After March 7th uttered those words that were akin to "ulting point-blank," the atmosphere at the scene instantly became somewhat bizarre. Even the usually indifferent Dan Heng couldn't help but furrow his brows and look toward Bronya.
March 7th also sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange and scratched her head in confusion.
"What's wrong with everyone?"
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to speak.
Fu Zhu took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked seriously at March 7th and Bronya, who were sitting together.
"March, there is something I need to explain to you. Actually..."
Before Fu Zhu could finish, Bronya suddenly spoke up and interrupted him.
"Congratulations on getting your wish, March."
Although she received Bronya's congratulations, March 7th didn't feel too happy about it; instead, she felt it was somewhat strange. Even if she was usually a bit ditsy, she could still react to the fact that Bronya didn't seem to want Fu Zhu to say something.
"Thank you."
After a simple acknowledgment, March 7th quieted down, her eyes burning as she stared at Fu Zhu across from her.
Fu Zhu waited for both of them to be quiet before planning to speak again and confess everything. Even if there were outsiders present, confessing was better than hiding it.
However, before he could speak again, Cocolia keenly perceived his intention and shifted the topic one step ahead.
"Fu Zhu, speaking of which, did you put in a lot of good words for us in front of General Jing Yuan? Just after Bronya and I arrived on the Luofu, quite a few people came looking for us, saying they wanted to develop cooperation with Jarilo-VI. Among them, besides the Luofu, there were ships from the Zhuming and Yaoqing."
One had to know, cooperating with three heavyweight Xianzhou ships on a normal day was something she wouldn't even dare to dream of.
Seeing her mother bring this up, Bronya also looked at Fu Zhu with complex eyes.
Fu Zhu sighed. Being interrupted one after another, he also realized what was happening. Clearly, Cocolia and the others didn't want him to reveal everything here, so he could only temporarily give up on the idea of confessing and wait until later to find March 7th alone.
Putting aside the thought of confessing for now, Fu Zhu answered Cocolia's question.
"It's just a simple exchange of benefits. It's beneficial to Jarilo-VI and to me, so you can just accept it with peace of mind."
"Peace of mind..."
Cocolia gave a light laugh, her eyes containing some emotions that were hard to fathom, and she shot a glance at Bronya.
After receiving the look, Bronya lowered her head, pursed her lips, and didn't speak.
The atmosphere at the scene fell into an awkward situation again. Fortunately, at this moment, Jing Yuan returned.
He started saying some seemingly nonsensical things, which drew everyone's attention. Even Dan Heng followed up with some echoing remarks, finally making the atmosphere at the scene appear less awkward.
Not long after, Jing Yuan returned to the table.
Seeing Jing Yuan return, Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Jing Yuan with some resentment.
"General Jing Yuan, if you had come back any slower, I would have died of thirst."
Jing Yuan scanned the scene and asked in surprise, "Did no one pour tea for you?"
"We didn't have time to drink tea... Forget it, since things have come to this, let's go eat first!"
...
After everyone left the Seat of Divine Foresight, they prepared to take separate cars to the restaurant Jing Yuan had arranged beforehand. Cocolia and Bronya naturally sat in the same starskiff.
As soon as they got on the starskiff and Bronya had just sat down, Cocolia spoke up.
"Bronya, later when we are eating, remember to do everything possible to re-establish your relationship with Fu Zhu. Don't forget what you promised him. It will be an unprecedented help to Jarilo-VI."
Hearing this, Bronya turned her head stiffly to look at Cocolia, whose face was serious.
"Mother, are you crazy? March 7th is already with Fu Zhu... You want your daughter to go and... destroy their relationship?"
Cocolia, however, hugged her arms and sneered. "You were the one who came first, weren't you? Why don't you say she snatched him from you?"
Bronya instantly lowered her head, not daring to look Cocolia in the eye.
Seeing Bronya like this, Cocolia couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
Daughter, oh daughter, with a personality like yours, how can you compete with others? I'm afraid the happiness that is within your reach will be handed over to someone else.
However, there is still a chance for everything. Although her daughter is fragile in emotional matters, she still has herself!
Since she has already been the bad guy quite a few times, it won't matter if she carries one more black pot on her back!
Although she pitied her daughter in her heart, Cocolia still deliberately kept a straight face and instructed in a very serious tone:
"Bronya, remember, you must do as I say. This is for Jarilo-VI! For everyone!"
