An Unexpected Departure and a Social Ordeal

At the top floor of Jintai Department Store, within a prestigious, high-end brand boutique, Li Chunsheng stood before a full-length mirror. He allowed a group of female attendants to meticulously adjust his attire.

“Chunsheng, you look truly handsome in this outfit~” Mu Shengling smiled, her gaze sweeping over Li Chunsheng, who was now impeccably dressed in the clothes she had personally selected.

Li Chunsheng had changed into an expensive, custom-tailored suit. The exquisite blue wool fabric and perfectly fitted cut accentuated his broad shoulders, firm chest, and slender waistline with striking precision.

Simply standing there, he exuded an extraordinary aura, like a young nobleman stepping out of an ancient oil painting.

“Heh… it’s alright, I suppose,” Li Chunsheng mumbled, tugging at his collar with a hint of discomfort.

“Of course! Chunsheng, you really should trust my judgment~!”

The more Mu Shengling looked, the more satisfied she became. ‘This man certainly possesses a striking appearance,’ she mused. ‘With just a little grooming, he instantly transforms into someone presentable.’

At the same time, the perceptive young lady noticed that the subtle, almost imperceptible sense of familiarity she felt from Li Chunsheng had intensified now that he was dressed up.

‘How strange,’ she thought. ‘What exactly about him is triggering this feeling of familiarity?’

Yet, despite the strong familiarity, if she tried to pinpoint it, the sensation became elusive, almost misleading.

Mu Shengling stared intently at Li Chunsheng, her beautiful pink eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

‘Could it be… this man… has been encrypted?’

Blessings, as a power capable of altering information, could theoretically encrypt the perception of almost anything, provided the blessing level and computational power were sufficient.

To draw a comparison, it was like disguising a compressed file on a computer as an ordinary image; only someone with specialized knowledge could discern the truth from subtle clues.

As a Saintess candidate, Mu Shengling had, of course, systematically studied the relevant blessing knowledge and possessed certain “decryption” methods.

‘If only I had more opportunities to experience this up close…’

Mu Shengling felt an irresistible urge to thoroughly observe and savor this sensation.

Unconsciously, the pink-haired girl drew closer and closer to Li Chunsheng, appearing to those around them as if she were about to embrace him.

“…Please show some decorum!” Li Chunsheng frowned, immediately stepping back and speaking with a hint of annoyance.

‘Heh, well, isn’t he quite the pure-hearted one? So loyal to that country girl, is he?’ Mu Shengling pouted, halting her approach.

With one plan foiled, the cunning pink-haired girl instantly decided to switch tactics.

“Hmm~ Shengling thinks your attire could be even better…” Mu Shengling elegantly waved her hand, dismissing the group of attendants who were still waiting nearby.

“Actually… in high society, many gentlemen often have their maids apply a bit of makeup before attending important events,” the pink-haired girl explained. As she spoke, she retrieved some simple makeup tools from her handbag and gracefully approached Li Chunsheng. “Going barefaced like this, even if people don’t say anything, they might secretly mock you.”

“Come on~~ you wouldn’t want your plan to fail because of such a small flaw, would you?” Mu Shengling cajoled, sounding like a seasoned matchmaker.

Coincidentally, Li Chunsheng had read about such matters online and knew that what the young lady said held truth.

He fell silent, implicitly allowing her actions, and let Mu Shengling extend her hand towards his face.

‘Yes, yes, just like that. Don’t resist, let me touch you more,’ Mu Shengling rejoiced inwardly. ‘I’ll take my time with the makeup. The longer this close contact lasts, the better.’

‘And also… create time for the other side…’

But just then, Li Chunsheng’s expression shifted, and he abruptly pushed away Mu Shengling, who was standing right in front of him.

“What’s wrong?”

In that very instant, Li Chunsheng’s vision flickered—his “gold content” value suddenly fluctuated wildly before settling back into stillness. The erratic jumps seemed to indicate a potential trend of continuous decline.

“No good… something’s happening with Liuxia!?”

Though he didn’t understand the meaning of this change, Li Chunsheng had only witnessed similar phenomena in situations related to Liuxia’s healing and blessings.

‘Could Senior Sister be injured?’

A profound sense of unease immediately welled up in Li Chunsheng’s heart.

“I must get to her at once!”

The next moment, he touched a certain bronze rod on his trousers. His aura surged instantly, and he vanished from Mu Shengling’s sight, leaving only a blur.

“Ah? Ah, this…”

“What’s going on? How did he know something was up with that girl?” Mu Shengling’s plans were interrupted, and she stomped her foot in exasperation. Gritting her teeth, she swiftly gave chase.

