Chapter 96: Bai Qimeng
Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Bai Qimeng
Young Master Bai’s custom commission was no simple task.
Earning those 200,000 wasn’t going to be that easy.
After dealing with the first blind date, a dozen more arrived one after another...
There were conglomerate heiresses, daughters of officials, active Professional Warriors, and at the very least, the sister of a Four-Star Professional Warrior.
But no matter the girl, Wang Xi always had a method for handling them.
As the Sea King’s Gospel says: Most people have a two-faced monster in their hearts called the "Double-Standard Bottom Line." But if a man has no standards at all, he’s not even a monster. He’s just trash.
Trash isn’t worthy of sympathy, let alone pursuit.
And when faced with his dates’ questions like, "What do you think of me?", "What kind of girl do you like?", or "What would you sacrifice for love?", Wang Xi’s method was quite simple.
He’d just kick the question right back at them.
His identity as "Young Master Bai" naturally put him in a superior position, making this method extremely effective. After that, he would reply with vague, poetic answers to downplay any overt pragmatism, allowing him to easily gain the upper hand.
One of them, a Miss Zhao, managed to hold on a little longer.
That is, until she asked the second classic question: "Young Master Bai, do you believe in love that grows over time, or love at first sight?" Wang Xi’s reply was devoid of emotion:
"I believe in destiny."
He had transcended the Five Elements and left the Three Realms—unselectable and unpredictable. By replacing subjective factors with objective ones, he instantly rendered Miss Zhao speechless.
Then there was a Miss Dong.
She didn’t smoke, nor was she a wild spirit, but her questions were quite sharp. After all, Miss Dong’s mother was a senior executive at the Gear Conglomerate, which diminished the inherent advantage of his "Young Master Bai" persona.
Miss Dong asked, "What kind of woman would make Young Master Bai take the initiative to pursue her?" The rabbit mask replied in a girlish, mechanical voice: "A pair of eyes that hold the sea."
While she was still stunned, the rabbit’s eyes flashed red, and the mechanical voice began to recite:
"Her eyes must hide an unnamed, unknown sea—so that when twilight falls, she can fish me out from my drowning, and along with me, salvage the sunken cluster of stars from my own eyes."
It was unknown if any stars had actually sunk, but Miss Dong had certainly fallen silent.
She took a deep breath and asked her final question:
"Does Young Master Bai have many female friends?"
Hearing this, Wang Xi praised her inwardly.
’This question has some substance.’
’Miss Dong is on a higher level.’
The question seemed simple, but it was a loaded one.
The subtext was a three-pronged probe: first, to find out if he was a player; second, if he was popular; and third, if he was a high-value man.
An ordinary person would never be able to answer it well.
But this was Wang Xi.
The man who could get a guaranteed top-tier drop on his first ten-pull.
His answer was six words long:
"I have many, but we rarely talk."
Miss Dong’s eyes lit up and she tried to press him, but Wang Xi simply said with a breezy air, "I’ve answered your three questions. Now it’s my turn."
The rabbit mask emitted the ruthless, girlish, mechanical voice:
"How many relationships have you been in? Who was at fault for each breakup? And could you accept a marriage with no physical intimacy?"
"..."
Miss Dong bit her lip. After a few seconds of thought, she answered:
"Twice. Both of us were at fault. And I... I cannot accept a marriage without physical intimacy."
"My apologies."
The Rabbit Mecha Mask said in its girlish, mechanical voice:
"You’re not being sincere."
"I..."
Miss Dong opened her mouth, but then she suddenly laughed and candidly admitted, "You’re right."
Then, she stood up and departed with a cool, carefree air.
...
...
「Night, 9:30 p.m.」
Tranquility returned to the private room.
Wang Xi took off the rabbit mask and let out a long sigh.
The mask flashed with white light, turning back into a Card that he pocketed.
Looking at the table full of expensive, untouched dishes, Wang Xi clicked his tongue in appreciation.
