Chapter 132: Work at Sunrise, Rest at Sunset

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Work at Sunrise, Rest at Sunset

At the Rongcheng National Rock Climbing Training Center.

Head Coach Yan Peisheng looked at the message on his phone, his excitement beyond words. Sure enough, hard work always paid off. His relentless barrage of texts and calls to that genius, Su Yunzhou, hadn’t been in vain. Absolute sincerity could crack even the hardest stone. The young man must have been moved by his tireless dedication.

He gleefully headed to his superior’s office to report the good news. The senior leader was equally thrilled. With Su Yunzhou joining, they would have an extra layer of insurance for the upcoming international rock climbing competition held right on their home turf.

The opponents coming from all over the world for this tournament were incredibly formidable, especially that genius athlete from the Little Days Country, Nakamori Ichirō, who was their number one rival. They had thoroughly studied the match footage of that Little Devil; his speed, strength, and technique were all world-class. Coupled with the fact that he was currently at his physical peak, he was a massive favorite to win the championship this year.

The senior leader attached such great importance to this event because Rongcheng was the historical stronghold of the Sichuan Army. Back in the day, three million brave men had marched out of Sichuan, leaving nine out of ten households without their sons. Therefore, as long as they were on Rongcheng soil, no matter what they did, the Little Devils had to keep their heads bowed down. This was a consensus shared by everyone.

This was also why the senior leader had agreed to Yan Peisheng’s request for a wildcard spot. In this battle on home turf, whether the opponent was the veteran powerhouse Alex, the rising star Nakamori Ichirō, or anyone else, they had to win. The champion had to be a Dragon Country Person. It was the only way to do justice to the heroic souls of the Sichuan Army.

Given the gravity of this competition, one could only imagine the immense psychological pressure bearing down on all the athletes preparing for it. However, not everyone approved of bringing in a wildcard athlete. A deputy leader named Lin Wei was particularly dissatisfied with the decision. In his eyes, a self-taught amateur who hadn’t undergone organized, professional training had no place on such a grand stage.

He had seen the video of Su Yunzhou saving that person, and he couldn’t deny the young man’s superb physical fitness. But Su Yunzhou had initially refused to join the National Rock Climbing Training Center and showed a complete disregard for authority—that alone made him unqualified. Still, out of respect for the senior leader and Yan Peisheng, Lin Wei had reluctantly agreed. Even so, he secretly planned to teach this amateur a harsh lesson about what a true professional rock climber looked like when he arrived at the center tomorrow.

At the Celestial Paradise Holiday Hotel.

Su Yunzhou slowly sat up and let out a long yawn.

"YAWN!"

He had slept so well! His little buddy was standing at attention, and he felt in peak condition. Seeing that it was getting late, Su Yunzhou called Liu Yiyi. However, she told him they were having dinner at her place tonight and that she was still on her way back. After hanging up, Su Yunzhou boredly scrolled through his phone until he suddenly remembered he still hadn’t found a venue for the dinner he was hosting.

He thought about it for a moment, deciding that he needed to find an interesting and unique spot to properly display his sincerity. He browsed on his phone for quite a while but couldn’t find a suitable place. However, he suddenly thought of someone who would definitely know. Speaking of which, she had mentioned last time that she owed him a meal. But because he had been feeling a bit annoyed with her, he hadn’t really paid her much attention lately. He figured he might as well send her a text and ask!

[Meal buddy, I want to find an interesting and unique place to treat some friends. Got any recommendations?]

About five or six minutes passed. He remembered the exact time because he had been staring intently at his screen.

BEEP.

A reply popped up in the chat box.

[Hmm? Songyun Marsh, Xinrong Restaurant, and Fragrant Scenery. These three are all Michelin Restaurants, so you basically can’t go wrong.]

Su Yunzhou looked them up. The three places were decent, but they felt a bit too conventional, lacking that special spark of uniqueness.

[Got any recommendations with a bit more character?]

[Yu Zhilan! This place is great, especially their Truffle Golden Thread Noodles. It’s an absolute must-try.]

[Oh! Let me look it up!]

Su Yunzhou quickly retrieved the restaurant’s information on his phone. It was Rongcheng’s only two-star Michelin and three-diamond Black Pearl Sichuan cuisine restaurant. But the most interesting part was that, according to netizens, the place was so low-key it didn’t even have a storefront; it was hidden inside a residential building. The owner was apparently the inventor of pickled pepper chicken feet and broad-blade golden thread noodles. Yet, online reviews were highly polarized. Some praised it to the high heavens, while others claimed the 1,800 yuan per person price tag was a complete rip-off.

Regardless, the place had the prestige and the hype. Chairman Ye and his peers were used to eating exotic delicacies, so they would probably enjoy this unconventional private Sichuan kitchen! Plus, with so many awards under its belt, the food couldn’t possibly taste bad.

This was the place!

Su Yunzhou sent a thank-you sticker to his meal buddy, Jiang Shiyue, before finding Yu Zhilan’s phone number online and dialing it.

"Hello! I’d like to make a reservation!

"Saturday, five people.

"Huh? I have to prepay fifty percent of the meal cost to reserve, and it’s non-refundable if I miss it?

"Alright! Add me on WeChat!"

Less than two minutes after hanging up, a new friend request appeared in his contacts. The WeChat name was simply Yu Zhilan.

[Here is the menu, please take a look!]

Then, three images were sent over, showing three set menus at different price points. Even though he only had a little over 170,000 yuan left in his pocket, he had to show some class when hosting a dinner.

[Let’s go with the 2,588 yuan set meal!]

[Sir, you have reserved a meal for 5 people at 2,588 yuan per person for Saturday noon (12:00). The image contains the dining instructions. After confirming, please prepay fifty percent of the meal cost, which is 6,470 yuan, to complete the reservation.]

[Image]

The image contained a lot of text. It asked about any dietary restrictions and stated that the dining time was limited to two hours, with a 500 yuan per hour overtime fee for exceeding it. The restaurant prohibited smoking, bringing pets to dine, and so on. Finally, it specifically emphasized:

"If you prefer heavily seasoned food that relies on condiments for excitement, or if you enjoy dishes loaded with MSG, chicken bouillon, mushroom powder, or vegetable extract, Yu Zhilan will surely disappoint you. Please consider carefully before booking."

These dining instructions were absolutely brimming with pretentiousness, which genuinely made Su Yunzhou want to go see it for himself. He transferred the money immediately. Once the other party confirmed the receipt, they sent over the specific location and a message confirming his successful reservation.

By the time all of this was settled, it was almost six o’clock. The sky gradually darkened, and the streetlights began to flicker on. Traffic grew congested as people, exhausted from a long day, dragged their tired bodies home to recharge their batteries, only to start a new day of work under the rising sun.

In truth, from ancient times to the present day, humanity had largely maintained the routine of working from sunrise and resting at sunset. It was just that in modern society, "work" occupied the vast majority of one’s life.

Su Yunzhou inexplicably thought of a quote: "People die if they don’t eat. To eat, they must work, and then they have no choice but to eat. No sentence is as obscure and difficult to understand as this."

After a brief moment of reflection, his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, a handsome smile curved his lips.

"Yiyi~

"Okay! I’ll be right over!

"Do you need me to bring anything?"