If she didn't say this, Bronya would definitely choose to hide all her feelings in her heart. Even if Fu Zhu confessed everything, she would choose to concede. Only by saying this could she force Bronya to act according to her plan.
"Daughter, you have to put in some effort!"
Meanwhile, outside the starskiff, Xing originally planned to take advantage of this time apart from the crowd to get some 'intel' from Cocolia. But she hadn't expected to hear Cocolia's "selfish" speech as soon as she approached.
This made her frown uncontrollably. She lowered her footsteps, left quietly without changing her expression, and secretly took out her phone in a corner to send a message to Seele.
[Xing: Seele, do you know about Cocolia forcing Bronya into a marriage alliance with my Old Bro?]
She originally wanted to ask Seele regarding the content of Cocolia forcing Bronya into a marriage alliance, intending to use this evidence to threaten Cocolia to stop interfering. But the result she got from Seele was an answer she hadn't expected.
[Seele: Since you asked suddenly, I guess you must know. Then I'll say it straight. Indeed, there is such a thing, but Cocolia gave up on it. On the night of the Pillow Fight, it was Bronya who initiated it herself.]
Pillow fight? Initiated? What does that mean?
Xing was a bit confused, but the next second, her eyes suddenly narrowed.
Could it be?!
...
The group moved to the restaurant Jing Yuan had booked. As the host, Jing Yuan raised his wine cup and toasted everyone first.
However, after everyone clinked glasses, he faintly sensed that the atmosphere at the scene seemed a bit off. He silently put down his chopsticks and looked at the crowd in front of him with curiosity.
Whether it was a coincidence or for some other reason, March 7th and Bronya were sitting on the left and right of Fu Zhu, while Xing, Dan Heng, and Cocolia were sitting opposite the three of them.
"Fu Zhu, I want to eat that!"
March 7th, as usual, pointed with her chopsticks to a dish far away from her and acted coquettishly toward Fu Zhu.
Fu Zhu nodded, reached out, picked up some food with his chopsticks, and placed it in March 7th's bowl. March 7th giggled.
"Thank you~"
Sitting on Fu Zhu's other side, Bronya watched the interaction between the two, her eyes dimming slightly. But Cocolia opposite her kept winking at her, urging her to do something.
Bronya bit her lower lip lightly, reached out, picked up some food, and placed it in Fu Zhu's bowl right in front of March 7th.
"This is delicious, you eat more of it."
Both of them looked at Bronya with dazed expressions, but Bronya turned her head away and didn't meet their gazes.
March 7th's eyes narrowed slightly. She also reached out, picked up some food, and put it in Fu Zhu's bowl.
"Darling, you eat this."
Bronya, 'not showing weakness,' poured a cup of tea for Fu Zhu, her tone indescribably gentle.
"Have some water, don't choke."
Fu Zhu didn't choke; instead, March 7th was the one choking. Her gaze crossed Fu Zhu and looked at Bronya, her eyes full of incomprehension.
Is this not my boyfriend? Why does it feel like I'm the mistress?
March 7th decisively put down her chopsticks and pouted at Fu Zhu somewhat unconvinced, acting spoiled.
"Feed me~"
This time, Bronya didn't continue to 'fight for jealousy.' After all, Jing Yuan was still present, and she represented Jarilo-VI; she couldn't lose face for Jarilo-VI.
Those few moves just now should be enough, right?
Bronya raised her head to glance at Cocolia opposite her. But unexpectedly, Cocolia had a look of regret.
Still not enough, Mother?
On the other side, even though there was delicious food on the table, Xing still held her chopsticks in her mouth, staring at March 7th and Bronya with glowing eyes.
Delicious food is common, but melons involving a Shuraba aren't! Seeing that even Jing Yuan and Dan Heng hadn't moved their chopsticks, they just stared at the two women!
Knowing clearly that Cocolia's so-called plan was definitely another emotional plot, Xing still couldn't control her desire to eat melons. Her eyes frequently glanced toward Fu Zhu.
Old Bro, why are you sitting there like a block of wood? The Shuraba is practically on your face! If you don't react, are you planning to stop eating rice and switch to eating diesel?
Opposite them, Fu Zhu looked at his bowl piled high with various dishes, feeling very uncomfortable.