This spread cost at least twenty thousand Credit Points. Some of the rare ingredients were even sourced from the Maze, prepared by a team of master chefs.
He remembered the old poem about each grain of rice representing a farmer’s sweat and toil.
It would be a huge waste not to eat.
Wang Xi grabbed his chopsticks and began to dig in.
Of course, there was a more important reason: the company was footing the bill. ’A twenty-thousand-point meal is perfectly reasonable for an overtime field assignment,’ he reasoned.
And you know what?
A twenty-thousand-point meal was worlds apart from a two-hundred-point one. He savored the Demon steak, which felt like it was breakdancing on his tongue. The duo-truffle foie gras mousse melted the instant it touched his lips, so good it felt like it was rewriting his DNA...
Overall assessment:
More flavorful than the high-end restaurants from his past life.
Just as Wang Xi was stuffing his face, his phone on the table vibrated twice with a BEEP BEEP.
He picked it up and saw he had a friend request.
The username was "The Last Knight of the New Era."
"Hm?"
Puzzled, Wang Xi opened the user’s profile. The avatar was a partial selfie, mostly covered by a hand. A single phoenix eye peeked through the gap between the middle and ring fingers, accompanied by explosive text effects spelling out "HENSHIN."
The user’s bio read: "Now... let me count up your sins! / Currently negotiating with the Demon King."
Wang Xi’s toes curled in his shoes from the sheer cringe.
’Another case of an overgrown teenager with main-character syndrome.’
Then he saw the message attached to the request: "It’s Young Master Bai. Add me." He froze for a moment, then shook his head and tapped "Accept."
The moment they became friends,
a message came through with a BEEP:
"Wang Xi, I saw your whole performance. Very impressive. You’ve earned the right to meet me."
"..."
Spitting out a fish bone, Wang Xi wondered what on earth this Young Master Bai was up to. ’It can’t be that he really wants me to go to the Wilderness with him and play some roleplaying game, just like Miss Xia Ling said, can it?’
Before he could reply, they sent him a location pin. Wang Xi glanced at it. ’Holy crap,’ he thought.
"Shanshan Hotel · Luxury Suite 2102."
’Is he asking for an outcall?’
’No way!’
’Young Master Bai, what do you take me for?’
’I’m a Senior Deacon, not a high-class ’technician’!’
Picking his teeth, Wang Xi typed with one hand:
"Sorry, Young Master Bai, it’s already quite late..."
Just then, BEEP.
Another message came through: a digital red envelope for 100,000, with the note "Taxi fare."
Wang Xi raised an eyebrow.
’What kind of taxi costs 100,000?’
’You rich conglomerate scumbag, you really don’t know the value of money!’
’And you have no respect for me!’
Indignant, Wang Xi continued typing:
"Sorry, Young Master Bai. It’s already quite late, so I won’t keep you waiting long."
Then, he skillfully accepted the red envelope.
CLINK CLINK.
Hearing the sweet sound of Gold Coins clinking as the transfer went through, Wang Xi grinned and shouted:
"Check, please! And I’ll need an invoice!"
After a moment,
he added:
"And three more orders of steak, to go!"
...
...
Wang Xi hailed a ride-share.
Although Qingliu Pavilion and the Shanshan Hotel were both in the Central District and only a few kilometers apart, late-night fares were expensive. The ride cost him a whole 80 Credit Points.
Suppressing the pain in his heart over the expense, he got out of the car and headed straight for the elevators in the hotel lobby.
He rode the elevator to the 21st floor and stopped in front of Luxury Suite 2102, raising a hand to knock.
KNOCK KNOCK.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
The moment the door opened, a wave of humid, citrus-scented air—the smell of shower gel—wafted out. A girl in pink pajamas with a cartoon cow print stood in the doorway.
Wang Xi froze.
"Miss Lin?" he asked in surprise.
The girl before him was none other than Lin Xin’Er, the second-place finisher from his Professional Warrior assessment group.
