Chapter 37 "You owe me another meal."

Under the warm yellow lights of the Cantonese restaurant, the exquisite dim sum was steaming. Lin Che had a faint smile on his face as he scooped up a spoonful of crystal shrimp dumplings with a spoon. As he moved, the slight scar at the corner of his lip was faintly visible under the light.

A voice, neither too loud nor too soft, with obvious sarcasm and a sense of superiority, interrupted.

"Oh, who did I think it was? Isn't this the new wife of our Lu family? How come, after climbing up to that high position as Lu Yu, she's condescending to eat in a place like this with us commoners?"

The air suddenly stagnated.

Lin Che's hand holding the spoon stopped in mid-air, and the voice of her conversation with Lin Yao stopped abruptly. She slowly raised her head and looked at Qi Yan.

The young men, led by Qi Yan, were standing there, with undisguised sarcasm and smiles of anticipation on their faces.

Qi Yan put his hands in the pockets of his well-tailored trousers and raised his chin slightly.

Li Qiuyi and Lin Yao's faces instantly darkened.

"Qi Yan, watch your mouth!" Lin Yao stood up suddenly, and the chair legs made a harsh sound as they scraped against the floor.

He was young and hot-headed, and his anger immediately rose. He pointed at Qi Yan's nose and said, "Are you fucking done yet? It's been so many years, and you're still biting Lin Che like a mad dog? Wasn't it just that Lin Che took the scholarship that should have belonged to you during your sophomore year? Why do you still hold a grudge against her? You're not as skilled as others, so you only use such despicable means to gain a sense of importance?"

Qi Yan's false sense of superiority was torn apart, the sneer on his face froze instantly, and his sinister smile seemed to tear Lin Yao to pieces.

The scar he hated to be mentioned the most was the school-level special scholarship that he was determined to win but was ultimately snatched away by Lin Che with his absolute strength and better grades.

That was the first setback he had encountered in his smooth life, a setback that could not be erased by his family background, and it was also the root of all his malice towards Lin Che.

"Lin Yao, who do you think you are? How dare you bark in front of me? Lin Che is just a..."

"That's enough!" Lin Che threw the spoon in his hand into the bowl with a clang, and took Lin Yao's wrist with one hand, motioning him to sit down.

He ignored Qi Yan and glanced at the followers who were joining in the commotion and now looked a little embarrassed.

Lin Che's voice was not loud, but very clear. "Qi Yan, who I eat with and where I eat is none of your business."

He accidentally pulled the wound at the corner of his mouth, and a slight stinging sensation came, which only ignited the anger in Lin Che's heart.

"Qi Yan, is it just like what Lin Yao said? Something that happened several years ago has been bothering you for so long?" Lin Che stood up and laughed sarcastically.

Qi Yan's face was ashen as he clenched his fists, and the veins on his forehead bulged. "Lin Che, shut the fuck up! Who the hell do you think you are?! Someone who can only…"

Lin Yao slammed his hand on the table, causing the cups and plates on it to jump and clatter. Just as he was about to stand up, Lin Che put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down, "Sit down."

"Oh?" Lin Che interrupted him gently, her voice rising slightly, filled with an almost innocent suspicion, yet more ironic. "Climbing into a man's bed? Climbing into whose bed? Did you see it with your own eyes? Or are you jealous because you can't climb into a man's bed?"

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes carefully examining Qi Yan's face, which was twisted with anger. The sneer on his lips deepened, and the tiny wound on his lips was particularly glaring under the light. "So, who I want to eat with and where I want to eat is not your turn to dictate to me, a loser who can't even hold a 'consolation prize'?"

The word "waste" was pronounced very lightly by him, yet it sounded very heavy, like two loud slaps in Qi Yan's face!

"Lin Che!! I fuck you!!" The string of rationality in Qi Yan's mind completely broke the moment the word "waste" fell!

His eyes were red, like a wild beast that had been thoroughly enraged, and he had completely lost the dignity and demeanor he usually pretended to have. He suddenly picked up a porcelain bowl that was still half full of soup on the table next to him and raised his arm high.

"What's going on?" Zhou Xuran put one hand in his trouser pocket and easily pressed down the porcelain bowl that Qi Yan was holding high with the other hand.

