Chapter 176: Dream Net’s Technological Rhapsody

Chapter 176 -74: Dream Net’s Technological Rhapsody

“Oh, come on, you two, stop dawdling!” Shao Yiyi said, exasperated. She didn’t explain much, just pushed the two of them along as if they were a pair of prim, hesitant girls.

“My uncle owns this place, so don’t worry about it. I just want to eat something good today. Let’s go, let’s go!”

Before the two of them could refuse again, Shao Yiyi had already pushed open the heavy glass Rotating Door with practiced ease.

Soothing piano music drifted through the restaurant. The lights were dim. A massive aquarium dominated an entire wall, and its eerie blue glow reflected on the floor, creating the distinct illusion of being deep under the sea.

Contrary to what Yu Xian and Shi Zuozhou had expected, no waiter with a menu shouted “Welcome!” There was only a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit in the lobby, quietly giving some instructions.

Seeing them enter, he paused for a moment, then his face broke into a warm, familiar smile as he strode over to greet them.

“Yiyi? What brings you here today?” The man sounded less like a business owner greeting a customer and more like an elder:

“I was on the phone with your dad just a couple of days ago. He said he was still on a business trip in Europe. How have you been lately?”

“Hello, Uncle Chen.” Shao Yiyi greeted him demurely, completely shedding her usual Evil Bun Head persona:

“My dad’s busy with his work. I just got a craving for your leopard coral grouper, so I brought some classmates over to indulge.”

The man she called Uncle Chen smiled and shook his head. His gaze swept over Yu Xian and his two friends with a slight nod, showing no hint of condescension despite their student-like clothes:

“Alright, a get-together with your classmates? Go on into a private room, it’s quieter there.”

“Okay! Thanks, Uncle Chen!”

“Go on. I’ll have the kitchen set aside some of the good mud crabs for you.”

Watching Shao Yiyi chat and laugh so freely with the man, Shi Zuozhou poked Yu Xian in the side from behind and whispered:

“Holy shit, I had no idea Shao Yiyi was this connected… Old Yu, I wanna be a trust fund kid, too…”

“The fastest way would be to make Shao Yiyi your godmother,” Yu Xian said with a shrug.

“Oh, get outta here.”

The group took their seats in a semi-private, window-side booth.

Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling windows lay the glittering nightscape of Jiangcheng. Rain traced streaks down the glass, blurring the neon lights outside into an abstract oil painting.

Shao Yiyi flipped through the menu expertly. Yu Xian and Shi Zuozhou glanced over, feeling a bit apprehensive, and were relieved she didn’t order the ridiculously expensive lobsters and king crabs used for showing off. Instead, she ordered a few of the restaurant’s signature dishes: typhoon shelter crab, steamed leopard coral grouper, and blanched prawns, adding on a steaming hot pot of seafood congee.

The food arrived quickly, and it was just as delicious as promised.

As they ate, they made idle small talk, tacitly agreeing to avoid heavy subjects like “doomsday,” “the flood,” and “death.”

Shi Zuozhou was wrestling with a crab claw, his face shiny with grease. Wen Xiao cradled a bowl of hot congee, much of the color having returned to her face. Shao Yiyi, meanwhile, was dishing out gossip about the restaurant’s owner, who was apparently quite the legend.

Yu Xian peeled a prawn and placed it on his plate, but he made no move to eat it.

He watched the heartwarming scene before him, looked out at the elegant and expensive world beyond the window, and felt an indescribable anxiety begin to bubble up inside.

‘This meal has to cost several thousand, at the very least.’

To Shao Yiyi, it was probably just a casual dinner. But for the rest of them, this was a whole month’s living expenses.

His thoughts drifted to the events of the past few days.

Whether it was buying a TDI activation code from a scalper or dealing with the Rabbit Hole later on, money was a necessity.

Even if it was just to survive the potential great flood—stockpiling supplies, buying gear, or as Shi Zuozhou had joked, “buying a ticket for the ark”—the funds required would be astronomical.

And that wasn’t even considering what would happen if the massive organization behind TDI decided to come after them. Four broke students running on passion alone wouldn’t stand a chance; it would be like throwing an egg against a stone.

Technology, intelligence, connections—all of it required money.

Money…

Yu Xian repeated the word over and over in his mind.

Back when he was just a student, he’d always felt that having just enough money was fine. What his parents had left him, combined with his scholarships, was enough to live comfortably.

But now, having stepped into this bottomless vortex, having tried to touch the truth of that other world, he was beginning to profoundly understand the importance of resources.

Without resources, it was impossible to make any progress.

To be able to keep sitting together and sharing meals like this, to protect this hard-won peace, he needed more chips to play with.

He glanced at Shao Yiyi, who was fighting Shi Zuozhou for the last piece of crab, and silently shook his head.

‘Shao Yiyi was rich, sure, but that was her family’s money. The moment they got wind of something this dangerous, they would definitely intervene.’

‘Maybe it’s time to figure out a way to make some money.’

‘What could I do, though?’

“Old Yu, what are you spacing out for? You gonna eat that prawn or not? If you’re not, it’s mine!”

Shi Zuozhou’s chopsticks reached over, breaking him from his thoughts.

Yu Xian snapped out of it, picked up the prawn on his plate, gave it to Shi Zuozhou, and smiled:

“Go on, eat up. You’ll need your strength for the work ahead.”