Chapter 374: Mei Wei Si: I Am Your Senior

Ying Duo follows the arrow, finds the destination, and stands at the doorway, sizing up this so‑called "high society".

Crystal chandeliers hang from the three‑story‑high Dome, lighting the entire hall as bright as day.

A snow‑white tablecloth covers the long table, silver cutlery reflects warm light, and waiters in tailcoats glide through the crowd with trays.

The ladies' evening gowns sparkle under the lights, the gentlemen are in suits and leather shoes, gathering in small groups, whispering to each other.

A mellow piano melody drifts from a corner, a piece Ying Duo has never heard before, its tune smooth and elegant.

He looks down at himself: black hoodie, pants, and sneakers.

Not exactly handsome, but simple; an all‑black outfit isn't much different from those in suits.

Yet the waiter in front clearly disagrees.

"Sir," the waiter says politely, but the embarrassment on his face cannot be hidden, "your invitation…".

Ying Duo hands over the gold‑embossed invitation.

The waiter takes it, examines it carefully to confirm it's genuine.

Then he looks up, his gaze falling again on Ying Duo's hoodie, his mouth twitching slightly.

"Sir, the invitation is real, but…".

He pauses, trying to phrase his words more politely.

"But your… attire may not suit tonight's occasion."

"The invitation didn't say we must wear a suit," Ying Duo says, staring at him steadily.

The waiter chokes on his words.

Indeed it didn't say that.

But for an occasion like this, you wouldn't even need to write it!

Who in their right mind would show up to the Windsor family's banquet in a hoodie?!

The waiter opens his mouth, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start.

At that moment, a hand reaches out from behind Ying Duo, lightly resting on his shoulder.

"Whose little cat is this? Got into trouble?" a lazy, gentle female voice sounds.

Ying Duo turns his head.

It's a woman in her twenties, black hair loosely tied at the nape, with a few bright‑yellow strands woven in, and a few loose strands hanging by her ears.

She wears a deep‑purple long dress, the hem embroidered with delicate silver patterns, and a brooch at the collar—

—the very same painted‑bird motif that appears on the invitation.

【Name: Mei Wei Si·Windsor (Lv. 47)】

【Title: Nest‑Raider】

【Age: 25】

【Race: Aberrant Species】

【Faction: Dome】

【Affection: 20/100】

【Current Status: Healthy】

【Likes: Gossip, …(locked)】

Ying Duo's gaze lands on her layered accessories, and Bai Mu Yun's words instantly flash in his mind.

The most eye‑catching person in the room.

"Miss Mei Wei Si!" the waiter, upon seeing the newcomer, quickly bows.

Mei Wei Si waves a hand, indicating he need not be so formal, then looks at Ying Duo, her golden eyes twinkling with a smile.

"You're the kid Bai Mu Yun brought, right?"

Ying Duo nods; Mei Wei Si scans him up and down, his eyes lingering a second on the two cat‑ears on his hoodie's hood, then she smiles.

"Very cute." she says sincerely.

Then she takes Ying Duo's arm and says to the waiter, "He's my friend; I'm bringing him in."

The waiter sighs with relief, nods repeatedly, and Mei Wei Si leads Ying Duo into the banquet hall.

Along the way, people keep greeting her.

"Good evening, Miss Mei Wei Si."

"Miss Windsor, you look stunning tonight."

"Mei Wei Si, long time no see!"

Mei Wei Si smiles and nods at each, yet her feet never pause.

She guides Ying Duo through the crowd to a relatively quiet corner before releasing his arm.

"All right." she turns, amber‑colored eyes fixed on Ying Duo.

"Let me introduce myself: I'm Mei Wei Si·Windsor, consider me your senior; I wonder if Bai Mu Yun has mentioned me to you."

Ying Duo looks at her, "Senior?"

"Mm." Mei Wei Si nods.

"Strictly speaking, even Bai Mu Yun should call me senior, since I was part of this place when the Mutation Department was first founded."

