Access: You do not have permission.

It was such a great opportunity. People had fought tooth and nail just to get a spot.

Young Master Jin snorted and gave his reason. "Everyone who comes out of the trial grounds has to join the Ability Control Bureau. Why would I do that to myself?"

His family was a major ability-user clan in City A, with an A-rank ancestor holding the fort. Between the main family and its branches, they currently had over a dozen active B-rank ability users. They were a very powerful clan, and he had shown excellent potential since childhood. His family thought highly of him, believing he stood a chance of evolving into an A-rank ability user after awakening. An outstanding talent like him could awaken smoothly outside the trial grounds once the blood moon rose anyway. Why would he go out of his way to slave away for the Ability Control Bureau?

The students had never considered that angle. To them, awakening an ability was already the greatest stroke of luck imaginable, instantly elevating them above everyone else. They had yet to think about where they would work. Now that Young Master Jin had pointed it out, understanding dawned on them, and they nodded in agreement. "True, true."

"Young Master Jin doesn't need to put himself through that!"

"With his status, why would Young Master Jin go work as a grunt for the Ability Control Bureau?"

Jin Hong huffed and cast a disdainful sidelong glance at the freckled boy amid his companions' flattery.

Suddenly, someone said, "If Young Master Jin isn't going, then Ming Xia should be the one getting the most attention in this round of the trial grounds."

"Ming Xia's overall score is really high too. Top-tier potential in both categories. After this, she'll be someone we can't afford to mess with."

"I hope she doesn't hold a grudge over me calling her a broke beggar." Someone rubbed their face awkwardly and grumbled, "Who could've known that scrawny little body of hers would score double As in the mental and physical tests!"

"Ugh, if I'd known, I wouldn't have bullied her..."

At the mention of that name, Jin Hong's expression darkened instantly. He was the school's golden boy, while Ming Xia was just some unremarkable pauper in his class. He had heard she had an older sister who worked to put her through school. Yet this nobody had somehow changed during the school's latest mental assessment and physical test, scoring double As, just like him!

That woman thought she deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as him!

Jin Hong clenched his fists. He had originally scorned the idea of entering the trial grounds, but now he was wavering.

How could he stand by and watch that woman hog the spotlight?

The students noticed Young Master Jin's expression and quietly nudged one another. They stopped talking about that particular person and laughed awkwardly as they changed the subject, but Jin Hong's expression never improved.

"Your ribs."

With a flat expression and not a shred of service-mindedness, Ye Jiang set the cooked ribs on the students' table.

Jin Hong was already irritated, yet this server had no sense whatsoever. Out of all the people she could have served beside, she had chosen him. Steam washed over his face, making his veins bulge as his anger exploded. "Do you fucking know how to serve food?!"

With his spoiled young master's temper, putting up with it never crossed his mind. He did not stop at swearing, either, giving Ye Jiang a hard shove.

Ye Jiang was still holding a plate of snacks. Despite the force of the shove, she did not so much as sway, keeping the snacks steady.

The aroma of the snacks in her hand had drawn her attention somewhat. Suddenly shoved, she lowered her eyes and fixed her deep gaze on the person who had pushed her.

As though an abyss were embedded in them, her pitch-black eyes let no light through.

She studied the person who had pushed her.

The restaurant fell silent. None of the students had expected Young Master Jin to suddenly explode.

A few seconds later, they recovered and joined the young master in berating the server, even though she had simply served from the most convenient spot-the space on either side of Young Master Jin was the emptiest.

"You there, woman! Didn't you see the young master sitting there? You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Pfft, trying to get Young Master Jin's attention, huh? Stupid old woman."

Minors could sometimes have unimaginably filthy mouths. They piled on, condemning her together. Jin Hong, however, was slightly distracted, staring down at his hand. When he had shoved her just now, it had felt like pushing an iron plate, even though he had an A-rank physique.

A trace of suspicion in his eyes, he raised his head to take a closer look at the server. The next second, his vision went dark as a plate came straight down onto his forehead. Smack. His noble forehead was buried in greasy snacks.

The world went quiet.

"The proper way to serve food..." With her hand still pressing down on the plate, Ye Jiang asked earnestly, "is this?"

"..."

"..."

"Ah, Young Master Jin!!!"

In the kitchen, the owner was tossing food in a wok over high heat, her face expressionless. It was as though none of the commotion outside had reached her ears. Only when the students were about to get physical did she turn off the heat, wipe her hands, and walk out:

"What's going on?"

She adjusted her gloves, revealing the blood moon mark on her finger.

Chapter 11: Access: You do not have permission.

The students split into two groups. One rushed to wipe their precious young master's face and soothe him, while the other rounded aggressively on Ye Jiang, about to pin her down first and worry about the rest later. Just then, the owner came out.

"What's going on?"

