"Unfortunately, I must decline. I have a friend here!" Helen politely addressed Curtis. At that moment, Curtis cast a glance at Jin Muchen. As he beheld Jin Muchen's East Asian visage, a fleeting trace of disdain crossed Curtis's countenance, utterly devoid of pretense. However, Jin Muchen remained unruffled. Such characters were not unfamiliar to him; he had long grown accustomed to them. As long as this individual did not provoke him, Jin Muchen saw no need to confront him.
"Helen, is this your friend? Would you care to make an introduction?" Despite his rugged appearance, Curtis was, in fact, a man of delicate sensibilities. As he glanced back at Helen, he seemed genuinely interested in the person before him. He realized that if he wished to invite Helen to join them, he might need to exert a little effort concerning this Asian gentleman.
"This is Jin Muchen, my friend." "Hello, I'm Curtis, delighted to make your acquaintance." "Likewise, I'm Jin Muchen!" Curtis extended a robust hand, and Jin Muchen shook it firmly, the strength of his grip matching his robust physique.
"Why don't you join us over there, Muchen? We're all young folks; it's good to make new friends." Curtis then extended the invitation to Jin Muchen. Jin Muchen glanced back at Helen, who subtly shook her head. He was about to decline Curtis when Curtis suddenly draped his arm over his shoulder. "Come on, buddy! I know you Asians tend to be shy, but it's the modern era; no need to be reserved." With that, Curtis half-dragged, half-led Jin Muchen to their table. Though Jin Muchen wished to push him away, Curtis's actions were not overtly offensive, and Jin Muchen hesitated to act, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He could only glance back at Helen helplessly before allowing Curtis to lead him to their table.
Seeing this, Helen could only sigh resignedly before rising and following behind them to Curtis's table. The table was surrounded by five individuals, three men and two women. The three men were Curtis, a dark-haired Boyd, and a fair-haired Nick. The two women were Judy, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, and Maria, with her Latin heritage. It was evident that everyone was familiar with Helen. As she approached, they all greeted her warmly. Curtis then introduced Jin Muchen to everyone present. However, apart from Judy and Maria, who displayed some friendliness towards him, the other two men seemed rather indifferent to Jin Muchen.
As everyone took their seats, Curtis deliberately seated Helen next to himself. However, Helen pushed Jin Muchen into that seat and then sat on his left. "I apologize, please bear with it. My father and that detestable redneck's father are currently engaged in a business venture, so…" Helen naturally noticed that a few of the men were not particularly friendly towards Jin Muchen. The lack of warmth was perhaps due partly to racial biases among these individuals and partly to their attitude towards her.
Whether intentionally or not, Helen leaned close to Jin Muchen's ear and whispered. Being in such close proximity, Jin Muchen could only feel a tingling sensation in his ear. However, he couldn't push Helen away, and their intimate actions did not go unnoticed by everyone present. The two women widened their eyes, seemingly surprised, while Nick and Boyd glanced at Curtis, who flushed slightly before forcibly suppressing his emotions.
In truth, everyone present was aware of Curtis's interest in Helen; he had been pursuing her for quite some time. However, Helen had never given him the opportunity. Observing the looks from the others, Jin Muchen could only inwardly smile wryly. It seemed that Helen, this little enchantress, had once again used him as a pawn. He was certain she had done so deliberately.
Curtis's interest in Helen was as clear as day, even a blind man could see it. Yet, here she was, intentionally behaving so affectionately in front of Curtis. If he couldn't figure out her intentions, he might as well get his intellect checked.
"Helen, where's Matt? Why hasn't he shown up?" Judy couldn't help but feel curious as she observed Helen and Jin Muchen's intimacy.
"Let's not talk about that fool." Helen replied indifferently.
"Why? Did you two break up?"
"What do you mean break up? We were never together in the first place, okay? He just deluded himself into thinking I would be his girlfriend, but I never agreed to it."
"Oh, I see! And what about this gentleman here?" Judy's blue eyes flickered as she glanced at Jin Muchen sitting next to Helen. At that moment, Helen, too, shifted her gaze and leaned against Jin Muchen, wrapping her arms around his left arm.
