Chapter 196 - 151: Billionaire Rich Lady

Chapter 196: Chapter 151: Billionaire Rich LadyWhen they returned to the center of Chang’an City, it was just after 11 PM, and people’s nightlife was just beginning. The Light Wheel Motorbike drove off the Superconductive Highway and stopped by the street. Passersby cast curious glances at them, noting that there was a man and a woman on the bike. Even though their faces couldn’t be seen under their helmets, both had outstanding figures, especially the female knight driving, whose leather clothes prominently showcased her impressive physique. Moreover, both were carrying weapons, clearly identifying them as a couple of mutants. Ji Xinghuo entered a clothing store on the street and soon emerged in a new outfit, a casual attire, discarding his damaged martial arts uniform. He sat behind Zhao Manying, and her voice rang out from inside her helmet, "What do you like to eat?" "I don’t have a preference for food," Ji Xinghuo replied. "You must be more familiar with this area, can you recommend a place?" This was the most bustling district in Chang’an and was notoriously expensive. He hadn’t visited very often in the past. "Okay." Zhao Manying nodded, ignited the Light Wheel Motorbike, and drove a few hundred meters forward, then parked in a building’s underground garage before getting off. She removed her helmet and put on a pair of sunglasses. The sunglasses covered half of her face, and she had dyed her hair pink, creating a style so different from her usual appearance that she was hardly recognizable without a closer look. Yet, based solely on half of her face and her figure and poise, anyone with a discerning eye could tell she was extraordinarily beautiful. "Is this how you usually go out?" Ji Xinghuo asked with a smile. "More or less." Zhao Manying slung the Jinghong Sword on her back and spoke softly, "But not every day. I change my look every few days, depending on my mood." "Have you ever been recognized?" Ji Xinghuo was quite curious. Many mutants had very sharp sight, and it was hard to deceive their eyes with such disguises. Moreover, Zhao Manying was so famous, and her recognizability was quite high. "A couple of times, but I denied it," Zhao Manying said with a smile. "Their photos are useless without my authorization." Ji Xinghuo nodded. The Asia-Pacific Community’s personal privacy laws were very comprehensive. Any content involving privacy, unless authorized by the individual, would be automatically dealt with if posted online. "I know there’s a barbecue restaurant upstairs here. The food is delicious and not expensive; I often come here quietly by myself." Zhao Manying naturally linked her arm with Ji Xinghuo’s, "Let’s go." The two took the elevator to the 108th floor. As Zhao Manying had mentioned, she was indeed very familiar with the place. She led Ji Xinghuo into a mid-sized barbecue restaurant and requested a private room from the waiter. As they passed through the main dining hall, Ji Xinghuo noticed many people gazing their way, especially the men, whose eyes involuntarily lingered on Zhao Manying’s figure for a few seconds. "Men’s intuition towards beautiful women functions like radar..." Ji Xinghuo thought to himself. Once inside the private room, he discovered that this was a revolving restaurant. Searᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All the private rooms were arranged in a circle around the building, rotating slowly at a low speed, offering diners a panoramic view of the cityscape in every direction. Looking at the menu, a simple barbecue dish cost over a thousand Ya Yuan. Mutants had a much larger appetite than ordinary people. The two of them could eat three to four times what a normal person would, making this late-night meal cost at least ten thousand. "You call this inexpensive?" Ji Xinghuo looked across at Zhao Manying, who had removed her sunglasses and was adeptly selecting dishes on the projected light screen on the table. "Once you eat, you’ll understand, it’s quite worth it. Besides, the ambiance here is excellent, quiet and private, making it suitable for a date," Zhao Manying declared generously, "I’ll treat you tonight." "Then I’ll gladly take advantage of your generosity," Ji Xinghuo laughed. While ordering, Zhao Manying glanced at him sideways and teased, "With your capabilities, can’t you afford it? I remember you killed many of the Beiluo Shimen Clan in the Star Realm, so you must have collected quite a bounty. Not to mention, your equipment is quite valuable too." "I did make some money, but I need to be thrifty; I can’t compare to you," Ji Xinghuo wasn’t one to waste money, and he only had over forty million left. "If you run out of money, I can lend you some," she said casually, asking Ji Xinghuo if he had any dietary restrictions as she finished placing the order. Ji Xinghuo burst out laughing, "Then wouldn’t I be freeloading off you?" "Do you mind?" Zhao Manying propped her chin with one hand, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she looked at Ji Xinghuo and joked, "So many people wish to freeload off me and haven’t got the chance. How about I give you an offer? A billion a year, how does that sound?" "Truly generous!" Ji Xinghuo was amazed, "May I boldly ask how much your annual income is?" Many financial institutions would tally the income of celebrities, and Zhao Manying was always on those lists, but those were others’ estimates, and certainly not as accurate as her own account. The income of competitive mutants was divided into three parts. One was the club’s contractual salary and competition bonuses, another was personal endorsement earnings, and the third comprised revenue from streaming, merchandising, and image rights. Additionally, she had side businesses, such as investments