"Boss, you're really strong," Wang Sheng exclaimed excitedly after Xiao Chenyu and his group left.
Wang Sheng recalled Xiao Chenyu's words clearly; they wouldn't harass the working students anymore. This was fantastic news for them.
"Hehe, you're pretty good. I guess I didn't misjudge you," Xiao Wu giggled, her dimples showing, with a mysterious look in her eyes as she glanced at Zhao Ming.
"Of course, if I didn't have some skills, how could I be your boss?" Zhao Ming replied with amusement.
"True enough. Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's eat," Xiao Wu said, wrinkling her nose as the aroma from the second-floor cafeteria reached her.
The second-floor cafeteria was different from the first. Here, you could order individual dishes, with vastly superior ingredients. Occasionally, you could even get soul beast meat if you could afford it.
Such delicacies were usually only within the reach of the academy's teachers or nobles like Xiao Chenyu, who came from wealthy backgrounds.
Zhao Ming glanced at the menu. The dishes were priced in silver soul coins, with some even reaching several gold soul coins.
Even the cheapest dish, 'Chicken Stew with Mushrooms,' cost two silver soul coins, explaining why they couldn't afford it.
Zhao Ming casually ordered some dishes and passed the menu to the others.
Wang Sheng and the others were taken aback by the prices and were hesitant to order. Xiao Wu, however, had no such reservations and picked several expensive dishes.
"This braised rabbit head looks good. It should taste nice," Zhao Ming suggested as Xiao Wu browsed the menu.
"Are you crazy? Rabbits are so cute, and you want to eat them?" Xiao Wu glared, speaking fiercely. "Don't you know my martial soul is a rabbit? And you want to eat rabbit in front of me?"
"Xiao Wu, you ordered tiger paw right in front of me," Wang Sheng reminded her playfully. Despite his martial soul being a tiger, he had no qualms about eating it.
Xiao Wu paused at his words, then replied, "That's different."
"Huh, how is it different?" Wang Sheng asked, puzzled.
Tigers are the devils that eat rabbits, of course! Xiao Wu had only ordered one meat dish: tiger paw. Since the tiger tribe had harmed her kin, she felt justified in eating it.
However, she couldn't explain this to them.
...
"Boss, let me toast to you. Thank you for standing up for us," Wang Sheng said, raising a cup of rice wine. Students were allowed to drink this low-alcohol beverage.
Zhao Ming smiled, "Since you call me Boss, it's what I should do. Xiao Chenyu and his group shouldn't bother you anymore. If they do, just let me know, and I'll handle them."
He then raised his own cup and drank.
Though rice wine wasn't strong, with so many people...
After Wang Sheng, the other members of Dormitory Seven also toasted Zhao Ming.
Having witnessed Zhao Ming defeat Xiao Chenyu and make him promise not to bully them, Zhao Ming's status in their eyes had risen to that of a teacher, if not higher.
Though they'd only known Zhao Ming for a day or two, they wholeheartedly accepted him as their leader.
Zhao Ming spent most of the meal drinking, barely touching the food. Xiao Wu, after a few sips, focused on eating.
The table was cleared in no time by the ten or so students, for whom such a feast was a rarity.
Patting her full stomach, Xiao Wu was very satisfied with the meal.
But as she was about to get up, a hand grabbed her, and someone fell against her.
Startled, Xiao Wu was about to push the person away when she realized it was Zhao Ming, who was staring at her sleepily.
"Boss must be drunk," Wang Sheng observed, seeing Zhao Ming struggling to stand.
"Xiao Wu, you didn't drink much. Help Boss back to the dorm. We've all had too much," Wang Sheng suggested, swaying a bit himself.
The other members of Dormitory Seven, sensing the situation, echoed the sentiment.
Seeing them all unsteady on their feet, Xiao Wu had no choice but to help Zhao Ming back to the dorm.
Supporting Zhao Ming, who leaned heavily against her, his head resting on her, she felt his warm breath on her neck, tickling her slightly.
It was a new sensation, making her feel uneasy.
"Hey, girl, give me a smile," Zhao Ming mumbled, lifting Xiao Wu's chin playfully.
Xiao Wu froze, eyes wide.
"Zhao Ming, you better control your hands. Move them again, and don't blame me for being rude," Xiao Wu snapped, swatting his hand away angrily.
But in his drunken state, Zhao Ming wasn't rational enough to heed her warning.
His hands continued to wander.
Annoyed, Xiao Wu dropped Zhao Ming to the ground and stormed off towards the dorm.
After a while, she returned, uneasy.
Seeing Zhao Ming seemingly asleep, Xiao Wu sighed, resignedly dragging him back to the dorm.
During the trip, Zhao Ming didn't repeat his earlier antics, much to Xiao Wu's relief.
However, in her mind, Zhao Ming was now firmly categorized as a pervert.
Drunk words are sober thoughts, she mused. To her, Zhao Ming was undoubtedly a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Thinking about something during the day leads to dreaming about it at night. Even if he hadn't meant it, his mind must have been wandering to inappropriate places.
•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗕𝗼𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗝𝗰1202' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 35+ 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗢𝗳𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