A Fast-Food Feast and a Revelation

Thanks to Li Yue’s decisive shopping style, their errands were completed much quicker than anticipated.

Li Yue was laden with numerous bags, both large and small, yet she showed no need for Mo Linyu’s assistance, intending to carry them all back on her own.

‘We can just hail a cab back,’ Li Yue suggested. ‘After all, I haven’t detected any ‘otherworld souls’ during our travels so far.’

As Li Yue made her suggestion, Mo Linyu countered, ‘Hmm? It’s nearly lunchtime. Shouldn’t we grab a bite before heading back?’

Li Yue glanced at the time on her phone, then surveyed the multitude of bags she clutched in both hands.

‘…Hmm, that’s fine too. Let’s just grab a quick meal then.’

She was feeling quite weary herself.

Given their decision for a casual meal, the two opted for a popular fast-food chain, McD King.

With the restaurant bustling at midday, the two ascended to the second floor, trays in hand, eventually securing a secluded corner table.

Though not by the window, its out-of-the-way location ensured minimal foot traffic.

Mo Linyu, by contrast, had only ordered a modest set meal: a burger, a cola, and fries, nothing more.

Li Yue, however, had several burger combos piled before her. She even upended multiple boxes of fries onto her tray, doused them generously with ketchup, and began devouring them with her bare hands, utterly unconcerned with her public image.

She took a massive bite of a burger, and as sauce oozed from between the patty and bun, it smeared her mouth. With a nimble flick, she licked a circle around her lips, momentarily revealing her neat, pearly teeth. Even with her fingers slick with grease and ketchup, she casually licked them clean, emitting faint smacking sounds.

‘…What appalling table manners,’ Mo Linyu remarked.

In stark contrast, Mo Linyu, who dined with delicate bites, presented a far more refined picture.

Even when faced with a burger, she would not open her mouth wide. Instead, she delicately tore off pieces of the bun and lettuce with her fingers, chewing each small morsel with such grace that it seemed as if she were savoring a gourmet dish.

To Li Yue, however, this was nothing more than an elaborate act.

‘Hmph, still fancying yourself a queen, are we?’ Li Yue retorted, her words slightly muffled by food.

Unperturbed, Mo Linyu calmly took a napkin to dab at the corners of her mouth before replying, ‘Perhaps not a queen, but even in this lifetime, I am far from an ordinary individual.’

‘Huh?’

Li Yue’s face was etched with suspicion. Mo Linyu continued, ‘My father in this life is a corporate CEO. Our family resides in a sprawling manor villa on the city’s outskirts, encompassing over a thousand square meters, including the gardens. Therefore, if you can protect me over these next three months, I can assure you a lifetime of unparalleled luxury and wealth.’

‘Spare me,’ Li Yue scoffed. ‘I’m hardly in need of your paltry sum.’

Though Li Yue feigned an air of indifference, treating money as mere dust, a bitter lamentation for the injustice of fate echoed within her heart…

She had risked life and limb in another world, painstakingly vanquishing the Demon Lord, only for that very Demon Lord to return triumphantly to her original realm. Now, the Demon Lord she had overthrown was not only reincarnated as her contemporary but was also, quite naturally, relishing the lavish existence of a pampered young heiress?

Even with the Goddess regularly transferring funds to her through some mysterious means, it still paled in comparison to Mo Linyu’s circumstances.

‘A corporate CEO’s daughter, then?’

While Li Yue had no idea which company her father helmed, the fact that they resided in such a grand estate suggested their family was exceedingly well-off.

The Demon Lord, afflicted with a case of ‘princess syndrome,’ had truly become a princess in this new life.

With a swirl of complex emotions, Li Yue washed down her burger with a gulp of cola, then inquired, ‘So why are you attending Tianyi High? I haven’t been to school in a while, but I’m quite certain ours isn’t some elite aristocratic academy, is it?’

‘For safety, of course,’ Mo Linyu replied. ‘At least for now, no one is aware of my father’s true identity.’

Mo Linyu answered with a casual wave of her hand, then proceeded to tip the remaining fries from her own meal onto Li Yue’s burgeoning pile.

