The Manager Here Will Have to Kneel and Beg Me to Stay

"I'm just saying that in a moment, this hotel's manager will have to kneel and beg me to stay in this room."

At those words, the entire crowd fell silent.

A second later, everyone burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! Did you hear that? He said the manager would kneel and beg him to stay!"

"Is there something wrong with this brat's head? Does he know who the Rose Hotel's manager is? He's a prominent figure in Suotuo City, and supposedly has a major power backing him. Kneel and beg him?"

"Hahaha, exactly. That's the funniest joke I've heard all day."

Listening to the mockery around him, Shi Meng silently sighed to himself.

Sure enough, wherever he went, there was never any shortage of loose-tongued bystanders.

Hu Liena frowned.

After so many years together, she knew her junior brother all too well. He never made empty boasts.

Could he have... bought this hotel?

Impossible. My junior brother has been with me this whole trip. When would he have had time to arrange something like that?

Still, if he dares to say it, he can definitely do it.

Let's wait and see.

While everyone was mocking Shi Meng, two more people walked into the hotel.

One was a blue-haired boy in plain clothes with a composed expression; the other was a girl with a scorpion-tail braid, her eyes darting about, lively and adorable.

They were Xiao Wu and Tang San, who had come to Suotuo City from Nodtin Academy.

The moment she entered the lobby, Xiao Wu stopped in her tracks.

She had spotted someone-someone she knew better than almost anyone.

It was Shi Meng!

Xiao Wu's pupils abruptly contracted.

The Shi Meng she remembered should have appeared at Shrek Academy at this point. Why was he at the Rose Hotel?

And the purple-haired woman standing beside him was...

Hu Liena?!

Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes.

In her previous life, Hu Liena had also liked Shi Meng and had been one of her greatest rivals in love.

Why had she come here with Shi Meng in this life?

Could she...

Looking at how close the two stood, Xiao Wu couldn't help pouting.

Standing that close to him-isn't she being a little too obvious?!

Xiao Wu took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, then silently retreated behind the crowd.

She couldn't reveal herself to Shi Meng yet.

Although Shi Meng and Hu Liena appearing together at the Rose Hotel felt wrong no matter how she looked at it.

She still had no way to confirm whether Shi Meng had been reborn too.

Just then, the rabbit ears atop her head suddenly twitched.

Wait! There's movement on the second floor!

Without betraying anything, Xiao Wu glanced up, only to find no one at the second-floor railing.

Where did they go?

Her instincts couldn't be wrong.

Someone had definitely been there just now, secretly watching Shi Meng.

Tang San glanced at Shi Meng, then at Dai Mubai, and shook his head slightly.

Such verbal disputes were meaningless. Truly strong people never wasted their time on pointless wagers.

Shi Meng, was it? A decent name, but unfortunately, he's far too full of bluster.

The wagering in the lobby continued.

Dai Mubai looked around, a wickedly arrogant smile spreading across his face.

"Fine, brat. Since you're so cocky, I'll play along."

"Everyone here saw it today. This brat brought this on himself."

"Let's make a bet. Whoever wins gets the room. Whoever chickens out can get the hell out of here!"

"As for the stakes? What do you want if you win?"

Shi Meng tilted his head and glanced at Hu Liena.

Hu Liena understood at once. She stepped forward, her chin slightly raised.

"If we win, the room is ours."

"And then?"

Hu Liena held up two fingers.

"You'll kneel before my junior brother in front of everyone here, kowtow, and call him Grandpa."

At those words, everyone saw Dai Mubai's expression darken.

But he soon regained his composure.

Who was he, Dai Mubai? A prince of the Star Luo Empire. What hadn't he seen? Would he really fear a mere wager?

With that thought, he looked Hu Liena over, a suggestive smile curling his lips.

"Fine, I agree. But if you lose, this brat gets lost, and you come with me to join Shrek Academy. How about it?"

Hearing this, Hu Liena showed not the slightest trace of panic. Instead, she even gave him a meaningful smile. "Sure."

She had already noticed that ever since Dai Mubai saw her, he kept stealing glances in her direction.

Others might not have caught those furtive looks, but she saw them clearly. His eyes were unmistakably brimming with desire for her.

Go to Shrek Academy if we lose? The beads of his scheming abacus are practically flying into my face.

Still, since he wanted to play, she and Shi Meng would play along.

After all, her junior brother was invincible. How could he possibly lose?

Besides, even if they really lost, never mind that Shi Meng was now a rank-forty-nine Soul Ancestor-she, Hu Liena, had long since reached rank forty-seven herself. Why would she fear a mere Soul Elder like Dai Mubai?

That was just how they did things in Spirit Hall: utterly unreasonable.

Don't like it? Then choke on it!

Standing among the crowd, Xiao Wu nearly laughed aloud when she heard the stakes.

She knew Shi Meng's strength all too well.

In her previous life, Shi Meng had already been absurdly powerful at twelve. Dai Mubai was doing nothing but digging his own grave.

Xiao Wu could already predict what would happen next.

She had disliked Dai Mubai even in her previous life, so she eagerly anticipated seeing him get his comeuppance. It would feel incredibly satisfying.

Tang San stood beside Xiao Wu, watching the situation unfold, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Xiao Wu, that person seems to be doing nothing but boasting. The owner here clearly knows Dai Mubai. What makes him think he can get the owner to beg him?"

Xiao Wu merely shook her head and continued watching Shi Meng.

Seeing that Xiao Wu ignored him, Tang San asked no further questions and simply regarded it as an ordinary dispute.

But inwardly, he had already passed judgment on Shi Meng.

He doesn't know how high heaven is or how deep the earth runs. This fellow is courting certain death.

With the wager settled, Dai Mubai couldn't wait to see Shi Meng humiliate himself.

He turned toward the front desk.

"Go get your manager."

The attendant at the front desk dared not delay and hurried off to fetch the manager.

Soon, a round, portly middle-aged man in fine clothes strode out from the back.

At the sight of Dai Mubai, his face immediately filled with a fawning smile.

"Young Master Dai, you're here! Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you. My apologies. Will it be the usual this time?"

Dai Mubai pointed at Shi Meng.

"This brat wants to fight me for the room. He even says you'll kneel and beg him to stay. Manager, what do you think?"

Hearing this, the manager turned an angry glare on Shi Meng.

"Brat, you're awfully cocky! You dare demand that I kneel to you? Who do you think you are? Do you know my standing? The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect backs my Rose Hotel. Can you afford to offend them? If not, get the hell out right now, or I'll have someone throw you out!"

"What? The Rose Hotel belongs to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Though few of those present were particularly knowledgeable, who wouldn't recognize the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the continent's Upper Three Sects?

They had never expected this hotel to have such formidable backing.

"See? The manager knows Young Master Dai. This brat's finished."

"He doesn't know how high heaven is or how deep the earth runs. Now he's kicked an iron plate."

Tang San sighed.

Sure enough, this person was only inviting humiliation.

Dai Mubai folded his arms across his chest. Apparently feeling the stakes weren't harsh enough, he decided to add another condition.

"Whoever loses, besides the stakes we just agreed on..."