"Hey, what's up? What are you daydreaming about?"
Inside a restaurant, a very fashionable and pretty girl stretched out a delicate, fair hand and waved it in front of Yun Mu.
"Even though this girl is very pretty, there's no need to stare at me in a daze, right?"
Yun Mu raised his eyes to look at her, his mind in complete chaos.
He had originally belonged to another world, and his name was also Yun Mu.
To pay off monthly loans and his girlfriend's expenses, he had to work various part-time jobs every day after finishing his regular shift.
Ultimately, he died suddenly from overexertion.
Unexpectedly, his soul ended up inside the body of someone in this world who was also named Yun Mu.
Quickly sorting through the memories in his mind, he finally figured out what was currently happening.
As it turned out, the Yun Mu of this world had it even worse than the one in the other world.
He hadn't even managed to get a girlfriend, and at this moment, he was on a blind date.
The girl sitting opposite him was named Han Xiaoxiao, introduced by a colleague at work.
"Hey! Haven't you snapped out of it yet?"
Hearing Han Xiaoxiao's question once more, Yun Mu couldn't help but gently shake his head.
"I'm sorry, I've been pretty tired lately, so I zoned out a bit."
In fact, the reason he had zoned out wasn't just because he had just time-traveled.
It was also because a notification tone had suddenly sounded in his mind.
"System loaded successfully. Please explore the activation method yourself."
Of course, Han Xiaoxiao knew nothing of this, and a flash of disdain crossed her eyes.
*Hmph, men.*
She had been on blind dates with a hundred men, give or take eighty, and what kind of person hadn't she seen? Who was he trying to impress by putting on an act?
"I heard from Xiaoru that your job is relatively easy, so how could you be tired like this?"
Yun Mu smiled slightly, hiding nothing as he directly recounted the experiences of the original owner of this body.
"Oh, the job is pretty easy, but the pressure of living is too high, and my money isn't enough to spend, so I just have to do some part-time gigs to earn a little extra."
Hearing the words "my money isn't enough to spend," Yun Mu keenly sensed a slight change in Han Xiaoxiao's expression.
"Oh?"
"I heard from Xiaoru that you're usually down-to-earth, hardworking, honest, and very good at managing a budget. With your salary, normally speaking, it should be enough for your daily living expenses."
Hearing Han Xiaoxiao's words, Yun Mu felt a surge of annoyance in his heart.
If she wanted to ask about his financial situation, she should have just asked directly, instead of beating around the bush.
"My take-home salary is a little over 8,000 a month, my mortgage is 5,500, my car loan is 2,000, and I'm left with just over 500 at the end. In a major metropolis like Magic City, what can you possibly do with only 500 left in your hands at the end of the month?"
Hearing his words, Han Xiaoxiao's expression changed instantly, and her previous charming smile vanished.
"Shall we order first?"
Yun Mu nodded and beckoned the waiter to order.
However, Yun Mu's expression soon shifted slightly.
Because he noticed that Han Xiaoxiao was basically ordering the most expensive dishes on the menu.
Moreover, she ordered a large quantity, far beyond what the two of them could possibly finish eating.
"Just so happens my friends are nearby, so I'm going to invite them over to eat together. You don't mind, do you?"
Without waiting for Yun Mu to reply, she began calling her friends on her own accord.
Seeing this, far from being unhappy, Yun Mu felt the smile on his face grow even broader.
"Of course I don't mind. With such a huge table of dishes ordered, the two of us couldn't finish it anyway. Call more friends over; if it's not enough, we can order more."
Hearing this, Han Xiaoxiao cast a somewhat peculiar look at him.
She always felt something was a bit off, but she didn't dwell on it too much.
Ever since Yun Mu finished explaining his personal situation, she had already lost any desire to continue interacting with him.
Ordering such a massive table of food was simply meant to fleece him one last time—after all, she couldn't let herself make the trip for nothing, could she?
Before long, Han Xiaoxiao's friends arrived one after another.
There were easily more than ten people in total.
Once they arrived, acting as if they didn't even see Yun Mu, they busied themselves thanking Han Xiaoxiao.
As for Han Xiaoxiao, she acted as if she was the one hosting this meal, completely ignoring Yun Mu while she entertained her group of friends.
Yun Mu didn't mind either; getting a full stomach was what truly mattered.
In the end, not only was the initial batch of food eaten completely clean, but they ordered a substantial amount more—continuing, of course, to pick the most expensive items.
They also ordered a fair amount of pricey alcohol.
Seeing that everyone was just about finished eating, Yun Mu stood up and smiled, "You guys keep chatting. I'm going to go pay the bill."
Yet among everyone present, only Han Xiaoxiao waved a hand at him, while not a single person spoke, acting as if they hadn't heard him at all.
