Chapter 58 It's a Small World After All

"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, do you have a reservation?" Upon entering this opulent hotel, Qin Chao was greeted by the elegant Western architectural style.

As soon as he stepped into the lobby, a beautiful hostess approached him, politely asking about his reservation.

"Ah, reservation? No, I don't have one." Qin Chao touched his nose. He never made reservations for meals, it was rather a bother, especially in such high-end places.

"I'm very sorry, sir, but our hotel is fully booked today. You could make a reservation next time, and we'll reserve a spot for you," the beautiful hostess replied courteously. Yet, Qin Chao caught a trace of contempt in her eyes.

"So, no reservation, no meal?" Su Ji interjected, eager for a bit of action. She looped her arm through Qin Chao's, addressing the hostess, "I want a VIP table, one by the window."

"I'm very sorry, miss," the hostess couldn't help but chuckle, "VIP tables are only for our VIP members."

"VIP member?" Qin Chao found this hotel incredibly troublesome. Eating a meal was now entangled with membership. "How do we become members?"

"I'm sorry, but our VIP membership cards are only issued by our chairman," the pretty hostess's tone hinted at impatience, "Since neither of you is a VIP, I'm truly sorry. Next time, please make a reservation. I must apologize, but I need to attend to other customers."

"Well, let's go, then." Qin Chao didn't want to argue, after all, these were the hotel's rules.

"Wait!" Su Ji grabbed Qin Chao's arm, pulling out a pure gold card from her pocket and waving it in front of the hostess. "Which eye of yours determined we are not members?"

Upon seeing the card, the hostess's face became quite the spectacle. Shocked and disbelieving, she quickly plastered a bright, enthusiastic smile across her face.

"So, you two are members. Please, follow me, I'll arrange a table for you."

The young staff at the Anthony Hotel were all quite wealthy, largely due to the generous tips from VIP customers.

Feeling lucky, the hostess was elated at encountering a VIP member, anticipating a hefty tip.

"Never mind, I don't want to trouble you, call your lobby manager." Su Ji waved her hand, unceremoniously.

"This..." The hostess's face fell, uncertain.

"Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Alright, please wait..." With no other choice, the hostess retreated dejectedly.

"This girl, even at this time, all she's thinking about is a tip." Su Ji’s face resumed its sweet smile. She turned to Qin Chao, "Money may not be everything, but without it, life can be difficult."

"Eh? Have you ever been without money?"

"Of course. There was a time when my family was destitute. The wealth we have now was all earned by my father and sister's hard work. That’s why I respect them both so much."

The young woman spoke, pulling Qin Chao's arm with a laugh. "That's why I'm always careful with my money. I never drive BMWs or wear high-end clothes. Especially as a cultivator, all these things are but fleeting clouds to me."

"If my demonic skills reach completion, I might help you break through the Foundation Building stage and let you advance towards higher stages," Qin Chao confidently declared.

"Please, you should focus on reaching the Spiritual Consolidation stage first," she retorted, scoffing softly.

The two were whispering when the hotel manager, clad in a black uniform, approached with an apologetic expression. "I'm truly sorry, Miss Su. The hostess earlier is new and didn't recognize you. Please forgive her."

"It's fine, I'm not mad. I came here to eat, not to get upset. Please, arrange a table for us." Su Ji waved her hand dismissively at the manager.

"Of course, your usual spot is always reserved for you, Miss Su. Please, follow me."

The manager led them to a window-side table on the third floor. Compared to the first floor, the third floor boasted a more sophisticated interior and a quieter ambiance. A western-style band was stationed in the center, gently performing a serenade.

A new waitress was assigned to them, another pretty girl who looked like a part-time student. She handed them the menu.

"What would you like to eat?" Seated comfortably, Su Ji pushed the menu towards Qin Chao. "As my savior, you get to order."

"One meal won't get rid of me, you know," Qin Chao said, looking at the menu. It was all in French; he couldn't read a single word.

"What else do you want, then?" Su Ji asked, looking at Qin Chao flirtatiously.

"How about this?" Qin Chao randomly pointed at something on the menu, causing the waitress to laugh. "Sir, the back of the menu is for music. The band will play the song you selected."

"Alright, let me do it," Su Ji said, taking the menu from Qin Chao's hands. Qin Chao's face flushed, his earlier thought of asking her to be his girlfriend swallowed back down.

Seeing Su Ji's charming beauty infused with spiritual energy, Qin Chao felt disheartened. The disparity between their statuses was too great. As a minor cultivator still at the Qi Refining stage, what did he have to pursue her with?

She loved French cuisine while he only liked street food barbecue. They were simply two different people. He decided to stop entertaining such whimsical thoughts.

