Chapter 017: The Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (17)

Chapter 017: The Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (17)

The journey was eerily quiet in the car.

When Shen Xi mentioned his last wish was to have a meal, Cheng Junfeng immediately handed him a card worth one million yuan.

It didn’t matter which Michelin-starred restaurant it was; you could even replace the rice grains with gold and still afford it.

The lowest price for an adult meal ticket at the revolving restaurant atop the Oriental Pearl Tower, a world-renowned landmark, is just two hundred and fifty-eight yuan.

During holidays, it might be slightly more expensive, around three hundred and fifty-eight yuan.

This amount of money is not even enough for a good cigar for Cheng Junfeng.

But for Shen Xi, it meant VIP access through the crowded waiting area and the privilege to eat until full at the most beautiful spot overlooking Shanghai's night skyline.

He ascended the tower with a smile on his face, taking photos with his phone all the way up.

The two men behind him remained expressionless, pausing for what seemed like an eternity when they saw the lavish buffet spread.

Compared to high-end luxury seafood buffets that cost upwards of two or three thousand yuan, this place won with its vast variety and stunning visual impact.

In the night, the dining corridor slowly revolved amidst the dazzling city lights, dimly lit.

On one side were the magnificent light displays of skyscrapers, while inside, the food stations were illuminated like the main attraction under spotlights.

Chinese cold dishes, hot dishes, Japanese sushi and soups, European beef ribs and grilled bacon—hundreds of dishes gleamed under the lights.

Cheng Junfeng and Yan Chun exchanged a knowing glance.

Only tourists would come to such a place.

Just as locals from Beijing don't climb the Great Wall, and those from Puxi don't visit the Oriental Pearl Tower—it’s not worth it.

They reached a subtle agreement in their disdain, looking at Shen Xi with a mix of amusement and pity.

System: "They are mocking you for being a bumpkin."

Keding: "I am one, after all."

"But," he continued to inspect the ice cream counter and the sea cucumber rice station: "I want to eat a lot today, so bringing them here was a good idea."

A waiter led them to seats on the inner side, apologizing that all the scenic spots were already booked, saying sorry.

"It’s fine," Shen Xi smiled. "Thank you."

He turned back and looked at Cheng and Yan.

"Let's go get some utensils?"

Cheng Junfeng paused for a moment. "We have to go with you?"

"Yes," Shen Xi explained gently. "I can’t carry everything by myself, so I need your help."

He transformed into a patient tourist, starting from the cold dish section.

Yan Chun followed behind with two empty plates, despair gradually welling up inside him.

First, he picked six cold dishes and six hot dishes, none in large quantities, mainly to whet the appetite.

Then came salmon, octopus, mussels, clams, and prawns, a little bit of each.

At the hot dish station, sweet and sour spareribs, crispy roast goose, steak, and chicken wings—none were too much.

Cheng Junfeng hadn’t eaten meat in ten days, following Shen Xi like a puppet, his Adam's apple bobbing as he said, "The lamb chops are overcooked."

"The pizza looks frozen." Yan Chun’s expression was numb. "The mantis shrimp are too small, definitely subpar."

But he couldn’t move away from the seafood display, arranged like Japanese flower arrangements.

Shen Xi walked far before remembering to turn back. "Hey, where are you guys?"

Cheng Junfeng pulled Yan Chun forward. "Come on."

Yan Chun’s eyes glazed over. "Such big crabs..."

Cheng Junfeng dragged him with a darkened face. "Move!!"

Further ahead, the aroma of garlic from the barbecue area suddenly bloomed.

Cheng Junfeng looked up and saw beautiful golden-red ribs and large German sausages, letting out an uncontrolled hungry burp.

Yan Chun pinched him hard with his sharpest nail. "Cheng Junfeng!"

"You’ve endured ten days! Are you going to give in now?"

"I’m not eating." Cheng Junfeng muttered, staring at the sizzling oysters on the grill: "Too greasy, doesn’t look good."

