As most of the student body in the school were rushing for lunch, the cafeteria first floor was flooded with the noise of students chatting and eating. The cafeteria second floor also had a steady influx of people, though less than the first floor. Hence, it was much more peaceful in comparison.
As the second floor of the cafeteria was a place frequented by the wealthy Mr and Ms perfects of Qingshui High, everyone recognized Tang Meng.
"Hey, isn't that Young Master Tang? Who are those two sitting with him? To think that they would get the chance to eat with Young Master Tang!"
"You idiot, see, didn't I tell you the fat guy over there was Ling Yun? The guy that just ran eleven rounds around the track with the sandbag and sent the whole student body into a frenzy? As for the other, just look at that figure! Need I spell it out for you? "
"You're saying that that is one of the three belles of our campus, Ning Lingyu? Doesn't she usually tie a ponytail?"
"It definitely is her! Looks like Young Master Tang is intending to step up his pursuit of belle Ning's heart before graduation! This also means that he wants to go all out against Xie Junya!"
"Eh, this means there will be a show to watch! Tang Meng versus Xie Junya, I can't wait to see who will be able to win the Ning Lingyu's heart!"
"Me too!"
Presently, the second floor was filled with inaudible whispers and speculations.
"Look! Even Class 6's Zhang Ling's here! She and Cao Shanshan are inseparable, does that mean Cao Shanshan's coming here as well?"
Qingshui High's three belles: Ning Lingyu, Cao Shanshan, Zhuang Meina.
Ning Lingyu always ordered food from the first floor of the cafeteria to take back to the hostel to eat. As for Cao Shanshan, she would usually have her lunch delivered to her by someone from home. Only Zhuang Meina would visit the second floor of the cafeteria more frequently.
The appearance of all three belles in the second-floor cafeteria stirred up excitement and chatter among the young men and women present.
If three ladies could cause a real scene individually, then what would happen when three belles came together?
Almost everyone in the second-floor cafeteria had their eyes on Tang Meng's table, following their every action closely as none of them wanted to miss out on anything juicy.
Ning Lingyu had brought her brother here as she wanted him to be able to nourish his exhausted body. She had planned to come slightly earlier than the rest so that they could quickly finish eating. Ning Lingyu did not want to attract any unnecessary attention to herself, thus choosing such a quiet corner for their meal. Nonetheless, she still found herself becoming the center of attention. Fortunately, she and Ling Yun were sitting with their back facing the door and thanks to Ling Yun's large body, she was hidden from view. Otherwise, it would be a disaster having to eat under the scrutiny of all those rich male students.
Ning Lingyu really disliked such situations.
In contrast, Ling Yun was used to such situations and was unfazed by the gaze and whispers around him. He remained as cool as a cucumber as if he was alone in the cafeteria.
Some students tried to sit nearer to Lingyu to get a piece of the action, only to be scared off by Tang Meng's death stare. Tang Meng was determined to enjoy his first meal with Ning Lingyu and would make sure no one disturbed his meal, even if blood had to be spilled!
But some were still relentless.
Zhang Ling ran up the stairs and entered the second-floor cafeteria. Upon seeing most of the seats taken except for three seats near where Tang Meng was seated, she ran over and promptly sat down at a seat near the wall. Zhang Ling knew that Cao Shanshan liked peace and hated attention, thus, she left the seat with the back facing the entrance for Cao Shanshan.
Sitting beside Tang Meng, she naturally noticed Ling Yun sitting diagonally opposite her
Ling Yun?!" Ning Lingyu?!
Zhang Ling covered her mouth in shock.
It was going to get lively.
Cao Shanshan was going to be here soon and if things continued this way, she would surely be seating beside Ling Yun. Zhang Ling was instantly reminded of the rumors about the two of them that morning.
Oh no, this is bad. I'm sorry Shanshan, I did not do this on purpose, Zhang Ling apologized in her heart.
At the same time, Zhang Ling could hear a bunch of chaotic laughter coming from a table near her. Damn you, Zhang Ling, why did you have to sit beside me? Why do you have to sabotage me like this? Tang Meng cursed in his mind.
Yet, Tang Meng was not able to do a thing about it. Despite not being as conspicuous as Xie Junyan or Cao Shanshan, Zhang Ling was also from an influential family. In addition to that, no one saw the significance of Tang Meng being the son of the Deputy Director.
