Chapter Seven: Truly Shameless

Land Fishing is a renowned chain hotpot restaurant in Huaxia, famed for its distinctive flavors and affordable prices, making it popular among low- to middle-income consumers.

Xia Moyu dashed out of his house in a huff, famished, and headed straight here for hotpot. After eating and drinking his fill, he habitually pulled out several books about hunting ground management and construction from his backpack and began to study. This habit had long been ingrained in him, driven by the desire to one day help his sister shoulder some family responsibilities. Yet, Xia Moyu’s talent paled in comparison to Xia Moyan’s; no matter how desperately he tried, he could never reach her level.

“Sigh… I wonder how my sister does it. This is really tough.”

Just then, Xia Moyu’s phone rang. Glancing down, he saw it was Xu Zhuo.

“Xu Zhuo, is it so hard to get you to have a drink with me? When will you arrive? Alright… hurry up, there’s a question I can’t solve.”

He set his phone down and was about to head to the restroom when he overheard the conversation at the neighboring table. Their words seemed to mention Xia Moyan, so he pricked up his ears.

“Old Fang, since meeting you, I finally get to eat something decent. Not easy, huh.”

“Haha… Fatty, you’ve suffered enough. Come on, let me toast you.”

“Good, cheers.”

“Ah… refreshing. Speaking of which, your token of loyalty is impressive, but who knows if the Xia family will accept it. I heard this afternoon that Xia Moyan is no ordinary girl—she’s the hope of the entire Xia clan. Would she really marry a pauper like you?”

“Hey, who are you talking to? You’re picky about me? Whether I fancy her is another matter. I’ll tell you, Fatty, don’t believe rumors. If she turns out to be an ugly duckling when we meet, don’t hesitate—grab me and run, don’t look back.”

“Haha… alright, I guarantee I’ll get you out.”

Xia Moyu was already irritable today, and hearing these two poking fun at his sister made his anger flare. He yanked aside the curtain between their tables and cursed,

“Where did these two stray dogs come from, barking here? Do you think you’re worthy of discussing the Second Miss of the Xia family?”

Fang Nian and Fatty were happily chatting, startled by the sudden outburst. Seeing it was just a young punk, Fatty retorted angrily,

“Who the hell are you? What business is it of yours who I talk about?”

“It is my business—daring to badmouth Xia Moyan in front of me is unacceptable. I’m telling you two, bow your heads and apologize right now. Crawl out of here and I’ll let you off—otherwise, don’t blame me for being rough.”

Fatty had been around the Black Triangle for years, seen all sorts of trouble, and now was being insulted by a kid. Furious, he stood up, ready to throw punches.

But before he could move, Fang Nian grabbed him.

“Brother, let’s talk it out. No need to resort to knives and guns.”

Fatty raised his brows at Fang Nian’s words, inwardly praying for the young man. He knew Fang Nian—his soft approach was tougher than Fatty’s fists.

Seeing Fang Nian back down, Xia Moyu grew more confident.

“Scared? If you’re afraid, apologize quickly. I still have to eat.”

Fang Nian stood and walked to Xia Moyu’s table, glancing at the books.

“Studying hunting ground construction?”

“Yes, so what?”

Fang Nian smiled gently.

“Nothing, just that I have some background in construction myself. Since we’re both in the same field, why not have a contest? Civilized people needn’t fight.”

---

Fang Nian’s words were sharp, drawing the attention of many diners. Xia Moyu knew many here recognized him; refusing would be a loss of face. Besides, he doubted Fang Nian could beat him.

“Alright, what shall we compete in?”

“Good, let’s do this. I see you’re studying mathematics. I’ll pose a basic arithmetic problem. If you answer correctly, I’ll listen to you—bow, apologize, and crawl out. But if you can’t…”

“What then?”

Fang Nian smiled deeply, his eyes shining.

“If you can’t answer, just agree to one condition. Don’t worry, it won’t be too difficult.”

Mathematics was Xia Moyu’s strongest suit in hunting ground management, so he agreed instantly.