"One order of French-style pigeon meat tart, one order of black truffle tomato tata with fresh oysters, and one order of rose salmon with caviar. Qin Chao, I remember you like lamb, so let's also have a French cheese-baked lobster paired with herb lamb chop, served with cream of fresh herb vegetable soup. Let's not get an expensive wine; a bottle of '86 Lafite will do."

"Alright, please wait." The waitress left to place the order. Su Ji noticed Qin Chao looking a bit dejected as he gazed out the window, prompting her to blink at him.

"Hey, hey, hey, handsome, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just that eating such an expensive meal makes me feel a bit burdened," he confessed.

"What's there to worry about?" Su Ji laughed, "You're a natural-born demonic cultivator. One day, you too will possess such wealth. With strength, money and status will follow. Look at the monks from our Baotai Temple at Mount Song, they chant and practice Buddhism daily, and people are eager to donate money to them."

"Uh..." Qin Chao grasped his empty wine glass, watching Su Ji with a slight daze. His only hope was that she wouldn't marry by the time he was ready to reveal his power.

French cuisine was renowned as the pinnacle of Western food, diverse in its ingredients, refined in its preparation, and meticulous in its cooking. Its flavors ranged from strong to subtle with a vast variety of dishes. Qin Chao, tasting French cuisine for the first time, found it good but still yearned for street-side barbecue.

He also struggled to appreciate the wine. As a school security guard, he couldn't understand why a single bottle of wine could be worth thousands.

As they ate, Su Ji explained the French dishes to him. Having studied in France, she was familiar with their cuisine.

The two clinked glasses and suddenly, a discordant voice came from the side.

"What did you say? My favorite spot is taken?"

"I'm truly sorry, young master Li, we can arrange a better spot for you."

"I'm used to sitting there. I don't care who's sitting there now, make them move immediately. I'm hosting friends today and I don't want to be upset."

"Young master Li, this..."

"What, is your hotel closing down or something?"

Soon, the apologetic manager approached, halting at Su Ji's side. He cautiously began, "Miss Su, I'm sorry for our poor service today. I'll cover the bill. However, could I ask you to change tables? I can arrange a better place for you..."

"No need," Su Ji waved him off. "Li Chao, is it? Let him come here. I'll talk to him."

"Alright..." The manager, upon hearing that they knew each other, thought to himself that he couldn't afford to offend either of them and decided to let them settle the issue.

"If that Li Chao bullies me later, you have to protect me."

Su Ji took a sip of her red wine, her cheeks slightly pink, appearing extremely enticing.

"This Li Chao, he's nothing more than a secretary to the City's Party Secretary. His father is the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, and he acts like he's the king of Sunan City."

Qin Chao had also spotted the familiar figure in the distance, the memory of being detained at the police station for half a day resurfaced.

"Don't worry. I'm just a common man, a lone stick. They say a barefooted man is not afraid of those wearing shoes. If he dares to provoke you, I'll make him pay."

Qin Chao casually savored his lamb chop, his words seemingly nonchalant.

However, Su Ji, sitting across from him, felt the concealed killing intent deep within him.

Was this boy just a security guard? Probably only I knew that beneath his exterior, he was a disciple of the demonic sect, one who viewed life with indifference.

"I was wondering who it might be, turns out it's our beautiful princess."

Following the manager's message, Li Chao had approached, accompanied by a man dressed in black.

Qin Chao noticed the man, his eyes suddenly narrowing.

The man wrapped in black had a somewhat gaunt and pale complexion. His pupils were exceptionally dark, his irises slightly reddish, as if stained with blood.

From the man, Qin Chao surprisingly detected a hint of blood and a whiff of a malevolent spirit's putrid smell.

His demonic eye unconsciously activated, scanning the man. To Qin Chao's surprise, the man was not a malevolent spirit but an ordinary human.

That couldn't be right; how could an ordinary man make him feel so alert?

Seemingly sensing Qin Chao's scrutiny, the man shivered, his icy gaze also glancing at Qin Chao.

The look was seemingly casual, but Qin Chao felt a sliver of hostility.

This man was not as simple as he appeared.

"And this person... hmm? You're the school's janitor, aren't you?" Li Chao intentionally addressed Qin Chao, unaware that Qin Chao's attention was entirely on the man in black, not even sparing him a glance.

"I'm sorry, young master Li, but I've taken this spot today. You'll have to inconvenience yourself and move elsewhere," Su Ji said, not too fond of Li Chao either.

"That's no problem. However, since we've run into each other, let me introduce someone," Li Chao chuckled, gesturing towards the man in black beside him, "This is a friend I recently made. He's pretty amazing, knows martial arts. I wanted to ask for his help."

Saying this, Li Chao's eyes swept over Qin Chao with ill-intent.