Star Abyss Walker

Chapter 326 Shadow of the Void (2nd Update)
"By the way, Ding Han."

Looking at the filming location, Cheng Shuang said, "On the opening day, I invited a reporter from the provincial TV station. They will give you an exclusive interview. The topic of the interview will be something like Ding Han's entrepreneurial journey, from Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe to Xicheng No. 1. Be prepared, and just say what you need to say without being nervous."

"..."

I was stunned for a moment. My first reaction was to reject this kind of thing. After all, I am an introverted person who prefers to stay behind the scenes and keep my achievements hidden.

But the situation is different now. I am the owner of Xicheng No. 1. It is not appropriate to keep my achievements hidden at this time. The opportunity to increase exposure that Cheng Shuang has secured is extremely precious and cannot tolerate any pretense.

"Okay, I'll cooperate fully!"

"Ok!"

She smiled and nodded.

……

We were busy until 6 p.m. when we finally finished filming.

"Finally done, I'm exhausted..."

Lu Xiaobei wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "We should have a big meal tonight, right?"

"Yes."

Cheng Shuang and I exchanged a smile, then said to the film crew, "Everyone has worked hard. I've borrowed the kitchen and private rooms of one of Mr. Cheng's hotels, and our Xicheng No. 1 chef will personally cook for you. Today, you can have a taste of Xicheng No. 1's dishes!"

"Really?"

Even the usually serious director smiled: "If Xiao Bei can personally promote it, the taste must be absolutely amazing. I have to try it!"

The other staff members also nodded and smiled.

"Let's go, everyone follow my car."

Cheng Shuang walked ahead with her assistant, while I followed behind with Lu Xiaobei and Xiao Wen, and the rest of us rode in a business van.

East Lake.

At the Cheng Group Hotel, Cheng Shuang led everyone into a large private room for 18 people.

Soon after, the dishes began to be served, starting with a soup.

After taking a small bite, Lu Xiaobei and I looked at each other, almost in tears.

It tastes exactly the same, not changed at all!

After that, dishes were served one after another, mainly seafood and stir-fries. Xicheng No. 1 has a milder flavor, without the numbing spiciness of Sichuan cuisine or the fresh spiciness of Hunan cuisine. It is mildly spicy, which is quite friendly to people with poor stomachs or those who cannot eat spicy food.

Old Chen truly lived up to his reputation as a master craftsman; his culinary skills were impeccable, and his dishes were absolutely delicious. Even Lu Xiaobei, who had tasted food all over the country, praised them highly.

Cheng Shuang was tasting the dishes at Xicheng No. 1 for the first time, and she nodded repeatedly in approval.

"Ding Han".

She leaned close to my ear and said, "I think I made the right investment this time. Our Xicheng No. 1 is bound to make money in the future, the kind that makes a lot of money."

"Haha, if even you say so, then I'm relieved."

"By the way, our Cheng Group's operations team is having a team-building event soon, and I'm planning to book a dinner at the banquet hall for the opening day. What do you think?"

"..."

I am speechless.

Cheng Shuang, this is too deliberate!
"No, I forgot to tell you, the banquet hall was booked in advance by Yuening Group on the night of the opening. Xiaoying is going to treat the key members of Yuening Group's R&D department to dinner."

"what?"

Cheng Shuang pursed her red lips: "That's fine too, I'll book for the next day."

"That's fine, just tell the lobby manager."

"Ok!"

……

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The opening day of Xicheng No. 1 has arrived.

Three days in advance, Cheng Shuang and I posted the opening information and reservation phone number of Xicheng No. 1 on our WeChat Moments, and Lin Qingying, Lu Xiaobei, Milo, Ruolin, Elizabeth and others also forwarded it on their own WeChat Moments.

Wait, something strange seems to have gotten mixed in.

Elizabeth, what's the point of you forwarding this?!

early morning.

Lin Qingying went to work early and came back closer to noon.

I drove to Xicheng No. 1 early and busied myself with everything.

"Mr. Ding, we have too many flower baskets, what should we do?"

The speaker was Zhu Ting, one of the two lobby managers hired by Xicheng No. 1. Like Chen Xiaoman, she was quite beautiful and exuded a strong sense of being a wife. In fact, she was a real wife, divorced with two children, and had a strong career drive and excellent work ability.

The moment I saw her resume, I knew she was the perfect working woman, exactly the kind of woman I needed.

"It's fine to move them out a little bit."

"it is good."

Zhu Ting then said, "President Cheng said he invited people from the TV station. Should we arrange lunch for them? But... our seats are already fully booked..."

"It's alright, the lake-view terrace has extra seating for individual guests, right? You can arrange a table for them. The view is so good, they definitely won't mind."

"Yeah, okay!"

"Mr. Ding."

At this moment, another young man dressed like a real estate agent walked over and said, "The drinks that Mr. Cheng had sent over have all been put into storage. Would you like to count them?"

His name is Zhang Dayong, another lobby manager at Xicheng No. 1, a down-to-earth person.

It is said that he was also divorced, and his wife took all his assets. Now he no longer yearns for love and is focused on his career. He is also the chosen worker that our Xicheng No. 1 urgently needs.

"No need, I trust Mr. Cheng. You just need to count the items and keep a record."

Zhang Dayong nodded and left.

A moment later, Xiaowen came over in her work clothes and said, "Ding Han, there are so many people! I'm getting a little nervous."