Ying Duo blinks, seeming surprised that the person Bai Mu Yun mentioned would approach him first.

Mei Wei Si sees through his thought and smiles lightly.

"The Dome's Mutation Department never had many people; even fewer return to headquarters. Bai Mu Yun will likely come back because of the Tianmian City matter; otherwise he wouldn't be willing to return to headquarters."

She says this in a relaxed tone, yet reveals a lot of information.

Mei Wei Si turns, takes two glasses of champagne from a waiter's tray she passes, and hands one to Ying Duo.

Ying Duo lowered his head and looked at the cup of bubbling golden liquid, but did not take it.

Mei Wei Si was unbothered, smiled and asked the waiter to replace it with orange juice, then lifted the cup herself and took a light sip.

"Bai Mu Yun is a trouble‑hater; if you run into any problem later and Bai Mu Yun refuses to help you, you can come find me."

As the saying goes, offering unsolicited kindness is either treachery or theft, and Ying Duo always felt something was off.

"Why?"

Mei Wei Si smiled, "Maybe it's because our Mutation Department has few people, and you happen to be so cute?"

"A few years ago there was a little girl similar to you who was supposed to join the Mutation Department, but midway she was taken away by others, and we haven't had a newcomer here for a long time."

She was about to say something else when someone nearby noticed Mei Wei Si, and a few people quickly gathered around.

"Miss Mei Wei Si!"

"Miss Wen Sha, long time no see!"

"Mei Wei Si, I read your last book *Blood‑Stained Manor* three times! I never expected the murderer to be the butler!"

Mei Wei Si's lazy expression instantly tightened, replaced by a standard social smile.

"Thank you, thank you for everyone's appreciation."

A lady dressed in glittering jewels leaned in, her face beaming with smiles.

"Miss Mei Wei Si, what new work are you writing lately? I heard you were lacking inspiration last time and wanted to go to Tianmian City to gather material?"

"What was his name again... Min Tianyou? I heard he's a rare destiny‑type Special Ability Practitioner."

A few people nearby showed curious expressions.

Mei Wei Si shook her head lightly, her smile unchanged.

"Min Tianyou... he's active in Tianmian City, and I'm so far away here; I have no time to go."

"What a pity," the lady sighed, "I heard Min Tianyou is great at solving cases; even the Supervision Bureau calls him 'Detective'."

"Indeed, indeed," another person replied, "but unfortunately Tianmian City is in that situation now; even if you wanted to go, you couldn't."

The conversation naturally shifted to the temporal‑spatial turbulence erupting in Tianmian City, after all it has become the hot topic everyone has been discussing lately.

"Have you heard? Tianmian City is a mess now; the entire space is collapsing."

"Exactly, my cousin just escaped from Tianmian City a couple of days ago, saying the city is full of fissures and many places are uninhabitable now."

"Didn't the Church say they'd handle it?"

"Handle? How to handle? Why doesn't the deity they worship protect them?"

Someone let out a snicker.

"Maybe it's because the Church did something to anger the deity, and that's why this divine punishment fell."

"Exactly, that long‑standing power is now overwhelmed by a temporal‑spatial turbulence."

"Don't just fall straight from the sky; that would be truly embarrassing."

A chorus of agreeing laughter rang out nearby.

Ying Duo stood behind Mei Wei Si, quietly listening to their discussion of Tianmian City's disaster, his tone full of schadenfreude.

And the mastermind behind it all wore a blank expression, as if the disaster they were discussing wasn't one he had caused himself.

Mei Wei Si merely smiled, continuing to handle the crowd surrounding her.

"Miss Mei Wei Si, what do you think? Will the Church collapse completely this time?"

Ying Duo was pushed back a few steps by the crowd, found a gap, and slipped out of the throng.

Mei Wei Si was surrounded by them, deftly answering each question and every compliment.

No one would mind a strange teenager in a hoodie attending the banquet.

Even if the topic they were discussing was caused single‑handedly by that teenager.