The table was set with tea sets and tea leaves, and Shen Yuan, looking to divert attention, simply started making tea.
"Shen Yuan, why did you suddenly think of inviting me to dinner?"
Fang Minhui, with her hands on her thighs, asked curiously, as this question had been on her mind and she had been pondering it before coming.
"I've always wanted to invite you to dinner, just never found the right opportunity," he replied.
Shen Yuan dodged the question, but there was nothing he could do; how could he tell her that he was doing it for the 'System's cashback?
"Oh."
Fang Minhui responded indifferently, clearly not satisfied with the answer.
Shen Yuan noticed Fang Minhui's concern and paused for a while before saying unhurriedly, "During military training, you often helped me buy water and drinks, and you chatted with me on weChat in the evenings. I've always kept that in mind and just haven't found the opportunity to thank you."
"You still remember."
Fang Minhui's eyes lit up. She had thought that after three years, Shen Yuan would have forgotten all about it.
"How could I forget?" Shen Yuan affirmed.
Fang Minhui's cheeks turned slightly red; under the dim yellow light, looking at Shen Yuan's well-defined profile, she felt a warmth in her heart and her body involuntarily leaned a bit towards him.
Shen Yuan was busy making tea and turned his head inadvertently.
Gosh, who could withstand this!
Fang Minhui was already kneeling on the ground, and in this position, with her hands on her thighs, her full chest was even more prominently displayed.
Shen Yuan turned his head again, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down...
Fortunately, dishes started arriving one after another, distracting both of them with the delicacies on the table.
Half an hour later, a semi-full Fang Minhui put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said she needed to go to the restroom; Shen Yuan, having also eaten enough, prepared to go to the front desk to pay the bill.
"Mr. Shen, your total bill comes to 2920. As you are a member of our restaurant, you only need to pay 2774 after the discount," said the sweet-smiling waitress as she handed him the receipt and pointed to the payment code on the table.
Shen Yuan took out his phone and, as usual, scanned the code to make the payment.
Fang Minhui came out of the restroom just in time to see this scene and couldn't help but click her tongue.
She had mentally prepared beforehand, assuming this meal would definitely start at 2000, but seeing Shen Yuan casually scan 2774 out as if it were nothing, she was still somewhat astonished.
To think her monthly allowance was just over two thousand, yet here he was, spending it on a single meal.
It must be nice to be wealthy!
Seeing this made her even more displeased with Li Zhanpeng, who had taken her to the movies the day before.
What kind of person was he? He wasn't exactly poor, yet so stingy!
"Let's go, and make sure to grab your bag," Shen Yuan said after paying, thoughtfully reminding her.
"Yes, sure," Fang Minhui nodded contentedly.
"Ding!"
A notification popped up on the phone, and Shen Yuan opened it to check.
[China Construction Bank] Your account ending in 0098 received 8322 yuan on May 11 at 19:10, current balance 125778.
"Wow!"
Shen Yuan was delighted inside, it really paid off to bring a lady to dine at high-end restaurants, a net profit of over five thousand.
But just as this message appeared, in the next second, he received another credit alert.
[China Construction Bank] Your account ending in 0098 received 5578 yuan on May 11 at 19:10, current balance 131356.
Another transaction!
[Limited-time mission: Spend on an opposite-sex with a Feel-good Index over 60 and gain their favor.]
[Mission reward: Expenses incurred on the opposite-sex will be tripled back to the host, and for every 3-point increase in the Feel-good Index of the opposite-sex, an additional doubling of cashback will apply.]
As the technological panel appeared once more, Shen Yuan read the latter part of the reward, thinking it must be because Fang Minhui's Feel-good Index towards him had increased by 3 points, hence the additional doubling of the cashback.
Earning ten thousand from a single meal, what a deal!
It seems like Fang Minhui, this useful friend, really needed to be developed further.
Fang Minhui had already come out of the private room with her purse by this time, and Shen Yuan indeed saw an increase in her Feel-good Index.
[Feel-good Index toward the Host: 76]
"Let's go,"
Fang Minhui said cheerily. After the meal they just had, she found Shen Yuan much more appealing.
Maybe, that's the power of financial ability...
"Yeah, we need to go to IFC Mall to pick a gift for my sister."
Shen Yuan led Fang Minhui out of Star Sushi, intent on maximizing the benefits of their outing.
It was peak hour, so there was a bit of a traffic jam; estimating a long wait for a Didi ride, Shen Yuan simply hailed a taxi on the street.
When they arrived at IFC Mall, Shen Yuan was about to pull out his phone to pay, but Fang Minhui opened her purse and said, "Let me pay this, I've got cash."
She had her own schemes; Shen Yuan had just treated her to an expensive Japanese meal, and she felt it was only right to share some other expenses.
The taxi fare wasn't expensive, just over thirty yuan, but it was mainly to leave a good impression on Shen Yuan, especially since she had brought some cash along.
Shen Yuan had no objections; since Fang Minhui intended to pay, he simply went along with it.
Meanwhile, nearby in the underground parking lot entrance, the barrier seemed to have malfunctioned, causing a long queue, and the driver of a black Audi A7, unable to stand it, honked his horn impatiently at the car in front.
"Damn, it's so congested!"
Hou Jun, sitting in the driver's seat, said impatiently. His irritation stemmed partly from the traffic jam and partly from the woman next to him who always wanted to shop at IFC Mall.
"Just wait a bit, we're not in a rush anyway."
Zhou Wanting sat next to him, eyes brimming with anticipation. She felt it had been ages since she last bought a bag, and she was finally here to browse Prada and LV.
"I have a remote meeting at ten tonight, I don't have much time to wander around for long,"
Hou Jun stated flatly.
He was already laying the groundwork for himself.
He had been to IFC Mall before, with luxury brand stores filling the first and second floors, where bags started at tens of thousands; they were incredibly expensive.
He was the marketing director at a foreign company, with a decent income of four to five hundred thousand a year.
But he couldn't endure visiting here too often.
Plus, he was just fooling around with Zhou Wanting and didn't want to spend too much on her.
"It's not often we come here, just linger a bit longer with me."
Zhou Wanting turned and coyly clung to Hou Jun's arm.
Although Hou Jun had bought her an LV bag just last month, Prada had recently released a new handbag model that she absolutely adored.
Hou Jun had agreed to come here just yesterday, but damn Shen Yuan for messing with his mind yesterday!
Zhou Wanting had really coaxed for a long time last night to cheer Hou Jun up.
"We'll see."
Seeing Zhou Wanting pulling the same tactic again, Hou Jun had no choice, as women's coquetry could indeed be deadly.
As they waited, Hou Jun inadvertently looked out the window and saw a familiar face, that guy who had messed with his mind yesterday!
"Hey, Wanting, why is that guy here?"
Hou Jun watched Shen Yuan get out of the backseat of a taxi, somewhat surprised, but then he noticed a girl also getting out of the car.
He immediately widened his eyes, the girl's figure and looks were top-notch, especially her full bust, which was particularly eye-catching.
"Who?"
Zhou Wanting casually responded, following Hou Jun's gaze without thinking.
Shen Yuan?
Why would he be here?
Who is that girl beside him...
Zhou Wanting's mind was momentarily baffled; her ex-boyfriend had just broken up with her yesterday and here he was today, already shopping with a new girl?
And that girl, she seemed to have a better figure than hers...