Chapter 69

Xun Jiang followed closely behind the luxury car in front, a car whose appearance alone could inspire envy and jealousy. He hesitated several times before speaking.

After reading the messages in the group, Xin Ran turned around and saw Xun Jiang's indescribable expression. "Brother Xun Jiang? Just say what you want to say. I think you're about to suffer internal injuries from holding it in."

"Is Mr. Feng's car too comfortable? Xia Xia won't get in our car. I'm so angry!"

Xin Ran knew Xun Jiang was jealous, so she joked, "A car worth 25 million must be comfortable to ride in. It's just as comfortable as sitting on your own living room sofa. If Xia likes it, let her ride in it."

Xun Jiang frowned. "How about we get another one?"

Xin Ran looked at the car in front of her and said in a relaxed tone, "Sure, let's take out our savings. If that's not enough, we can sell my villa and set aside nearly a million a year for maintenance. We can splurge a little. We're people with money to burn."

"How much is the maintenance fee?!" Xun Jiang shouted, turning his head to the side in excitement. "It's just a means of transportation. Is it going to be used as a hotel or for swimming? Rich people are burning money. The maintenance fee alone is enough for us ordinary people to live on for several years. It's really infuriating to compare yourself to others."

Xin Ran reached out and switched the car to self-driving mode. "Feng Xu is one of the top ten CEOs of listed companies in the New Territories. Even if we're going to compare, we won't compare wealth with him. We'll compare hard work with him, and he'll definitely lose so badly he won't even have underwear to wear."

Xun Jiang laughed in exasperation, then sighed, "Sigh, I have to admit it, my Xia Xia was seduced away by the big CEO just like that."

Xin Ran's face remained calm, but her eyes were bright. "No, Xia probably doesn't have any plans to get married."

Xun Jiang turned to look at Xin Ran, "The same as you?"

"drop!"

Anna sent another message: Fellow travelers, get your photography gear ready, the sunset over the old and new highways, one of the world's top ten wonders, is about to take place, known as the "Ember Dawn".

Chi Xia stared blankly at the words "Dawn" for a few seconds, while Tong Yue rolled down the car window and excitedly shouted, "Look! The sun is as big as a straw hat, and it's as red as a heart!"

All five vehicles slowed down, turned on their hazard lights, and stopped to the side, and the other vehicles traveling in the same direction did the same.

For a moment, all vehicles on the highway connecting the New Territories and the old capital pulled over to the left and stopped, their hazard lights forming a continuous line.

In this era, highways are built like ladders to the sky, towering far above the surrounding buildings. Cars traveling on highways look like red light strips dancing in the air.

The pedestrians in the car were stunned by the giant sunset, feeling a magnificent view of the sun falling into darkness from a high place. In its final moments, the entire sky was bathed in the afterglow of the sun, colorful and vibrant.

Feng Xu turned to look at Chi Xia, backlit and bathed in the warm sunlight. "Do you want to come down? I'll take pictures of you and Tong Yue."

The boy's smile was brighter than the sun, and Tong Yue's smile was incredibly radiant. "No, no, no, I'll take the picture for you!"

Previously, they only had ID photos; this was Chi Xia's first time taking a group photo. Tong Yue used the wristband to take several pictures of the two of them. A little while later, Anna ran over and organized everyone to take a group photo, having a passerby take two pictures of them together.

Against the backdrop of the setting sun, in the instant the image froze, smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

The restaurant was located at the first intersection after exiting the elevated highway. The sun was setting, the sky was overcast, and the air was shrouded in gloom as we approached the old capital.

Before entering the store, Anna sneezed. "The men go in to order, we'll go buy clothes."

As she spoke, she took off the coat that Lin Xiang had draped over her shoulders and put it back on him.

Lin Xiang refused twice, asking Anna to put it on, but Anna didn't. The way the two cared for each other was very touching.

Lin Keli secretly recorded a video of the two of them, intending to use it to tease and blackmail them later.

Tong Yue glanced at Lin Xiang absentmindedly, frowned slightly after looking at him, and subconsciously tugged at his brother's sleeve.

Feng Xu knew that Tong Yue was observing Lin Xiang. He put his arm around Tong Yue's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look. To avoid being noticed, he led Tong Yue into the steaming hot pot restaurant first. The scalding heat, along with the lively chatter, filled the restaurant to the brim.

Other men followed suit and entered the store, asking the owner, who came to greet them, for private rooms.

The owner, shirtless with a large leather apron tied around his white, fleshy frame, explained with a booming laugh, "This area is incredibly valuable. We have too many customers to set up private rooms. How about we wait for that big round table by the window? It'll be ready soon."

Feng Xu turned to look at the others, wanting to ask for their opinions. Ye Feng frowned and surveyed the shops. Every shop was packed with people, eating as if they were rushing to a meal. Sitting inside, one would subconsciously wolf down their food. He asked in an icy tone, "Is it absolutely necessary to eat at this place?"

Cheng Yang flipped through Anna's guide, "Within a ten-mile radius, his family's restaurant is the most famous, Fatty Hot Pot, five stars."

The boss chuckled and patted Cheng Yang on the shoulder, making Cheng Yang hiss. The boss said heartily, "This young man knows his stuff. Come sit over here and wait."

There's a saying that's popular in the old city: no matter who you are, if you come to the old city, you have to be humbled like a dragon or crouch like a tiger.

Because the security situation here is really bad.

Cheng Mo leaned closer to Ye Feng's ear and said, "Forget it, we're out having fun, let's just go with the flow."