"I will have Sichuan boiled fish and a plate of sliced beef and ox tongue in chili sauce, extra spicy!" As Zhang Ling shouted her order to the passing waiter, it was clear to Tang Meng she had no intention of leaving. After ordering, Zhang Ling briefly gave Tang Meng a look of disdain before looking away.
With so many people in the cafeteria now, the staff was so busy that not even a dish was served to Ling Yun's table yet. Ling Yun's stomach growled in hunger as he smelled the fragrance of cooking coming from the kitchen. He was practically dying to eat some food. He had no choice but to satisfy himself with some tea, replenishing the water he had lost during his run. Ning Lingyu, being the caring sister that she was, kept refilling her brother's cup the moment it was empty.
Tang Meng could only look on in envy, keeping his tears in his heart as he looked at his empty teacup, which had been empty since who knew when. Yet, Ning Lingyu did not even glance at it, showing absolutely no concern for him at all.
"So how did you exactly lose ten thousand dollars to my sister?"
Ling Yun asked calmly as he looked Tang Meng dead in the eye. Zhang Ling's ears pricked up as she focused her attention on them.
Upon hearing Ling Yun's question, Tang Meng almost exploded. After using you to start a bet, personally skipping two lessons just to help you count laps, helping you deal with Li Lei and even losing ten thousand dollars to you, still you dare feign ignorance?
Carefully glancing at Ning Lingyu, Tang Meng managed to suppress himself. "You should know who I am, right?", he snorted.
He thought to himself, I must have a better attitude. After all, if he were to win Ning Lingyu's heart, Ling Yun would become his future brother in law. Thus, he had to show his worth in front of Ling Yun and make sure that he left a good impression.
"I heard my sister calling you Tang Meng a while ago, that's all I know." Ling Yun answered with a nonchalant shrug without looking at Tang Meng.
I don't care who you are, I just want to know what happened, thought Ling Yun.
"What?! You… you…" Tang Meng could no longer contain his anger after hearing Ling Yun's halfhearted answer and attitude. He raised his right thumb and pointed at himself, barking, "Then let me educate you! I am Tang Meng! The same character as the Tang in the Tang Dynasty! Meng meaning ferocious! My nickname is Little Gambling God and I learn only from the best! Now, do you remember?!"
Ling Yun felt as if he was watching the circus. "I cannot remember and I couldn't care less about who you are. What's important is what happened, so just get straight to the point. Hurry before our meal comes," Ling Yun replied bluntly.
It was the first time Tang Meng had met someone so stubborn, so much so that he could no longer find the energy to get angry anymore. This was the first time in his whole life he had felt so disrespected. Even Xie Junyan did not have the guts to speak to him like how Ling Yun did. Ning Lingyu's head faced down as she tried to hide her laughter. Her pretty cheeks were flushed from her giggling as her shoulders shook violently in her attempt to hold back her laughter.
My brother is so cool!
To Ning Lingyu, that tasted sweeter than honey. This person was indeed her brother! Being beside her brother seemed to give her strength and that made her forget all about the whispers and stares around her. As for the temperamental Zhang Ling, she fell off her chair from laughter after seeing how Ling Yun climbed all over Tang Meng's head.
Helpless, Tang Meng could only lean back with a sigh before beginning the explanation.
"Remember you were running laps around the track… I used that to open a gambling bet. The bet was about how many rounds you would be able to last. For those betting ten rounds and above, the returns were twenty-fold. Lingyu disliked the way I used you for bets. So she placed five hundred on you running more than ten rounds. As a result, she won ten thousand dollars. Do you understand now?"
After finishing his speech, Tang Meng instinctively tightened his fist just in case Ling Yun decided to duke it out with him.
To everyone's surprise, Ling Yun did not even seem to care about Tang Meng. Instead, his face was full of admiration and self-reproach as he looked towards Ning Lingyu. What followed almost made Tang Meng heave blood!
"Oh well done, little sister! Good job for having faith in your big brother, you should continue to have such faith! That being said, since you believed in me so much you should have betted at least a hundred thousand dollars instead of just five hundred dollars!" Ling Yun exclaimed happily to his sister.
Seeing that Tang Meng had told the truth, Ning Lingyu's heart pounded, feeling anxious. She could not bear to look up and look at her brother. Never had she expected that her brother would react in this way!
