Chapter 14: Dinner Dispute

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Not long after Shen Zhigui and his group left, it was Chu Jiangyue’s time to get off work. She closed the hotel door without hesitation and began preparing her own dinner.

Halfway through cooking, the two big-bellied men and Liu Yiyi from the room were drawn over.

“Boss Chu, you didn’t sell watermelon at lunch. Can’t you sell us a little of your dinner at least?”

Chu Jiangyue ignored him. Speaking was the meddlesome big-bellied man again.

“Boss Chu, Uncle Jiang is talking to you. Isn’t it rude not to respond?”

Liu Yiyi was more than happy to stir up trouble for Chu Jiangyue and immediately chimed in when Jiang Jianzhong spoke.

The other man didn’t say anything but also didn’t stop them. In Chu Jiangyue’s eyes, people like him were the most annoying—doing nothing, claiming no responsibility when things go wrong, but taking credit if it succeeds.

“Looks like the kick I gave you that day wasn’t severe enough. So soon, and you’re already acting this way.”

Chu Jiangyue finished cooking and put the dishes in a pan before looking at Liu Yiyi.

Mentioning her past humiliation with the kick made Liu Yiyi’s expression freeze for a moment.

“You kicked people? As a hotel owner, your service attitude is really terrible!”

Jiang Jianzhong had more complaints and started lecturing, but Chu Jiangyue didn’t even bother to respond.

“If you have a problem with me, you can leave the hotel. Otherwise… shut your mouth!
And you—if you don’t want another kick, behave properly in the hotel. Otherwise… your Brother Wen’an would probably be happy to move in instead of you, right?”

After speaking, Chu Jiangyue carried the prepared dishes to the dining table in the first-floor hall.

『Little Fox, next time we upgrade and renovate, can we move the kitchen and dining room next to my room? It’s really inconvenient otherwise.』

Having the kitchen and dining room upstairs meant that even if the aroma of her cooking reached the first floor, no one could come up and disturb her peace.

「But Host, I upgrade and renovate according to the rules. How it’s arranged isn’t within my scope.」

Little Fox was still a newbie, with no permissions; most things it figured out by trial and error.

Chu Jiangyue sighed. No wonder she ended up in a world with a male lead who was a cold, central-air kind of jerk—newbies really knew nothing.

Just as Chu Jiangyue set the dishes down and was about to sit, Jiang Jianzhong, for some inexplicable reason, suddenly erupted and grabbed the plate of tomato scrambled eggs she had just put on the table.

【Warning! Warning! Detected inappropriate behavior by guest. To maintain civilized and harmonious relations within the hotel, Jiang Jianzhong will receive an electric shock penalty and be expelled. Re-entry is allowed only after 24 hours.】

At that moment, Chu Jiangyue’s wood-based ability sprouted a vine that bound Jiang Jianzhong entirely.

The plate of tomato scrambled eggs in his hand was also lifted by her wood ability and returned to the table.

“Wh…what is this?”

It was Liu Yiyi’s first time seeing supernatural powers. She didn’t realize Chu Jiangyue was using a wood-based ability and thought she might be hallucinating.

Chu Jiangyue had no intention of explaining and instead focused her gaze on the bound Jiang Jianzhong.

“You tried to steal it because I wouldn’t sell it? You really have guts!”

“Boss Chu, we haven’t eaten a hot meal in days. He’s just too greedy. Let him go, please.”

The big-bellied man, watching the scene unfold, quickly spoke in Jiang Jianzhong’s defense.

Chu Jiangyue just glanced at him and remained silent, watching as Jiang Jianzhong disappeared from the hotel, leaving only the vines conjured by her ability.

Once they were gone, Chu Jiangyue retracted the scattered vines until they vanished from her fingertips.

“Boss Chu, how can you be so cold-blooded? What if he’s expelled to a place with zombies? That would be Uncle Jiang’s death!”

Liu Yiyi’s words made Jiang Jianhai, who had just pleaded for Jiang Jianzhong, catch his breath.

The thought caused him to glare at Chu Jiangyue with resentment.

“Worried that much? Should I give you a backdoor route to send you to him?”

Chu Jiangyue gave Liu Yiyi a half-smile, clearly attempting moral coercion—but she had chosen the wrong person. Without morals herself, no one could manipulate her.

Jiang Jianhai looked at Liu Yiyi, but Liu Yiyi had only wanted to make trouble for Chu Jiangyue. When it came to paying a real price, she immediately quieted down.

“And you, Mr. Jiang?”

With these two lingering around, Chu Jiangyue had no appetite. She just wanted to get rid of them quickly.

Though annoyed that Chu Jiangyue sent his brother away, Jiang Jianhai didn’t want to leave and find someone, so he muttered something and used an excuse to go back to his room.

With no one else around, Liu Yiyi, afraid of getting kicked again, quietly returned to her room.

Finally, Chu Jiangyue could sit down and eat in peace.

Each of them was far from an easy person.

Because she was delayed a bit by Liu Yiyi and the Jiang brothers, Chu Jiangyue finished dinner around 7 p.m.

The sun had fully set, and darkness was falling.

From her past-life experience, Chu Jiangyue knew that as the zombie outbreak progressed, sunset would get later and later, eventually leading to a polar-day phenomenon.

When that happened, high temperatures would turn into extreme heat.

That would mark the true global apocalypse.

Chu Jiangyue glanced outside, put the dishes into the kitchen’s automatic dishwasher, and went up to the third floor.

『Little Fox, do you think Shen Zhigui and his group will return safely tonight?』

「I don’t know, Host.」

In Little Fox’s received plot, Shen Zhigui and Xie Silin weren’t even mentioned, so it couldn’t predict their fate.

Also, the presence of Jianglin Hotel had already caused deviations in the plot, though Little Fox thought it wasn’t a big problem and stayed quiet.

Well, whether they returned safely was up to fate.

Chu Jiangyue didn’t dwell on it. Not getting an answer from Little Fox, she didn’t overthink and grabbed her pajamas to take a shower.

Her vanity table was stocked with many skincare and makeup products. After her shower, she immediately applied a face mask.

She had to admit, life now was far more comfortable than before the apocalypse.

After skincare, she didn’t stay up late. Satisfied, she climbed into bed.

“Wake me at 9 tomorrow.”

10 a.m. was work, so 9 a.m. to get up and wash was perfect.

「Okay, Host. Good night~」

“Good night, sweet dreams.”

Little Fox: Although, technically, I don’t need sleep…

(__)zzZZ

Midnight.

【Beep! Beep! Host, wake up!】