Meng Shuping's spirits lifted, and he quickly suppressed the corners of his mouth from turning up. He politely declined, "No need, no need. I can get back on my own. I don't want to trouble you too much."
Jiang Cihe feigned enthusiasm, "It's no trouble at all. In fact, I can stop by your place for a casual meal and even save on lunch money."
Meng Shuping instantly turned expressionless. "I suddenly feel perfectly fine. There's no need to go back. Let's just eat outside."
Jiang Cihe put on a worried face. "But your family has prepared food for you…"
"It's fine," Meng Shuping said through gritted teeth. "Someone else can have it. It won't go to waste."
Jiang Cihe looked concerned. "But you just said you weren't feeling well…"
Before he could finish, Meng Shuping cut him off firmly, "I'm fine now! Really! If you don't believe me, I'll hop around right here to prove it!"
Watching Meng Shuping actually hop on the spot, Jiang Cihe struggled to suppress his laughter, though he still managed to say regretfully, "Alright then, we'll eat outside."
At that moment, Meng Shuping suddenly remembered something and looked at Jiang Cihe warily. "You're paying, right?"
Under Meng Shuping's intense gaze, Jiang Cihe almost laughed out loud. He deliberately hesitated for a moment, waiting until Meng Shuping was about to walk away before slowly saying under his suspicious stare, "Of course."
Only then did Meng Shuping feel relieved. If Jiang Cihe had suggested splitting the bill, he would've left without a second thought!
The group found a highly-rated restaurant nearby and went inside. However, since they had been delayed by the earlier commotion, all the private rooms were already occupied, so they had to take a table in the main dining area.
After the waiter led them to their table, he asked enthusiastically, "What would you like to order, honored guests?"
Jiang Cihe turned to Meng Shuping. "Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Meng Shuping, forced to have lunch with Jiang Cihe, was feeling resentful. He thought vengefully, "Since he's treating, of course we should order the best and most expensive dishes! Bring on the abalone, sea cucumber, deer tendon, and bear paw—serve them all!"
But what came out of his mouth was a bland, "Anything is fine. You order. I'm not picky."
"Pfft!" Jiang Cihe couldn't hold back another laugh. Meng Shuping was both annoyed and confused. *What's so funny? Why is he laughing?*
Jiang Cihe finally managed to stop laughing and, under Meng Shuping's deadly stare, said to the waiter, "Then bring us all of your restaurant's signature dishes, and also steep a pot of good tea."
Hearing this, the waiter became even more enthusiastic. Beaming, he said, "Right away, honored guests! Please wait a moment, it'll be served shortly!"
A short while later, the waiter brought over the tea along with some appetizers. "If you're feeling hungry, please have these to tide you over!"
Jiang Cihe nodded. "Alright, you can go."
Seeing that he wasn't needed, the waiter quickly left. After he was gone, Meng Shuping began to feel a bit awkward. If he were arguing with Jiang Cihe, he'd have plenty to say, but making polite conversation with him was a struggle—he could barely get a few words out.
To keep himself occupied, he reached for the teapot. However, as soon as he picked it up, he noticed Ling Feng's hand was also on the handle. "Young Master Meng, allow me to handle such a small matter!"
Without waiting for Meng Shuping to refuse, he took the teapot and poured tea for everyone.
With nothing else to do, Meng Shuping lifted his teacup just to avoid sitting there idly and looking bored.
Noticing this, Jiang Cihe quickly reminded him, "Be careful, it's hot."
Meng Shuping paused, his eyes darting around. "I wasn't going to drink it. I'm just warming my hands."
Jiang Cihe suppressed a laugh. "I was talking about your hands. What did you think I meant?"
Meng Shuping said flatly, "Nothing."
Jiang Cihe chuckled and, to prevent Meng Shuping from feeling too awkward, struck up a casual conversation with Ling Feng.
Relieved that Jiang Cihe wasn't forcing awkward small talk with him, Meng Shuping relaxed and turned his attention to the neighboring table. The people there were being so lively that he couldn't help but listen in on their conversation.
The group seemed to be in high spirits, each trying to outdo the other with their stories. A man in blue was holding forth boastfully, "You have no idea—every time I pass by, she can't help but glance at me twice. If that's not flirting, what is?"
Meng Shuping glanced at him. *Would he say a passing dog glancing at him twice is also flirting? He's so average, yet so confident!*
"Pfft!" Jiang Cihe, who was drinking tea, nearly choked on his sip. Luckily, he hadn't taken a big gulp, or he would've definitely coughed.
Meng Shuping looked at Jiang Cihe, puzzled. Had he and Ling Feng been discussing something funny?
At the same time, Ling Feng was also baffled as he looked at Jiang Cihe. *What's been up with His Highness lately? He keeps bursting into laughter for no reason. It's really strange.*
The man in blue grew angry and glared at Meng Shuping's table. What's so funny? He's handsome and dashing—was he wrong?
Another man, not wanting to be outdone, retorted boastfully, "That's nothing! I'm not exaggerating—give me two weeks, and I can get any innocent young girl into bed."
