The Mighty Mage-Chapter 428: Breakfast

Long Yifan chuckled. "I gotta say, this is way more fun than shopping."

Gu Jin advanced, unhurried.

"I suggest you stand down, Manager Zhang," she said lightly, but there was an unmistakable edge to her voice. "You’re already at a disadvantage."

Manager Zhang clenched his fists, sweat beading his forehead.

The confidence in his eyes flickered.

He was a Super Rank cultivator, but this girl—her poison, her undead summon, her sheer unpredictability—wasn’t something he had accounted for.

His mind whirled. If he continued this fight, would he even win?

Then, he made his decision.

With a sharp inhale, he extinguished his flames and took a step back.

"You win," he said through gritted teeth.

"Take what you came for and leave."

"But I was here to inspect." Gu Jin shrugged. Then she changed her appearance and said,

"Manager Zhang, you are fired. I will file a complain against you for committing fraud against the company."

Manager Zhang’s face drained of all color.

His pupils dilated in pure shock as he stared at Gu Jin, his mind racing to make sense of what had just happened.

"You—" he choked out, his breath catching in his throat.

The meek, innocent girl before him had suddenly transformed—her demeanor sharpened, her presence commanding.

Gone was the act of a simple customer, and in its place stood someone with absolute authority.

"Who... Who are you?" he finally managed to say, his voice hoarse.

Gu Jin met his gaze with an indifferent expression.

"Gu Jin, the owner of the shop," she announced.

The words hit Manager Zhang like a hammer.

The owner?

No wonder she had seen through everything so effortlessly!

The attendants who had been prepared to back him up now took several steps away, their faces pale with dread.

Long Yifan let out a low whistle. "Well, this just keeps getting better and better."

Manager Zhang struggled to keep his composure, but his hands clenched into trembling fists.

"I—" he started, but Gu Jin cut him off.

"Don’t waste your breath," she said coldly. "Fraud, selling expired and low-quality pills, attempting to harm a customer—" She tilted her head, her gaze turning sharper. "Shall I continue?"

Manager Zhang’s jaw tightened.

Gu Jin didn’t need to. He knew very well that even a single one of those charges could ruin him.

"Please..." he forced out, his voice shaking now. "I— I can explain—"

Gu Jin ignored him and turned to one of the attendants.

"Call police officers," she ordered.

The attendant jolted, hesitated for a second, then quickly bowed and rushed out.

Manager Zhang’s body tensed.

His eyes darted toward the exit as if considering an escape, but Gu Jin calmly raised a hand.

Vines suddenly erupted from the floor, thick and laced with a faint purple hue—poisonous.

They coiled around Manager Zhang’s legs before he could react, binding him in place.

He let out a grunt, struggling, but the more he moved, the tighter the vines constricted.

Gu Jin stepped forward and peered down at him.

"You made your choice," she said. "Now, deal with the consequences."

Long Yifan grinned, crossing his arms.

Manager Zhang thrashed against the vines, but it was futile.

The poison in them worked quickly, seeping into his system and sapping his strength. His fiery aura flickered weakly before vanishing altogether.

His face was contorted with rage and desperation. "You—! You can’t do this to me!"

Gu Jin arched a brow. "I already have."

At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed from the front of the store.

Moments later, a squad of uniformed officers stormed in, their expressions hard and professional.

One of them, a tall man with a commanding presence, stepped forward.

His gaze swept over the bound Manager Zhang before settling on Gu Jin.

"Miss Gu, we came as soon as we received the report," the officer said respectfully.

"What are the charges?"

Gu Jin turned her attention to him, her voice calm but firm.

"Manager Zhang has been committing fraud by selling expired and low-quality pills under false labels. Additionally, he attempted to attack me when I confronted him about it."

The officer’s expression darkened. He gave Manager Zhang a sharp glare. "Is that so?"

Manager Zhang’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

His face twisted with resentment, but he knew he had no way out.

Another officer stepped forward and produced a set of enchanted cuffs.

The moment they snapped around Manager Zhang’s wrists, his spiritual energy was forcibly sealed, leaving him completely defenseless.

