Villain Simulator, Ch 230

Lucas quickly realized that Xiangling wasn't upset by Shenhe's sharp words alone. Instead, seeing Shenhe's impressive figure, she couldn't help but compare herself and feel inadequate.

"That's not true at all," Lucas reassured her with a gentle smile. "Small is adorable too. Besides, you're still young—you've got plenty of time to grow!"

"I'm not that young!" Xiangling puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "I'm already at the age where I can get married! My mom was my age when she married my dad!"

Chef Mao! Who would've thought you'd make such bold moves back in the day?

"A lively, sweet girl like you, who's also an amazing cook, will definitely make a wonderful wife someday," Lucas said sincerely. "I can't wait to see it."

"Really?" Xiangling's face lit up, and she giggled. "When I get married, you have to come. I won't even charge you a gift fee!"

"You're already thinking about gift money?" Lucas laughed and gently pinched her nose. "Well, if it's a free feast, you can bet I'll be there!"

He didn't seem to realize that the groom doesn't typically pay the gift fee for his own wedding.

Before they knew it, it was already 8 PM, with only an hour left until the end of the competition.

By this time, customer traffic had slowed significantly compared to earlier. To ensure they had time to wrap everything up, Lucas was preparing to close the restaurant.

As it stood, after deducting costs and rent, their net profit for the day was roughly 20 million Mora.

It was an impressive amount, but given the caliber of the competitors, Lucas couldn't shake some lingering doubts about whether it would be enough to advance.

Just as Yanfei escorted the last customer out and was about to close the door, a hand stopped the door from shutting. A woman stepped inside, her face alight with a teasing smile.

"Well, if it isn't the great Yanfei, Liyue's top lawyer," the woman said. "What's the matter? Is the legal business so slow that you've resorted to waiting tables?"

The woman had short, dark blue hair and strikingly beautiful features. Her sharp green eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, radiated intelligence and mischief.

Her slender frame was perfectly proportioned, with curves that were neither overdone nor lacking. Most captivating, however, were her flawless, snow-white underarms, elegantly revealed with every graceful movement of her shoulders.

"Lady… Yelan?" Yanfei blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you've already made enough money?"

Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Yelan, the mysterious agent from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and a participant personally recommended by Ningguang for the Tianshu selection.

"Making money?" Yelan chuckled lightly. "Is there anything in this world simpler than that?"

As Liyue's top lawyer and a descendant of the mythical xiezhi, Yanfei rarely held anyone in high esteem outside of Ganyu. But Yelan, who had often assisted her during investigations, was an exception.

Still, Yanfei found Yelan's presence somewhat unsettling, as if the woman could read her every thought with just a glance.

"My apologies, miss," Lucas said, emerging from the kitchen with a polite smile. "The restaurant is closed. Please come again another day."

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the candidate recommended by Keqing, correct?" Yelan extended a hand with a sly smile. "I'm Yelan. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Lucas," he replied, slightly caught off guard but shaking her hand nonetheless. However, his eyes instinctively followed the motion of her arm, settling on her underarm.

"Tch, typical," Yanfei muttered. "This guy can't tear his eyes away from a girl's 'scenery.'"

"I actually find that kind of straightforwardness endearing," Yelan said with a wink at Yanfei. "So, did he sneak any glances at yours?"

"Mine?" Yanfei suddenly realized that her outfit also left her underarms exposed. Thinking back, she couldn't recall Lucas ever stealing a glance at her.

Somehow, this realization left her feeling even more irked. Was she not even worth a second look?

"Hey, don't make it sound like I'm some kind of creep," Lucas protested, looking exasperated. "It was just an accidental glance!"

"Seems like you've already put the fire out for the day," Yelan said as she casually seated herself. "Could I trouble you for a pot of Yunlai White Tea? Add a pinch of Jueyun Chili and ground Glaze Lily stamens to the brew. My throat is parched after a busy day."

"You seem pretty relaxed," Yanfei remarked curiously. "Does that mean you're confident you've made enough to qualify? How much did you earn?"

"Not much," Yelan said nonchalantly, holding up her thumb and index finger to form an "8."

"Eight Million?" Yanfei felt a wave of relief.

It seemed that competitors like Beidou, who easily raked in tens of millions, were outliers. If even a top contender like Yelan only made 8 Million then Lucas' advancement seemed all but assured.

"Haha, of course not," Yelan said with a sly grin. "Add another zero to that."

"E-eighty million?!" Yanfei gasped. "How on earth did you manage that?"

For Yanfei, who often handled large cases, 80 million Mora wasn't an astronomical sum. But to earn that in a single day? That was a feat worth marveling at.

"The quickest way possible, of course," Yelan said, tossing three dice onto the table with a playful smile. "With these little beauties."

"Gambling... really?"

Yanfei's expression turned complicated. "Is that method even valid? Didn't your evaluator have any objections?"

"Just some harmless fun," Yelan said with a laugh. "Did you really think Ningguang set this task to test proper, conventional methods of making money? Running a restaurant… Heh, only you folks would think of such an earnest approach."

