Chapter 10: Eating
“Eating? Sorry, Mianmian, my dad came to see me. I’ll be having lunch with him today.”
“Uncle’s here? Alright then, I’ll go eat by myself first.”
“Mm, mm, mm.”
Shen Bumian followed Qin Lüzhi to the cafeteria. There were quite a few people, with lines at every window.
As soon as the two of them entered, many eyes were on them. Shen Bumian was a little curious.
It’s been almost a year, and they still aren’t tired of looking at Qin Lüzhi’s face? It seems like every time he shows up, it causes a stir.
Shen Bumian glanced around but didn’t see He Jing or Mu Yi. He thought they might have been waiting here, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.
“Qin Lüzhi, where are He Jing and Mu Yi? Aren’t they coming to eat?”
Hearing Shen Bumian mention the two, Qin Lüzhi paused for a moment, but then answered truthfully.
“He Jing is still training for his ability advancement, and it’s not over yet. Mu Yi is with him. Someone will bring them food later.”
“Oh.”
He Jing and Mu Yi really have a good relationship. Shen Bumian glanced at the person next to him. Why isn’t he keeping them company?
As far as he knew, the three of them had been good friends since childhood, with a very close relationship.
“What do you want to eat? You grab a seat, and I’ll go get it for you.”
“Sweet and sour ribs and braised pork, plus some roasted potato slices. Thanks.”
Shen Bumian didn’t hold back and went to find a seat by the window after speaking.
As soon as Shen Bumian left, Qin Lüzhi let out a breath. The scent of pheromones from the freshly trained omega still lingered faintly, and it had been quite clear when they were standing close. Now that the scent had finally dissipated, it was a relief.
Qin Lüzhi collected his thoughts and walked toward Window 3, where they happened to have all three dishes Shen Bumian wanted.
He didn’t feel like lining up again, so he decided to eat the same thing today.
“Hello, two portions of the same three dishes, please. And make it quick.”
While waiting, Qin Lüzhi’s gaze fell on the nearby drinks. Something came to mind, and for a brief moment, his face showed hesitation.
“Could I also get a lemon juice, please?”
When he returned with the food, Shen Bumian noticed the extra drink. Qin Lüzhi casually said, “It’s for you.”
“Hm? Oh, how much was it? I’ll transfer it to you.”
Shen Bumian opened his light-brain to find Qin Lüzhi and started to transfer the money. After waiting for a while without a response, he thought Qin Lüzhi hadn’t heard him.
But when he looked up, he met Qin Lüzhi’s inexplicable gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. No need to transfer it.”
In fact, Qin Lüzhi wanted to ask if Shen Bumian always calculated so precisely. They usually took turns treating each other to meals, so it wasn’t necessary to settle accounts so meticulously.
But Shen Bumian’s first reaction wasn’t whether he liked the drink, but to make sure the payment was settled.
Qin Lüzhi pushed down his feelings. This wasn’t a question he should ask. He and Shen Bumian weren’t that close yet.
If he asked suddenly, Shen Bumian might think he was being presumptuous.
Shen Bumian had no idea what Qin Lüzhi was thinking. In fact, Shen Bumian wasn’t always so particular. For example, with Zhou Yizhou, he was much more casual.
But Qin Lüzhi…
“Didn’t we agree that we were treating you guys? I should be paying.”
Was that why? Qin Lüzhi wondered, absent-mindedly giving a random number.
The next second, his light-brain buzzed. Shen Bumian had already transferred the money.
Looking at the extra star coins in his account, Qin Lüzhi fell silent.
Currently, one star coin was roughly equivalent to 12.3 of the old Earth currency.
Shen Bumian wasn’t sure why things suddenly went quiet. Qin Lüzhi was already not much of a talker, and Shen Bumian himself wasn’t sure what to say right now.
So, he simply stopped talking, bent his head, and focused on his meal. The food was delicious today.
Qin Lüzhi ate at the same pace as Shen Bumian and noticed that Shen Bumian didn’t eat very fast.
Each bite was carefully chewed, and every movement was pleasing to the eye.
Without realizing it, Qin Lüzhi ate more than usual and found the food quite tasty.