"Ah--!" Qi Yan only felt a sharp pain in his wrist, his entire arm was instantly paralyzed, and all his strength was drained away in an instant.

Zhou Xuran, appearing out of nowhere, wore a meticulously tailored dark gray cashmere coat, a simple black turtleneck underneath. His neck was elongated, and his jawline was smooth and cool. He faced the crowd sideways, revealing only half of his handsome, almost sharp profile beneath his neatly cropped hair. His nose was high, and his thin lips were pressed into a cold, straight line.

He put one hand in his trouser pocket, his posture was as leisurely as if he was taking a walk in his own back garden, but the other hand was like the strongest shackle, tightly holding Qi Yan's wrist. The force was so great that Qi Yan's face turned pale with pain, and his forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat.

Zhou Xuran didn't even glance at Qi Yan. His narrow, deep eyes, with a kind of condescending indifference and a hint of barely perceptible annoyance, lazily swept across the farce in front of him, and finally fell on Lin Che.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Lin Che's slightly pale but still forced calm face, and passed over the unsightly scar at the corner of his lip. In Zhou Xuran's pair of cold eyes, a hint of amusement seemed to flash across extremely quickly, so fast that it was impossible to catch.

"Tsk." He sneered very lightly.

Then, he shook his wrist slightly and sent out a burst of clever force.

"Ah--!" Qi Yan howled again, feeling an irresistible force coming at him. He was thrown back several steps and hit the table behind him with a "clang". The dishes fell to the ground, making a mess.

He covered his painful wrist, looking miserable. He looked at Zhou Xuran with eyes full of fear and didn't dare to take another step forward.

Zhou Xuran then slowly withdrew his hand, as if he felt it was dirty, and took out a dark handkerchief of fine texture from his coat pocket, and slowly wiped the fingers that had just pinched Qi Yan's wrist.

When Zhou Xubai reacted, he found that his brother had appeared in the center of the vortex.

He was just about to take out his cell phone to take a picture of Lu Yu's wife to tease him, but he was watching the scene when his head was hit and his younger brother beside him had already rushed to the front line.

“Damn it, this bastard!” Zhou Xubai didn’t dare to take the photo anymore. It seemed like he hadn’t listened to the warning he’d given him last time not to send flowers to Lin Che and not to have any other thoughts.

If Lu Yu knew about this, I'm afraid the sky would fall!

"Zhou... Zhou Xuran?" Qi Yan covered his hand in pain and looked at the culprit beside him without daring to say a word.

Behind Zhou Xuran is the entire Zhou family and his brother who dotes on his younger brother.

"Yan...Brother Yan, are you okay?" The follower behind him helped the embarrassed Qi Yan up from the ground.

The restaurant manager and security quickly surrounded Zhou Xuran and bowed to him, "Mr. Zhou, I'm so sorry! We'll take care of it right away!"

Zhou Xuran didn't even raise his eyelids, but just waved his hand casually. The manager was as if pardoned. He immediately ordered people to half-help and half-carry Qi Yan, who was still lying on the ground, in a miserable state and dared not speak, and his frightened followers to be half-carried out like cleaning up garbage.

Zhou Xuran then turned around and returned his gaze to Lin Che and the others. He ignored the others' gazes and locked his gaze directly on Lin Che's face.

Lin Che's face was still pale, but he forced himself to remain calm. The scar at the corner of his lip was particularly clear under the light. He met Zhou Xuran's deep, cold eyes, feeling a little nervous, unsure of what this suddenly appearing "savior" with such a powerful aura would do next.

Zhou Xuran, with his long legs, walked over to the table where Lin Che and the others were sitting in a few steps. He didn't consider himself an outsider at all. He simply pulled out an empty chair next to Lin Yao—directly across from Lin Che—and sat down with a very natural posture.

The hem of his dark grey coat brushed against the back of his chair. He casually placed his elbows on the edge of the table, leaned back slightly, and scanned the dishes on the table.

"The food looks good." Zhou Xuran's voice was still that cold tone with a hint of laziness and magnetism. He picked up the clean wet towel on the table and slowly wiped his hands again.

He raised his eyes, his gaze landing on Lin Che again. He parted his thin lips slightly, his tone as calm as if stating an established fact: "Add a pair of chopsticks, do you mind?"

