My Demon Friends-Chapter 655 - 619 Dilemma_2

It was already afternoon by the time they finished strolling around.

They had arrived in the morning and hadn't had lunch yet, and were now so hungry they felt their stomachs were sticking to their backs.

With a hand on Qian Qian's shoulder, Mianmian seemed to hang off her as she spoke listlessly, "So tired, so hungry—I'm sure I could top my friends' step count on social media today..."

Qian Qian pulled out her phone to check. "Well, having short legs does have its perks. We walked together, and you somehow managed a thousand more steps than me!"

"Because I walked more!!"

"Hehe..."

Hearing this, Hong Ran, who was walking at the very front with Zhou Li, said to him, "Let me treat you, your little girlfriend, and your classmates to a meal. Otherwise, I'd seem like a stingy older sister..."

"Lord Dumpling isn't going!" Tuanzi declared. She then looked at Zhou Li and added, "Zhou Ni, you shouldn't go either!"

"Okay."

"Aren't you going to ask them?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"They won't refuse."

"Then let's go," Hong Ran said, smiling. "I remember there's a place nearby that specializes in high-end Yicai dishes, and their cooking is pretty good."

"Mm."

Zhou Li turned back and told the others.

Outside the venue, cars were already waiting: besides the Bentley Zhou Li had ridden in before, there was now also a Maybach. Cotton Swab gasped at the sight, while Baozi's eyes flickered, seemingly lost in thought.

They soon arrived at the restaurant. It wasn't exactly a starred establishment, but it looked quite high-end from the exterior—a triple-courtyard house, not commonly seen in a modern city.

Upon entering the private room, there was a rack by the door.

Hong Ran placed her Scepter on it, then turned to them. "Take off your hats and put them here too; they're inconvenient for dining. You can wear these outfits home; they're yours to keep."

Zhou Li acknowledged with a sound.

He had left the Embroidered Spring Knife and his original clothes in the car. He now just removed his hat, carefully placing it beside the Scepter.

When Hong Ran asked if they wanted any alcoholic drinks and received a negative response, she told the waiter to bring their top-tier set menu. The waiter then left, skipping the ordering process.

「After a short while,」

The meal began to be served.

Mianmian and Qian Qian had already pulled out their phones to start taking pictures. They were not shy at all, chattering and discussing animatedly as they snapped away.

Yicai, known for its "accessible" characteristic, can also be very high-end.

On one hand, there are numerous high-end dishes in Yicai cuisine. The most famous is undoubtedly Consommé-Poached Cabbage, but besides that, there are many others, such as Snowflake Chicken Velvet—a dish where you "eat chicken without seeing chicken." Its form and color resemble clouds or freshly fallen snow, and it is soft, smooth, and melts in your mouth, offering an extremely elegant experience in terms of color, aroma, and taste.

Consommé-Poached Cabbage is largely famous due to its status as a state banquet dish and because the contrast it presents makes for easy conversation; that's the main reason for its widespread renown.

On the other hand, many common dishes can also be prepared in a high-end fashion. Simply by upgrading the raw ingredients and employing more meticulous and attentive cooking methods, the quality naturally becomes high-end.

Of course, the prices also go up.

To be blunt, while Yicai has captivated the nation with its approachability, it's not solely limited to being inexpensive. It's just that this accessibility is what allows it to achieve such a large scale. Among the major cuisines, Yicai happens to be quite proficient in this area. Thus, by winning the public's favor, it has effectively conquered the market. Consequently, its high-end dishes, similar to those of other cuisines, aren't as well-known. In recent years, however, as people's living standards have gradually improved, high-end Yicai restaurants have slowly found fertile ground to survive and have gradually begun to emerge.

This particular restaurant, for example, served both high-end specialty dishes and could also elevate common dishes to an upscale level.

However, Zhou Li, being accustomed to the food prepared by Hong Ran's personal chef, felt that something was slightly off with these dishes, even though he couldn't pinpoint any specific fault.

After the meal, everyone was stuffed.

Brother Nan sat next to Baozi, using the break to look through the photos Baozi had taken of them with his camera.

Meanwhile, the two cute, down-to-earth girls had struck up a conversation with Hong Ran. They probably thought this wealthy "older sister" was a seasoned expert in the Hanfu community and were asking for her advice on coordinating Ming Dynasty Attire.

Hong Ran patiently explained everything in detail.

