NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Su Bei’s reasoning was simple, just a matter of principle. This was a victory banquet, and who usually treated at one? Naturally, the beneficiaries.
That meant the banquet could be hosted by Sun’s Father and Mother, the school, or at least Wu Mingbai. But it had nothing to do with Lan Subing.
Since Lan Subing booked the restaurant, it meant AA. So him paying his share upfront was normal.
Seeing the transfer, Lan Subing was clearly stunned. She hadn’t expected Su Bei to AA with her. Due to her family background, in elementary and middle school, she almost always treated classmates when eating out.
After meeting Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai, they never took her treating for granted, but due to their financial gap, they usually picked the restaurants.
This time, she’d chosen the place herself and instinctively wanted to treat, never considering AA.
Su Bei’s proactive AA touched her heart unexpectedly.
The next second, she received another 50-yuan transfer, this time from Mu Tieren. She looked up, and the Class Monitor gave her a kind nod.
Lan Subing looked away, realizing something. This was new—her money came back to her like a yo-yo.
Was this what normal classmate relationships were like?
Suddenly, she thought of something—how did they know the AA was 50 yuan?
Since she hadn’t added Su Bei as a friend, Lan Subing first used the transfer info to send him a friend request, then messaged Mu Tieren.
[Silent Yet Passionate Ice66: How did you know AA was 50?]
Mu Tieren replied quickly:
[Wooden Triad: Found the restaurant, checked their group deal online, 299, right? smile.jpg]
Seeing the message, Lan Subing understood, gaining new respect for Mu Tieren and Su Bei’s attention to detail.
Should she hire them as accountants? The vengeful capitalist girl thought.
Nearby, Wu Mingbai heard Lan Subing’s phone ping repeatedly and frowned in annoyance: “That couple again?”
Since the couple left campus yesterday, Lan Corporation had officially started its plan. With thorough preparation, the Sun Family was nearly bankrupt in just one day.
As wealthy people, the Sun Family had some connections and soon learned Lan Corporation was targeting them, linking it to meeting Lan Subing yesterday.
Knowing they’d offended someone, they’d been bombarding Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing with texts and calls since morning, begging for mercy for their company. Thankfully, they couldn’t enter the school anymore, or it’d be unbearable.
Lan Subing shook her head, pocketing her phone without saying more.
At the restaurant, they instantly understood why it had rave reviews. It was packed, and without their reservation, they’d have had no chance of a seat.
A staff member led them to a private room and left. Wu Mingbai, naturally lively and not as clueless as Mo Xiaotian (his words), expertly livened the mood.
But barely a few sentences in, noisy voices came from outside, like someone was causing a scene.
Someone dared make trouble outside Endless Ability Academy? Everyone was curious. Jiang Tianming frowned, proactively opening the door to check.
But opening the door stirred trouble. A fat guy causing the scene saw him and strode over: “Hey, I remember you’re an F-Class broke kid, right? How much was your reservation? I’ll pay five times. Now, get lost!”
Hearing this, Su Bei was deeply impressed. As expected of the protagonist, stumbling into trouble so easily. In his first fifteen years, Su Bei had never met someone like this fat guy, but one outing with the protagonist, and here he was.
He’d wondered where yesterday’s “argument” Prophecy would happen, and now it arrived.
If he recalled correctly, he’d met this fat guy before. On the first day of school, during lunch, he’d seen him with Si Zhaohua and Baozhu at the cafeteria.
All three left strong impressions, but unlike Si Zhaohua and Baozhu’s positive ones, this guy’s was purely negative—a smug, arrogant jerk.
Jiang Tianming was instantly furious: “In your dreams!”
He’d recognized the guy—the fat kid trailing Si Zhaohua that day. Their argument with Si Zhaohua was largely thanks to this guy’s instigation.
Now, with their group’s numbers, without using Abilities, the fat guy stood no chance. Even Jiang Tianming alone could take him down.
Though his stamina wasn’t great, his fighting experience was plentiful, handling a pampered fat guy with ease.
Rejected, the fat guy sneered: “Don’t be shameless! I’m Class A. One casual Ability use could wipe you all out.”
He figured everyone in the room, except Mo Xiaotian, was F-Class. Mo Xiaotian’s Ability hadn’t shown much attack power yet, and though its potential was high, he wasn’t worried about losing now.
“Wow!” Wu Mingbai acted clueless about their argument, feigning excitement: “I’ve never used my Ability to fight outside!”
The fat guy’s face stiffened, realizing the school strictly forbade new Ability users from using Abilities outside, with severe consequences if caught.
Then, Mo Xiaotian delivered a clueless fatal blow: “Huh? You’re going to use Abilities to fight here? That’s not okay, I gotta tell the teacher.”
