The atmosphere in the private dining room was strange, but fortunately, the dishes soon began arriving.
Everyone ate, and the mood gradually eased.
Of course, that was only true at the other two tables. The mood at Lü Qinglong's table remained terribly awkward.
Whenever a dish arrived, everyone looked to Lü Qinglong to see what he would do.
Until he picked up his chopsticks, no one else dared reach for the dish.
Lü Qinglong was also quite the gentleman. Whenever a dish arrived, he let Lin Qinghan eat first, then helped himself after she was done.
He wasn't picky, either. He could easily polish off two-thirds of a dish by himself.
He deliberately left the remaining third for everyone else.
Lü Qinglong had noticed that most of the people at the table were girls. They didn't need to eat so much; eating less could even help them lose weight.
Of course, Lü Qinglong soon realized that what he was doing wasn't quite appropriate. He told Lin Qinghan, then switched to the boys' table next door.
The boys' table was much better. At their age, they were all pretty immature and admired big muscles, so laughter soon rang out from their table now and then.
Cheng Liang was very unhappy about this. He was the one treating everyone, so why did it feel like Lü Qinglong had become the star of the show?
"Hey, I heard Lü Qinglong got into the National University of Defense Technology."
"Damn! For real? That's incredible! With a build like his, going to a military academy means he's got a bright future!"
"I think so too. After four years at a military academy, you come out as an officer. The benefits in the military keep getting better and better."
Listening to his classmates praise Lü Qinglong, Cheng Liang finally couldn't hold back. He said with disdain:
"So what if he got into the National University of Defense Technology?"
"These days, money's what really matters. My dad wanted to pull some strings and get me into a military academy, too, but I turned him down."
Cheng Liang's words immediately set the boys at his table straight. Building a good relationship with Cheng Liang was what mattered now. Everything else was beside the point.
"Exactly! Let me raise a glass to our future CEO Cheng!"
As they spoke, several boys stood up and raised their beer glasses high.
"Mm."
A satisfied smile spread across Cheng Liang's face. He was just about to say something to thank them when everything went dark.
He turned around. A massive figure stood behind him, glaring down at him with a ferocious gaze like a lion stalking its prey.
"Ah... y-you... Lü Qinglong..."
He opened his mouth to speak, but the crushing pressure—and the memory of what had happened earlier when he'd eaten dragon fruit and taken a kick to the gut—left him unable to say a thing.
Even the other boys, who had been standing with their glasses raised, hurriedly sat back down in fright.
"What's up? We finished the food at the next table, so I came to see if you had anything left over."
Lü Qinglong grinned. Seeing that there was still plenty of food, he picked up the plates and tipped their contents into his mouth one after another, chewing with his huge jaws.
He even swallowed a whole fish without bothering to spit out the bones.
"All right, I'm full. Go ahead and toast each other. I'm heading back to my seat."
Lü Qinglong took a pair of chopsticks from the table, snapped them in half, and used them to pick his teeth. Then he patted Cheng Liang on the shoulder and happily returned to his seat beside Lin Qinghan.
Cheng Liang was actually a pretty good guy. Anyone who treated him to a free meal was a good person.
"I'm full, Brother Qinglong. Let's head back. Their roast squab just keeps getting worse."
The girl took a napkin from the table and wiped her mouth.
"Sure, let's go."
Lü Qinglong nodded, and the two soon pushed open the door and left the private dining room.
"Brother Cheng, what about the food on the table...?"
The boy sitting beside Cheng Liang cautiously asked him.
That guy could eat way too much. He was like a beast, polishing off enough food for two and a half tables all by himself!
"I... I'll order some more."
Seeing his classmates staring at him hopefully, Cheng Liang had no choice but to grit his teeth and order three more tables' worth of food.
Shunshui Tower wasn't cheap. That one meal had wiped out the entire thirty thousand yuan in spending money his dad had just given him!
"Brother Qinglong, if you join the military, does that mean we won't see each other for a long time?"
Outside her apartment building, Lin Qinghan tilted her head and asked Lü Qinglong.
"I'll see. We might only be able to keep in touch by phone for the next couple of years."
"All right, Brother Qinglong. Once you get your phone, be sure to video-call me! I'm pretty curious about what it's like in the military."
"Sure, Qinghan. I'll video-call you for sure. You should head home early, before your mom starts worrying."
Lü Qinglong smiled as he said goodbye to Lin Qinghan, then jogged all the way home.
He'd already packed what he needed to bring tomorrow: a few tubs of protein powder, creatine, pre-workout, and other supplements.
As someone who worked out regularly, he had to bring along these basic supplements.
The lights at home were still off, which meant his mother hadn't returned from the other province.
Lü Qinglong didn't think much of it. He washed up quickly, lay down in bed, and gradually drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, he changed into the camouflage uniform that had been specially ordered in a larger, wider size.
But even then, it still looked too small on him. The fabric stretched tight across his body, and he looked even more like an outrageous bandit.
Carrying the special black duffel issued by the Armed Forces Department in one hand, he went to the roadside and hailed a ride-share.
To the driver's shock, Lü Qinglong casually climbed into the back seat.
"Uh... sir, what do you do for work?"
The ride-share driver swallowed nervously and asked cautiously.
Looking at Lü Qinglong's face and ridiculously muscular build, his legs trembled so badly he could barely work the accelerator.
"Hmm? Me?"
"Student."
"Student!!!"
Hearing the driver's startled outburst, Lü Qinglong narrowed his eyes slightly and asked:
"Do I not look like a student?"
"I just turned eighteen."
"You do! You look exactly like a student!"
The driver shuddered and nodded repeatedly, then stomped on the accelerator. The car shot forward from a standstill.
He'd figured it out. Why was he talking so much? He just needed to get this eighteen-year-old student to the station as quickly as possible.
Seeing that the driver had stopped talking, Lü Qinglong was happy to enjoy the quiet and gazed out the window.
It was the weekend, and there were very few cars on the road so early in the morning. Most of the people heading to the station at this hour were taking their children to enlist.
As soon as they entered the road leading to the station, traffic suddenly grew heavier, and the ride-share came to a standstill.
"Strange. What's going on today? The traffic near the station is awful."
The driver spoke quietly, but Lü Qinglong still heard him.
"Today's the day new recruits enlist."
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