"Sister Xinglan, why are you here?"
Xu Lizhi's crab claw "plop" fell onto the plate, and the expression on his face instantly froze.
He hurriedly stood up, forgetting to wipe the sauce from the corners of his mouth.
"Why am I here?"
Ye Xinglan crossed her arms, her golden ponytail swaying gently with her angry movements.
"You snuck out without a word, Teacher Shen couldn't find you, and here you are, eating and drinking to your heart's content!"
"Sister Xinglan, I know I was wrong."
Xu Lizhi shrank his neck like a child who had done something wrong, "I was just too hungry, I thought I'd just eat a little and go back…"
"You call this 'eating a little'?"
Ye Xinglan sneered, her gaze sweeping over the messy luxury seafood feast on the table, then turning to Fang Yang and the other two, "And who are these people?"
Her gaze lingered on Fang Yang for a few more seconds.
As a Genius student of Shrek Academy, she could feel that the other party was not weak.
"These three were met on the way…"
Xu Lizhi scratched his head, revealing a simple and honest smile, "I invited them to eat seafood with me."
Tang Wulin couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.
He hadn't expected that Xu Lizhi, who seemed honest and simple, had actually snuck out.
Xie Xie secretly thought, "It's a good thing we didn't sneak out like him, otherwise Teacher Wu would have flayed us alive."
Fang Yang and Ye Xinglan's eyes met, confirming their connection…
He thought to himself, "This is Ye Xinglan, one of the future Shrek Seven Devils."
"You dare to eat with strangers?"
Ye Xinglan withdrew her gaze, looking at Xu Lizhi in disbelief, "Aren't you afraid of encountering danger?"
When she looked at the dining table again, she couldn't help but gasp.
The large round table was piled high with various seafood remains, and the empty plates were stacked high. How could this be the appetite of four people?
"Xu Lizhi, are you full?" Ye Xinglan asked, suppressing her anger.
"I…"
Xu Lizhi reluctantly glanced at the half-eaten king crab remaining on the table.
He swallowed under Ye Xinglan's sharp gaze, "F-full…"
"Then go back now, Teacher Shen is still waiting for you." Ye Xinglan said, leaving no room for doubt.
Fang Yang got up at the right time, "Xie Xie, Wu Lin, it's time for us to go back too."
"Okay, today's meal was truly satisfying!" Tang Wulin patted his stomach contentedly.
Xie Xie, on the other hand, had a look of utter despair.
When he went to pay the bill just now, he almost fainted at the long string of numbers on the receipt.
Three people had actually eaten three million federal currency! This was like eating gold!
Fang Yang nodded politely to Ye Xinglan, then led the two to leave.
Before leaving, he gave Xu Lizhi a meaningful look, a faint smile playing on the corners of his mouth.
"This Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition…"
Ye Xinglan looked at the retreating figures of the three, lost in thought, "It seems it won't be too easy…"
She turned her head and glared at Xu Lizhi, who was still secretly eyeing the food, fuming, "Xu Lizhi! What are you still standing there for?"
"Ah? Oh! I'm going now!" Xu Lizhi was startled instantly.
"Stop! You can't leave!"
A uniformed waiter suddenly blocked their way, his face gloomy.
Ye Xinglan frowned slightly and asked unhappily, "What do you mean? Didn't those three just…"
"They only paid for their part."
The waiter said coldly, with obvious impatience in his eyes, "Yours hasn't been paid yet!"
Ye Xinglan looked at Xu Lizhi in confusion, "Didn't they pay together?"
"Pay?"
Xu Lizhi looked bewildered, then suddenly clapped his head as if realizing something, "Didn't I say I was treating?"
Ye Xinglan instantly understood something, and her face became exceptionally colorful.
She gritted her teeth and asked, "So… by 'you treat' you meant…?"
"It's… I'm treating them to a meal…"
Xu Lizhi's voice grew softer and softer, finally realizing that something was wrong.
He secretly groaned in his heart, "Oh no, oh no, I originally wanted them to pay…"
But on the surface, he still tried to maintain an innocent expression.
"Do you have money to treat?"
Ye Xinglan looked at him suspiciously. This restaurant clearly wasn't cheap, plus the appetite of those four people…
"Of course I can afford it, it's just a few pennies…"
Xu Lizhi waved his hand, pretending to be relaxed, but froze the moment he took the bill.
The bill read: "Eighteen million federal currency."
"This… this expensive?" Xu Lizhi's voice changed tone.
He then remembered that he had ordered only the most expensive seafood in the restaurant, specifically picking the priciest ones…
"Where's the money?"
The waiter said coldly, with obvious impatience in his eyes.
He had long noticed that this kid was eating the most, and now he actually wanted to default on the bill?
Xu Lizhi looked at Ye Xinglan for help, "Sister Xinglan, I…"
"Don't tell me you invited others to eat without money?"
Ye Xinglan's voice rose, "Now that others have paid their share, you can't pay for your own?"
"Sister Xinglan, I really can't afford it…"
Xu Lizhi lowered his head, his voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz, "I don't have a single federal currency…"
He had originally planned for Fang Yang and the others to pay, never expecting to end up trapping himself…
"Let me see the bill."
Ye Xinglan snatched the bill, then fell into a long silence.
"Eighteen million federal currency for one meal…"
She murmured to herself, feeling her temples throb.
Xu Lizhi lowered his head and remained silent…
"You…"
Ye Xinglan trembled with anger, her golden ponytail shaking along with her.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to beat Xu Lizhi soundly.
Seeing this, the waiter's face grew even gloomier, "What, do you want to dine and dash?"
"Wait a moment." Ye Xinglan sighed and took out her communicator from her spirit tool.
Her slender fingers quickly slid across the screen, dialing Shen Yi's number.
"Xinglan? Have you found Xu Lizhi?" Shen Yi's anxious voice came through.
"I found him, but…"
Ye Xinglan glanced at the messy table, speaking with difficulty, "Teacher Shen, could you come to the 'Seafood Assassin' restaurant?"
"We… ran into a little trouble."
She couldn't just say that Xu Lizhi came out to eat and didn't have money to pay, could she?
"Okay, I'll be right there…"
After ending the call, Ye Xinglan looked at Xu Lizhi in front of her, speechless.
"You don't have money, why are you eating out? And such an expensive meal?"
Ye Xinglan's face showed clear displeasure.
It wasn't that she wouldn't let him eat, but this one meal cost eighteen million federal currency.
Having to call the teacher to come pay was truly utterly embarrassing!
"I…"
Xu Lizhi was speechless, his eyes darting around.
"You eat, and then you can't even pay for your own meal?" Ye Xinglan questioned, anger flashing in her azure eyes.
A thought suddenly crossed her mind, "He didn't bring money and invited others to eat, perhaps he wanted others to pay?"
Thinking of this, she unconsciously moved a little further away from Xu Lizhi.
Don't tell her that this seemingly honest and simple guy actually had such a scheme.
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