"You never eat these things!" Yan Chun snapped. "Have we ever touched high-fat, high-sodium, high-sugar foods? Would your fitness coach let you eat these?"

"Fuck the fitness coach," Cheng Junfeng slowly turned to look at him. "Don’t think I didn’t see you almost sneak a roasted chicken leg with your sleeve."

Yan Chun dreamily said, "Shen Xi won’t know."

"Let’s take one sausage, just one, and share it."

Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, with a smoky flavor...

Cheng Junfeng said, "If you dare eat, you die, and then we all die together."

Their entire conversation was broadcast by the system, and afterward, someone remarked, "How long have they been married? It’s not good to hurt each other’s feelings."

"No matter whether rich or poor," Keding commented, "people can’t withstand hunger."

Shen Xi wandered around the dessert area with great interest.

From brownies and small custard tarts to strawberry mousse, he picked whatever he wanted, with two runners constantly fetching seats for him.

There were young girls dining here who gradually noticed the peculiar relationship among the three men and whispered to their friends.

"Look! There are two handsome guys constantly serving him!"

"They are indeed very handsome, like male models," another girl giggled. "Nowadays, rich young masters play around so extravagantly, hiring male models to experience imperial treatment?"

Hearing the word "models," Yan Chun's expression cracked for a moment.

Cheng Junfeng's heart and face had both died long ago; he wished they hadn’t recognized him.

The girls’ gossip didn’t stop there: "That young master looks really refined. Could it be that the other two are chasing after him? Is this a battlefield of love?"

"He looks like the dominant type! A gentlemanly rogue!" her companion said. "And the ones behind him, one muscular bottom and one pretty bottom! They have all the elements!"

Yan Chun resisted the urge to curse.

Can't you tell the difference between frogs and geese! Do you even have eyes! Shen Xi could never be a young master with his attitude!

After two rounds, the instigator was satisfied.

"It’s time to start eating."

The two people behind him sat down silently, each with a bowl of clear soup noodles in front of them, without a smile on their faces.

While Shen Xi ate large red crabs, Yan Chun was hunched over, sipping noodle soup.

This place is so high, high enough to make one want to leap and forget all sorrows.

These noodles are truly noodle-like, and this soup is truly soupy.

When Shen Xi dipped the tenderest salmon belly into wasabi, Cheng Junfeng was eating lettuce salad expressionlessly.

Lettuce, Chinese broccoli, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, salad dressing.

The large leaves of lettuce tasted especially good, better than meat, making him feel like a damned donkey.

Halfway through the meal, the young man was eating roast duck rolls, with a bit of sweet sauce on his cheek.

He showed an innocent smile.

"Can you help me peel the shrimp?"

Yan Chun pushed aside the clear soup noodles, wiped his fingers clean with a wet wipe, and peeled the shrimp for him.

Shen Xi looked at the two large plates of plump, fresh, crimson river shrimp piled like a mountain, then looked back at Cheng Junfeng with an innocent expression.

The latter silently wiped his hands and, together with his newlywed wife, peeled shrimp for his ex-boyfriend.

The system announced, "The digestive tablets bought with fifteen defense-breaking points have taken effect! You won’t be affected no matter how much you eat tonight!"

"Perfect," Keding said. "I’ve had it in my shopping cart for over twenty days, just waiting to use it for this buffet."

Cheng Junfeng had never peeled shrimp for anyone in his life. At this moment, he felt as if he was copying Buddhist scriptures.

Eat, eat until you die. After this meal, you’ll go straight to heaven.

With his mind focused, he unconsciously piled up a small mountain of shrimp shells, working like an assembly line worker.

Guests in the food retrieval area glanced at the pile of shrimp shells and exclaimed, "Wow, two handsome guys are peeling shrimp for him!"

"Being rich is great! I wish I could use money to make influencers chase after me!"

Yan Chun excused himself to the restroom, secretly tasting the shrimp flavor on his fingertips, tears welling up in his eyes.

Ten days, he hadn’t eaten an egg or any meat for ten days!

