You Can't Control Me

"Huh? Who are you?" Li Xian looked up, his face full of questions.

The girl in front of him was wearing a dress that went past her knees, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. She had a delicate face with large eyes, and her makeup was a bit heavy, especially the light brown eyeshadow, which was very noticeable. Overall, she wasn't as pretty as Dong Linlin, her appearance rating probably around 80, but she was still a beauty.

Li Xian couldn't remember who she was at all, but judging by her expression, she seemed to know him well.

The girl blinked her eyes, as if waiting for Li Xian to say her name, but Li Xian's reaction disappointed her.

"I'm Peng Mengke! We were classmates for four years in college. You didn't recognize me, that's so sad," the girl said, a little unhappy.

Sister... there are forty or fifty people in our class, and about twenty girls. How can I remember all of them?

Li Xian was speechless. He didn't interact much with the girls in his class when he was in college. He couldn't even remember all their names, let alone their faces.

However, the name Peng Mengke did ring a faint bell.

Li Xian took a closer look at her and felt that her name didn't quite match his impression of her. He said in surprise, "Peng Mengke? Wow, you've changed so much! I really didn't recognize you."

"Hehehe... many people say I've changed a lot in the past two years," Peng Mengke said humbly, smiling. "But it's not that exaggerated. I guess I just succeeded in losing weight... I did get a bit thinner."

"It's more than just a bit thinner; you're much prettier than before," Li Xian complimented her, which was rare. "The guys in our class probably regret not making a move on you sooner."

Li Xian was straightforward, but he still gave his old classmates some face.

However, while he said that, he was thinking to himself: This isn't just succeeding at losing weight, this is a complete transformation!

In his memory, Peng Mengke was a shy, unkempt, slightly chubby girl who lacked confidence. Now, she was a stunning urban beauty, a completely different person compared to before.

Losing weight can have this effect?

Don't kid me!

I'm not buying into this toxic self-help advice.

Li Xian didn't have the motivation to lose weight. If he could lose weight by sleeping, he might be highly motivated.

"You've changed a lot too. You're much more handsome than when you were in school. I almost didn't recognize you until I got closer," Peng Mengke retorted, rolling her eyes playfully. She was clearly pleased with Li Xian's compliment, and they engaged in a bit of mutual flattery.

"Oh, right... Chen Chao..." Peng Mengke suddenly turned around and realized that Chen Chao, who had come with her, wasn't by her side. He was standing not far away, admiring the decorative paintings on the wall. She felt a bit annoyed and called out, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Your old classmate is here, why aren't you coming over to say hello?"

"Oh~ Nothing much to say," Chen Chao reluctantly walked back.

He was also Li Xian's college classmate and had even been his roommate. However, the two of them had fallen out over some issues in their sophomore year.

Chen Chao had noticed Li Xian before Peng Mengke did, but he didn't want to talk to Li Xian and deliberately kept his distance.

Li Xian had also noticed him long ago, and his thoughts were similar. They both knew what was going on without saying it.

It wasn't that they were enemies who would fight on sight, but they just found each other irritating. So, there was no need to pretend to be close friends when they met.

After Chen Chao came over, he didn't even bother to look Li Xian in the eye and said, "Well, well, look who it is. Big Fatty. Living the good life lately, huh? Running into you at Crab General."

Li Xian glanced at him sideways and said sarcastically, "Holy crap, isn't this Dog Chao? I thought you were dead."

"I'm definitely more alive than you!"

"Yeah, it must have been tough for you to survive this long!"

"Still better than some people who pretend to be rich to chase girls and end up eating instant noodles for weeks after a meal like this," Chen Chao glanced at Dong Linlin and said, "Miss, you should open your eyes when you go out. Be careful not to be fooled."

"What's it to you!" Before Li Xian could say anything, Dong Linlin got upset and looked at Chen Chao with disgust. "It's none of your business who I choose to have dinner with!"

"Uh..." Chen Chao's expression changed, and he looked a bit embarrassed.

Damn, she's got some fire!

Not bad, not bad...

The perfume wasn't given for nothing.

Li Xian raised an eyebrow and said with a grin, "Can you even understand human language? It's none of your damn business! Go stand over there... Honestly, Dog Chao, you're just asking for a beating. You're annoying wherever you go."

