Looking at the magnificent design, Ji Li’s eyes lit up. "I absolutely love it, Youyou. You really spare no expense."

Tan You smiled. "If we’re going to do this, it has to be one-of-a-kind."

Ji Li was warmed by Tan You’s words, and she walked with a new spring in her step. "Looking back now, I feel so stupid. Really. How could I have had a crush on a man for so long? It’s not like he was anything special."

"Well, he is a little special—a special kind of player," Tan You remarked casually. Ji Li pouted, knowing Tan You was teasing her. She’d pretty much figured it out by now; despite Tan You’s usually cold demeanor, she was actually quite mischievous at heart.

"So, yeah... Now that I’ve left all that behind me and can look back, I realize that you really have to love yourself more. Yearning for someone else’s affection is just trying to force something that isn’t there."

Ji Li’s expression grew much more serious. "That’s why I’m going to focus on living well and building my career now. As for meeting someone I like, I’ll just leave it to fate."

Tan You didn’t try to convince Ji Li to date or get married. In her opinion, that was all just societal pressure. Being single or getting married were simply choices, and there was no right or wrong to it.

"The materials needed for your phoenix coronet are quite exquisite," Tan You said, changing the subject. "I’m going to be a bit busy for a while, since I have to collect all the materials for you."

Ji Li blinked. "Okay! I can’t wait to see the finished coronet. Youyou, you go ahead and do what you need to do. I can manage on my own. I’m so much older than you, after all."

Tan You glanced at her silently. ’It seems like every one of my clients makes a point of mentioning they’re older than me. Fine, they’re older. Whatever.’ She wasn’t about to argue the point.

"I’m hungry. I couldn’t even eat comfortably sitting at the same table as Wen Zhe. He completely ruined my mood." Rubbing her stomach, Ji Li grumbled. Now that she was over Wen Zhe, she couldn’t even stand the thought of eating at the same table with him.

Tan You normally never pried into where Ji Li went, what she did, or who she saw, because those were Ji Li’s own decisions. She was very good at maintaining personal boundaries.

So, as Ji Li headed to a restaurant, Tan You made herself unseen. At the same time, the Beauty System got to work. It had to collect jewels for its host; after all, a precious phoenix coronet required a vast amount of them.

Watching the Beauty System bustle about, Tan You couldn’t help but smile. "See? You’re doing a great job. You’re not a little good-for-nothing at all."

The Beauty System proudly puffed out its non-existent little chest. "That’s right! Sys is not a little loser!"

A hint of a smile touched Tan You’s eyes. ’So this little thing needs to be praised regularly, does it? Oh well. It’s not like a few words cost me anything.’

Even though she was a famous streamer, Ji Li didn’t have an arrogant bone in her body. Her lifestyle wasn’t extravagant either. But today, perhaps because she had run into Wen Zhe, she was in a bit of a bad mood and decided to cheer herself up with a nice dinner.

She picked a restaurant with excellent reviews, mainly because it had an interesting gimmick: from time to time, it would give out small prizes, like a free meal or discount coupons and tickets for local attractions.

Of course, winning these prizes wasn’t so easy. Patrons had to perform a talent, and the person who received the most applause would win.

Ji Li was just there out of curiosity; she had never been to a restaurant like this before.

Taking a bite of celery, Ji Li’s eyes crinkled in satisfaction. "Too bad you can’t have any, Youyou."

"Then you’d better eat some more," Tan You said nonchalantly. While she enjoyed good food, it was, at the end of the day, just food. She wasn’t so easily moved by such small pleasures.

Ji Li only dared to poke the bear like this occasionally; she wouldn’t risk saying anything more, afraid Tan You would increase her training load. Just as she was enjoying her meal, a man in his thirties walked to the center of the restaurant. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Good evening, everyone."

Hearing the whoops and applause from the surrounding tables, Ji Li put down her chopsticks. "Is something happening?"

Tan You reappeared beside her. "Clearly. Looks like you’re in luck."

Ji Li’s curiosity was piqued. "I’ve got to see what the prize is, and what kind of talents people will show off."

She had no intention of participating herself, but she found it fascinating just to watch as a spectator.

Soon, a small box was brought out. The man held it up and opened it, revealing a perfectly round pearl inside. Ji Li had sharp eyes. "A pearl? It looks pretty nice."

Tan You saw it too. "Mm. Like they said, it’s a small prize. But events like this aren’t about the reward; they’re about taking part. It’s about everyone having fun together. That’s what matters."

"Want to give it a try?"

Ji Li hesitated. "All I can really do is dance. It’s not like I can perform a tea ceremony for everyone, right? But forget about dancing... I’d be too embarrassed to do that in front of so many people."

She had posted countless dance videos, but her only live audience had ever been a few people. She had never performed in front of a large, public crowd like this.

Tan You didn’t push her. If Ji Li wasn’t interested, she wouldn’t insist. But if Ji Li had shown even a bit of interest, she would have given her a nudge in the right direction.

The owner began to speak again. "Our restaurant holds these kinds of events from time to time. Everyone’s here to have fun. I won’t keep you in suspense—as always, participation is voluntary, any talent is welcome, and the prize goes to whoever gets the loudest cheers from the audience!"

The moment he finished, someone immediately raised their hand to sign up. The owner laughed. "Any customers who want to perform, please come sign up with me. The show will start in five minutes!"

Ji Li rested her chin in her hand, watching the scene unfold. She had never been to a place like this, to be honest. You couldn’t quite call it a restaurant, but it wasn’t just a bar either. The menu was just as good as any restaurant’s, if not more distinctive.

Regardless, the shop definitely had a unique charm. People from all walks of life came here. Just from a glance, Ji Li could see people from all sorts of professions—some in formal suits and others in casual clothes. The overarching theme seemed to be that all were welcome.

She was watching the crowd, little did she know the crowd was also watching her. The truth is, beautiful people are always the center of attention. From the moment Ji Li had walked in, many eyes had been on her.

As a famous streamer, it was only natural that some people recognized her. No one had approached her earlier, out of respect since everyone was eating. But now that the owner had shown up and there was going to be a talent show, a young woman decided to come over and talk to her.

"Ali, is it really you? For a second, I thought I was mistaken... I’m a fan of yours." Ruan Tang had been hesitant at first, but once she got closer to Ji Li, she was certain. She was suddenly overcome with excitement and joy.