A few days later, Su Ming, Xiao Wu, and Tang San finally arrived in Soto City. It was already approaching noon, so they planned to find a place to eat first and then look for a hotel to stay in. They would head to Shrek Academy the day after tomorrow to take the entrance exam.
These two days would be perfect for them to explore Soto City and have some fun. It was their first time visiting a large city like this, and they were eager to take in the sights.
Soto City was much larger than Notting City, bustling with people. After grabbing a quick meal, they began searching for a hotel. Soon, they found a unique establishment—the Rose Hotel.
Su Ming couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. He had expected this. It had to be that hotel. He wondered if they would run into Dai Mubai here, just like in the original story.
Oh well, Su Ming thought. Maybe there won't be any conflict this time. Even though I don't like Dai Mubai much, I don't have any reason to punch him. Let's just hope he doesn't act out of line.
Xiao Wu looked excited as she turned to Su Ming and said, "How about this hotel, bro? It looks really nice."
Su Ming thought to himself, Of course it looks nice. This hotel is popular for... special reasons. But he smiled and patted her on the head, playfully tugging her bunny ears. "Sure, as long as you're happy."
Xiao Wu blushed slightly at his touch, then hugged Su Ming's arm and walked into the hotel with him.
Tang San, watching the scene, felt a pang of discomfort but quietly followed them inside.
At the front desk, Su Ming addressed the staff, "We'd like to book three rooms, please."
The staff member stood up and looked at Su Ming and Xiao Wu with a teasing glint in her eyes. After glancing at Tang San, she couldn't resist asking, "Are you sure you need three rooms?"
Su Ming nodded. "Yes, is there a problem?"
Sensing something odd, Su Ming had a suspicion. And sure enough, the staff replied with a feigned look of helplessness, "I'm sorry, but we only have two rooms left. Perhaps you could share?"
She then winked at Su Ming.
Su Ming: ...
Don't think I don't know what you're implying. I'm not that kind of person, really!
He thought for a moment, Well, in this world, people are considered adults at twelve years old... they really do mature quickly.
Still not giving up, Su Ming asked again, "Are you sure there's no other room available?"
The staff firmly replied, "Nope, that's all we have."
Xiao Wu's face flushed red. She wasn't as naïve as she had been when she first entered human society. The staff was clearly lying! But she tugged on Su Ming's arm and whispered, "Since there are no more rooms, I'll just share with you. Let Tang San take the other room."
Hearing this, Su Ming leaned in and whispered back, "Xiao Wu, you're my sister! And we're not that young anymore."
Xiao Wu responded, "So what? It's just for one night. We can put something between us on the bed, or you can sleep on the couch."
Su Ming, seeing Xiao Wu was okay with it, had no reason to refuse. Otherwise, what kind of man would I be? he thought. Besides, it was just one night. Deep down, he was quite pleased.
He turned back to the staff and said, "Fine, we'll take the two rooms. Could you give us the keys?"
After paying the rather steep price of one gold spirit coin for the night, Su Ming turned to Tang San and said, "Alright, Tang San, you take one room, and Xiao Wu and I will share the other."
Tang San didn't object and took the key.
Just then, a voice called out from behind them, "Hey, you three. Mind letting me have one of those rooms?"
Su Ming muttered under his breath, Of course, it's him... Dai Mubai.
They turned around to see a tall man with two beautiful women, twins, on either side of him. The man was about 1.8 meters tall, with striking golden hair and heterochromatic eyes. There was no doubt—this was Dai Mubai.
He approached Su Ming and the others with a smug expression, his arms around the twins, and said, "Hey, friends, I'm Dai Mubai. You three seem to be traveling together, right? How about letting me take one of your rooms? After all, I've got two lovely ladies with me."
All three frowned slightly, but their thoughts were different.
Su Ming thought, Yep, classic Dai Mubai. No wonder people used to call him the "Lustful Tiger." His tone is just so off-putting.
Xiao Wu, on the other hand, was wondering, So this is the Dai Mubai Su Ming mentioned in his diary? He's handsome, I guess, but what's with the two girls? I don't know how Zhu Zhuqing ended up forgiving him and staying with him later on!
And why was Dai Mubai getting in the way of her and Su Ming sharing a room? She wasn't about to let this happen!
Tang San, however, didn't care about Dai Mubai. He was more focused on the possibility of sharing a room with Xiao Wu. This was the perfect chance! If he agreed, he could stay with Xiao Wu, and he wouldn't have to worry about her being alone with Su Ming. This was exactly what he needed.
But just as Tang San was about to speak up, Xiao Wu beat him to it. She wasn't going to let him win.
With her hands on her hips, Xiao Wu coldly replied, "Who do you think you are? I'm not giving you anything!"
Dai Mubai's smile faded.
He had been in a good mood after picking up a pair of twins for some fun. Now, things were going south fast.
The hotel staff, sensing the tension between the two groups, began to panic internally. This is bad. I shouldn't have lied about the rooms. If this escalates, it'll ruin the hotel's reputation! Worse, these people all seem to be spirit masters, and I'm just a regular civilian! What was I thinking?!