Lu Chen looked at the unassuming little shop on the street.
The shop was indeed small, and only an elderly couple was busy inside. However, there were quite a few customers, mostly office workers getting ready for work, and it was clear business was doing well.
When Zhou Manyin appeared at the doorway, the elderly woman who was carrying a steamer basket spotted her instantly and greeted her with a beaming smile.
"Little Manyin, you're here for breakfast again. Oh my, and you brought someone with you this time—your boyfriend?"
Zhou Manyin took off her sunglasses and nodded slightly, looking a bit shy. Her momentary charm caught the attention of passing diners, making their breakfasts seem just a little more delicious.
"Come, come, let's treat this as the auntie celebrating for you two today. Just say whatever you want to eat," the old woman said with a chuckle.
"No, no, your business is on a small scale..." Zhou Manyin hastily declined.
Lu Chen also smiled and said, "That's right. Actually, my appetite isn't small at all. If you feed us for free, I'm afraid you might have to close up shop today."
The old woman refused to believe it: "Look at your slender frame. The filling in my steamed buns is very generous; it'd be impressive if you could eat five."
Lu Chen smiled. "How about we make a bet? If I eat more than five buns, I'll pay for the meal as usual. If it's five or less, we'll brazenly take a free meal."
"Fine. Little Manyin, your boyfriend certainly talks big."
After they took their seats, the old woman immediately brought out a basket of steamed buns, eight in total.
Just as she had said, the buns here were not small, and the meat filling inside was very substantial—completely different from those cutting-corners places.
Yet Lu Chen wasn't flustered in the least.
Having practiced his cultivation method all night, the physical toll on him had been severe.
Right now, he felt as though he could devour an entire ox if it were placed in front of him.
These big buns disappeared into his hands at a rate of two bites per bun, and in no time at all, they were completely polished off, leaving Zhou Manyin staring in astonishment.
"Shocked?"
Lu Chen felt as though it had barely lined his stomach; it didn't even count as half-full.
Zhou Manyin simply offered a faint smile.
"No, being able to eat is a blessing, and eating more is good. Eat up and get stronger so you can protect me better."
The stunned old woman quickly brought out the second and third baskets of buns.
By the time he reached the fifth basket, he finally felt about eighty percent full. The previously dried-up flesh and blood within his body seemed to spring back to life, continuing to circulate his cultivation method joyfully.
However, he had no intention of eating any more.
That was because by this point, the people throughout the entire shop had stopped eating and were crowding around in excitement, wanting to see just how many he could actually consume.
The elderly couple was thoroughly convinced.
"I really couldn't tell you could eat so much. Little Manyin, you're definitely going to have a blessed life ahead."
Zhou Manyin seemed to love being praised, smiling happily as she paid the bill without the slightest hesitation.
Once they were back in the car, she drove while Lu Chen took the opportunity to consider the changes brought about by the shifted world lines.
"General Manager Zhou..."
Zhou Manyin feigned displeasure. "Given our relationship, isn't that title a bit too distant?"
"Then... Manyin?"
"Mm."
Although she had been the one to request it, her face was flushed bright red by this point.
"How is your grandfather's health?"
"He's a bit better."
"It's rather strange, come to think of it," Zhou Manyin said softly, pondering as she spoke. "The hospital suddenly called me the other day."
"They said a team of experts from the capital happened to be in our city holding a seminar, so they selected a few patients from the hospital as case studies for demonstration treatment. Who would have thought Grandfather would be lucky enough to be chosen?"
"However, during the treatment period, family members aren't allowed to visit casually."
Lu Chen's expression stiffened slightly.
He could already guess the reason.
He had still been thinking about things too simply.
The appearance of a real vampire had indeed drawn the serious attention of the relevant authorities, and everyone who had close contact with it was now under focused observation.
That included Yu Yiyi, the hospital staff, and those patients who had their blood sucked...
Fortunately, he hadn't rashly turned anyone into a kindred; at most, he had bestowed a few drops of blood to improve their physical condition.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"That's good then. Hopefully the old man's health will take a turn for the better."
He wasn't entirely sure how much effect a few drops of Blood Clan blood could have, but according to the System's description, it should be quite significant.
It might not bring someone back from the dead, but living a few extra years should be possible.
Upon reaching the company, the car drove into the underground parking garage, and the two of them took the elevator up to work together.
While waiting for the elevator, Lu Chen was still lost in thought when he suddenly felt a warm touch near his hand.
He was stunned for a moment, then looked down and sure enough, saw Zhou Manyin cautiously reaching out, tentatively trying to hold his hand.
Yet when he looked over, the courage she had managed to summon vanished, and she pulled her hand back, the tips of her ears burning red.
Lu Chen suddenly felt like laughing.
Clearly both of them were adults in their twenties, so why was their romance still as green as children?
Thinking it over, he took the initiative to reach out and caught her hand just as it trembled slightly.
Smooth, delicate, and astonishingly soft—the tactile sensation was incredible.
Lu Chen unconsciously gave it a gentle squeeze.
After a moment, other people gradually arrived to wait for the elevator. Expecting her to pull away out of shyness, he found instead that she gripped his hand right back.
With a tacit understanding, the two of them locked their fingers together.
This scene was seen clearly by everyone else, and instantly, all sorts of gazes were fixed upon them.
There was curiosity, astonishment, as well as envy and jealousy.
While Lu Chen might be a nobody, Zhou Manyin's fame was massive.
Usually haughty and unapproachable to men, she carried a cold and striking aura, leading everyone to speculate who could possibly win her over.
Was it the eldest son of some major conglomerate, or the general manager of some listed company...?
And yet she had fallen into the hands of this unremarkable man right before their eyes?!
Aside from being reasonably good-looking and having an acceptable temperament, they could find absolutely nothing special about him that would make such a wealthy beauty fall head over heels.
Some busybody took a photograph, and the matter quickly spread across various company group chats.
So much so that when Lu Chen and Zhou Manyin parted ways to go to their respective floors for work, the moment he stepped through the company doors, he was directly ambushed and cornered.
"Little Lu, did you really hook up with General Manager Zhou?!"
"Is that true or false? How on earth did you pull that off?!"
"Tell us already! That's a super-rich woman worth hundreds of millions. You could skip work for the rest of your life and just live off her!"
Qiao Weizhao in particular had his face flushed red with anger as he stared intently at him, hoping to hear a denial from his lips.
Having always fancied himself a romantic expert, he had been dealt a blind-side blow by this usually quiet kid.
All of his past girlfriends combined didn't even add up to a single Zhou Manyin!
Too bad he was destined for disappointment.
Lu Chen nodded and admitted to it.
As for the reason they met, he didn't lie either—it was simply a case of him playing the hero to save the beauty, which then led to a happy outcome.
That revelation made Qiao Weizhao so jealous he nearly ground his back molars to dust.
"Why wasn't I working overtime at the company back then?! If I had been the one who saved her, wouldn't the rich woman be mine instead...?"