Chapter 63: Even Their Own Parents Were Furious Enough to Pound the Table

Even the most mild-tempered ancestor, Zhu Xinen, looked grim. “Shen Xinluo, if you want to eat, we can all chip in for you. But asking Xiaolu to steal is disgraceful to the nation!”

Shen Xinluo, desperate and on the verge of tears, tried to explain, “No, no, that’s not it. I wasn’t thinking that far—I just thought… Xiaoye might want to eat…”

“Don’t use me as your shield.” Lin Ye’s face darkened as well. “Every time, it’s ‘I want to eat,’ ‘I’m hungry.’ Shen Xinluo, are you the worm in my stomach? I don’t recall hiring you as my spokesperson!”

Dijar pushed Shen Xinluo aside and let loose. “Stupid and wicked!”

The shopkeeper, bewildered, asked in Japanese whether they were coming in or not.

Dijar waved his hands repeatedly. “Xiaolu, Asui, you two go in and eat. Don’t waste time—we still have a second spot to check in at this afternoon.”

“Eat well, eat your fill!” Bai Lu stuffed five thousand yen into Lin Ye’s hand, then pulled Huo Yanfang by the wrist and entered the restaurant.

Dijar made his position clear. “Brother En, I won’t look after Shen Xinluo anymore—not even a dime will I pay for her.”

Zhu Xinen nodded slowly. “I won’t either.”

Lin Ye: “Me, neither!”

Shen Xinluo sobbed her apologies. “Sorry, sorry—I really wasn’t thinking, I just wanted to eat… I… boo hoo…”

There she was, crying again.

The audience in the livestream was numb.

No one bothered to scold Shen Xinluo anymore; they simply treated her as air.

Everyone praised Dijar, Lin Ye, and Zhu Xinen for their decisive actions.

This kind of person must not be indulged!

Even the production team was at a loss. “Shen Xinluo, here’s ten thousand—take it.”

It wasn’t that they felt sorry for Shen Xinluo having no one to rely on, or worried she’d go hungry.

It was pure exasperation. They handed her ten thousand, not wanting her to embarrass herself any further or trouble the other guests.

At lunch, Shen Xinluo shamelessly joined their table. The three young men, unwilling to be too harsh, didn’t drive her away, but none paid her any attention.

No matter if Shen Xinluo apologized through tears, or tried to ingratiate herself, the three acted as if she were invisible.

The comment barrage was unanimous in its approval.

There wasn’t a single passerby willing to speak up for Shen Xinluo.

Everyone supported the three young men’s approach.

Some even felt they had been too lenient, giving Shen Xinluo more face than she deserved.

Without Dijar as a translator, Bai Lu could only order by looking at pictures, choosing the cheaper dishes.

Huo Yanfang reached for the expensive menu, but Bai Lu pressed his hand down.

She smiled at the waiter, flashing an OK gesture.

The waiter rattled off something and left.

Bai Lu explained, “Asui, even though it’s free, we shouldn’t order expensive things. It’s not right; people will think we’re just here for freebies. We’re abroad, so we need to be considerate. Let’s just have these, okay?”

Huo Yanfang’s lips curled into a smile. “Okay.”

Without comparison, there’s no harm.

Bai Lu and Shen Xinluo—one is miles above the other.

Forget the netizens scolding Shen Xinluo—even Wu Liping, watching the livestream, was so furious she hammered the table.

Just as she was grinding her teeth, Wu Liping received a call from her husband… ex-husband, Shen Yanghong.

“Isn’t it embarrassing enough? Next episode, don’t let Xinluo go! I’ll figure something out, get her a drama to shoot! With her personality, she’s not fit for variety shows—especially live ones!”

Wu Liping was so angry her teeth could break. “Are you really that stupid, or do you want your own daughter ruined? The more you do this, the more Xinluo must go next time! If she doesn’t, how will she make a comeback? If she skips the next episode, she’ll be cursed by netizens for the rest of her life! Understand? Idiot! It’s because of a fool like you that Shen Xinluo is so foolish! Not a bit like me!”

