After dinner, as they were paying to leave, Zhao Yuan was stopped yet again.
It was the manager of the seafood buffet.
The manager, forcing a smile, stuffed a thick stack of coupons into Zhao Yuan's hands. "Young man," he said, "these are coupons for a few other seafood buffets in University City. Please, take them. Also, I'll give you a fifty-percent discount on your meal today. I just ask one thing: please don't come back to our restaurant again. If you're craving seafood, go to the places I gave you coupons for. Their food tastes better than ours, and they have a much wider selectionâŠ"
To keep Zhao Yuan away, the manager was clearly desperate, even resorting to badmouthing his own establishment. Normally, he would have flown into a rage if anyone dared to suggest his restaurant's food or selection was inferior. But now, he was genuinely terrified by Zhao Yuan's appetite.
Damn, the amount this guy ate by himself was easily enough for a dozen other people! While a regular restaurant would love a customer like that, for an all-you-can-eat place, he was a living nightmare. It was no wonder, then, that the manager had blacklisted Zhao Yuan, viewing him as a dangerous individual.
Clutching the thick stack of coupons, Zhao Yuan looked utterly embarrassed.
'Is this really necessary? It's just an all-you-can-eat buffet! Why do I get treated like the plague every single time?!'
Beside him, Lin Xue and Yang Zi couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Yang Zi teased him through her laughter. "Not bad, another pile of coupons. At this rate, you'll have collected coupons for every buffet near University City. I just wonder, if you manage to collect them all, will you be able to summon a divine dragon?"
"Why did you say 'another'?" the other two girls, who weren't in on the joke, asked curiously.
Yang Zi told them the story about the hotpot buffet, which sent everyone into fits of laughter. They now had a much clearer picture of Zhao Yuan's formidable appetite.
After leaving the seafood buffet, the group went to a nearby KTV for some karaoke. In their private room, Liu Zhu and Wang Rongfeng sat next to the girls they were interested in, laughing and chatting away. It seemed the flirting techniques they'd crammed at the last minute were actually working.
However, Wu Yan, their so-called "master," was quite dispirited. He had his eye on Lin Xue's best friend, Yang Zi, but unfortunately, she wasn't interested in him in the slightest. No matter how hard he tried to flirt, she just wouldn't take the bait.
Watching Liu Zhu and Wang Rongfeng laughing with the girls, Wu Yan felt a deep sense of defeat welling up inside. He let out a long sigh. "I never thought the day would come when even my flirting would fail. The old saying, 'Teach your apprentice, and you'll starve your master,' is true after all!"
For the rest of their time there, Wu Yan channeled his sorrow into song, becoming a total microphone hog. Eventually, Zhao Yuan and the others couldn't take it anymore and forcibly wrestled the mic away from him, finally putting an end to his solo concert and allowing Lin Xue and the others to have a turn.
Lin Xue's singing voice, much like her personality, was incredibly sweet. Her soft, sugary tone had a hint of a doll-like quality, much like the singer Guo Caijie. Yang Zi, on the other hand, went for a powerful, queenly style. Her rendition of the classic song "First Empress" was so commanding it blew everyone away. After she finished, Wu Yan even pulled Zhao Yuan and the others down onto one knee, shouting, "Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!" which made the four girls laugh so hard they nearly fell over.
As for the guys, aside from Wu Yan, the other three weren't great singers. Zhao Yuan was especially bad; not a single note he sang was in tune. It was painful to listen to.
By the time they finished singing and left the KTV, it was already past eleven at night, but none of themâboys or girlsâwere ready for the fun to end.
"How about we grab a late-night snack before heading back?" Liu Zhu suggested.
Everyone immediately agreed. They were having such a great time that nobody wanted the night to end so soon.
"I know a place with great barbecue. I'll take you guys," said Wu Yan. As a master flirt, he was extremely familiar with the late-night food stalls in University City. He immediately led the group to an outdoor barbecue stand.
After picking out their food and handing it to the owner to grill, Zhao Yuan and his friends pushed two small tables together and pulled up stools to sit in a circle.
Once the food arrived, they ordered a few bottles of beer. Even the girls poured themselves a glass. The group ate and drank, laughing and chatting, and the atmosphere was electric.
But just as everyone was enjoying themselves, an uninvited guest showed up and soured the mood.
Ever since Zhao Yuan's group had arrived, a few hooligans at the next table had been staring lecherously at Lin Xue, Yang Zi, and the other two girls. It wasn't clear what they were saying, but every so often, they would erupt in raucous laughter.
Just then, one of themâa man with a buzz cut, a floral shirt, and the reek of alcoholâsauntered over with his drink, a sleazy grin on his face. "Hey, ladies, what are you all talking about that's so funny? Let me in on the joke, so I can have a laugh too. The name's Da Huan."
The girls' laughter died instantly. All four of the guys frowned. The atmosphere immediately grew tense and awkward.
The man who called himself Da Huan didn't seem the least bit embarrassed. He pointed to his table. "Hey, ladies, my brothers over there want to invite you to join them for a drink. What do you say? Do us the honor."
The moment he said that, the expressions on everyone's faces changed. 'He's treating the girls like they're bar hostesses!'
Lin Xue's expression hardened. "Sorry," she said coldly, "we don't drink."
"Don't drink?" Da Huan's eyebrow shot up, and the smile on his face instantly vanished. "What, you think I'm blind? Isn't that beer right there in front of you?"
Yang Zi retorted, "She misspoke. What she meant was, we don't drink with *you*. Now please go back to your table."
"Fuck!" Da Huan flew into a rage. His face turned bright red, whether from anger or the alcohol. "Shit," he snarled, "so you're gonna do this the hard way?"
Wu Yan stood up, trying to play peacemaker. "Hey, man, my friends here are lightweights. How about this? I'll drink a toast to you and your brothers on their behalfâŠ"
"Who the fuck do you think you are? Piss off! I'm making these ladies drink with us tonight, one way or another!" As Da Huan spoke, he reached out to grab Lin Xue. But before his hand could touch her, Zhao Yuan shot out an arm and caught his wrist.
"Let go!" Da Huan commanded, his eyes wide with fury.
"Piss off," Zhao Yuan growled.
"What did you say?" Da Huan froze, stunned.
"I said, piss off," Zhao Yuan repeated, his voice ice-cold.
"Fuck, you motherfâ" Da Huan exploded in anger, but just as the curse left his lips, an excruciating pain shot up from his wrist. It felt like his hand was caught in a steel vise.
"AH, IT HURTS! Let go!" he couldn't help but shriek.
"Get the hell out of here." Zhao Yuan shoved and then released his grip. Da Huan stumbled back two steps, his foot landed in a puddle of grease, and he slipped, landing flat on his back with his limbs splayed out.