Chapter 503 - 502: The Bet

Yun Zijin was relieved once she confirmed that both Tu Tutu and Su Mengyao had a ride home.

She and Lu Yunque turned, and pushing Lu Yunzhou’s wheelchair, they quietly slipped out of the banquet hall through a less crowded area.

The two of them pushed Lu Yunzhou and soon arrived at the main entrance of the Sijunzi Themed Hotel.

When Yun Zijin’s group of three reached the hotel entrance, Zero One and his seven-person team had already driven the cars up to the front and were waiting.

As they approached, a wheelchair ramp extended from Yun Zijin’s silver-white "Randomly Spend" van.

It was obviously prepared for Lu Yunzhou.

Lu Yunzhou had come to terms with his mobility issues, so he showed no signs of embarrassment upon seeing the ramp.

With practiced ease, he maneuvered his wheelchair up the ramp, boarded smoothly, and straightened it out inside.

Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque boarded one after the other, only after making sure Lu Yunzhou’s wheelchair was securely in place.

"Let’s take your big brother back to the sanatorium first,"

Yun Zijin said as soon as she got in.

Yun Zijin knew that if she hadn’t said anything, Lu Yunque and Lu Yunzhou would have insisted on taking her home first.

But Yun Zijin had only wanted to leave the banquet hall; she didn’t really care when she got home after that.

"I’m fine with whatever."

Lu Yunzhou didn’t think it made much difference who was dropped off first. However, for the sake of his recovery, it was best to get to bed as early as possible.

It was already past 10:00 p.m. If they went back any later, it would be after midnight by the time he got settled.

Up front, Zero One overheard their conversation and smoothly changed lanes.

Lu’s Sanatorium and Xingyu Mansion were in opposite directions.

After dropping Lu Yunzhou at the sanatorium, Zero One headed straight for Xingyu Mansion.

The fact that Lu Yunque had bought Villa No. 2 in Xingyu Mansion saved Zero One a lot of trouble.

＊

「Monday.」

[A new week has begun. Please complete this week’s spending task: ￥36,000,000. Task Reward: Pending]

Yun Zijin could now hear the weekly task from her Randomly Spend system without batting an eye.

She had an 8:00 a.m. class on Monday. When Yun Zijin got up, washed, and came downstairs, the dining table was already laden with breakfast.

Of course, besides breakfast, there was also... Lu Yunque, who had stayed over at Villa No. 2 in Xingyu Mansion the night before.

A smile unconsciously bloomed on Lu Yunque’s face when he saw Yun Zijin come downstairs.

"Mornin’, girlfriend."

Yun Zijin chuckled at the title. "Morning, boy! friend!"

As Yun Zijin enunciated each syllable, the corners of Lu Yunque’s mouth curved up uncontrollably.

"Came to bum some breakfast. Hope you don’t mind."

Lu Yunque had only hired a part-time cleaner for Villa No. 2 at Xingyu Mansion; otherwise, he had to fend for himself.

The commute from Xingyu Mansion to the Lu Group was a bit long, so Lu Yunque had cheekily come over to bum breakfast.

Besides, it wasn’t the first time he’d had breakfast at Yun Zijin’s place.

"You’re already here, and now you’re asking if I mind?"

It was just breakfast, so of course Yun Zijin didn’t mind. Lu Yunque’s tone had been mostly teasing, anyway.

Yun Zijin sat down beside Lu Yunque, who naturally started waiting on her, doing everything short of eating her breakfast for her.

At first, Yun Zijin felt a little awkward, but Lu Yunque was insistent, so eventually she just gave in and let it happen.

’After all, I’m the one being pampered,’ she thought. ’If Lu Yunque enjoys doing it, what can I say?’

After breakfast, Lu Yunque rode in the same car as Yun Zijin, under the noble pretext of "taking his girlfriend to school."

Yun Zijin didn’t refuse. ’After all, Lu Yunque is the head of the Lu Group. He can decide whenever he wants to go to work, and no one would dare say a word if he was late.’

However, when their car arrived at the entrance to Dijing University, Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque were stunned to see a sea of paparazzi with their long-lens cameras.

"What’s this all about?"

’Nothing big has happened at Dijing University lately, has it?’

Before Yun Zijin could figure it out, Lu Yunque had already guessed what was going on.

"Zero One, take the long way around. We’ll use another entrance to the campus."

"Why do you suddenly want to use a different entrance?"

Yun Zijin didn’t understand Lu Yunque’s reasoning for wanting to use a different entrance to Dijing University.

"Have you forgotten you were trending online after the welcome banquet?"

"Even though someone leaked the news online, there’s a huge difference between hearsay and a story they get on camera themselves."

"The paparazzi in these circles are relentless; they get in everywhere."

"They might not be able to find out where Yun Zijin lives, but it only takes a little digging to find out she’s a student at Dijing University."

"That’s why no one’s staking out Xingyu Mansion, but this place—Dijing University—is swarming with them."

"If they can just snag an exclusive video and a quick interview, their KPIs for the week will be pretty much met."

"Ordinary folks who are just here for the drama love gossip about the rich and famous."

"People are drawn to power. That’s true anywhere you go."

It all clicked for Yun Zijin after Lu Yunque’s reminder. "Your theory makes sense, but it’s been a whole day. The topic isn’t trending anymore."

’Lu Yunque’s guess made sense, but these things have a short shelf life. It’s been a full day and night. Surely no one is still hung up on this.’

"So you don’t think they’re here for you? Wanna bet?"

Lu Yunque looked at Yun Zijin, his voice laced with a tempting, persuasive quality.

"Alright. What are the stakes?"

Finding the idea amusing, Yun Zijin agreed to Lu Yunque’s proposal.

"I’ll bet they’re here for you. If I win, you have to do one thing for me, no questions asked."

As he spoke, Lu Yunque did his best to hide his sly intentions.

"Then I’ll bet they’re *not* here for me. And if I win, you have to do one thing for me, no questions asked."

Yun Zijin had faith in her intuition.

"Deal. So... shall we get out of the car now?"

Lu Yunque only dared to suggest this because he knew Zero One and his team were always by Yun Zijin’s side to protect her.

"Let’s do it!"

’It’s still early, so a small delay won’t be a problem.’

Still, just to be safe, Yun Zijin sent a message to Qin Sitong explaining the situation.

Then, Yun Zijin told Zero One to pull up to the Dijing University main gate. The door opened, and she stepped out.

Lu Yunque got out first, then turned and offered a hand to help Yun Zijin out of the car.

"There she is! It’s Yun Zijin!"

Someone shouted—it was impossible to tell who—and suddenly, the reporters and paparazzi who had been lazily loitering at the university gate all surged toward Yun Zijin.

In an instant, the area around Yun Zijin was completely swamped with people.

If Zero One and his seven-man team hadn’t formed a human wall around her, the reporters and paparazzi would have already shoved their microphones and cameras right in her face.

Lu Yunque looked at Yun Zijin and mouthed the words, "I win."