Chapter 280: Chapter 234: My Cousin Is So Nice, Let Big Sis Give You a Kiss

"Welcome, Madam and young ladies. Your presence brings honor to our humble establishment."

The portly Shopkeeper wiped the sweat from his brow, his face beaming with an eager smile as he respectfully greeted the three distinguished guests before him.

"Shopkeeper, could you please prepare a private room for us...?" the Guard Captain said to the enthusiastic Shopkeeper.

"This way, distinguished guests." The portly Shopkeeper personally led the way for Zhu Xinru and her two companions.

The group entered the restaurant and, led by the Shopkeeper, arrived at the most lavishly decorated private room.

The private room was over a hundred square meters, its floor covered with a soft carpet and its walls hung with landscape paintings by famous artists. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The table and chairs were crafted from high-end wood and carved with exquisite patterns.

A crystal-clear chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. The faint fluctuations of Spiritual Energy it emitted revealed it to be a relatively rare and quite expensive Convenient Spiritual Artifact.

"Distinguished guests, please take a look at the menu..." The Shopkeeper took a menu from one of his employees and handed it to Zhu Xinru.

"Auntie, you and Cousin have a look." Zhu Xinru placed the menu in front of her aunt and cousin.

The full-figured and elegant Zhao Xin smiled and said, "You two go ahead and order."

Li Qian took the menu and ordered several dishes, then had her cousin Zhu Xinru order a few as well. Afterward, the portly Shopkeeper took the menu and quickly left the private room with his waiter.

After the Shopkeeper left, the three women began to chat casually while sipping the tea provided by the restaurant.

They mostly discussed the clothes and jewelry they had bought while shopping that morning, talking about how to pair them and what occasions to wear them for.

...

"Auntie, Cousin, please continue chatting. I’m just going to the restroom." Having had a few cups of tea, Zhu Xinru stood up, excused herself, and left the room.

"Mother, Father will be back the day after tomorrow. He went to the Imperial Capital to report on his duties to His Majesty the Emperor. I wonder what kind of reward His Majesty will grant him?"

"The last time Father went to the Imperial Capital to report to His Majesty, he was rewarded with a huge pile of Spirit Stones. I hope His Majesty gives him something different this time..." Li Qian said, taking a sip from her teacup.

"Honestly! Whatever His Majesty rewards your father with is a supreme honor for our family. How can you be so picky about it...?" Zhao Xin said to her daughter, exasperated.

At that moment, neither mother nor daughter knew that Li Dingtian had already returned to Dongwu City.

...

Back in Dongwu City, Lin Li found a very upscale restaurant to have lunch.

He had just finished ordering when he suddenly felt nature’s call. He stepped out of his private room and asked a passing waiter, "Excuse me, where’s the restroom?"

"The restroom is on the left side of the main lobby on the first floor. There’s a sign on the wall. Once you get to the lobby, just follow the sign, sir. You can’t miss it," the waiter, who was carrying a platter of food, explained to Lin Li.

"Alright, thank you." Lin Li nodded his thanks to the waiter and headed toward the staircase at the end of the hall.

He was on the second floor of the restaurant and needed to go downstairs to find the restroom.

"Mr. Lin?"

Just as Lin Li reached the top of the stairs at the end of the hall, ready to head down, he unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.

"Miss Zhu," Lin Li said with surprise, looking at Zhu Xinru as she came up the stairs. "Are you having lunch here too?"

Zhu Xinru nodded. "Yes." She was on her way back to her private room from the restroom and never expected to run into her savior, Lin Li, again.

A long time had passed since they last parted ways, and Zhu Xinru hadn’t heard any news of Lin Li since.

After so much time had passed without him coming to visit her, Zhu Xinru had assumed that Lin Li had already left Dongwu City to travel to other cities.

Delighted by this chance encounter, Zhu Xinru’s face lit up with a smile as she asked, "Mr. Lin, have you been well?"

"I’ve been doing quite well..." ’Although he had been extremely busy lately, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and with several million in his bank account, Lin Li truly felt he was doing great.’

"Oh." Zhu Xinru nodded, seizing this rare opportunity to extend an invitation.

"Mr. Lin, after you helped me last time, I went home and told my father what happened... He was very grateful and would really like to meet you."

"I was wondering if you might be free sometime soon? He wants to thank you in person and invite you to our home for a meal..."

"Please don’t refuse, Mr. Lin..." Zhu Xinru added earnestly, afraid that he would politely decline again.

"Well..." Lin Li hesitated. She was inviting him to her home for a meal, and her father wanted to thank him in person.

He was about to refuse, but she was so earnest that he reconsidered and finally agreed.

"Alright. I’ll pay you a visit when I have some free time."

"Wonderful! In that case, I will await your visit to our humble home..."

Seeing that Lin Li had accepted her invitation, the smile on Zhu Xinru’s face grew even brighter and more captivating.

Afterward, Zhu Xinru gave Lin Li her home address again.

She had told him once before, but she repeated it just to be on the safe side.

’After going to all this trouble to get him to accept,’ she thought, ’it would be a disaster if he couldn’t come simply because he forgot the address.’