CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER 149: I’M VERY RESERVED! (FIRST UPDATE)

"..." Justus was momentarily stunned, "What about your uncle? Is he going too?"

Yi Luowa nodded, "Yeah, even though it’s only been a few days since we left France, a lot has happened during this time, and my second uncle decided to go to Xiawu to expand his business."

"So you’re not going to school?" Justus frowned and asked.

"School? I’ve already made arrangements. She’ll be attending the Royal Academy in Xiawu." Tong Airui raised his eyebrows slightly, finding their chatter excessive, and cut in from the side.

Yi Luowa turned to look at him, "You’ve already arranged it? Does this mean I don’t need to take any exams?"

Tong Airui’s mouth twitched slightly before he chuckled, "I know you’re lazy, so I got you a spot that doesn’t require exams."

Yi Luowa grabbed Tong Airui’s hand and laughed, "Fourth Brother, you’re the best!"

"Restrain yourself!" Huo Li knocked on the table with visible disdain.

Yi Luowa winked at her, "I am restrained!"

"Pfft!" Huo Li sneered, curling her lips.

Yi Luowa playfully patted the back of her head, "Pfft yourself, pighead!"

"Yi Luowa, are you going to let me eat or not?! All you do is tease me." Huo Li turned her head in frustration and snapped.

"Of course I will. You came all this way." Yi Luowa tilted her head to look at the waiter, "Pretty sister, bring out the food."

The waiter responded and left. Shortly after, the table was filled with a variety of delicious dishes.

Huo Li picked up a knife and fork and began eating, deciding to channel her frustration into food!

Tong Airui, seated nearby, kept tending to Yi Luowa. Noticing that he hadn’t eaten much, Yi Luowa said softly, "You should eat some too. I can manage myself."

"Eating mantis shrimp is a bit tricky. Let me peel a few more for you." Tong Airui’s hands, accustomed to handling guns, were surprisingly skilled at peeling mantis shrimp.

Yi Luowa took a half-peeled mantis shrimp from his hand, "Then I won’t eat it."

"But you obviously like eating them." Tong Airui smiled indulgently, "After peeling this one, I won’t peel anymore for you."

"OMG, can you two spare a thought for us single people here?" Huo Li turned her face away and complained to Justus, "Why did we even come here? Isn’t this just self-inflicted misery?!"

Justus curled the corner of his lips lightly.

Tong Airui shot the two a sideways glance and then picked up a napkin to wipe Yi Luowa’s mouth. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Justus didn’t seem like someone who’d just graduated from school.

This guy had an air of mystery, like when Yuan Hang showed off back then, and yet he remained calm and unruffled.

"Zhu Bao’er, do you not have hands of your own?" Huo Li couldn’t help but tease upon seeing Tong Airui wipe Yi Luowa’s mouth.

"Of course I do! One hand for the knife and one for the fork—I’m busy!" Yi Luowa grinned at her, "When I have time, I’ll wipe for you too."

"I can’t deal with this anymore! Justus, hurry up and eat. Once we’re done, we’re leaving!" Huo Li fumed as she angrily speared a piece of steak and shoved it into her mouth.

"Naw, take this!" Yi Luowa pushed her own steak plate closer to Huo Li, "Eat it all!"

Huo Li snorted but didn’t hold back, continuing to dig in.

After dinner, Tong Airui led them to the presidential suite on the tenth floor. "If you’re tired, you can rest. If not, I’ll arrange for someone to show you the imperial city’s night scene."

"Not planning on playing tonight. Zhu Bao’er said she has a lot to talk to me about. If you’re tired, you should head back first."

Tong Airui turned to glance at Huo Li. "I promised Second Uncle I’d take Luowa back. You two can go talk; I’ll wait for her."

Huo Li gave him a discontented look, and at that angle, something suddenly clicked in her mind.

"You’ve definitely been to France—and you gave me five hundred dollars!"

Tong Airui smirked slightly, "Why would I give money to you?"

Huo Li pulled Yi Luowa closer and asked in a hush tone, "Do you remember the time we tried to raise life-saving money for that beggar girl...? You know—back then."

"I don’t remember." Yi Luowa shook her head.

Huo Li grew anxious, "At West Pavilion Coffee House’s entrance, there was a mother and daughter beggar pair. The little girl was critically ill. The two of us ran around trying to raise money for her—and then...it was him who gave us five hundred dollars."

"What do you mean ’and then’?" Tong Airui asked with a teasing smile.

Huo Li curled her lips, "What I mean is—he bumped into me and paid me five hundred dollars for compensation."

Tong Airui let out an "Oh," "Did the car actually hit you, though?"

"Of course it did! If it didn’t, why would you pay me?" Huo Li argued confidently.

Justus appeared calm outwardly, quietly listening to their conversation, but for some reason, his tightly clenched hands betrayed his inner tension.

"Luowa, the way he talks, that person was definitely him." Huo Li grasped Yi Luowa’s hand tightly.

Yi Luowa pouted, "I didn’t see what he looked like back then."

"You were far away; I was closer, and I got a clear look. All these years, besides maturing a bit, he hasn’t changed much."

"Two little tricksters! I actually figured out back then that you were lying to me. But later, when I realized you were raising money for that beggar girl’s life-saving treatment, I didn’t expose you."

Yi Luowa blinked, holding back a laugh that threatened to escape. This guy—his explanation was clearly just to save face.