Chapter 72: Unmasking (5)

What are you joking about?

Zhang Lu saw Shu Lingchen and, without even half a second's hesitation, snorted disdainfully: "That person only gets to eat at Spring Star today by mooching."

The manager ignored her, walked straight over, stopped in front of Shu Lingchen, and unlike his stern attitude toward Zhang Lu earlier, his face was full of a gentle smile:

Excuse me, little student, your surname is Shu, right?

Spring Star lets you swipe the card just by recognizing it because the boss had earlier said that cardholders have the right to transfer their consumption cards.

What deep affection this must be, so the manager had once curiously asked the boss about his relationship with this primary cardholder.

The boss then said solemnly: "Without her, there would be no Spring Star today."

Over the years, Spring Star's backend system has been constantly updated, but the computer files have always kept those two cardholders' information at the very front of all VIPs.

VIPs are ranked by consumption, while they are ranked purely by status.

Of course, their information is almost always confidential.

Even management above the manager only knows that the primary cardholder's surname is Shu, the secondary cardholder's surname is also Shu, they are a mother and son, and nothing more.

When coming to cancel the secondary card, the front desk had asked for Shu Lingchen's name.

The manager saw that Shu Lingchen was not old, and then confirmed that this youth was the 'son' of the mother-son pair.

Hearing the manager's question, Shu Lingchen nodded: "Yes, do you need something from me?"

The manager glanced behind Shu Lingchen, saw they looked ready to leave, and earnestly said to Shu Lingchen: "Um, little student, have you finished eating? Could you please go to the VIP room to rest a while longer? Our boss is on his way over."

He had just finished speaking—

Just then, several figures hurriedly walked in through the entrance.

It was the boss of Spring Star Restaurant, his wife, and beside them a young boy, their son.

All three were dressed in formal attire, clearly having just come from some banquet.

"Lingchen."

The boss recognized Shu Lingchen at a glance, having seen him before; a few years ago, after growing up, Shu Lingchen had come to Spring Star for a meal once, and the boss had come specially then to learn about the consumption card's information.

He had expected to see Shu Shu.

Because Shu Shu hadn't come to Spring Star in a very long time.

Both sides were practically out of contact.

The boss hurried over, but all he saw was Shu Lingchen and a strange mother-daughter pair.

The boss pulled Shu Lingchen over and asked, "Where is your mother? Why didn't she come?"

At that time, Shu Lingchen fell silent for a long while, forced a bitter smile, and said lightly that his mother had gone abroad for a trip these past two days and didn't know when she'd return.

Afterward, Shu Lingchen's secondary card was used twice, but those times weren't by him; they were by the daughter of the mother-daughter pair he had brought last time.

That girl said Shu Lingchen had already given her the consumption card to use.

Today was the third time that girl had used the card to spend at Spring Star; when the information reached the boss, he barely reacted, glanced at it, and then turned off his phone screen disinterestedly.

But not long after, another piece of information came through.

—the secondary consumption card was in the process of being canceled, and the one canceling it was precisely the primary consumption card.

Shu Shu's primary consumption card!

How many years has it been? Spring Star's machine finally sensed the primary card's magnetic stripe again!

The boss immediately grabbed his wife and son and rushed over in a hurry.

"Lingchen, where is your mother?"

After the boss called out Shu Lingchen's name, he looked around, searching for Shu Shu's trace.

If it were the past, Shu Lingchen would surely have to invent another excuse about his mother traveling, but now… his mother has already returned.

"Oh, my mom—" he said instinctively, then looked behind himself, and then he froze.

Huh?

Where is his big mom? And his big sister?

Just moments ago, the two were standing here holding hands properly, and now they've both vanished!!!

But he immediately realized—his mother's current situation.

So this time, Shu Lingchen's face was no longer a bitter smile; he said lightly, "Oh, my mom didn't come; I'm here today with a classmate to eat. She just got back from traveling, she's worn out, and when she left she told me to wait until she rests, then order a bunch of Spring Star's signature dishes for takeout."

"That's how it is." The boss nodded, then said straight out that Shu Shu could come to Spring Star to eat, and after finishing he asked: "Lingchen, what's going on with the secondary card cancellation? Didn't you give that secondary card to a girl to use? What's her name, Chu something, Chu Lian?"

"Yes..." Shu Lingchen lowered his eyes and said: "That person is a liar; she deceived me about many things, and I don't want to watch her mooch at Spring Star anymore."

The boss said: "No problem, that card is canceled; I'll have someone issue you a new one later."

After saying that, he had his son quickly call Shu Lingchen 'big brother,' while the boss's wife looked him up and down, smiling and saying, "You've grown so tall! Back when I held you as a child, you were like a little radish sprout."

Everyone around seeing this scene had already been dumbfounded.

They were all speaking Chinese, so why couldn't they understand a word when it reached their ears?

Why does the boss's family seem so familiar with Shu Lingchen, and besides, isn't that consumption card supposed to be Chu Lian's? How could it be that Shu Lingchen gave it to Chu Lian to use?

Shu Lingchen is clearly a penniless wretch!

How could a penniless wretch know the famous boss of Spring Star Restaurant!

The fantastical scene before their eyes made them think of extras; that manager and so-called boss must be hired actors.

But setting aside the manager, the boss of Spring Star has appeared on local TV several times; he couldn't be faking it.

Then it can only be—real.

Zhang Lu stared in shock and said: "Boss, you've got it wrong, why do you know Shu Lingchen? Isn't he just a poor little thug? How could he afford to spend at Spring Star? That consumption card is clearly Chu Lian's."

Hearing the insulting words "poor little thug," the boss almost disapprovingly furrowed his brows and looked over: "This student, please watch your language."

"I didn't make a mistake, Shu Lingchen is a valued guest of my Quanxing Restaurant; the Chu Lian you refer to, as far as I know, is just a girl from an extremely ordinary family background. She came to Quanxing to eat a few years ago, always brought by Lingchen."

""Lingchen is certainly not a poor hooligan." The boss, having experienced the market, in a few breaths clarified the whole story, he chuckled: 'It's likely that Chu Lian deceived you into thinking she's from some wealthy family, using Lingchen's consumption card, coming here to put on airs.'"

Zhang Lu retorted firmly: "Ordinary family background? Xiao Lian previously lived in the Yujingyuan residential area, with monthly living expenses of over ten thousand; we've been to her home, and also saw that her daily necessities are all expensive—how could her family background be ordinary!"

That's because the house in Yujingyuan fundamentally isn't Chu Lian's, and the money she uses to buy luxury goods is all taken from Lingchen——

A strange male voice sounded from behind the crowd.

Turned their head.

Shu Lingchen looked at the newcomer in surprise: "Uncle Liu Tong?"

The newcomer was none other than one of Shu Shu's professional managers, Liu Tong.

Behind them, a student from Yi Ban who had been to the Yujingyuan residential area on the day the Chu mother and daughter were driven out of the Chu Family home recognized Liu Tong.

"I remember him! He's the owner of the Yujingyuan house belonging to Chu Lian's family, and Chu Lian didn't she say her family's house was mistakenly sold to him? How does he also know Shu Lingchen?"

Liu Tong smiled: "The house at Yujingyuan 1701 has never belonged to Chu Lian; it was meant to be left to him by Shu Lingchen's mother."