restaurant, YUHE Pavilion, seems to lack experience.
The waiter looked troubled and politely said:
"Sir, our YUHE Pavilion is a century-old establishment with a rule: we only accept cash, no cards or transfers. There's a notice at the entrance, didn't you see it?"
Zhang Zhiyun was instantly dumbfounded. The world seemed to grind to a halt. His confident smirk froze, cracking like thin ice. He was so fixated on orchestrating this power play against Shen Anyu, so focused on dazzling his fiancée, Ji Xiaolin, that the mundane details of the world had blurred into an insignificant background. 'How could I pay attention to all that?' he thought, a wave of panic rising in his chest. Only cash? No cards, no transfers? In this day and age, who carries millions in physical currency? It was an absurd, archaic rule designed for a bygone era.
The Supreme Black Card, a symbol of near-limitless wealth and prestige, remained suspended between his fingers. It hung in the air, a monument to his failed attempt at dominance. The obsidian rectangle, once a weapon of social annihilation, now felt like a cheap plastic toy. The air thickened with a mortifying silence, and Zhang Zhiyun could feel the weight of every gaze in the room pressing down on him. The card, and the man holding it, were utterly, excruciatingly awkward.
The surrounding customers, meticulously selected actors on Shen Anyu's payroll, began their performance. Their whispers were perfectly pitched—just loud enough to be heard, sharp enough to cut deep.
"Is this person an idiot? Everyone who's anyone knows YUHE Pavilion's 'cash only' rule. It's part of their charm."
"YUHE Pavilion is a century-old establishment, a legacy. It doesn't bend to modern whims like some common restaurant. This guy is making a complete fool of himself."
"Ha, a Supreme Black Card? What a joke. He totally failed to show off. For all we know, it's a fake. My Dragon King Black Card is probably worth more."
"Seriously? Trying to flex and falling flat on his face. How embarrassing."
The whispers swirled around Zhang Zhiyun, each one a needle prick to his already fragile ego. Ji Xiaolin's expression was the final blow. She looked at him, her beautiful face a mask of cold detachment, as if he were a complete stranger who had inexplicably wandered to her table. The message was clear: 'I don't know him.' What kind of fiancé had her grandfather found for her? He was utterly unreliable, a buffoon who couldn't even handle a simple social situation. A cold certainty settled in her heart: it was a good thing she didn't like him. Never had, never would.
Shen Anyu watched the beautiful disaster unfold with a serene smile. This was his stage, his carefully constructed trap. Here, on his own turf, twisting a so-called Chosen One like Zhang Zhiyun around his finger was as easy as breathing. The entire restaurant, from the manager to the waiters to the gossiping patrons, was his puppet.
A crisp, emotionless notification echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun failed to show off and awkwardly scratched his feet, plundering +66666 Destiny Points!]
Zhang Zhiyun's face burned with a heat that had nothing to do with the room's temperature. The collective stare of the crowd, magnified by the pointedly disappointed look from Ji Xiaolin and the infuriatingly calm amusement dancing in Shen Anyu's eyes, made him feel naked and exposed. He desperately wished the polished floor would crack open and swallow him whole. But he was Zhang Zhiyun, the Young Sect Leader of the Tianshi Sect. He would not crumble. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he forced the tremor from his hands and banked the fire of his humiliation, channeling it into cold, sharp arrogance. He regained his composure, his spine straightening.
"Get your person in charge over here."
His voice was low, laced with a threat. He was going to escalate. He was going to turn this humiliation into an even grander display of power.
Before long, the General Manager of YUHE Pavilion approached, his expression a perfect blend of professional courtesy and subtle confusion.
"Guest, what can I do for you?" he asked, his eyes briefly flicking to the bill, then back to Zhang Zhiyun. "If you are unable to pay, you are welcome to put it on credit. You may write an IOU."
'Can't pay…' The words were a direct assault. A vein throbbed violently in Zhang Zhiyun's temple. He held the Supreme Black Card between his right thumb and forefinger, presenting it not as payment, but as a symbol of his station. His voice was a blade of ice.
"How much is your YUHE Pavilion worth?"
The General Manager didn't flinch. A practiced, affable smile touched his lips. "Our YUHE Pavilion is a century-old brand. Including the extensive manor it sits upon, the total valuation is at least three billion yuan."
Zhang Zhiyun lifted his chin, his eyes glinting with regained pride. This was his arena now. "Five billion," he declared, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "I'll buy YUHE Pavilion."
He would purchase the entire establishment on the spot. Then, he would turn and gift it to Ji Xiaolin. What was a mere Rolls-Royce Phantom compared to this? This was a flex that would echo through the entire city of Hangzhou.
Ji Xiaolin's perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched, but there was no surprise in her eyes. She knew Zhang Zhiyun's background. As the heir to the Tianshi Sect, he certainly commanded that level of financial power. The sect had been the undisputed hegemon of the Yanxia Artificer world for a millennium; its foundations were unimaginably deep.
However, she didn't care. She was not a woman swayed by money. If Shen Anyu, with all his charm and calculated gestures, couldn't move her with wealth alone, a brute like Zhang Zhiyun stood no chance.
Shen Anyu, standing nearby, wore a knowing, half-smile. Zhang Zhiyun had fundamentally misread the situation. He thought he could buy Ji Xiaolin's affection, but he was dead wrong. Any favorability Ji Xiaolin held for Shen Anyu had nothing to do with his riches; it was about the thoughtfulness, the care, and the attention to detail that his wealth allowed him to express.
