"How did he catch up so quickly?" Aether gritted his teeth, shielding Furina tightly behind him.
Lumine stepped forward. "Brother, take Furina and go first. Leave this to me."
"Are you kidding?" But Aether glanced back at Furina, his expression twisting with conflict.
"Hey, did you guys forget about someone?!"
Scott took off his sunglasses—surprisingly, he actually looked kind of handsome?
"You guys go. Leave this to me."
Aether, Lumine, and Furina blinked in unison, completely failing to understand what Scott was saying.
"Uh… what are you trying to say?"
"You leave. I'll hold Kevin back."
For a moment, three loading-circle progress bars seemed to appear above Aether, Lumine, and Furina's heads.
Their brains completely crashed.
Scott versus Kevin?
For real?
"Dead serious." Scott tucked his round sunglasses into his pocket, face full of grim determination. "I once studied under a master at Mount Yunhui. With his guidance and my own comprehension, I finally mastered this staff technique…"
He gave a calm smile and glanced sideways. "You go find Black Swan. I'll stall him—even if it's just one second, I'll buy you one second."
Watching this scene, Aether and the others suddenly felt that this openly despicable scoundrel Scott had become somehow noble and heroic.
They absolutely couldn't let Scott's sacrifice go to waste. "We're out!"
Before the words even finished, the three of them vanished around the street corner at sprint speed.
Scott slowly exhaled. "You don't need to persuade me. Just let me face this alone…"
The next moment, he felt something was off. Why was it so quiet?
Scott turned his head. "Where'd they go? They left that fast?"
"Had enough fun yet?" Kevin shook his head repeatedly.
"Kevin, I know I can't beat you. But never underestimate the resolve of a lone wolf!"
With that, Scott pulled out a short staff. He gripped it hard—the ends rapidly extended.
In the blink of an eye, it became a full-length staff.
"HAH!"
Scott roared, raising the iron staff with both hands and charging at Kevin at high speed.
Kevin remained expressionless. Just as Scott was about to make contact, he calmly sidestepped the attack.
And casually extended his left foot.
Scott tripped over the sudden obstacle. "Hey, that's cheating!"
Clang——
Losing balance, Scott crashed straight into a trash can ahead.
And passed out.
Kevin walked over to Scott, checked his breathing and pulse—everything normal—then arranged him into a peaceful sleeping pose before continuing forward.
Just then.
Two figures blocked his path.
Kevin sized them up. "I didn't expect to see the two of you here. I remember you."
His gaze landed on the brown-haired man. "You're the one who's always keeping accounts—Zhongli. And you…"
Kevin looked at the white-haired man. "You're that Wriothesley?"
"That Wriothesley is a boxer. My name is Neuvillette." Neuvillette turned to Zhongli. "Old friend, I never thought we'd fight side by side again one day."
"Same here. I wonder if my skills have rusted."
Kevin flexed his arms. "Are you coming at me together, or one at a time?"
…
Not far away.
"Wow! Amazing! I didn't expect Kevin to be this strong!" Sparkle lowered her binoculars. "Looks like targeting Kevin first really was the right call!"
"But I also have to say thank you~♪ If you hadn't strongly recommended taking control of Luocha first, my plan wouldn't have gone this smoothly. He single-handedly ran circles around Welt Yang and the others~♪"
Elysia's voice came from behind Sparkle. She was elegantly seated on a white non-degradable plastic chair, completely at ease.
"What I was most worried about was that Jing Yuan wasn't here, Su Chen wasn't here, and the Stellaron Hunters weren't here either. As long as we control the video store siblings on Sixth Street and the Aether-Lumine pair, I basically control all of Hoyoverse. Looks like this round is my victory~♪"
"Ta-da! Exactly! I can't wait to see what expression Su Chen makes when he comes back." Sparkle pulled out Su Chen's spare phone. "Thanks to this phone—as long as commands are sent from this number, everyone obeys unconditionally!"
Elysia's lips curved into a wide, arrogant grin. "Elysia, Elysia! Where exactly are you? I can't wait to meet you~♪"
——
Meanwhile.
Su Chen was carefully studying his phone. Beside him, Hyacine asked curiously, "Gray-bao, what are you looking at? Why do you keep staring at your phone?"
"Oh, I'm observing my other phone."
"Huh? One phone observing another phone?"
"I set up a mirroring system. Basically, I can control the other phone with this one and see everything it does."