「Some ten minutes later,」

Brother Nan had finished looking at the photos. He then listened to their conversation for a while—Pearl Hairpins, Gold Step Shakes, Jade Pendants, Small Fans; what accessories were appropriate for which occasions and what status. It made his head spin. He quickly shook his head, turned around, and placed the camera back on the rack.

It was then that he saw the Scepter.

"Speaking of which—"

Brother Nan, his eyes wide with curiosity, asked, "What's the deal with this thing that looks like a small scepter? It feels really out of place with historical clothing."

As he spoke, he reached out, his curiosity piqued, and lightly poked the Scepter with his index finger, intending to touch it.

"HISS!"

Brother Nan snatched his hand back as if struck by lightning.

Zhou Li immediately asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Brother Nan frowned. "Got zapped by static electricity!"

After saying this, he wiped his hands on his clothes, turned back, and sat down. He had eaten too much and was feeling a bit drowsy from the meal.

Fortunately, his willpower was still quite strong. He maintained an alert demeanor, not wanting to leave Hong Ran with a bad impression of him 'eating and then immediately sleeping.' He kept this up until they all got up, grabbed their personal belongings, walked out of the private room, paid the bill, and left.

The price was beyond Zhou Li's expectations. He had thought it would be around 1,000 yuan per person, but it turned out to be 1,600 yuan each. Suddenly, he felt it was very poor value for money.

Initially, during the meal, he had thought it was quite good. The flavors were excellent, various expensive ingredients and condiments had been used, and the service was also very good. At one point, Brother Nan mentioned that the chicken and tofu pudding tasted a bit acidic. The waiter overheard and, without a word, went out to inform the head chef, who then had the dish remade for them. Because of this, he had thought he might come again.

Now that he thought about it, forget it.

「Back at school.」

Brother Nan was still dressed in the Flying Fish Robe, an outfit that appealed to everyone.

He ignored the stares from those around him and walked beside Zhou Li, tilting his head slightly as he asked, "Are you going back to the dorm?"

"What about you?" Zhou Li countered.

"I want to go back to the dorm," Brother Nan said. "I got up too early today and didn't get a nap. My head feels a bit fuzzy; I need to go back and sleep."

"Oh..."

Zhou Li fell silent for a moment. He looked down at Tuanzi, who was still pretending to be angry with him but wasn't resisting his embrace, and said, "Did you know that the short Scepter you touched actually symbolizes the power of the Elm King?"

"Really?" Brother Nan asked in surprise.

"Ask Lord Dumpling," Zhou Li said.

"It's true!" Tuanzi declared, her large eyes bright. "It was supposed to be passed down to Lord Dumpling, but Sister Hong Ran snatched it away!"

"Nonsense..."

Brother Nan said to Tuanzi, "You? Just a silly cat!"

Lord Dumpling filtered out the comment.

Then Brother Nan's lips twitched. "So, why would that ridiculous Elm King make such a short Scepter? Was he some kind of edgelord?"

"That, I don't know. But that Scepter can change its length and style by itself," Zhou Li said, shaking his head. He then glanced down at Tuanzi, who was engrossed in licking her little paws, and continued, "So it definitely wasn't static electricity... Did you feel anything strange when you touched it?"

"Just a numb sensation, and then my head started to feel a bit tight, and I got a little dizzy."

"Dizzy?"

"Yup!"

Hearing this, Tuanzi looked up and said sharply, "It must have been that bad woman, Sister Hong Ran! She poisoned the food! Lord Dumpling told you all not to go! You just wouldn't listen!"

Zhou Li ignored her, but his expression turned serious. "Let's not go back to the dorm. Come to my place instead; I need to keep an eye on you."

"Okay."

Brother Nan readily agreed.

Then he grabbed Zhou Li's arm, seemingly to lean some of his weight on him, and grinned. "Don't worry! Big Brother here is the Child of Destiny! Maybe the Scepter sensed it just now and was awed by my imperial aura..."

Zhou Li smiled.

His worries weren't just about that. Brother Nan's reaction, like an electric shock, must have also caught Sister Hong Ran's attention, even if she didn't show it at the time. Perhaps she would start paying attention to Brother Nan now. Or perhaps she had already been paying attention to him. For Zhou Li, caught between his 'brother' and his 'sister,' it was truly a difficult situation.

「Back at Zhou Li's place,」

The curtains were drawn, and the dim light naturally induced sleepiness.

Brother Nan walked a few steps forward, flopped down onto the sofa, then rolled over and said, "I'm sleeping right here. Don't disturb me."