Although Ji Xiaolin was constantly at odds with her father, Zhang Tianen, her core personality mirrored his: a certain contentment with simplicity, a spirit unburdened by material desires. It was a laughable notion that she would ever lack money. Ignoring her father's staggering power as a Celestial Master Peak expert, Ji Xiaolin herself was an Artificer True Person. For someone of her caliber, generating wealth was trivial. If she dedicated even a fraction of the time she spent dealing with street-level hoodlums to her craft, earning tens of millions a year would be a gross understatement. Common charlatans could make thousands drawing crude talismans; a genuine Artificer True Person could command fortunes.
Money might surprise her, but it would never truly move her.
At that very moment, Ji Xiaolin's beautiful eyes shot a murderous glare at Shen Anyu. Her bright, exquisite oval face was flushed with a charming, indignant blush. Her red lips parted almost imperceptibly as a furious whisper traveled directly into his mind.
"Shen Anyu, you're asking for death! Let go of my hand!"
Unseen by anyone, Shen Anyu's large hand was resting audaciously on her thigh, just above the knee. She wore no stockings, and the contact was electric—his warm, firm palm against her smooth, delicate skin.
He spared a casual, smiling glance at the posturing Zhang Zhiyun a short distance away, his lips barely moving as he sent his own voice transmission back.
"You tell me. Should I sell YUHE Pavilion to our friend Zhang Zhiyun?"
"Eh?" Ji Xiaolin's lovely eyes widened in genuine shock. She stared at Shen Anyu, the meaning of his words hitting her like a lightning bolt. Could it be… could this entire place belong to him?
"Yes," Shen Anyu's mental voice was laced with playful amusement, his lips curling into a wicked arc. "YUHE Pavilion is my family's property. It's not every day a big spender like Zhang Zhiyun comes knocking. Should I sell it to him for, say, several tens of billions?"
"Shen Anyu, you're too wicked," she transmitted back, but the anger was gone from her voice, replaced by a conspiratorial glee. A mischievous light danced in her eyes. The thought of her insufferably annoying fiancé, Zhang Zhiyun, being fleeced for such an astronomical sum was undeniably, deliciously appealing.
A sudden thrill shot through her—the thrill of plotting with Shen Anyu, of being his partner in crime. It was a dangerous, exciting feeling.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Ji Xiaolin's favorability +1, plundering +3000 Destiny Points!]
A faint, satisfied smile graced Shen Anyu's handsome face. 'This,' he thought, 'is the correct way to win over Ji Xiaolin.'
Just a little more, and her favorability would reach the crucial eighty-point threshold.
"Sir, I cannot make the decision to sell YUHE Pavilion; only the owner can approve such a transaction," the General Manager announced, his voice carrying just the right amount of regretful professionalism as he addressed Zhang Zhiyun.
"Then have your owner come over," Zhang Zhiyun commanded, his expression a mask of supreme confidence. With the Supreme Black Card, the capital he could mobilize was virtually limitless, dwarfing even the richest man in Hangzhou. He didn't care what YUHE Pavilion cost. Even if it was ten times the initial valuation—thirty billion—he would buy it. He would make this grand gesture right in front of his fiancée and his rival, cementing his dominance.
It was just money. And for him, money was never the problem.
"Sir, our owner will not be coming," the General Manager said, pocketing his phone after a mock call. He met Zhang Zhiyun's arrogant gaze squarely. "He said that if you wish to purchase YUHE Pavilion, the price is sixty billion!"
Sixty billion??
The arrogant confidence on Zhang Zhiyun's face shattered. His expression twisted into a mask of pure disbelief and rage. Did they take him for a complete and utter fool?
The YUHE Pavilion, with its century-old legacy and its sprawling hundred-acre manor, was indeed valuable. Three billion yuan was a conservative estimate. His offer of five billion was already generous. Ten times that amount would be thirty billion. But sixty billion? That was nearly twenty times the valuation! It was no longer a premium; it was extortion.
Even if money was no object to him, Zhang Zhiyun refused to be played for a sucker.
"Shen Anyu, you're asking for too much; Zhang Zhiyun won't agree," Ji Xiaolin transmitted, secretly pinching the large hand that was still resting on her thigh. Her beautiful eyes darted towards him, silently asking, 'Why is your hand still there?'
Shen Anyu was not accustomed to being pinched by women. While Ji Xiaolin's touch was light, he couldn't allow the habit to form. His hand moved instantly, capturing her slender, fair fingers. Her hand was delicate and felt boneless in his grasp, a perfect fit.
Ji Xiaolin's face flushed a deeper crimson. Her eyes flashed with indignation, but after a token struggle, she allowed her hand to remain in his.
Her heart began to pound a frantic, unsteady rhythm against her ribs.
Shen Anyu's lips curved upwards. He savored the moment before slowly transmitting his reply, his voice oozing confidence. "He will agree."
Then, under Ji Xiaolin's curious and puzzled gaze, Shen Anyu deliberately raised his voice so that everyone in the vicinity could hear him clearly:
"Xiao Lin, I also think this YUHE Pavilion is good. How about I buy it and give it to you?"
Ji Xiaolin's beautiful eyes widened.
Zhang Zhiyun's expression instantly turned sharp.
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