Ye Feng also turned his head to hide his irritated expression, "If Chi Xia hadn't come, I wouldn't have come."

Feng Xiao was bumped into and frowned, about to curse whoever was blind, when Xin Ran came over and covered his head, whispering, "Young man, don't be impulsive when you're out and about."

Releasing Feng Xiao from her mouth, Xin Ran smiled and looked at everyone, "Let's go, or we'll have trouble getting seats when they come back from their shopping."

Xin Ran's words instantly calmed everyone down, and they immediately followed the boss to wait for their seats.

For these pampered young masters who were waited on hand and foot, even the air they breathed was specially treated to be pleasant. This was probably the first time they realized how torturous it was to wait for a meal.

Sitting at someone's table, smelling the aroma of the food, and watching those people leisurely eating and chatting, you might feel an urge to rush over, pay their bill, and tell them to get lost.

Unfortunately, no, money has its own unchangeable rules.

Feng Xiao, whose stomach was growling with hunger, exclaimed, "What are they showing off for? Can't they eat faster? They clearly saw us waiting, but they insisted on dividing a piece of marbled beef into ten bites, as if they were afraid of choking to death!"

Cheng Mo: "That's human nature. People are used to flaunting the things they're using as a privilege. And businesses take advantage of this human nature to advertise themselves for free. They'd love for you if you didn't get to eat there this time, so you'd be thinking about coming back for revenge spending next time."

Feng Xiao's clear eyes were full of ignorance about human nature. "But once people are satisfied, they won't come back."

Cheng Mo shook his head. "Eating a meal can provide both psychological and physiological satisfaction, which will only make more people flock to it."

Feng Xiao shook her head. "I don't understand."

Feng Xu and Tong Yue sat to Cheng Mo's left. Tong Yue listened intently to Cheng Mo and Feng Xiao's discussion, while Feng Xu glanced at Cheng Mo after listening.

Feng Xu had brought his own clothes, and Tong Yue's were in the trunk. However, to avoid the special privileges Cheng Mo mentioned, he didn't take them out and preferred to wear the same clothes he usually wore in Xinshi as everyone else.

Ye Feng crossed his arms, watching with annoyance as the people at that table turned a meal into a display of privilege. He finally managed to get up and pay the bill with great difficulty.

Feng Xiao cursed, "They're fucking annoying! Don't let me see them in the New Territories, I'll beat them up every time I see them!"

Cheng Mo smiled and put his arm around Feng Xiao's shoulder. "You only become annoying when you covet something from someone and they don't give it to you. If you met them in a different setting or situation, you wouldn't even give them a second glance."

Feng Xiao turned her head, "Why?"

Cheng Mo: "Your concern is an emotion, and this emotion can distort the original appearance of things."

Feng Xiao covered her ears, "Stop talking, the more you talk, the more annoyed I get, I want to hit someone."

Cheng Mo laughed, "Anyway, I'm bored while waiting. If you disagree, come and argue with me."

Feng Xiao made a gesture, "No, I refuse to debate this awful topic."

After much anticipation, the group finally sat down at the table, scanned the QR code on the table, and began ordering.

Xun Jiang ordered a few dishes that Xin Ran liked, then turned to look at Xin Ran and asked, "Xia, what do you like to eat?"

Xin Ran thought for a moment, "She doesn't have any particular favorite foods, nor does she have any dietary restrictions; she eats everything."

Xun Jiang sighed softly, "Xia Xia doesn't seem to care much about many things. For example, she doesn't dress up like other girls, and she's not interested in food. Does she not have any hobbies?"

Xin Ran smiled and ordered two more dishes from Xun Jiang's bracelet interface, which were Xun Jiang's favorites. She said, "Don't say that about her. Her hobby is making money, and I think that hobby is very reliable."

“Making money isn’t the goal; life is.” Xun Jiang closed the interface and continued his discussion with Xin Ran in a low voice.

A short while later, the three women who had made purchases returned, their hands full of things. Lin Keli had bought things for Cheng Yang and his nephew Cheng Mo together.

Anna bought them for Lin Xiang, while Chi Xia had the most. She handed one to each of Xun Jiang and Xin Ran, then to Ye Feng, Feng Xiao, and Ye Feng's bodyguard, and finally to Tong Yue and Feng Xu.

Cheng Yang stared in disbelief at Chi Xia's actions, "Buying so many, do you even know everyone's size?"

Chi Xia put down her own things and sat down in the empty space between Xin Ran and Feng Xu. "This isn't difficult, is it? We can just estimate it by sight."

Anna laughed, "It wasn't difficult at all. I bought warm leather jackets. I scoured three nearby stores, and they were all from the same series, unisex, and in all sizes. The ones I chose are perfect as our team uniforms for this trip. Praise me!"

Cheng Yang clapped his hands in support, "That's amazing!"

With so many people, they ordered two hot pots with two broths, offering four different flavors. As soon as the dishes arrived, the group busied themselves with preparing the food. The aftereffects of waiting for a meal were that everyone who had sat on the sidelines was starving, feeling as if they could devour a whole cow.

Feng Xu had anticipated this outcome. After seeing what the others had ordered, he added a few more cooked dishes. Now, watching the teenagers wolfing down their food, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Lin Keli patted Feng Xiao next to her, "Why are you eating like a starving ghost? Eat slowly, no one is going to take it from you."

Feng Xiao puffed out her cheeks. "Teacher Lin, you don't understand." As she spoke, Feng Xiao slowed down and chewed slowly. "This meal is what I earned after sitting on the sidelines for a long time."

Lin Keli: "..."