She continued, ‘If my safety can’t be guaranteed, what good is attending an aristocratic school? Those who target my father would undoubtedly scheme to abduct me, using me as leverage against him. It is precisely for this reason that my father has kept my existence a secret, allowing me at least the freedom to venture out alone like this.’

Hiding her identity for safety—that seemed plausible enough… didn’t it?

Li Yue, however, couldn’t shake a lingering sense of unease. She pressed further, ‘But you typically live together, don’t you? Wouldn’t those with ulterior motives still manage to track you down?’

‘My father rarely comes home. More often than not, it’s just me and two maids in the house… Though it’s not really my place to say, our father-daughter relationship isn’t particularly close.’

‘Oh, and your mother?’ Li Yue inquired further.

‘I don’t know,’ Mo Linyu answered. ‘She apparently passed away when I was very young.’

Despite the nature of her answer, Mo Linyu’s tone remained remarkably serene.

‘I retain absolutely no memories of her, and my father rarely speaks of the matter. Even prior to the awakening of my past life’s memories, we had very little communication.’

Li Yue chimed in, ‘Oh, that’s actually quite similar to my own father’s situation…’

‘He passed away as well?’

‘No, he vanished,’ Li Yue corrected. ‘My mother spent years searching for him, only to disappear herself in the end. Even the police haven’t been able to locate her…’

With only a single, rarely-present father between the two of them, their combined circumstances felt somewhat dire, almost hellish.

The two continued to converse intermittently, gradually deepening their understanding of one another. Despite Li Yue’s conviction that she and Mo Linyu were fundamentally incompatible, a subtle, unspoken rapport had begun to form between them…

Both of them, without a word, tacitly steered clear of any discussion regarding the other world.

‘Hmm, I’m quite full,’ Mo Linyu announced.

Mo Linyu, who had just made this declaration, had, in fact, consumed only a single burger.

She then sipped her cola, propping her chin in her hand as she observed Li Yue’s ongoing feast.

By this point, Li Yue had already demolished three burgers, yet still faced a veritable mountain of fries and two full cups of cola. Had she been in Li Longkang’s male body, dispatching this feast would have been effortless…

However, the drastic reduction in her appetite since transforming into a young girl had clearly surpassed Li Yue’s estimations.

Mo Linyu gently reminded her, ‘Don’t push yourself. If you can’t finish it, we can always get it to go.’

‘Huh? Don’t you dare underestimate me!’

Li Yue was seized by a peculiar competitive urge, though she herself seemed unaware of what exactly she was vying against. Regardless, she stubbornly continued to conquer the small mountain of fries.

She succeeded.

Yet, this victory came at a considerable cost.

‘Just sit, sit a little longer… *hic*,’ Li Yue managed, clutching her distended stomach.

She appeared distinctly uncomfortable, the rapidly consumed cola producing an incessant stream of burps. She squirmed restlessly in her seat, her visibly distended stomach flattening the contours of her abs and tightening her already snug jeans to an uncomfortable degree.

Discreetly, beneath the table, she unfastened the buckle of her shorts.

Had Mo Linyu leaned forward and peered down at that precise moment, she would have been able to discern the exact color of Li Yue’s underwear.

‘Hmm, then we shall wait,’ Mo Linyu conceded.

Mo Linyu, showing no signs of haste, folded her arms and proposed, ‘Regarding our search for otherworld souls, I’ve given it some thought… Perhaps what we truly need is a more efficient mode of transport. So, let’s take the subway this afternoon.’

By riding the subway, they could then ascertain if any otherworld souls were present within a one-kilometer radius along Tianyuan City’s subway lines.

Despite her words…

It remained to be seen, however, whether Mo Linyu’s ‘scar radar theory’ held any true efficacy.

‘A means of transport… a vehicle, you say? Well, I might just have something in mind… *hic*…’

‘Oh?’

Mo Linyu inquired, but Li Yue remained coy, keeping her in suspense.

‘Come back with me, and I’ll show you my prized possession.’

‘Oh? A Holy Sword?’

‘No, something entirely different!’