“Fine, go ahead, but hurry up.”

Fang Nian nodded, unhurried.

“This happened to my friends. Three of them stayed at an inn in a town. The rate was ten Hope coins per person per night, so they each paid ten for their rooms.”

“After collecting the money, the innkeeper realized there was a promotion: three rooms together cost only twenty-five coins. So he gave five coins to the attendant to refund my friends.”

“But unexpectedly, the attendant got greedy… He kept two coins and returned the remaining three, one to each friend. When my friends found out, they confronted the owner, but then something strange happened—the money didn’t add up.”

Fang Nian’s tale about the thirty Hope coins drew in the crowd.

“Look, each paid ten coins, so thirty total. The owner refunded five coins; the attendant kept two, and each friend got back one. So, how much did each person actually spend?”

Before Xia Moyu could answer, the crowd spoke as one.

“Nine coins.”

“Right, nine coins each, so twenty-seven total. The attendant has two coins, twenty-nine altogether. But they paid thirty coins—where’s the missing one?”

The hotpot restaurant fell silent; everyone started counting on their fingers.

“Five coins, three returned… Yes, only twenty-nine?”

“Damn, it’s like magic, really missing one?”

“Wait, something’s off, how could it be? Nine plus nine plus nine plus two, that’s twenty-nine. Incredible.”

Cold sweat beaded on Xia Moyu’s forehead, his expression becoming animated. He calculated repeatedly, but no matter how he broke it down, there was always one coin missing.

“How could there be a missing coin? That’s impossible…”

He wanted to write out the calculation on the table, but for a simple problem under ten, needing a written solution would be embarrassing—he’d be mocked throughout District Sixteen.

But…

Xia Moyu was completely baffled, unable to find the answer, so he turned to Fang Nian.

“I admit, I can’t find where that last coin went.”

Fang Nian smiled.

“So, you concede?”

---

“Sigh, I can’t find it, but that doesn’t mean I lost. Since you posed the question, why don’t you explain to everyone where the missing coin went? I’m sure we’re all curious.”

Everyone understood Xia Moyu’s intent—he believed the question was a trap. By tossing it back to Fang Nian, if he couldn’t answer either, it would be a draw. But just then, Fatty stood up, clapping Xia Moyu’s shoulder.

“Young man, you’re still too green. Let Fatty explain. I’ll ask, you answer.”

Xia Moyu blushed but agreed.

“How much did Fang Nian’s three friends pay the owner in total?”

“Thirty coins.”

“How much did the owner give the attendant?”

“Five coins.”

“How much did the owner keep?”

“Twenty-five… ah…”

“……”

Xia Moyu’s sudden realization was echoed by others in the hotpot restaurant. They’d been misled by Fang Nian’s calculation.

“Ah, right—the owner has twenty-five coins, plus the attendant’s five, makes thirty. The missing coin is with the owner.”

“Hahaha… I get it! Since three coins were refunded, the three actually spent twenty-seven. That equals the attendant’s two coins plus the owner’s twenty-five. Exactly right.”

“Wow, haha… Such a simple problem and a roomful of people couldn’t solve it. We all got sidetracked by the question.”

“Haha, don’t say that. He just switched the concept—it’s our fault for not noticing.”

The crowd laughed at themselves, but Xia Moyu’s face looked as if he’d swallowed something foul. He’d never expected to miss such an easy problem, and was filled with regret.

“Alright, I lost. What do you want me to do?”

Fang Nian smiled, patting Xia Moyu’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, young man. We have no grudges. I won’t make things hard for you. Since you lost, why not treat us to a meal? Just pay for our table.”

Xia Moyu thought they’d make things difficult, but seeing it was just a meal, his furrowed brow relaxed. His allowance wasn’t much, but he could afford one meal.

“Alright, boss, settle their bill…”

But suddenly, Fatty stood up.

“Wait… Fatty isn’t full yet. Boss, bring five portions of your most expensive dishes for each item. Fatty’s going all out.”

Hearing this, Xia Moyu’s face instantly darkened.

“Damn, shameless.”