Chapter 31: 031: Grounded Period Ends
With an apron covering his torso, little Taiyang was peeping at the elderly couple in the living room.
He commented, "Your parents get along well."
After a brief pause, Yue Xuexia realized how much she preferred her current life over their previous impoverished one, where she had witnessed her parents argue and worry over money. Now, she could see them laugh without any concerns.
Yue Xuexia said, "Yes. I like them seeing this way better."
"Don't worry. Even if we were gone, you would never worry about money," said Little Taiyang.
Yue Xuexia smiled at him and said, "Okay, I believe you. Thank you, System and Yangyang. You guys are my saviors."
"Stop being cheesy. Give me more of those macaroons. They're delicious with different kinds of fillings," said Little Taiyang. He wanted to change the topic so Yue Xuexia wouldn't notice his slip of the tongue.
Though it is true that they would eventually have to leave this plane, as long as the main body revealed his true strength, they would be able to return to their original location. Yue Xuexia pretended not to comprehend Little Taiyang's meaning as she carried on putting the pastries and sweets into adorable boxes and using the brocade bags for cookies. Little Taiyang, who was observing her from a distance, was conversing with his main body in his head.
'Main, the host you have chosen is a good girl. You made the right choice choosing Xue'er.'
[Don't get attached. You will be the one to suffer in the end.]
'I know! You don't need to keep mentioning it! Hmp!'
After packing everything, Little Taiyang assisted Yue Xuexia in getting her car into the garage. It is the black Rolls-Royce Dawn that she usually drives, and the parents greets them at the front door.
Yue Xuexia said, "I'll be back soon. Just visit the neighborhood for a while ~"
"Okay. Come back before dinner," said Mama Yue.
Papa Yue said, "Xiao Yang, I will leave her to you."
"Please leave it to me, Uncle!" said Little Taiyang as Assistant Tai.
The four siblings had all moved into the district as planned, with the three adults living in their own mansions and the youngest, who was still a minor, living in the school dormitory and only visiting home on weekends. They left the mansion and headed to the neighborhood where the Xing family had relocated.
After visiting all of her relatives, Yue Xuexia did not stay long at any of the houses; she gave them some cakes and desserts, then asked Little Taiyang to drive away. On the way, she also made sure to give some of the cookies she had made as gifts to the child beggars and drive to the closest orphanage, where she had personally donated a million rmb.
Little Taiyang saw that the brocade bags she used to keep those cookies warm were the same gift bags she asked them to keep every time she got one.
"You've used those used gift bags from the system and filled them with cookies and money. Why didn't you just give those beggars money directly?" asked Little Taiyang.
Yue Xuexia who was looking out of the car window, answered.
"Yangyang, humans are greedy. Once they've become greedy, they will forget all the morals they should know and have. During those times, children had no other way to protect themselves against adults. This is as much I can help them with," said Yue Xuexia.
Little Taiyang said, "As a human, aren't you greedy as well?"
Yue Xuexia, who has never once denied that she is a greedy human being, simply smiled at Little Taiyang in response to this query.
"I never said I am not greedy. No matter what race you are, as long as there is something you want, wouldn't you do everything to get it? This is regardless of any consequences. That's greediness, isn't it?" said Yue Xuexia.
Those remarks stunned Little Taiyang, leaving him unable to respond or refute her as though everything she had just stated were true.
Yue Xuexia ignored the awkwardness in the car and said, "Let's go home. The dinner should be served soon. You can return to your chibi version after eating."
"That I wouldn't decline," said Little Taiyang.
Little Taiyang met Yue Xuexia's two sisters again over dinner; they had never considered Assistant Tai to be their older sister's boyfriend because they understood that their sister's ideal man should be older than her and that their elder sister would only consider Assistant Tai to be her younger brother because he looked like a teenager.
After three more days, Yue Xuexia is finally free of her grounded period. As soon as she was able to leave the house, she set up a meeting with her two closest friends, Ru Lanyu and Xiao Muen. Since the last member of their small group was employed overseas and could not make the meeting, they opted to video chat with Lin Ruri that same day instead.
Yue Xuexia was the first to arrive, driving her car over and showing up as soon as possible. CEO Chen had made sure that all staff in his mall would be aware of Yue Xuexia's identity, of course! No one dares to approach her for something but treats her with the utmost respect. Their meeting place is at Marigold Mall. In a well-known café called St*rbucks.
Yue Xuexia, who never gave a damn about her surroundings, only noticed that the café had undergone some renovations and had a private table customized for her use; the wooden seats had been replaced with couches with pillows and blankets in case she got cold inside the store; the cups that were reserved for her were made of jade or expensive ceramic only for her use.
Yue Xuexia took her seat after being escorted to the private table. She played with her phone while chatting with Muen and Lanyu.
On the phone screen:
Snowy: I'm already here! Where are you guys now?
Muen: I will be a bit late. There's traffic on my way.
Snowy: Okay, take your time. Be careful on the way.
Muen: Will do. I will send a message once I'm near.
Lanlan: I'm a few kilometers away. I should be there soon. The usual spot right?
Snowy: Yes! Since you will be here soon I will order yours ahead of time. What do you want, Lanlan?
Lanlan: Hm~ I want the same drink as yours with less milk but more dark mocha powder.
Snowy: Okay~ I noted it. Be careful on your way. Take your time.