Meng Shuping couldn't help adding in his mind, *Hahaha, and then the 'young girl' whips out something bigger than his!*
"Bwahahaha!" No sooner had Jiang Cihe composed himself than he burst into laughter again.
Of course, the one laughing the hardest this time was the man in blue. The other speaker glared angrily at Jiang Cihe's table but, upon seeing that they looked like people not to be trifled with, redirected his anger toward the man in blue. "What are you laughing at? Stop laughing!"
The others also looked curiously at the man in blue. "Yeah, Brother Lü, what's so funny?"
The man in blue laughed until his face turned red. Waving his hand, he said, "Nothing, nothing. I just think Brother Ji is really impressive!"
The man surnamed Ji sensed that wasn't the real reason, but he couldn't prove otherwise. He could only huff in embarrassment. "You'd better remember that!"
By the time all the dishes arrived at Meng Shuping's table, he noticed the neighboring table had grown much quieter. He wondered, *Why did they stop boasting? Sobered up?*
The man in blue and the others: "…"
How can they talk? They were just bragging a little—what harm did it do? Every time someone said something, this table had a retort. Who could keep going under those circumstances?
The most annoying thing was that the people at this table clearly had powerful backgrounds. Better not provoke them!
At that moment, a man in white, noticing the awkward silence, asked curiously, "Why is everyone so quiet? Come on, let's drink! I said this meal is on me—no need to hold back!"
The man in blue, recalling that the man in white hadn't spoken much, deliberately tried to draw him into the conversation. "Brother Yu, I noticed your clothes are really nice. Why the sudden upgrade?"
The man in white, finally having a chance to show off, said proudly, "Oh, this? It's nothing, really. There's just this young, beautiful widow who's absolutely smitten with me. She gave me these clothes. I didn't want to break her heart, so of course I had to wear them!"
Meng Shuping perked up. *Wow! Is he a kept man by a wealthy older woman?*
He scrutinized the man in white. *But he looks pretty average. Does the wealthy sister have questionable taste?*
Average? The man in white was about to get angry when he heard the next thought. *Ohoho, I get it—he must be amazing in bed! Seven times a night!*
The man in white immediately puffed out his chest. Fine, let them say he's average. For a man, what matters most is stamina.
The others looked at him enviously. "Brother Yu, you're quite the ladies' man! Someone even made clothes for you willingly!"
Another said bitterly, "Why don't I ever have such luck?"
Was it because he couldn't perform seven times a night?
The man in white said modestly, "It's nothing, really. Just a set of clothes—hardly a big deal."
The others grew even more envious. "Did she give you something else too? Tell us quickly, what else did she give you?"
Surrounded by everyone's eager questions, the man in white felt his vanity greatly satisfied. "Of course she gave me money! Not just money—she even said she'd give me a house in the future!"
"Wow, Brother Yu, how did you manage to charm her so thoroughly?"
Before the man in white could answer, Meng Shuping answered for him, "Of course by pleasing her in bed! Isn't that why she's so generous with her money? What else would a sugar mama want from him besides that? It certainly can't be because of his looks, hahaha!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, so it seems the money for this meal is actually his payment for services rendered!"
"Pfft!" The man in blue and the others couldn't hold back their laughter. The man in white scowled darkly. Payment for services rendered?! It was the young widow who was won over by his charm and offered it willingly—it's definitely not some kind of payment!
He shot them a furious glare but didn't dare talk back to Meng Shuping and his companions. They must be jealous of him! Absolutely!
After the others had laughed enough, someone said, "So, Brother Yu, does that mean you're about to hit the jackpot?"
The man in white said disdainfully, "What jackpot? It's just a fling—who would take it seriously? It's not like I'm going to marry her!"
Meng Shuping wholeheartedly agreed. "Exactly, exactly! He's quite self-aware. He knows that after a while, the sugar mama will get tired of him and find someone new, so he's cashing in while he still can!"
"Honestly, his competitiveness isn't that strong. With all her wealth, there are plenty of people who can provide emotional satisfaction to the sugar mama. Finding someone handsome, a smooth-talker, and good in bed isn't hard at all! It's not like she has to cling to this wonky tree!"
Hearing this, the others started getting ideas. In terms of looks, sweet talk, and skill in bed, they weren't bad either! Maybe they stood a chance too!
"Hahahaha!" Jiang Cihe burst out laughing, utterly delighted. If he wasn't mistaken, Meng Shuping and that Yu guy were definitely not on the same page!
The man in white was furious. He shot to his feet, ready to explode in anger, but as soon as he stood up, he noticed someone at the other table also jump up and pull out a knife. After holding back for a long time, he finally said, "I'm going to the restroom."
Meng Shuping was startled. "Whoa! What's with that? Going to the restroom like he's drawing a sword!"
Jiang Cihe was laughing so hard he felt like slapping the table. He really wanted to tell Meng Shuping to stop thinking, or else he might actually die laughing!