"Speaking of which, Gray-bao." Hyacine remembered the news she saw that morning. "Why did Interactive City shut down?"
"No worries—someone will foot the bill." Su Chen replied coldly, but the next moment he fell into thought while staring at the dining table ahead.
After a moment, Su Chen asked, "Hyacine, are those two always like this?"
"Uh… pretty much, yeah."
Right in front of them, at one dining table, Anaxagoras and Aglaea sat facing each other.
Both wore half-smiles that weren't really smiles, staring each other down—and this standoff had already lasted several dozen minutes.
Every so often, crackling "pili pala" sounds seemed to echo through the air.
The atmosphere couldn't quite be called sword-drawn-and-bow-bent, but it was close enough to "you die or I die."
"Hahaha!" Anaxagoras spoke first.
"Aglaea, your decorating taste is still as awful as ever. Don't you understand how important a suitable environment is for diners?
Orange and red combinations are better suited for fast-food joints. For a hotel, milky white with matte gold accents would elevate the sense of luxury while effectively satisfying diners' vanity, allowing you to raise prices.
Did Caenis take away everything—including your brain's understanding of hotel management models? If you've forgotten, I can teach you again."
Aglaea's forehead veins bulged, yet she maintained a smile. "Anaxagoras, if you truly understood the situation at the Golden Grand Restaurant, you wouldn't say such things.
Increasing foot traffic to give the kitchen staff more training opportunities—where's the problem with that?
Or has the management model in your head become so rigid that it can no longer adapt or make judgments based on actual circumstances?"
"A very good excuse to cover up your ignorance of hotel operations. Since you mentioned the chefs…" Anaxagoras paused. "I didn't expect all three students from Arbor Court Academy to end up recruited here. Now let me see—under your guidance, have they progressed or regressed?"
Watching this, Su Chen thought to himself, Spectacular! Truly worthy of being a pair of destined rivals.
He quickly grabbed some popcorn from the machine, sat down, and continued spectating.
"Uh…" Hyacine hurried over to Anaxagoras. "Teacher Na, are you ready to order?"
"Hyacine." Anaxagoras's gaze returned to Aglaea. "He used to be my teaching assistant and had quite the talent in management studies—yet now he's working as a lobby server. I have every reason to suspect that your misunderstandings aren't limited to decor and management models; even your personnel decisions are flawed."
Aglaea shot back without mercy. "Hyacine is kind, poised, and has a rainbow-like smile. As the first face of the hotel, a server is the most important card. My choice is flawless.
On the other hand, you can't even recognize your own students' strengths. If I were their teacher, I'd be ashamed."
Su Chen munched on popcorn, muttering under his breath, "Fight, fight!"
"Hahaha, your words once again reveal your ignorance. I might need to reread Fermat's Last Theorem a hundred more times just to wash away the unpleasant memories."
Aglaea said nothing, but a flash of killing intent passed through her eyes.
Seeing the situation turning dangerous and feeling awkward stuck in the middle—especially since the popcorn had run out—Su Chen reluctantly stepped between them.
"Um, Mr. Anaxagoras, you've been talking for a while. You must be hungry. How about ordering something to try first?"
Anaxagoras glanced at Su Chen and gave a satisfied smile. "Very polite. I originally thought you were just a server, but given your outfit, you really belong in the kitchen."
"I'm actually a dishwasher in the back kitchen who also doubles as lobby server."
"In that case, it only proves the hotel's management eye is still quite sharp." Anaxagoras fell silent for a moment. "Then I'll have egg fried rice."
The moment "egg fried rice" was mentioned, Aglaea visibly jolted inside. Her expression relaxed considerably.
Su Chen, watching from the side, immediately saw through it.
In truth, Anaxagoras had deliberately come to the Golden Grand Restaurant to give it some positive word-of-mouth as a food critic.
But his personality wouldn't allow any favoritism.
However, as Phainon's teacher, he naturally knew what they excelled at.
Ordering a delicious plate of egg fried rice would neither compromise justice nor fail to lend a helping hand.
Brilliant!
Su Chen gave a faint smile, adopting the classic "I see through it but won't say it" expression.
"Got it. I'll go tell the chefs right away."
With that, Su Chen dashed off toward the kitchen.
Once Su Chen left, Aglaea and Anaxagoras exchanged a glance, then both turned their heads away with a simultaneous "Hmph!"