Yun Mu didn't mind either; he simply stood up and walked away.
Inside the Cloud Sea Pavilion, Han Xiaoxiao and her friends had already finished eating. Stuffed to the gills, they slumped in their chairs, continuously rubbing their overfilled bellies with their hands.
"If you ask me, Sister Xiaoxiao is still the best! There isn't a single man she can't wrap around her finger!"
"Totally, totally! Who is Sister Xiaoxiao anyway? Is she someone ordinary people can compare to?!"
"No kidding?! Sister Xiaoxiao doesn't just have stunning looks, she has peerless talent! With her beauty and temperament, if she lived back in ancient times, the Four Beauties wouldn't even deserve a mention!"
"Any man who manages to marry Sister Xiaoxiao must have accumulated blessings over countless lifetimes!"
Han Xiaoxiao was flattered into high spirits.
"Oh my, I'm not nearly as great as you all say. Alright, alright, stop praising me—any more and I'll blush."
"Since that guy hasn't come back for so long, he must have finished paying the bill. Let's go."
The crowd swarmed around Han Xiaoxiao as they walked outside.
Seeing Han Xiaoxiao and her group walking out as if no one else was there, the front desk receptionist hurried out to block their path.
"Respected guests, hello. Our bill-settling area is over that way."
As she spoke, she raised a hand to indicate the reception desk.
Hearing this, Han Xiaoxiao froze.
"Settle the bill? Didn't someone just pay it a moment ago?"
"Not yet. The bill for the Cloud Sea Pavilion hasn't been settled yet."
Han Xiaoxiao instantly had a bad premonition.
"Didn't a man just come out to pay?"
The receptionist still wore a professional smile; she didn't conceal anything regarding Yun Mu, because there were surveillance cameras everywhere.
"A gentleman from the Cloud Sea Pavilion did come out a moment ago, but he didn't pay the bill."
Han Xiaoxiao was somewhat dumbfounded. In all her many blind dates, this was the first time she had encountered such a thing.
"Xiaoxiao, my stomach is bursting, I'm going to run to the restroom first."
"Me too, me too."
"Let's go, together."
Three of the smarter ones had already sensed that something was wrong and used the opportunity to slip away.
"Give me the bill."
Thinking of the numerous dishes they had just ordered, Han Xiaoxiao felt a pang of distress; this meal certainly wouldn't be cheap.
When she saw the final total at the bottom of the bill, her eyes went wide round.
"One—180,000?!"
Because of her excessive shock, her voice turned somewhat shrill.
"How can it be so expensive?!"
"It's like this, your food and alcohol total up to 180,000 in charges."
Sister Li explained with a smile.
Han Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth and could only pull out her phone, but upon checking her balance, she saw a little over 100,000.
"My money isn't enough. Can someone lend me some? I'll pay you back in a couple of days."
With an unsightly expression, Han Xiaoxiao appealed to the friends around her for help.
However, the friends who had been flattering her just moments before instantly changed their tune the second they heard about borrowing money.
"Han Xiaoxiao, if you don't have money, why are you treating us?!"
"Let's go, let's go. From now on, stay away from a person like this."
In the blink of an eye, the bustling crowd dispersed, leaving only Han Xiaoxiao standing alone in place with a grim expression.
After making who knows how many phone calls, she finally managed to borrow enough money to settle the bill.
Back home, Han Xiaoxiao immediately called her best friend Xiaoru.
Xiaoru was also the person who had lent her the most money.
"Xiaoru, that piece of trash really screwed me over today! I have never been this humiliated in my life!"
"I never expected him to be that kind of person. He usually looked so honest and down-to-earth, which is why I introduced him to you."
"I am dying of anger today!"
"Do you want to get back at her—at him?"
Xiaoru's bewitching voice came through the phone.
However, Han Xiaoxiao, currently blinded by rage, failed to notice it.
"Of course I do!"
"I have a way that can help you get revenge on him!"
"What way?!"
"Our boss accidentally saw a photo of you, and he appreciates you a lot. He wants to have a deep conversation with you, but since he's a family man, he can't let others find out."
"Fine! I agree!"
...
The next day, Yun Mu received a call from the Human Resources department informing him that he had been fired.
However, they only settled his attendance wages, and his severance compensation would not be paid until the end of the year.
Looking at his account balance on his phone, only a little over 2,000 yuan remained.
He wouldn't even be able to cover the mortgage and car loan for the next month.
He searched for a job outside for several days, but the wages couldn't meet his needs.
Just as he was worrying and frowning, his phone rang.
It was the village head from his hometown.
"Hello, Village Head Grandpa."
"Ah, Xiaomu, when do you have time to come back for a visit? I have something I need you for."