New Fic Posted:
Genshin Impact: My Novels Made All Seven Archons Cry
Wuthering Waves: Transmigrating with the Ten Shadows Technique
Wuthering Waves: I Don't Really Want to Be the Villain
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"Boss, we might as well have stayed in Interactive City—at least Anby could cook for us there."
Billy slurped a mouthful of instant noodles. "I've been eating instant noodles for three days straight. I'm seriously about to puke."
Nicole patted Billy on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Su Chen said as long as we successfully complete this mission, we'll have endless feasts from now on."
"But I want to eat now!"
"Stop whining, Billy. Just calculate it—if we get free meals every day from now on, think how much that improves our lives." Anby took a bite of her burger and chewed slowly.
"The next part of the mission is simple. We just wait here for the pickup person and we're done."
"This doesn't feel simple at all!" Billy helplessly slurped another mouthful. "I really admire Kevin. How does he eat instant noodles every day and still enjoy it? I can't take it anymore after just three days."
Nicole put on a serious face and spoke solemnly. "Alright, no more complaints. Everything is for the bright future ahead."
"But Boss Nicole, aren't we in this mess right now because you squandered all our wages?"
Nicole's mouth twitched. She grabbed Billy's cheeks hard. "You're the only one with a mouth, huh?"
However, not far away—
Cipher hid around a corner, eyes fixed intently on Nicole and the others.
"This is Caenis's company. But Su Chen's people are here? Could Dictator really be right? Su Chen really is colluding with Caenis? No—this has to be reported to Dictator immediately."
She immediately pulled out her phone, aimed it at Nicole's group, and made sure to capture the Caenis company plaque in the frame as well.
"Sneaking around doing what, nya?"
Cipher's body jolted. She whipped around like a cat with its fur standing on end. "Nya~ Who are you?"
"Nya!" Nekomata didn't back down and puffed up just as much. "Who are you? Spying on us?"
Damn it—I didn't expect these idiots to actually use mantis stalking cicada, unaware of oriole behind. No choice—I have to get this info to Aglaea… Cipher pointed behind Nekomata. "Look! Dried little fish!"
"Dried little fish?" Nekomata's eyes instantly turned into little fish shapes, drool dripping from her mouth. "Where? Where?!"
Taking advantage of the distraction, Cipher prepared to bolt.
But the next moment, she froze.
Because Nicole and the others had already blocked the only exit.
"Hehehe." Billy slicked back his hair. "Miss, you've walked right into the tiger's den, you know?"
Cipher protectively covered her chest with both arms. "What do you want?"
Clang——
Nicole punched Billy, sending him crashing face-first to the ground, completely lifeless.
Nicole gave a gentle smile. "Relax, miss. We just want to ask—what exactly is your purpose?"
"That's exactly what I want to ask. What are your intentions? I saw you meeting with Su Chen outside earlier. Now you're here, and today just happens to be the competition day. Any normal person would find this way too coincidental, nya~"
As she spoke, Cipher subtly shifted her ankles. To escape these people, she'd have to unleash the speed she was so proud of!
"Everyone, want some gold coins?" Cipher pulled a single gleaming gold coin from her pocket. "999 pure gold. With gold prices so high right now, you know how valuable this is, right?"
Nicole and the others couldn't help swallowing hard at the sight of the coin in Cipher's hand.
"How do I know this is real or fake?"
Cipher gave a confident smile. She took out a broken piece of porcelain and scraped the edge of the coin across it.
A golden streak immediately appeared on the porcelain.
"Porcelain scratch test—a very common folk method. Now do you believe me?"
Nicole shook her head. "Are you trying to bribe us?"
"No, I'm just giving it to you. I have plenty more." Cipher pulled out three more gold coins from her pocket. "First come, first served, nya~"
Nicole glanced at the other three members of Cunning Hares. "Don't lose focus. I'll handle this alone. You three just keep her contained."
Billy, Anby, and Nekomata all gave Nicole resolute looks.
Cipher gave a playful smile and tossed the three gold coins into the air.
In that instant—
Nicole and the others charged forward like mad.
The scene unfolding was exactly what Cipher had expected. She dropped low, then shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. In the blink of an eye, she broke through the encirclement.