She seemed to have just gotten out of the shower; her damp black hair was draped over her shoulders. A look of surprise was on her face as well, and a flicker of panic crossed her black eyes, which had a golden tint to them.
"Wang Xi?" Lin Xin’Er’s jaw dropped.
Wang Xi raised an eyebrow, took half a step back, and his gaze swept over her.
’What is she doing here...?’
’Right, she’s also with the Shanshan Conglomerate, a spokesperson who’s basically signed her life away.’
’Wait a second.’
’Don’t tell me she’s being... taken advantage of?’
Seeing the suspicious look on Wang Xi’s face, Lin Xin’Er seemed to guess his thoughts. She clenched her fists and said in a low voice:
"Don’t get the wrong idea! I’m just Young Master Bai’s bodyguard!"
"Of course." Wang Xi nodded with a straight face. "That’s exactly what I was thinking."
"Come in. He’s waiting for you inside."
Lin Xin’Er shot him a cold glance before turning and heading inside.
Wang Xi shrugged, catching a whiff of her fragrance as he followed her in.
The luxury suite was huge. The hallway was long, with lights embedded in the wooden floor and baseboards that twinkled like a brilliant galaxy.
The living room was decorated in shades of pure white and champagne gold, creating an atmosphere of spacious luxury.
Through a massive glass curtain wall on the far side of the room, you could see the starry sky and the nightscape of Valley City, making it feel as if one more step would send you plummeting into an abyss of neon lights.
Suddenly, Wang Xi stopped in his tracks.
He was stunned to see a tall figure lounging lazily on the large, beige sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. The figure wore a white silk robe that revealed a pair of long legs, with a fluffy slipper dangling from one arched foot.
It was a woman. She had fair skin, delicate features, and a dashing air about her. Her hair was a wolf-cut mullet with blue and purple highlights.
The woman was watching a holographic video projected from her wristwatch, laughing uproariously and even clapping her hands in delight.
The content of the hologram was a first-person recording of Wang Xi’s blind dates from earlier.
BEEP—
Seeing Lin Xin’Er and Wang Xi approach, the woman tapped her watch, shutting off the projection.
She crossed her legs, a smile playing on her lips as she looked up.
"Well, well, Wang Xi. You’re here."
"I’m here," Wang Xi nodded.
"You shouldn’t have come."
"..."
Wang Xi’s eye twitched.
"Young Master Bai, you were the one who asked me to come."
"What’s with that! I thought you were an interesting guy, but you’re so boring!"
The woman rolled her eyes and pouted.
"Let me introduce myself." She gave a nod, her tone casual. "I’m the ’Special Advisor’ to the Shanshan Conglomerate’s Strategic Lab, the ’Youth Committee Member’ of the Board of Directors, the PR Department’s ’Image Ambassador,’ the ’Honorary Director’ for the Shanshan Artificial Universal Card project..."
As she rattled on with her long list of titles, Wang Xi started to feel sleepy. He glanced at the tag above her head and was secretly amazed.
「Bai Qimeng (Pale Green/Four Stars) 」
’The tag even had a silver border. A Hero unit.’
’She’s much stronger than she looks.’
"...My name is Bai Qimeng."
When she finally finished, Wang Xi politely corrected his form of address. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Bai."
He maintained his professional, plastic smile.
"I’ve completed your custom commission. Is there anything else you need, or a reason you called me here?"
"Hey, don’t be so dull,"
Bai Qimeng said, disgruntled.
"You’re off the clock! Off! The! Clock! Understand? This isn’t work time. I just called you over because I wanted to be friends!"
"Be friends?"
Wang Xi was taken aback.
A moment later, he stepped forward and extended his hand.
"It would be my honor, Miss Bai."
"Heh!" Bai Qimeng seized his hand. Her gaze was intense as she said, "Wang Xi, my friend, I have a fantastic idea. Are you interested in embarking on a Legendary adventure with me?"