Xia Huanao secretly winked at Meng Tianya. Meng Tianya naturally understood Xia Huanao's thoughts and put down his chopsticks. "Alright, fifty-fifty it is. I think many people will like these pictures."
Mentioning money, Yu Longdu and Zhang Hong became interested. "Count us in."
Yu Longdu glanced at Zhang Hong. "No, you're with the Awakeners. You'll get your share of the fifty-fifty split anyway. Why compete with me for this little bit of money?"
Zhang Hong nodded. "I'm not after the money. I just want to go out and have fun. This is a public expense trip, how can I not go?"
Yu Longdu thought, "Right! Meng Tianya, you absolutely have to arrange this for me. I'm really short on cash lately, and my old man has cut off my allowance. I'm counting on you guys to make some extra money."
Xia Huanao waved his hand. "Forget it. You two should focus on preparing for your exams. If you flunk the college entrance exam, it won't be a trip, it'll be a trip to the graveyard."
Zhang Hong and Yu Longdu laughed and sat back down, continuing their meal. It seemed that getting involved would take quite some time.
...
A few days later, on a battle arena at the Alliance Headquarters, about twenty young people were chatting. Not far behind them, on the fourth floor of the Alliance building, Xia Huanao and Meng Tianya were watching them from a distance through the window.
Xia Huanao shook his head. "This idea was yours, wasn't it? Although I asked you for these people, and although you've been swamped with college entrance exam-related matters, you're not even looking at the kind of people you've brought me. Can they even go on a mission?"
Meng Tianya looked down at the youngsters on the field. "Just be happy. More than twenty Trainer-level trainers. This team isn't easily assembled."
Xia Huanao smirked. "Yes, I'm taking these twenty-odd spoiled brats on a training mission. If we run into any unsolvable problems, their families will handle it. The trainers are working now, and they also have to consider their families, but the pressure on me is immense."
Meng Tianya gestured to the office wall. "Be careful. Those family members are here too, in the conference room next to my office. My office isn't soundproof, so if you speak too loudly, it could cause trouble."
"Alright, that's how it is. I'll go down now and provoke them. But you're sure that whatever methods I use are fine, right?"
"Uh, just take it easy."
...
Xia Huanao left Meng Tianya's office and went down to the training ground. Seeing the spoiled brats still chatting, he didn't waste time. He walked through the crowd, clapping his hands. "Alright, alright, everyone look here. I know I'm late, but it's all your fault for my lateness."
These spoiled brats had never seen anyone like this. They met him without even introducing themselves, and he immediately put the blame on them. Could they tolerate this?
But they did. They had no choice. Their families forced them to be here. If they dared to cause trouble, they'd be disowned. Even second-tier families had strict rules.
Seeing no one jump out, Xia Huanao sat down on the ground. "Alright, alright, everyone sit down. Aren't you tired?"
When everyone had sat down, Xia Huanao continued, "Just now, upstairs, Meng Tianya and I had a fight. To be honest, I don't want to be here, and neither do you. What terrible timing, summer is almost here. Who wouldn't want to stay home with girls, enjoying the air conditioning..."
Xia Huanao paused. "Oh, right, there are girls here, so they'd be with handsome guys, right? It's ridiculous to come out on a big mission. I know you're all here against your will. So, after a friendly discussion between Meng Tianya and me, we've decided that anyone who doesn't want to stay can leave immediately."
Before Xia Huanao finished speaking, the crowd immediately stirred. Xia Huanao continued, "Don't worry about your families. Meng Tianya and I will cover for you. Of course, after you leave, remember not to do anything reckless. If you're caught, none of you will escape. Alright, if you want to leave, come over and transfer the money, and then you can go."
Saying this, Xia Huanao took out a payment code from his pocket and placed it in front of him. Looking at the green payment code, someone asked, "Tell me, how much?"
Xia Huanao clapped his hands. "Straightforward. You give whatever you think you're worth per day."
"Is it... by the day?"
Xia Huanao nodded. "Yes, by the day. Because we don't know how long you'll be assigned here. After all, no one knows how long it will take for Ling Yao Star to revert, or how long the effects will last after it does. So, you decide."
The scene fell silent for a moment, with everyone calculating how much they should pay. Although Xia Huanao said they could lower the price, doing so would imply they were worth less. Would they lose face?
