"Mr. Xue, I’ve brought the lady over," Xiaoli said respectfully.

Xue Rui nodded. ’Lin Ruoxi seems pretty happy, but why is her hair still soaking wet?’

"Why’d you come over without drying your hair?" Xue Rui chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the girl’s head.

"I was in a hurry to eat with you," the girl said honestly.

Xue Rui laughed when he heard that. ’It’s only been an hour. Why is she so eager to see me?’

The girl was truly clingy, but Xue Rui found it delightful.

"Well..."

Xiaoli looked a little sheepish as she handed him a dry towel. ’This girl is so single-minded,’ she thought. ’If Mr. Xue hadn’t called for her on the walkie-talkie, Lin Ruoxi probably would have soaked in the pool all day. Her fingers are all pruney as it is.’

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Xue Rui pulled out a few more red bills and pressed them into the waitress’s hand.

"Thank you, boss..." Xiaoli’s face lit up, and she thanked him several more times.

"Go on, now." Xue Rui waved her away, not wanting to attract too much attention.

The people nearby were only mildly surprised. Tipping wasn’t unheard of in a place like this; what surprised them was how someone as young as Xue Rui acted like a regular.

The other servers looked on with envy, thinking Xiaoli had hit the jackpot by running into such a big spender.

Qiu Mengze sighed helplessly. ’It’s easy to be generous when you’re spending money like it’s nothing,’ he thought. ’Xue Rui has already handed out six or seven hundred in tips since we walked in.’

Lin Ruoxi also didn’t quite understand why he was giving people so much money.

But she didn’t ask him. As long as Xue Rui was happy, that was all that mattered.

"In high-end places like this, tipping improves your service experience..." Xue Rui explained in a low voice.

There’s no real tipping culture in the country, so both the person giving the tip and the person receiving it get a huge amount of emotional satisfaction from the act.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason Xue Rui tipped. In most service industries, the employees are the ones who keep the business running. The owner just drops by for an occasional inspection; some who own multiple businesses might not even show up once every two weeks.

So, the servers are the ones providing the service, but no matter how much a customer spends, the commission that actually reaches the employee is usually just a few percentage points. What happens if you give the money directly to the person serving you?

The benefit is directly linked, with no middleman taking a cut. A six-hundred-yuan tip is worth several days of sales performance, so they’ll treat Xue Rui like a king.

Even the servers who didn’t get a tip would hear about it from their colleagues. They would start to have expectations and offer better service in hopes of getting one.

He had only loaded ten thousand yuan onto his card, but the quality of service he received was on par with customers who had loaded over a hundred thousand.

After all, a customer with a hundred thousand on their card isn’t likely to add more anytime soon, but a tipper might keep on tipping...

It was a way to spend a little to get a lot more in return—a special kind of value for money unique to service establishments.

Lin Ruoxi and Qiu Mengze each held an ice cream cone, listening intently as Xue Rui explained his reasoning for tipping.

Just then, a staff member came over with a small snack, bowed, and said, "Is there anything else you need? We have seafood over here, and desserts are over there..."

Qiu Mengze looked surprised. The service they were getting was clearly a cut above the rest.

Many of the servers were watching their table, looking as if they were just waiting for an opportunity to serve them.

Xue Rui waved his hand. "Not at the moment."

The corners of Lin Ruoxi’s eyes crinkled into a smile. This was the kind of knowledge you couldn’t find online, yet Xue Rui knew all about it.

She looked at Xue Rui with adoration, her eyes seeming to sparkle with little stars.

Qiu Mengze nodded, muttering, "I’ve learned something new."

But on second thought, what good would this knowledge do him? He couldn’t afford to tip.

His collection of useless knowledge had grown once more.

"Junior Brother, let’s just eat," Qiu Mengze said, stuffing an egg roll into his mouth.

Xue Rui calmly ate his ice cream. "Second Senior Brother, try to eat a little more elegantly."

"PFFT!" Qiu Mengze nearly spat out his food.

Xue Rui had just agreed to call him Senior Brother, so how did he end up as "Second Senior Brother"?

Isn’t that just Zhu Bajie?

He had thought he was supposed to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Lin Ruoxi’s eyes widened slightly. ’What kind of game are Xue Rui and Qiu Mengze playing?’

’Why are they calling each other martial brothers, just like in *Journey to the West*?’

Seeing the girl’s eyes filled with confusion, Xue Rui was about to explain when she spoke up. "Oh, I get it."

"Get what?" Xue Rui asked.

"You’re cosplaying," Lin Ruoxi said with a serious expression.

Xue Rui suddenly choked on his own spit. "COUGH, COUGH..."

Seeing him cough, Lin Ruoxi hurried over and gently patted his back.

"You shouldn’t believe everything you see on the internet," Xue Rui admonished.

’What is this girl thinking? Me and Qiu Mengze, cosplaying?’

’She’s so naive.’

Qiu Mengze had a strange look on his face. ’Cosplay? What cosplay?’

Xue Rui sighed. ’Students these days really are innocent. I guess my mind was the only one in the gutter for that split second.’

"Okay, I’m Monk Sha, and he’s Zhu Bajie. Which one do you want to be?" Xue Rui asked with a smile.

Qiu Mengze’s interest was piqued. ’Zhu Bajie is fine, I guess,’ he thought. ’It’s not like Monk Sha is much better.’

What boy didn’t dream of being Sun Wukong when he was little? The Great Sage Equal to Heaven is just so cool.

’But which one would a girl like?’

’Monkey Sun is covered in fur, she probably wouldn’t like that...’

’Tang Monk, maybe? He’s delicate and fair-skinned, plus he has three professional bodyguards protecting him.’

Seeing their expectant looks, Lin Ruoxi fell into deep thought.

