Yao Chuan hadn't had time to speak.
Xie Xie was already leaning over to Tang Wulin, trying to hold back a laugh as he lowered his voice. There was a hint of schadenfreude in his tone, but also a note of warning.
"Brother... think it over before you invite him."
He shot a glance at the unruffled Yao Chuan beside them and chuckled.
"I'd better warn you in advance... our boss... his appetite... heh, it's no ordinary appetite. He can eat an awful, awful, awful lot."
At that, Tang Wulin's face showed a hint of disdain.
A big eater?
In all his years, Tang Wulin had never lost to anyone when it came to eating.
He was the kind of person who could single-handedly eat his family into poverty.
To his ears, Xie Xie's words sounded more like a friendly joke.
He patted Xie Xie on the shoulder, a touch of confidence in his voice.
"Don't worry. So what if he can eat? He can't possibly out-eat me. I'll make sure he's full. The cafeteria has plenty."
Seeing how confident he was, Xie Xie raised an eyebrow.
"Are you really that confident?"
He couldn't help feeling a little competitive himself.
"Don't come crying to me if you can't even out-eat me. That'd be a real laugh."
He went ahead and proposed a contest.
"How about this? The three of us compete. We'll see who can eat the most buns. The other two will cover the winner's lunch for the next two weeks."
Tang Wulin's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
He had absolute faith in his appetite.
"Sure. Let's do it. Who's afraid of who?"
He immediately agreed.
Watching the two of them suddenly square off, Yao Chuan smiled helplessly.
Still, he nodded and explained that Meal C at Eastsea Academy was free, and that they could eat as many buns as they wanted.
It was the perfect place for a contest.
"Then let's head to the Meal C counter. Buns first."
With that, he led the way to the cafeteria.
Eastsea Academy's cafeteria did indeed offer three meal tiers: A, B, and C.
Meal C was free, but it offered only one thing: piping-hot, palm-sized buns stuffed entirely with meat.
Vegetable soup came with them too.
The three of them arrived at the Meal C counter.
When the server saw three boys around their age, he perked up.
He was especially taken with Yao Chuan's handsome face, and cheerfully brought over several large trays of buns. Then he grinned and offered a word of warning.
"Dig in, boys. But take it easy, all right? The record for buns eaten by a student in the academy's middle division is only forty-three. It's not worth making yourselves sick."
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exchanged a glance.
They both saw the same words in each other's eyes: "No problem."
Yao Chuan merely smiled.
He said nothing.
The three of them found a table and sat down.
Xie Xie and Tang Wulin went into battle mode almost at once.
They grabbed buns and started stuffing them into their mouths.
They ate fast and ferociously.
By comparison,
Yao Chuan's movements were unhurried and elegant.
He didn't even rush to start eating. First, he calmly took out a napkin and wiped his hands.
Only then did he pick up a bun.
He took a delicate bite and chewed slowly, as if savoring some exquisite delicacy. His relaxed poise made it seem less like a contest and more like afternoon tea at a fine restaurant.
At first, Xie Xie put everything he had into it.
He wanted to give Tang Wulin a taste of defeat.
He wolfed down the buns, his cheeks bulging like he had stuffed two peaches into them. He ate at a blistering pace, but after about twenty buns,
his speed noticeably slowed.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
His breathing grew ragged.
"Whew... I can't do this, I can't..."
Xie Xie struggled to force down one more bun.
He looked at the little mountain of buns in front of him.
Then he glanced at the much larger "mountain" in front of Tang Wulin.
There were still more buns on the tray.
He promptly raised his hand in surrender.
"I give up. I give up. I'd burst before I could eat another one."
He rubbed his distended belly,
his face full of utter disbelief.
"Good grief... Tang Wulin, is your stomach a bottomless pit? You've eaten more than fifty, and you can still fit more?"
Tang Wulin had just stuffed an entire bun into his mouth.
He swallowed it with effort.
A smug little smile tugged at his lips.
"Of course. I told you already. When it comes to eating, I've never bowed to anyone."
Seeing how pleased with himself Tang Wulin looked,
Xie Xie was so full he could barely stand it, but he still couldn't help laughing.
He pointed at Yao Chuan, who was still eating his buns at an unhurried pace,
and warned him,
"Brother, don't celebrate too soon. Our contest is over, but things aren't settled between you and my boss."
At that, the smug look on Tang Wulin's face faltered. He turned toward Yao Chuan beside him.
One look was enough to leave him dumbfounded. Yao Chuan's plate was still neatly arranged,
unlike the mess in front of him and Xie Xie, but the pile of empty bun skins on it had grown to an astonishing height.
It looked like he had eaten at least as many as Tang Wulin.
And the strangest part was that Yao Chuan seemed to be eating slowly, as if savoring every bite. Yet the frequency with which he picked up buns, and his steady, unhurried movements,
made his eating just as efficient as Tang Wulin's all-out stuffing.
Tang Wulin's heart gave a little jolt. He immediately lost his smug look, and his expression turned serious.