"He? He has a good chance!" Helen smiled mischievously at the others. However, Jin Muchen didn't feel the warmth of her embrace; he only realized that he had been played.
Especially seeing the undisguised look of hatred in Curtis's eyes, as if he wanted to tear him apart, Jin Muchen knew he had been used as a pawn.
"Please help me out! I'll definitely thank you properly later." Sensing Jin Muchen's muscles tensing, as if he wanted to break free from her embrace, Helen quickly leaned close to his ear and whispered softly.
To be honest, Jin Muchen was young and full of vigor. Faced with such a beautiful woman like Helen, and her obvious advances, expecting him to remain unmoved was absurd. So, despite feeling upset about being manipulated by her, her sweet words instantly dispelled his resentment.
"So, Mr. Jin, are you Korean?" Nick, Boyd, and Curtis exchanged glances, then Nick spoke up.
"No! I'm Chinese."
"Ah! Chinese, hahaha..." Boyd suddenly burst into a strange laughter, his face full of disdain, exuding a provocative aura.
"Boyd, mind your manners!" Curtis intervened, trying to appear as the good guy, but his intentions were clear as day, urging Boyd to continue provoking.
"Hehe, Chinese, hey, Bruce. Jin, do you know Kung Fu? Hehehahaha!" Boyd didn't disappoint Curtis; he sat there gesticulating wildly, making weird noises, and performing some ridiculous moves.
"Forget about Kung Fu! It's all superficial nonsense, deceiving rubbish. In Texas, one cowboy can beat three of those so-called Kung Fu masters!" Nick chimed in, echoing Boyd's sentiments. It was evident that the two of them were trying to provoke Jin Muchen.
Normally, Jin Muchen would have retaliated upon hearing such words, but today he was not interested because he knew he had been manipulated by Helen. If he really clashed with the guys across from him, he would fall right into Helen's trap.
"So, you three are all cowboys?" Judy, sitting on the other side, actually had a good heart. She could tell that Nick and Boyd were clearly targeting Jin Muchen, and she didn't want them to clash openly, so she quickly changed the subject and asked.
"Of course, don't forget, we all hail from Texas. But out of the three of us, Curtis is the best cowboy. When he was fourteen, he even tamed the most famous bull in our area." Boyd replied with a hint of pride, looking at Helen.
"No wonder, he reeks of cow dung!" Jin Muchen whispered softly, his voice not loud, but ensuring that Curtis, sitting beside him, could hear.
Though he couldn't confront him directly, he was definitely not the kind to swallow insults. When Curtis heard this, his body shook, and he stared at Jin Muchen.
Jin Muchen just smiled slightly at him, as if he hadn't said anything at all. Then, he raised his hand and pulled Helen, who was sitting on his left, into his embrace.
Jin Muchen's action caught Helen off guard, and she instinctively tried to push away. But how could she match Jin Muchen's strength? She ended up being held tightly by him.
"Aren't you using me as a shield? Aren't you making me a scapegoat? The price for that is quite high!" Jin Muchen's actions made a flash of anger cross Helen's face. But when she saw Curtis's even more furious gaze directed at Jin Muchen, her mind raced, and then her body inexplicably softened, naturally leaning against Jin Muchen's shoulder.
"Curtis, why are you staring so wide-eyed? Is something wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Helen half-leaning on Jin Muchen's shoulder, smiled and asked Curtis.
At this moment, Curtis felt the blood vessels near his temples throbbing. This Chinese guy was too arrogant, wasn't he? With just a few words, he insulted himself and even took away the girl he liked!
But Helen's words prevented him from exploding. This was the most upscale restaurant in New York, one of the most renowned in the entire United States. If he caused a scene here, it would be on the news tomorrow.
He couldn't afford to lose face. He was a civilized person and couldn't possibly stoop to the level of this barbaric Chinese guy. But you, buddy, just wait and see.
Nick and Boyd, seeing Jin Muchen's actions, were also stunned. They had originally intended to belittle this guy a bit, hoping to provoke him into losing his temper in public and embarrassing himself.
The bigger the scene, the better, and then they could even justify giving him a good beating. But they never expected this guy to refuse to take the bait and instead play them all. Now, looking at their buddy Curtis, whose face had turned as red as a cooked crab, they were speechless.