Indeed, the challenge of "earning as much money as possible in one day" wasn't so much about business acumen as it was about adaptability and quick thinking.

Liyue Harbor didn't lack talented merchants, but one of the key responsibilities of the Liyue Qixing was to respond flexibly to sudden and unpredictable events.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with playing it straight," Lucas replied, shaking his head. "Besides, I've earned 20 million Mora. It may not be as much as yours, but it should be enough to qualify."

"Twenty million?" Yelan's expression briefly showed surprise, but she quickly composed herself, shaking her head. "Looks like I underestimated you. With 20 million, you should have no trouble advancing. But in this contest, the more Mora you earn, the better."

"Why's that?" Yanfei asked, her curiosity piqued. "Does the amount earned in the first round affect the next rounds?"

"It's just a hunch," Yelan said with a sly smile. "If the goal were purely to test quick-money skills, they could have simply set a target amount, and the first ones to reach it would advance. Instead, they've gone through all this trouble to make everyone compete to earn as much as possible within a set time."

"Makes sense," Lucas nodded in agreement. "It seems earning more Mora might give us an advantage later."

"Then what do we do?" Yanfei said, regret flashing across her face. "If I'd known, we should've thought of ways to earn more!"

In hindsight, Lucas could have raised the prices of his dark cuisine even higher, and customers likely wouldn't have complained. But doing so might have hurt Wanmin Restaurant's "affordable prices" reputation.

"How curious…" Yelan rested her chin on the back of her hand, her smile mischievous. "Yanfei, you're just a referee. Why are you so invested in whether he qualifies? Don't tell me... you have feelings for him?"

"As if!" Yanfei's face flushed, and she quickly denied it. "I... I just don't want this to stain my professional record!"

Lucas paused in thought, then suddenly sat across from Yelan, his expression serious. "Miss Yelan, how about a bet?"

Both Yanfei and Yelan looked surprised by his bold proposition.

"Are you out of your mind?" Yanfei rapped her knuckles lightly against Lucas' forehead, fuming. "Gambling against her? You might as well throw your Mora into the sea—you'd at least get to hear the splash!"

"No choice," Lucas said with a grin. "Twenty million Mora still feels like too little."

"Hahaha!" Yelan suddenly burst into laughter, slapping her thigh. "You're quite something. I think I finally understand why the meticulous Keqing picked you."

"So," Lucas said calmly, "are you in or out?"

"I've never turned down a bet in my life," Yelan said, a sharp glint in her eyes. "I won't start now. What's the game, and what's the wager?"

"I'm not one for complicated games," Lucas said, glancing at the three dice in front of Yelan. "How about we keep it simple? Odd or even, one round, 20 million Mora."

All in.

Win, and you're living large. Lose, and it's back to hard labor.

"No problem," Yelan said with a sly grin. "Challenging me at dice is like challenging Ningguang at chess. I admire your courage. Don't worry—I might even leave you cab fare for the trip home."

"You're insane! Absolutely insane!" Yanfei looked like she might explode. "You'll regret this!"

She knew all too well just how formidable Yelan's gambling skills were.

"Relax," Lucas said confidently. "Remember the story of the guy who turned 20 Mora into 37 million? Well, Lucas turning 20 million into 80 million isn't an issue."

"Go ahead," Yelan said, gesturing lazily. "I'll call it."

"Then let's get started."

Without a proper dice cup, Lucas grabbed a porcelain bowl, casually tossed the dice in, and gave it a few light shakes. "All set."

"Hey! Shake it more!" Yanfei said anxiously. "At this rate, Yelan will figure out the result in no time!"

It was true. Yelan's mastery of gambling relied heavily on her exceptional hearing and vision. She could discern not only whether the dice landed on odd or even but even the exact numbers rolled.

"Looks like this 20 million will be mine," Yelan said with a confident smirk. "I call—"

"Hold on," Lucas interrupted, "the dice are odd."

Yelan paused, then chuckled. "Do you think I'd believe you?"

It was akin to someone saying they'd throw "rock" before a game of rock-paper-scissors—impossible to trust.

Still, Yelan's confidence faltered for a moment under Lucas' unwavering gaze.

"Odd," Lucas repeated.

"Why would anyone trust their opponent?" Yanfei scoffed, crossing her arms.

But to her surprise, Yelan hesitated. Lucas' intense gaze made her doubt herself.

"I call... odd," Yelan murmured.

["Liar's Bane" skill activated: successfully manipulated opponent's belief.]

"Apologies, but I lied," Lucas said with a chuckle, lifting the bowl to reveal two threes and a four. "It's even."

"What?!" Yanfei gasped. "Yelan... actually lost?"

"What did you do?" Yelan asked, her expression perplexed. "Why did I believe you?"

"Trust or doubt is always just a choice," Lucas said with a smile. "Care for another round?"

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Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, all cuz of exams but it is over now so will update daily, also will post 3 more chapter today :]

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