Fu Rong clenched her fists, her nails digging into the flesh of her palms. This type of physical "borrow luck" array wasn't easy to set up and could easily backfire if there was a mistake. Therefore, warlocks without significant achievements would never dare to lay this kind of array. She feared that the warlock was too skilled to match, which was precisely why she was gripped by fear, hesitant to take action, and desperate to cultivate her original strength.
Fu Rong checked her card balance and saw that she only had 1 million yuan left after buying the herbs. She couldn't even afford to buy a millennium-old purple Wuling grass. A millennium-old purple Wuling grass easily cost millions and could only be obtained at auctions. Furthermore, there weren't many people as foolish and rich as Zhu Ximing. She didn't have the reputation now either, so no one would come to her door, and even if they did, most would likely turn around and walk away upon seeing her age.
Fu Rong banged her head on the bed. "Why is life so hard?!"
The next day, during class, her phone notification blinked a few times. When she checked, she saw an invite from Xie Bowen for dinner as a token of gratitude for saving them at the harbor. She quickly accepted, only realizing later that Mu Ling would also be attending. She regretted accepting the invite.
After school, as she was slowly walking to the gate, she noticed a black car approaching. She immediately recognized it as Mu Ling's car, the same one he had used to drop her off the day before. When she planned to turn away, Xie Bowen called out, "Sister Fu, get in. We're already late." Only then did she move toward the car.
Xie Bowen was the only one in the car. Guessing her thoughts, Xie Bowen explained, "Fifth Master will join us directly at the dinner. He had an important meeting and asked me to pick you up."
Fu Rong "oh-ed" and fell asleep in the car, only to wake up when they arrived at the hotel. Imperial Capital Restaurant was a top-tier establishment in the city. Those who wished to dine here had to book months in advance. Reservations couldn't be secured with money alone; one needed authoritative power to dine here. The restaurant had a set of strict rules and would not give face even to the rich.
With her knowledge from her past life, Fu Rong knew that only Mu Ling had tremendous authoritative power in the capital. She guessed he had made the reservation, but she couldn't understand how he had booked a table in just one day. She raised her eyebrows with interest.
Xie Bowen led her to a private room. As she entered, she noticed two people already seated in the room, one of whom was Mu Ling.
"Miss Fu, we meet again. Take a seat," Mu Ling said in his usual cold tone, but it left the other two people wide-mouthed with surprise. Xie Bowen composed himself and introduced the other man to her. "Sister Fu, this is another friend of ours, Bo Cheng. Bo Cheng, this is Sister Fu, the one who saved my aunt and both me and Fifth Master at the harbor."
As soon as the introductions were made, Bo Cheng was taken aback. He had heard about their encounter during the harbor mission but never expected that a 17-year-old girl was the one who saved them from their enemies. What he didn't know was that she had saved them from devilry cultivators and ghost wisps.
Bo Cheng looked at her with amusement until he felt a cold, murderous intent on his left. He turned to see Mu Ling staring at him with an unfriendly gaze. Bo Cheng quickly understood what was happening and suppressed a laugh. How childish, he thought. Still, he chose to divert his gaze from Fu Rong.
"Miss Fu, I'm Bo Cheng. Nice to meet you," he finally said, amused to meet someone who could make Mu Ling lose his composure.
Mu Ling handed her the menu. "Miss Fu, it's a treat for saving us. Choose whatever you like." But Fu Rong passed the menu back to him. "Fifth Master, I'm not a picky eater. Recommend something that tastes good here."
Throughout the wait, only Xie Bowen and Bo Cheng kept up the conversation, occasionally asking Fu Rong about her school and Mu Ling about his work. Fu Rong excused herself to use the restroom, and as she turned, she almost collided with the waiter who was bringing the food.
Bo Cheng, who was seated to her left, immediately pulled her aside to avoid the clash with the food. But at that moment, Fu Rong saw a series of images flash before her eyes. In a car, the man driving was shot by a sniper. He avoided the shot, only to collide with a truck, causing the car to burst into flames. The man's face came into focus—it was Bo Cheng. The scene shifted, revealing the street name: Quilling Street 48.
Fu Rong turned pale, sweat beading on her forehead. She was spaced out for a minute before looking directly at Bo Cheng. Xie Bowen and Bo Cheng thought she was just frightened by the sudden close call, but Mu Ling, who had been watching her every expression, sensed that something was wrong with the way she looked at Bo Cheng. Her gaze held a mix of helplessness and agony.
She excused herself and ran to the restroom. After she left, everyone but Mu Ling resumed their original happy mood.