Chapter 147 Striving for the same treatment as Zhang Yan (Seeking monthly votes)

Zhang Yan also went to Xu Qingmo's house, where the chefs from the state-run restaurant were already busy in the kitchen.

Zhang Yan went to the kitchen, took out a piece of cooked beef, and handed it to Xu Qingmo.

"Let's eat something to fill our stomachs first. The chef said we'll have to wait a while before we can eat," Zhang Yan said.

Xu Qingmo took the piece of beef he handed her, took a bite, and the aroma of the meat exploded in her mouth.

It smells very good.

"It's delicious."

"If you like it, eat more."

Xu Qingmo felt uncomfortable under Zhang Yan's gaze, so she deliberately turned away to avoid his look. Zhang Yan then deliberately followed her.

"Why are you staring at me?" Xu Qingmo asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing, I just enjoy watching people eat."

"If you're hungry too, you can go to the kitchen and get another piece of beef."

Zhang Yan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "Actually, I wanted to wait for you to help me think of a way to beat your father and become the new King of Soldiers."

Xu Qingmo thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, you knew the answer from the very beginning."

"I?"

“As long as my dad doesn’t participate in the competition, you will definitely be the king of soldiers.”

Zhang Yan felt secretly pleased; this meant he had gained Xu Qingmo's approval.

"So you also think I'm second only to your father. It's just a pity that I keep running into your father. If he had been smart enough not to participate, maybe we could have become friends."

"I won't skip the King of Soldiers competition just to be friends with you. Forget about it." Shen Jiang returned from outside, his clothes covered in snow.

He casually brushed the snowflakes off his body and happened to overhear Zhang Yan and Xu Qingmo's conversation.

Zhang Yan snorted, "You think I want to be friends with you? Don't dream about it."

"If you're unwilling, why do you keep staying in my house and refuse to leave?"

"I came to see Xu Qingmo, not you," Zhang Yan retorted stubbornly.

Shen Jiang gave an "oh," and then asked Xu Qingmo, "Is this your friend?"

Xu Qingmo shook her head. "We're not close. We've only met a few times. I didn't expect him to be so shameless and keep following me. I can't shake him off no matter what I do."

Zhang Yan stood awkwardly to the side, feeling slighted by the rejection.

Xu Qingmo deliberately tried to teach him a lesson for his stubbornness.

"Xu Qingmo, how can you talk like that? I teach you to read and write during the day, and you teach me horse stance when you have time. We should be quite familiar with each other."

Xu Qingmo said, "This is just something we should each do. We'll all go home at a certain time. Who knew you would come along?"

"Anyway, you're already my friend in my heart." Zhang Yan acted like a rogue in front of Xu Qingmo.

Shen Jiang teased from the side, "Is it just you who defines friends? Momo doesn't agree."

Zhang Yan stared intently at Xu Qingmo and earnestly expressed his thoughts, "That won't do. In my heart, we are just friends."

Xu Qingmo said helplessly, "If you think so, then so be it."

A smile finally appeared on Zhang Yan's face.

During dinner that evening, Zhang Yan deliberately sat next to Xu Qingmo and tried to serve her food every now and then, but Xu Qingmo refused.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Yan didn't want to leave so soon.

Lu Ting stood not far away, watching Zhang Yan practice his horse stance. He took the initiative to walk forward and also adopted the horse stance, clearly intending to challenge Zhang Yan to a duel.

Lu Ting turned to Xu Qingmo and said, "Qingmo, how do you think my horse stance is now?"

Xu Qingmo nodded. "You've made rapid progress; you're very talented."

Lu Ting proudly gestured with his chin towards Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan also asked, "Xu Qingmo, how do you think my horse stance is?"

"Didn't I tell you this afternoon? You need to practice your horse stance for a while longer to solidify your foundation." Xu Qingmo didn't understand why Zhang Yan asked the same question twice a day.

Zhang Yan changed the subject and asked, "Compared to Lu Ting's horse stance, do you think mine is good?"

“You’re definitely better at stances than him, but you’re also much older than him. I think if he were your age, he would definitely be stronger than you.”

Xu Qingmo analyzed seriously that as long as Lu Ting did not slack off or give up during this period, his basic skills would definitely surpass Zhang Yan's.

It's not that Zhang Yan is bad, it's just that Lu Ting is also very talented, but he hasn't put in the effort in this area before.

Lu Ting couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Zhang Yan nodded, not too disappointed. It would definitely be something to be happy about if Lu Ting could achieve even better results in the future.

After all, we have gained another pillar of society.

Xu Qingmo felt it was almost time and urged, "Zhang Yan, you should go home first. It's getting late. You've been training very hard lately, but you should also take care to rest."

Zhang Yan did not insist further; Xu Qingmo had already spoken, so he naturally listened.

"Alright then, I'll head back now."

Xu Qingmo didn't let Lu Ting go back to his room to rest. After Zhang Yan left, Lu Ting asked, "Can I go back to my room to rest now?"

"You can rest whenever you want, no need to ask me."

After all, Xu Qingmo hadn't intended to strictly control Lu Ting's training.

Lu Ting was puzzled, "Why did you tell Zhang Yan to rest, but you don't care about me at all?"

Xu Qingmo didn't understand why Lu Ting wanted to compare himself to Zhang Yan.

“It’s not that I don’t care about you. It’s just that Zhang Yan’s pursuits are different from yours. You’re trying to improve your health, while he wants to surpass Dad and become a trusted elite soldier. Plus, he trains very hard and should be resting late at night. It’s nothing that I said anything.”

Lu Ting coughed lightly and spoke again, "I hope you can treat me the way you treated Zhang Yan in the future. I want more than just physical fitness; I also want to become a future king of soldiers."

Xu Qingmo then realized that Lu Ting was competing with Zhang Yan.

"Since this is your suggestion, I will be stricter with you from now on. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I will try my best."

"In that case, go outside and run ten laps, then come back to sleep."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

As expected, Lu Ting opened the door and went out, running laps around the family compound.

Wang Jing asked in confusion, "Mo Mo, what's wrong with Lu Ting? Why is he going out for a run so late at night?"

"He asked for it himself, Mom. Don't worry about him. He'll come back on his own after he's done running around."

Wang Jing was still worried, so she didn't go back inside and deliberately sat down to wait for Lu Ting to return.

Xu Qingmo was already sleepy. She had been waking up early lately, and her eyelids were drooping.

After Lu Ting finished his run, he returned home and found Wang Jing and Shen Jiang waiting for him. He didn't see Xu Qingmo. When he asked, he learned that she had already gone to sleep.

Shen Jiang walked to Lu Ting's side and patted him on the shoulder, "You're starting to look more and more like your parents."

When his parents were mentioned, Lu Ting's eyes darkened.