When the driver realized his little scheme had been seen through, he could only give an awkward smile and lapse into silence.
Xu Yi was happy to enjoy the quiet as well, and they traveled the rest of the way without a word.
As soon as they arrived at the hot pot restaurant, the two of them drew a wave of sidelong glances.
Negative Emotion Points +30 Negative Emotion Points +30 Negative Emotion Points +30
Xu Yi was in no hurry to take a seat. Instead, he led Ai Xiaoxing around the entire restaurant in circles.
The customers were so irritated their noses nearly twisted out of shape.
Damn, kid, are you showing off in front of me?
Stop circling already. We get it, your female companion is beautiful.
Seriously, Brother Lao, what do you have going for you? What makes you worthy of having such a gorgeous girl eat with you?
A group of grown men ate hot pot while constantly sneaking glances over.
Whenever they were caught, they immediately crossed their eyes and pretended to stare blankly into space.
Xu Yi swept his gaze over everyone contemptuously.
What a sorry sight... They looked like they had never seen the world.
Only after collecting a sufficient amount of Emotion Points did Xu Yi finally sit down.
Negative Emotion Points +100*2
"Are there still experts?"
Xu Yi glanced at the campus belle and found that her expression remained unchanged.
Heh heh~ As expected, the campus belle was an expert at pretending not to understand.
"Boss, let's order!"
The owner came over with a little notebook. After pretending to casually glance at the campus belle twice, he contentedly pulled out a pen.
"Xu Yi, see what you want to eat. Order whatever you like."
"Boss, do you have braised chicken feet?"
"No."
"Then do you have tender braised beef?"
"Not that either..."
"What about hand-pulled shrimp paste?"
"Yes, we have that."
"Then we'll have a serving of freshly sliced beef."
Negative Emotion Points +20
"Also bring some tender meat slices, crispy pork, duck intestines, tripe, beef throat..."
Xu Yi rattled off more than twenty dishes in one breath.
"Ai Campus Belle, is this enough?"
"That's enough, that's enough. We can't eat all that. It would be wasteful."
"This is what I'm eating. Order whatever you want for yourself."
Negative Emotion Points +50
It had to be said that Ai Xiaoxing had remarkable self-control. Xu Yi could see that both of her little fists were clenched tight.
Yet she continued smiling and spoke to the owner in a soft, gentle voice.
This was the kind of woman qualified to be his number-one benefactor.
The campus belle said nothing... She merely kept providing Emotion Points.
After the steaming hot pot entered their stomachs, the two gradually opened up and started chatting.
Xu Yi: "Ai Campus Belle, why are you so quiet? Are you still maintaining that aloof persona you have at school?"
"I..."
"Stop pretending. I know you're hilarious online. You call everyone 'bro' over there, so say more if you can."
Negative Emotion Points +50
The tips of Ai Xiaoxing's ears had already turned red, and she was frantic inside.
Damn mouth, say something! Don't let him look down on you!
"Actually, I don't know what to talk about."
"Pretending again! You're a chatterbox on WeChat. Don't tell me you're working up to something huge?"
Ai Xiaoxing was so restless she could barely sit still. Even the shrimp paste in her mouth had lost its flavor.
Damn it! I'm being pressured again. Ai Xiaoxing, you have to say something to prove yourself!
"I... Actually, I'm hilarious online, but I'm still rather shy in real life."
Damn it! Why did that come out? That isn't what I really think at all.
Watching Ai Xiaoxing's performance, Xu Yi understood everything.
Ai Campus Belle was a naturally gifted master of contrast.
Still, plenty of people were like that nowadays. They acted outrageously online, but turned into trembling quails in real life.
The absurdity was still carved into their bones. They simply lacked the courage to show it.
Thinking of this, Xu Yi asked the owner to bring two bottles of beer.
Xu Yi: "The great Lu Xun once said that beer is the bridge of human communication."