For five minutes, no one stepped forward. Xia Huanao shook his head. "Uh, a kind reminder, you have five minutes left to consider. After five minutes, you won't be able to leave."
Immediately, Xia Huanao began the countdown. "Three hundred, two ninety-nine..."
Under such pressure, the first person to take the plunge quickly appeared, transferring a sum of money to Xia Huanao. As he turned to leave, Xia Huanao actually spoke out how much he had received. The person who transferred the money turned back, looking at Xia Huanao in shock.
Xia Huanao also looked back in shock. "What? I'm not refunding your money."
"Why did you say that?"
"Mainly to reflect your status and give those who haven't paid a reference price. We're all in this together, let's look out for each other."
As they were speaking, another person appeared, paid quickly, and then glanced triumphantly at the first person. Xia Huanao's lips curled. "This gentleman paid a thousand more spirit coins."
"What do you mean? Are you trying to one-up me?"
"I just think I'm worth it, and I have the ability to pay this price. What's wrong with that?"
The two bickered, completely unaware of what awaited them. Xia Huanao, while collecting money, glanced at the fourth floor, the conference room next to Meng Tianya's office.
Any fool would know that the people from the influential families wouldn't just come to observe. Xia Huanao also knew that his every move was being watched by those in the conference room.
As expected, in the conference room, one trainer was already losing his temper and wanted to pull out a 'Seven Wolf'. A trainer beside him quickly advised, "Alright, alright, there are so many people here."
"Five thousand yuan! He priced himself at five thousand yuan. It's one thing for him to be lazy, but to think he's so cheap, is he looking down on my genes or something?"
A trainer nearby heard this. "Originally, I was quite inclined to give my son a good thrashing. After hearing your words, I suddenly feel much better. Does this prove that I'm stronger than you?"
"Are you looking for a fight, you bastard?"
"Bring it on! You think I'm afraid of you?"
The people in the conference room managed to quell the impending brawl. "Alright, alright, you're all King-level trainers, yet you're so impatient. But this young man surnamed Xia is getting more and more interesting. What do you all think?"
"Indeed, he's worthy of being recognized as a leader among the younger generation of trainers. If he didn't already have a girlfriend, I'd have my daughter make a move."
...
Back on the field, ten minutes passed in a blink of an eye. Out of the original twenty-odd people, only eleven remained. After the last person paid, Xia Huanao said, "No more, right? Then, those who have paid can leave today. Just say that we didn't have any plans for today. As for the rest..."
Xia Huanao paused, then took out his phone. "I've calculated that we've earned about a hundred thousand spirit coins just now. I've decided to have a slightly better meal. Each of you eleven people can order one dish. We'll have it delivered. Of course, if you exceed the budget, you'll pay for it yourself."
Hearing this, the expressions of those present became strange. The first person to pay asked, "Wait, you're going to eat and drink with our money?"
Xia Huanao stood up and said righteously, "Since you've transferred the money to me, it's my business how I spend it. Of course, if you're not convinced, you can team up and order a table exceeding one hundred thousand to outdo them. However, only the table we've ordered can be delivered here."
After saying this, Xia Huanao turned back. "Hurry up, anything ordered after one hundred seconds won't count. I'll start with a bottle of red wine. Damn, eighty-eight thousand! I've never drunk such an extravagant thing. I have to try it. Two bottles."
When Xia Huanao spoke, the eleven people ordering food immediately stopped him. "No, if you drink a bottle of wine, there won't be much money left for lunch. And you want two bottles?"
Spending other people's money to eat one's own meal is a great feeling. But when someone blows through your budget and forces you to cover the difference, it's not a great feeling at all.
After the hundred-second ordering period, Xia Huanao continued his performance. "While we wait for the food, let me tell you how much we spent on our meal just now. You were quite calculative, only exceeding the budget by three thousand yuan. However, I'll cover this amount for now. At worst, I'll deduct it from the money they pay tomorrow."
The wronged parties: ...
"And, how many people here are single? Can you raise your hands?"
Not a single person raised their hand. This was not surprising. They were all young people from prominent families, it wasn't easy for them to be single. Xia Huanao cleared his throat. "Now, I'll give you time to make phone calls and invite your significant others."