Chapter 23: Passive-Aggressive
There were plenty of food stalls and street diners near the university.
Gu Jincheng, clearly familiar with the area, led Mu Lantu to a large open-air diner near the side gate of the university.
“This place is run by my buddy’s cousin. It’s clean and safe—eat as much as you want. Order whatever you feel like, and don’t be polite with me.”
Mu Lantu had no intention of being polite. When it comes to food, you should eat well. If he were going to be overly courteous, he might as well not have agreed to Gu Jincheng’s invitation in the first place. It’s not like he couldn’t afford a meal.
“You shouldn’t be eating barbecue with those injuries.”
Gu Jincheng didn’t want to go to the hospital. Worried that internal injuries might cause complications for both of them, Mu Lantu had discreetly taken his pulse under the pretense of helping him walk on the way over. Fortunately, it was just superficial wounds. What he feared didn’t happen.
Gu Jincheng brushed it off. “A little won’t hurt.”
Mu Lantu then ordered a big pile of barbecue for himself—lamb skewers, squid, chicken legs, chicken feet, chicken wings, hot dogs, corn, green peppers, lotus root, eggplant…
Meanwhile, after parting with Mu Lantu, Xu Huazhang didn’t return to the apartment complex, but instead went to another residence—Maple Grove Villas—to pick something up.
Just as he got back in his car, his phone rang. It was a new post on Mu Lantu’s Moments (social media feed).
As expected—it was food again.
Xu Huazhang felt a warm softness in his heart. Didn’t he just have lunch? He’s already hungry again? Someone with an appetite like that would be hard to support in an average household. He’d have to work harder and make more money.
But as he looked closer, the smile on his lips slowly froze. His eyes locked onto a detail in the corner of the photo: a plate of barbecue with two opened cans of beer on either side. Mu Lantu wasn’t eating alone. He was with someone—another man, most likely. Otherwise, they wouldn’t both be drinking beer. If it were a woman, it’d more likely be a soft drink.
[Gorgeous Beauty]: Lantu, didn’t you get enough at lunch? Why didn’t you tell me? I must’ve failed to take good care of you.
Gorgeous Beauty definitely understood the art of passive-aggression.
Mu Lantu knew he must’ve seen the post before sending that message. He opened the photo he had just uploaded, looked at it with a knowing expression, his eyes curving into a beautiful arc. Crossing his legs, he began typing quickly on his phone.
Gu Jincheng had been staring at him strangely for a while, but Mu Lantu didn’t even notice.
[Mu Lantu]: I didn’t get enough—because, the view is just too appetizing.
[Gorgeous Beauty]: If only you were this bold in front of me. Send me your location, I’ll come pick you up later.
Mu Lantu sent over his location, a bright smile on his face.
Gu Jincheng cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ahem!”
Mu Lantu realized he was being a bit rude, so he put away his phone and gave an apologetic look.
Gu Jincheng quickly said, “No worries, no worries. Your girlfriend checking in?”
Mu Lantu picked up a perfectly grilled, tender slice of eggplant and took a bite. The flavor burst in his mouth.
“No…”
Gu Jincheng nodded knowingly. Got it. Must be in the ambiguous stage still.
“Let me tell you, you can’t be too honest when dating!”
A glint flashed in Mu Lantu’s eyes. Oho—gossip incoming!
“You know why I got into a fight with that guy?” Gu Jincheng’s face darkened again. He crushed his beer can with one hand, splashing beer everywhere.
Mu Lantu played along. “Why?”
“Because… my girlfriend’s a year below us, in her third year now. I finally got a day off from my dad to come visit her, and what do I see? Her coming out of a hotel with another guy!” Gu Jincheng clenched his teeth, his voice shaking with suppressed rage as he spat out the final sentence.
Mu Lantu slowly put down the half-eaten eggplant, pulled out a napkin to wipe his mouth, and instantly regretted agreeing to this meal. If he kept enjoying his food, wouldn’t Gu Jincheng just hate him more? Clearly, no piece of gossip in this world is ever actually enjoyable.
Gu Jincheng wasn’t even sure why he was telling such an embarrassing story to Mu Lantu. Maybe he just needed someone to vent to. Maybe it was because Mu Lantu saved his life earlier, so he instinctively trusted him. Either way, after saying it out loud, he felt much better—and surprisingly, no regrets.
He grabbed a big handful of skewers and handed them to Mu Lantu. “Eat up. We can always order more!”
Mu Lantu reluctantly took them. “Are you drunk already?”
Gu Jincheng glanced at the untouched can of beer beside him and was momentarily speechless. But he knew Mu Lantu was trying to give him an out, which made him like him even more. They hadn’t interacted much before, so he hadn’t realized how solid this guy was.
“No! I know exactly what I’m saying. Actually, thinking about it another way—it’s a good thing. If I’d gotten more emotionally involved, or if this had happened after we were married, it would’ve been even worse!”
Mu Lantu picked up his beer and clinked it against Gu Jincheng’s.
Gu Jincheng slapped his thigh. “Right! I don’t even have your WeChat yet. Add me? We’re friends now!”
Sure.
Mu Lantu opened his QR code and let him scan it.
Later, Gu Jincheng did end up getting drunk. He held onto Mu Lantu and rambled endlessly about his ex-girlfriend, totally unstoppable.
Mu Lantu, resigned, had no choice but to listen while eating—he finished off two large trays of barbecue.
When Xu Huazhang came to pick him up, he was greeted by a mountain of empty skewers and stared worriedly at Mu Lantu’s still-flat stomach.
