บท 8: Chapter 8: Mixer

"What the... Yun Hao? What are you doing here?"

Yun Hao was about to order his meal when a pair of irritating faces showed themselves to him. Just what kind of luck did he have to run into these guys again?

And if that wasn't enough, they were currently approaching him.

"That table, we would like that table!" One of the members of the group said as he pointed near Yun Hao.

"But... that table is occupied, sir," the waiter that was assisting them to their designated table could not help but slightly stutter as the group suddenly changed directions.

"It's alright, that guy is a classmate of ours. He'll understand."

"But sir--"

"Didn't your manager already explain who we are!?" The one leading the group then snarled at the waiter, causing him to slightly flinch back.

"I... I'll set up the table for you, sirs."

With the group of rich haughty spoiled brats egging on him, the only thing that an honest working citizen like him could do was follow them-- after all, he just got this job.

But… the one sitting at the table looked like some sort of gangster. These children… they weren't pranking him, were they?

"S… Sir? I… I regret to inform you that this table is actually reserved, I can transfer you to another table if… if you want to?"

"..." Yun Hao looked at the blabbering waiter for a few seconds, before letting out a short but deep sigh as he stood up from his seat. He initially wanted to refuse, but that would be making trouble for someone who was just doing their jobs-- something that Yun Hao had a lot of experience with; he wasn't about to do that to someone else.

"It's fine."

And as soon as Yun Hao's words reached the waiter's ears, a smile could not help but form on his face,

"T… then can I take your bags, sir? I'll put it in a locker for you."

"It's fine," Yun Hao quickly said as he grabbed his bags, "It's fine. I have some valuables inside so I would like to have it with me. Just lead me to my table."

"O… Of course, sir," the waiter nodded. He initially thought this scary man would punch him, but to think he was actually pretty decent-- polite, even.

"Pft."

Yun Hao's classmates then suddenly burst out in a fit of laughter as they approached Yun Hao.

"Just leave it with the guy, Champ," one of his classmates snickered, "It's not like you have a lot of money hidden there."

"Oi, don't be like that. Yun Hao has a lot of cars… to wash, that is--"

"Shut the fuck up or I'll knock out your teeth."

"..."

"Tch, let's just fucking leave the guy, he'll leave anyway once he sees the prices."

And so, with that, the group started sitting at Yun Hao's previous table, asking some of the waiters to add more tables to the side as they were expecting more people.

Yun Hao had actually thought of leaving as soon as the group arrived; but if he was going to back down every single time these fuckers show themselves now that he had money, then he might as well have proceeded in killing himself.

"...Take me to my table," Yun Hao then respectfully nodded towards the waiter.

"Y… yes, sir. Right this way, sir."

The waiter also politely bowed towards Yun Hao. He was a bit turned off when the other guys mentioned Yun Hao not having money, but who was he to judge when he was also struggling?

And besides, it did not hurt to be respectful. He had read a lot of those hidden CEO novels, and if there was anything he learned from them-- is that hidden young masters are plenty and eccentric. He wasn't about to be the one receiving the short end of the stick; it also didn't hurt his decision that this young man was built like a truck. A young master would cause him to lose his job… but if he was a hidden cultivator?

The waiter would be lucky to leave this place alive.

"This… is the table, sir."

"..." Yun Hao could not help but look back and forth between the table and the respectful waiter. He didn't even have to walk 3 steps to find his new table; at this point, he might as well be sitting at the same table with his classmates since they added a new table… which was basically touching his new table.

"Are you kidding me?" Yun Hao could not help but breathe out as he stared at the respectful waiter.

"N… no, sir. This… this is the only table left."

The waiter could not help but take in a long and deep breath as he noticed the huge scar on Yun Hao's face. Was this it!? Was he going to die at the hands of a hidden cultivator?

Seeing the waiter's slightly trembling cheeks, Yun Hao could only let out a sigh as he took his seat.

"L… Let me get another chair so you can place your bags, sir!" The waiter then bowed several times towards Yun Hao before taking his leave.

...Why is he so nervous? Yun Hao thought as he grabbed the menu in front of him, but before he could even open it up, one of his classmates tapped his table.

"You don't have to worry, Champ. Just eat whatever you want," the classmate said, "We will pay for everything. Consider it a charity for our school's fallen star."

"..." Should he punch him? A little voice in Yun Hao's head was telling him to lift his fist. But after much consideration, perhaps there was a better way to release his frustration-- a gentleman's approach.

"Then I thank you for your kindness," Yun Hao then smiled as he put down the menu.

Yun Hao's classmates could not help but blink a couple of times as they heard the tone of Yun Hao's voice. What was with this sudden politeness? They all thought.

Was he… planning something?

He was.

Yun Hao has not eaten yet, and since these young masters told him that they would pay for everything, Yun Hao would make sure to eat his fill. One should not underestimate the appetite of a fallen boxer, after all.

His stomach has not had the chance to be filled with food ever since Tsinghai Highschool took him off the boxing team and stopped sponsoring his meals; but even those meals are controlled and had absolutely no taste and were just purely for their nutrients.

Tsinghai treated him as nothing but a tool, decreasing and increasing his weight to their liking-- even starving and dehydrating him to the point where his lips chapped with even the slightest movement.

If the people thought he was ripped now, they should have seen Yun Hao when he was still competing.

"Will all of you be having the usual, young masters?"

Yun Hao's scheming thoughts were then disrupted as a waiter approached his classmates' table. Where... was the waiter that was assisting him?

"You know us so well, Jun," one of Yun Hao's classmates, handed a couple of dollars towards the waiter before whispering something into his ear. Afterward, the waiter glanced at Yun Hao, seemingly smirking as he nodded a couple of times.

This didn't escape Yun Hao's notice, of course. But he couldn't be bothered to care for their silly antiques. He was here to eat, and no one will be able to stop him from ordering everything on the menu.

"When are the girls going to be here, brother Fen?"

"I've already dm'ed them, just chill, brother Tao. They were on their way last I checked."

"You sure? I don't wanna be spending my weekends with just you motherfuckers."

The group started talking and laughing with each other, leaving out Yun Hao who was just taking in the ambience of the restaurant. Who knew when he would be able to go inside a restaurant like this again?

Wait… he has money now. He could go here every day if he wanted to.

With that thought, Yun Hao could not help but let out a light smirk. But after a few seconds, he shook his head. Even if he has a lot of money now, practically unlimited, he wasn't planning on changing his way of life just yet.

The Way of the Dao for normal people is expensive. If he was planning on unlocking his meridians, then he needed to focus his money on that; indulging in life's little pleasantries will come after.

"Ah, there they are!"

Yun Hao's thoughts were disrupted by the annoying rising voice of his classmate. All of them stood up, looking in a certain direction. Yun Hao contemplated on whether or not to stand up, but since he was just here to eat… then he didn't bother himself.

His classmates seemed to be here to meet girls they met online. He just discovered that his ex-girlfriend had been cheating on him with his ex-best friend-- he wasn't going to be dating anyone anytime soon.

And so, he just remained sitting, wondering when the waiter would be handing him the menu so that he could choose what to order-- or what not to order.

Yun Hao let out a sigh, ignoring the formalities that his classmates were exchanging with the girls that just came in.

"Hello?"

But suddenly, someone sat in front of him. It was a beautiful young woman, reaching her hand towards Yun Hao.

But that wasn't the most important factor that caught Yun Hao's attention-- the woman had a white band tied around her left arm, signifying that she was in the Early-stage of the Mortal Realm.

A Cultivator.