The meal was going well until halfway through, when two male omegas showed up.
They looked like new students and seemed to be there for Qin Lüzhi.
Because they ignored Shen Bumian entirely and directly addressed Qin Lüzhi.
“Hello, is this seat taken? May we sit down?”
A clear male voice rang out. Shen Bumian wanted to say no one was sitting there, but when he looked up, he realized they were staring directly at Qin Lüzhi and hadn’t even glanced at him.
Shen Bumian wasn’t a total pushover. Since it was clear they had no intention of asking him, he decided to quietly eat his meal.
After a while, Shen Bumian still hadn’t heard Qin Lüzhi respond. He glanced up and saw Qin Lüzhi still eating, not even bothering to lift his head.
The omega who had spoken bit his lip, looking like he was about to cry, pitiful and fragile.
Someone else might have felt sorry for him, but unfortunately for them, they were dealing with Shen Bumian and Qin Lüzhi.
The omega seemed to sense Shen Bumian’s gaze and maintained that pitiful look, even adding a teary tone to his voice. “We just want a place to sit and eat.”
Shen Bumian sighed. Qin Lüzhi, you’ve caused quite a scene. Under the table, Shen Bumian kicked Qin Lüzhi’s shoe.
Qin Lüzhi’s chopsticks paused, and he looked up to meet Shen Bumian’s smirking face. But he had the feeling it wasn’t a genuine smile.
Shen Bumian was calmly watching the show, but he was likely annoyed, probably because his meal was being disturbed.
Qin Lüzhi glanced coldly at the two omegas. He felt irritated.
Omegas—so annoying. How could a simple meal turn into them crying? And they were supposed to be military academy students.
“Do you two need something? If not, please don’t disturb our meal.”
“We were just asking if the seat was taken. How could you speak to an omega like that? Mianmian, you have terrible taste for admiring him.”
Both Shen Bumian and Qin Lüzhi froze. Shen Bumian was surprised by how similar the name sounded—it almost seemed like they were talking about him.
Qin Lüzhi, on the other hand, directly frowned. He knew people close to Shen Bumian called him “Mianmian.”
But hearing a similar name from someone else made him feel odd, almost as if his ears hurt. He didn’t want to hear it anymore.
“First of all, we’ve been sitting here for quite a while, and whether the seat is taken or not should be obvious. Why ask a question you already know the answer to, just to make me spell it out? Secondly, at the First Military Academy, there’s no distinction between Abo. We’re all future defenders of the Empire. Are you trying to make an Ao division here? Lastly, whether someone admires me or not is their business. It has nothing to do with me.”
The two omegas’ faces flushed. Many people nearby were now looking their way.
A crowd of onlookers stared, as if they could see right through the two omegas, and Qin Lüzhi’s blunt words only added to their embarrassment.
Catching sight of Shen Bumian’s stifled laughter, Qin Lüzhi raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the two standing omegas.
“There wasn’t anyone sitting here before. But now, you’ll have to ask Mianmian. If he says no one’s sitting here, then no one is.”
The deliberate pause on “Mianmian” added an extra layer of meaning, and Shen Bumian gritted his teeth.
The implication was clear: if Shen Bumian didn’t want them to sit there, they would have to leave. If they insisted on sitting, Qin Lüzhi and Shen Bumian would get up and leave themselves.
Shen Bumian choked on his food. He hadn’t expected Qin Lüzhi to be so petty, dragging him into the situation just for watching the show. Clearly, Qin Lüzhi wasn’t a good person.
Shen Bumian quickly picked up his lemon juice and took a sip, only to be caught off guard by the sourness, squinting his eyes in surprise.
Qin Lüzhi found the expression unexpectedly cute. Sometimes, Shen Bumian’s little actions were particularly eye-catching, though Shen Bumian himself seemed oblivious to it.
The two omegas hurried away. They had indeed wanted to get close to Qin Lüzhi.
Mianmian liked Qin Lüzhi, so they had come to help out, but they hadn’t expected Qin Lüzhi to be so ungracious, not gentlemanly at all, and it seemed to have something to do with Shen Bumian.
As the Empire’s most beautiful person, Shen Bumian was, of course, someone almost everyone knew.
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