Just then, his phone chimed—another message. He glanced at the screen and saw it was from his exclusive WeChat group: All Big Shots. He tapped the notification, and a flood of messages greeted him.
Miss Qing:
"Oh my Mr. Xuan message came after so long—where have he been?"
Mr. Han:
"Yeah, I wanted to ask the same earlier, but he went offline this afternoon."
Mr. Lin:
"It'd be great if he died and never came online again."
Miss Qing:
"You old freak, I've never even seen his face—how can you say that?"
Miss Shen:
"Well, well, Mr. Han helped Mr .Xuan's friends this afternoon, didn't he?"
Yang Kai's fingers flew over the screen as he replied with mock indignation,
Xuan Yan(Yang Kai):
"Oh my, everyone's chatting except me?"
The responses came instantly.
Mr. Lin:
"So what."
Miss Qing:
"Don't be so rude!"
A voice pulled him back to reality. Bon Min leaned over, peering curiously.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Yang Kai locked his phone and looked up smoothly.
"Oh, I'm just chatting with an old friend."
Chen Zu gave him a mischievous grin.
"Old friend, huh? Don't tell me… is this friend a girl?"
Yang Kai chuckled, shaking his head.
"Of course not. He's a fat friend of mine—helped me a lot in the past."
He smirked inwardly, the lie sliding easily from his tongue.
Hah. I lied again. I really am a demon.
Yang Kai's phone buzzed again, the sharp chime cutting through the quiet chatter in the VIP room. Another message appeared on his screen.
Miss Shen:
"Okay, now I wanted to tell you that there's a meeting tomorrow for Jinan's big shots. All of you need to attend."
Almost immediately, a new name appeared in the chat—one Yang Kai didn't recognize.
Mr. Xun:
"Oh, a meeting? So this new guy, Xuan Yan, will be there too, right?"
Miss Qing:
"Oh my, Mr. Xun! You finally messaged after ten days!"
Mr. Xun:
"Yeah, I was a little too busy."
Yang Kai's fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment before typing calmly:
Xuan Yan (Yang Kai):
"So where is the meeting?"
The reply came instantly.
Miss Shen:
"At Longtian Tower, Room No. 5005, at 11:30 a.m. To enter the meeting room, just show the 'All Big Shot' group to the person outside the room."
Yang Kai's brows lifted slightly.
Longtian Tower… from my memory, that's the tallest building in Jinan. Known for its expensive design and luxurious rooms. This meeting isn't going to be simple.
A firm knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. The door opened, and four waitresses entered, each pushing a polished trolley laden with dishes. They moved with practiced grace, setting out steaming plates across the wide table.
One of them placed a chilled bottle of Coke on the table. Lin Quizu reached for it, her movements elegant yet casual. She slid it toward Yang Kai.
"Hey, your soft drink."
Yang Kai looked up from his phone, momentarily taken aback. Her delicate hand holding the drink caught him off guard. He accepted it, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Oh, thanks."
I've never tasted anything like this in the Immortal World… this lower world is surprisingly full of small wonders.
He twisted the cap and took a sip. The fizz tickled his tongue, the sweetness startling yet oddly refreshing.
Around him, Bon Min, Chen Zu, Hang Chen, Lin Quizu, and Qian Ruo had already started eating, their chatter blending with the quiet clinking of utensils. The four waitresses bowed lightly before leaving the room, the soft click of the door marking their exit.
Lin Quizu ate silently but couldn't help glancing sideways at Yang Kai.
He didn't want to eat—that I could understand. But drinking soft drinks? It doesn't make any sense…
Yang Kai leaned back slightly, taking another sip, his eyes fixed on his phone. Notifications from a popular social media app lit up his screen—his follower count had just crossed ten million. He scrolled lazily, skimming through the endless stream of beautiful faces and glamorous lives.
Then his thumb froze mid-scroll.
A familiar streamer's face flashed across the screen, her bright smile sparking a memory.
It was Chu Chu—the very same streamer on whom Yang Kai had once spent over a million yuan.
Yang Kai took another slow sip of his Coke, savoring the bubbles against his tongue. Setting the bottle back on the table, he casually turned his phone screen toward his friends.
