Chapter 303: Rotten Peach Blossoms
The Dongyang exhibition booth was bustling all morning as people from various bases gathered to see the specimen of the crawling entity.
Some even offered as much as 80 million Federal coins plus 100 crystal cores to purchase the specimen.
But Yang Ying politely declined with a smile.
What a joke—this was currently one of a kind in the South. Until the research results were out, it was priceless.
Eventually, even Minister Xu, a high-ranking official from Changjing, arrived.
Surrounded by his entourage, Minister Xu examined the specimen and nodded.
“Was it your Dongyang warriors who captured it? Being able to subdue it without killing—impressive strength.”
Xing Shuyu and Yang Ying responded with pride, “It was our Pioneer Army’s Major General Shi. You should have heard of him.”
Minister Xu revealed an understanding expression and laughed heartily.
“That explains it. Eh? Young one, you’re here to see the specimen too? Are you afraid?”
Su Tao was a little embarrassed.
“I was a bit scared at first, especially since it has a face that looks eerily human.”
The surrounding people turned to look at her in surprise, some even scrutinizing her.
Who was this young girl? And why did Minister Xu seem so familiar with her?
Jiang Jinwei, who had been lingering nearby, also took notice.
She overheard people saying that man was Minister Xu from Changjing.
She vaguely remembered Zhuo Ercheng mentioning that Minister Xu was a key figure in Xindu’s ranking—someone highly regarded, someone even Zhuo Ercheng had to treat with respect.
How did Su Tao know someone of this level?
Jiang Jinwei frowned, hesitant to step forward and make a fool of herself. She decided to observe from the shadows instead.
Minister Xu, meanwhile, was treating Su Tao like a junior, his tone warm and accommodating.
His gaze landed on the bracelet on Su Tao’s wrist, and he seemed to see right through everything.
“You’re not afraid now, are you? That’s good. The person who gave you that was very thoughtful.”
Su Tao was stunned.
No wonder he was a big shot—his sharp eyes caught even that.
She became even more obedient, intending to offer him a drink, but the minister simply waved his hand.
“Everyone, let’s go down to the first floor for lunch. Don’t crowd around me—carry on with your business.”
The crowd laughed and gradually dispersed, heading downstairs for their meal.
One of the highlights—or rather, benefits—of the Alliance Summit was the free lunch.
The West Tulanya Restaurant on the first floor operated like a hotel buffet. As long as you were a summit attendee, you could eat for free.
In the resource-scarce post-apocalyptic world, Xindu had spared no expense for this, which was why the number of attendees was strictly controlled—to prevent freeloaders.
Su Tao had expected to see some rare delicacies, but after circling the restaurant, she was shocked to find that more than half of the food on offer came from Taoyang.
Most of it had been reprocessed—instant noodles taken out of their packaging and made into various stir-fried or mixed noodle dishes, bread sliced in half with candy fillings, breakfast machine sets separated into milk, biscuits, and buns displayed individually.
Su Tao was dumbfounded.
She turned to Lin Fangzhi. “Did we ever sell supplies to Xindu?”
Lin Fangzhi shook his head decisively. “No.”
Understood. Xindu must have had someone buy them on their behalf.
They were too proud to buy supplies directly.
Just then, Chu Yue appeared out of nowhere with a tray and sneered at her.
“Never seen so much food before? Stunned, aren’t you?”
To Chu Yue, Su Tao’s expression of surprise only confirmed her as a clueless country bumpkin.
A country bumpkin was exactly that.
Did Lei Xing know he had taken a liking to such a girl?
Chu Yue was starting to question her taste in men—Lei Xing didn’t seem like someone with such poor judgment.
Su Tao scanned her from head to toe, her disdainful gaze nearly making Chu Yue explode.
Before she could, Su Tao pointed at the food on her tray and commented,
“That’s shepherd’s purse bun—tastes decent but a bit greasy. People who don’t get much nutrition in their diet tend to enjoy it more.”
“This sausage casing is a bit tough, and combined with the hard bread—well, you’ve probably never had anything better, so you won’t mind. It’ll give your jaw a good workout.”
“And this fried rice—originally a set meal of white rice, tomato scrambled eggs, and pork chop. But Xindu’s ‘brilliant’ kitchen managed to turn it into pig feed. Looking at how much you took, you must really like it.”
With every sentence, Chu Yue’s face darkened three shades, turning a livid shade of purple.
Jiao Qing burst out laughing.
“This girl’s got quite the sharp tongue. Chu Yue, maybe Lei Xing already took her to eat all these before. You should let this go.”
Chu Yue’s expression turned even uglier.
Su Tao looked at Jiao Qing and corrected, “Sorry, I need to clarify—Lei Xing didn’t take me to eat these. I took him.”
Ignoring Jiao Qing’s changing expression, she turned back to Chu Yue and continued,
“I have no romantic feelings for Lei Xing beyond friendship. If you like him, go ahead—but stop picking fights with me.
“And honestly? The way you act—blunt, spoiled, unreasonable—it’ll only push Lei Xing further away.”
“You—!”
“I’m doing just fine. Now, I’m going to eat. You all enjoy yourselves.”
With that, Su Tao turned and left.
What a ridiculous rotten peach blossom!
If the woman were even a little normal, Su Tao wouldn’t have minded playing matchmaker.
But pairing Lei Xing with someone like this? That would be ruining his life.
Chu Yue had never been schooled like this before—not even by her family.
Her fury made her chest heave, and she clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles cracked.
Deng Zilu rushed over and, after hearing what had happened, quickly tried to calm her down.
“Chu Yue! This is Xindu, and we’re at the summit. You mustn’t cause trouble here. If you hit her, you’ll fall right into her trap. And when Uncle Chu finds out, he’ll scold you again.”
Chu Yue begrudgingly reined in her temper.
But the way she looked at Su Tao was murderous.
Through gritted teeth, she hissed, “Just wait—I’ll make her kneel and beg for mercy!”
The three of them sat down, but Chu Yue was still seething.
“That little brat must be pretending to be all innocent in front of Lei Xing. This is her real face. Men are all blind!”
Deng Zilu thought to herself, If she can act so well, that’s a skill in itself. You, Miss Chu, couldn’t even if you tried.
Jiao Qing, however, found something odd.
“She’s way too fearless. It’s like she doesn’t see us as a threat. Does she have something backing her up?”
Chu Yue scoffed. “She’s only fearless because she doesn’t know who we are! She’s just an ignorant kid who isn’t afraid of tigers yet. She’ll regret it soon enough!”
Jiao Qing thought that made sense. After all, they hadn’t introduced themselves.
“Tomorrow, Zilu—by the latest, tomorrow, we act. I can’t stand seeing her smug face any longer!”
Deng Zilu recalled the imposing man who had been by Su Tao’s side earlier.
Her instincts told her Su Tao wasn’t someone to mess with.
But her father’s death—caused by Su Tao and that man’s refusal to save him—was a grudge she couldn’t let go.
Using this idiot Chu Yue to teach Su Tao a lesson was the perfect opportunity.
Deng Zilu made up her mind.
“Alright. But you know Ercheng doesn’t like me getting involved in these things. I’ll only give advice—you’ll have to handle the execution yourself, Chu Yue.”
