"Hey! Can you pay this bill? I owe you one."
A striking girl with flowing black hair, a confident figure, and a presence that naturally drew attention stood in front of a young man in his twenties. He blinked, caught off guard by the sudden request.
Seeing him frozen, the girl frowned slightly. "Oi!" she called out again.
That snapped Jiang back to reality. "Oh! Yeah—totally. I got it."
Shaking off his momentary daze, Shen Jiang picked up the tab, rose from his seat, and walked over to the counter to settle the bill.
"See? I said I'd handle it." The girl—Yu Xiao—grinned as she turned to her friend. "He's my classmate, so I'll pay him back. Don't stress over it, Xinyi." [Image of both girls.]
Ellie, with soft chestnut hair and calm brown eyes, gave her friend a long, silent look. "I could've paid too."
"It's fine!" Xiao replied with a playful shrug, clearly exasperated by XInyi's persistence. "I said I'll pay him back, okay? Don't make a big deal out of it."
Meanwhile, at the counter, Jiang stared at the bill in his hand and let out a quiet sigh. A faint, ironic smile crossed his face, but his eyes flickered up occasionally—drawn by something unseen. His gaze held a strange mix of confusion and quiet resolve.
Something hovered in the corner of his vision—a translucent blue screen, faintly flickering in and out.
"Great," he muttered under his breath. "Either I'm dehydrated or this heat finally broke my brain."
Still, without hesitation, Shen Jiang reached for his wallet and paid the bill—his eyes still catching glimpses of that strange, flickering blue display hovering silently in his vision.
But the moment his scan confirmed the payment, his vision faltered again—blurring for a second—and a soft vibration came from his smartphone.
A new notification slid across the screen. He blinked and lowered his gaze to check it. What he saw made his breath hitch.
Message:
Your savings account ending in XXXX has been credited with ¥13,000 at 9:45 PM, April 29. Current total balance: ¥17,250
- Construction Bank
[Now] ✓
Shen Jiang's expression went blank.
He stared at the screen. Once. Then again. Slowly, he brought a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, as if that would clear away whatever hallucination or system bug he had just seen.
But when he looked again—
The numbers were still there.
His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
After a brief silence, Shen Jiang took a quiet breath and stepped up beside the two girls.
"Do you want something to eat? My treat?" he asked softly.
His voice made Yu Xiao pause. She turned to look at him, a bit surprised. She knew him fairly well from their classes—quiet, reserved, the kind of guy who kept to himself. She had always assumed it was partly because of his financial situation.
"I'm not paying you back for this, alright?" Yu Xiao said cautiously. "The food here can get pretty expensive."
There was a hint of tension in her voice. She wasn't from a wealthy family either, and tonight, she'd only asked for help because her other friend had dipped out early—leaving her stuck and unable to pay the bill. Shen Jiang had just happened to be there.
"No, it's fine. This one's on me."
Shen Jiang shook his head, as if to dismiss the concern—but truthfully, he was still trying to convince himself that what had just happened was real. That mysterious credit to his account, the hovering blue screen—whatever it was, he needed to confirm it wasn't just a heat-induced hallucination.
Maybe ordering again would trigger something. Anything.
Yu Xiao studied his face for a moment, then smirked.
"Is that so... Then I'll take you up on that kindness."
Grinning playfully, she took the menu and started browsing the options.
Beside her, Li Xinyi watched their exchange with quiet confusion. She knew Shen Jiang as well—at least enough to know he was far from the type to casually offer to treat anyone, let alone at a pricey bar. And if not for the other guy who had bailed on them earlier, Yu Xiao probably wouldn't have asked him at all—or he wouldn't have come.
"Hmm… I'll go with the chocolate berry."
Yu Xiao said it casually, tapping the pricier option on the menu—partly to tease Jiang, expecting him to hesitate or back out.
But when she saw the cost—¥4,000—even she raised an eyebrow.
To her surprise, Shen Jiang simply nodded, wiped a bit of sweat from his brow, and walked off to place the order.
"He… actually left to buy it?"
Yu Xiao, who had made her choice half-jokingly, now looked genuinely stunned. She turned slightly in her seat, watching Jiang walk away.
"What was that?" she murmured, still processing what had just happened.
Beside her, Li Xinyi shook her head slowly, her gaze also fixed on Shen Jiang's back. There was clear doubt in her eyes.
"You sure he's from a simple background?" she said under her breath. "That kind of order would even make those flashy rich boys outside flinch. And he already dropped ¥2,600 on our drinks just now."
Yu Xiao leaned forward, lowering her voice.
"Maybe he's just showing off for you," she said, poking at her friend with a smirk.
"Hmph! Cut it out."
Xinyi rolled her eyes and gave Xiao a light punch on the arm. It was more like a soft swat—a kitten pawing in mild annoyance.
"Besides, he doesn't seem like that kind of guy."
Despite her words, her brows stayed slightly furrowed. Something about Shen Jiang's quiet demeanor, his sudden generosity, and the oddness of the situation left a strange feeling lingering in the air.
Shen Jiang, after ordering the berry, hurried to open his smartphone to pay the bill and directly paid it off with a slight excitement to find the similar message appearing on his screen again. And this time, it was 3 times the payback.
Message:
Your savings account ending in XXXX has been credited with ¥13,000 at 9:45 PM, April 29. Current total balance: ¥ 25,250
- Construction Bank
[Now] ✓
A sudden rush of adrenaline surged through Shen Jiang's body.
His breath quickened. His hands trembled. The weight of what was happening—the inexplicable deposit, the surreal display, the risk of spending so casually—hit all at once. His knees buckled slightly, and he had to sit down.
"Sir! Are you all right?"
The manager, who had just returned with his order, paused in concern, surprised to see the young man drop into a chair so abruptly.
Jiang drew in a shaky breath, forcing himself to calm down. He looked up, managing a weak but polite smile.
"I think… I just had a bit too much to drink tonight."
He chuckled lightly, trying to brush it off.
The manager blinked, then let out a small laugh in return.
"Haha, I see. Please take care, sir."
He handed over the packaged order with both hands. As he turned away, the manager gave Shen Jiang one more curious glance—taking in his modest clothes and calm demeanor, yet the casual way he had just spent thousands like it was nothing.
A hidden rich heir? the manager wondered silently. Or maybe one of those low-key powerful types they talk about in dramas?
He smiled quietly to himself as he walked away, not asking further.
After all, neither of them is someone who he can't mess with.