Mom!! What kind of life is this!! Why did I fall for this disaster and get into so much trouble!!

He even felt guilty about tasting his fingers, quickly checking the mirror to see if he was bleeding from the nose.

If everything could start over, he would never have appeared in front of Cheng Junfeng on the engagement day!

Shen Xi had seen a lot of the world. He knew that these buffet dishes, in terms of hygiene and cooking methods, couldn’t compare to any meal in a wealthy family.

Seeing Yan Chun looking pale, he felt a twinge of sympathy.

"I feel like you haven’t eaten enough," Shen Xi said. "Would you like a bowl of sea cucumber rice?"

Yan Chun stared at him, his voice trembling, "Really?"

"Go ahead and eat," Shen Xi said gently. "Take whatever you want."

Yan Chun suddenly felt that Shen Xi was the most shining person in the world.

Shen Xi, you are so kind, so tolerant, and so good to me!!!

Yan Chun’s repentance and gratitude overflowed, and he ran to get some meat, almost tripping on the steps.

Shen Xi turned to Cheng Junfeng, "What about you?"

"It doesn’t matter," Cheng Junfeng said calmly. "I can starve myself to death until you’re happy."

The man now cares about nothing.

Corporate financing, foreign mergers and acquisitions, stock market fluctuations.

Marriage, love, hatred, revenge.

He doesn't care about any of it anymore.

He only wants to see the end of the world, to see Shanghai drowned in blood.

Blood! Flowing! Like! A! River!

The system said, "You've been exploiting this sheep for his sanity points. His SAN value is almost depleted; he'll probably be admitted to Wannan South Road Hospital in a couple of days."

Keding said, "No worries, I still have my trump card, which I've been saving."

System: "Ah?"

System: "Ah?!"

System: "Ah??? Aren't these all part of your PLAY???"

Keding said, "How could that be, my dear friend?"

"Pain is like water in a sponge; if squeezing it doesn't work, just put it in a juicer, right?"

The system said, "I need to remind you, naive yet cruel Comrade Koslov Dinzinsky."

"You've already accumulated 1,350 sanity points."

"Our mission standard is clearly to reach 100 points to complete the task!"

The system carefully chose its words and continued, "If you continue like this during the probationary period, the currency might... depreciate. You... should tone it down a bit."

Keding: "Think positively. Maybe in another world, I'd be hammered down, unable to do anything."

"Highly unlikely." The system said, "Based on my understanding of you, I find that hard to believe."

After dinner, the Bentley drove back to Shen Xi's neighborhood.

The three of them sat back in the study, each in different states of mind.

"You have fulfilled your part of the agreement completely," Shen Xi said calmly. "So, I will pray for you, hoping you can lead better lives."

"Before that," Shen Xi counted with his fingers, closing his eyes for a moment.

Yan Chun was very nervous and belched like a lion-headed goose.

Cheng Junfeng stared at Shen Xi's face, unsure what trick he was about to pull.

"I've figured it out," Shen Xi opened his eyes.

"There are five more blood disasters awaiting you as retribution for your past deeds."

The young man looked at the seemingly united newcomers before him and asked calmly,

"How are you going to divide these five calamities? Who gets three, who gets two?"

Cheng Junfeng, who had been pale-faced, suddenly stood up and shouted fiercely, "All of them go to Yan Chun!! All of them to him!! Let him die!!"

Yan Chun stared at him blankly, then slapped him hard. In the crisp sound of the slap, they began fighting, pulling hair, tearing faces, punching, and kicking.

"All five to me?? Do you have any shame??"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this situation!! Bitch!!"

"I'll f*** your whole family!!"

The system watched the amateur fight and said, "No wonder you made Yan Chun eat so much."

"They were once pure and romantic lovers," Keding said. "Now they're making fools of themselves, which is quite a blessing for modern marriage."

"Darling, you still need to believe in love," the system said gently.

Keding blinked and looked at the pair rolling on the ground, hitting each other with trash cans. "Do you believe in that or in me being Qin Shi Huang?"