"Hey, bastards, look—your favorite streamer is live."
Bon Min, Chen Zu, and Hang Chen paused mid-bite. Their faces, bright with the joy of tasting Villa Restaurant's expensive dishes for the first time, shifted instantly at the sight of the glowing profile on Yang Kai's phone.
Bon Min grinned, pointing with his chopsticks.
"It is Chu Chu!"
Hang Chen, blocked by Bon Min's shoulder, craned his neck and nudged him aside.
"What—Chu Chu? Move over, I wanna see too!"
Chen Zu, seated closest to Yang Kai, had the best view. He smirked and muttered, "I'll go home and watch her stream later."
Qian Ruo leaned forward slightly, her curious eyes narrowing on the screen.
"Hm… Chu Chu does look beautiful."
Bon Min sighed dreamily.
"I like her because her white hair is so beautiful."
Yang Kai nodded, hiding the satisfaction in his eyes.
"Well, you're not wrong."
Lin Quizu's chopsticks froze mid-air. She glanced at the phone, at Chu Chu's flawless white hair, then at Yang Kai's cheerful face. A flicker of irritation stirred inside her chest.
Hmph. So what if her hair is white? My hair is white too.
But Yang Kai's smile wasn't born from admiration for Chu Chu—it was part of his plan. Watching Lin Quizu's faint scowl, he almost laughed out loud.
Perfect. Jealousy works every time.
He slid the phone back into his pocket and picked up his Coke again, his mind already calculating the next move.
Time to use the similarities tactic: when your opposite-sex friend gets jealous over someone else, all you have to do is point out how similar they are to that person.
He raised the Coke bottle slightly, his eyes glinting with mischief, and turned to Lin Quizu.
"Well, we've got another person with white hair sitting right here, don't we?"
The others blinked, then turned as one—first to Yang Kai, then to Lin Quizu.
Chen Zu, still chewing a mouthful of food, mumbled through half-full cheeks, "Weal you arrre norrt brrong—well, you're not wrong."
Bon Min nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, and honestly… she's even more beautiful than Chu Chu."
Yang Kai leaned back with a satisfied smirk.
"Of course—she is our campus beauty."
Lin Quizu's ears turned pink. She fumbled with her chopsticks, clearing her throat awkwardly.
"Ah… ahmm…"
Then, just as Yang Kai was about to take another sip of Coke, a golden-yellow screen materialized in front of his eyes.
---
[Host, Lin Quizu's Favorability Increased By 7]
[Current Favorability: 9]
---
Yang Kai hid his grin behind the Coke bottle, an evil laugh echoing silently in his mind.
Step by step, little goddess… step by step.
Just then, a phone rang sharply, breaking the warm atmosphere. The sound belonged to Bon Min's mobile.
He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and froze.
The caller ID read: Weirdo Professor.
Bon Min's face drained of color. He jumped to his feet so fast his chair nearly tipped.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?"
Bon Min's voice trembled as he stammered,
"I-I-It's… it's Weirdo's call."
Yang Kai instantly remembered the infamous professor—Hen Sen. The man was notorious for acting strangely and for targeting him and his friends without warning.
Bon Min swallowed hard, sat back down, and pressed "accept."
A loud, irritated voice blared through the speaker, audible to everyone at the table:
"You bastard! I want you, Chen Zu, and Hang Chen in my office in one hour!"
Bon Min tried to protest, his tone hesitant.
"But what did we do tha—"
The call abruptly ended before he could finish.
He sighed heavily, lowering the phone.
"Chen Zu, Hang Chen… he wants us in his office."
Yang Kai leaned back casually, though his tone held a touch of sympathy.
"So… you're not coming for shopping?"
Bon Min glanced at the phone again and groaned.
"No, we can't. It's already 2:56 p.m. We've got to be there by 4:00."
Yang Kai exhaled, feigning regret.
"I feel bad for you."
But inside, his thoughts were far from sympathetic.
Perfect. I didn't plan this, but it works out beautifully. With them gone, I don't have to risk exposing my identity.
He maintained his calm facade, even softening his expression to look just a little sad for his friends.