"You..."

"Chen Chao... what's going on between you two..." Peng Mengke quickly stepped between them, looking a bit stunned because she hadn't reacted immediately.

Peng Mengke knew that Chen Chao and Li Xian had a falling out in college, but she didn't expect them to start exchanging barbs the moment they met. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have let Chen Chao come over.

With her intervening, Chen Chao immediately toned it down a bit. He was pursuing Peng Mengke and didn't want to ruin his chances because of Li Xian.

"I'm sorry, Li Xian," Peng Mengke said apologetically. "I didn't know this would happen. What's going on between you two...?"

"Heh... it's just like you see, nothing more to say," Li Xian sat back down, not wanting to prolong the argument, partly to save Peng Mengke face. "You should have just let him hide in the corner. Then none of this would have happened."

"Was I hiding from you?" Chen Chao retorted indignantly.

"Just say a few less words..." Peng Mengke shot him a glare and then said apologetically to Li Xian, "I'm sorry, Li Xian. We won't disturb your meal anymore... Your girlfriend is very beautiful."

With that, Peng Mengke gave Dong Linlin an apologetic smile and, dragging the sulking Chen Chao with her, left.

After they left, Li Xian raised an eyebrow at Dong Linlin and said, "That was quite something... Oh, right. My classmate misunderstood and thought we were... you know. Don't mind it."

"It's fine, it's fine... Let's order our food first," Dong Linlin said, pointing at the menu. She wasn't sure why she had suddenly spoken up for Li Xian. Maybe it was because of the two bottles of perfume she liked, or maybe she just didn't like the other guy.

"Yeah, let's order. I'm starving. Waiter..." Li Xian called over the waiter and opened the menu. "Salmon sashimi, grilled eel, sweet shrimp, assorted raw fish platter, sushi platter, ark shell sashimi, sea urchin..."

Li Xian picked the cheaper options. Salmon sashimi was 48, grilled eel 88, sweet shrimp 49, assorted raw fish platter 78, sushi platter 59. The ark shell and sea urchin together were less than 100.

This restaurant specialized in seven ways to prepare King Crab, and most of the crab dishes were over a hundred. The current order came out to around 500 yuan.

This meal was on Dong Linlin, so Li Xian didn't want to rip her off too much. If he were paying himself, he'd order the King Crab seven ways first.

"Customer... our grilled crab legs, crab meat congee, and crab roe steamed egg are all very good..."

"Are your crabs fresh?"

"What are you saying? I can bring you a live crab to see."

"Oh~~" Li Xian pointed at the menu and asked, "How much does this whole King Crab for 498 weigh?"

"About two to three jin..."

"That's a bit small. Never mind, we don't want it." As Li Xian spoke, he turned to Dong Linlin and said, "Your crabs are too small. I'll treat you to a four or five kilogram King Crab someday, that'll be a real treat. You take a look, what else do you want to eat?"

Hearing this, Dong Linlin pursed her lips, suppressing a smile as she took the menu.

The staff member beside them twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling both annoyed and amused, but he couldn't lash out.

This guy is too picky. A 400-500 yuan crab is too small, but a 2000-3000 yuan one would be ordered?

He really wanted to say that, but he was afraid Li Xian would just find another excuse, so it was better not to embarrass himself.

Dong Linlin ordered a crab meat congee and a crab roe steamed egg, then ordered two hand rolls.

Including the dishes Li Xian ordered, the total was around eight hundred yuan. This was nothing for Dong Linlin, who earned over ten thousand a month.

The staff member went to place the order. Two or three tables away, Chen Chao quietly said to Peng Mengke, "Hear that? That's Li Xian, a poor loser still trying to show off!"

Peng Mengke gave him a displeased look. "Aren't you two in the same dorm? Do you have that much of a grudge?"

"Heh." Chen Chao held his teacup, looking elsewhere, silent.

His peripheral vision caught Dong Linlin, who was smiling broadly. He felt a bit uncomfortable: How could a beauty like this fall for that fatty Li Xian?

ps: Please collect, recommend, and invest. Thank you, big bosses.