Chapter 370: You think quite highly of yourselves

A well-known domestic hot pot restaurant brand.

The waiter led them to a four-person table. Shen Xing walked in front and sat down in the inner seat on one side.

Jin Dao and his two companions looked at the seat next to Shen Xing in unison, then looked at each other.

"Sit?"

Seeing the three standing there blankly, Shen Xing couldn't help but urge them.

Monkey and Er Lei came to their senses and quickly sat in the seats opposite Shen Xing.

Jin Dao: "?"

He hesitated for a moment, then finally had to sit next to Shen Xing.

The three looked left and right, not speaking, feeling both awkward and a bit scared.

Shen Xing ordered a bunch of things on the tablet, not letting them order, because he knew that even if he did, given their demeanor, they probably wouldn't order freely.

So he might as well order himself.

After ordering, he turned his head to look at Jin Dao. "Brother Dao..."

"Don't..." Jin Dao was so scared he almost jumped up, raising his hand guiltily. "Don't call me that. Y-you, just call me Little Dao."

Shen Xing frowned. "You're older than me, right?"

Jin Dao didn't speak.

Shen Xing asked, "I'm nineteen, how old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Then you're the same age as my sister!"

At the mention of Shen Ci, Jin Dao broke into a cold sweat. She was a big shot that even Brother Kai had to be subservient to; just hearing her name made them feel instinctive awe.

He raised his head, looking at Shen Xing with a pained expression, his tone even a bit aggrieved. "Brother, if you're still angry, just scold us, or even beat us up—we absolutely won't fight back! But you... don't do this..."

Monkey and Er Lei also hunched their shoulders, sitting cautiously and watching him.

"Do what?" Shen Xing looked at the three in turn, finally looking back at Jin Dao. "You don't think I'm deliberately trying to scare you, treating you to a Hongmen Banquet, do you?"

Jin Dao didn't speak again, but he was clearly terrified at this moment.

Shen Xing smiled. "I'm not that bored. I already said I wanted to thank you. What exactly are you afraid of?"

"Afraid of my sister? But my sister isn't here, and you surely aren't afraid of me, right? I'm just a high school student..."

Jin Dao and the others looked at him eagerly. The ruffian air on them couldn't be completely hidden, and paired with their current cautious demeanor, it was actually a bit comical.

Especially since they were facing a sunny, handsome student wearing a high school uniform.

Shen Xing was a bit speechless. After thinking about it, he said, "Fine, if eating with me makes you feel so difficult, I'll pay the bill and leave first. You three eat; it'll still count as me treating you."

Saying this, Shen Xing stood up and called out, "Waiter!"

"No, no, no!" Jin Dao hurriedly stood up to stop him. "No need, no need. You doing that makes us feel even worse."

Monkey, sitting opposite, looked at Jin Dao and whispered, "Brother Dao, let's just eat. It's the person's kind intention; it'll make us look pretentious."

He really wanted to eat; it had been a long time since he'd had a proper hot pot meal.

"Eat! Eat!" Jin Dao steeled his heart and nodded. "We'll eat. We accept your favor."

It's just a meal, right?

It couldn't possibly cost them their lives, could it?

Hearing this, Shen Xing felt both helpless and amused. He looked so harmless; even if they were wary of his sister, she wasn't here, so there was no need to be scared out of their wits, right?

However, they didn't hold back when it came to eating. He ordered a lot, fearing they wouldn't be satisfied.

The group ate quickly and eagerly, as if they hadn't had a decent meal in a long time.

"Eat slowly, I'll add more if it's not enough."

Shen Xing took a ladle and proactively scooped meat for them. Jin Dao snatched it away, saying, "We'll do it ourselves. You eat too!"

"Brother, you're not a local, are you?"

"I grew up in Shengang and just transferred to Longcheng after the New Year."

Jin Dao nodded and continued to bury his head in eating.

Shen Xing hesitated for a moment and spoke up. "You guys..."

The three looked at him in unison.

Shen Xing shook his head again. "Nothing, eat."

The group blinked. Seeing Shen Xing didn't continue, they didn't press him.

The meal was relatively quiet; they didn't say many words to each other. Shen Xing didn't know what to say, and Jin Dao and the others didn't dare say much to him.

However, they didn't eat little; they ate over a dozen plates of beef and mutton alone. At the very least, they were satisfied.

"Thank you, making you spend so much money."

After eating and coming out, Jin Dao proactively thanked Shen Xing. He had just glanced at the bill—it was the most expensive meal he'd ever had in his life.

Shen Xing smiled faintly, unlocked his bicycle, and said goodbye to them. "I'm leaving first, bye-bye."

"Bye-bye..."

The group waved, watching Shen Xing ride away on that expensive bicycle.

"Brother Dao, this kid is actually quite nice. Today's meal wasn't cheap!"

Jin Dao raised his hand and slapped Monkey on the back of the head. "You're the one who can eat the most!"

Monkey covered his head in pain. "I was hungry, and he said to eat freely..."

"Brother Dao, should we tell Brother Kai about today?" Er Lei asked hesitantly.

This question was also asked with trepidation. If Brother Kai knew they had eaten a meal from Sister Ci's brother, he might think they were bullying the other party again.

And then get beaten up again?

"L-let's not say anything for now..." Jin Dao was also scared.

As it turned out, just as they were talking, Shen Xing actually rode his bicycle back.

Looking at Shen Xing, who had parked his bike steadily in front of them, the group blinked inexplicably.

He wasn't coming back to make them split the bill, was he?

"You..."

Just as Jin Dao was about to speak, Shen Xing preempted him. "I had something left unsaid during the meal. I thought about it just now and felt I still had to say it."

"What do you want to say?"

Shen Xing sighed softly. "If you have economic difficulties, you can tell me, but don't do illegal things anymore. You're all adults; if something happens, you'll be sentenced."

He knew these words might be offensive, but he had seen their embarrassment in front of the fried food stall earlier because of a single grilled sausage.

Right now, they were facing him out of fear for his sister, so they were restrained. But having mixed in society for years, their moral bottom line and cognition were generally not high, and they wouldn't turn over a new leaf just because of one or two things or a beating.

If such people were pressured by life, it was very easy for them to do the wrong thing.

Although they had bullied him, they had also helped him. Shen Xing hoped from the bottom of his heart that they wouldn't commit illegal or criminal acts.

He had wanted to say it during the meal, but hadn't been able to get the words out, which was why he had returned.

Jin Dao and the others had different expressions upon hearing this, but clearly, the sensitive nerve in their hearts had been poked by Shen Xing. No one wanted to be told such things to their face.

"Thank you for your kindness. Although you have a lot of money, we won't take your money." Jin Dao looked Shen Xing in the eye and said with a tough expression.

Shen Xing looked at Jin Dao's serious expression and was slightly stunned, then suddenly laughed. "Who said I was going to give you money directly? You think quite highly of yourselves!"

?? Double monthly tickets, please, please, please! It's the end of the month, babies, don't waste them!

?? (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 371 =====