For the first time, he felt an overwhelming pressure.
Without a word, he plunged back into the "battle" with the buns. He puffed out his cheeks and started swallowing even more frantically, throwing himself into the contest with everything he had.
One.
Two.
Three.
He ate at a breakneck pace, as if he meant to pour every ounce of strength he had into his mouth.
Xie Xie watched, utterly dumbstruck.
Everyone else in the cafeteria had already been drawn by the commotion.
They had gathered in several rings around the table.
They pointed at Tang Wulin and whispered among themselves.
"My goodness. Is that guy even human? He's got to be past eighty by now."
"Eighty-seven. He's broken the record already. Who knows how that old forty-three-bun record was set?"
His stomach isn't even that big. How can he fit so much food in there? Those buns are all meat filling!"
"Look at that kid. He's the author of Soul Breaking the Firmament, right? My goodness, he's still eating. His movements are so elegant, but he doesn't seem to have slowed down at all!"
"He's even more ridiculous... Ninety-eight. Ninety-nine. One hundred. He's hit a hundred!"
As some eager spectator quietly counted,
Tang Wulin finally struggled to swallow his eighty-seventh bun.
He felt he had reached his limit. His stomach was stretched to bursting,
and even breathing had become difficult. He slumped back in his chair, unable to force down even one more bite.
He struggled to look up. Just then, Yao Chuan elegantly picked up his hundredth bun and took a small bite.
He chewed it slowly, then calmly set down the other half.
He picked up a clean napkin and carefully wiped the corner of his mouth.
His movements were smooth and natural.
He even looked faintly satisfied.
When he was done, he nodded.
His voice was calm.
"Mm. That should do it. I'm full."
The entire cafeteria fell silent.
Everyone seemed frozen in place.
They stared at Yao Chuan in shock, then at Tang Wulin, who was so stuffed his eyes were rolling back.
One hundred buns and six large bowls of vegetable soup.
This wasn't just a new record. It had completely rewritten the Eastsea Academy cafeteria's understanding of history.
Tang Wulin looked at Yao Chuan, who still seemed to have plenty of room left.
His mouth hung open, and his eyes were as round as bells.
For the first time in his life, he had been beaten in the field he took the most pride in—eating—and utterly crushed at that.
And his opponent had won so effortlessly, without a hint of strain.
He sat there, dumbfounded.
His mind went blank, as though his whole worldview had been shaken.
"This... how is this possible..." he murmured.
Seeing Tang Wulin looking as though he were questioning his entire existence,
Xie Xie couldn't stop laughing. He used the table to push himself up and asked with a grin,
"Well, Wulin? Convinced yet? Still going to treat the boss to dinner tomorrow? You promised. A bet's a bet. You're covering lunch for me and the boss for the next two weeks!"
At the words "treat us to dinner,"
Tang Wulin snapped back to his senses.
His young face showed unmistakable conflict and pain.
He instinctively patted his flat little wallet.
His mind raced as he calculated the cost of feeding these two bottomless pits in the cafeteria for two weeks.
It would be enough to make every organ in his body ache.
But in the end,
the boy's simple sense of honor won out.
He took a deep breath.
Then he nodded gravely.
"I'll treat you. It's only right. Yao Chuan helped me a lot, so I should buy him a meal. Even if... even if you eat my little wallet empty, I'll accept it."
He said it with a tragic air of surrender, as if he were setting out to accomplish some great feat.
Yao Chuan had been quietly observing Tang Wulin all along.
Seeing him like this, he felt a little comforted.
It seemed that before the fragments of Tang San's soul could fully influence him,
Tang Wulin had indeed been raised well by his adoptive parents. He was a good kid who knew how to repay kindness.
He stood up and went to Tang Wulin's side, then patted him on the shoulder.
His voice was gentle. "Wulin, I appreciate the thought, but there's no need to buy me a meal. Really."
He saw the confusion in Tang Wulin's eyes
and smiled. "The money I make from writing books is more than enough to cover a few meals. Your situation is different. Don't feel burdened."
Only then
did Tang Wulin suddenly remember that the boy in front of him, who seemed to be about his age,
was already a renowned best-selling author across the continent—the writer of Soul Breaking the Firmament.
The royalties he earned might be more than his own parents could make after years of hard work.
Thinking of that, Tang Wulin felt the vast gulf between them all over again.
He lowered his head in embarrassment and muttered,
"Comparing yourself to other people really is enough to drive you mad..."
For the first time, he truly understood the meaning of those words.
After his astonishment and awe came a heartfelt admiration.
He finally understood a little why someone as proud to the bone as Xie Xie would willingly call Yao Chuan Big Brother.
Yao Chuan's excellence was overwhelming in every way.
As he thought this,
his awe at Yao Chuan's strength and his "respect" for Yao Chuan's appetite blended into a strange impulse.
He lifted his head and looked at Yao Chuan.
As if possessed, he blurted out the words too.
"Yao Chuan, um... could I... call you Big Brother too?"
Before you continue