Removing her black gloves, the owner revealed her blood moon mark. The mark was too small, hidden between her fingers and hard to notice. The students did not see it and shouted belligerently, "Didn't you see what this woman did to our Young Master Jin? What, are you going to protect your employee?"

A student gave her a threatening look. "Stay out of this, or we'll put your little shop out of business!"

A threat?

The owner's expression did not change in the slightest. She even looked a little languid, as though the dispute before her was merely children making a scene.

"Oh," she said, then asked, "What do you want to do to her, then?"

Ye Jiang looked over, also wanting to know what these people intended to do to her.

One student snorted. "First, she gets on her knees and kowtows to Young Master Jin. If he forgives her, we won't go hard on her."

Ye Jiang looked at the student who had spoken, her eyes utterly still. Meeting her gaze, the student inexplicably felt a flicker of fear and glared back with hollow bravado. "What are you looking at? Begging me won't help. You have to beg Young Master Jin!"

The owner tried to smooth things over. "Don't be like that. Our server only made an unintentional mistake. A few harsh words are enough. You're students. Be a little more generous."

"Easy for you to say. So you are protecting your employee!" a student sneered. "You want to protect her, huh?"

With that, he grabbed a chair and hurled it at the counter, shouting:

"Trash the place!"

The other students had not expected things to go this way, but their companion had already started, so they did not hesitate and joined in.

"Smash it!"

"Smash this lousy place to pieces!!"

They were about to act as they spoke.

Amid the crowd, Jin Hong's face was dark. No matter how much they wiped, the grease would not come off his face, leaving his expression vicious.

"Enough!" he roared. "Who told you to trash the place?!"

The students froze, bewildered.

Huh? They couldn't trash the place?

Jin Hong's face was black as thunder. He ignored his idiot classmates and shot a vicious glare at the woman who had planted a plate in his face, then turned toward the restaurant owner. He struggled to contain himself again and again. Only after his searching gaze found the blood moon mark between her fingers did he force himself to swallow his anger and mutter, "...Forget it."

Forget it?

His classmates did not understand.

They were just letting it go?

The students gaped, wondering if someone had put a hex on the young master. The arrogant, domineering Young Master Jin they knew was not this easygoing. They had done plenty of "good deeds" alongside him. Someone had walked all over him, and he was going to take it?

"Are we really letting it go?" a girl asked to confirm, afraid they had misunderstood his meaning.

Jin Hong snapped, "Do you not understand human speech?!"

With that, he rose furiously, swept his sleeve, and strode out of the little restaurant, raking Ye Jiang with an icy look as he left.

The students exchanged glances, unable to understand why he had taken this lying down. Seeing Jin Hong walking farther away, they had no time to puzzle over it and hurried after him, repeatedly calling, "Young Master Jin!"

The moment Jin Hong stepped outside, he kicked over a trash can beside the street.

Swallowing this humiliation felt like swallowing knives whole.

But-

He remembered his family's warning not to provoke the owner of the restaurant outside the school, because...

"That's someone you can't afford to offend."

Last semester, when his father came to pick him up from school, he had happened to see the restaurant owner and looked shocked. Afterward, he had solemnly given him that warning.

Who did she think she was? Wasn't she just an ability user?!

Once he awakened, he would make this bullshit owner and her shitty employee disappear together!

Hah. He was a potential talent with a chance of becoming an A-rank ability user. Who couldn't he afford to offend?

Inside the little restaurant.

The restaurant instantly became quiet after the students left. The owner shot her newly hired employee a sidelong look. "You're pretty good at making trouble, aren't you?"

Ye Jiang did not understand what she meant.

The owner pursed her lips, dropping the sardonic smile at the corners of her mouth. Swinging her long legs over, she sat where the students had just been and picked up a bowl and chopsticks. Before starting, she looked at Ye Jiang. "Why are you still standing there? Come here."

"What for?" Ye Jiang remained standing.

The owner picked up a piece of rib and blew on it, her words muffled. "The customers

left. These ribs are good stuff. Can't let them go to waste."

She raised her eyes and told Ye Jiang, "Staff meals are provided today."

Ye Jiang walked over and sat down.

She opened a fresh set of tableware and picked up a piece of rib. The ribs smelled delicious, but the moment she took a bite...

"Tastes bad." She frowned.

The owner kept puffing out breaths from the heat. "Don't sweat the small stuff. The previous server handled the cooking too. Now that she's gone, I'm new to the job myself."

Ye Jiang: "."

She ate her staff meal expressionlessly. Though she thought it tasted bad, she was not picky.

The owner stopped eating and watched her through the curling steam. Noticing her scrutiny, Ye Jiang looked back. The owner lowered her head to look at her bowl. "Server, don't come to work tomorrow."

Ye Jiang paused. Had she been fired?

The owner said, "That young master isn't a kind soul. Don't come around here anymore. Be smart and steer clear."