AZI Volume 5 Chapter 8

"Uh this dinner arrangement…?"

Gathering everyone together, the head chief of the restaurant—who is looking at the list of dishes to prepare, frowns in a strange manner.

"Head chief, something the matter?"

"No, just… Am I imagining things? Ah, whatever. I need someone to grab a whole pig. Another team deals with seafood. The others-"

Assigning a team to each dish type, the kitchen staff gets busy.

...…

In total, it took about two hours for everything to be prepared.

Amidst the meal preparation time, Yao Ying—who had been told to come to the restaurant after work had arrived, and was escorted to the fifth floor to occupy the final seat.

As plates upon plates of food are brought over, Yao Ying asks—

"What's the occasion this time?"

"…"

"…"

All eyes turned towards Bai Wen, to which, he puts on a look of confusion, and says—

"I didn't order any of these… I was only informed that the staff will make the appropriate arrangements."

A whole pig and a duck, various types of seafood, clear rice wine, along with a cart of desserts lined up to the side; some of the items currently on the table cost well above the 1,000 NWD standard of this restaurant.

"Maybe, elder sister is feeling generous?"

In response to Nuo'er's guess, Bai Wen replies—

"Oh? In that case, this is all free then? Well, what are we waiting for? Let's just eat."

As Bai Wen picks up the chopsticks—

"Bai Wen, who died and made you the boss of this restaurant?"

Immediately, all heads turned towards the direction of Mo-laoban's voice.

"Hm?"

Seeing her elder sister dressed in a red qipao decorated with patterns of golden clouds and phoenixes, Nuo'er tilts her head with clear astonishment.

At the same time, Mo-laoban also has her long crimson hair tied into a tail that is split down the middle.

Holding her hair together is a silver hairpin that is tilted slightly. The lifted end of the hairpin is decorated with a crescent moon—carved out of jade, with smaller flowers made of the same material adorning it.

"Elder sister, you normally don't wear clothes like this…"

Smiling faintly, Mo-laoban approaches the table, and stands behind Long Hua's chair.

"…Ah."

"…!"

Simultaneously, Zhen Qing Huai and Zhen Rong widen their eyes at the realization of something.

(This color combination, isn't this normally the colors used for…-?)

(These dishes, aren't they typically the sort, you'd see at a…-?)

"…"

Pressing her hand onto the top of the chair's backrest, Mo-laoban replaces the entire chair with a wider chair of the same design.

"…?"

Sensing the chair beneath him being swapped out, Long Hua raises an eye.

In a manner that can only be described as natural, Mo-laoban occupies the rest of the chair.

Blinking his right eye with a light of amusement, Bai Wen asks—

"What kind of situation is this?"

"Lao Bai…"

Despite not being someone that can hold her liquor well, Zhen Qing Huai nevertheless raises a cup filled with clear rice wine towards Long Hua and Mo-laoban, and says—

"Toast to the newly-wedded couple."

"...…I see. Congrats, you two."

Catching up to the situation, Bai Wen lifts his cup with two hands. Similarly, Zhen Rong follows suit.

Simultaneously, the three directed their cup towards Long Hua and Mo-laoban's direction, prior to taking a sip.

...…

"…"

Observing the situation inside of the dreamscape, the Tai Xuan Emperor blinks her eyes.

"To think, a wedding of this sort is actually possible between Heaven and Earth…"

The expression on the Tai Xuan Emperor's face as she muttered these words is one of amazement.

...…

Turning to Mo-laoban, Long Hua asks—

"…This is a joke, right?"

"Hm?"

Raising an eye towards Long Hua's question, Mo-laoban rests her left elbow on the armrest, and replies—

"What's this, my dearest? Planning to toss me aside after using me once?"

Pressing her left fist against her cheek, Mo-laoban directs a taunting look at Long Hua, to which, the latter replies—

"The hell does that even mean? Nothing happ-"

"Nothing happened between us when we first met? I dare to disagree with that."

Cutting Long Hua off, Mo-laoban continues to ask—

"Remember how wet we both got that night?"

Immediately, Nuo'er and Zhen Rong widen their eyes, whereas Yao Ying tilts her head—not knowing what it is that they are talking about.

"…"

Realizing the game that Mo-laoban is playing, Long Hua mirrors her posture, as he presses his right elbow onto his armrest, and replies—

"That's because it was raining."

Raising her right hand, Mo-laoban presses it lightly onto Long Hua's cheek.

"Remember how much blood you made me lose?"

Removing Mo-laoban's hand from his face, Long Hua answers—

"Because I was trying to kill you."

"I still recall how painful it was to be thrusted through by you—not once, but many times over. The thing you used was quite-"

"What thrusted through you was sword Qi—nothing like what the dirty-minded are think of right now."

Being called out in this manner, Nuo'er and Zhen Rong turns their head away, whereas—

(No, I can't laugh right now! This is-)

(This is a serious conversation they're having; I mustn't interrupt it with my laughter…)

Both Bai Wen and Zhen Qing Huai are doing their best to hold back their laughter.

"…?"

Blinking her eyes in confusion, Yao Ying feels like she had just been introduced to something amazing—despite not knowing what it is that Long Hua and Mo-laoban are talking about.

(This… Is this the sort of game that adults play?)