Teaching You to Use a Knife and Fork?

Hearing Liu Shang's suggestion, Dong Hong and Yang Dandan repeatedly waved their hands. Even Song Sha said with a smile:

"Forget Budweiser and Heineken. We're all students, and this meal is already expensive enough."

"If we order good beer too, I'm afraid you'll have to steal Ruolin away for the second half of the month. Wouldn't that be more loss than gain for us?"

Song Sha's words were humorous yet tactful, pointing out that Liu Shang might have to live on thin air for the rest of the month and mooch off Jiang Ruolin's meal card.

But Liu Shang smiled and insisted, "Then let's get a few bottles each of Budweiser and Heineken. Everyone can take whatever they like."

"Maybe you don't know this, but with beer, you really get what you pay for."

"Especially you girls. Try to drink better beer when you can. It's better for your health."

Seeing Liu Shang put it that way, the girls stopped insisting.

Sitting beside Liu Shang, Jiang Ruolin looked at the utterly natural, carefree smile on his face. For some reason, her heart ached a little.

Before long, the waiter set out the spotless tableware, and the dishes were served one after another with impressive efficiency.

Since it was a Western-style specialty restaurant, the tableware followed Western dining customs, with knives and forks.

That was one of the main reasons Song Sha had specifically chosen this place for dinner today.

After all, at their age, opportunities to eat Western food were still fairly rare.

And in such an elegant Western dining atmosphere, it was all too easy to embarrass yourself if you were not careful.

Only then, seeing the gleam in Song Sha's eyes, Jiang Ruolin secretly frowned and quickly began thinking of how she could help Liu Shang avoid embarrassment later.

"Oh, their roast beef really does seem pretty good."

"Today, we really got to benefit from Ruolin and Liu Shang. Shall we dig in?"

"And Liu Shang, you're a boy, so make sure you eat more. Don't be embarrassed just because we're here!"

After clinking their glasses, Song Sha smilingly suggested that they start eating, and everyone began their meal.

At that moment, the people feeling most awkward at the table were Dong Hong and Yang Dandan.

They had hardly ever eaten Western food before, and their knowledge of using knives and forks was limited to the most basic rule of fork in the left hand and knife in the right.

Both of them gripped their knives and forks incorrectly, clutching them tightly instead of extending an index finger to rest lightly on the back of the knife.

Perhaps because they were nervous and unfamiliar with it, cutting the roast beef was quite a chore. From time to time, the scraping of knife and fork against plates could be heard.

Jiang Ruolin and Song Sha, on the other hand, had impeccable posture and etiquette, and looked far more natural.

They had probably attended plenty of similar occasions.

At that moment, all four girls' eyes unconsciously focused on Liu Shang, who had yet to officially start eating.

Jiang Ruolin assumed that Liu Shang was probably in much the same situation as Dong Hong and Yang Dandan.

But after watching everyone demonstrate, someone as clever as Liu Shang should be able to imitate them well enough.

As for Song Sha, she attached another label to Liu Shang: quick-witted.

He was smart. In this unfamiliar setting, he had not rashly embarrassed himself, but had carefully observed how others used their knives and forks before acting.

Still, some things came from lifelong habits. They were not something one could master instantly just by watching and learning.

The gap between Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin—and herself—had been built over twenty years of growing up. How could it possibly be changed overnight?

In short, Song Sha remained convinced that Liu Shang was not worthy of her and Jiang Ruolin's social standing.

Under everyone's gaze, Liu Shang smiled. "Now that you mention it, I really am a little hungry."

"Then I'm going to start eating too. Don't let me scare you."

With that, Liu Shang picked up his knife and fork and began eating.

But to the immense surprise of Jiang Ruolin, Song Sha, and the other two girls, Liu Shang was not stiff, cautious, or embarrassing himself as they had imagined.

Instead, he ate with an incredibly swift, utterly natural, and—most importantly—extremely precise Western dining style.

His understanding and command of Western dining etiquette far surpassed even Jiang Ruolin and Song Sha's.

The way he used his knife and fork while eating Western food was as natural as everyone else using chopsticks.

What a joke. Liu Shang had once lived abroad for seven or eight years. He had eaten so much Western food he was nearly sick of it. How could he possibly not know how to use a knife and fork?

This sudden sight left all four girls staring blankly, making Liu Shang laugh.

"Why are you four staring at me?"

"Is my face really as attractive as the roast beef and grilled chicken wings?"

At Liu Shang's words, Dong Hong and Yang Dandan hurriedly smiled in embarrassment and looked away.

Song Sha, however, shook her head in amazement. "Liu Shang, if you told me you'd lived abroad your entire life, I'd believe you!"

As for Jiang Ruolin, after Liu Shang gave her yet another unexpected surprise, the smile on her face naturally became warmer and sweeter.

At the same time, she recalled the impressively strong English skills Liu Shang had displayed earlier in the private booth at the internet café.

The atmosphere throughout the meal was quite pleasant. Liu Shang was more like an excellent listener at the table, listening as Jiang Ruolin and the others chattered away nonstop.

Only when someone occasionally asked him something did Liu Shang join in with a few remarks that were witty without losing their steadiness.

But most of his attention remained on Jiang Ruolin.

Even if he merely sat there quietly watching her every smile and frown, Liu Shang felt happy and content.

After paying a hefty bill, everyone went their separate ways.

Liu Shang walked Jiang Ruolin home, while Song Sha and the other two girls headed back to school together.

The most frustrated people after this meal were undoubtedly Dong Hong and Yang Dandan.

Because they were unaccustomed to knives and forks, and were somewhat nervous and embarrassed, neither of them had eaten their fill...

They would probably have to go back and make instant noodles for a late-night snack.

On a dimly lit, tree-lined street outside the school with few pedestrians, Jiang Ruolin looped her arm through Liu Shang's. The two chatted as they wandered forward without any particular destination.

"Liu Shang, starting next week, how about I eat with you every day?"

"Look at those couples. They all eat together."

How could Liu Shang not know that Jiang Ruolin was afraid he would struggle financially after spending so much on this meal? She wanted to become his meal ticket in a roundabout way.

So Liu Shang gave Jiang Ruolin a meaningful, smiling look. "I see those couples all going in and out of hotels together."

Sure enough, at the mention of such a sensitive subject, Jiang Ruolin became both embarrassed and annoyed. She lightly punched him twice. "You're awful! You big pervert!"