Behind her came the desperate shouts of Nicole and the others.
"I'm the boss! Stop right there!"
"No way, Nicole—this is pure hand speed!"
"I got one, nya!"
"…"
"Sigh…" Cipher shook her head as if helpless. "They're way too easy to fool."
The real gold coin reappeared in her hand.
Not long after—
A miserable scream echoed from the alley where Nicole's group was.
"How is this chocolate?!"
"We're done. We're finished. This mission is completely ruined!" Nicole clutched her hair in despair. "Boss Su Chen's task is going to fail."
"Calm down, Nicole. Things can't get any worse. Besides, our mission was just to meet up with Sunday and the others." Anby comforted her from the side.
"I can't believe we actually got tricked… chocolate?"
Just then.
Su Chen's call came at the perfect moment.
Nicole stared at the caller ID, hesitating to press accept.
Finally, she steeled herself and answered in the last few seconds. "Hello, Boss Su Chen."
"Have you met up with Sunday and the others yet?"
"N-not… not yet." Nicole spoke haltingly. "And… there's one more thing. Just now there was a cat-like girl secretly watching us. Of course it wasn't Nekomata.
We almost caught her, but she got away."
Su Chen's voice remained calm. "Small problem. I'll handle it. Just hand over the collected information to Sunday, then go to a church and find a nun named Kallen."
"Oh." Nicole let out a slight breath of relief, already thinking about her big meal. "Boss, we've been eating instant noodles for days. After we meet the nun, can we finally go eat a feast at the Golden Grand Restaurant?"
"No rush. It won't take long. Call me after you meet her."
With that, Su Chen hung up. The next moment, Nicole's phone received a location pin.
Nicole shook her head. "Why does freeloading a meal feel so exhausting?"
"Enough talking, Nicole—Sunday and the others are here." Anby pointed at the Rolls-Royce Phantom parked at the entrance.
Nicole waved to the group. "Let's go. Time to hand over."
...
...
"So this is the information on the shareholders of this hotel?" Sunday took the materials Nicole had gathered and examined them carefully.
Nicole nodded. "Yes. It basically contains everything you need."
"Great. Thank you for completing the mission. Cunning Hares is as reliable as ever." Sunday gave a look to Topaz, Aventurine, and Jade behind him. "Let's go. Time for us to perform."
Aventurine couldn't help clicking his tongue. "What kind of person requires all four of us to sit at the negotiation table? I'm really looking forward to this!"
Topaz didn't seem particularly concerned, but she was wondering about something else—one person who was supposed to be in the car had suddenly disappeared?
"Where's Feixiao?"
Sunday replied, "Don't worry. She went after someone. She'll be back soon."
——
"Huff… huff… huff~"
Cipher sprinted at full speed. Only after confirming no one was following did she finally slow down.
"That scared me to death. Gotta report to Aglaea right away."
"Report what, little miss?"
"Who—?" Cipher scanned her surroundings. Finally looking up, she saw a valiant woman smiling down at her from above.
"Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Feixiao." Feixiao leaped down from the second floor and landed steadily.
Cipher's mind raced trying to connect the dots. She'd just escaped those people, and now another one?
Was this one here to catch her too?
"Feixiao? Oh—I get it. You're with Su Chen too, right?"
Feixiao kept her bright, cheerful smile. "More precisely, he's my boss. Actually, it seems there's some misunderstanding between us. He specially asked me to come clear things up with you."
Cipher gave a cold snort. She knew Feixiao wouldn't be as easy to fool as the previous group. She had to create distance the moment Feixiao let her guard down.
After all, when it came to the speed she prided herself on—she had never lost to anyone.
"Sure. How about we find a place to sit and talk slowly?"
"As long as you're willing to cooperate."
"Then I'll lead the way." Cipher's lips curved upward, a mysterious confidence appearing on her face.
Whoosh——
Cipher shot forward at full sprint speed, mind completely focused on escape.
Feixiao fanned away the dust in front of her. "Not bad, little miss! Guess I should get serious too!"
She took off her outer coat, revealing a tight tank top. The muscle lines on her arms were nearly perfect.
In the blink of an eye, Feixiao vanished.
...