“Hey! Where are you going? Shengling hasn’t even told you where Miss Liuxia is yet!”

However, Li Chunsheng didn’t pause in the distance; he seemed to be heading directly towards Liuxia’s location.

“This… how could this Li Chunsheng know where Liuxia is?” Mu Shengling watched his disappearing back, utterly bewildered.

****

Meanwhile, Liuxia followed Miss He closely, step by step, into the interior of the five-star hotel.

The young girl had never been to such a place before, nor had she even heard of it. Yet, she gathered from the conversations of the well-dressed guests around her that this hotel was called the “Grand Manor Hotel.”

‘It seems… like a very high-class place,’ Liuxia thought, gazing at the opulent decorations around her. She couldn’t help but feel a little timid.

‘Can I truly… pretend to be a young lady from a wealthy family here?’

To be honest, the girl had never set foot in such a luxurious venue. Even when she had been Mu Shengling’s boyfriend, Mu Shengling had never brought her to a place like this.

After all, her former self was, in truth… utterly unworthy of her. Being taken out to meet people would have only brought shame upon Mu Shengling.

Miss He led the girl forward. From a distance, a splendid, gilded hall became visible, already bustling with men and women who clearly belonged to the wealthy elite.

‘That place… must be the battlefield I’m heading into.’

Suddenly, a baseless sense of unease surged within Liuxia. She halted her steps.

“Th-that… Miss He… perhaps I should wait here for Chunsheng to arrive, and then we can go in together?”

The girl forced a smile onto her face. “I think… since Chunsheng and I made a reservation as a couple, it would be more appropriate for us to enter together…”

“Going in alone, and having no one to talk to, would be quite awkward.”

“Oh, come on~ Miss Liuxia, don’t worry~ Everyone inside is friendly and easy to talk to~” Miss He said, taking Liuxia’s hand without further discussion. A firm pull came, drawing Liuxia directly towards the hall.

Liuxia, who had only suggested waiting out of a guilty conscience, was naturally led away by Miss He, who was determined to complete Mu Shengling’s task.

Soon, Liuxia was half-coaxed, half-dragged into the grand hall.

Just then, a male server approached with a smile, stopping before the two women. He bowed respectfully and said, “Welcome to Miss Liao’s birthday party. If you have any monetary gifts or presents, please entrust them to me…”

“Ah, certainly.” Miss He smiled faintly and pulled a thick stack of red envelopes from her delicate handbag.

Witnessing this, Liuxia’s body stiffened abruptly, and a bead of cold sweat immediately trickled down her temple.

“Oh dear! Miss Liuxia~ Why are you still standing there stunned?”

“As guests attending someone’s birthday party, we must prepare a monetary gift or a present beforehand. This shows proper respect for the host, you see~” Miss He explained with a gentle smile.

“By the way, I prepared eighty thousand in cash, which is quite an auspicious number.”

Liuxia stared blankly at Miss He. She had never known that attending a peer’s birthday party involved such customs.

Back at the orphanage, birthdays were rarely celebrated. Even when someone did have a birthday, everyone would simply gather to eat, drink, and sing birthday songs.

The former Liuxia, who had only ever focused on studying diligently, training relentlessly, and striving to advance as a Paladin, had always known very little about such high-society etiquette.

‘But… if this Miss He was invited by Mu Shengling to help, shouldn’t she have explained this to me beforehand? Or was she simply negligent?’

Liuxia’s mind was in turmoil, and her inner conflict was clearly visible on her face, making her appear quite unsettled.

Her agitated state was quickly noticed by Miss He, who stood beside her. A mischievous curve subtly appeared at the corners of Miss He’s lips.

“Ah~” Miss He feigned surprise, covering her mouth as her voice instantly rose an octave, successfully drawing the attention of many people present.

“Could it be… Miss Liuxia, that you forgot to bring a gift and a monetary present?” An understanding expression appeared on her face.

“Y-yes… that’s right…” Liuxia quickly nodded, taking the convenient excuse. “Then I… I’ll go out to withdraw some money and prepare before coming back.”

With that, she shifted her weight, intending to slip away from the scene immediately.

However, her wrist was suddenly seized by Miss He. A strange smile played on Miss He’s face as she said, “Oh, is that so? Well, there’s really nothing for it then…”

“Server, if you please, bring the card machine over… It seems Miss Liuxia here will need it now.”

“Yes.” The male server replied, not leaving, but instead directly retrieving a card machine from a holster at his waist.

“Please proceed.”

“You…” Liuxia was instantly caught in an impossible situation.

‘What do I do!?!’

By this point, more and more people had been drawn by the commotion. They all turned their curious gazes towards them, and murmurs began to rise.