"Yeah, just sitting around and burning through my savings isn't a great plan, but I don't really have a clear direction right now. I'll just see how it goes. Maybe something will turn up soon," Lin Li replied casually, then picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork rib with his chopsticks.
Su Yue ladled a bowl of fish soup for Lin Li. "One of my student's parents owns a hotel on Desheng Road in the East District, not far from here.
Yesterday, I saw she posted on social media that they're hiring. If you're interested, I can ask her about it for you."
'What would I even do at a hotel? Be a waiter? A security guard? Or a kitchen hand?
How much do those jobs even pay a month? The money I made from the Mutant Beasts I killed today is enough to cover three or four months of a hotel salary.'
Lin Li could feel Su Yue's earnest desire to help him, and he was deeply grateful to his kind and beautiful friend.
'If Su Yue had suggested this before I got my golden finger, I would've accepted in a heartbeat.'
"Work at a hotel? Nah, I'll pass. It's too tough," Lin Li said, shaking his head.
"What job isn't tough these days? If you work at the hotel and stick with it for a year, you could probably get a junior management position. It wouldn't be so hard then," Su Yue urged, a look of exasperation on her face.
"Become a junior manager after just a year? I don't think I have that kind of ability... You really shouldn't go to the trouble of asking her for my sake. Debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay," Lin Li said after picking up the bowl of fish soup Su Yue had served him and taking a sip.
"You..." Su Yue opened her mouth to persuade Lin Li again, but before she could speak, he cut her off.
"Su Yue, I appreciate the kind thought, but I have my own plans."
"..." Seeing how resolute Lin Li was, Su Yue sighed quietly to herself.
Then, a charming smile spread across her face. "Alright, have it your way! Here, have some more stir-fried kidney. It'll... replenish you."
'I don't even have a girlfriend, what do I need that for? Sheesh...' Lin Li watched Su Yue continuously pile stir-fried kidney into his bowl, unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes at her.
'Hmph... Serves you right for not listening to me. I'll stuff you so full of this stuff you'll be squirming later.' With this mischievous thought, Su Yue added another large helping of stir-fried kidney to Lin Li's bowl.
"Whoa, whoa, it's about to overflow!" Lin Li quickly put up a hand, blocking the next heap of stir-fried kidney Su Yue was about to add.
"Hurry up and eat! These dishes won't taste as good tomorrow. I'm not letting you go home until you finish everything I cooked," Su Yue said to Lin Li, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
'Fine by me. The power's out at my place anyway, so it'd just be pitch-black if I went back now. I'd much rather stay here...' Lin Li mumbled to himself, then began to dig in with gusto.
To be honest, Su Yue's stir-fried kidney was absolutely delicious. It was seasoned perfectly, and her control of the heat was superb. It was even better than what some professional chefs could make.
Watching Lin Li wolf down the food she cooked, Su Yue's eyes crinkled in a happy smile.
...
"Phew..."
After eating the last bite of food in his bowl, Lin Li slowly let out a satisfied sigh.
The dishes on the table were completely wiped out, with most of it going into Lin Li's stomach. He was completely stuffed.
"There's still a little fish soup left, drink it all up!" Su Yue picked up the ladle and scooped the last two spoonfuls of fish soup into Lin Li's bowl.
"..." Lin Li turned his head to look at the beaming Su Yue, silently pleading for mercy... But alas, Su Yue ignored him completely.
GULP, GULP...
He picked up the bowl and downed the rest of the fish soup.
"BURP~" After finishing the soup, Lin Li let out a full belch. "I can't," he sputtered, "I can't eat another bite."
"What's left? It's all gone... Okay, you go rest in the living room and let your food settle!" Su Yue said with a laugh, then she got up and started to clear the dishes.
Lin Li glanced at Su Yue, who had put on an apron and was getting ready to wash the dishes. He stood up from his chair and moved slowly toward the living room.
"Hahhh..."
Stomach bulging, he sat on the sofa, listening to the SPLASH-SPLASH of dishes being washed in the kitchen. Lin Li scratched his head and thought to himself.
'The way Su Yue kept piling food on my plate... she was definitely trying to stuff me until I burst!
Uh, she probably did that because I turned down her offer for the hotel job. This must be her way of making me suffer a little... Sigh, what a blissful agony.'
There was no way for Lin Li to avoid Su Yue's tactics. Her cooking was just too good. It wasn't as if he could refuse to come over just to avoid being stuffed.
He picked up the TV remote, turned on the television, and flipped to a channel that specialized in Cultivator news. Just then, a beautiful news anchor was reporting on a very interesting case of a Cultivator breaking the law.
"At 12:35 this afternoon, in a certain plaza in the Central District, a naked man suddenly appeared out of thin air in the center of the square, giving the passing crowd a huge shock.
It just so happened that an Investigator from the Superpower Administration Bureau was patrolling the area at the time and apprehended the naked man on the spot.
According to the subsequent investigation, the man, with the surname Li, is twenty-eight years old and is a Cultivator at the First Rank Initial Stage. He has awakened the Invisibility Superpower; however, his Invisibility Superpower only conceals his physical body, not his clothing.
Having only recently awakened this Superpower, he usually just amused himself with it at home. Today at noon, he drank a lot of alcohol while eating with friends. After getting drunk, he made a bet with them, saying that he dared to walk a lap around the plaza naked.
His friends, naturally, didn't believe him and accused him of bluffing.
Egged on by his friends, the drunken man immediately stripped off his clothes, activated his Superpower to become invisible, and ran toward the plaza.
Afterward, his Spiritual Energy ran out, his Superpower deactivated, and that's what led to the scene that followed.
According to the relevant penalty regulations, this Cultivator was sentenced to three days of administrative detention for public nudity.
A spokesperson for the Superpower Administration Bureau warned all Cultivators who have recently awakened their Superpowers not to engage in such foolish antics as this man, surnamed Li..."
'What a total weirdo. He must be kicking himself right now...' Lin Li thought, shaking his head as he watched the report.
TAP, TAP, TAP...
A series of light footsteps came from behind him, followed immediately by a sweet fragrance.
Su Yue emerged from the kitchen after washing the dishes, carrying a plate of washed fruit into the living room.
Leaning over, she placed the fruit platter in front of Lin Li, then sat down right next to him.
...