or running her own company. "Roughly fifty billion," Zhao Manying did not hide it, "Actually, I’m not very sure myself; I have a financial team that handles these matters for me, and I usually don’t worry about it." "A wealthy woman indeed!" Ji Xinghuo clicked his tongue in admiration. This was more than what the public knew, but it was also pretty normal. As the number one in the global ladder, one of the most successful competitive mutants in the fiercely competitive industry at the very top of the pyramid, an annual income of five billion was well-deserved. If she were a bit more career-driven, doubling that income wouldn’t be a problem. However, at heart, Zhao Manying was still a wage earner. She had been famous for about four or five years, and her total fortune was roughly twenty to thirty billion. She was already financially independent, but still a long way from making it onto the wealthy list. The last person on the Asia-Pacific Community wealthy list also had a fortune of over one hundred billion! And the richest person in the Asia-Pacific Community just happened to be the controlling shareholder of the Emperor Star Club, Zhao Manying’s company, owning over four trillion in personal wealth! But if you looked globally, most of the top wealthy billionaires, more than half, were concentrated in the American Federation. The richest in the Asia-Pacific Community could barely make it into the global top ten. Ji Xinghuo suddenly thought of Ren Jie, who was also a wealthy woman. Between Zhao Manying and Ren Jie, he wondered who was richer? "Hey, what are you thinking about?" Zhao Manying saw him zoning out, waved her hand in front of him, "You’re not scared by this amount of money, are you?" "A bit," Ji Xinghuo nodded, half-seriously, "I was thinking about how to earn that billion from you." Zhao Manying laughed, "It’s very simple, just accompany me shopping, dining, and practicing martial arts every day. Fulfill your responsibilities as a boyfriend." "Just shopping, dining, and practicing martial arts?" Ji Xinghuo asked. "If you do an outstanding job, I might consider giving you additional tasks," Zhao Manying’s face blushed slightly, but it vanished quickly. "Then I’ll have to give it my all," Ji Xinghuo laughed, "and strive to be a competent boyfriend within these hundred days." Both of them knew this was a joke. With Ji Xinghuo’s capabilities, just practicing martial arts with her every year was worth more than a billion. Enjoying the night view through the window, they chatted idly for a moment. A serving robot brought in the roasted meat requested by Zhao Manying, who had made it clear that no waiters were allowed inside to avoid being recognized. A fragrance of meat filled the air. Ji Xinghuo hadn’t yet started eating when Qing Hong’s head peeked out from his pocket, eyeing the roasted meat on the table, its mouth corners reflecting brightly. "Is this your war pet?" Zhao Manying asked curiously. "Yes, his name is Qing Hong, a spiritual creature," Ji Xinghuo placed Qing Hong on the table. "He really likes roasted meat. Order him a few more portions of different flavors, and make them large." Zhao Manying quickly placed the order. She was initially puzzled, but when she saw Qing Hong shrink to about ten centimeters in its mini form, while sensing strong ether energy fluctuations during its size change, she couldn’t help but shudder, "A Catastrophe-Level war pet?" "Just Superior Level." Ji Xinghuo fed a piece of roasted meat to Qing Hong. It gulped it down, its golden eyes showing pleasure and satisfaction, eager for more. "A Superior spiritual war pet..." Zhao Manying shook her head in admiration, her gaze returning to Ji Xing, "You truly are an enigma, impossible to see through." She could sense Qing Hong was strong. If Qing Hong had joined the earlier battle, she would have lost even quicker. "Eat on your own," Ji Xinghuo placed a plate of roasted meat in front of Qing Hong, who began devouring it hungrily. Zhao Manying continued to marvel, "As expected of a spiritual creature, it can even understand human speech." "Let’s not bother with it, let’s eat too." Ji Xinghuo tried a piece; indeed, it was delicious — tender and juicy, with an excellent taste, far surpassing his own cooking skills, even slightly better than Jiangnan Caiyi’s. The two chatted idly while eating. Zhao Manying was full of curiosity about everything related to Ji Xinghuo, mostly she was asking and Ji Xinghuo was answering. Conversely, Ji Xinghuo was quite familiar with Zhao Manying, as most of her information was publicly available and easily searchable online. However, when it came to family matters, that was private. "I have a younger brother, three years younger than me, still in college," Zhao Manying mentioned casually, "His name is Zhao Cangming, also a mutant, but just reached Intermediate Level." "Twenty-one and already an Intermediate mutant, his talent is pretty good," Ji Xing nodded. "Actually quite average," Zhao Manying said with some helplessness about her younger brother, "I’ve invested several hundred million resources in him to reach Intermediate Level. He can’t even enter the Class B professional league. At most he could reach Advanced mutant Level; any higher is highly unlikely." Ji Xinghuo disagreed, "It’s too early to conclude. Some people are late bloomers. I was just an ordinary person a year and a half ago." "No way?" Zhao Manying was stunned. She remembered the name Ji Xinghuo but wasn’t familiar with his details. The last one on the ladder rarely caught her attention. "Really," Ji Xinghuo laughed, "The day you advanced to Super Mutant, I had just become a mutant." "What?" Zhao Manying’s eyes widened, and she forgot to chew the meat in her mouth, suddenly feeling it wasn’t as delicious as before.