"Hehe… hehehe…" Hyacine stood awkwardly between them, her smile extremely strained.
——
Golden Grand Restaurant kitchen.
Phainon was still continuously flipping the wok, trying to produce a perfect plate of egg fried rice.
Jane stood beside Castorice, constantly directing her and giving precise instructions.
Tribbie sat on a tall chair, waiting to taste-test.
Not long after.
Su Chen pushed open the back-kitchen door.
"Brothers and sisters, everyone look at me! I have an announcement!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
"A food critic has arrived at the Golden Grand Restaurant!"
The group froze for a second—then erupted in cheers.
"Yay!"
"Didn't expect them so soon."
"If we can win over a food critic, it'll massively boost the Golden Grand Hotel's reputation."
"Wait…" Su Chen interrupted. "Right now this food critic—or gourmet—wants a plate of egg fried rice. Let's hurry!"
The moment Su Chen said "egg fried rice," everyone's eyes locked onto Phainon.
"Egg fried rice? Coming to a hotel and wanting egg fried rice?" Phainon looked at Su Chen in disbelief. "But why?"
"Because…" Su Chen cleared his throat. "Hey, egg fried rice—the simplest yet most difficult. The rice must be grain-separated and coated in egg!"
???
Except for Castorice, everyone stared at Su Chen with speechless expressions.
Tribbie comforted him. "Little Gray sang very well. Next time, maybe don't sing."
"Hahaha, I was just trying to lighten the mood, hahaha…" Su Chen tried to laugh off the embarrassment.
At that moment, Mydei walked over to Phainon. "You really are the kitchen's Deliverer. Whether we can reverse our reputation this time depends on you."
Noticing Phainon's expression was off, he patted his back. "If you need anything, just say it. I'll help for sure!"
Phainon gave a disdainful look. "Fine. A chef doesn't need help prepping. But… beating an egg for me is acceptable!"
Mydei and Phainon locked eyes—then broke into simultaneous grins.
"Ah…" Castorice blushed at the sight. "So boys' friendships are this pure?"
"Jealous?" Jane crossed her arms over her chest, staring at Castorice with an inscrutable gaze.
"Uh… a… a little."
"Then can I be your friend?" Jane gave a teasing smile, attack mode fully engaged.
Castorice's face flushed again. "Thank you, Master Jane."
Jane gave a gentle smile. "Alright, keep chopping. I've watched your technique—your fundamentals are very solid. It proves you built a strong foundation back at the academy.
It's just that your academy teachers only taught basics—like laying the foundation of a house. What kind of house gets built after that is entirely up to you.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way you met someone who threw off your seasoning ratios and heat control.
That style—I've only seen it from one head maid and one café owner. I never expected someone else in the world could match them.
But don't worry—it's not too late yet."
"…" Castorice said nothing, just kept chopping vegetables.
On the other side.
Phainon stared at the beaten egg liquid, rice, and green onions in front of him, lost in thought.
He still remembered what Teacher Anaxagoras had said when he left Arbor Court Academy: "Until you make a perfect plate of egg fried rice, don't touch any other dish!"
Only now did he understand how useful perfecting egg fried rice could be.
Perhaps he could rely on this dish to conquer the food critic's palate and take the first step toward bringing the Golden Grand Restaurant back to success.
Phainon steeled himself, picked up the wok spatula, and began cooking egg fried rice.
His movements flowed like water. In just a few minutes, a fresh plate was ready.
Mydei scooped a portion and handed it to Tribbie, who had been watching.
"Teacher Tribbie, please taste-test and tell us how it is."
Tribbie nodded, took a small spoonful, and put it in her mouth. "Mua, mua, mua~"
"Hm?!"
Tribbie gave a big thumbs-up, face glowing with happiness. "Snowy is amazing!"
"Yes!" Phainon clenched his fist hard. "If Teacher Tribbie says it's good, then it's definitely good—it'll definitely win the food critic's praise!"
After plating the egg fried rice, Su Chen prepared to bring it to Anaxagoras.
Suddenly, Phainon blurted out on impulse, "By the way, partner—who's the food critic this time?"
"Anaxagoras. Your teacher."
With that, Su Chen pushed open the kitchen door and headed straight for the dining hall.
Phainon's mood sank, just like the slowly closing door, into dead silence.
"Damn it… it's actually Teacher Anaxagoras?!"