Lu Yibei had just entered the school and once teamed up with Cheng Mingli, who was not yet the captain at the time, during a pickup basketball game.
The two were old acquaintances.
He watched as Cheng Mingli led more than a dozen burly men to surround their table.
Putting everything else aside, the men on this basketball team are generally not tall and strong, but they are at least burly and robust.
This enclosure was like an impenetrable wall.
Cheng Mingli has a square face and thick eyebrows, a rather traditional and tough-looking man. He often wears a smile and is quite approachable.
But his height of over 1.9 meters, his muscular physique, and the number of people following behind him...
They look rather aggressive no matter how you look at it.
Chu Chu was stunned.
...Is this going to escalate into a brawl?
No, that will get you punished!
Some people might ask, "If you don't join in, won't you be able to eat it?"
However, Hinako-nee is the most loyal friend when she's out and about.
Her act of complaining to Senior Lu had already drawn her into this conflict.
If she were to actually take action, how could she possibly extricate herself from the situation?
"team leader."
Lu Yibei greeted him, "What? A get-together?"
Cheng Mingli laughed heartily:
"We just finished a match, I led the freshmen team against the senior team. A bet is a bet, so I'm treating them to some skewers."
Lu Yibei looked back.
Among the dozen or so people, there were indeed several unfamiliar faces.
The predecessors left school and entered society this academic year.
The basketball team has also gained some fresh blood.
"You look quite energetic," Lu Yibei said.
"Stop talking nonsense."
Cheng Mingli laughed and scolded, "If you're not energetic enough, play a few games of basketball!"
He called out again:
"Come on, newlyweds, let me introduce you. This is Lu Yibei. You can just call him Brother Bei."
Sports clubs that are all male tend to have a certain "streetwise" vibe—not necessarily delinquent, but that's the feeling they have.
When several newcomers stepped forward and called out "Brother Bei" in unison, some loudly and some softly, Lu Yibei's shoulders twitched, and he felt uncomfortable all over.
It feels like I'm paying my respects to a powerful figure.
Officer, please let me explain.
Even more uncomfortable than Lu Yibei was Zheng Yi.
His already fair face turned even paler.
Zheng Yi has always disliked associating with sports clubs where people are all muscle-bound, finding it ungentlemanly.
But it has to be admitted that with the leader's arm, one punch would be enough to make him see his mother.
Moreover, he seemed to know Lu Yibei so well…
Zheng Yi's expression shifted between light and dark.
I felt both contempt and unease.
"Are you having dinner with your friends?" Cheng Mingli asked with a smile.
He glanced at Zheng Yi and gestured with his chin as a greeting.
Zheng Yi's face turned even paler.
Cheng Mingli: ?
The young man is quite handsome, but he looks a bit weak.
"It's someone's birthday."
As Lu Yibei spoke, he glanced at Zheng Yi.
Cheng Mingli laughed heartily:
"What a coincidence! Happy birthday—let me count, one, two, three, four, five, six… eight people in total? Bro, are there any other people at your table?"
Cheng Mingli has always spoken in a loud voice.
Zheng Yi found the guy rather rude, and he nodded with a mixture of disdain and obedience:
"N-nothing..."
"good."
Cheng Mingli turned his head and called out, "Waiter, waiter!"
Brother Chen is rushing over with the boss in a flurry of activity.
The boss heard from Xiao Chen that the north was one against three, putting him at a disadvantage.
But upon closer inspection, how did we end up surrounded?
Happy birthday!
"Happy birthday, buddy."
Happy birthday!
The people surrounding the man were still congratulating him on what Xiao Chen had described as the man who had argued with Lu Yibei.
—But they didn’t seem to know each other very well.
Regardless of whether they are friends or enemies, there are far too many people involved. Whether or not to add "gathering a crowd" before "fight" is a completely different matter.
Upon seeing so many people, the barbecue restaurant owner immediately considered calling the police.
"ah?"
Chen replied to Cheng Mingli: "...Oh, Captain Cheng!"
He knew Cheng Mingli, who had eaten here with Lu Yibei before. In addition, his physique and height were quite different from others, so Brother Chen remembered him.
The barbecue restaurant owner always stayed in the kitchen and didn't know any of Lu Yibei's friends.
However, he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Xiao Chen greet him.
"Add eight roasted pig's trotters to this table."
Cheng Mingli readily agreed, "Put it on my tab; consider it a birthday celebration for this brother."
Just as Brother Chen was about to agree, Lu Yibei interrupted him:
"Forget it, Captain, we're not that close."
Cheng Mingli was taken aback.
He glanced back at Zheng Yi and his two friends.
The three men's shoulders trembled slightly at Lu Yibei's words, "Their relationship isn't that good."
After Yi Bei mentioned it, Cheng Mingli realized that the three brothers hadn't dared to look up at them since the beginning.
"It's my brother's birthday..."
The calm conversation between Cheng and Bei Ge was a disaster for those who were taking turns congratulating Zheng Yi. The person who was supposed to congratulate Zheng Yi got stuck halfway through their sentence.
Should we continue?
He immediately drew upon all the knowledge he had acquired throughout his life and then drew a conclusion.
Bei Ge = Teammates and friends.
Zheng Yi is a load of rubbish.
then,
"...Happiness~~ is what I say to myself~ The candles are lit~~ Loneliness is illuminated~ Happy birthday~ Tears have melted away~~"
He hummed a song as he slowly withdrew.
"OK!"
Cheng Mingli maintained his smile and said, "Then, Brother Chen, give our table the braised pork knuckles, and add ten more. Brother Bei, do you want some?"
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