Chapter 149: Envy, Jealousy, and Hatred
Translator: 549690339
Today, Luo Ziling didn’t need to treat Li Haiyang, and Ouyang Feifei was busy with something, so the appointment to treat her was scheduled for two days later. As such, Luo Ziling was pretty free. When his roommates tried to extort a meal from him, he readily agreed to take them out to dinner.
When he agreed, students from the neighboring table overheard, and they too chimed in, clamoring to join in the fun.
As a result, when the afternoon military training was over and it was time to go out for dinner, Luo Ziling found himself surrounded by eleven people.
Seven boys and four girls.
Thankfully, these students didn’t make a big fuss, otherwise the whole class might have followed him for a massive feast.
Including Luo Ziling, that made twelve, students from three dormitories.
The four girls also shared a dormitory.
These four girls were all quite good-looking, at least in the eyes of Wu Longjiang and Li Fuming.
Luo Ziling also thought they were fairly attractive.
So, when they set out to find a place to eat, the four girls became the center of attention. Everyone except Luo Ziling flocked around them, firing off questions. But these girls were interested in Luo Ziling.
They all had Luo Ziling on WeChat and would occasionally send him greetings.
At first sight, they’d taken a liking to this green yet handsome lad, it’s just that none of them were bold enough to confess.
Seeing the four decent-looking girls clustering around Luo Ziling, Cao Jianhui and the others felt a bit resentful and seemed quite deflated. Cao Jianhui secretly decided he would fleece Luo Ziling thoroughly tonight, purposefully ordering the most expensive dishes to bleed him dry.
The group chose a well-reputed local cuisine restaurant a short distance from the university gates and booked a large private room, just big enough for twelve people.
Luo Ziling was flanked by girls; Lin Lin, a tall girl, snatched the seat to his left and a girl named Li Duoduo took the spot on his right. Lin Lin wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she had a great figure, the kind that made men take a second look with her curves in all the right places; Li Duoduo was petite and cute, with nice facial features that made her as adorable as a porcelain doll.
With two girls eagerly beside him, Luo Ziling couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward.
The other boys, and the two remaining girls, looked at him with a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Luo Ziling let the other classmates order dishes. The four girls each picked a dish and Cao Jianhui took the liberty of choosing five on his own, selecting only the priciest ones, while the others added one or two more dishes and staple foods.
Cao Jianhui also ordered a case of beer.
“Let’s just drink a bit today,” Cao Jianhui, a bit wary of Luo Ziling’s drinking ability, didn’t dare to boast excessively, “Use the beer to wet our appetites. Let’s not drink too much; after dinner, we’ll plan some entertainment. I’ll treat you all to karaoke!”
Naturally, Cao Jianhui’s suggestion was met with warm enthusiasm from everyone.
During dinner, everyone toasted Luo Ziling, whose feat of downing a whole bottle of strong liquor had become legendary at Yan University, a story known by most of the students.
These classmates, even more so, knew of the story, so none of them were afraid Luo Ziling would get drunk.
Luo Ziling had no choice but to accept all comers, drinking genially with them.
Beer is diuretic, and soon his stomach swelled uncomfortably. Luo Ziling wasn’t happy about this; with so many dishes ordered, he hadn’t eaten much as the beer had filled him up. Therefore, after having a drink with each person, he quickly sat down to eat.
Lin Lin and Li Duoduo were very enthusiastic about serving dishes to him and pouring wine, making the other boys envious to death.
“Boss, we really admire you,” Cao Jianhui, burping from the liquor, toasted Luo Ziling, “You excel both in the literary and martial arts, your medical skills are superb, and you’re incredibly popular with the ladies. Soon you’ll become a legend at Yan University, bringing glory to our class and our dorm. Here’s to you, you will always be our boss.”
As he spoke, he drained his glass in one gulp.
Luo Ziling had to drink another glass and stopped the others from toasting.
“Let’s drink less,” Cao Jianhui also played peacemaker, “Let’s have a good drink when we go to sing. We won’t drink beer, we’ll drink red wine, it won’t bloat our stomachs!”
Cao Jianhui’s proposal was naturally welcomed by everyone.
He was the class monitor and came from a family of officials, while most of the other students came from ordinary families and were far from his eloquence. Thus, he had a lot of influence in the class, and most were willing to listen to him.
His generous display and cheerful drinking made everyone like to socialize with him.
After a satisfying meal, the group went to a rather upscale KTV nearby. The KTV was busy and, though they’d arrived early, the best private rooms were booked, so they could only get an average one without a bathroom.
Upon bursting into the private room, a few girls and the more lively boys immediately began to grab microphones or select songs, while Luo Ziling simply sat there, indifferent. Cao Jianhui, generous as ever, didn’t fight with others for a turn and plopped down beside Luo Ziling, asking with a smile, “Boss, what song are you planning to debut with?”
“I’ll just listen to you guys,” Luo Ziling had never sung before, so he quickly declined, “I don’t know how to sing, don’t force me!”
“Yeah, right, who would believe that!” Cao Jianhui looked at him with disdain.
He mistook Luo Ziling’s modesty for false pretense.
Lin Lin, after selecting a song, squeezed next to Luo Ziling and asked softly, “Ziling, what song do you want to sing? I’ll select it for you!”
“I really don’t know how to sing,” Luo Ziling was really embarrassed, “You go ahead and sing, I’ll learn by listening!”
Lin Lin also thought Luo Ziling was just being modest and coyly hoped he would pick a song.
But not knowing any songs, and only able to hum some classical ones, Luo Ziling could only awkwardly decline.
Then other women also squeezed up to Luo Ziling, asking him what song he wanted to sing, and Li Duoduo enthusiastically invited Luo Ziling to sing “Crystal” with her. Her boldness sparked envy in the other girls, and in the end, Luo Ziling beat a hasty retreat to the restroom.
When Luo Ziling came back from the restroom, he discovered that some people were missing from the private room; Lin Lin was gone, and there was no sign of Wu Longjiang.
Cao Jianhui, holding the microphone in both hands, was singing passionately.
They were singing “Crystal,” the song Li Duoduo had wanted to invite Luo Ziling to sing, and both had decent voices and quickly got into the groove.
After his return, Luo Ziling quietly sat on the side, listening to them sing while eating fruit.
Just as Cao Jianhui and a classmate named Ding Xiaoqing were earnestly dueting in a love song, Wu Longjiang barged in swiftly, shouting anxiously, “Quick, quick, someone’s trying to harass Lin Lin, let’s go help her!”
Hearing Wu Longjiang’s shout, everyone froze for a moment before standing up. Cao Jianhui, engrossed in the love song, threw the microphone and immediately rushed out.
Without hesitation, Luo Ziling followed quickly, and the other classmates also rushed out of the private room.