She thought for a moment. She didn’t really want to be any of them.

But if she had to choose one...

"Umm, I want to be the Little White Dragon," Lin Ruoxi said meekly.

"Huh?" Qiu Mengze looked baffled.

Come to think of it, she was right. There were supposed to be five of them on the pilgrimage. It’s just that everyone forgot to count Bailong Ma as a person, even though he was technically one of the pilgrims...

Xue Rui was also taken aback by her answer. ’Isn’t the Little White Dragon just Bailong Ma, the horse that tags along?’

’She actually chose the character with the least presence.’

’The Little White Dragon does a ton of work without complaint, but in the end, he barely has any lines. He’s basically an outsourced temp worker.’

Xue Rui nodded to himself. It did fit the girl’s personality.

"Your master finds your choice to be excellent," Xue Rui said in a mock-serious, archaic tone.

Qiu Mengze’s eyebrow twitched. "How the hell did you suddenly become Tang Monk?"

Xue Rui shot him a sidelong glance. "Tang Monk gets to ride the Little White Dragon."

"Okay, you can ride me," Lin Ruoxi said with a smile.

Qiu Mengze’s eyes went wide. ’Lin Ruoxi is so clueless,’ he thought. ’She’s just letting Xue Rui take advantage of her...’

He cleared his throat. "I’m hungry. Let’s get some food."

Lin Ruoxi went to get food as well. She always picked out Xue Rui’s food for him whenever they ate together; she knew his tastes.

Qiu Mengze was used to it. It was the same when they ate together at school: Xue Rui would just relax like a king while Lin Ruoxi did everything.

Xue Rui watched them get their food from a distance. ’This girl’s hair is really long,’ he thought. ’When it’s all down like that, it reaches her butt.’

He had seen her elementary school graduation photo when he was helping her move her luggage a while back. Her hair only reached her shoulders then...

Now, Lin Ruoxi’s hair was dry, and the waterfall of black silk attracted many stares.

The men were drawn to her pure, pretty face and tall figure, while the women were captivated by her gorgeous hair, their eyes filled with envy.

A middle-aged couple was sitting in front of Xue Rui. The man was staring intently at Lin Ruoxi, his eyes seemingly glued to her as she moved.

The woman beside him noticed and looked over as well.

"She’s really beautiful, isn’t she?" the woman said, glancing at her husband.

"Yeah, she’s gorgeous," the man murmured.

"Enjoying the view? Want me to go get her number for you?" the woman asked with a smile.

The man sensed danger in her tone and cleared his throat. "I’m just appreciating her beauty, purely appreciating."

"Tch. All men are the same," the woman scoffed.

They had been married for years, so she wasn’t going to get angry over something like this. She joined her husband in staring at Lin Ruoxi’s back.

"Her eyes are so big even without eyeliner. And her nose... how is it so well-defined?" The more the woman looked, the more captivated she became.

The man didn’t understand what his wife was talking about. "You can tell she just got out of the bath. No makeup at all," he said seriously.

"I know, that’s why I’m pointing it out."

"You like looking at pretty women, too?"

"Who says women don’t like looking at other pretty women?"

...

Xue Rui smiled. The men who brought their wives to a place like this were usually long-married couples.

Men liked a natural look, and in a place where everyone was dressed in sauna robes, natural features were all that mattered.

That was why Lin Ruoxi stood out so much. Youth was the best makeup.

"Excuse me, handsome. Is that your girlfriend? What kind of shampoo does she normally use? Where does she get her hair treated?"

Xue Rui smiled politely. "Whichever brand is on sale at the supermarket."

"You’re a funny one," the woman said with a laugh. ’What do men know about these things?’ she thought. ’I’ll have to ask the girl herself later.’

Soon, Lin Ruoxi returned with a plate piled high with food, but she was stopped on her way back to the table.

"Young lady, what kind of shampoo do you normally use?" the woman asked eagerly.

Lin Ruoxi thought for a moment, then rattled off a long list of brands. "Rejoice, Clear, Head & Shoulders..."

After hearing Lin Ruoxi’s answer, the woman sighed. "Why does she use so many different brands?"

’Someone who uses cheap shampoos probably isn’t getting special treatments...’

She had no choice but to admit that Lin Ruoxi was just naturally blessed.

Xue Rui chuckled. "When the supermarket has a sale, you can’t just stick to one brand, can you?"

"Hahaha," the man laughed.

This young couple was fascinating. The boy was a lavish tipper, while the girl bought things on sale at the supermarket, the very picture of a thrifty homemaker.

He shot Xue Rui an envious glance. ’This kid really found a treasure.’

Lin Ruoxi sat down to Xue Rui’s right. He reached out and stroked her long hair. The smooth strands glided through his fingers, feeling as cool and refreshing as dipping his hand into a clear spring.

"Why don’t you keep your hair short anymore?" Xue Rui chuckled.

Lin Ruoxi paused for a moment before replying, "Because there’s no one in the city who buys hair."

"Hmm?" Xue Rui looked confused.

The girl explained, "Back in the village, people would ride around on motorcycles buying hair. Whenever my hair got long, I would sell it."

"Whatever you do, don’t sell it!" the woman at the next table cried out, looking aghast.

Xue Rui felt the same way. ’What a waste that would be...’ he thought.

’So, the only reason she hasn’t cut her hair in two years is that she couldn’t find anyone to buy it?’

’She never goes to a hair salon, just grabs a pair of scissors and trims it herself...’

"You’re a little rich girl now; you don’t need to sell your hair," Xue Rui reminded her.

"Okay, I won’t sell my hair," Lin Ruoxi nodded obediently.

She knew that Xue Rui liked to play with her hair, so she decided she would keep it.