Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 42: Revised: Chapter 2 Simai Hotel

Walking out of the laboratory exit, Tian Xingjian saw Milan sitting at an empty desk in the lobby, her beautiful face showing a confused expression. She looked quiet and charming at that moment.

Fatty couldn’t help but walk over, pat Milan on the shoulder, and say, ”I came back alive, such a big deal and you don’t invite me to dinner?”

Milan turned around and, seeing it was him, inexplicably blushed again and spat, ”Pah, what does it matter to me if you’re dead?”

Tian Xingjian laughed, ”Then I’ll treat you to dinner.”

Milan hesitated for a moment, finally stood up with a hum, and said, ”Anyway, if I don’t eat, it’s a waste. I want to go to Simai Hotel.”

Simai Hotel is a seven-star hotel in Gallipalan, known for its luxury and extravagance. Before the war, it was the best place for elite gatherings. But now, mostly senior officers were the ones frequenting the hotel. Those who could run had all returned to the Central Star Domain.

Tian Xingjian smiled and readily agreed, ”Alright, my dear junior sister.”

It seemed that Milan was particularly shy now. Hearing this, her face flushed again, and she glared at Tian Xingjian with her clear eyes, threw out a ”You wait outside, I’ll go change clothes,” and ran off.

Tian Xingjian stood bored at the building entrance for an hour before seeing Milan come out. She wore a short floral skirt, a white lace-trimmed bottom blouse, and a beige crocheted vest. With her long, slender white legs in crystal high-heeled sandals, she looked fresh and cute.

It seemed she had taken a shower; her slightly damp long hair casually draped over her shoulders, and with light makeup on her face, her beautiful eyelids exuded an enchanting glow.

Wearing his army lieutenant uniform, Tian Xingjian felt that standing next to Milan made him look like a countryside bumpkin.

As they walked out the door, Milan shook her hand at Tian Xingjian, holding a string of flying car keys, made a cute face, and said with a smile, ”I borrowed the car from the professor.”

Arriving at the parking lot, Fatty was dumbfounded at the sight of Boswell’s car. It was a Chiki brand car from around 2030, as ancient as the Magic Beast Mecha. This was a huge blow; whether the car could even fly was a serious question.

With no other transportation options, they exchanged glances and reluctantly boarded the flying car.

After pulling up the map on the car’s computer and selecting the destination, the old flying car trembled slightly before lifting off the ground amidst their prayers, gliding along the auto-lane out of the academy, and joining the traffic on the road.

After a dozen minutes, the flying car turned off onto a side road and floated up a leafy path that wound up the mountain. A few minutes later, Tian Xingjian’s eyes lit up as he saw a luxurious hotel appear in the middle of an expansive lawn at the mountain’s summit, with the parking area filled with various luxury flying cars.

After parking the car, Tian Xingjian and Milan had just reached the hotel entrance when they were stopped by a doorman with a polite but distant smile. ”Excuse me, sir, do you have a reservation?”

Tian Xingjian was taken aback, ”No more seats available?”

The doorman smiled insincerely, ”Yes, sir, we have important guests today, so we can’t accommodate customers without reservations.”

Because of the important guests, the management had early on instructed that only frequent customers could be served, not others. Simai Hotel was the highest-grade hotel chain in the entire Federation, and without some background, one couldn’t even enter the hotel.

The doorman actually admired Tian Xingjian’s courage for daring to walk into Simai Hotel as a lieutenant. Ignorance is fearless; the cheapest dish here would cost a Federation lieutenant months of salary.

The other doormen also smiled, having seen the dilapidated Chiki car from far away. They initially thought it was a stunt by some elite; that car was too embarrassing otherwise. But it turned out to be a naive lieutenant with a deceived pretty woman. Such a person wanting to flaunt wealth and act like a hero at Simai Hotel was laughable to the doormen.

At this moment, Milan smiled gently at the doorman and said, ”We have a reservation. My name is Milan. Please check.”

The doorman checked the electronic list in his hand and indeed found Milan’s name. Though a bit surprised, he politely stepped aside.

Fatty unexpectedly didn’t know the rules for inviting someone to dinner, but fortunately, Milan had reserved a spot in advance. Otherwise, it would have been embarrassing. He couldn’t help but awkwardly touch his nose.

The restaurant was divided into two parts; the outer ring was a series of small halls mainly for casual diners, suitable for parties of four or fewer. The central round section, separated by glass, was the main hall. It was empty, but the set tables suggested it had been booked for important guests, with some wait staff busily preparing.

Following a waitress, Tian Xingjian and Milan wandered up to a window seat. The spot offered a great view, overlooking Gallipalan City, arguably the best seat in the small hall. It was a mystery how Milan had secured such a place.

Sitting down and ordering food, Milan softly asked, ”Fatty, is this your first time here?”

Tian Xingjian scratched his head foolishly, ”Yes, I had no idea about all the rules.”

Milan gave a sly smile, ”Then you’d better be prepared; if you can’t pay the bill, you might have to wash dishes here to pay off the debt.”

Tian Xingjian didn’t seem worried at all. He had tens of thousands of Leray Yuan left by his parents on his card, not much, but enough to cover a meal, surely.

The small hall was already full, but none of the guests seemed interested in eating. They were all looking around as if waiting for something.

The dishes Milan ordered quickly arrived: a fine goose liver pâté, crispy small bread, roasted snails, and thick asparagus soup. These are classic French dishes from Ancient Earth and exceptionally exquisite. Such traditionally crafted dishes are only available at Simai Hotel. Milan also ordered a T-bone steak for meat-loving Fatty, knowing the other dishes wouldn’t be enough for him.

As they ate and chatted, a group of people entered the main hall behind the glass wall. Seeing these people, the diners in the small hall suddenly stood up; some even took out prepared cameras and began snapping photos frantically, flashbulbs flickering.

The standing guests blocked Tian Xingjian’s view, so he couldn’t see who the important guests were that the doorman mentioned. But it didn’t concern him, so Fatty just glanced briefly before continuing to focus on his T-bone steak.