Amid Mother's shrill, unseemly cries, Xin Rui—seemingly aloof but actually rebellious, perhaps with even more complicated depths—hung up and blocked her in quick succession, then generously showed Tai Yu.
Tai Yu looked at her and did not mention anything else, only asking, "Shall I treat you?"
Before Xin Rui could respond, he shook his head. "Miss Xin Rui, do you know that the Frontier Training Ground recruited a total of fifteen service personnel this time, in groups of three, corresponding to five training camp clients? Of these twenty people, eighteen have normal service-provider and service-recipient relationships. Only you and I are special.
"If I have not misunderstood the relevant parties' promise, then in practical terms, Miss Xin Rui, I am your client, with the right to enjoy your services. Of course, during the training camp, I can conform to my superficial role and provide a certain degree of professional support. But that does not mean I have to follow your rhythm and deal with the unexpected trouble you caused."
After a brief pause, Tai Yu looked Xin Rui over again from head to toe. Seeing her fashionable, tasteful outfit, he nodded slightly. "Still, this fits the real logic better: a family that needs to rely on a 'Planetary Citizen' to cash out and resell 'Interstellar Citizen' privileges must be unable to sustain middle-class expenses... It must have been hardship, hiding all that from your friends, wasn't it?"
Xin Rui lowered her lashes, then raised them again, revealing dark, gleaming eyes that were almost wild. Yet the tiny, restrained smile remained at the corner of her lips. "The beverage shop is manageable; the expenses are covered by a membership card loaded in advance. The Deep Blue World team booking used a team discount voucher I won last year, plus all my