Chapter 317: Upgrade and Fainting

Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Upgrade and Fainting

Lily Hart stood by the cash register for a moment. When she saw that no one was causing trouble and everyone was heartily eating, she was finally able to relax.

The others had found a private room upstairs and were waiting for her.

"Come on, let’s go up and eat," Lily Hart called to Cynthia Whittaker.

Cynthia Whittaker seemed to be running on pure adrenaline. Standing behind the register like a soldier at her post, she shook her head seriously at Lily Hart. "It’s fine, Lily, you go on ahead. I’m not hungry. I’ll stay here and watch for a while longer."

"Alright, but remember to come up and eat," Lily Hart said, understanding.

’When you first get something, you cherish it and treat it as precious. After a while, that novelty wears off.’

’Take Roman Rowe, for instance. When he first got that little bear doll from the scratch-off, he cherished it beyond belief. He’d play with it in his hands all day, carry it in his pocket wherever he went, and even hug it while he slept.’

’Now... although he still carries it in his pocket, he clearly takes it out a lot less often.’

Lily Hart went up to the second floor. There were only a few scattered tables of customers, while the first floor was already packed and the crowd was gradually expanding to the second floor.

Frost Shaw was waiting for her at the door of the private room. Afraid she wouldn’t know which one it was, he immediately waved as soon as he saw her. "Lily Hart, over here!"

Lily Hart walked over quickly. The smell of hot pot filled the entire restaurant, and some of it had even clung to her clothes.

The group quickly assembled. They had saved the seat of honor for her. They hadn’t mixed her a dipping sauce, afraid they wouldn’t get her preferences right, but all the dishes were already ordered.

They were just waiting for her.

As they were eating, a notification came from the System. [Host, you can upgrade now~ Should I do it now, or wait until you’ve finished your meal?]

[Now, now.] Lily Hart quickly replied in her mind.

[Okay, deducting half of your points for the upgrade~] the System added warmly.

The next second, Lily Hart watched helplessly as her balance dropped from eight figures to seven. She had just mentally cried out, ’What a sinful waste!’ when an irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over her.

She didn’t even have time to put down her chopsticks before she slumped onto the table, fast asleep.

With a CLATTER, her chopsticks fell to the floor. Lily Hart’s forehead thudded against her arm, while her other hand hung limply down. It was the very picture of someone falling asleep.

Everyone’s gazes shot over to her, their faces filled with unconcealed shock and worry.

Roman Rowe cracked a joke to break the tension. "What’s with Boss Hart? Did she pull an all-nighter or something?"

Frost Shaw shot him a glare. "When have you ever seen her fall asleep in the middle of a meal?"

’He had to admit, that was true. Lily Hart always treated food with respect. She’d always see a meal through from start to finish, quick to offer praise and compliments. How could she possibly fall asleep mid-bite?’

Frost Shaw stood up and went to her side. He shook her gently a couple of times, but Lily Hart showed no reaction.

The group exchanged a look. Leo Colby also stood and moved to her side, helping her sit up against the back of the chair.

But she was like a boneless doll; her head lolled, her shoulders slumped, and she was completely unable to sit up on her own. She nearly toppled right into Leo Colby’s arms.

Frost Shaw lent a hand, holding her by the shoulders.

Leo Colby checked her breathing and her pulse. "Steady. She’s still alive."

’Well, no kidding.’ Her complexion was healthy, her breathing was steady and regular—she obviously wasn’t dead! The real question was, why had she suddenly collapsed?

After all the commotion, no one was in the mood to eat hot pot anymore.

They just kept watch over Boss Hart. The broth in the pot boiled over several times, and the ingredients inside were cooked to a pulp. Finally, Cynthia Whittaker simply pressed the "checkout" button, and everything on the table was cleared away in an instant.

But Boss Hart remained at the table, sleeping soundly, looking for all the world as if that was all she was doing.

"Why don’t we have her lie down?" Seth quietly suggested. He was worried her arm would go numb from being hunched over for so long.

"Good point."

They first considered pushing some chairs together for Boss Hart to lie on, but it felt too undignified.

After some discussion, they decided to carry her back to the sofa on the first floor of the RV.

Frost Shaw pulled a stretcher out of his spatial storage. With a few of them grabbing her arms and the rest her legs, they worked together to lift Boss Hart onto it.

In the end, it was Frost Shaw and Leo Colby who carried the stretcher downstairs, one at each end.

The customers downstairs near the staircase and the entrance all saw it: Lily Hart, lying on the stretcher as if she were lifeless, being carried out by the two men.

Someone even secretly recorded a video.

There were customers outside the hot pot restaurant, and even more along the way.

Roman Rowe and the others spontaneously formed a protective circle around Lily Hart to keep the customers from getting close. The scene was oddly reminiscent of a celebrity making a public appearance—except this particular star was asleep.

"Hey? Is that Boss Hart?"

"Yeah! Why is she on a stretcher?"

"What happened to Boss Hart?!"

"Don’t tell me she has a terminal illness?"

"Ah..."

The crowd’s imagination ran wild, but Frost Shaw and the others managed to get Lily Hart safely onto the sofa, finally shielding her from the customers’ prying eyes.

Perhaps because she was now on a soft surface, the knit in Lily Hart’s brow finally relaxed.

Frost Shaw said, "You all go back to your posts. I’ll watch her. If there’s any news, I’ll be the first to post it in the group chat."

"Okay." Leo Colby glanced at Lily Hart, who was lying on her side facing the back of the sofa. He covered her with a blanket, then got up and left.

Seth hesitated, then said, "I’ll stay too. Today’s boxed meals are already sold out."

Stan Sterling also chimed in, "I can stay as well. Today’s fruit has already been sold out."

Although Frost Shaw didn’t want them to, he couldn’t refuse. Roman Rowe was about to say something, but Frost Shaw shot him a look that silenced him. "You need to go back and watch the convenience store. Make sure no one causes trouble."

In the end, Frost Shaw, Seth, and Stan Sterling stayed behind while the others returned to their posts.

By evening, Lily Hart still hadn’t woken up. The others had all come by to check on her several times, only to leave again when they saw she was still asleep, their faces etched with unconcealed worry.

Even on the [Human Social Sphere], a video of Lily Hart being carried back to the RV on a stretcher began to circulate. Beneath it, a huge crowd of people were asking:

"Is that Lily Hart? Is she gonna croak?"

"No way! I think Boss Hart just fell asleep!"

"Do you need a stretcher to carry you when you fall asleep?"

"It’s over, it’s over. Boss Hart is done for."

"It’s over, it’s over. Humanity is done for."

It was unclear how everyone had leaped from "Lily Hart on a stretcher" to "Lily Hart is dying," but it seemed as if someone was invisibly fanning the flames of the rumor.

When they gathered for dinner, everyone had long, worried faces, and no one had any appetite for the boxed meals on the table.

That was right. With Boss Hart out of commission, the standard of their meals had plummeted. No one was in the mood to cook; these had even been bought from the factory.

Roman Rowe poked at the rice with his chopsticks, glancing over at Lily Hart on the sofa every so often. She was still in the same position, lying on her side facing the back of the sofa, the blanket over her unchanged.

He asked Frost Shaw, "Has Lily Hart really not moved all afternoon?"

Frost Shaw shook his head, his expression grave. She hadn’t moved an inch. If he hadn’t been checking her breathing periodically, he really would have thought she was...

Someone sighed. Leo Colby spoke, as if to himself, "She’ll be fine."

"Exactly. We’ve been through so much already. How could something happen to her from just taking a nap?" Roman Rowe said, as if trying to convince himself.

But his words managed to comfort the others as well.