Ning Lingyu lifted her head as she widened her eyes and looked at Ling Yun. All that she could utter was an awkward, "Ah…?"
On the other side of the table, Zhang Ling was having the greatest laugh of her life. Having been in the same class as Ling Yun for three whole years, she had never known that he was such an interesting fellow. A hundred thousand dollars bet? Times twenty of that and he would have been a millionaire! Even the Little Gambling God wouldn't have enough!
Shaking, Tang Meng almost felt like making an escape from the cafeteria. Fortunately, the first dish arrived. With the fragrant chicken mushroom stew on the table, its tantalizing aroma immediately resolved the tense atmosphere.
"No need to hold back your laughter, sister. The food won't be able to enter your stomach if you hold all that laughter inside! Enjoy the meal before going back to class!" Ling Yun teased. Seeing that the food was served, Ling Yun patted Ning Lingyu's shoulders before grabbing a chicken drumstick with the chopsticks and putting it in her bowl. As for himself, he took the remaining drumstick with the chopsticks before devouring it with his bare hands.
Ning Lingyu could no longer hold back her laughter. In a blink of an eye, she was in a laughing fit. Her cheerful and beautiful smile stunned Tang Meng. Seeing how happy Ning Lingyu is, I'll not argue with you anymore!, Tang Meng thought. As he gritted his teeth in anger, Tang Meng mimicked Ling Yun's actions, grabbing a chicken wing and moving it towards Ning Lingyu's bowl.
*Pa* Ling Yun reacted with his lighting fast hands, using the chopsticks on his right hand to slap aside Tang Meng's chopsticks.
"She's my sister, I'll take care of her. There is no need for outsiders to interfere," Ling Yun frowned at Tang Meng.
Tang Meng would have loved to stab the chopsticks into Ling Yun's eyes. He could have sworn that if it weren't for the presence of Ning Lingyu, he would have slammed that whole pot of chicken mushroom stew onto Ling Yun's head.
Upon hearing what her brother said, Lingyu accidentally dropped the chicken drumstick she was holding into the bowl of stew, splattering the stew everywhere. Her heart felt so warm and her elegant nose turned red as tears welled up in her eyes. With her eyes no longer able to hold so many tears, the tears started flowing down her face. Emotional as she was, Ning Lingyu shed a tad more tears than normal that day.
Even though Tang Meng could hardly conceal his awkwardness and rage, the greatest emotion he was feeling at that moment in his heart was shock. What was going on with Ling Yun? This was just too unbelievable!
Tang Meng could not help but re-evaluate the fatty before his eyes. This fat turd who was wearing a severely undersized uniform. The uniform was so tight that it clung to his body. It looked really comical.
His face looked the same. However, Tang Meng realized that the look in his eyes had changed.
The weakness in his eyes was gone. So was the inferiority complex that he had. Ling Yun no longer saw himself as a small and insignificant person. Replacing it was neither arrogance nor pride. Instead, all that remained was a calm and collected gaze. In Ling Yun's pristine eyes, there was a sense of indifference to things and occasionally a flash of self-mockery. However, there was a sense of benevolence. It was as if Ling Yun had lived through countless ups and downs, having seen so many different ways of living that what laid before his eyes was nothing in comparison. That was what Ling Yun's eyes seemed to be telling Tang Meng.
If Tang Meng were to spot another difference in Ling Yun, that would be that air around Ling Yun. There was a clean and refreshing feel around Ling Yun. It was a kind of charisma that attracted and made people want to interact with him.
In contrast, he also seemed to give off an image of detachment. This contradiction caused people to be in a dilemma.
This brat… Tang Meng cursed in his heart. With that, he decided not to talk anymore as he ate in silence.
Noticing that Ning Lingyu was crying, Ling Yun gently turned towards her. He put down his chopsticks and wiped her tears with his right hand.
"First you laugh, now you cry. You're still the same as before! Now hurry and eat before the food gets cold…" Ling Yun directed towards his sister with a gentle and caring voice.
Ning Lingyu's heart felt fuzzy and warm as she pouted playfully at her brother. She looked stunning.
Zhang Ling felt shaken as she questioned herself. Was this really the same useless Ling Yun from her class? The guy before her who schooled Tang Meng with every phrase that escaped his mouth. The guy who could make Ning Lingyu smile and cry with just a single phrase. Was this truly Ling Yun? The word 'shock' was an understatement.