"Huh?"
Ai Xiaoxing watched Xu Yi warily.
She didn't dare casually drink with a man, especially outside.
Xu Yi explained, "You're actually hilarious, but you're too shy right now, so you haven't shown your true intensity.
"Alcohol gives cowards courage. After a drink, you might return to your hilarious self."
"That kind of makes sense, but why does it feel like you're insulting me? But this is alcohol..."
"What? Don't tell me you're a lightweight? You can't possibly get drunk from one bottle of four-percent beer."
"Of course I can't!"
Who was he looking down on?
Ai Xiaoxing briskly popped the cap and poured herself a full glass.
Xu Yi had a point. It was only one bottle of beer... It was practically a soft drink.
It was merely a tool for getting the conversation started.
She still needed his help, and it wasn't good to keep hesitating forever.
But when the other men saw this scene, they were so furious they ground their teeth.
What a bastard!
We're both men. Do you think I can't tell what you're planning?
You're tricking such a beautiful girl into drinking beer at a hot pot restaurant?
Absolutely outrageous!
If it were me, I'd take out a loan to eat at an upscale restaurant.
Western food with red wine—that was more her style.
Gulp, gulp, gulp~
The campus belle downed her glass of beer briskly and smacked her lips.
"This beer's a little bitter. It's not as good as milk tea."
She then poured herself a second glass. With a few quail eggs, she downed that one too.
"Beer's alcohol content is too low. It probably won't be enough to get the conversation going."
She finished her third glass.
"Bro, bro, are you raising fish? What? That's your fourth glass already!"
The campus belle casually ate a few bites of beef, and soon finished her fourth glass.
"Don't talk. Listen to me first... Listen to me, bro!"
Xu Yi: "..."
"Ai Campus Belle, how about we stop drinking?"
"What are you saying! Are you a little lightweight who can't drink anymore?"
As she spoke, Ai Xiaoxing finished her fifth glass.
"Brother, what do people really live for?"
She finished her sixth glass.
"Brother, lend me your lipstick for a second. What? You don't use lipstick. Huh? This chili is red too."
She finished her seventh glass.
"Brother, I'm not bragging. I'm a person... with intensity!"
She finished her eighth glass.
"Damn it! Are hilarious girls supposed to die? Why does everyone call me the campus belle and place such high expectations on me? I just want to enjoy being hilarious in peace."
Xu Yi: "..."
"Ai Campu... Ai Xiaoxing, how about you stop drinking? You're getting drunk."
"Don't. I haven't had enough! I think you really need to learn about the relationship between Great Xia and Ugly Country. Let me tell you..."
She finished her ninth glass~
Ai Xiaoxing's entire face had turned bright red, making her look exceptionally adorable.
Ai Xiaoxing: "Bro, I'm really not saying all this because I'm drunk..."
She finished her tenth glass.
"What's wrong with being hilarious? Everyone says funny girls can't find love. Hilarious... Do I need love?! Why does everyone use my appearance to define what kind of person I should be?"
Xu Yi shook his head and said seriously, "Don't worry about other people's opinions. It's best to be your true self.
"So you really licked the cockroach jailer?"
Xu Yi: "..."
Ai Xiaoxing: "No, brother, I'm pouring my heart out to you, and you're playing mind games with me? Did you hide some alcohol?"
She finished her eleventh glass.
"Wah wah wah~ Brother, this isn't the life I wanted at all. It's too damn hard. In my next life..."
Looking at Ai Xiaoxing, who was crying and wiping her nose, Xu Yi felt his scalp go numb.
The thing he regretted most today was encouraging her to drink.
How was he supposed to clean up this mess?
Didn't you say beer was just a soft drink?
Ai Xiaoxing was hazy with drunkenness, wearing a silly smile. "Brother, I actually asked you out for a drink today because there's something I want to ask you to help me with."
Xu Yi froze. "What is it?"
Before you continue