It was his first time experiencing a Shuraba. He really didn't know what to do so that neither side would get hurt, but he also couldn't let this good meal be ruined. He couldn't leave a bad impression on Jing Yuan, right?
After thinking about it, Fu Zhu reached out and lifted the bowl full of vegetables.
March 7th and Bronya both looked over, wondering in their hearts whose food Fu Zhu would eat first. But Fu Zhu, expressionless, directly brought the bowl to his mouth and took a bite—bowl and all.
Crunch... Crunch... Crunch.
Fu Zhu took two or three bites and ate the bowl along with the dishes, then looked expressionlessly toward Jing Yuan and nodded.
"The dishes at this restaurant are indeed not bad."
Jing Yuan's hand holding the wine cup froze in mid-air. He looked at the porcelain shards sticking to the corner of Fu Zhu's mouth with a bewildered face. Even knowing that Fu Zhu was an Emanator, he couldn't help but worry.
"Fu... Fu Zhu... Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Anyway, in MC, many times Steve eats the meal together with the tableware. What's a porcelain bowl? As long as it sticks to the food, even a porcelain bowl is part of the food!
Fu Zhu laughed heartily, acting as if he didn't care at all.
"To tell you the truth, actually, I have a bit of Pica."
The corner of Jing Yuan's mouth twitched, and he forced a smile.
"Yeah, I can see that."
March 7th and Bronya were stunned for a long while before they instantly panicked.
"Fu Zhu, are you okay? Even if it's Pica, you can't eat your own stuff! Go check it out!"
"Even if you are powerful, internal organs are very weak!"
The two of them no longer had the leisure to think about anything else. Worried, they reached up to hold Fu Zhu's chin and inspected him.
The two even had a clear division of labor: Bronya pinched Fu Zhu's jaw open, while March 7th leaned in to carefully examine whether Fu Zhu's mouth had been cut by the porcelain.
Sitting opposite, Xing watched Fu Zhu's move, her beautiful eyes widening into circles.
As expected of my Old Bro! Easily doing things I dare not do!
After Fu Zhu finished eating his bowl, he seemed unsatisfied. He turned and picked up the wine cup to toast Jing Yuan.
"Prisoner Jing, I toast you."
Saying that, Fu Zhu put the wine cup into his mouth and chewed it up too. This stunned Jing Yuan, who had originally planned to take a sip of wine, once again.
After eating the wine, Fu Zhu assumed a calm posture, scanned the crowd, and asked in confusion:
"Why are you looking at me? You guys eat too."
Only then did the crowd snap back to reality and start moving their chopsticks. This time, they were no longer 'reserved' as before. Every one of them seemed to be suddenly possessed by starving ghosts, starting to frantically grab food, afraid that if they ate too late, Fu Zhu would perform another 'Pica' show.
Fu Zhu watched the crowd taking the initiative and finally sighed in relief in his heart.
Luckily I was witty enough to resolve this banquet properly. It's not easy. Although the mouth feels fine, the taste is mostly hard for people to accept.
If not because this banquet is for pulling the relationship between the Luofu and Jarilo-VI closer, I wouldn't want to use this kind of stupid idea.
...
Soon, with the efforts of the group of 'starving ghosts,' the dishes on the table were finally wiped clean.
Jing Yuan also took this opportunity to tell the crowd to take Fu Zhu to have a look. Although he was an Emanator, what if something happened?
March 7th and Bronya were also very worried about this matter. As soon as the banquet ended, they got up. Regardless of whether Fu Zhu was willing or not, the two of them, one on the left and one on the right, directly supported Fu Zhu and left the restaurant, preparing to go find Bailu for an examination.
As Xing and Dan Heng watched the three leave, a smile appeared on the corner of the former's mouth. She turned her head to look at Cocolia, who was still sitting in her seat resting.
"Cocolia, interested in having a talk?"
Cocolia turned her head in confusion. She didn't have much contact with Xing. Even on Jarilo-VI, most of the time she was discussing things with Fu Zhu.
But she didn't refuse.
"Sure. What does Xing want to talk about?"
The smile on Xing's face became even wider.
"Just chatting. For example, things regarding the Marriage Alliance between you and Bronya; I heard about it from somewhere."
Hearing this, Dan Heng beside her couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly. Is there a melon?
He naturally began to lower his presence, starting to act as the background board for the conversation between the two.
After Cocolia heard Xing's words, she fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Okay."