"Ever since that freeloading dishwasher showed up, weird things just keep happening one after another!" Cipher kept running while glancing back from time to time.
But when she looked forward again, she saw a familiar figure.
"Nya~"
It was Feixiao!
Cipher immediately made a 90-degree turn and dashed into an alley.
"Impossible—how could she catch up to me? This is the first time anyone's ever caught up! Faster—faster!"
By now her expression was completely twisted. She was already giving it everything she had.
Just as she was about to burst out of the alley, Feixiao appeared in front of her again without warning.
"O口O! Nya!"
Cipher slammed on the brakes. Her heels sparked against the ground as she spun around and kept running.
"What the hell? What is going on?!"
But no matter how hard Cipher tried over the next stretch, she couldn't shake Feixiao.
Feixiao always appeared in the exact spot she needed to block the path, as if by coincidence.
"Stop!"
Cipher finally couldn't take it anymore. She raised her hand to call off this cat-and-mouse game.
Feixiao was terrifying—always appearing ahead on every possible route.
That left only two possibilities.
One: Feixiao had hundreds of identical sisters, and Cipher was completely surrounded.
Two: Feixiao's speed was simply superior.
Either way, it made her heart race with panic.
"Little miss, you run pretty well. Thanks to you, I actually broke a sweat for once."
Beads of crystal sweat glistened on Feixiao's skin, but her breathing remained steady.
In contrast, Cipher was already parched, panting heavily.
"How did you do that? This isn't even human!"
"Lots of training—push your body to the limit. Little miss—or should I say Miss Cipher—actually, the reason I came is to tell you: if you want to win the God of Cooking Competition, if you want the Golden Grand Restaurant to come out on top, some cooperation is necessary!
If you report to Aglaea, Boss Su Chen's plan might fall apart completely. What you need to do is just wait obediently."
"Why should I?" Cipher stared at Feixiao with blazing eyes. "How do I know you're not planning something bad, nya!"
"Miss Cipher." Feixiao took out a single gold coin—even shinier, more dazzling, with special detailing. In the center was a pattern resembling a cat's head. "A meeting gift. This one's for you."
Cipher blinked, snatched it immediately. "You said it yourself—no take-backs, okay?"
She examined the coin closely. The texture and color confirmed it without doubt: 999 pure gold.
And it was noticeably heavier than the ones Lady Agy had given her.
"You're really giving this to me? No regrets?"
Feixiao nodded. "Of course. A meeting gift from the boss. Oh—right, I almost forgot the most important thing."
The next moment, Feixiao pulled out a cat teaser wand. "Wanna play?"
——
Golden Grand Hotel, reception hall.
"I never imagined the manager of Sweet Dreams Hotel would personally come to negotiate. Look at my rundown hotel—it's practically glowing now."
Caenis's attitude was humble as she kept serving the young man in front of her attentively.
"You flatter me." Sunday gave a modest nod. "Actually, the purpose of my visit is very simple. You know the scale of Hoyoverse Film Interactive City today—it's practically the second-largest entertainment complex in Magic City. So the catering side has always been something we've wanted to partner with a suitable hotel on."
"But…" Caenis asked with slight confusion, "Doesn't Sweet Dreams Hotel offer any catering services?"
Sunday shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. "You may not know this, but after Sweet Dreams Hotel partnered with Hoyoverse, the hotel itself became purely a filming location and tourist attraction. It long ago lost its original function as a hotel. Catering has always been a headache.
It's almost laughable—recent news, you've probably seen it. Hoyoverse had to shut down for rectification partly because of food issues. Quite a few employees went on strike."
"Shutting down for rectification over food? That's certainly eye-opening."
"So I hope you'll consider this proposal. Given your company's reputation in catering, our boss has always wanted to give employees the best possible benefits. If negotiations go well, we can sign a long-term contract.
You know exactly how much profit is in that."
"Indeed. With Interactive City's foot traffic, once it opens it could feed us for life." Caenis pondered for a moment before continuing. "But a deal this big—I probably can't decide alone."
"No problem." Sunday gestured to Topaz, Aventurine, and Jade behind him. "These three are industry elites. With a professional team like theirs backing us, I'm confident this transaction will go smoothly.
So—shall we meet with the members of your company's shareholders' meeting?"