If Ling Yun was just a bit slimmer, he would have been the ideal older brother!
Zhang Ling was so distracted by Ling Yun that she did not even notice that Cao Shanshan had sat down directly across her.
"What's up? What are you daydreaming about?" Cao Shanshan asked Zhang Ling. At the same time, she waved her snow-white hand in front of her friend, trying to get her attention. It was then that Zhang Ling realized she was in a daze. She immediately sat up straight and pointed her index finger leftwards.
"Tang Meng? I already saw him, he comes here for lunch frequently. What's new about…" Cao Shanshan replied halfway before stopping in shock. She noticed that Ling Yun was sitting beside her. After looking further, she saw that even Ning Lingyu was here.
What the h*ll was going on? Ning Lingyu rarely visited the second floor and she was actually eating with Tang Meng? What shocked Cao Shanshan the most was the fact that Ling Yun was actually sitting beside her. Ling Yun seemed undisturbed as he continued to wolf down his food.
After running 4.4 kilometers with a 25kg sandbag, Ling Yun was actually sitting there and enjoying his meal. If Cao Tianlong was here, he would surely have fainted on the spot for days.
Not far from where Cao Shanshan sat, light laughter and loud chattering could be heard. Some were trying to get the belle's attention while others were just hoping for a show to watch.
"Have you ordered?" Cao Shanshan asked.
"Yes, Sichuan boiled fish with beef and ox tongue in chili sauce…"
"Hold on," Cao Shanshan said with a nod of her head as she stood up. Her ripe and ravishing body dazzled the surrounding students. Unaffected by the eyes of others, Cao Shanshan held onto her exquisite LV handbag as she walked to Tang Meng.
"Move inside!" Cao Shanshan ordered Tang Meng, who was consuming his meal with wild fervor.
Such dauntlessness! Such bravery and such oppressiveness!
Tang Meng almost felt tears in his eyes. What an unlucky year! What sin had he committed to deserve such disrespect? He was still one of the four scariest young masters of the school even if it was just a name. Tang Meng had no choice but to relent. He heard that those that provoked Cao Shanshan's wrath all suffered terrible consequences. Some were let off lightly with bruised and swollen faces while others were sent to the hospital to rest and for rehabilitation.
Thus, Tang Meng complied and moved his food to the very corner of that table. However, Tang Meng actually wanted to express his gratitude to Cao Shanshan. This was because he was directly facing Ning Lingyu now. He could enjoy his meal while having a good look at Ning Lingyu's beautiful and innocent face. For Tang Meng, he was now in his own world. He imagined that he was alone with Ning Lingyu, having a candlelit dinner. Sadly, Cao Shanshan was not done with him yet.
Cao Shanshan took out an exquisite purse from her LV bag and counted $1000. Then, she slammed it onto the table and awakened Tang Meng from his daydream.
"Look! Here's the $1000 I lost to you!"
He didn't care about who the person was or the person's status. As long as someone lost the bet, Tang Meng would collect their money without any hesitation. That was his motto as the Little Gambling God.
However, before Tang Meng even had the chance to collect the money, the same chubby hand stretched out really quickly and took the $1000 away.
"Gah…" Tang Meng uttered incomprehensibly with his mouth agape. The money belonged to him!
"Brother…" Ning Lingyu muttered as she felt a bit shameful of her brother. At the moment, the big, tall and perfect image she had of her brother vanished.
"You…" Cao Shanshan was at a loss for words. How is that different from robbery? Does this guy have no morals? Where is the respect I deserve? Cao Shanshan was screaming in her mind.
Cao Shanshan was boiling with anger. The incident that morning was not even over and now he had the guts to snatch her money?
Zhang Ling felt like laughing after seeing Cao Shanshan's amusing surprised expression. She was also looking forward to seeing how this confrontation would unfold after experiencing Ling Yun's stubbornness herself. Zhang Ling looked on as she wondered what would result from this battle.
Ling Yun, in contrast, was unresponsive to everyone's expressions as he made sure that the money was comfortably in his pocket before picking up his chopsticks and continuing his meal.
Tang Meng wanted to be the first to confront Ling Yun but once he saw the two belle's facial expressions, he knew doing so would only end up incurring their wrath. Thus, he chose to wait in silence.
