Lu Mingfei, become the king of gambling in dungeons!

Looking at the desolate street outside the tarpaulin, Uesugi Etsushi, who was cutting char siu and pickling bamboo shoots on the cutting board, had mixed feelings.

He increased the quantity of every ingredient he was serving to his customers, since he was leaving the city in a couple of days and couldn't take all this stuff with him to Paris.

Today's plan to close up shop early failed.

The sight of a young couple who had braved the rain a few minutes earlier, along with a Siamese cat, made him reluctantly stop what he was doing. He lamented why customers had to come at this time, as he couldn't go to the izakaya today to enjoy a romantic evening with the proprietress and contemplate the philosophy of life.

Were they a couple who eloped and forgot to eat dinner? That was his first thought when he saw them.

The woman seems to be a bit of a chatterbox, which is a big no-no in a relationship. However, the man is willing to take the initiative to protect the timid woman behind him, and the woman's bright and sparkling eyes seem to be always on the man, which undoubtedly means that they are mutually in love.

Both hesitated when they saw the ramen stand closing up, and the red-haired girl gently tugged at the boy's sleeve.

"Afraid of disturbing me..." Uesugi Koshi softened, and took the initiative to put on a kind smile, opened the awning, set out the stools, and invited the last two customers of the day in. Decades have passed, and he has become a ramen chef in all his life. He no longer has any of the arrogance and conceit of the "Emperor of Japanese Cinema". Therefore, the students around who come to eat ramen are very willing to talk to this interesting and humorous old man.

He always felt sentimental and nostalgic when he saw couples eloping; people probably tend to reminisce about the past as they get older.

His father, a Go master, and his mother were a couple who eloped. They were pursued by the Japanese Herikichi family and the French Catholic Church. They had a very hard time during their time on the run overseas. In the end, his father compromised and returned to China.

"Are you sure it's three bowls of ramen, each with a serving of char siu and a soft-boiled egg? Can your cat finish one bowl? I have a special cat food dish here; I'll wash it and put it in. There are quite a few cats at the University of Tokyo, all kinds—Chataro, Coco Chestnut, and Matsuru—but I've never seen one that can eat a whole bowl of ramen." Uesugi Koshi washed the dish-shaped cat food bowl with warm water.

"It must eat a lot," Lu Mingfei glanced at the cat that looked like his pet. Takanashi was sitting proudly on the cutting board between him and Erii.

"Excuse me, how much is it?" Erii mustered her courage and raised her book, her little face serious like a warrior about to go into battle.

Besides watching anime and enjoying the scenery, she has recently developed a strong interest in the prices of various items and has even started to try to be more frugal with her living expenses... It didn't go very smoothly. The Rilakkuma plushie was too tempting for her, and anyone with eyes could see that Erii gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to buy it. Lu Mingfei secretly went and bought it for her.

For the eldest daughter of the Hebi family, "price" was a rather foreign concept. She used to not need to shop or have money; everything was arranged for her.

"Do you want to get used to the world a little more?" Lu Mingfei's eyes flickered.

But you won't be able to live like a normal person outside; it's very, very difficult...

"Total... 300 yuan... 500 yuan. I'm closing soon, so I'll give you a discount." The ramen chef offered an unbelievably low price. If he wasn't afraid of scaring away the boy and girl in front of him, he would have quoted an even lower price.

The normal price is 500 yen per bowl. The 500 yen coin is the largest denomination coin in Japan, and its bright color makes transactions and payments very convenient. In the area near the University of Tokyo, this price is considered excellent value for money.

Uesugi Koshi knew himself to be someone who liked to take things easy.

As for Angers, 800 yen a bowl... charging that bastard Angers 800 yen is already letting him off easy!

Under the dim streetlights, two people inside a ramen stall continued their conversation without interruption. As they got into it, the ramen chef's slightly weathered voice began to speak about the principles of life. As they talked, a long, oval red and white lantern, as bright as a candle, was hung inside a tarpaulin that read "Master Koshi's Ramen".

The orange-yellow light of the lanterns lingered on the street, and the shadows of the three people and the cat lingered faintly in the shallow ripples outside the stall through the tarpaulin, their reflections tinged with a pale yellow hue.

Uesugi hadn't had such a pleasant chat with anyone in a long time.

"If you elope, you'll face tremendous resistance. What used to be your support will become your obstacle. If you want to threaten each other's families... having a child is a good way!" Uesugi Kotsushi put aside his complicated thoughts and, while chatting and laughing, shared the experience of his parents' generation with Lu Mingfei and Erii.

If it were a large family like the Snake Clan, having a bloodline heir would undoubtedly be important. When he revealed his imperial bloodline, the family came to greet him with utmost respect... Obviously, there is no one else in the world who possesses such a sinful bloodline as imperial blood.

"Some stubborn and feudal parents are utterly despicable. They are all kinds of doting fathers and self-centered parents. They need to be taught a lesson by dividing the family property."

It was more like a joke. After saying that, Uesugi realized his words were inappropriate and gave an embarrassed smile.

Lu Mingfei shuddered and retorted, "Uncle, your imagination is too wild. Can't we just be innocent dining buddies?"

"Little girl, do you have any elders in your family... with the surname Chen who are Chinese?" Uesugi asked casually, looking at Erii's long red hair. He had heard of the Chen family in China. His mother, Charlotte Chen, seemed to come from that family. He was of mixed Chinese, French, and Japanese descent.

Natural red hair is rare in this world.

"I'm sorry, I don't know if it exists." Erii held up the notebook; this was beyond her comprehension.

Lu Mingfei pondered for a moment and said, "Does she really not know that the uncle knows someone surnamed Chen who looks a lot like Erii?"

"Just asking casually, haha."

The ramen chef, who had set out three bowls of ramen, didn't press for more information. He had only been curious on a whim; coincidences happen all the time, and the girl might have no connection whatsoever with the Chen family.

In the 21st century, there are all sorts of hair dyeing techniques... Uesugi Kotsushi felt that he was indeed overthinking things.

Even if this girl has the blood of the Chen family, so what? She is just a distant relative. His heart has been dulled for decades, like a wooden fish in a temple that has not been struck for a long time and has gradually become covered in dust. He was a wrong person who should not have appeared in the world. Because of the royal blood, he has long since lost everything. He can never wash away his sins in his entire life.

Uesugi looked gently at the two people who were engrossed in eating their noodles: "You're eating too fast. You don't need to rush through life all the time."

Even he himself didn't know why he was being so kind today. In the past, when students came to eat ramen, he would crack jokes and act as carefree as ever, but now he was a little reserved and just wanted to quietly watch the customers eat their ramen... especially the red-haired girl.

After stepping down as patriarch, his original ambition was to become a pastor in a church, preferably a wedding officiant, holding the bride's hand in one hand and the groom's hand in the other to witness the opening of countless doors of happiness.

The pastor's job is to teach the lost sheep of life, especially since these two sheep are a pair.