Li Qiuyi, Lin Yao, and Qi Yinyang: “…”

They looked at each other, not knowing how to respond.

This aura, this attitude, this matter-of-fact attitude... Saying I don't mind? It seems a bit insincere. Saying I mind? Who would dare?

Lin Che was also stunned. He looked at Zhou Xuran, who was sitting across from him as steady as a rock. His deep eyes seemed calm, but they carried an invisible pressure.

Thinking about how the other person had really helped him, even if the method was a bit... horrifying, he could only bite the bullet and nod to the waiter next to him, who was still in a state of shock. "...Excuse me, please add a set of bowls and chopsticks."

The atmosphere during the meal was weird and awkward.

Li Qiuyi and Lin Yao were busy eating, occasionally exchanging glances, and silently shouting, "Wk.........What's going on?"

Lin Che felt even more uneasy. Zhou Xuran's presence was too strong across from him. His vague, scrutinizing gaze would occasionally fall on his face, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

Only Zhou Xuran seemed completely unaffected.

"Zhou Xuran!!!"

Everyone looked up and saw Zhou Xubai rushing towards them with big strides. He rushed behind Zhou Xuran in a few steps, and without saying a word, he reached out and grabbed Zhou Xuran's wrist with considerable force, trying to pull him up from the chair.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Come with me!" Zhou Xubai's voice was very low, but the urgency in his tone was unquestionable.

Zhou Xuran didn't even pause in the movement of removing the fishbone. He didn't even raise his eyelids. He just turned his wrist very slightly, and a clever force instantly relieved Zhou Xubai's strength, making Zhou Xubai miss.

"Eat," Zhou Xuran said calmly, his words concise and to the point, as if stating a self-evident fact. He even picked up the piece of snow-white fish he had just cut and calmly placed it in his bowl.

Zhou Xubai: “…….....”

Zhou Xubai felt the veins on his forehead twitching. Looking at his brother's cold and indifferent expression, and glancing at Lin Che who was obviously nervous and confused across from him, he felt overwhelmed.

He knew Lu Yu, the possessive maniac, too well! If he knew that Xu Ran not only "rescued the beauty" but also forced his way into her dinner party... Zhou Xubai couldn't even imagine the consequences!

"Fuck! Come back with me quickly! Something happened at home!" Zhou Xubai growled almost gritting his teeth, and reached out to grab Zhou Xuran's arm again, this time with a force that could not be refused.

Zhou Xuran finally reacted. He frowned slightly, as if he was a little unhappy about being disturbed during his meal.

One of the brothers pulled hard, while the other was as steady as a rock. A silent wrestling match unfolded at the dining table, and the atmosphere became even more weird.

After a few seconds of stalemate, Zhou Xuran finally put down his chopsticks and stood up very gently and reluctantly following Zhou Xubai's force.

Zhou Xubai felt as if he had been pardoned, and hurriedly half-dragged and half-pulled the person out.

After taking two steps, Zhou Xuran suddenly stopped. He broke free from Zhou Xubai's hand, turned around, and cast his gaze back to the dining table, or more precisely, to Lin Che.

Lin Che's heart tightened when he looked at her.

Zhou Xuran's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds, especially glancing at the scar at the corner of his lip. Then, he stretched out his index finger and shook it at Lin Che, "You owe me another meal."

"Shut up!" Zhou Xubai quickly covered Zhou Xuran's mouth and dragged him out. Before leaving, he suddenly seemed to remember something and hurriedly turned back to Lin Che, forcing a very dry smile, his voice a little unnatural and stiff:

"Ah, that... Lin... Doctor Lin, right? Take your time eating! Enjoy your meal! We'll meet again some other day... some other day! We're leaving now! Sorry to bother you!"

Before he finished speaking, the man dragged Zhou Xuran's back and disappeared from the restaurant entrance.

"Damn, don't tell me!! This Zhou Xuran is quite handsome." Li Qiuyi laughed so hard that her body shook, and teased Zhou Xuran with a "tsk tsk" sound as he left.

"Don't even think about it, my sister!! How dare the young master of the Zhou family covet you!?" Lin Yao opened his mouth and poured a basin of cold water on Li Qiuyi.