LIGHTNOVELSTORY chapter 27
27:
Su Bei’s thoughts were simple, just a matter of principle. Who usually hosts a celebration feast? Of course, it’s the beneficiary.
That means, for this celebration feast, it could be Sun’s parents, the school, or even Wu Mingbai who hosts. But it had absolutely nothing to do with Lan Subing.
Now that Lan Subing had booked the restaurant, it meant they were going AA. Since it was AA, it was only normal for him to pay his share in advance.
But Lan Subing was taken aback upon seeing the transfer. She hadn’t expected Su Bei to go AA with her. Due to her family’s circumstances, she almost always treated her classmates when they went out to eat during elementary and middle school.
After meeting Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai, they never took it for granted to have Lan Subing treat them, but due to the significant difference in their family backgrounds, it was usually the two of them who chose the restaurant.
This time, it was rare for her to pick the restaurant, and Lan Subing almost subconsciously wanted to treat, never considering AA.
Now, Su Bei’s initiative to go AA touched her unexpectedly.
The next second, Lan Subing received another transfer of 50 yuan, this time from Mutie Ren. She looked up to meet his eyes, and the class president nodded at her kindly.
Lan Subing averted her gaze, realizing something she hadn’t before. Her money, like a yo-yo, had come back to her hands.
Is this what a normal classmate relationship is like?
Suddenly, she remembered something—how did the two of them know the AA cost was 50?
Without having added Su Bei as a friend, Lan Subing followed the transfer information and sent a friend request to Su Bei, then messaged Mutie Ren.
[Silent yet Passionate Ice66: How did you know the AA was 50?]
Mutie Ren replied swiftly:
[Mu Sanxiang: Found the restaurant, then checked the official website for the group purchase of the six-person meal, 299, right? Smile.jpg]
Upon reading the message, Lan Subing had an epiphany. She also gained a new appreciation for the meticulousness of Mutie Ren and Su Bei.
Maybe hire them as accountants? The vengeful capitalist young lady thought to herself.
Beside her, Wu Mingbai heard the continuous ringing of Lan Subing’s phone and frowned in disgust, “Is it that couple again?”
Since that couple left the school yesterday, the Lan Corporation had officially begun their plan. With ample preparation beforehand, the Sun family was struck down to near bankruptcy within a single day.
After all, being wealthy, the Sun family had some connections and quickly learned that it was the Lan Corporation suppressing them, which led them to think of Lan Subing whom they had seen yesterday.
Knowing they had offended someone, they had been harassing Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing with messages and calls since this morning, hoping they would spare their family company. Fortunately, they could no longer enter the school, or else it would have been truly annoying.
Lan Subing shook her head and put away her phone without saying much.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, everyone immediately understood what ‘rave reviews’ meant. The place was packed to the brim, and if they hadn’t made a reservation, they probably wouldn’t have found a spot.
After the staff led them to a private room and left, Wu Mingbai skillfully began to liven up the atmosphere. He was naturally lively and cheerful, and unlike Mo Xiaotian who was brainless (in Wu Mingbai’s words), he was the best fit for the task.
But before they could chat for long, a noisy commotion erupted outside the door, as if someone was causing a scene.
Someone daring to cause trouble outside the supernatural academy? Everyone was very curious. Jiang Tianming frowned and took the initiative to open the door to check.
However, opening the door invited trouble. The troublemaker outside, a fat man, saw him and walked straight over, “Hey, I remember you’re a poor guy from Class F, right? How much did your reservation cost? I’ll give you five times that amount. Now, get lost!”
Hearing his words, Su Bei felt a profound sense of irony. True to being the protagonist, he could encounter trouble so casually. In his 15 years of life, he had never seen such a person like the fat man, but with the protagonist, he encountered one right away.
He had been wondering where yesterday’s prophesied ‘quarrel’ was, and now, here it was.
If I remember correctly, this chubby fellow seems to have crossed paths with him once before. On the first day of school, he went to the cafeteria for lunch with Si Zhaohua and Baozhu.
Their behavior that day left a deep impression on Su Bei, but unlike the favorable impressions of Si Zhaohua and Baozhu, this one was purely negative—a snobbish little man.
Jiang Tianming was instantly enraged: “In your dreams!”
He had recognized who the other party was, the chubby guy who had followed behind Si Zhaohua that day. It was thanks to this guy’s instigation that they had ended up arguing with Si Zhaohua.
Now, with their numbers, the chubby guy definitely wouldn’t come out on top without using his special abilities. In fact, Jiang Tianming alone was enough to take him down.
Although his physical strength wasn’t great, his fighting experience was certainly not lacking, and dealing with a pampered chubby guy was a piece of cake.
Rejected by him, the chubby guy sneered: “Don’t be ungrateful! I’m from Class A, and with just a flick of my special abilities, I could wipe you all out.”
He guessed that everyone in the private room, except for Mo Xiaotian, must be from Class F. Although Mo Xiaotian’s abilities hadn’t shown much offensive power, and his potential was high, he wasn’t worried about not being able to beat them.
“Wow!” Wu Mingbai feigned complete ignorance of their quarrel, pretending to be excited, “I’ve never used my special abilities to fight outside before!”
