Chapter Seven: Conversation

Sizzle sizzle!

The contact between the meat and the grill rack made a sizzling sound.

The aroma of meat filled the air.

Chu Yu looked at the nearly twenty plates of various meats in front of him, as well as a basket of iced Beer placed beside them, and was a bit dumbfounded.

Chu Yu never imagined that the meal Su Ruo had invited him to would be at a place like this.

The restaurant's decor felt quite luxurious, and the prices were likely not cheap, but it was completely different from the scene Chu Yu had imagined for Su Ruo treating him to a meal.

"Uh, Su Laoda, I'm still a student. Do you think this is appropriate?" Chu Yu looked at the two opened bottles of Beer on the table in front of him.

"Are you eighteen yet?" Su Ruo stared intently at the uncooked beef, saying calmly.

"Yes... yes, but I'm still a student..." Chu Yu's words were interrupted by Su Ruo.

"Then that's that. You drink the two bottles in front of you, and the rest are mine."

As she spoke, Su Ruo placed the remaining Beer from the basket onto the table and opened each bottle.

"But..."

"No 'buts'... This pile is mine, those two bottles are yours. Tonight, if we don't finish the drinks and the food, we're not leaving."

Su Ruo today was different from the one in a business suit at the company that day. Her jet-black hair was tied back with a black headband, her beautiful face fully revealed.

Her delicate eyebrows, crescent-shaped eyes, the dimples that appeared on her cheeks when she smiled, coupled with a light green floral dress, honestly, with her bare face and such casual attire, she looked like an eighteen-year-old girl the same age as Chu Yu.

Many customers passing by Chu Yu's table turned their heads, scrutinizing the two of them, and then muttered things like "early romance."

Chu Yu sighed. He didn't know what was getting into her today. Treating him to a meal was one thing, but actually drinking, with over twenty plates of various meats and more than a dozen bottles of Beer on the table, he didn't know when they would finish.

The first time he drank in his life was on the day his Parents were buried. He bought a lot of alcohol by himself, intending to drink all night, but after two quick drinks, he slept until the afternoon of the next day.

He never expected that the second time he would drink would be with his manga Editor.

Looking at Su Ruo across the table, she was like a starving ghost reborn, snatching the meat as soon as it was cooked. Chu Yu hadn't eaten much; instead, he had become a tool person, constantly helping her grill and flip the meat.

"Aren't you afraid of gaining weight if you eat like this?" Chu Yu couldn't help but ask after watching for a while.

After all, a beauty like Su Ruo, with a great figure, her bare face no less striking than movie stars, logically, shouldn't her meals be measured in grams?

Eating grilled meat and drinking Beer to your heart's content, how do you maintain your figure?

"Hmph hmph!" Su Ruo looked at Chu Yu, her eyes full of pride.

"You wouldn't know about that!"

"I have a naturally thin physique, and when I'm in a bad mood, I tend to binge eat like this."

"My favorite thing to do is to stuff myself with the foods my colleagues love in front of a group of female coworkers at the company who I really dislike, but who are currently on diets..."

"Alright, alright, I'm not interested in hearing about your twisted pleasures." Chu Yu cut off Su Ruo's impending long speech, but at the same time, he caught a key point in her words.

"But you said when you're unhappy... you binge eat like this..."

"You mean, you're currently in... an unhappy state."

"Did someone... make you angry?" Chu Yu thought for a moment and asked.

The moment Chu Yu spoke, Su Ruo, who had been looking indifferent, froze. She subconsciously thought of someone, her eyes filled with disgust.

The air grew silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

WHACK!

Su Ruo, thinking more and more about it, became angrier and finally struck Chu Yu's forehead with a chop.

"What are you doing?" Chu Yu clutched his forehead in pain.

"Today is a celebration party for your work, 'The Garden of Words,' making it into the top three in the first issue's serialization voting support count. Why do you always bring up annoying people?" Su Ruo said.

I didn't bring up anyone, this is entirely your own imagination! Chu Yu felt wronged.

After giving Chu Yu the chop, Su Ruo still seemed to have some pent-up frustration. She immediately picked up a bottle of beer and downed it in one go, leaving Chu Yu dumbfounded.

Amazing! This woman.

However, Chu Yu didn't dwell on the issue any further. It was clear Su Ruo wasn't in a good mood.

"Right, what were you saying earlier?"

"'The Garden of Words' made it into the top three in the first issue's serialization voting support count?" Chu Yu once again caught the main point in Su Ruo's words.

"That's right, otherwise why do you think I invited you here to eat meat and drink beer!"

Top three?

Chu Yu naturally knew about this online voting. Basically, all manga companies in Dragon Country only looked at one statistic when evaluating a work's potential: the voting support count.

In the past, this data was compiled by counting questionnaires mailed to the Manga Company. Now, it's more convenient, directly changed to online voting.

This data directly affects a work's position in the manga periodical, its promotion, the author's remuneration, and most importantly... whether the manga has the qualification to continue serialization.

If a work consistently ranks at the bottom in this vote, the Manga Company will basically decide to cancel it.

As for 'The Garden of Words,' which was published in the first issue, Chu Yu only hoped it would make it into the top ten among the eighteen serialized works in Ink Shadow. He never expected it to directly break into the top three in its first publication.

Thinking this, Chu Yu became happy for a moment. He, like Su Ruo had done earlier, raised a bottle of beer and downed it in one go... a third of the bottle... He almost spat it out in the end.

Cough, cough, cough!

Seeing Chu Yu with his head down, choking on beer, Su Ruo finally couldn't help but let out a laugh.

At this moment, with two bottles of beer in her, her face had a slight flush. The smile blooming on her face made the male customers in the shop who noticed this Scene, including Chu Yu, pause their heartbeats for half a beat.

"Ah, that's better, that's better!" Su Ruo leaned back in her chair, feeling much more relaxed than before.

Ever since Song Jiayu started targeting her within the company three months ago.

The Manga Artists under her left one by one, or scattered. The gossip within the company, her declining performance, and Song Jiayu's harassment had brought her a lot of trouble and pressure.

For three months, Su Ruo had never eaten with anyone else, nor had she laughed heartily like this.

Today, rather than saying she was treating Chu Yu to a meal to celebrate The Garden of Words' success, it was more like she was looking for someone to talk to and eat with. In terms of effect, Su Ruo felt it was very good.

Chu Yu glanced at her!

Was this what she was like in everyday life? What a strange person!

He shook his head. His stomach was also hungry, and he officially started eating.

He swept through the barbecue in front of him.

Half an hour later, Chu Yu looked at Su Ruo, who was sprawled on the table, completely bewildered.

Now, Su Ruo's face was flushed red. She was completely drunk and had no consciousness!

The two of them had ordered a basket of eighteen bottles of beer right at the start, boasting that Chu Yu would drink two bottles and she would take care of the rest!

She thought she was a king... but unexpectedly, she was just bronze.

Out of the dozen or so opened bottles of beer, she only drank a little over four. Out of the more than twenty plates of meat ordered, she only ate about five or six plates.

And she said she wouldn't leave until she finished everything!

Besides, didn't you say you were treating today? If you're down, who's paying the bill?

Did I... get tricked?