"Return the money, brother! That really belongs to Tang Meng, he already returned every cent he owed me just now…" Ning Lingyu said anxiously as she tried to persuade Ling Yun to return the money. If what Ling Yun did was told to the whole school, she would be too ashamed to face anyone.
Tang Meng cried tears of joy in his heart. Finally, there was someone who was on his side!
With an unperturbed look, Ling Yun replied, "It is true that he has returned everything he lost to us in the bet?"
Then, he added, "But he has not given me the reward that I rightfully deserve yet. Am I right?"
Tang Meng was stunned. What was this fat bloke saying? What reward did he deserve?
Ling Yun smiled innocently as if to show everyone he meant no harm.
"I mean you did use me to set up a gamble so it's only right for me, who ran for my dear life, to get some commission, right?"
What?! Tang Meng almost went crazy after hearing what came out of Ling Yun's mouth. Ling Yun was the one that wanted to run and he had no hand in it. How could this fat turd be so thick-skinned and insensitive?
Even in a soccer match, the lottery firm that opens bets had no obligation to pay the soccer team any form of reward! (Of course, this was excluding those that fix matches.
Besides Tang Meng, even Cao Shanshan and Zhang Ling were dumbfounded by how thick-skinned Ling Yun was.
After hearing her brother's argument, Ning Lingyu no longer knew who to speak for. Even though she knew her brother's argument was unreasonable, he was still her brother!
"If you're unhappy, you can just do the same thing as me. Finish eleven rounds with the same sandbag. With that, we would be even and I will return you the $1000!" Ling Yun exclaimed as if that was the most natural thing to do. Having finished his speech, Ling Yun resumed eating voraciously and ignored the two of them across the table. At the same time, the second and third dishes were served. The aroma of the dishes pervaded the whole table.
Cao Shanshan was consumed by rage. She was angry as Ling Yun had snatched the money and used an illogical reason to justify himself. However, the main reason she was so angry was the fact that she was being disregarded by Ling Yun. Ever since she sat there across Ling Yun, he did not even bother to look at her once. He ignored Cao Shanshan, who was from the prestigious Cao family renowned throughout China. She was also one of the belles in Qing Shui High. This was a humiliation that Cao Shanshan could not swallow. In anger, she straightened her back, puffed up her chest and glared at Ling Yun.
Cao Shanshan could not believe that this was the same timid Ling Yun that could only follow her quietly after they had finished their late night study yesterday. To talk to her with such contempt was unacceptable! Zhang Ling had the same thoughts but the person before them was truly none other than Ling Yun.
"Ling Yun! What's the meaning of this?" Cao Shanshan hollered after seeing that Ling Yun was only interested in eating and did not even bother to give her any attention. Cao Shanshan was like an enraged lioness that could not wait to devour Ling Yun whole. Her voice resonated through the whole second-floor cafeteria. In a flash, everyone's eyes were focused on her. Young Master Tang seemed pleased with the turn of events. You shameless and despicable brat! Now you have incurred the belle's wrath! Let's see how you wriggle your way out of this crisis, huh! Tang Meng thought with glee in his heart.
Ling Yun frowned and complained, "I finally got to enjoy a free feast but I can't even eat in peace. Who is this crazy lady shouting at me for no good reason?" As Ling Yun lifted his head from his bowl to look at who was shouting at him, his eyes stopped at Cao Shanshan's puffed up chest.
"Oh, nice… What big perky breasts you got there…" Ling Yun muttered as he continued chewing the pork ribs in his mouth. Even though his voice was muffled from the chewing, the phrase, 'big perky breasts' could not escape Cao Shanshan's ears.
"What?!" Cao Shanshan exclaimed angrily in disbelief. As she followed the direction of Ling Yun's gaze she immediately understood what he meant. She felt like she was going insane. The rumors were true after all, this scoundrel had lecherous thoughts towards her.
"What I said does not matter, what matters is who are you? Uhm… what's your name again… Tang Meng, is this lady your girlfriend?" Ling Yun asked nonchalantly. In all honesty, Ling Yun was not feigning ignorance. Other than Ning Lingyu and their mother, everyone that the past Ling Yun had known was a blur. Even for those that bullied Ling Yun, all he could remember was their faces and the fact that he had been bullied by them in the past.
Now, the real show was finally starting!
There was an uproar as people gathered nearer to the cafeteria on the second floor to see the show unfold.
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