Chapter 559: Approaching (Part 2)
Su Yurou sat down near the window, and Wang Wu glanced at her sideways: "Yurou, you look quite nice today."
Tie Dun looked up from above the menu and gave her a serious look: "Wang Wu is right, Yu Rou does look beautiful today."
Su Yurou smiled but didn't reply. She looked down and flipped through a few pages of the menu, checked off several dishes, and handed them to Zhao Hu across from her: "Brother Hu, that's all. Do you want to add anything else?"
Zhao Hu glanced at it and said, "Order a few more, money's no object."
Tie Dun chimed in from the side, "Tiger is right, we're not short of money now."
Everyone burst into laughter. Zhao Hu was indeed not short of money now. As the deputy commander of the Night Whisper Legion, money was just a number to him.
Just then, the door to the private room opened again, and Jiang Yelan walked in. She was wearing a short black jacket, her hair was tied back, and she looked neat and tidy.
Zhao Hu greeted, "Ye Lan, we've been waiting for you! Let's order, it's on me today!"
Su Yurou quickly stood up, pulled Jiang Yelan to sit next to her, and praised, "Sister Yelan, you look so beautiful today!"
Jiang Yelan smiled gently in response to Su Yurou, then glanced at the holographic menu and said softly, "You guys can order, I won't pick and choose."
"Alright, you always do this." Zhao Hu shook his head. "Let's begin!"
Tiedun couldn't wait any longer and poured all the ingredients from several plates into the pot.
Wang Wu raised his glass: "Come on, let's have one first, to help the lord become the Nightmare Lord, cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses, and the crisp clinking sound echoed in the private room.
After putting down his wine glass, Tie Dun picked up his chopsticks and said, "Let's eat!"
The first chopstick landed in the pot, precisely picking up a slice of meat that was tumbling around. It quickly dipped in the dipping sauce, then put the whole slice into its mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and exclaimed, "This meat is amazing! It melts in your mouth!"
While cooking the meat in the hot pot, Wang Wu casually asked, "Yu Rou, you and the lord are classmates and neighbors. Have you ever eaten out together?"
Su Yurou shook her head and said softly, "The lord is always in a hurry when he comes back, and we have basically never eaten together. There was only one time, when the lord had just established his territory, and we all ate together."
Awang sighed and said, "From the time the lord entered the Nightmare World to when we started our long vacation, it was only a little over three months. Now we've had more than two months of rest all at once."
"I haven't seen the lord for two months. I wonder how he is doing in the Nightmare World."
Scarface Liu chimed in, "Ever since the final trial began, the DreamNet live stream signal has been completely cut off. I heard that the moderators of our Beacon Fire Territory, who were also the lord's classmates, have all switched careers to become internet celebrities."
“I know that!” Wang Wu chimed in. “He also found a partner, and the two of them perform stand-up comedy in their live stream every day, making netizens laugh out loud.”
Everyone laughed.
While chewing on his meat, Tie Dun mumbled, "I also like listening to crosstalk, but those two won't last long. They'll definitely be pulled in by the lord to become Awakeners."
At this point, Tie Dun suddenly turned to Zhao Hu and asked, "By the way, Brother Hu, is it true that you're planning to let your son join the Night Whisper Legion?"
Zhao Hu put down his cup and said seriously, "Really, we'll have Ye Lan help us oversee things and just follow the proper procedures."
Then, he looked around at everyone and said, "If you have any relatives, you can arrange them as well. This is only for this one time! I reported to the lord when I returned to Blue Star. Each person has six spots, and they can all directly transfer to the next level."
This is a perk the lord is giving everyone; all future selections will be rigorous. If anyone tries to use connections again, and the lord punishes you, I can't plead for you!
"Brother Tiger is so righteous! I, Scarface Liu, toast you!" Scarface Liu immediately raised his glass.
Everyone raised their glasses, and Zhao Hu waved his hand and said, "It's not that I'm being righteous, it's that the lord is being generous," but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.
After a few drinks, the atmosphere became even more lively.
Awang leaned back in his chair, emboldened by the alcohol, and asked, "Do you think that once the lord becomes the Nightmare Lord, all the countries on Blue Star will have to listen to our Beacon Fire Territory?"
Zhao Hu glanced at him and said irritably, "The way you're talking makes it sound like things aren't the same now."
Awang grinned: "Yeah, I'm just curious, will we be able to walk sideways when we go out on Earth in the future?"
Tie Dun swallowed a mouthful of meat and replied, "I think you don't need to walk sideways, just walk upright. Walking sideways makes it easy for someone to take a picture and post it on the internet. If the lord finds out then, and knows that you've gotten too cocky, then you're finished."
Awang glanced at him and teased, "Tiedun, what's up? Why are you talking so smartly today? You didn't eat that pig brain for nothing, did you?"
While eating, Tie Dun slowly retorted, "I just think that pig brain looks a lot like your head, so it's not a bad deal to eat it."
Laughter erupted in the private room, and the city lights outside the window reflected the relaxed and happy faces of the group.
Steam from the hot pot continued to rise in the private room, the heat and aroma hitting the transparent exterior wall and leaving a thin layer of mist.
Tie Dun added another plate of meat to the pot, watching the red oil sizzle, his face full of satisfaction.
Wang Wu picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his bowl, eating it slowly and deliberately.
Su Yurou turned her head and noticed that Jiang Yelan's bowl was still mostly empty. She asked with some concern, "Sister Yelan, aren't you hungry?"
Jiang Yelan nodded slightly, picked up a slice of freshly cooked meat, and said softly, "It's alright, eat slowly."
The atmosphere in the private room remained relaxed. Some people were talking in hushed tones, while others were pouring drinks for each other, and the crisp sound of clinking glasses filled the air.
After a few rounds of drinks, Zhao Hu gently set down his wine cup, rubbed his fingers along the rim, and his smile gradually faded as he asked, "What time should we go to pick up the lord tomorrow?"
Su Yurou glanced down at her personal communicator, then looked up and replied, "I'll arrive at the Lord's Residential Area around 2 PM. Everything has been arranged there."
"Then let's meet at the entrance of the community at one o'clock in the afternoon," Zhao Hu said, looking around at everyone.
"Once everyone's here, let's go in together."
With meat still in his mouth, Tie Dun mumbled a reply.
Arrow Eye nodded and said "Okay," then steadily placed the wine glass back on the table.