Chapter 20: The Glutton Cao Sheng

Moments later, hot dishes were served one by one.

There was dry-pot lamb, chopped chili fish head, steamed pork with rice flour, braised stinky mandarin fish, steamed cured meats, yam soup with dragon bones, pickled vegetables with bamboo shoots and stir-fried pork, minced pork steamed with edamame, and so on.

More than a dozen dishes filled the entire table.

It looked very abundant.

But tonight, sixteen people from their two dorms were dining together; with so many people eating these dishes, there actually wasn't much. Cao Sheng's roommates were very enthusiastic, constantly striking up conversations with the girls beside them; their minds were completely not on eating.

Even Guan Zhi's attention was mainly on his girlfriend, Xu Ling.

Only Cao Sheng had his entire mind focused on the food.

Anyway, before tonight's gathering, his brothers had told him to eat more food and talk less tonight, so he might as well eat!

Lamb, fish head, steamed pork with rice flour, stinky mandarin fish...

Whichever dish tasted good, he would go for that one.

For dishes that were slightly inferior, he didn't even look at them.

Since being reborn, besides eating some good food during the New Year, after arriving at school he had always lived frugally, and the quality of his meals had never been high.

He had long wanted to improve his diet.

And tonight, this delicious meal that didn't cost him a penny—was he going to be polite?

The more he ate, the more satisfied his brothers might be.

While his mouth was greasy from eating, he suddenly glanced sideways and saw He Xinglan frowning at him.

Cao Sheng gave her a smile, then extended his chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish cheek meat and put it into his mouth; afterward, his chopsticks reached for the steamed pork with rice flour again.

He Xinglan: "..."

At this moment, Xu Fengmao, sitting on He Xinglan's other side, turned the lazy Susan on the table, pointed at the lamb pot on the table with a full smile, and said to He Xinglan with a grin, "Miss! Lamb is good for beauty and nourishing the complexion; try a piece, this lamb is braised quite well."

He Xinglan looked at him, then looked at the lamb on the table, remained silent for several seconds, and said faintly, "Thank you, I don't eat lamb."

Xu Fengmao's smile faltered slightly.

Cao Sheng glanced at the two of them, felt like laughing, and quickly lowered his head to continue eating his own food.

At this moment, the slender girl sitting on his right side tilted her body slightly, leaned toward his side, and asked softly, "Hey, do you really have a girlfriend?"

Cao Sheng was somewhat surprised that this Miss had taken the initiative to talk to him.

After looking at her once, he smiled, neither admitting nor denying it.

It wasn't that he was deliberately being so aloof.

Rather, no matter how he answered this question, it wouldn't be appropriate.

If he admitted he had a girlfriend, he actually didn't.

If he denied it! His brothers had all said before that he had a girlfriend; if he denied it now, it would be equivalent to undermining his brothers.

Seeing that Cao Sheng smiled but neither admitted nor denied it, the slender girl thought he didn't want to pay attention to her; she rolled her eyes slightly and stopped trying to talk to Cao Sheng.

This meal lasted for more than an hour.

They drank quite a bit of beer and beverages, and most of the dishes on the table were eaten up.

A certain girl put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and suggested, "I'm full; how about you guys? Shall we stop here for today? Let's disperse?"

These words immediately received agreement from several girls.

Then the girls all stood up and took their leave.

Seeing this scene, Guan Zhi, as the organizer of tonight's gathering, hurriedly stood up, tried hard to create opportunities for his brothers, and loudly arranged for each roommate to escort the girl beside them back.

But the girls all refused.

The scene was once quite chaotic.

A few boys shamelessly followed behind a certain girl, insisting on escorting her back to the dormitory.

While the girls politely refused, they also quickened their pace and left the private room.

Cao Sheng was quite idle, like an outsider.

Guan Zhi didn't arrange for him to escort any girl back.

At this very moment, he was like a spectator.

Smiling, he wiped the oil stains from his mouth with a tissue, watching the chaotic scene on site.