At this, the fat guy’s face twisted, glaring at Mo Xiaotian: “Stop playing dumb. We’re both Class A. Why are you hanging with a bunch of F-Class losers?”
“Pfft!” Su Bei couldn’t hold back a laugh. It was genuinely funny. Wu Mingbai, the real master of playing dumb, went unnoticed, while the truly clueless Mo Xiaotian got chewed out.
Was this guy blind or what?
His laugh drew everyone’s attention, and the fat guy’s anger shifted: “What’re you laughing at?”
Su Bei hadn’t planned to speak, content to watch the drama. But since the mic was handed to him, it’d be rude not to take it.
Leaning lazily against the chair back, propping his head with one hand, he said nonchalantly: “I’m laughing because the people you invited are about to arrive, and you still haven’t secured the restaurant.”
At this, the fat guy jolted. He’d nearly forgotten. He’d gone to great lengths to invite those people, and if anything went wrong, his family would blame him.
He couldn’t deal with this group quickly, so the priority was finding a new restaurant.
Thinking of this, he glared viciously at Su Bei and the others, then slammed the door shut with a “pa” and quickly left, pulling out his phone as he went.
“How did you know he was inviting someone?” Mu Tieren asked curiously after the guy was gone.
Earlier, he’d been ready to call a teacher. Even if the fat guy didn’t use his Ability, his nouveau riche attitude could’ve caused them significant trouble.
They’d just helped the school catch a culprit, so getting help from the school now would definitely work.
But before he could act, Su Bei resolved it with a single sentence.
“Wasn’t it obvious?” Su Bei explained lazily, as if it was no big deal.
“Though it’s crowded outside, you can still find one or two empty seats. He insisted on a private room, so he must be treating someone.”
Everyone suddenly understood. Indeed, if it was just eating with one or two regular classmates or alone, finding a seat outside would do. Only treating guests required a private room.
It wasn’t hard to figure out, but Su Bei was the only one who realized it so quickly.
As everyone looked at him with admiration, Su Bei quietly asked Manga Consciousness in his mind: “Did I interrupt some plot?”
Manga Consciousness was somewhat speechless: “Yes, this segment was meant to deepen the conflict between Si Zhaohua and the protagonist group.”
But Su Bei’s move had butterflied away that plot. He asked curiously: “Without this segment, will the protagonist group still clash with Si Zhaohua’s group during the monthly exam?”
“Of course,” Manga Consciousness affirmed. “Without this segment, there’ll be another. That conflict is bound to escalate.”
Su Bei wasn’t surprised by this answer. If a plot-driving conflict could be so easily resolved by him, it would alter a huge chunk of the story’s direction.
From their brief interaction before, Su Bei didn’t think Si Zhaohua and Baozhu would become true enemies with the protagonist group. It was obvious they were on a path to turn foes into friends.
After dinner, Su Bei truly appreciated the restaurant. The food was genuinely delicious, living up to its fame at Endless Ability Academy. And it wasn’t expensive either. He could treat Feng Lan here later.
He still owed Feng Lan for treating him at the school’s Point System cafeteria, and this would be a good chance to return the favor.
The group strolled back to school, satisfied. Jiang Tianming looked at Mu Tieren: “Class Monitor, has the teacher mentioned anything about the monthly exam?”
Mu Tieren hesitated but saw no harm in sharing, so he nodded: “The teacher said this monthly exam will involve teaming up with multiple people, and there might be mixed-class situations.”
Mixed-class meant Class A students could team up with Class B, but generally, unless they were friends, stronger Ability users rarely teamed with weaker ones.
Everyone wanted to know more about the exam. Except for Mo Xiaotian, who was already in Class A, the others were dissatisfied with their current classes and hoped to move up through the exam.
But Mu Tieren had only heard a brief mention from Meng Huai and knew no more. He could only reassure them: “The teacher should tell us the details a week before the exam. No need to rush, we’ll know soon.”
Back in his dorm, Su Bei flopped onto his bed, letting out a long sigh: “The monthly exam…”
He couldn’t help but worry. Despite acting all impressive in front of Jiang Tianming, he knew how much of it was bluff.
Though his Ability had evolved from [Gear] to [Destiny Gear], its attack power was currently zero, and even its Prophecy function was limited to once a day.
How could he keep up the facade during the exam? If he slipped up, those power-worshipping fans would probably ditch him instantly. Without their overanalyzing imaginations, who’d fantasize about his Ability having greater powers?
No way, he had to come up with a good plan. With that thought, he gradually drifted into sleep.
Early Sunday morning, Su Bei was suddenly woken by Manga Consciousness’s update alert: “King of Abilities has updated. Please take note and read.”