“You’re blaming me? Wu Liping, if you hadn’t filled Xinluo’s head with all that nonsense, she wouldn’t be jealous of Bai Lu, and wouldn’t have thrown herself at Yu Fuqing! Then she wouldn’t have ended up like this! And you have the nerve to play the victim? Let me tell you, Bai Lu marrying Yu Fuqing means I’ll still be the father-in-law of Yu Xing Entertainment!”

“You, as her father, don’t help your own daughter, but instead turn your elbow outward, helping that bastard! Shen Yanghong, are you insane?”

“Wu Liping, this is my last warning—don’t teach my daughter any more filthy tricks! I want to be Yu Xing Entertainment’s father-in-law. If you ruin my plans, I’ll really kill you!”

The two argued directly over the phone.

Meanwhile, Bai Lu, unaware of all this, happily enjoyed a full meal.

Satisfied, she squinted contentedly. “Asui, we’re really lucky, aren’t we?”

Huo Yanfang looked at her and smiled softly. “Mm.”

Bai Lu’s eyes curved like crescent moons, hinting at something. “Asui, thank you. Your good fortune has rubbed off on me.”

The black rabbit was not only clever, but sharply perceptive.

Huo Yanfang smirked, patting her head. “If you’re full, let’s head out.”

“Wait, I’ll ask the waiter to add some hot water. Your throat hurts—you need to drink more.”

Bai Lu hugged her cartoon water bottle, politely raised her hand, and called for the waiter.

In Osaka, there’s no habit of drinking hot water; whether spring, summer, autumn, or winter, it’s always ice water.

Bai Lu gestured animatedly, but the waiter simply couldn’t grasp the concept of drinking hot water.

She gave up and revealed her cards.

Bai Lu turned toward the corner table where Tang Xing sat, though she pretended not to know him. “Sorry to bother you—I just heard you speaking Chinese. Could you help me tell the waiter I’d like a pot of hot water?”

Tang Xing turned his head; the filming VJ was tactful, knowing the stranger didn’t want to be on camera, so avoided filming him.

Tang Xing said, “Sure, no problem. Just hand your bottle to the waiter, and they’ll bring it back with hot water.”

Bai Lu deliberately replied, “Thank you, kind stranger.”

Tang Xing: “…………”

Miss Bai’s eyes are so sharp!

He should have let Xu Yi sit on this side, and sat opposite, giving Miss Bai his back.

Soon, the waiter returned Bai Lu’s cartoon water bottle.

Bai Lu opened it, sniffed, and, as expected, it wasn’t hot water—it was medicine. She immediately poured a cup. “Asui, you need to drink more hot water, get well soon, so nobody has to worry about you!”

Huo Yanfang: “…………”

After the two left the Japanese restaurant—

Tang Xing rubbed his forehead, speechless. “Miss Bai misunderstood again. She must think I came to chase after Young Master Asui out of concern. She never considers that it was President Huo, caring for her, who specially asked me to come and prepare something for her.”

Xu Yi sighed. “With President Huo’s way of pursuing someone, who knows what year he’ll succeed. And Miss Bai already has someone in her heart.”

Tang Xing: “Looking on the bright side, at least Miss Bai is tempted by President Huo’s looks—so he has a tiny bit of a chance.”

Xu Yi’s fake polite smile was about to break. “Assistant Tang, why do we worry about this? My job description doesn’t include helping President Huo chase girls.”

“Isn’t it rare for President Huo—the iron tree—to finally blossom? He’s never dated before, never liked anyone. Second Master told us, didn’t he? To stop worrying about him and focus on helping President Huo. Since we’re here… let’s do our best.”

Xu Yi raised an eyebrow. “How? No matter how we try to help Miss Bai, she’ll just think we’re here to look after Young Master Asui.”

“……” Tang Xing: “Should I just go deal with Emperor Lu directly?”