The chubby guy’s face stiffened at once, and he remembered that the school didn’t allow these new ability users to use their powers outside, and if discovered, the price would be steep.
At that moment, Mo Xiaotian delivered the fatal blow, cluelessly: “Eh? You’re going to use your abilities to fight here? That won’t do, I need to tell the teacher right away.”
Hearing this, the chubby guy’s face twisted, glaring at Mo Xiaotian: “Don’t play dumb, we’re all from Class A, why are you mingling with a bunch of Class F nobodies?”
“Pfft!” Su Bei couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He found it genuinely funny that the truly clueless Wu Mingbai went unnoticed, while the genuinely naive Mo Xiaotian was scolded by the chubby guy.
This guy must be blind, right?
Everyone was drawn to the laughter, and the chubby guy’s anger shifted: “What are you laughing at?”
Su Bei hadn’t planned to speak, just to watch the drama unfold. But since the microphone was passed to him, it would be rude not to say anything.
So he leaned back lazily in his chair, propping his head with one hand, and said nonchalantly: “I’m laughing because the people you invited are about to arrive, and you haven’t settled the restaurant yet.”
With that, the chubby guy was startled. He had almost forgotten about this, and after all the trouble of inviting people, if something went wrong, his family would definitely blame him.
He couldn’t deal with this group of people in a short time, so the priority was to find a new restaurant quickly.
Reflecting on this, he glared fiercely at Su Bei and the others, then with a “snap,” he slammed the door shut, pulled out his phone, and quickly left.
“How did you know he was going to treat someone?” After the others left, Mu Tie Ren asked curiously.
He had been ready to call the teacher, after all, even if the fat man didn’t use his powers, his nouveau riche appearance could still bring them a lot of trouble.
They had just helped the school catch the culprit, so asking for help from the school was definitely feasible.
But unexpectedly, before he could take action, Su Bei resolved the matter with a single sentence.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Su Bei explained lazily, with an “it’s nothing” demeanor, “Although there are many people outside, one or two empty seats can still be found. He insisted on a private room, clearly intending to host guests.”
Everyone suddenly realized. Indeed, if it were just a meal with one or two ordinary classmates, or eating alone, finding an empty seat outside would suffice. Only when hosting guests is a private room necessary.
This wasn’t hard to figure out, but only Su Bei realized it so quickly.
Admired by everyone’s gaze, Su Bei quietly asked his “Manga Consciousness,” “Did I interrupt some plot?”
“Manga Consciousness” was somewhat speechless: “Yes, this part would have deepened the conflict between Si Zhao Hua and the protagonist group.”
As a result of Su Bei’s interference, that plot point was skipped. Curious, he asked, “Without this plot, will the protagonist group still confront Si Zhao Hua during the monthly exam?”
“Of course.” “Manga Consciousness” affirmed, “Without this part, there will be another. The conflict is bound to escalate.”
Su Bei wasn’t surprised by this answer. If such a plot-driving conflict could be easily resolved by him, then the direction of a large segment of the story would have to change.
From their brief previous interaction, Su Bei didn’t believe Si Zhao Hua and Bao Zhu would become real enemies of the protagonist group. It was clear to him that their path would be one of turning foes into friends.
After the meal, Su Bei truly recognized this restaurant. The taste was indeed excellent, worthy of its fame throughout the superpower academy. And the price wasn’t expensive, so he could treat Feng Lan to a meal later.
He still owed Feng Lan for treating him at the school’s points cafeteria, and this was a good opportunity to return the favor.
Satisfied, everyone strolled towards the school. Jiang Tian Ming looked at Mu Tie Ren, “Class leader, did the teacher tell you about the monthly exam?”
Hearing this, Mu Tie Ren hesitated, but feeling there was nothing to hide, nodded, “The teacher said this monthly exam will be in the form of teaming up, and there might be mixed classes.”
Mixed classes meant that students from Class A could team up with Class B. Generally, unless they were friends, it was difficult for stronger superpower users to team up with weaker ones.
Everyone wanted to know more about the monthly exam. Except for Mo Xiao Tian, who was already in Class A, the others were not satisfied with their current class and hoped to move to another class after the exam.
—
But alas, the Ironwood man had only heard a mention of it from Meng Huai, and knew no more. He could only console, “The teacher should proactively inform us about the monthly test one week in advance. Don’t worry, we’ll know soon enough.”
Returning to the dormitory, Su Bei threw himself onto the bed as soon as he entered, unable to help but let out a long sigh, “The monthly test, ah…”
He couldn’t help but worry. Despite his bravado in front of Jiang Tianming, he knew his own bluff.
Though his ability had changed, from [Gear] to [Fate’s Gear], its attack power was still zero, and even the prophecy function was limited to once a day.
How could he continue this pretense during the monthly test? If exposed, those fans who admired strength would probably jump ship. Without them, who would fantasize about his ability being more powerful?
No, he had to think of a good plan. With that thought, he gradually drifted into sleep.
Early Sunday morning, Su Bei was suddenly alerted by the update notification of “Comic Consciousness”: “King of Abilities has been updated, please check it out!”