Ch.89 Oh No, I Became a Stand-in

Half an hour later, inside the villa.

Ronan waited for Wong and his date to arrive.

Without a doubt, Ronan knew Wong's date very well.

Because she was also one of the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.

Sara Wolfe.

"Wow, I never thought you two would end up together."

"Is it loneliness that drives people to do strange things?"

Ronan looked at the couple in front of him, a strange expression on his face.

Not to mention the stark difference in their physiques—one tall and burly, the other slender and frail-looking.

Their secrecy about their relationship was also impressive.

If they hadn't been trapped in the restaurant today, Ronan would've never known they were together.

In fact, most of the sorcerers at Kamar-Taj probably didn't know either.

"You have to keep this a secret!"

"We haven't planned to go public yet."

Wong sighed. If it weren't absolutely necessary, he wouldn't have called Ronan for help.

Because once Ronan knew, he could use it to extort him—make Wong pay some price.

Like...

"Since that's the case, I won't be polite."

"I tend to have a loose tongue, so if something fills my mouth, maybe this secret will stay put in my heart."

Ronan crossed his legs, eyes narrowing like a sly fox.

This kind of opportunity handed over to him—how could Ronan not accept it?

If he didn't, he might as well change his name.

"What do you want?"

Wong's face darkened; he knew this was coming!

But to keep his secret relationship safe, he had no choice but to let Ronan "rob" his wallet.

Hearing Wong's words, Ronan's eyes lit up.

He put his arm around Wong's shoulder, looking like a good buddy.

"Considering our brotherly relationship of so many years, I don't want to rob you blind."

"I remember there's a good buffet restaurant in New York, right?"

"The one specializing in lobster, I think it's called CrabHouse?"

Ronan stroked his chin, as if casually mentioning it.

Hearing that Ronan wanted to eat at a buffet, Wong first let out a sigh of relief.

Well, as Kamar-Taj's famous glutton, Ronan's appetite was no joke.

Although he looked thin, Ronan could eat a lot.

If they went to a regular restaurant, Wong would definitely be bleeding money!

However, when he heard Ronan mention that buffet by name, he jumped off the couch.

"Are you kidding me?"

"That restaurant is known as the most expensive buffet in all of New York."

Wong's eyes widened, his gaze filled with the desire to strangle Ronan.

Wong had heard about that restaurant.

Supposedly, a single buffet costs 115 dollars—with tax and tip, it's almost 150 dollars.

For two people, that's 300 dollars.

For Wong, spending 300 dollars on a meal might as well kill him!

He didn't even have that much in his pocket!

"Then I guess I can't help it."

"Without enough lobsters to stuff my mouth, who knows—I might talk about this in my sleep during training and let your secret slip."

Ronan leaned back on the couch, hands on the backrest, whistling as he looked up at the ceiling.

A threat!

A blatant threat!

What do you mean "talk in your sleep during training"?

Just say you won't keep quiet unless I take you out to eat!

Sara Wolfe, meanwhile, smiled as she watched the two.

How should she put it—when she first met Ronan, he was just a little kid starting his studies.

They'd known each other for almost ten years now.

She understood Ronan's personality well.

Though Wong was her boyfriend, Ronan was like a little brother at Kamar-Taj.

Plus, Wong and Ronan had always been close, so Sara Wolfe could easily tell Ronan was just trying to negotiate the highest price.

"No, it's too expensive!"

"I'll give you 20 dollars—you can pick anything for that amount!"

"Any more, and it's a no!"

Wong gritted his teeth, offering a price.

He'd rather die than pay 150 dollars.

Ronan didn't understand why they wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but it wasn't really his concern.

"Alright, then 100 dollars—I can take cash or a check."

Ronan crossed his legs, lowering his price.

Negotiation still needed some sincerity.

"No way!"

"At most, 30 dollars—take it or leave it!"

Wong lifted his head with a determined expression, a bit like a martyr.

But Ronan knew him well—this wasn't Wong's bottom line.

"How about this: let's cut the back-and-forth—50 dollars, final offer!"

"Of course, I'm open to cash—if we were dining out, a 50-dollar meal with tax and tip could easily push it past 60 dollars or more."

"So, transfer or cash—your choice."

Ronan extended his right hand.

The meaning was simple—time to pay up!

Wong glared at Ronan, then looked at Sara Wolfe.

Sara just shrugged, indicating she had no choice.

Finally, Wong reluctantly pulled a 20-dollar bill and three 10-dollar bills from his suit pocket, slapping them heavily into Ronan's hand.

"You better spend this wisely!"

Wong said, gritting his teeth—the same tone and expression Ronan had when he got swindled into buying a Whopper combo.

Ronan raised an eyebrow, grabbing Wong's wrist with his left hand and forcefully moving it aside.

"Thanks for the generous gift, big brother."

"I'll be sure to plan carefully how to spend it."

With that, Ronan carefully smoothed out the money and put it neatly in his pocket.

Afterward, Ronan looked curiously at the two.

"What's up? Aren't you leaving yet?"

"With such beautiful weather, you really want to stay at a kid's house?"

"Just to let you know, I'm a minor."

Ronan looked at them, implying he wasn't comfortable hearing or seeing anything.

Wong rolled his eyes.

Damn, you take the money and kick us out?

Calling you a fox is giving you too much credit—more like a wolf in sheep's clothing!

Just then, the TV—which had been playing the news—broadcasted a report.

"Breaking news—we've found several survivors from the explosion site, who were trapped in a restaurant and in extreme danger."

"At that moment, a man wearing Iron Man armor appeared and rescued them through a magical portal. Here with me is..."

But before the host could finish, the man in the suit jumped up and grabbed the mic.

"Mister Fantastic!"

"He saved us—he's Mister Fantastic!"

"He was incredible—just like a sorcerer from the movies!"

Seeing the man's excitement, Ronan froze.

Mister Fantastic?

Oh no!

I've become a stand-in!