"You will be taken into custody for questioning," the officer stated coldly.

"Resisting will only make things worse for you."

The attendants, who had been frozen in place, exchanged nervous glances. One of them hesitantly stepped forward.

"M-Miss Gu... what about us?"

Gu Jin gave them a measured look.

"If you were complicit in his schemes, expect consequences," she said evenly.

"If not, continue working. A new manager will be appointed soon."

Relief flooded their faces. They bowed hastily. "Yes, Miss Gu!"

Manager Zhang was dragged out by the officers, his struggles weak and pointless.

As the store returned to order, Long Yifan let out an amused chuckle.

"Well, that was satisfying."

The round continued, and at the end, Gu Jin kicked out more than ten managers and twenty attendants.

At night, she returned to her room and rested.

.........................

The next day.

Gu Jin woke up and was ready for the National Alchemy Competition.

A sharp knock disrupted the silence.

She turned toward the door, already sensing who it was.

With a measured step, she approached and pulled it open.

Sure enough, Long Yifan stood on the other side, his usual carefree grin in place, though there was something unreadable in his gaze.

He held a neatly packed breakfast container in one hand.

"I’ll meet you at the venue," he informed her, his tone light yet laced with something more.

"I have something to take care of first."

Gu Jin merely regarded him for a moment before calmly taking the breakfast from his hand, not sparing him another glance.

Long Yifan clicked his tongue, amused. "You’re really not gonna ask, huh?"

She remained silent as if dismissing his words entirely.

Before turning to leave, he hesitated for the briefest moment, then said, "Just focus on doing your best. I’ll make sure no one interrupts you."

Gu Jin finally met his gaze, her expression unreadable, before offering a simple nod.

Long Yifan chuckled to himself and walked away, his steps light yet purposeful.

After closing the door, Gu Jin sat down and opened the breakfast container.

The aroma was familiar—warm, subtly fragrant, and meticulously prepared.

As soon as she took a bite, she understood.

He made this himself.

Her eyes flickered slightly, though her expression remained calm.

It wasn’t difficult to deduce why. Perhaps he suspected that someone would tamper with her food.

She continued eating in silence, finishing every last bite before rising to leave.

The moment she stepped out of her room, a staff member hurriedly approached her, eyes wide with excitement and reverence.

The young woman, dressed in the official uniform of the competition staff, carried a small tray with a carefully arranged breakfast.

"Miss Gu!" the staff member called eagerly.

Gu Jin halted, tilting her head slightly in acknowledgment.

The woman took a steadying breath before offering the tray forward.

"I prepared this for you. I know you must be focused on the competition, but I wanted to do something small to show my gratitude."

Gu Jin’s gaze flickered to the tray and then back to the staff member. "I’ve already eaten."

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed the woman’s face, but she quickly masked it with a hopeful smile.

"I understand. But... even just a bite would mean a lot to me."

Gu Jin studied her silently.

The woman’s sincerity was evident—her grip on the tray was firm yet slightly tense, her posture upright but brimming with anticipation.

Gu Jin recognized the emotions beneath the surface: admiration, gratitude, perhaps even a sense of indebtedness.

The woman’s voice softened.

"I was there... when you saved Fujio City from the parasite disaster. I saw how you fought, how you protected everyone. If it weren’t for you, my family wouldn’t have made it."

Gu Jin remained impassive.

Still, the staff members’ determination did not waver. "Please, just a single bite?" she pleaded.

Gu Jin shook her head, her refusal unwavering.

Yet, the staff member did not step back.

Instead, she started to question Gu Jin,

"Aren’t you generous? Why are you rejecting my sincerity? Was the generosity you had shown to everyone fake?"

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow,

"Well, that’s a bold accusation."

The staff member flinched but didn’t back down.

"I just— I just thought you would understand." Her voice wavered, though her hands still firmly gripped the tray.

"You saved so many people. Why refuse something so small?"

Gu Jin exhaled softly.

"Generosity is not about pleasing everyone," she said, her tone devoid of warmth but not unkind.

"If I accepted every act of gratitude blindly, I would have long been poisoned or indebted in ways I do not wish to be."