Chapter 19: What is going on?

Returning to the hotel, Chen Feng felt a bit dizzy. He lay on the bed to rest and soon fell asleep.

He was a man of grand ambitions; despite his terminal diagnosis, after a period of decadence and despair, he had come to terms with it.

Life is but a fleeting moment, like grass in autumn; no one can escape death. It is merely a matter of whether one dies early or late.

Well, dying late is certainly better than dying early.

But there was no other way; even if Chen Feng hadn't come to terms with it, he had no choice but to. From here on, he would eat when he should eat and sleep when he should sleep.

By the time he woke up, it was almost 3:30.

Consequently, Chen Feng could only book the nearest 5:30 flight, and it was still in first class.

It wasn't that he wanted to be extravagant, but time was tight; there were no seats available in any other cabin except for first class.

Once the ticket was booked, his stomach began to growl. He hadn't even eaten lunch.

Since he was about to die, he certainly had to eat well.

He packed his luggage, went downstairs to check out, and hailed a taxi in front of the hotel.

"Driver, take me to the most authentic restaurant. I don't mind if it's expensive, just don't make it too far. Here is your tip; the fare is separate."

Chen Feng directly handed the taxi driver a red banknote.

The driver happily agreed and immediately started the car, taking Chen Feng to a restaurant a few kilometers away.

It was said to be a three-star Michelin Japanese restaurant.

Chen Feng had only eaten Korean cuisine before and had never tried Japanese, so he came to try something new.

The shop was located in a prime commercial district. The entrance was very sophisticated, featuring a gray wooden facade with a minimalist and exquisite style.

Upon entering the main door, the layout of the foyer and small ponds felt quite artistic.

However, Chen Feng had no interest in these things. He walked straight into the restaurant and, following the waiter's introduction, ordered a ten-course set menu.

After waiting about ten minutes, various dishes were served one after another, but the portions caused Chen Feng to widen his eyes.

He had heard before that Japanese cuisine served very small portions, but he hadn't expected them to be this small.

The first dish was pufferfish milt with grated radish—essentially a soup made of white radish and pufferfish milt. The bowl was quite large, but there was only a tiny bit of soup inside. Chen Feng took a few quick gulps with his spoon, and when it was gone, he simply picked up the large, square bowl and drank it clean.

The portions were small, but the taste was truly excellent.

Dish after dish was brought out. After finishing all ten courses, Chen Feng was at most one-third full. Yet, the price was nearly two thousand yuan.

An average person truly couldn't afford this; a single meal here was enough to cover a month's food expenses for an ordinary family.

Therefore, Chen Feng didn't plan to be fleeced any further. Although the taste was good, it was far from giving him a sense of value for money, especially since he was only one-third full after ten courses.

"Table 25, I'd like to settle the bill."

Chen Feng walked to the counter to pay.

The beautiful lady in a kimono behind the counter operated the machine, then suddenly covered her mouth and said in shock, "Sir, you've won a prize!"

What the hell! What's going on?

Chen Feng was momentarily stunned. Could he win a prize just by eating a meal?

The lady in the kimono immediately cleared up his confusion: "Sir, you are our restaurant's 8,888th customer. Today's meal is on the house, and our restaurant will also gift you a VIP card. If you return in the future, you will receive a 20% discount on everything."

"That's possible?"

Even though he had prepared himself for surprises, Chen Feng was still shocked.

What luck!

"Yes, sir, you are very lucky," the lady in the kimono said with a light laugh behind her hand.

At that moment, a man wearing glasses behind him looked at Chen Feng with envy. "Friend, you are truly lucky. I come here to eat every week, but I've never encountered such good fortune. If I had come to settle my bill just one minute earlier, that grand prize would have been mine."

A young woman beside him felt much the same, her expression filled with envy and frustration.

They were just a tiny bit off. If they had arrived a minute earlier, or if Chen Feng had arrived a minute later, the prize would have been theirs.

Chen Feng didn't say much, only offering a smile. Afterward, the lady called the restaurant manager, who personally processed his VIP card and, of course, waived the bill.

The VIP card didn't matter much; Chen Feng likely wouldn't be coming back here to eat again.

He did, however, appreciate the free meal. Although he wasn't short on money, he didn't mind eating and drinking for free.

Leaving the restaurant, he had one hour before his flight. He hailed a taxi and arrived exactly fifteen minutes early.

He was the last to board the plane and made his way to first class. Led by a beautiful flight attendant, he sat down in his first-class seat.

However, just as he had finished stowing his carry-on bag, he heard a gasp from beside him: "Why is it you again?! Why are you still following me?"

Chen Feng turned his head and saw Zhang Jingwen's shocked and angry face.

Holy crap!

Chen Feng suddenly felt like a total loser. How many times has this been? Isn't this just playing with someone?

A young woman like Zhang Jingwen, while beautiful with a standard "influencer face," was completely not his type.

What was with these frequent, coincidental encounters?

Chen Feng felt like he was being played, as if an invisible hand were pulling him like a marionette, causing him to experience a series of unintentional strokes of luck—which now seemed to include romantic luck.

However, being involved with a woman like Zhang Jingwen was likely to be nothing but "rotten peach blossoms" (bad luck in romance).

Chen Feng thought to himself: *If you're going to play games and arrange for me to keep bumping into a woman, at least pair me with someone I actually like. What's with Zhang Jingwen?*

"What is wrong with you? Didn't we settle this before? If you keep following me, I will be very angry, and I might even call the police to arrest you."

Seeing people glancing their way, Zhang Jingwen leaned in, lowered her voice, and spoke with an unfriendly expression.

Chen Feng felt helpless; he could understand her misunderstanding. Anyone in his position would find it hard to believe these were coincidences.

"I... fine, if I say this is truly just a coincidence, will you believe me?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Zhang Jingwen rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course not. But I really haven't been intentionally following you. And I promise I won't harass you. Just act as if I don't exist."

Zhang Jingwen glared at him. "You've followed me several times already. How can I act like you don't exist? If you keep this up, I really will call the police."

Chen Feng spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "All I can say is that I have no ill intentions toward you. If you really want to call the police, I'll accept it."

Chen Feng truly had no way to prove his innocence right now, so he could only accept his fate.

Zhang Jingwen had originally placed quite a bit of importance on Chen Feng, this hard-to-come-by "sasaeng" fan. Besides following her, he had twice caused intentional rear-end collisions, yet he had never actually harassed her; he was relatively civilized and rational.

Furthermore, the fact that he spent so much time, energy, and money just to chase an idol who wasn't even that famous was, in itself, somewhat touching.

More importantly, he hadn't done anything too out of line so far.

Therefore, seeing that Chen Feng's attitude was relatively good, Zhang Jingwen's anger immediately subsided.

People are often like this; it is difficult to be harsh toward someone who likes you wholeheartedly.

"Fine, I'll give you one more chance. After we land this time, do not follow me again. Otherwise, I really will call the police."

"Thank you. It won't happen again," Chen Feng promised earnestly.

"Mhm. Remember your words."

Zhang Jingwen was satisfied with Chen Feng's attitude. After giving him a warning, she sat back in her seat with a sense of satisfaction and a queen-like demeanor.