Lanlan: I will be careful. I can only see the mall from the public taxi.
The chat ended at that moment. Yue Xuexia noticed the cafe staff smiling at her.
Yue Xuexia asked, "Do you need something?"
"Miss, this is our menu. If you are planning to get your order please inform me."
"I thought. I needed to queue to order."
"There is a new setting in the store. Those who are at private tables can order through the staff," responded the cafe staff. She did as she was ordered to do so.
After experiencing a brief moment of disorientation, Yue Xuexia realized that a lot had changed in the few months since she had last visited the cafe based on the menu that the staff had given her.
"Okay. Then I want to order a customized drink. Is it possible?"
"Yes, Miss. Please tell me about your order. I will list it down."
"Okay. I want two frappuccinos, Venti in size. Please add 2 spoons of dark mocha powder in the first cup and 4 in the second one. Blend it twice and blend the whipped cream together as well. This is for both cups. Add an extra shot of milk for the first cup and less milk in the second cup. I want chocolate drizzles on top, including extra dark mocha powder. Extra java chip on both.
For the cakes, I want two slices of strawberry shortcakes and two slices of lemon cheesecake. I would be having it for dine-in. And if there is a young lady and a young man looking for Yue Xuexia, please lead them to this table. I will call again for an extra order once my companions arrive."
Yue Xuexia returned the menu to the staff who took her order.
"It will take a while, but I will see it as soon as possible. Your requests were all noted, and we will do our best to complete everything."
"Thank you. I will pay with a card," said Yue Xuexia as she pulled out her wallet and pulled a black card and a few hundred bills and gave them to the staff. She had given at least 5,000 rmb as a tip to the young lady.
The staff was delighted to see the large tip this extremely beautiful lady had given her. She knows that tips are for personal use, and there is no need to report them to the store.
"I will do my best to serve, Miss!"
"Okay. You can serve on our table while I'm still here," said Yue Xuexia.
After the staff had left, Yue Xuexia checked on her assets, which the system had given her for the daily log-in. During the three days she stayed at home, Yue Xuexia got three new assets on the list.
One is the resort by the sea, where their seaside villa is situated. It is called Atlantea Resort's World, and it is an amusement-plus resort built by the sea. A lot of people visit this resort, which used to be one of the nation's tourist destinations; reservations are required several days in advance, and each overnight stay is equivalent to one night at a five-star hotel like the Crowned Regent. The cost of staying at the resort is high; even a regular-day ticket costs at least 5,000 rmb per person.
Yue Xuexia mumbled, "This resort is too extravagant. Why does it feel like staying overnight there would cost the same as staying in a five-star hotel? Anyway, visiting that place can wait. We can go there in the summer."
The second one is the Imperial Law Firm, which is notorious for employing attorneys who have never lost a case and for requiring both money and contacts in order to hire one of its attorneys. These attorneys are revered and feared in modern society as the equivalent of ancient scholars.
"Hm~ this one is a bit... scary~ though it is better to have my own firm, especially during a time like the one when Shi Clan was involved. The ones who helped him fight those guys in the court are the people of Grandpa Tian. Speaking of Grandpa Tian, I should make some time to visit him. Before that, I need to buy a suitable gift."
The last one is a pharmaceutical company called Rosemary Garden, which is one of the largest in the nation and focuses more on herbal medicine and contemporary cosmetics. They sell uncommon herbs, such as 1000-year-old ginseng, and items that were mentioned in ancient texts. They also sell pills, just like in the past, in place of capsule medications.
Yue Xuexia said, "This one is useful. I can try that skill called Pill Refining next time."
"Here is your order, Miss Yue!"
It did not take long for her orders to be fulfilled; however, she was not prepared for the exquisite glass that was brought to her. It was light and had a holder, so she did not have to worry about the beverage getting too cold. This was also the first time she had seen a cup this beautiful in a public store. The little plates were even made of black and white jade, which gave the cakes on it a beautiful plating.
Yue Xuexia asked, "Are you sure these are my orders? I mean, these plates and these cups are all... Well, it looks expensive. What would I do if I broke it?"
"Please don't worry. We serve this for special guests such as Miss Yue. You have been our loyal customer for years. These are your personal utensils set aside by the store," explained the young lady as she was ordered.
After recalling that this goddess is one of the mall's largest shareholders and the owner's cautious instructions from before, her arms nearly trembled when she saw her manager bring out luxury items like black jade plates and crystal glass cups. However, they soon realized that Miss Yue had an even scarier background, even though it appears that she is role-playing as a commoner most of the time.
"Even if Miss Yue accidentally broke it, the store would never ask for compensation from Miss. Please don't worry and enjoy your stay."
The young lady staff ran away before Yue Xuexia could question her further. Yue Xuexia did not stop her as she heard Little Taiyang's comments about this event.
Little Taiyang said, "Get used to it. Your standing is different from before. There are lots of people demanding your favor in this way. Even if you ask them to stop, there would be others doing the same thing."
Sigh~
"Okay. I will turn a blind eye then. But... These cups and plates, even the forks, are made of expensive things. I'm even afraid to touch it ba~"
"So what if you broke it?! You can buy it with money if you want to. These are just mortal things!" said Little Taiyang.
Yue Xuexia mumbled, "But I'm a mortal~"