He had long known what the result of this gathering in the original timeline was.

The only difference was—in the original timeline's gathering, Pang Yunhai didn't take He Xinglan as his target to pursue, so He Xinglan didn't sit beside him, Cao Sheng.

Everything else was about the same.

So, at this moment, he felt somewhat sympathetic toward his roommates.

Because he knew they would all be chasing water with a bamboo basket tonight; they spent money, acted as lick-dogs, and in the end wouldn't get a single chance.

He suddenly let out a burp.

He Xinglan, passing right beside him, happened to hear it and couldn't help but look at him again.

Moments later, everyone came out of the restaurant.

Guan Zhi, with his arm around Xu Ling's waist, stood smiling at the restaurant entrance, waving goodbye to the girls and watching them leave together.

They walked together toward the school gate, while Cao Sheng's several roommates shamelessly followed them, insisting on escorting them back to the dormitory.

These few people were: Wei Dongming, Zhai Jun, Pang Yunhai, and Xu Fengmao; Wei Dongming and Pang Yunhai seemed to have shifted their pursuit targets, focusing on someone among the girls.

Cao Sheng, Song Chao, Zheng Xiaoqiang, Guan Zhi, and Xu Ling stood together at the restaurant entrance, watching these people walk farther away, each with a different expression.

Guan Zhi suddenly asked with a laugh, "Song Chao, Xiaoqiang, why don't you two go together to see them off? So many beauties, and there isn't even one you two like?"

Song Chao smiled self-mockingly, "I can tell; none of these girls took a fancy to me, so why would I go up and join the fun?"

Zheng Xiaoqiang shyly scratched his head, blushed, and said, "It's about the same for me; the two girls sitting beside me tonight, neither of them wanted to talk to me."

Xu Ling looked at Cao Sheng, "Hey! Cao Sheng, Guan Zhi and the others all say you have a girlfriend, but they also say they've never seen what your girlfriend looks like. Do you really have a girlfriend?"

This question drew the gaze of Guan Zhi and the others onto Cao Sheng.

Cao Sheng shrugged and said casually, "I said I don't, but they didn't believe me and insisted I do. Well, then I do!"

"Hmm?"

Guan Zhi was surprised, "You really don't?"

Xu Ling and the others were all very surprised.

Song Chao: "Third Brother, you really don't?"

Zheng Xiaoqiang: "Then why did you agree when everyone told you to eat more dishes and talk less tonight? Don't—don't you want to find a girlfriend?"

Xu Ling grew even more surprised. She looked at Cao Sheng, then at Guan Zhi and the others, and asked in disbelief, "What? It was you guys who told him to eat more dishes and talk less tonight? No wonder! I was just saying, why didn't he say a single word today, keeping his head down and eating the whole time! So it was you guys who made him like this? How could you guys do that? Do you have any idea how many people in our dorm are interested in him? You guys—you guys... Sigh! I don't even know what to say to you guys."

Faced with Xu Ling's complaint, Guan Zhi felt a bit sullen. He frowned at Cao Sheng and said, "Third Brother, you really don't have a girlfriend? Then what's the deal with you staying out all night every other day recently?"

Song Chao: "Right! Every time Guan Zhi stays out all night, he goes to get a hotel room. So when you don't come back to sleep at night, we'd definitely think you went to get a hotel room too!"

Zheng Xiaoqiang: "Exactly!"

Hearing Song Chao and Zheng Xiaoqiang's words, Guan Zhi didn't mind at all and even looked rather pleased with himself, but Xu Ling's face reddened a bit.

She quietly pinched the flesh at Guan Zhi's waist, making him hiss and suck in a cold breath from the pain.

Cao Sheng laughed in spite of himself, "Going to the internet cafe for an all-nighter. I told you guys long ago, but you didn't believe me. What can I do about it?"

Given the chance to explain that he didn't have a girlfriend, he was still willing to explain.

After all, he didn't plan to go without a partner for his entire college life.

If everyone kept thinking he had a partner, that would definitely make it much harder for him to find one.