My skill tree increases every day.

"Kid, keep going, let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve!"

The boss clearly had a smile on his face, but Lin Yu still noticed something from his slightly protruding masseter muscles and the throbbing veins next to his temples.

If this were a comic or anime, the boss would probably have a bold "well" character on his forehead by now.

"Ha...haha..." Lin Yu chuckled, blinking his big eyes, trying to get away with it by being cute.

"Kid, don't look at me like that. If it were that girl, it would be one thing, but you, a grown man, are doing this!" Clearly, the boss was a true local of Wujing, not from some Sichuan province. "Tell me, what makes my rice, meat, and shrimp inferior to those of big restaurants?"

"If you can tell me, I'll waive this order for you!"

The boss was very confident. In his opinion, Lin Yu was just a little boy who was talking nonsense to please girls.

This is a century-old establishment; my ancestors used to cook for King Hong! Do you think a mere brat like you could find fault with the skills passed down from my ancestors? If it weren't for those days…

Alas! A hero doesn't dwell on past glories!

"This, that, you, I," Lin Yu stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

This old restaurant offers good quality food at reasonable prices. Although it's small, the dishes, while not flawless, are at least above average, so it's impossible to find fault with them easily. Lin Yu was just trying to spout some obviously pretentious Jiahao-like remarks to make Chen Shuyan think he was frivolous.

Who would have thought that the boss, having nothing better to do, would just drive up here!

If it were a French meal, he could impress people by relying on his memory, but this table of dishes in front of him was authentic Wu-style Beijing cuisine...

The evaluation criteria are completely different; it's clearly a mismatch in expertise! You can't just blindly apply French cuisine terminology to Wu Dong cuisine!

"Pfft..." Chen Shuyan chuckled as she looked at Lin Yu, who couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time. Her eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons. "Boss, please don't make things difficult for him. The food in your restaurant is really delicious!"

Seeing that Lin Yu really couldn't hold on any longer, Chen Shuyan finally stepped in to smooth things over.

That's great, she even speaks up for me.

"Hmph! This young lady has good taste. Let me tell you, young lady, you can't be with a man who talks nonsense all the time..." The boss gave Chen Shuyan face, snorted and walked away, not forgetting to slander Lin Yu before leaving.

Boss, I don't know whether to thank you or hate you for this.

This was the first time Lin Yu had experienced such a strange feeling while being insulted; a peculiar sensation gradually rose within him…

Chen Shuyan covered her mouth and chuckled as she watched Lin Yu frantically eating to hide his embarrassment.

Is he trying to get my attention? To show off in front of me? He looks so cute being so childish.

"Um, why aren't you eating?" Lin Yu felt extremely uncomfortable because Chen Shuyan maintained the exact same smile as before, staring straight at him. "Is there something on my face too?"

"Ah!" Chen Shuyan snapped out of her daze and quickly picked up a piece of pork rib. "No, it's nothing."

"That's good. I was worried you wouldn't like the food..."

Watching Chen Shuyan gently open her bright red lips, tear off the tempting meat from the ribs, and then gently spit the pale bones into the bone dish, Lin Yu almost choked on the half-sentence he had just uttered.

Why would such a beautiful girl with a great personality, who is also interested in me, do those things?

Lin Yu has been frequently revisiting those memories these past few days. Perhaps it's because of the unknown envoy's ability, but those memories are exceptionally clear, and Lin Yu can recall every single detail.

Based on previous memories, the necklace Chen Shuyan wore in that memory had parts from at least two different people, and the materials were all new.

This can be clearly deduced from the numbers, because a person only has two hands, and the number of parts on Chen Shuyan's necklace at that time was far more than the number of ten fingers on two hands.

Could those be other female friends I know? Female friends I recently met, those I keep in touch with regularly, especially those associated with Wu Jing…

Li Mai? Su Wanqing?

Considering Chen Shuyan's subsequent actions, Lin Yu made this guess.

"Ah... I'm so full." Chen Shuyan stretched gently, loosening her back and arms. Her short T-shirt rode up with her movements, inadvertently revealing her still flat and fair belly after the meal. "The food here is really good. Let's come here often."

This time, Lin Yu did not respond.

I can't make any more promises to her so easily!

Today we cede five cities, tomorrow ten, and then we can have a night's rest. But when we rise and look around, the Qin army is already upon us.

The problem lay in bribing Qin!

The main reason was that he simply couldn't eat with her anymore. Every time Lin Yu ate with Chen Shuyan, he felt immense psychological pressure, and his stomach always felt like it was spasming.

If this continues, I'll develop stomach problems!

This dinner was not much different from the last one. Chen Shuyan was still trying her best to keep the conversation going between the two, while Lin Yu, based on what he had learned in the past few days of special training, tried his best to kill the conversation with a single sentence.

As Lin Yu paid the bill and left, he deliberately stared at the owner for a few more seconds.

Just you wait, you villainous bystander! Once I understand Wu Dongcai better, I'll definitely come back to wreak havoc!

As Lin Yu stepped out of the small restaurant, he looked up at the sky.

Great! Cloudy and windless, it's hardly a good day for stargazing.

Although there was a light rain yesterday, the weather today has not become cooler; on the contrary, it is even more humid and hot, and it is clear that an even bigger downpour is brewing in the clouds.

"Shall we go?" Chen Shuyan looked at the sky, a little worried, and kept checking the weather forecast on her phone.

The weather forecast says it will be cloudy turning sunny, and there will be strong winds around 9 pm. It should be fine, right?

I got off work at Aunt Wang's place and then came here for dinner. It's already eight o'clock. Considering the time it takes to get there and climb the mountain... it should be about the same!

"Let's go."

Lin Yu nodded slightly.

The clouds are probably going to stay thick for a while, and if I keep complaining and venting my negative emotions after they pass, she'll eventually get fed up. Then she'll naturally never want to come out with me again.

Once I've worn away any remaining goodwill she has for me, I'll quit my job... That should put things on a smooth footing, right? She can't keep chasing after me, can she?

With this vision in mind, and with Chen Shuyan sitting in the back seat, Lin Yu started the little electric scooter that symbolizes hard work.

Lin Yu: Come on! I'm fully prepared!

Chen Shuyan: Come on! I'm fully prepared!