The story went back a week, when the European Country had just suffered defeat and the Beautiful Country's naval fleet had been wiped out. The latter was attempting to negotiate with the Empire...
Meanwhile, at a university in Seattle, in the Beautiful Country...
"Are you all okay, Alex?" a conventionally handsome white guy asked at the campus gates.
Across from him stood a chubby young man from Yuan. He had to call out twice before the young man responded.
"Yes, I'm half okay."
"Oh, poor Alex. Things have been rough lately, huh? Having to deal with all that stuff. But you understand that the bitter comes before the sweet, right?"
"I do. Only by finishing my studies properly can I leave people with nothing to criticize. Thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother."
"Good. I knew you'd adjust quickly. Oh, right." He remembered something important.
"I mean, your cooking is pretty good. The professor's full of praise for it. He specifically asked me to tell you that he's planning an outing with a few old friends this weekend. Make sure you're ready."
Alex was a little surprised, then replied confidently, "Sure! Just wait and see what I can do. Where's the professor planning to go?"
"I think he said fishing on a lake. That'll be tricky. I'm not much of a fisherman, and I don't think the professor's skills are all that..." The older student scratched his head, looking troubled.
"Easy. Just buy a few fish, get in the water, and put them on his hook."
"Huh?! You can do that?"
"Uh, you took that seriously? I was joking."
Seeing the thoughtful look on the older student's face, he felt the guy might actually do it.
Maybe...
"I'm off. Still have to sort out the smoke alarm issue with security."