Tonight, Young Master Yang Pays

"Whether I'm putting on a brave face or not, you'll find out soon enough, won't you?"

A mysterious smile curled across Yang Ming's lips. His expression remained calm as he lifted his leg and took the lead up the stairs to the second floor.

Wang Sheng hesitated. The second floor was where wealthy people and children of noble families dined. Looking down at his plain clothes, he felt somewhat inferior, afraid that he might dirty the floor upstairs.

Wang Sheng was not the only one. The other children from Dorm Seven more or less shared the same sense of inferiority. Because of their poor backgrounds, they always felt lesser than others.

Seeing this, the upperclassman sneered again.

"Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and rats' children dig holes. You poor trash are just like your parents. Hurry back and dig your holes!"

As he spoke, he and the senior beside him burst into laughter.

They seemed to think that only by stepping on others' shoulders and heads could they highlight their own excellence.

Yang Ming was not moved in the slightest. If he started fighting and killing over every little taunt, that would be far too beneath him. He had plenty of ways to deal with them.

Yang Ming paused, turned around, and beckoned to Wang Sheng and the others.

"What are you standing around for? Follow me up!"

Slaying bandits and defeating Cao Mengyun had already given Yang Ming tremendous confidence. His words naturally carried a force that made people instinctively trust him.

As though they had found their backbone, Wang Sheng and the others nodded like pecking chicks and climbed the stairs one after another.

The second floor of the cafeteria.

As expected of a place for wealthy young masters and ladies to dine, it was lavishly decorated. Antique screens, exquisite vases, expensive tables and chairs, red railings, and candle lamps gave it a distinctive charm.

Yang Ming walked to the ordering counter and took out a cloth bag. With a slight shake, the crisp clinking of coins could be heard.

The upperclassman found Yang Ming thoroughly displeasing. Folding his arms, he teased mockingly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Listen to that lovely sound. Don't tell me it's full of Copper Soul Coins?"

Yang Ming could not even be bothered to spare him a glance. He swept his eyes over the menu, opened the bag, and poured out glittering Golden Soul Coins like flowing sand. They clattered onto the counter, drawing the eyes of everyone gathered around to watch.

One, two, three... a full twenty-five Golden Soul Coins!

The piled-up golden gleam was blinding!

Silence!

Utter silence!

Deathly silence!

The upperclassman who had kept up his sarcastic mockery moments ago now seemed to have his throat gripped by fate itself. He could not force out a single word. His face alternated between red and green, looking utterly miserable.

Even though he prided himself on coming from a wealthy family, he did not receive five Golden Soul Coins in monthly allowance!

The children of Dorm Seven, led by Wang Sheng, were all dumbfounded as they stared at Yang Ming in disbelief.

Holy shit!

He really was a big shot!

A single Golden Soul Coin was enough to cover several months of expenses for ordinary families like theirs. Twenty-five Golden Soul Coins could last them for years, yet Yang Ming had spent them all without even blinking!

Yang Ming pushed the Golden Soul Coins across the counter to the owner, pointed at the dishes on the menu, and said,

"Bring me one of every dish on there. And bring a few bottles of rice wine while you're at it."

At this, Yang Ming paused slightly. He looked toward the upperclassmen, senior girls, and teachers gathered on the second floor to watch the show. Grinning broadly to reveal a row of gleaming white teeth, he snapped his middle finger against his index finger with a crisp pop.

"I'm new here, so tonight, it's on me. Everyone can eat and drink to your heart's content!"

The teachers and students on the second floor had not expected such a good thing. They immediately erupted into cheers.

Seeing how happy they were, Yang Ming smiled even more happily. Pointing at the upperclassman who had been mocking him all along, he suddenly changed his tone.

"However, he is the sole exception. Anyone sitting at the same table as him is also excluded. I'm not paying for idiots."

A carrot in one hand, a stick in the other!

Upon hearing this, the companions who had been traveling with the upperclassman immediately voted with their feet. One by one, they moved far away from him, avoiding him like a snake or scorpion, perfectly demonstrating how quickly the little boat of friendship could capsize.

At the same time, he had to endure the mocking gazes coming at him from all directions.

Rejected by his companions, ostracized by everyone around him, and subjected to their silent ridicule, the upperclassman's fragile heart shattered at once. His face flushed red with rage. The finger pointing at Yang Ming trembled lightly, and his tongue tied itself into knots.

"You, you, you..."

He could not get anything more out after that. Instead, the label of idiot that Yang Ming had placed on him could no longer be removed.

In the end, unable to bear everyone's strange stares any longer, he covered his face and fled.

With that clown gone, Yang Ming found a fairly large table, enough to accommodate all the children from Dorm Seven.

Other than Yang Ming, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, everyone else was more or less uneasy. They sat on the chairs as though on pins and needles, with only the edges of their bottoms touching the seats. Their hands did not know where to go. They were afraid of dirtying the chairs, and even more afraid of accidentally breaking the tableware, which their families could not afford to compensate for.

Seeing them act so pathetic, Yang Ming felt anger rise in his chest.

Once the waiters had placed the dishes on the table one by one, Yang Ming first poured himself a cup of rice wine. He stood, raised the cup high, and spoke in a deep voice to his companions from Dorm Seven.

"Do you have dreams?"

Wang Sheng and the others were baffled. They looked at each other but did not answer.

Tang San was the first to raise his hand and respond.

"I do. I want to become a Titled Douluo!"

As Tang San's resounding declaration fell, Yang Ming's ears twitched. He heard quiet laughter coming from several neighboring tables, clearly implying that a toad was dreaming of eating swan meat.

Yang Ming remained unmoved. Turning his gaze to Wang Sheng, he called him out directly.

"Tang San has spoken. Now it's your turn, Wang Sheng."

"I..." Wang Sheng nervously clutched the corner of his clothes. He had also heard the snickering from the upperclassmen at the neighboring tables. Lowering his head in inferiority, he said, "I... I want to become a Spirit Master. After becoming a Spirit Master, I can receive one Golden Soul Coin in subsidies from Spirit Hall every month. That way, I can ease my family's burden."

Wang Sheng had originally thought that Yang Ming would laugh at him, laugh at such a humble dream.

But unexpectedly, Yang Ming gave him a thumbs-up.

"What great ambition!"

With Tang San and Wang Sheng leading the way, and with Yang Ming treating everyone so warmly, the other children began sharing their dreams one after another. Even Xiao Wu was no exception.

After everyone had taken a turn, Yang Ming nodded.

"I have always believed that people are born equal. No one is more noble than anyone else, and that includes dreams. So, I have a poem for all of you."

Without realizing it, Yang Ming had become the center of attention for everyone on the second floor of the cafeteria. They all instinctively pricked up their ears and listened carefully to him.

Yang Ming raised his head, drained the wine in his cup down his throat, and recited loudly.

"While life is good, make merry to the full; never let a golden cup sit empty beneath the moon."

"Heaven gave me talents for a purpose; though a thousand in gold be spent, it will return again!"