Chapter 50: The Couple’s Set Meal

Fatty was always shameless—this was beyond doubt. Yet Li Huan had never seen him this outrageous before and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Many people nearby caught Fatty’s meaning and failed to stifle their own amusement. Those who didn’t understand asked around, and soon everyone was roaring with laughter.

Park Jung-ho’s face was ashen. He still hadn’t caught on—after all, those internet catchphrases popular at home were incomprehensible to these Koreans, and no one bothered to explain. But when Fatty brought up his mother, he finally lost it and charged forward to start a fight.

Koreans had always been known as a hot-blooded, impulsive people—just look at their TV dramas for proof. Of course, they had their own clever tricks too, like slashing scars onto ugly women’s faces, then sending them abroad for massive profits—a talent that honestly inspired envy.

Park Jung-ho, a black belt in taekwondo, was no slouch. He leapt up from the ground, swinging a kick straight at Fatty’s chest. Fatty’s face turned pale with fright, and he raised his hands to block.

In that instant, Li Huan reached out, pulled Fatty aside to dodge the attack, then grabbed Park Jung-ho by the ankle and yanked forward. Park lost his balance and toppled headlong, performing a spectacular front split—unfortunately, right onto the edge of the steps. He crashed down, groaning in agony, clutching his groin as tears streamed down his pretty face.

“How overconfident,” Li Huan sneered, paying Park Jung-ho no further attention. He led Fatty into the supermarket, bought two bottles of drinks, and by the time they came out, Park’s Korean friends had already taken him to the infirmary.

“That fall just now made me ache all over,” Fatty muttered, recalling the scene, instinctively glancing down at his own crotch with lingering dread.

“With your build, honestly, that Korean guy could’ve wiped the floor with you,” Li Huan teased, pinching a roll of Fatty’s flesh. At least Fatty wasn’t so overweight that even walking was a challenge.

When they returned to the department, word of their run-in with Park Jung-ho had already spread—though there were countless versions of the story. The core remained the same: Fatty bought a watch for the Korean’s mother, the Korean thought Fatty had insulted her, a fight broke out, and Li Huan heroically beat him up, even pelting a rock at his most sensitive spot.

Li Huan and Fatty both protested this mangling of the truth, but Fatty decided he rather liked the new version, thinking it made him seem dashing and admired. He basked in the adoring gazes of their peers.

Soon enough, the incident reached the vice dean, and both were summoned to his office by the student council.

The one who brought the message was Sun Xiao, who called Li Huan and Fatty outside, wearing a sneer. “Li Huan, you really know how to stir up trouble. This time, you’re doomed.”

“I understand your glee at my misfortune,” Li Huan replied coolly. “You’re just like some of those people in our country—enough to make anyone sick. If you’d at least mocked the Korean first before coming to laugh at me, I might respect you a little more, but as it is, you only make me despise you further.”

With a cold laugh, Li Huan strode into the vice dean’s office with Fatty. Sun Xiao gritted his teeth, cursed under his breath, and followed.

Inside, besides the vice dean, the head of the Finance Management Department was also present. Both men sat at the desk, sipping tea and deep in discussion. When Li Huan and Fatty entered, they nodded with grave expressions.

“I hear you had a conflict with a Korean exchange student. Explain what happened,” the vice dean said, a balding, dark-skinned middle-aged man, cigarette in hand.

Li Huan recounted the incident truthfully. The vice dean nodded but said nothing further. Instead, it was the department head who frowned. “This is troublesome. Violent clashes with international students are always difficult for universities to mediate. You were too careless.”

Li Huan was surprised. This normally rigid department head seemed more understanding than expected, showing no intention of punishing them—which Li Huan found hard to fathom.

Sun Xiao, apparently missing the head’s tone, cut in eagerly, “Vice Dean, Department Head, this matter could be serious—or not. If the other side doesn’t press it, no problem, but if it reaches the Korean embassy, it could escalate into a national dispute!”

He felt proud of his own words—raising the specter of an international incident would surely make even the dean pause.

But the vice dean only waved him off, giving Sun Xiao a meaningful glance before sipping his tea. “Sun Xiao, national disputes aren’t for you to speculate about. Remember, this is our country. Don’t bring up embassies just to undermine our own morale. That only makes our people look weak.”