"You're the foreman, what are you so nervous about? Calm down."

"Oh!" She walked away with a smile, wiggling her hips.

This terrifyingly beautiful bad woman, seemingly coy, is actually quite manipulative.

……

It's not even 10 o'clock yet.

Ruolin, Caicai, Koumei, Fatty, and others arrived, and Ding Han's team was instantly assembled.

"What are you all doing here so early...?"

I was speechless: "Dinner isn't served until 12 o'clock!"

"It's okay, you don't need to worry about us."

The fat man said, "Bring two decks of cards over, let's go play in the back."

I pointed and said, "Go ask Xiaowen for it."

Which one is Xiaowen?

"The prettiest waitress."

"Wow……"

A group of lecherous men went over and demanded playing cards.

"drop!"

A message came from Milo: "Ding Han, I have to go to a high-end performance with the band tonight, so I won't be able to go. I wish your Xicheng No. 1 a grand opening and lots of good fortune. Did you receive the flower basket I sent?"

"Received it. The most arrogant thing is this damn flower basket you sent."

I glanced at the enormous flower basket outside, which seemed out of place, but since it was signed by Milo, there was nothing to say about it. In fact, many enthusiastic female fans even took out their phones to take photos with the flower basket.

The call ended amidst Milo's hearty laughter, and he went back to work.

Soon after, Lin Qingying arrived.

She didn't bring an assistant. After parking her car in the parking lot, she walked over. She was wearing a beige trench coat and had a pair of snow-white legs that were more beautiful than the lake view.

"coming?"

"Ah."

"I'm a bit busy, you can browse around by yourself."

"You go about your business, I'm going to talk to Mr. Cheng about some business matters."

As she spoke, she walked towards Cheng Shuang.

……

A short while later, Lu Xiaobei arrived.

Her appearance was undoubtedly the highlight of today's opening ceremony. The journalists who came to interview me all went straight to photograph Lu Xiaobei, which was a bit outrageous.

Soon after, Cheng Shuang came over with Lin Qingying and Lu Xiaobei and said, "Ding Han, let's go to the lakeside terrace in the back. It's for an interview with the provincial TV station."

"Ah."

I tilted my head and glanced at Lin Qingying and Lu Xiaobei: "So why are you two following along when I'm doing this interview?"

Lin Qingying said, "I'll observe you discreetly to see if you're nervous!"

Lu Xiaobei nodded vigorously: "Me too!"

My lips twitched; they were really incredibly boring.

I went up to the terrace to give the interview.

The entire process was flawless and as steady as a rock.

At the moment the interview ended, I even saw the disappointment on Lu Xiaobei's face. He seemed a little annoyed that there hadn't been any mishaps during the interview.

……

After the ceremony, Xicheng No. 1 officially opened for business.

Two tables were crammed into a large private room on the third floor. Lin Qingying, Lu Xiaobei, Cheng Shuang, Chen Xiaoman, Zhao Yihang and others sat at one table, while Ruolin, Caicai, Koumei, Fatty and other players sat at the other.

Both sides are my relatives and friends.

The lunch dishes were consistently delicious, and everyone raved about them. With the added influence of alcohol, Cai Cai, Bing Zi, and others started boasting that this was definitely the best restaurant in the entire galaxy. I, as the person in charge, was embarrassed to hear such things.

Just as they were about to finish eating, a bell rang in their ears. Finally, Xicheng No. 1's daily mission was completed at that moment.

[Congratulations! You have completed the daily main quest "My Xicheng No. 1" (SS-rank)! Rewards: Character Experience +45 million, Charisma +2, and additional reward: "Ring of the Void" (Quality: Cataclysmic Grade, S8, Gold)!]

……

So nice, that gold ring!
He quickly turned his gaze to the interdimensional storage space. The ring had a very ancient appearance, but the gemstone it contained was quite peculiar—a jet-black gemstone like a star. Unable to discern its meaning, he immediately checked its attributes.

[Ring of the Void] (Quality: Cataclysm, S8, Gold)

Rank: Sixth Rank

Strength: +70
Agility: +68
Spirit: +66
Blessing: Critical Hit Chance +12%
Blessing: Lifesteal +12%
Specialty: Attack damage +20%
Blessing: Divine Power-III, increases attack power by 1200 points.
Burst Skill: [Shadow of the Void] - This skill uses elemental energy to draw upon the mysterious power within the ring, summoning a clone identical to the user in appearance, power, and scent. This clone cannot deal damage, lasts for 600 seconds, consumes 80 elemental energy points, and has a 12-hour cooldown.
Biography: The Ring of the Void, crafted by a dark psychic master, seals within it a mysterious power of the void.

……

This is a top-tier gold ring with maxed-out critical hit, life steal, and damage increase stats. Plus, it has a Tier 3 attack blessing, making its attributes practically perfect.

However, there is also a Void Shadow Burst skill, which can summon a clone that has no attack power.

It may seem useless, but it can be used to feint in many situations and may achieve the same effect as brute force!

A quick glance reveals that my current overall combat power is 9.9. Equipping this ring will definitely push it above 10. Will there be any achievement rewards?

There should be, otherwise, how could any monster break through 10 combat power before me?

So, he immediately replaced the Dark Cage Ring, and his combat power instantly reached 10.5!

But... what about the ringtone?

A full 5 seconds later.

"Ding dong!"

Damn, there's a delay!
(End of this chapter)