novelhk Chapter 243 Man, you've successfully caught my attention!
Chapter 243 Man, you've successfully caught my attention!
Soon, all three of them changed into the navy blue uniform.
Chiba Saori stuffed the folded kimono into the wardrobe. The oversized uniform made her face look even paler.
Songxi took deep breaths repeatedly, trying to suppress the tension and anxiety in her heart.
The old-fashioned wall clock showed the time as 7:53.
There are seven minutes left before the ticket window opens.
Lin Feng's gaze swept over his two teammates, who were almost rooted to the spot by fear, before returning to the three ticket windows lined up side by side.
He frowned slightly.
If they "reduce their numbers," then all the subsequent ticket-buying pressure from tourists will be concentrated on his only window.
The risk index will undoubtedly increase exponentially!
Therefore, without endangering oneself, increasing their survival rate is equivalent to reducing one's own risk.
Right now, what they need most is a direct understanding of the physical "ghost coins".
With that in mind, Lin Feng no longer hesitated.
He casually flipped his wrist—seemingly taking it out of his pocket, but actually pulling out four banknotes and two coins from his personal storage space:
Two 100-dollar banknotes, two 50-dollar banknotes, and two 5-dollar coins.
He walked up to the two of them and handed a set of strange coins (a 100-dollar bill, a 50-dollar bill, and a coin) to Chiba Saori, and another set of the same combination to Songxi.
"Time is short, look carefully and remember the features. Keep it handy for reference whenever needed." Lin Feng's voice was calm and even.
Chiba Saori and Songxi were both startled, then grabbed the coins as if they were grasping at a lifeline.
Chiba Saori bowed deeply: "Thank you, Senior Lin Feng."
Songxi was so excited that her eyes reddened. She clasped her hands together, whispered a few words of thanks to the gods, and then turned to Lin Feng, bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Mr. Lin Feng!"
The two immediately moved to a slightly brighter spot by the window and began to study it intently.
Chiba Saori carefully rubbed the banknote with her fingertips—it was a resilient yet exceptionally smooth touch that made her skin tingle slightly.
She held it up to the sunlight streaming through the window and, sure enough, saw a thin, black shadow, as fine as a hair, slowly meandering deep within the paper, like the veins of a living creature.
Songxi picked up the coin first, its fine, even serrations scraping against his fingertip; it was cold and hard.
She carefully examined the raven relief on the front, with its distorted lines and hollow eye sockets, and the numbers on the back that seemed to be wriggling indistinctly.
Next came the banknotes—she even closed her eyes, relying solely on touch to memorize their unique, skin-like texture.
........................
Studio:
"The power of money is back! Money really can save your life!"
"Why help them? Those who aren't of our kind are bound to have different hearts. Lin Feng is being far too saintly!"
"Did the person upstairs forget their brain?! This is clearly a strategic investment! Is having all three windows open the same as having only one open?"
"Exactly! If those two girls get eliminated right at the start, and all the tourists crowd into Brother Feng's window, how can he handle it? The probability of making a mistake would increase several times over!"
"That's what you call a calm mind, minimizing the biggest risk with the least cost (which isn't even a cost to Brother Feng)."
"Saori-chan and Songxi are so lucky to have a teammate with money."
........................
Just then, the ticket office door creaked open, and Tang Xiaorui, with her pigtails and rebellious attire, strolled in, holding a piece of cardstock in her hand.
With a clear goal in mind, she walked straight to Lin Feng's window number 3, propped her chin on her hand on the table, tilted her head, and scrutinized Lin Feng's cold profile and upright posture, her eyes gleaming with interest.
Her tone was light and cheerful, with a touch of cynical banter:
"Why are you so serious? Tickets haven't even gone on sale yet."
Lin Feng's gaze remained fixed on the plaza outside the window, his voice calm:
"What might be amusement for you is a matter of life and death for us. How can we not take it seriously?"
"Tch, boring." Tang Xiaorui pouted, but her smile didn't fade. Instead, she slapped the cardboard in her hand onto the table in front of Lin Feng.
"Look at my handiwork!"
Lin Feng's gaze shifted downwards.
It was a Q-version cartoon portrait, exaggerated and cute in style, but the features were captured very accurately—it was him.
The "Q version of Lin Feng" in the painting has slightly furrowed brows, sharp eyes, and a cool straight line at the corner of his mouth.
Some stars and lightning bolts were doodled on the edge of the drawing paper with colored pens, and there was a line of text next to it:
[This newbie seems incredibly difficult to work with!]
Tang Xiaorui leaned closer, her tone filled with undisguised pride and a hint of anticipation.
"I observed you over there for a while, and I have to say, your demeanor and appearance really stand out from the crowd of oddballs. It inspired me so much that I couldn't resist drawing this!"
"How is it? Isn't it super good?"
Lin Feng looked up at her and nodded: "Yes, it is indeed well drawn."
Tang Xiaorui's eyes lit up, and she was about to say something.
Lin Feng, however, had already pointed to the clock on the wall that read 7:58:
"It's almost 8 o'clock, the park will open and tickets will go on sale soon. Please leave if you are not a visitor!"
Tang Xiaorui's smile froze for a moment, then turned into an expression that was both amused and annoyed. She stuck out her tongue:
"Hey, hey, hey, someone kindly drew you a picture, and instead of thanking me, you're kicking me out? Don't you have any sense of decency?!"
Lin Feng didn't even turn his head, his tone clearly distant: "I didn't ask you to draw it, okay?"
The air fell silent for a moment.
Chiba Saori and Songxi were so frightened that they held their breath—
Seriously? Lin Feng actually dared to talk back to the kindergarten director's daughter like that?!
She won't just go berserk and turn Lin Feng into mincemeat, will she?!
However, to their surprise, Tang Xiaorui was not angry at all. Instead, she burst out laughing, her eyes showing even more interest.
"Heh...that's quite unique," she muttered to herself.
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, the system notification sounded abruptly:
[Ding! Tang Xiaorui's favorability towards the host increases by 10]
[Current Affection Level: 35 / 100]
Lin Feng's forehead instantly creased with a few speechless black lines.
—No, Tang Xiaorui, what's wrong with you?
I've been so cold and sarcastic, how come you still seem to like me more?!
........................
Studio:
"This girl has great taste! Lin Ge's icy expression is actually kind of cute when drawn in a chibi style?"
"‘I didn't ask you to draw this’—a textbook example of anti-pretentiousness, I've learned something!"
"However, the young lady's eyes showed even more interest; could she be a masochist?"
"I bet five cents, the kindergarten director's youngest daughter eats this! The more you ignore her, the more she gets excited!"
"Saori and Songxi's expressions are hilarious, they look like two terrified hamsters."
"'You've got quite a personality'... Translation: Man, you've successfully caught my attention!"