The vice dean’s stern words left Sun Xiao red-faced, wishing he could vanish into thin air. He hadn’t expected the vice dean to take Li Huan’s side—shouldn’t he have scolded him harshly, or even given him a demerit?

“In any case, it’s not a big deal. Young people get into scuffles—bumps and bruises are inevitable. Don’t let it weigh on your minds. I’ll handle this; you two just focus on your studies,” the vice dean said, nodding at Li Huan before returning to his discussion with the department head.

Such matters were easily settled—the department head could explain the situation to the administration, and even if it did reach the embassy, it was only a minor incident. More importantly, as the vice dean said, this was their own country.

By noon, the story of Li Huan’s clash with the Korean student was all over campus. Students whispered as they passed, many feeling a sense of justice, though some infatuated girls condemned Li Huan’s violence, wondering how he could throw a rock at someone there—couldn’t he have just scratched the guy’s face, so he could at least fix it when he went home? But if that part was gone…

At lunch, Fatty shamelessly insisted on tagging along, and it was only after repeated punches and kicks from Li Huan that he finally left. When Li Huan reached the entrance of the Accounting College, he saw Su Dieyi approaching.

She was walking with Yang Yang. A few boys seemed eager to invite them to lunch, but Yang Yang shot them a glare and they wisely retreated. Reaching Li Huan, Yang Yang grinned, “Brother-in-law Su, are you treating us to lunch today?”

“Do you have a death wish, Yang Yang?” Su Dieyi pinched Yang Yang’s cheek, leaving a red mark on her fair skin.

“It’s only a meal—I’m not going to steal him,” Yang Yang replied with feigned innocence.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about the ‘brother-in-law’ bit,” Su Dieyi retorted, rolling her eyes.

Li Huan stood awkwardly by, unable to join in this exchange. But he didn’t mind being called “brother-in-law,” and gave Yang Yang a look only she could decipher.

“Never mind, I’ll leave you two to your date. I’m off to mooch lunch from Fatty!” Yang Yang blew Su Dieyi a kiss, tossed her short hair, and sauntered away.

Li Huan suddenly felt that Yang Yang and Fatty might just make a good pair—they both had a knack for freeloading.

He and Su Dieyi exited the campus and headed for the New Era Food Court. After their figures disappeared, Sun Xiao pulled out of a nearby corner in a BMW, watching Li Huan with a cold smirk before dialing a number on his phone.

Among university students, leaving aside those with wealthy backgrounds, Li Huan was considered well-off. Though his part-time job might suggest certain ambiguous undertones to others, he didn’t care—he earned his money honestly.

Zhonghai University was located in the heart of the university district, surrounded by every possible resource, with several five-star hotels nearby—on par with any prime commercial center.

Of course, Li Huan wasn’t about to splurge on a fancy seafood feast at a five-star hotel just to impress a girl. For a date, he preferred a comfortable, quiet, and stylish venue.

A Western restaurant was a fine choice—the menu was affordable for students, and an eighty-eight yuan set meal was more than enough for two.

“Good afternoon, sir. We’ve just launched a new promotion—couples can enjoy the set meal for free,” the waitress explained politely after Li Huan ordered.

He glanced at her name tag and was surprised. The young woman—about twenty-three or twenty-four, with delicate features—was actually the restaurant manager. Without the name tag, he wouldn’t have guessed.

“It’s free?” Li Huan didn’t clarify his relationship with Su Dieyi—after all, a free lunch was always welcome, and pretending to be a couple cost nothing.

He looked back at Su Dieyi, who kept her head down, lost in thought, but didn’t seem inclined to refuse.

“That’s right. This offer is for couples ordering the special set meal. Of course, there’s a small requirement…” The manager glanced at Su Dieyi with a hint of envy—girls as beautiful as her were rare indeed.

“What requirement?” Li Huan knew there was no such thing as a free lunch and was curious about the condition.

“It’s simple—we just need a photo of the couple kissing, which will be displayed on our ‘Couples Wall’ as part of the event,” the manager replied with a smile, imagining how much attention a photo of Su Dieyi would draw to the restaurant.