There were plenty of five-star hotels in the capital, but only a few truly stood out, and the Gardevoir Hotel was one of the most famous among them.

  As for why Julian chose to go there, the reason was simple—it roperty of the Walker family, and it happeo be the closest option. Naturally, it made seo head there.

  Half an hour ter, Julian arrived at the hotel entrance. While he had visited the Gardevoir Hotel in Lake City many times, this was his first time at the one in the capital.

  The decor here was undoubtedly more luxurious—after all, this was the capital.

  Ihe grand lobby, Julian casually picked a seat. Without even gng at the menu, he listed off a few dishes. The waiter nodded ao pce his order.

  Dining here rivilege reserved for the wealthy or iial. Even a modest three or four dishes could easily cost the equivalent of an average person's ine for three to four months.

  For this reason, it wasn't unon for I celebrities and influeo dine here occasionally. Their motives? Well, those in the know uood.

  "Hey, everyone, here I am at the Gardevoir Hotel," a female influencer said softly, holding her phone as she livestreamed to her audience, showing off the hotel's elegant interior. "I just ordered three dishes, and holy, this meal means I'll be eating instant noodles month."

  Her audience responded with enthusiasm as a virtual luxury cruise ship appeared on her s, signaling a generous donation.

  "This one's on me"

  "Thanks for the luxury cruise, sweetie!"

  The influencer smiled brightly and blew a kiss to the camera.

  "You scored a free kiss!"

  "Big Brother, showing his dominance!"

  "Hey, Little Ain, the guy behind you looks so sloppy"

  "No kidding! His clothes look like they haven't been washed in days!"

  Still thankiop donor, the influencer—known as "Little Ain"—gnced behi the ents' suggestion. When she saw Julian's somewhat dusty appearance, her brows furrowed instantly.

  Julian wasn't actually u—he was just wearing pin clothes and looked a bit dusty from having just emerged from the secret realm.

  However, in this upscale hotel where every man was impeccably dressed in suits and every woman wore stunning attire, Julian stood out like a sore thumb.

  He looked like a stray mutt that had wandered into an exclusive gathering.

  "Ugh, what's with the Gardevoir Hotel? Letting just anyone i they worried about dine-and-dash freeloaders?" the influencer muttered unhappily.

  Julian's seat behind her made it impossible for her to take a det selfie. No matter how she angled her camera, he kept appearing in the frame. Since she was at a solo table, switg seats wasn't an optioher.

  If she couldn't take pictures or post to her social media, this meal would be utterly meaningless.

  Just then, another luxury cruise ship appeared on her livestream s.

  "Little Ai him kicked out, and I'll send five more luxury cruises"

  Her top donor messaged.

  Other viewers chimed in, cheering her on. Even though a few voices objected, they were quickly drowned out by the crowd's excitement.

  Five luxury cruises—worth hundreds of thousands—were more than enough to tempt the influencer. Besides, Julian's presence was indeed ruining her ability to post the perfect selfie.

  "Brother, you better keep your word!"

  The top donor didn't reply directly but instead sent another luxury cruise, making his iions clear.

  Excited, the female influencer summoned a waiter.

  "Ma'am, how may I assist you?" the waiter asked politely.

  She poio Julian and said with a disdainful tone, "His shabby outfit is ruining my appetite. Kick him out for me."

  The waiter shook his head immediately. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but our hotel has no such policy."

  The livestream chat erupted with ughter:

  "Haha, Little Ain, your words don't carry weight here"

  "Just drop it, Little Ain. You 't pull this off"

  "This waiter's immuo charm!"

  Rejected ht and ridiculed by her chat, the influencer's embarrassment quickly turo anger.

  "No, you must kick him out! Call your manager—I'll speak to them instead!"

  The waiter hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "How about this, ma'am? I arrange a differe for you. How about one of those prime spots over there?"

  He gestured toward the best seats in the hall.

  As much as he wao avoid esg the situation, he also khat if the manager got involved over something trivial, he'd likely face the sequences.

  "That won't do!" the influencer snapped. "He o leave. He's not just b me—he's ruining the entire dining experience for everyone!"

  As her tone rose, other diners instinctively turo see what was happening.

  "Ma'am, please lower your voice"

  The waiter urged, growing increasingly nervous.

  "Lower my voice? Am I being loud?"

  Seeing the waiter flustered only made her more fident. She felt that if she kept pushing, the staff would eventually side with her and throerson out.

  By this time, the manager had noticed the otion and quickly approached the se. The waiter, relieved, stepped aside.

  "Ma'am, may I ask what's going on? I'm the manager of this restaurant. If there's an issue, please let me know," the manager said calmly.

  The influencer sneered and poi Julian, who was busy dev his meal.

  "Look at him—dressed like that, eating like that. It's disgusting! He's ruining my dining experience. You should kick him out immediately. And frankly, the hotel should pensate all of us by c our meals."

  The influencer wasirely clueless. She attempted to create a "shared i" among the diners, hoping they'd back her up.

  Meanwhile, Julian, who had been too focused oing to notice earlier, finally picked up on the otion. His deyed lunch due to Alex's situatio he was starving, so he was eating quickly and messily, which wasn't helping the situation.

  When he gnced up, he realized the influencer was targeting him specifically, trying to have him removed.

  "Ma'am, how about this? We'll offer you a 30% dist on your meal"

  As a policy, reputable hotels rarely evicted paying guests without a very good reason. Naturally, the manager wasn't about to agree to her unreasonable demands.

  However, the influencer's persistent antics were beginning to disrupt the other diners. The manager knew he had to take a to prevent further escation, so he decided to offer a slight cession.

  "No, I'm afraid you didn't quite uahe influencer huffed. "He must leave, or I'll lodge a formal pint against this hotel!"

  Despite her unreasonable behavior, the manager maintained his professional demeanor, keeping a polite smile.

  "Ma'am, anyone who ehis hotel is a guest. I authorize your meal to be on the house and offer you a better table. Would that be acceptable?"

  By this point, Julian had finished his meal. Taking his time, he strolled over to the otion.

  The female influencer, seeing him approach, instinctively stepped bad snapped, "Why are you ing so close? Don't you know how expensive my clothes are? If you get them dirty, you even afford to pay for it?"

  Julian ignored her. Instead, he turo the restaurant manager and said calmly, "Do you know who I am?"

  The manager, who had only caught a glimpse of Julian's profile earlier, now had a clear view of his face. Reition dawned instantly.

  'Oh no, it's him!'

  Standing before him was her than the heir of the Walker Group himself.

  "Young Master Walker!" The manager immediately straightened up, and quickly greeted him with the utmost respect.

  "Don't give her any dists or free meals. Charge her exactly what she owes—no more, no less"

  Julian couldn't believe he'd just experienced such a cliche "flexing and face-spping" moment himself.

  Seeing the female influencer's stunned expression;

  Julian: Yep, showing off feels pretty great after all. (*￣︶￣)

  He had no i in making things harder for her—his only thought now was to get some mueeded rest.